Microsoft has made it much, much easier to upgrade from Windows 10 to Windows 11 23H2, the last major update for Windows 11. From now on, all Windows 10 users can upgrade directly to Windows 11 23H2, as spotted by Windows Latest.
This eliminates the annoying and time-consuming intermediate step of first having to upgrade from Windows 10 to Windows 11 22H2 and only then being able to update to Windows 11 23H2.
This cumbersome procedure was previously necessary for some, but not all, Windows 10 users. Microsoft introduced the streamlined process recently but has not communicated it publicly.
Microsoft is carrying out this changeover on the server side; Windows 10 users will therefore generally no longer be offered the upgrade to Windows 11 22H2, but will instead be offered the upgrade to Windows 11 23H2 directly. The company has already started the changeover, but it is possible that some Windows 10 users will still have to be converted. So if the direct upgrade to Windows 11 23H2 is not yet available on your Windows 10 computer, you’ll still need to update the system yet again after upgrading to Windows 11.
The end is nigh for Windows 10
Making Windows 11 upgrades as easy as possible is vital for Microsoft. Windows 10 reaches end-of-life status in 2025 but Windows 11’s market share has been stagnant (at best) for months now.
Shifting downloads to Windows 11 23H2 makes even more sense when you consider Windows 11’s support plans. Microsoft will end support for Windows 11 22H2 on October 8, 2024. For Windows 11 23H2, however, Microsoft will offer support until 11 November 2025. The Redmond-based company has published the exact support periods here.
While Windows 11 23H2 (also known as Moment 4) is the latest major version of the operating system, it is not the very latest version of Windows 11. That’s reserved for Moment 5, which Microsoft released in spring 2024. You’ll need to run a simple Windows Update to receive Moment 5’s quality-of-life improvements. Read more about this in 4 just-added Windows 11 features that make your life easier.
This article was translated from German to English and originally appeared on pcwelt.de.
This article originally appeared on our sister publication PC-WELT and was translated and localized from German.
Author: Hans-Christian Dirscherl, Redakteur
Hans-Christian Dirscherl schreibt seit über 20 Jahren zu fast allen IT-Themen. Sein Fokus liegt auf der Koordination und Produktion von Nachrichten mit hohem Nutzwert sowie auf ausführlichen Tests und Ratgebern für die Bereiche Smart Home, Smart Garden und Automotive.