Windows 11 24H2 new features and changes

UPDATED 10/1/2024: Windows 11 24H2 (2024 Update) is the next version of the operating system that Microsoft will release on October 1, 2024, and will be available more broadly for new and existing devices. The feature update was originally made available on June 18, 2024, but this release only includes the core changes for Copilot+ PCs. In this comprehensive guide, I’ll show you the new features and changes expected in the latest yearly update for Windows 11.

If one thing is certain about version 24H2, it is that the company will focus heavily on continuing to integrate AI across Windows 11, including improving Copilot across the system and apps and introducing new features, such as Windows Recall, Voice Clarity, Windows Studio Effects, Live Captions, and Automatic Super Resolution (Auto SR). However, these features will require AI-capable hardware, and existing devices are not likely to get them. 

The feature update also includes non-AI features and improvements, such as the case of the new Energy Saver mode, Windows Protected Print Mode, the addition of the Linux Sudo command, new testing tools for the sound settings, an updated version of File Explorer with share and archival improvements, and various changes for existing features.

When is the release date for Windows 11 24H2?

Windows 11 24H2 release date is October 1, 2024. Microsoft also made the Windows 11 2024 Update available on June 18, but only for the Copilot+ PCs. However, this was a partial launch since it only included the core features and changes necessary to bring these devices to the market.

Is Windows 11 24H2 a free upgrade?

Windows 11 24H2 is a free upgrade for compatible Windows 11 and 10 devices. Since this is a significant refresh, it will require reinstallation.

Is Microsoft forcing Windows 11 24H2 on existing PCs?

No, the company won’t (initially) force version 24H2 for existing devices. Once the feature update is ready, you will be notified to download the new version manually through Windows Update. If you are a “seeker,” you can force the upgrade by turning on “Get the latest updates as soon as they’re available” and clicking the “Check for updates” button in Settings, followed by the “Download and install” button.

Alternatively, you will be able to install the new version using a USB installation media or ISO file to perform an in-place upgrade or clean installation. In addition, you can use the Installation Assistant to upgrade. If you want to upgrade to Windows 11 24H2 early, you can use the Release Preview Channel.

Will every PC receive all the features on version 24H2?

The short answer is “No” because some features will require new hardware. 

While most features will be available for existing supported devices, those powered by AI will require new hardware, which you can only obtain when purchasing a new Copilot+ PC.

Features like Windows Recall (delayed), Windows Studio Effects, Auto Super Resolution, Voice Clarity, Cocreator for Paint, and Restyle Image for Photos will be exclusive to Copilot+ PCs with the new Qualcomm Snapdragon X Series processors. 

Intel and AMD also have new processors with NPU (Neural Processing Unit) integration and more than 40 TOPS of performance, which will bring other types of Copilot+ PCs to the market to support these new AI experiences. 

It’s worth noting that Microsoft is simultaneously building new features and improvements for versions 24H2 and 23H2. As a result, some changes will appear in version 23H2 that do not currently appear in version 24H2, and some features are being designed for version 24H2 and can’t be found in version 23H2. In this guide, I’m outlining the improvements from both developments as part of version 24H2 because, eventually, all the changes from version 23H2 will become part of the new feature update.

Also, even after the Windows 11 2024 Update becomes available, Microsoft can continue to roll out new features from the newer to the older version of the operating system. (I’m mentioning this because some people may say that one or more of the features in this guide aren’t new because they’re already available in the older version, but now you know the reason.)

This guide highlights the most important features and changes appearing in previews through the Windows Insider Program and will be updated regularly to reflect the changes. The last update was on October 1, 2024, with the changes available to build 26100.1882 in the Release Channel. Also, let me know your thoughts on this new version in the comments.

What’s new on Windows 11 24H2

These new features are expected to arrive with the release of Windows 11 24H2.

Windows Recall (AI)

Feature delayed — Windows Recall (or Recall) is a new AI feature that allows you to scroll back in time to find anything you have done on your computer. If the feature sounds familiar, it’s because it is like the Timeline feature for Windows 10, but Recall uses AI and can work offline. 

The feature works in the background and takes snapshots of everything you do on the computer. Using several on-device AI models, the feature analyzes and makes every content searchable using natural language, whether text or image.

You will have the choice to turn the feature on or off from the out-of-box experience (OOBE) but will be able to enable or disable Recall manually from the Settings app or Group Policy.

Once enabled, you can access the Recall app from the Taskbar using the System Tray icon or the app icon next to the other apps.

In the app, you will find a search box that you can use to describe your search using text and voice, and then the feature will show your snapshots for the most relevant content, similar to using a search engine online using text or images.

You can view all the results on the result page, sort by apps, and even launch File Explorer results.

The results will also be grouped by categories, such as “text matches,” “visual matches,” etc. Once you find the snapshot, you can interact with it to open the application, copy text, share the screenshots, or delete the snapshot.

You will also find a “Timeline” button next to the search functionality, which allows you to choose a period to scroll back to a specific time to find a specific activity, such as a website, conversation, application, etc.

The Recall feature is exclusive to Copilot+ PCs, as it requires the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon X series processor with NPU, 16GB of RAM, and 256GB of SSD.

Also, this feature requires a minimum of 25GB of space, which the system reserves exclusively for storing up to three months of snapshots. However, the default allocation will be different depending on the system drive capacity.

Microsoft is also adding a new “Recall & snapshots” page in the Settings app to customize the experience, including the ability to increase the storage allocation and customize the experience.

On the page, you can choose specific apps and websites you visit to filter out the experience, clear some of the screenshots, and you will be able to delete all the Recall data from the computer. Furthermore, from the Recall icon in the System Tray, you will be able to pause the feature on-demand, view the last snapshot, and even open the app. And yes, you can disable Recall permanently.

The feature also doesn’t record certain content, like activities when browsing in incognito mode and content with digital rights management (DRM).

It’s important to note that Windows Recall doesn’t hide information like passwords or bank account numbers. If you have this type of information in the text files or sites that don’t follow the standard protocol, like cloaking password entries, sensitivity data may be stored in the snapshot storage.

Currently, Windows Recall is optimized for select languages, including English, Chinese (simplified), French, German, Japanese, and Spanish.

After postponing the release of Windows Recall due to security and privacy concerns, Microsoft is expected to resume testing of the AI feature in October. However, the testing bits will only be available for Copilot+ PCs.

Microsoft Copilot (AI)

On Windows 11 24H2, Copilot becomes a traditional app that you can resize and move around as well as pin and unpin from the Taskbar. As a result, the Copilot icon in the System Tray will no longer be available.

The app is actually the web version of Copilot installed as a web app on Windows 11. It works as before, but it can no longer change system settings. Instead, Microsoft plans to add Copilot suggestions everywhere the chatbot is available to assist, including in the Settings app and toast notifications. Also, the interface has been updated with a new design similar to the OpenAI ChatGPT experience on the web.

Microsoft also plans to update the chatbot with OpenAI GPT-4o (or GPT-4 Omni), a new powerful language model that understands and processes information in different formats, such as text, images, and even audio.

The new Copilot app is available on Windows 11 23H2 as part of the July 2024 Patch Tuesday update, but I’m listing it as a feature for the new version because, with this release, the app will be more broadly available.

As part of the Copilot changes, after installing the new feature update on Settings > Personalization > Text input, you will find a new “Customize Copilot key on keyboard” setting that allows you to change the action of the physical Copilot key on the keyboard.

The option allows you to set the Copilot key to open search or virtually any app from the Microsoft Store that uses a signed MSIX package.

Windows Studio Effects (AI)

Windows Studio Effects are features that use AI to enhance video calls and audio quality using a Neural Processing Unit (NPU).

There are six main effects, including Automatic Framing, Background Blur, Eye Contact, Voice Focus, Portrait Light, Creative Filters, and Eye Contact teleprompter. (The voice focus will be available with and without an NPU but with different capabilities.)

You can configure these features from Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Cameras or access the effects from the “Studio effects” page in the Quick Settings flyout.

It’s important to note that Studio Effects have been available for some time, but starting with version 24H2, they are becoming available more broadly on Copilot+ PCs.

Live Captions (AI)

On Windows 11, Live Captions is a feature designed to help everyone, including people with hearing issues, to understand audio through automatic transcriptions, and in this version, the feature is getting updated with live translations.

As part of the AI integration efforts, the feature can also translate conversions from a video or voice-only call to your native language, including videos you watch from any source.

The audio can be live or pre-recorded from any app or video. The feature can translate over 40 languages into English even without an internet connection, as it requires an NPU to work.

Voice Clarity (AI)

Voice Clarity is a feature that uses AI to remove background noise, cancel echoes, and reduce real-time reverberation on video or voice-only calls or when recording audio.

In addition, this feature will also benefit PC games with online communication. Apps can toggle “Deep Noise Suppression” for voice-only or generic audio content. Voice Clarity ensures a clear voice in online meetings and smoother online communication.

Voice Clarity works automatically on supported applications with supported hardware that includes NPU. You won’t find an option that says turn on Voice Clarity.

Auto Super Resolution (AI)

Auto Super Resolution (Auto RS) is one of the most anticipated features of Windows 11 24H2. The feature is aimed at PC gaming, and it uses AI to upscale games and improve frame rates and image quality.

The feature is expected to work similarly to Nvidia’s DLSS, AMD’s FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR), and Intel’s Xe Super Sampling (XeSS), which also uses AI to upscale games. 

You can enable the upscaling feature from Settings > Display > Graphics and turn on the “Automatic super resolution” toggle switch.

Auto RS is an exclusive feature for Copilot+ PCs since one of the requirements is the new NPU from the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite processor. Furthermore, it will only be available for a select number of games.

Windows Copilot Runtime

On version 24H2, the Windows Copilot Runtime isn’t technically a new feature but a new layer on Windows 11 that integrates more than 40 different AI models that can run simultaneously locally on the computer to power many of the new AI experiences, such as Windows Recall, Windows Studio Effects, Auto Super Resolution, Voice Clarity, Voice Focus, Cocreator for Paint, and Restyle Image.

Microsoft is integrating the Phi Silica Small Language Model (SLM) and other models, such as the Optical Character Recognizer, Screen Region Detector, Natural Language Parser, and Image Encoder.

Furthermore, the software giant is also making available the Windows Copilot Library, which includes new APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) for developers to integrate AI features into their apps.

The Copilot app will continue to depend on the cloud to process data and produce responses to your questions. However, many of the AI features will run on-device without an internet connection.

Start menu

The Start menu has a sidebar that allows you to access your Android phone directly. Once you connect your phone using the Phone Link app on Windows 11 and the Windows Link app on your mobile device, a new “Show mobile device in Start” option in the “Start” settings page will appear to enable the new experience.

The sidebar is a mini version of the Phone Link app that includes the phone status and quick access to messages, calls, and photos. 

At the bottom, there’s a “Recent” section with three more recent notifications.

Windows 11 now adds support for jump lists when right-clicking an app in the Start menu.

Also, the account manager menu has been updated to show the “Sign out” option without having to open the submenu. If you have multiple user accounts, the submenu will now list the users to make it easier to switch accounts.

Furthermore, the “Recommended” section will now show recently added apps in groups.

Search with new share option

In the Search experience, when you perform a search, files will also include an option to share the content directly from the right-side menu.

Taskbar

The Taskbar is also getting some improvements. For example, the Quick Settings flyout has an updated interface that ditches the option to edit the available items for a scrollable page, giving you quick access to all the shortcuts.

The same menu now includes a new option to turn live captions on and off.

The progress bar in the app icon has been updated to make it easier to understand.

And there’s a new roll-in-and-out animation when hovering over open apps to view their thumbnails.

This feature update allows you to show a shorter version of the time and date. For example, instead of “8:40 AM 9/3/2024,” you can show an abbreviation like “8:40 9/3.”

You can set this configuration on Settings > Time & language > Date & time, click on “Show time and date in the System tray” settings, and check the “Show abbreviated time and date” option. 

You will also notice that this setting also includes the option to show seconds in the clock. This option was previously available through the “Taskbar” settings page.

In addition, on Settings > System > Notifications, inside the “Notifications” settings, you will find a new “Show notifications bell icon” to show or hide the bell icon in the System Tray.

On Settings > Personalization > Taskbar, under the “Related settings” section, you will find new entries to access the “Date & time” and “Notifications & actions” pages.

Furthermore, you can now use the “Windows key + T” keyboard shortcut to bring the focus to the Taskbar. If you press the first letter for an app’s name, the focus will jump to that app in the Taskbar. For example, if you press the “F” key, it will focus on the File Explorer app button, and if it’s not opened, you will get the Jump List menu.

If you have multiple apps that start with the same letter, pressing the key again will cycle through the apps that start with the same letter.

If you’re using the uncombined option for the Taskbar, the first letter of the navigation will be the window name. While the Taskbar is in focus, pressing the “Home” and “End” keys will move the focus to the first and last items.

Finally, the Taskbar has a new mouse hover behavior that opens the jump list for inactive apps. However, if this feature isn’t for you, the company is adding a new “Show hover cards for inactive and pinned Taskbar apps” option on Settings > Personalization > Taskbar > Taskbar behaviors to disable it.

Notifications improvements

In this feature update, you can now disable notification suggestions using the main menu in the notification. You can also open Settings > System > Notifications and turn off the “Notification Suggestions” toggle switch.

Bluetooth

The “Bluetooth devices discovery” settings page removes the “Advanced” option and changes the workflow. As a result of this change, the system will always scan for devices, but it will only show common device types. If uncommon devices are found, you will notice a new “Show more devices” option to view them.

Also, when you are in the “Add a device” window from the Quick Settings flyout, if you click the “Show all devices” option, the system will show common and uncommon devices.

Mouse

As part of the mouse improvements, on Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Mouse, the page adds two settings, including “Enhance pointer precision” and “Scrolling direction.”

The “Enhance pointer precision” feature was previously only available through the Control Panel. The feature adjusts your mouse sensitivity based on how quickly you move the mouse. When enabled (recommended), your mouse cursor moves faster when you move the mouse quickly and slower when you move it slowly.

The “Scrolling direction” is a new feature in the operating system since in the past, the only way to change the scrolling direction of the mouse wheel was using the Registry, but now, you have the option available in the Settings.

Touch with edge gestures

On  Settings > Bluetooth & Devices > Touch, the page has been updated with a setting to turn the edge gestures on or off.

File Explorer

Starting with version 24H2, File Explorer is getting a few improvements. For example, the file manager now adds a new compression wizard to create TAR, 7z, and Zip files that include options for choosing formats like “gzip” and “bzip2” for individual files or creating archives with different tar formats and compression types. 

In addition, you can adjust compression levels and select the data types stored in each archive for greater customization. However, compression with encryption is still not supported.

File Explorer now supports viewing and editing metadata for “.png” files, including setting stars, changing descriptions, and adding keywords.

The company also updates the File Explorer context menu with labels for the main action buttons: cut, copy, paste, rename, share, and delete.

In addition, the context menu now includes a new “Sent to My Phone” option to send content directly to your phone that is already connected to your computer.

Furthermore, when extracting a conflicting file, the dialog will allow you to skip and replace all conflicts.

If an instance of File Explorer has more than one tab, the title in the thumbnail when hovering over the app in the Taskbar or in the “ALT + Tab” shortcut will read the tab’s name in focus and the number of tabs.

Microsoft also plans to update the file manager with version control systems, including Git. In other words, File Explorer will now allow you to track changes and comments in a project without resourcing to other applications.

File Explorer will integrate Copilot to reduce the steps to complete different tasks. For example, if you are in the “Gallery” tab, you will be able to hover over a picture, and clicking the Copilot button will bring up different actions you can apply to the image file. (This feature is still not available for Insiders.)

If you have an Android phone linked using the “Mobile devices” feature, you will be able to access the phone storage from File Explorer. (This feature replaces the need to connect your phone to your computer using a USB cable to transfer files. Since this feature uses a wireless connection, the transfer speeds won’t be the same as using a USB cable.)

You can set this up on Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Mobile devices, and from the “Manage devices” page, turn on the “Show mobile device in File Explorer” toggle switch. Once you have configured the feature on Windows 11 and on your Android phone, the device will appear from the left pane of File Explorer.

Microsoft is also updating the “Home” page for File Explorer, converting the “Recent” and “Favorites” sections into tabs within the page. The page also adds a new “Shared” tab that will even show comments for shared content (when using a business account).

Lock screen with media controls

If you’re playing video or audio on the desktop and then lock the computer, the Lock screen will now show a media control to play, pause, and skip the media, as well as information about the media currently playing. The controls appear at the bottom of the page.

Color management in Settings

Microsoft also ports the “Color Management” settings previously available in the Control Panel to the Settings app. The page is available from Settings > System > Display > Color management (Color Profiles).

The page works in the same way as legacy settings since it allows you to add and remove color profiles and set the default color profiles, and you can now control the auto color management on this page.

Graphics settings

On Windows 11 24H2, you will also find design changes for the “Graphics” page that now matches the design language of the operating system.

On Settings > Display > Graphics, the page brings the “Optimizations for windowed games” option to the main page, and now it’s easier to configure apps to use a specific graphics card on Windows 11.

Advanced display

On Settings > Display > Advanced display page, version 24H2 is making the “Dynamic refresh rate” a toggle switch. In the past, this was an option for the “Choose a refresh rate” setting.

Sudo for Windows 11

Microsoft is also adding the “sudo” command to Windows 11, a feature that has been available on Unix-based operating systems (such as Linux and macOS) since the 1980s.

Sudo (superuser do) is a command that allows you to run elevated programs without running the Windows Terminal as an administrator.

You can perform many operations using this command, such as deleting a protected file, invoking elevated commands, and opening a new terminal to perform any task.

You must manually enable the option from Settings > System > For developers and turn on the “Enable sudo” setting.

Sudo has three different modes:

• In a new window: Runs the terminal with elevated privileges.
• With input disabled: Runs the terminal inline as an administrator with standard input closed in the window you executed the elevation. It will also block interaction with the elevated process.
• Inline: The terminal will allow you to execute administrative tasks within the same window, similar to the experience in Linux and macOS.

It’s also possible to turn Sudo on or off and change its mode with the sudo config --enable normal command. The normal option means “Inline,” but you can change the option to forceNewWindow to use the “In a new window” mode or the disableInput for the “With input disabled” mode.

Once you enable the feature, you can run elevated commands in a normal terminal for Command Prompt or PowerShell—for example, sudo del mytextfile.txt.

Energy Saver

“Energy Saver” is a new power-saving mode that replaces the existing “Battery Saver” mode. It not only helps extend the battery life of a device but also works to reduce energy usage on computers without a battery.

The power-saving mode is actually based on the “Battery Saver” and the “Power mode” features, meaning that it works similarly by extending the battery life and reducing energy usage by trading off system performance.

To enable Energy Saver, you have to open Settings > Power (Power & battery), click on the “Energy Saver” setting, and then you have to configure the feature.

On laptops or desktop computers with a battery backup, you can use the “Always use energy saver” option or choose when the energy saver mode should turn on automatically when the battery level drops at a specific percentage. You can always choose the “Never” or “Always” option.

You will only find the “Always use energy saver” option on a device without a battery to enable the feature and start conserving electricity.

As part of the new feature, the Quick Settings flyout is adding an option to turn Energy Save on or off, and when enabled, a new icon will appear in the System Tray.

Lid & power button controls

In the past, you had to use the legacy Control Panel to control the actions of the power button and when closing the lid on a laptop, but the 2024 Update brings these options to the Settings app.

If you have a laptop, the option will be listed on System > Power & better as “Lid & power button controls,” and you will have the option to change the action of the lid and power button when plugged in and on battery.

If you have a computer without a battery, the option will be listed on System > Power as “Power button controls,” and you will be able to change the action of the power button to “Shutdown,” “Sleep,” “Display Off,” or “Do Nothing.” 

Power mode

The power mode to optimize the device based on power use and performance isn’t changing, but this feature update will allow you to change the settings depending on whether the computer is plugged in or on the battery.

About

On the About page, the feature update revamps the “Rename this PC” interface to match the design language of Windows 11.

Color filters

On Settings > Accessibility > Color filters, the “Color filters” feature remains the same, but Windows 11 is adding more controls to adjust the filter intensity, color boost, and an option to reset the settings.

Activity history

On Settings > Privacy & security > Activity history, the page adds new option to create the activity history for your account.

Searching Windows

On Settings > Privacy & security > Searching Windows, the page has been updated and removes the “Respect power settings when indexing” feature.

Storage improvements

On Settings > System > Storage > Advanced storage settings > Storage Spaces, you can now easily upgrade and delete pools with a single button. In the past, you had to delete space and then remove all the drives from the pool to remove the pool.

Also, on Settings > System > Storage > Disks & Volumes, on the properties page of a virtual drive, you will now find the option to detach the device. This works for VHD and VHDX.

In the past, the Settings app only include the option to attach virtual drives.

Networking

Windows 11 24H2 also improves various aspects of the networking features. For starters, Microsoft is adding support for Wi-Fi 7 (IEEE 802.11be Extremely High Throughput (EHT)). This is the latest wireless standard based on Wi-Fi 6 and 6E, and it offers a theoretical maximum speed of over 40 Gbps. Significantly faster than the 9.6 Gbps of Wi-Fi 6. (It’s important to remember that these are theoretical speeds; in real-world scenarios, they’re much lower.)

In other words, support for Wi-Fi 7 on Windows 11 means multi-gigabit wireless speeds with significantly lower latency, better reliability, efficiency, and power management.

Of course, the device will need a Wi-Fi 7 network card and a supported access point to access this new networking support.

The option to view the “Wi-Fi” password is now available at the top of the page in Settings > Network & Internet > Wi-Fi.

In addition, the dialog has been updated to match the design language of Windows 11 when viewing the dialog to share the wireless password.

Also, you can now use the Camera app to scan a barcode from the wireless settings to sign into the Wi-Fi network.

In the Quick Settings flyout, Microsoft is updating the “Wi-Fi” page to include an option to refresh the list of available networks. In the past, you needed to wait for the system to update the list automatically, but now, you have a new option to force the update manually.

If you happen to use to have a VPN connection, the Quick Settings flyout, updates the VPN page to make easier to connect and disconnect with one click.

Finally, if necessary, you will now find an option to install network drivers during the Out-of-box Experience.

Server Message Block (SMB)

Windows 11 has added several changes to Server Message Block (SMB), focusing on enhancing security and providing more granular control.

You will find new firewall changes as part of the Server Message Block protocol changes to increase security. For instance, the system will now automatically configure the new “File and Printer Sharing (Restrictive)” group, which no longer contains inbound NetBIOS ports 137-139. In the future, the company will remove inbound ICMP, LLMNR, and Spooler Service ports and restrict them to only SMB sharing-necessary ports.

The new SMB NTLM blocking now supports specifying exception lists for NTLM usage to configure a general block while still allowing clients to use NTLM for specific servers that do not support Kerberos.

Also, the Server Message Block client now supports connecting to an SMB server over TCP, QUIC, or RDMA using alternative network ports to the hardcoded defaults. In addition, the SMB over QUIC server on the server version of Windows now supports endpoints configured with different ports than 443 

Microsoft is bringing certificate support with subject alternative names and not just a single subject to the SMB over QUIC client access control feature.

Finally, the Server Message Block (SMB) Protocol now supports encryption requirements for outbound SMB client connections, allowing network administrators to force the use of SMB 3 and encryption. 

Local Administrator Password Solution LAPS

The Windows LAPS (Local Administrator Password Solution) introduces several enhancements to improve security and manageability:

• Automatic Account Management: Network administrators can configure LAPS to create managed local accounts automatically. This includes naming, enabling, and disabling the account and optional randomization for extra security. Also, it integrates with existing Microsoft local account management policies.
• Improved Password Complexity: A new “PasswordComplexity” setting generates less confusing passwords. It omits certain characters, making passwords more readable. The Windows LAPS tab in the Active Directory Users and Computers snap-in now uses a better font to display passwords.
• Passphrase Feature: LAPS can now generate passphrases for easier readability and typing. Network administrators can choose from three-word lists and control the passphrase length. This feature supports backups to Windows Server Active Directory or Microsoft Entra ID.
• Image Rollback Detection: LAPS can detect image rollbacks, ensuring that passwords match those of Active Directory and local devices. It uses an Active Directory attribute and rotates passwords if a mismatch is detected. Update-LapsADSchema PowerShell cmdlet is required for this feature.

DNR protocol support

Windows 11 also gets support for the Discovery of Network-designated Resolvers (DNR) protocol, a new internet standard for discovering encrypted DNS servers.

This implementation will allow you to use encrypted DNS protocols (such as DNS over HTTPS and DNS over TLS) on the computer without requiring manual configuration.

Printers with Windows Protected Print Mode

In this release, you can now configure the “Windows Protected Print Mode” (WPP) mode directly from the “Printer & scanners” settings page.

Windows Protected Print Mode allows computers to print using the system’s new universal modern print stack (driver) designed to work only with Mopria printers. This feature lets you connect a printer to Windows 11 without needing third-party software. Now, the printer will just work.

This feature update also introduces an option to pause and resume print jobs in Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners. 

Microsoft is also adding an option to rename the printer from the settings page.

Sound improvements

Windows 11 24H2 supports hearing aids with Bluetooth Low Energy Audio (LE Audio) technology.

Once the device is paired, users can pair, stream audio, and take calls. It’s also possible to control audio presets, ambient sounds, and experience enhancements to the “Bluetooth & devices” settings page.

You can also adjust the volume of ambient sound coming from their hearing aids. In addition, the settings page is getting a few improvements, including monitoring capabilities for battery life and connection status. The page also adds an option to access the audio settings page (System > Sound > Properties) directly.

Furthermore, as part of the microphone properties, Windows 11 now provides a tool to test your microphone. This means that now, on Settings > System > Sound, inside the microphone properties, you will find a new “Microphone test” setting with two options, including the “Default” and “Communication” modes.

Once you select the mode, you can record and listen to audio and choose the processing mode that provides the best result. (However, Microsoft notes that the tool is only for testing and will not affect the audio mode.)

Device Encryption

Starting with the Windows 11 2024 Update, Microsoft is relaxing the requirements to allow more devices access to encryption. In the past, computers were required to meet either Modern Standby or Hardware Security Test Interface (HSTI) security requirements, but starting with version 24H2, the company is making changes to relax the requirements to enable encryption on more devices. Also, the latest version of the operating system doesn’t check untrusted Direct Memory Access (DMA) interfaces.

As a result of this change, you will find the “Device Encryption” option on more computers under the Settings > “Privacy & security” settings.

Also, the system will automatically enable “Device Encryption” on your Windows 11 Pro or Home computer and upload the recovery key to your Microsoft account during installation. (You can disable this feature with these instructions.)

Privacy with new location changes

In the “Location” page from the “Privacy & security” section in the Settings app, version 24H2 adds new controls to determine which apps can access wireless networks near you to detect your location.

Additionally, a new dialog will prompt the first time an app tries to access your location or wireless information so that you can allow or deny access without navigating into the Settings app. 

To prevent apps from accessing your location, you can turn off the “Notify when apps request location” toggle switch from the Location page to hide the prompts.

When permission is granted, apps that use location or wireless information will now appear in “Recent” activity on the “Location” page, and the location icon will show in the Taskbar while the app is in use. 

Delivery Optimization

Microsoft is also updating the interface for the “Delivery Optimization” settings to match the operating system design language more closely.

The new design groups the settings previously available on the “Advanced options” and “Activity monitor” pages on the main “Deliver Optimization” page. As a result, you will now find a collapsable “Download options” setting to control background and foreground limits. Also, the “Upload options” collapsable section will allow you to control upload bandwidth and monthly upload limits.

You can also open the “Activity monitor” section to view the download and upload stats.

Storage Block Cloning

Microsoft is adding “Block Cloning” support to the operating system copy engine for Resilient File System (ReFS) as part of the Dev Drive feature. Although the file system already supports “Block Cloning,” this new implementation brings native support to copy actions and APIs. 

The company says that this support improves the performance of the file system volumes, including for build scenarios or any other copy-intensive scenarios in Dev Drives.

OOBE new experience

Microsoft is also updating the “Windows Setup” experience with a clearer and more interface that users will notice when performing a clean installation or upgrade using the USB bootable media. The company notes that all the features will continue to be supported, including unattended support. 

The interface retains the familiar frame design but with a light background similar to the updated version of the Media Creation Tool.

It’s important to note that while this change does not affect the DISM operating system deployment, it may affect some of the workflows. 

Windows Update changes coming with version 24H2

Windows 11 24H2 includes two significant improvements to make Windows Update more efficient and less intrusive with checkpoints and hot patching.

Update without reboot

Finally, Microsoft also plans to add a new update mechanism known as “hot patching” to eliminate the need to force a computer to reboot on every security update.

The hot patching process works by patching the code of running processes in memory, avoiding the need to restart the process and thereby ensuring higher availability and reducing disruptions.

The company plans to use this method to deploy the monthly security update without requiring a restart to apply the changes. The only caveat is that this doesn’t mean reboots will never be needed since “hot patching” requires a baseline update that continues to mandate a restart every several months.

In other words, after upgrading to version 24H2, you will have to restart the device only a few times a year. This will likely happen during the January, April, July, and October updates.

Also, remember that the “hot patching” method is for security updates. It doesn’t include critical or feature updates.

Checkpoint cumulative updates

As part of the version 24H2 release, Windows 11 is also introducing “checkpoint cumulative updates,” a new method to make it easier and faster to download and install updates with new features and security patches.

Checkpoint cumulative update allows the computer to create “checkpoints,” which serve as new baselines for subsequent updates. Instead of including all changes since the original release of the operating system, updates will only contain changes made since the last checkpoint. This new approach will result in smaller update packages that are faster to download and install.

The company plans to roll out updates as “checkpoints” several times a year, and subsequent updates will only contain the incremental changes since the last checkpoint.

This new approach works automatically, and you won’t have to configure anything on the computer. Checkpoint cumulative update is available for Windows 11 and Windows Server 2025. Older versions of Windows 11 or 10 will continue to receive updates with the traditional experience.

Other changes

This feature update also ships with additional minor changes, including for Command Prompt, Registry, and more.

Emulation with PRISM

Since Windows 11 also includes a variant for ARM processors, version 24H2 also ships with PRISM, a new system layer to emulate x86 apps on ARM. This new feature makes app emulation more power efficient and delivers better performance. This emulation layer allows apps to run almost with the performance as if they were running natively on the x86 architecture.

Command Prompt

In this feature update, Command Prompt now understands when the PATH changes to update your current session if you’re the Windows Package Manager or any other package manager.

Registry

It’s not often that we see changes for the Registry Editor, and in this flight, the app is getting an option, the “Find” interface, that allows you to limit the search to selected keys and subkeys.

Remote desktop

The legacy Remove Desktop Connection app is getting more support options, including 350, 400, 450, and 500 percent.

Color settings page

In the “Colors” settings page, when using the “Light” mode, the app will disable the “Show accent color on Start and taskbar” option and describe that the feature is only available in the “Dark” mode.

Windows Kernel with Rust

Starting with the 2024 Update, the Windows Kernel now integrates Rust. Rust is an open-source programming language available on GitHub that is designed primarily to build operating systems but also works to build applications.

This language is very popular among programmers since it offers syntax and performance similar to C++ and provides greater memory security without garbage collection.

HDR images for desktop

If you have (.jxr) images with HDR quality, you will now be able to set them as desktop backgrounds. 

The ability to set a “.jxr” file as a desktop wallpaper is virtually the same process as applying a standard JPEG. However, you have to turn on the “HDR” feature on the monitor to notice the difference. If you have a multiple monitor setup with a mix of displays, the system will automatically show the image on HDR and SDR, depending on the capabilities.

Cocreator AI for Paint

In the Paint app, Microsoft plans to introduce a new “Cocreator” feature that can scan your drawing instead of creating an AI image and help you create a new artwork, which you can refine, edit, and evolve with your ideas.

Cocreator even includes a setting to make the drawing more literal or more expressive. This feature uses a diffusion-based algorithm to produce a high-quality image with minimum effort.

Cocreator is an AI feature exclusive to Copilot+ PCs.

Restyle Image AI for Photos

In the Photos app, the “Restyle Image” feature uses AI with the device’s NPU to change the style of a photo using image generation and photo editing techniques.

Using the feature, you can select a picture and transform it with new styles, similar to using filters on your phone. You can even use a text prompt to create a new background.

Restyle Image is an AI feature exclusive to Copilot+ PCs.

The Photos app also gets the same “Image Creator” feature found in the Paint app, allowing you to create AI images with a single text prompt. This feature isn’t exclusive to Copilot+ PCs because it doesn’t require an NPU since the process happens in the cloud with Copilot using the DALL-E language model.

You can learn more about the AI features coming to version 24H2 in my previous guide.

AMD performance boost 

If you have a computer with an AMD Ryzen 9000 or 7000 series processor, this feature update addresses the problem with the branch prediction feature that will boost gaming performance by more than 10 percent.

Branch prediction is a technique that processors use to anticipate which path the program will take at a decision point (a branch). This helps the processor fetch instructions ahead of time, improving performance, and in this case, it also enhances gaming performance.

Removed apps

This feature update also removes various legacy apps like WordPad, Mail and Calendar, Cortana, and Movies and TV.

Removed features

These are the components and features that Microsoft is retiring or removing with the release of the Windows 11 2024 Update:

Mixed Reality and Defender Application Guard

On Windows 11 24H2, Microsoft also completely removes support for Windows Mixed Reality and Microsoft Defender Application Guard (MDAG).

AC-3 codec

As part of this release, the company is also removing the AC-3 codec (also referred to as Dolby Digital) from the operating system. However, computers that may have an older version of the codec from the manufacturer will continue to have it. This means that trying to play audio encoded using the AC-3 codec through the Media Player or another app won’t work. Other popular codes like ALAC and FLAC will continue to be supported.

DirectAccess

The feature update also removes DirectAccess, and moving forward, the company recommends using the “Always On VPN” feature. DirectAccess was originally introduced in the times of Windows 7 and provided a way to connect clients to the corporate network without installing a VPN, but now, “Always On VPN” is the better alternative.

NTLM

In addition, Microsoft is also deprecating all versions of NTLM (Windows Challenge/Response), including LANMAN, NTLMv1, and NTLMv2. NTLM is an authentication protocol used on networks that include systems running Windows and stand-alone systems. The company notes that while NTLM is being deprecated, the protocol will continue to work on version 24H2, but it will eventually be disabled and removed from the opening system.

Driver Verifier GUI

The company has deprecated the Driver Verifier GUI, but you will continue to be able to use the command line version of the tool.

NPLogonNotify and NPPasswordChangeNotify APIs

According to the company, to improve security, the inclusion of password payload in MPR notifications is set to be disabled by default through Group Policy in NPLogonNotify and NPPasswordChangeNotify APIs.

TLS server authentication certificates

Microsoft is also deprecating support for RSA keys with key lengths shorter than 2048 bits, meaning that moving forward, all RSA certificates used for TLS server authentication must have key lengths greater than or equal to 2048 bits to be considered valid by the operating system.