Windows 11
Windows 11 is a version of Microsoft's Windows NT operating system, released on October 5, 2021, as the successor to Windows 10 (2015). It is available as a free upgrade for devices running Windows 10 that meet the #System requirements, Windo ...
2022 Update (also known as version 22H2 and codenamed "Sun Valley 2") is the first major update to Windows 11. It carries the build number 10.0.22621. Five component updates were released for this version"Moment 1" with build 22621.675 on October 18, 2022, "Moment 2" with build 22621.1344 on February 28, 2023, "Moment 3" with build 22621.1778 on May 24, 2023, "Moment 4" with build 22621.2361 on September 26, 2023, and "Moment 5" with build 22621.3235 on February 29, 2024.
Overview
The first preview was released to Insiders who opted in to the Dev Channel on September 2, 2021. As of build 22449, 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
In operating systems, a task manager is a system monitor program used to provide information about the processes and applications running on a computer, as well as the general status of the computer. Some implementations can also be used t ...
* Re-added the drag and drop feature on the taskbar
* Improvement to the snap layout experience
* New live captions feature
* New Smart App Control (SAC) feature for blocking untrusted applications
* Split "Focus assist" feature into "Do not disturb" and "Focus"
* Included
Clipchamp
Clipchamp is a freemium Video editing software, video editing tool developed by Australia, Australian company Clipchamp Proprietary company, Pty Ltd., a subsidiary of Microsoft. It is a Web application, web-based, Non-linear editing, non-linear ed ...
as inbox app
The first component update to Windows 11, version 22H2, codenamed "Moment 1", was released on October 18, 2022, with build 22621.675 and several further changes:
* New tabbed browsing feature and refreshed layout of the left navigation pane in the
File Explorer
File Explorer, previously known as Windows Explorer, is a file manager application and default desktop environment that is included with releases of the Microsoft Windows operating system from Windows 95 onwards. It provides a graphical user i ...
* New inline suggested actions feature
* Re-introduced
taskbar
The taskbar is a graphical user interface element that has been part of Microsoft Windows since Windows 95, displaying and facilitating switching between running computer program, programs. The taskbar and the associated Start menu, Start Menu were ...
overflow feature
* Improvements to the built-in Windows share window
* Added support of Auto Color Management (ACM) which further optimized for
OLED
An organic light-emitting diode (OLED), also known as organic electroluminescent (organic EL) diode, is a type of light-emitting diode (LED) in which the emissive electroluminescent layer is an organic compound film that emits light in respon ...
monitors by reading
DisplayID
DisplayID is a VESA standard for metadata describing display device capabilities to the video source. It is designed to replace E-EDID standard and EDID structure v1.4.
The DisplayID standard was initially released in December 2007. Version 1.1 ...
data
* Added support of
Variable Refresh Rate
Variable refresh rate (VRR) refers to a dynamic display that can continuously and seamlessly change its refresh rate without user input. A display supporting a variable refresh rate usually supports a specific range of refresh rates (e.g. 30 Hertz ...
(VRR) by reading
DisplayID
DisplayID is a VESA standard for metadata describing display device capabilities to the video source. It is designed to replace E-EDID standard and EDID structure v1.4.
The DisplayID standard was initially released in December 2007. Version 1.1 ...
data
The second component update to Windows 11, version 22H2, codenamed "Moment 2", was released on February 28, 2023, with build 22621.1344 and several further changes:
* Added
iOS
Ios, Io or Nio (, ; ; locally Nios, Νιός) is a Greek island in the Cyclades group in the Aegean Sea. Ios is a hilly island with cliffs down to the sea on most sides. It is situated halfway between Naxos and Santorini. It is about long an ...
support in the Phone Link app
* New Studio Effects section in the Quick Settings for NPU-compatible devices
* Redesigned
Quick Assist
Quick Assist is a Microsoft Windows feature that allows a user to view or control a remote Windows computer over a network or the Internet to resolve issues without directly touching the unit. It is based on the Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP). It ...
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
The third component update to Windows 11, version 22H2, codenamed "Moment 3", was released on May 24, 2023, with build 22621.1778 and several further changes:
* 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
In operating systems, a task manager is a system monitor program used to provide information about the processes and applications running on a computer, as well as the general status of the computer. Some implementations can also be used t ...
* Introduced Content Adaptive Brightness Control (CABC) to desktop computers and battery powered devices
* New copy button for copying
two-factor authentication
Multi-factor authentication (MFA; two-factor authentication, or 2FA) is an electronic authentication method in which a user is granted access to a website or Application software, application only after successfully presenting two or more distin ...
codes in notification toasts
* New
USB4
Universal Serial Bus 4 (USB4), sometimes erroneously referred to as USB 4.0, is the most recent technical specification of the USB (Universal Serial Bus) data communication standard. The USB Implementers Forum originally announced USB4 in 201 ...
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 fourth component update to Windows 11, version 22H2, codenamed "Moment 4", was released on September 26, 2023, with build 22621.2361 and several further changes:
* The availability of Copilot in Windows (in preview)
* 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 ( 7z, rar,
tar
Tar is a dark brown or black viscous liquid of hydrocarbons and free carbon, obtained from a wide variety of organic materials through destructive distillation. Tar can be produced from coal, wood, petroleum, or peat. "a dark brown or black b ...
)
* 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
Unicode or ''The Unicode Standard'' or TUS is a character encoding standard maintained by the Unicode Consortium designed to support the use of text in all of the world's writing systems that can be digitized. Version 16.0 defines 154,998 Char ...
Emoji 15.0
* Added support of COLRv1 color format
* New Narrator natural voices in Simplified Chinese, Spanish (Spain and Mexico), Japanese, English (United Kingdom and India), 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 fifth component update to Windows 11, version 22H2, codenamed "Moment 5", was released on February 29, 2024, with build 22621.3235.
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 will reach end of service on October 14, 2025.