Windows 12 probably won't be coming out for another year, as Windows 11 version 25H2 announced

Microsoft has confirmed that the next version of Windows 11 is coming soon through version 25H2, which is being rolled out to Insider Preview builds, meaning that Insiders can already play around with the first 25H2 build.

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In an announcement post to its website, Microsoft's Jason Leznek explains: "Today, Windows 11 version 25H2 became available to the Windows Insider community, in advance of broader availability planned for the second half of 2025". The new Windows 11 version 25H2 isn't a major upgrade in a technical way, as it shares the same platform release and servicing stack as version 24H2.

This means that upgrading your version of Windows 11 from 24H2 to 25H2 is "as easy as a quick restart" and it shouldn't take any longer than a normal cumulative update. This means that transitioning between Windows 11 versions much quicker to "OS swap" than the shift from Windows 11 version 23H2 to 24H2, which required replacing your installation files with newer versions.

Leznek explains: "New features we develop for Windows 11, version 25H2 are part of the version 24H2 branch. When the new code is complete, we include it in the monthly LCUs for Windows 11, version 24H2 in a Disabled state".

Microsoft's push with Windows 11 version 25H2 means that Windows 12 is still a while away yet, while the upgraded Windows 11 version 25H2 release should drop sometime in September to October, which should coincide with another big event for the company: the end of official support for Windows 10 which happens in October.