Windows 11 new features officially available in 2025 for versions 25H2, 24H2

• Microsoft pushed a number of new features for Windows 11 in 2025 across File Explorer, Settings, passkeys, and kernel security, delivered through cumulative updates and using an enablement package for versions 25H2 and 24H2.

Windows 11 has received a slew of new features, improvements, and fixes through 2025, and in this guide, I’ll break down everything you need to know. 

Although the operating system received its fourth feature update (version 25H2) on October 14, 2025, you probably noticed it didn’t include anything new. This is because Windows 11 24H2 and 25H2 are exactly the same operating systems. The only difference is the version number and lifecycle.

However, throughout the year, Microsoft has been pushing a number of new features and significant changes with every cumulative update, and while most of them were first available for version 24H2, they also apply to version 25H2.

In this guide, I’ll show you the best features that Microsoft officially rolled out in 2025 for Windows 11 25H2 and 24H2.

Windows 11 25H2 and 24H2 new features available in 2025

These are new features and improvements available in Windows 11 in 2025.

File Explorer with AI integration

On Windows 11 25H2 and 24H2, Microsoft continues the integration of AI into File Explorer with the introduction of “AI actions.”

AI actions allow you to interact with files without opening them. You only need to right-click and choose an action:

• Bing Visual Search: Quickly identify objects and landmarks or shop for items based on an image.
• Blur Background: Automatically detects backgrounds in images and blurs them with customizable intensity.
• Erase Objects: Remove unwanted elements from photos using Generative Erase.
• Remove Background: Instantly cut out a subject from an image with one click.

The above actions are currently available for JPG, JPEG, and PNG file formats.

In addition, if you select a Word, PowerPoint, or Excel file with a Microsoft 365 subscription, you’ll find the option to create a summary without even having to open the file using the “Summarize action in Copilot” option. These AI actions are supported for XLSX, PPT, PPTX, DOC, DOCX, PDF, TXT, RTF, ASPX, HTML, and HTML files.

Microsoft also introduced a context menu with dividers for the top-level icons to make it easier to identify each action in File Explorer.

Widgets dashboard changes

Microsoft has also been working on improving the Widgets dashboard. For instance, the feature now offers multiple dashboards to separate your widgets from the news feed (Discover), with a new navigation pane on the left.

Microsoft is also touting a new design for the “Discover” dashboard that’s similar to Copilot’s, but I haven’t seen it at the time of this writing.

Lock Screen widgets

Windows 11 in 2025 also introduced a new “Widgets” setting in the “Lock Screen” settings page to control which widgets appear on the screen before signing in.

These settings allow you to show or hide widgets. If a widget supports customization, you can change it using the “Edit” option on the right side menu.

The “Suggested widgets for your lock screen” option dynamically adds widgets to your lock screen when slots are available.

Windows Narrator’s new features 

Windows 11 also introduced a new “Braille viewer” feature as part of the Windows Narrator, which allows you to view an on-screen textual and Braille representation of the output for teaching purposes.

If you want to launch the feature, use the “Windows key + Ctrl + Enter” keyboard shortcut to open the Windows Narrator features, and use the “Narrator key + Alt + B” shortcut to open Braille.

Microsoft notes that you also need to configure Windows Narrator for Braille output, which requires downloading a package from Settings > Accessibility > Narrator > Use a Braille display with Narrator.

Also, Windows Narrator now delivers a more fluid and natural reading experience in Microsoft Word, with enhanced voice feedback, uninterrupted reading flow, and smarter navigation across footnotes, comments, lists, and tables. Improvements include consistent list cues, clearer table structure, and more intuitive feedback when selecting content.

Windows Hello design improvements 

Windows 11 has also updated the Sign-in screen with visual changes if your computer is configured to use Windows Hello Face, Fingerprint, or PIN. For instance, when you access the screen, the system will display an animation on the icon representing the current sign-in methods to enhance the experience and make it easier to understand.

While on your account, the system also updates the security credential user experience dialogs for the passkey.

For example, once you create a passkey, the next time you sign in, you will notice a new Windows Hello animation that prompts you to enter your credentials and verify them. Also, you can now switch between authentication options.

Additionally, facial recognition now operates reliably without generating false positives that prompt a PIN entry. If you are still experiencing issues, you can recalibrate under Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options > Improve recognition.

Finally, fingerprint login is now more consistent after waking from standby.

Passkeys with third-party providers

Microsoft is also taking another step toward eliminating passwords on Windows 11 with the seamless support for plugin-based passkey managers, with 1Password as the first integrated provider.

This means you can now store and use passkeys directly through 1Password and log in using Windows Hello (face, fingerprint, or PIN).

If you want to try this feature, you’ll need to install the 1Password app on your computer. Then, in Settings > Accounts > Passkeys > Advanced options, enable the plugin.

Once you have completed this configuration, you can use your existing passkeys stored in the plugin credential manager or save new passkeys.

Kernel security with Rust

Windows 11 now implements Rust for critical kernel features. Rust is an open-source programming language designed primarily to build operating systems, but it can also be used to build applications. This language is very popular among programmers because it offers syntax and performance similar to C++ and provides stronger memory safety without garbage collection.

This implementation helps mitigate memory corruption vulnerabilities, such as buffer overflows, and reduces attack surfaces.

Advanced page in the Settings app

In the Settings app, Windows 11 25H2 and 24H2 now have a new “Advanced” settings page that replaces the “For Developers” page.

The page includes a new design that groups settings in different categories, and you’ll find all the same features, but it also adds some new settings.

For example, the “Enable Long Paths” feature removes file path length (MAX_PATH) limitations, and the “File Explorer” page is new, grouping all the related settings, including the new “File Explorer + Version Control” feature that allows you to integrate the file manager with other services like Git.

Microsoft Edit text editor for Command Prompt

The operating system now includes a new “Edit” text editor that you can use in Command Prompt. It’s a tiny (less than 250kB) command-line app that works with text files without requiring you to leave the Command Prompt to use Notepad or another graphical application. It is similar to text editors on Linux, such as Vim or Nano.

The new editor is a 64-bit application and an open-source project from Microsoft. Additionally, this CLI text editor also works on Windows 10.

It includes support for mouse navigation, multiple-file editing, find-and-replace, word wrap, and more.

Windows ML for developers

Windows Machine Learning (ML) is the built-in AI inference runtime optimized for on-device model inference and streamlined model dependency management across CPUs, GPUs, and NPUs, serving as the foundation for Windows AI Foundry and used by Foundry Local (high-performance local AI runtime stack) to enable expanded silicon support.

Gaming with advanced shader delivery

On Windows 11, advanced shader delivery is a technology developed by Microsoft in partnership with Xbox and AMD to address long load times and disruptive stuttering during a game’s first launch.

These delays are caused by the need to compile graphics shaders and cache them for future use. However, it’s up to the developer to integrate advanced shader delivery into their games.

Clock with seconds in Notification Center

Microsoft brought back the bigger clock with seconds in the Notification Center. To display the full clock with seconds in Notification Center, open Settings > Time & language > Date & time, and turn on the “Show time in the Notification Center” toggle switch.

This feature does not appear by default, but the company is also building a toast notification to let you know about the clock with an option to turn it on automatically.

Change on-screen position of indicators

In Settings > System > Notifications, Microsoft has added a new “Position of on-screen indicators” setting that lets you move hardware indicators (such as brightness, volume, airplane mode, and virtual desktops) to the bottom center, top left, or top right of the screen.

The company says this has been a “highly requested setting,” which, even though it might be true, I know many users would have preferred the software giant to add the option to move the Taskbar to the top or the side of the screen.

Windows 11 new keyboard shortcuts

Instead of having to open the Emoji Panel to access the symbols section to enter an En dash (–) or an Em dash (—), Windows 11 is updating its shortcut system so that you can use the “Windows key + Minus” to insert En dash, and “Windows key + Shift + Minus” to insert Em dash.

Control Panel to Settings changes 

On Settings > Time & language > Date & time, this flight brings the following changes:

• Option to add additional clocks from the “Show time and date in the system tray” setting.
• Setting to change the time server under the “Additional settings” section. 
• An option to access the date and time formatting is now available through the “Date & time” page, rather than from “Language & region.” The page also includes the option to change the AM and PM symbols.

On Settings > Time & language > Language & region, you can now find these improvements:

• Option to change the number and currency format under the “Region” section.
• Option to enable Unicode UTF-8 for worldwide language support under the “Language” section.
• Option to copy current user language and region settings to the welcome screen and system account, and new user accounts under the “Additional settings” section.

On Settings > Accessibility > Keyboard, Microsoft is adding:

• Setting for character repeat delay and rate.

On Settings > Accessibility > Text cursor, you’ll find:

• Setting to control the cursor blink rate.

In addition, as part of the Settings app changes, the company is updating more dialogs to match the design of Windows 11.

Task Manager with new CPU calculation view

Windows 11 25H2 and 24H2 ship an updated Task Manager that provides consistent CPU usage information. You’ll now see the same CPU workload across all pages, in line with industry standards.

If you need the previous CPU value, you can display the “CPU Utility” column, located in the “Details” tab.

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Windows Recall new Home page

Windows 11 now includes a new version of the “Recall” app that introduces visual changes. First, the app now has a home page that groups your recent snapshots and top content for easier access.

The page also offers greetings with the current date and a search box to help you look through your activities.

The app also has a new navigation bar on the left to move between the home and timeline pages (which remain unchanged), and you can access the settings menu at the bottom-left corner.

Click to Do improvements

When opening the Click to Do context menu, you’ll now see new and popular tags to help you discover new actions.

Also, Click to Do will now show more concise summaries with the “Summarize” action.

Microsoft has also added a quick, interactive tutorial with text and images to help users get started with Click to Do on Windows 11.

Voice Access with natural language

In 2025, Voice Access received an update for Snapdragon, Intel, and AMD-based Copilot+ PCs that lets you use natural-language commands.

Other features and changes

The above content highlights the most significant improvements available on Windows 11 in 2025, according to Microsoft. However, on every Patch Tuesday Update that the company rolled out during the year, it also introduced other features and changes.

• November 2025 Security Update (KB5067036)
• October 2025 Security Update (KB5066835)
• September 2025 Security Update (KB5065426)
• August 2025 Security Update (KB5063878)
• July 2025 Security Update (KB5062553)
• June 2025 Security Update (KB5060842)
• May 2025 Security Update (KB5058379)
• April 2025 Security Update (KB5055523)
• March 2025 Security Update (KB5053598)
• February 2025 Security Update (KB5051987)
• January 2025 Security Update (KB5050009)

It’s important to note again that the changes made prior to the release of version 25H2 also apply to the new version of the operating system, as both 24H2 and 25H2 are the same operating system.

FAQs about the new features available on Windows 11

Here’s a list of frequently asked questions (FAQs) and answers about the new features and changes available in 2025 for Windows 11 25H2 and 24H2.

What’s the difference between Windows 11 24H2 and version 25H2?

According to Microsoft, version 25H2 uses the same shared servicing branch as 24H2 and delivers no new major features at the time of its launch. Essentially, version 25H2 is an enablement package for 24H2 features, meaning devices already on 24H2 get the same functionality as 25H2.

If I already run Windows 11 24H2, do I need to upgrade to 25H2?

Since 24H2 and 25H2 share the same feature set, there’s no functional difference for most users. Your system will still receive monthly updates and new features through the “Windows Update” settings.

How do I check what version of Windows 11 I’m using?

You can check the version of Windows 11 you’re using by going to Settings > System > About, and looking for “Version.” If it says 24H2 (build 26100.xxxx) or 25H2 (build 26200.xxxx), then you’ll know which one you’re on.

How is the Windows 11 25H2 update delivered?

Windows 11 25H2 is delivered as an enablement package (eKB) when your device is already running 24H2, which means the update process is faster and less disruptive. Microsoft describes this as part of their “continuous innovation” servicing model.

Are there any known issues or removed features in version 25H2?

Yes. While version 25H2 includes no new major features beyond 24H2, some legacy components have been removed. For example, Windows PowerShell 2.0 and WMIC are removed during an upgrade to 25H2. On the known issues side, Microsoft has acknowledged some problems with version 25H2 that also apply to version 24H2.

Will my existing apps and accessories work on Windows 11 25H2?

Generally, yes. Since 24H2 and 25H2 share the same code base, most apps and accessories compatible with version 24H2 should continue to work. However, you should always check with software or hardware vendors for certified support. The larger caveat is hardware requirements and compatibility checks when upgrading from Windows 10 or earlier.

What do I need to know about upgrading from Windows 10 to 11?

Upgrading from Windows 10 to Windows 11 is free for eligible devices. You should ensure your computer meets the minimum hardware requirements (through the PC Health Check app) before upgrading.

It’s important to note that support for Windows 10 ended on October 14, 2025, meaning devices still running Windows 10 will no longer receive free updates, technical assistance, or security patches.