In a new blog post, Microsoft reports that it has reached a new phase in the gradual rollout of Windows 11 24H2. Compatible systems will be automatically updated to the latest release. Launched in October, Windows 11 24H2 has been plagued by a handful of jarring problems, including game-breaking bugs, persistent caches, and broken HDR. Recent patches have addressed most of these issues, and Microsoft is now confident enough to initiate automatic 24H2 updates for mainstream consumers. Note that this does not apply to managed systems.
The initial rollout began for Copilot+ PCs in June of last year. If you don't own an "AI PC," 24H2 launched as early as October but was marred by bugs and glitches, most of which have been fixed per Microsoft's blog. So, if your PC wasn't on the latest release, it will automatically be updated to 24H2. Note that this only applies to eligible devices running Windows 11 Pro/Home on the 23H2/22H2 builds, which no organization can manage.
After checking Microsoft's bug log, we found that many problems had been resolved. However, the potential for newer bugs still exists. Users can defer the update by up to five weeks using the "Pause Updates" feature in the "Windows Update" tab in "Settings." If you're eager to update, select the "Check for updates" option in the same tab to see if the update is available for your device.
Microsoft is aware of issues that have not been resolved, such as the Failure to install 24H2 on specific Asus devices, the camera's unresponsiveness on a handful of systems, unexpected behavior with wallpaper applications, etc. Note that affected devices will be put on a "safeguard hold" until these issues have been resolved.
Copilot PCs will get the most out of this update with the infamous Recall feature and other AI goodies. Sadly, these features will continue rolling out in phases for select devices under the Windows Insider Program. The good news is that Windows 11 24H2 promises faster update times and better performance for AMD's Ryzen CPUs. Intel mandates the installation of specific Windows 11 24H2 patches for optimal performance with Arrow Lake processors, even though our testing shows little to no improvements.
