Windows 12 Rumors, Potential Features, And Possible Release Date Window

Microsoft originally described Windows 10 as "the last version of Windows," intending to turn the operating system into a service model with regular updates instead of major releases. Perhaps the numbering system was always intended to increase, as Microsoft's marketing from that time is slightly ironic today as it is the last version of Windows as we're now on version 11. It took six years between major releases, this time when prior Windows incarnations came every three. That should mean that the next major version of Windows won't come until 2027 but things appear to be changing over at Microsoft.

Now the rumor mills are working overtime saying that Microsoft isn't finished and Windows 12, for the sake of having a name we can say, is in the works. The company hasn't said anything publicly, but various tech outlets have spoken to sources inside Microsoft who confirmed its existence. While we can't independently confirm this yet, the number of different, independent outlets talking about a new version of Windows in the works puts some weight behind the rumors. The way Windows 11 upgrades has also changed, with the yearly feature upgrades no longer happening in favor of smaller feature updates throughout the year. We've rounded up the latest rumors and features, and put our knowledge to work on what Microsoft's potential plans could be.

According to Windows Central, Microsoft is changing to a three-year cadence for major Windows releases. That information tracks with how the company used to release Windows versions before Windows 10 was released and would make Windows 12 a 2024 release. Windows 7 arrived in 2009, with Windows 8 turning up three years later in 2012. Windows 10 was released towards the end of 2015. That was the end of the three-year cadence, with Windows 11 coming six years later in 2021.

Now, if Microsoft is reportedly going back to the three-year cycle, for whatever reasons, the next major version update for Windows would be in 2024. It likely won't be the end of Windows 11 or even Windows 10. Microsoft has pledged to five years of mainstream updates for Windows in recent releases and another five years of extended support after that. That would make Windows 11 obsolete in 2031 and Windows 10 in 2025. The only major update of Microsoft's operating system that got fewer was Windows 8, which dropped after four years due to how many consumers disliked the forced Start Menu view and other launch issues.

There is always a possibility that the three-year release cycle changes for whatever reason. That would make Windows 12's release window later, but how much longer we can't say. Again, Microsoft is currently on a six-year release window so it's possible the early reports are mistaken and Windows 12 won't arrive until 2026 or even after.

Microsoft has offered a direct upgrade path to its latest operating system, Windows 11, for any users on Windows 10. The upgrade appears in Windows Update as an optional update, or there is always the option of doing a clean install to Windows 11 from the Installation Assistant or created installation media. Users on Windows 7 or Windows 8 had to first upgrade to Windows 10 before carrying on to Windows 11. Or, they could do a clean install to Windows 11, as license keys for earlier versions of Windows still activate the latest version.

We expect Microsoft to continue this pattern of upgrade paths when Windows 12 is available. Windows 11 users should get a Windows Update notification to upgrade, and users of any earlier Windows versions might get a notification or will be able to do clean installs. That will depend somewhat on any additional hardware requirements Microsoft decides are necessary for Windows 12 use, particularly those around additional security chips. If 2024 is really the release date, then we expect any PC that can currently run Windows 11 to be able to update to Windows 12. If the release date is later for any reason, the number of existing computers that will be compatible could be reduced, simply by their aging hardware.

Windows 11 introduced strict hardware requirements, including a TPM module for security purposes. That locked out many older machines from upgrading. While there were workarounds to install it on unsupported hardware configurations, there's no guarantee these will work when Windows 12 arrives. Windows 12 might not have such a big leap in requirements, coming so soon after the Windows 11 release. What might happen is that anyone who upgraded an unsupported hardware configuration to Windows 11 might find they can't get Windows 12.

Windows 11 required a 64-bit processor with 1Ghz clock speed, 4GB of RAM, 64GB of storage, a display larger than 9 inches with HD resolution (1366 x 768), an internet connection, and a DirectX 12 compatible graphics adapter with WDDM 2.x. It also required a motherboard capable of UEFI and Secure Boot, and a TPM 2.0 (trusted platform module), which could be either software or hardware-based.

That's around what we expect Windows 12 will require, maybe with an increased system RAM to 8GB. Microsoft might add other requirements as time goes on. Some modern processors have the Microsoft Pluton security processor, which brings the TPM into the CPU, making it more secure. Only AMD Ryzen 6000 and Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3 chips have Pluton inside them, with no Intel CPUs on board yet, even though they were part of the design team. We can't see it being a requirement in Windows 12, but it might be an optional requirement so that other TPM methods are no longer necessary.

Cortana has been relegated to the back seat, but that doesn't mean Microsoft is done with AI. During AMD's keynote at CES 2023, Microsoft's Panos Panay hinted that the next version of Windows would heavily feature AI. Shortly after, we were shown how AI would come to Windows after Microsoft announced it was entering into a "multiyear, multibillion-dollar investment" with generative chat darling, OpenAI. One of the first AI-enhanced tools is Microsoft Teams, which now can automatically gather all of the information from a meeting into condensed notes. This includes creating tasks for participants, emailing a meeting summary to any participants (including those who couldn't make it), and Teams Premium can now generate live captions in over 40 languages.

Windows 11 now has an AI-powered version of Bing search, both inside the Edge web browser and in the Search bar on the Taskbar. Expect Windows 12 to expand on the number of functions supercharged by AI subroutines. The Settings app will find what you are trying to change as you start typing, or your video calls will get AI-powered lenses to fix blemishes and make you look more attentive or awake. We could also see Cortana come back as a fully-functional, conversational AI avatar, not quite as fully featured as her namesake in the Halo franchise but closer than any other voice assistant has been so far.

Microsoft's Edge web browser has nowhere near the userbase that Internet Explorer had in its heyday. Still, at nearly 11% of the worldwide browser market, it's the closest thing to a competitor to Google Chrome's stranglehold on the market. Maybe that's helped by the recent switch to using Chromium as the browsing engine inside Edge. Another feature for Edge that might be coming in Windows 12 is one that Chrome can't do, and might break off more market share for Microsoft's best browser to date.

That's the ability to show two browser tabs side-by-side without having two browser windows open. Imagine arranging browser tabs inside the open window like you can use snap layouts in Windows 11 to arrange apps around your desktop. This handy feature came from an internal Microsoft User Research team project, using an experimental browser known as "Phoenix" internally to showcase advanced user interface tools as a concept video. The split screen tabs view was the "most liked feature," according to serial leaker WalkingCat. While this might come to Edge users on Windows 11 before we even hear about a Windows 12 release date, releasing an all-new version of Edge alongside the next version of the operating system would be better timing for Microsoft.

Microsoft had a yearly schedule for big feature updates to Windows 10 and Windows 11. The last was in September 2022, with the Windows 11 22H2 (Sun Valley) release. That was also the last planned yearly feature update, as Microsoft has changed how releases happen. Its new "Moments" engineering push puts major Windows releases back on a three-year cycle. Instead of yearly big feature updates, those features will release every few months, as often as four times a year.

The three-year release cadence all but confirms that Windows 12 is coming in 2024. The engineering push will mean a faster update cycle for Windows 12 users, with smaller, more regular improvements and new features as time goes on. We've already seen this smaller timescale for feature upgrades when the tabbed version of File Explorer came just before the Windows 11 22H2 release. The company also released the Taskbar weather button on Windows 11 in the same way, showing that the quicker update cycle was viable. Recent other updates to Windows 11 brought the ability to record your screen with the inbuilt Snipping Tool, which also now automatically saves snips in the Screenshots folder, an upgraded version of Search, energy-efficient settings to lower your carbon footprint, and Quick Assist, a way to easily allow your trusted friends and family to connect to your PC to solve technical issues.