Microsoft has just released the first Windows 11 version 26H1 preview build to Insiders in the Canary Channel, however the company says this isn’t going to be released as the next feature update for Windows 11. Instead, version 26H1 exists as a means for Microsoft to bring up support for upcoming next-gen silicon.
“26H1 is not a feature update for version 25H2 and only includes platform changes to support specific silicon. There is no action required from customers,” Microsoft says in the blog post announcing version 26H1.
Unlike version 25H2 and 24H2, version 26H1 is based on a newer version of the Windows platform, codenamed Bromine. Today’s build that’s rolling out to the Canary Channel is build 28000, and is believed to be the base RTM build for the Bromine platform release.
Again, with Microsoft claiming that version 26H1 is not going to be a feature update for version 25H2, nobody running Windows 11 today needs to worry about this next version. The company says it’s sticking with its annual version update cadence, which will see the next version of Windows 11 ship in the second half of 2026 as version 26H2.
It’s still too early to know what version 26H2 will entail, or whether it will be built on top of the 26H1 release that is shipping with Bromine, like how 25H2 is built on 24H2. For now, we know that upcoming next-gen Arm silicon is dependant on the changes that have been implemented in the platform for version 26H1, and doesn’t impact existing Windows 11 PCs.
What is Windows 11 version 26H1?
Windows 11 version 26H1 is a special version of Windows 11 that is designed to bring up next-gen silicon from Qualcomm and NVIDIA. Microsoft says it’s a release that “only includes platform changes to support specific silicon” and therefore won’t ship to existing Windows 11 customers.
Will Windows 11 version 25H2 be replaced with version 26H1?
No, Microsoft has confirmed that version 26H1 won’t be released as an update for version 25H2 users. The next major version update for existing Windows 11 PCs will be version 26H2 in the second half of 2026.
