Windows 11 version history
is a major release of the Windows NT operating system developed by Microsoft that was released in October 2021. Starting with Windows 10, Microsoft described Windows as an "operating system as a service" that would receive ongoing updates to its features and functionality, augmented with the ability for enterprise environments to receive non-critical updates at a slower pace or use long-term support milestones that will only receive critical updates, such as security patches, over their five-year lifespan of mainstream support.
Overview
As with Windows 10, mainstream builds of Windows 11 are labeled "YYHX", with YY representing the two-digit year and X representing the half-year of planned release.Version history
Version 21H2 (original release)
The original version of Windows 11 was released in October 2021. It carries the build number 10.0.22000.The first public preview build was made available to Windows Insiders who opted in to the Dev Channel on June 28, 2021. Notable changes in this version include:- Redesigned Fluent Design System:
- *Most interfaces in Windows 11 feature rounded geometry, refreshed iconography, new typography, and a refreshed colour palette.
- *Windows 11 also introduces "Mica", a new opaque Material that is tinted with the color of the desktop wallpaper.
- Significantly redesigned Start menu, adhering to the principles of the updated Fluent Design System.
- Center-aligned Taskbar, with new animations for pinning, rearranging, minimizing, and switching apps.
- The File Explorer has been refreshed with the Fluent Design System and the Ribbon interface has been replaced with a new command bar with a revamped user interface and a Mica background. It also introduces revamped context menus with rounded corners, larger text, and Acrylic.
- New Windows Subsystem for Android.
Builds
Version 22H2 (2022 Update)
The Windows 11 2022 Update is the first major update to Windows 11. It carries the build number 10.0.22621.The first preview was released to Insiders who opted in to the Dev Channel on September 2, 2021. As of build 22567, the version string has been changed from "Dev" to "22H2".
The update began rolling out on September 20, 2022. Notable changes in the 2022 Update include:
- Redesigned and new Efficiency mode feature in Task Manager
- Re-added the drag and drop feature on the taskbar
- Improvement to the snap layout experience
- New live captions feature
- New Smart App Control feature for blocking untrusted applications
- Split "Focus assist" feature into "Do not disturb" and "Focus"
- Included Clipchamp as inbox app
- New tabbed browsing feature and refreshed layout of the left navigation pane in the File Explorer
- New inline suggested actions feature
- Re-introduced taskbar overflow feature
- Improvements to the built-in Windows share window
- Added support of Auto Color Management which further optimized for OLED monitors by reading DisplayID data
- Added support of Variable Refresh Rate by reading DisplayID data
- Added iOS support in the Phone Link app
- New Studio Effects section in the Quick Settings for NPU-compatible devices
- Redesigned Quick Assist app
- Added third-party apps support in the Widgets panel
- Re-introduced tablet-optimized taskbar
- Added support for tabs in the Notepad app
- New Braille displays and input/output languages support in Narrator
- New Energy Recommendations page in the Settings app
- Updated touch keyboard option in the Settings app
- New Tamil Anjal keyboard
- Re-introduced the search box on the taskbar
- New presence sensor privacy settings in the Settings app
- New VPN icon on the taskbar
- Added the ability to show a notification badge on the Start menu's user profile icon
- Introduced live captions in more languages
- Added the ability to create live kernel memory dumps in Task Manager
- Introduced Content Adaptive Brightness Control to desktop computers and battery powered devices
- New copy button for copying two-factor authentication codes in notification toasts
- New USB4 hubs and devices page in the Settings app
- Re-introduced the new touch keyboard option in the Settings app
- New multi-app kiosk mode
- Re-introduced the ability to display seconds in the system clock on the taskbar
- Adds support for Bluetooth LE Audio and the LC3 codec
- The availability of Copilot in Windows
- New preview flyout when hovering over files under the Recommended section on the Start menu
- New volume mixer experience in Quick Settings
- Re-introduced the ability to never combine taskbar buttons
- Added the ability to hide the time and date in the system tray
- Updated notification bell icon in the system tray on the taskbar
- Modernized Details pane, Home page, address bar and search box in the File Explorer
- New Gallery feature in File Explorer
- Added the native support of additional archive file formats
- New Windows Backup app
- New screen for restoring from backup during the OOBE
- Improvements to backup and restore experience for desktop apps
- Added support of Unicode Emoji 15.0
- Added support of COLRv1 color format
- New Narrator natural voices in Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Japanese, English, French, Portuguese, German and Korean
- New text authoring experiences in voice access
- New Home page in the Settings app
- Redesigned Windows Security notification dialogs
The update has reached end of service on October 8, 2024 for Home, Pro, Pro Education, Pro for Workstations and SE editions. The Enterprise, Enterprise multi-session, IoT Enterprise and Education editions have reached end of service on October 14, 2025.
Builds
Version 23H2 (2023 Update)
The Windows 11 2023 Update is the second major update to Windows 11. It was shipped as an enablement package for the Windows 11 2022 Update, and carries the build number 10.0.22631.Major features of Windows 11 2023 Update and system applications included:
- Windows Cortana was replaced with Windows Copilot, later rebranded as Microsoft Copilot, an AI assistant based on the same technology stack as Bing Chat and Microsoft 365 Copilot.
- Windows Backup was re-introduced with a new look and feature set for Windows 11.
- Passkey support on the OS level was implemented via the biometric Windows Hello system.
- The Start Menu, All Apps section now shows a new "System" label for system apps, which are managed via the Settings app, System category, System Components section.
- Wake on Approach, Lock on Leave, and Adaptive Dimming features introduced to reduce energy use.
- Paint received layer support and AI-based tools for digital creation.
- Snipping Tool received AI-based tools to extract text from screenshots.
- Photos received AI-based tools for subject detection to automatically add background blur to photos.
- Clipchamp received an AI-based Auto Compose tool.
- Chat was changed to Microsoft Teams, which is automatically pinned to the taskbar.
- Voice Access was improved to reach more places, such as login. It now also supports more complex words.
- Narrator was improved to support more languages.
The first preview was released to Insiders who opted in to the Beta Channel on May 25, 2023. The update began rolling out on October 31, 2023. New features and changes from "Moment 4" were enabled by default in this update. The version string was changed from "22H2" to "23H2" in build 25375.
The first component update to Windows 11, version 23H2, codenamed "Moment 5", was released on February 29, 2024, with build 22631.3235 and several further changes:
- Improvements to Copilot in Windows
- Improvements to voice access
- * New voice access in French, German, and Spanish
- * Added multi-display support
- * New voice shortcuts feature
- Enhanced image consumption experience in Narrator
- New share targets for sharing links through the Windows share window
- Updates to the Cast flyout in Quick Settings
- New suggestions feature in snap layouts
- Improvements to Windows 365 Boot and Windows 365 Switch
- New notification for prompting to open recent photos and screenshots from Android mobile device in Snipping Tool
The update has reach end of service on November 11, 2025 for Home, Pro, Pro Education, Pro for Workstations and SE editions. The Enterprise, Enterprise multi-session, IoT Enterprise and Education editions will reach end of service on November 10, 2026.