Windows 11 26H1 officially released, but it's not a feature update

Windows 11 26H1 became available on February 10, 2026, but it is not a public feature update.
It is a specialized OEM release designed for devices powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X2 processors.
This version cannot be downloaded or installed via Windows Update and is not an upgrade for 24H2 or 25H2.
The release includes no new features or visual changes for users.

On February 10, 2026, Windows 11 26H1 became officially available, but this isn’t a feature update anyone can download and install on their computers.

Version 26H1 is a “specialized” release of the operating system designed to support the next generation of specific processors. In this particular case, Microsoft is making this version of the operating system available for devices featuring the new Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 silicon.

This version was also expected to support NVIDIA N1X processors. However, it appears NVIDIA is delaying the release of that silicon as it continues to prioritize its AI initiatives.

Also, this release doesn’t include any new features or visual changes.

This version of Windows 11 is pre-installed on devices. It’s not an update that can be downloaded through Windows Update.

In addition, Windows 11 26H1 is not an update for version 25H2 or 24H2. It cannot be installed as an in-place upgrade on existing computers featuring Intel, AMD, or even Qualcomm (pre-2026) processors.

In other words, unless you have a new Copilot+ PC featuring the new Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 series processor (which are still not available at the time of this writing), this version won’t be available to you.

Windows 11 26H2 is the next version of the operating system that will supersede version 25H2. Period.

An interesting distinction between versions 26H1 and 26H2 is that 26H1 is technically the more advanced release. It’s built on a newer platform core, and those underlying changes are not expected to reach the standard channel of Windows 11 until version 27H2.

By comparison, Windows 11 26H2 is built on top of version 25H2. As a result, upgrading to 26H2 only requires a small enablement package that flips the version number and resets the support lifecycle, without introducing a new platform core.

Version 26H1 became available on February 10, 2026, whereas version 26H2 isn’t expected to arrive until fall 2026. Even then, this feature update is unlikely to introduce major new features or visual changes. Instead, Microsoft is expected to continue delivering new capabilities gradually through cumulative and quality updates, following the same rollout strategy seen throughout 2025.