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ZDNET’s key takeaways
- Microsoft is forcing eligible Windows 11 PCs to update to 25H2.
- Support ends for Windows 11 24H2 in October, so you’ll need 25H2.
- Windows 11 25H2 is stable, so there’s no reason not to update.
Are you still running the 2024 version of Windows 11? If so, the 2025 flavor is headed your way. In a recent status update, the software giant said that all eligible computers running the Home and Pro editions of Windows 11 24H2 will automatically receive the 25H2 update. No action is required on your part. You can postpone the update, but you can’t stop it.
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To determine whether your PC is eligible, Microsoft is using machine learning. OK, and what does that mean?
In a Microsoft Build game plan for Windows 11, the company explained that its machine learning uses a combination of testing, feedback, responses from its partners, diagnostic data, and real-life insights. Based on the results, the update gets aimed at PCs that are least likely to run into compatibility issues or other hiccups. PCs that could bump into trouble with the update will be put on a wait list until the issues are resolved.
Required for security reasons
The major reason for the update is security. Support for Windows 11 24H2 ends on October 13, so that version will no longer receive security patches beyond that date. Before then, Microsoft wants to ensure that all Windows 11 PCs are running the same supported edition to continue to get the latest patches.
The mandatory update applies only to individual PCs running Windows 11 Home or Pro. Computers used in organizations and managed by IT departments are excluded since IT departments typically manage these types of rollouts.
Also: Windows 11 Home vs. Windows 11 Pro: I found the differences that truly matter
To see if your PC qualifies, head to Settings, select Windows Update, and click the button to check for updates. If you’re still on Windows 11 24H2 and your system is eligible, the 2025 update will automatically be downloaded and installed. But since this is an automatic update, you’ll eventually get it without manually checking for it.
If you want to postpone the update for any reason, go to Settings and select Windows Update. Click the down arrow next to the menu for Pause updates. You can then pause them for one week, two weeks, or three weeks. But you’re only delaying the inevitable.
Any reason to avoid the 25H2 update?
Is there any reason you’d want to avoid the 25H2 update? No, not as long as your PC is eligible. It’s true that Microsoft doesn’t have a stellar track record with Windows updates, either the annual ones or the monthly Patch Tuesday variety. Windows 11 24H2 was beset by a host of bugs, many of which took months to fix. But with the 2025 update, the company wisely made a few changes.
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Windows 11 25H2 is more compact and installs more quickly than previous annual updates. That’s because Microsoft swaps out only the files that need updating, rather than replacing all system files. Windows 11 25H2 and 24H2 also share the same code base. That means the initial 2025 version has been more stable and reliable than its predecessor, which took several months to shed many of its problems.
You can easily see which flavor of Windows 11 you’re running. Go to Settings, select System, and then click About. Scroll down the screen to the section for Windows specifications. The version line will indicate which annual update is installed.
