Hard-On-Tech

Windows 11 26H2 is just 174KB, which is 0.003 % of 24H2’s size. Here’s how

By ckasprzak | TkOut | June 26, 2026 | Microsoft Windows, Software
The Hot Take: Impressive size reduction.

The “big” Windows 11 update for the year 2026, aka Windows 11 26H2, is arriving this fall as a mere 174KB enablement package for anyone already running Windows 11 24H2 or 25H2. For context, upgrading from 23H2 to 26H2 requires close to 6.5GB (not a typo). Windows 11 update, depending on which version you are on, can weigh either 174 kilobytes or roughly 6.5 gigabytes. The reason is the shared servicing branch model. With Microsoft now force-installing Windows 11 25H2 on all eligible Home and Pro PCs ahead of the 26H2 launch, we’ll tell you why going from 25H2 to 26H2 is easier than ever. Windows 11 26H2 is a 174KB enablement package for only devices on 24H2 and 25H2 Why Windows 11 24H2 was such a big upgrade Windows 11 24H2, released in October 2024, was a full operating system replacement. Microsoft calls this an “OS swap.” When you upgrade from a version on a different source code branch, Windows pulls down a completely new OS image, installs it on top of the existing system, migrates your settings and data, and boots into it. It is the same process Windows has used for decades.   The package for that kind of upgrade consists of two major components. There is the base 24H2 image, which is 5.3GB, and the final cumulative update payload that brings it up to the 25H2 level, which adds another 887MB. If you were coming from Windows 11 23H2, the complete upgrade process meant downloading close to 6.5GB of data, followed by the familiar sequence of spinning progress rings and multiple restarts. The 23H2 to 24H2 jump was large for a specific reason: these two versions do not share the same source code branch. Windows 11 23H2 came from the 22H2/23H2 branch, while 24H2 introduced an entirely new branch. Every time Microsoft creates a new branch, upgrading between them requires a full OS swap, no matter how similar the two versions look. Graphical representation of the source code branches for Windows 11. Source: Microsoft What the Windows shared servicing branch really means Starting with Windows 10 version 1909, Microsoft began experimenting with something different. Instead of forking a new branch for each annual release, the company kept the same source code and quietly staged the next version’s features through regular monthly Patch Tuesday updates, in a disabled state. When the time came to release the new version, a small “enablement package” simply flipped a switch to turn those features on. Source: Microsoft Windows 11 24H2, 25H2, and 26H2 all share the same source code branch, codenamed Germanium internally. Every month, when your PC installs a Patch Tuesday update, it is receiving security patches as well as the dormant code for the next version of Windows. By the time Microsoft officially releases 26H2, every device running 24H2 or 25H2 will already have the feature code sitting on it, disabled, and waiting. Because all three versions share the same source code, the same security fixes, and the same regression testing baseline, the only differences between 24H2, 25H2, and 26H2 is which features have been switched on, with newer features reserved for the newer version. Why 26H2 is just 174KB and how the enablement package works Once your device is on 24H2 or 25H2 and has received recent cumulative updates, the 26H2 feature code is already present. The upgrade to 26H2 works like this: the disabled feature flags on your device are changed to enabled, the device restarts, the new features become active, and the build number moves from 26200 to 26300. The package responsible for all of that weighs 174KB. The four stages of an update from one version to another. Source: Microsoft Even the screenshots I add to these articles are larger! The entire process takes only minutes and requires one restart, compared to the extended installation sequence of a traditional feature update. Microsoft confirmed these numbers in a June 2026 whitepaper on the shared servicing model. For the 25H2 upgrade as a reference point, the enablement package was 174KB against a full 25H2 feature update of close to 6.5GB, which is about three-thousandths of one percent of the full package size. The 26H2 enablement package follows the same pattern and the same figure. For organizations managing hundreds or thousands of PCs, the benefit is far more than the download size. They can considerably reduce compatibility testing to only the newly enabled features instead of testing the entire application and hardware stack, because technically, the OS code has not changed. Microsoft’s guidance is that IT teams can treat a 24H2-to-26H2 upgrade the same way they would treat a monthly quality update. Why upgrading from 23H2 still requires the full 6.5GB download Not every Windows 11 version qualifies for the enablement package, though. Windows 11 23H2 is on the 22H2/23H2 branch, which is a completely separate code repository from the 24H2/25H2/26H2 branch. There is no shared foundation, so there is no staged code to activate. A device on 23H2 still needs the traditional OS swap to reach 26H2. How to update from one version of Windows to another depends on their branches. Source: Microsoft Windows 11 23H2 already reached end-of-life for Home and Pro users in November 2025, so most devices that were on it have already been moved up, either to 24H2 or directly to 25H2. If your PC is somehow still on 23H2, the upgrade to 26H2 will come as a full feature update, and not an enablement package. As expected, Windows 11 21H2 and 22H2 are on their own earlier branches and have been out of support for some time. Devices that lingered on those versions would have needed a full OS swap to reach any version in the current 24H2/25H2/26H2 branch. What about Windows 11 26H1, and why is it different? You may have seen news about Windows 11 26H1 and wondered where it fits. The short answer is that it does not apply to your existing PC. Windows 11 26H1 is exclusively for devices with next-generation silicon, specifically the Snapdragon X2 and potentially upcoming ARM-based chips. It is built on a completely different platform branch called Bromine, not Germanium. Source: Lenovo Because 26H1 and 26H2 are on different internal platforms, devices running 26H1 cannot upgrade to 26H2. Microsoft has confirmed that those devices will follow a separate path to a future Windows release. It is a version number that is higher than 26H2 on paper but represents a different OS lineage. For the vast majority of users on Intel and AMD hardware, 26H1 holds no relevance. The update you will see this fall is 26H2, and it will be a 174KB enablement package if you are already on 24H2 or 25H2. If you want a hands-on look at what 26H1 is like in practice, we covered it separately. .NET Framework 3.5 is unavailable in Windows 11 26H1 When to expect Windows 11 26H2 and how to get it Microsoft has confirmed Windows 11 26H2 for a fall 2026 release with no changes to hardware requirements. Any device running 24H2 or 25H2 today is already eligible. Based on previous release patterns, October is the most likely target, though Microsoft has not confirmed a specific date. When it arrives, devices on 24H2 and 25H2 will receive the update through Windows Update automatically over time, or you can check manually by going to Settings > Windows Update > Check for updates. The install will take a few minutes and one restart. The support lifecycle will reset as well, with 24 months for Home and Pro editions and 36 months for Enterprise and Education editions from the general availability date. The enablement package also explains why Microsoft is aggressively pushing 25H2 to all eligible consumer PCs now, ahead of the 26H2 launch. Getting every device onto the shared branch means that when 26H2 arrives, the update path for the largest possible set of users is the 174KB package, and not 6.5GB. The post Windows 11 26H2 is just 174KB, which is 0.003 % of 24H2’s size. Here’s how appeared first on Windows Latest

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Qualcomm Claims Single-Core Leadership for Its First Server CPU, the Dragonfly C1000, Delivering 250+ Cores & 5 GHz By 2028

By ckasprzak | TkOut | June 25, 2026 | ARM, CPU, Hardware, Qualcomm, SoC
The Hot Take: Interesting...

Qualcomm has introduced its first-ever CPU designed for Data Centers, the Dragonfly C1000, which leverages the Oryon architecture. Qualcomm Enters The Agentic AI CPU Race With Dragonfly C1000 Chip, Oryon-Based With Over 5 GHz Clocks, Over 250 Cores, & Aims To Achieve Single-Core Leadership One of the biggest announcements by Qualcomm today was its first release of a CPU for the data center segment, called the Dragonfly C1000. This is a chip purpose-built for Agentic AI & General-Purpose workloads, delivering best-in-class power efficiency and TCO. As per Qualcomm, the Dragonfly C1000 is based on a custom-designed Oryon core architecture that […]Read full article at https://wccftech.com/qualcomm-single-core-leadership-first-server-cpu-dragonfly-c1000-250-cores-5-ghz-2028/

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Samsung's Texas fab gains momentum with the arrival of ASML engineers

By ckasprzak | TkOut | June 25, 2026 | Hardware, Manufacturing, Samsung
The Hot Take: More manufacturing states side is good.

Samsung Electronics' foundry plant in Taylor, Texas, is showing signs of moving into equipment-level execution. Key engineers from ASML Korea, the Dutch lithography equipment giant's South Korean unit, have been dispatched to the Taylor facility and are expected to remain on site for roughly six to eight weeks, according to Korean industry publication DealSite.

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Intel-Nvidia co-developed PC processor to reportedly debut at CES 2028

By ckasprzak | TkOut | June 22, 2026 | CPU, Hardware, Intel, Nvidia
The Hot Take: It seems Nvidia is hedging two architectures against each other. x86 vs ARM. They've been working with MediaTek to create the Spark SoC.

According to an exclusive report by VideoCardz, Intel's first x86 system-on-chip (SoC) integrating an Nvidia RTX GPU has been added to its internal product roadmap and is expected to launch in the first quarter of 2028, potentially making its public debut at CES 2028.

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Microsoft is killing the Microsoft account lock-in across products, Windows 11 may be next

By ckasprzak | TkOut | June 20, 2026 | Microsoft Windows, Software
The Hot Take: I guess OK? Is it going to be a google authenticated Microsoft account though?

Microsoft is quietly loosening its grip on the Microsoft account (MSA) requirement. Edge is getting a new option to sign in with a Google account, and we already know that internal teams in the company are working to bring back local account in Windows 11. This may be the first time in 10 years that Microsoft is getting a change of heart when it comes to forcing us to sign in with MSA. For years, Microsoft pushed MSA hard. You needed one to set up Windows 11, to get the most out of Bing, to claim Rewards points, and to sync anything in Edge. The company even paid people $1 million to use Bing, a promotion that only worked if you had a Microsoft account, since Bing Rewards cannot be redeemed without one. But something has changed. Microsoft is quietly stepping back from that hard stance, and the most visible sign of it is coming to Edge. Microsoft Edge will let you sign in with a Google account Microsoft has added a new entry to the Microsoft 365 Roadmap (Roadmap ID: 565860), confirming that Edge users will be able to sign in to the browser using a Google account. The feature is currently in development and is slated to begin rolling out in July 2026. It will be available on both Windows and macOS. New Google sign in option in Microsoft Edge We got early access to a build of Edge where the feature is already live, and in the profile menu, below the existing “Sign in to sync” button, there is now a new “Or sign in with” section with a Google button. Clicking it opens Google’s standard sign-in page, which shows the Edge logo and asks you to sign in with your Google account to continue to Microsoft Edge. Once signed in, the Edge profile card shows your Gmail address, with sync turned on. Your Google account becomes the profile identity, no Microsoft account required. Signed into Microsoft Edge with a Google account Note that the UI or behaviours may change as we still have a few more weeks since this rolls out to general public. Of course, this doesn’t mean that Microsoft account is being removed, but the Google account login is an addition, not a replacement. Microsoft says: “Users can now sign in to Microsoft Edge using a Google account in addition to the Microsoft account from the profile menu and Edge sign-in screen.” Enterprise administrators can control whether the feature is available using the NonMicrosoftAccountSignInEnabled policy. It’s clear that Microsoft is targeting Chrome users. If your passwords, bookmarks, and browsing history are all linked to a Google account, signing into Edge with that same Google account means a far lower barrier to switching. You get all the Microsoft ecosystem perks, vertical tabs, and immersive reader, both of which Google already copied, and my favourite feature, AI Tab Organizer, which Apple copied to Safari. Anyway, Edge is a good browser, and you’ll get to use it without needing a separate Microsoft account just to get started. Edge already lets you bring your Google data over Edge has offered Google data import options for quite a while. As we reported back in 2022, Microsoft built a feature that continuously pulls bookmarks and passwords from Chrome into Edge, so switching browsers does not mean losing your saved data. More recently, Edge has also offered a “Your Google data and services, now in Edge” prompt during setup, allowing users to import Gmail, Google Drive, YouTube, and more directly into the browser without ever touching Chrome again. Microsoft Edge shows option to import data from Google The upcoming Google account sign-in takes that a step further. Instead of just importing Chrome data, users can now anchor their Edge profile to a Google account, making the transition even more seamless for the hundreds of millions of Chrome users. You could already create a Microsoft account with a Gmail address There is a lesser-known detail that I feel is worth saying here. Microsoft’s account sign-in page already accepts Gmail addresses. If you type a Gmail ID into the Microsoft account sign-in field and follow the prompts, Microsoft creates a Microsoft account associated with that Gmail address. A Google account with a gmail.com domain becomes a Microsoft account! Microsoft account with gmail ID So, in a way, Microsoft has been quietly lowering the Gmail barrier for some time. The only issue was that people did not know about it, or they did not want to create an account of any kind. The upcoming Edge Google sign-in option neatly sidesteps both problems. Microsoft is also rethinking the forced MSA sign-in during Windows 11 setup What’s interesting is that Edge not being strict about a Microsoft account is part of a broader pattern. As we reported three months ago in March 2026, Microsoft is considering dropping the forced Microsoft account sign-in requirement during Windows 11 setup (OOBE). Scott Hanselman says developers are working to remove requirement to login to MSA Right now, setting up a fresh Windows 11 PC without a Microsoft account is almost impossible. Forced to sign in during Windows 11 setup Windows 11 OOBE had turned into an ad-cluttered slog, with Microsoft account prompts stacked on top of pitches for OneDrive and Copilot. Microsoft acknowledged that the setup needed to be faster and less intrusive. The move to loosen the MSA requirement fits squarely into that effort. Of course, frustration with the forced Microsoft account in OOBE is not new. Back in November 2025, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney and Elon Musk both publicly pushed Microsoft to remove the MSA requirement from Windows 11. Fortunately for us, feedback has evidently made its way internally. The irony of Microsoft opening the door for Google Bing just crossed 1 billion monthly active users for the first time, as confirmed by CEO Satya Nadella during Microsoft’s Q3 earnings call. With Bing finally gaining footing, it is interesting to see Microsoft now enabling Google account sign-in in the same browser that had long been its vehicle for pushing people toward Microsoft services. Microsoft has been faking Google’s homepage on Bing, paid users to switch to Bing through Microsoft Rewards, and has been leaning on every Windows integration possible to keep users in the Microsoft ecosystem. And yet here we are, with Microsoft officially inviting Google account users into Edge. The Edge team probably views this less as a concession and more as a pragmatic move to get Chrome users into Edge first, let them discover the Microsoft ecosystem at their own pace. Meanwhile, Microsoft is also giving users the option to remove Bing from Windows 11 Search, something we have been asking for years, and the feature is now hidden in latest Insider build. Credit: Phantomofearth on X Between loosening Bing in Search, softening the OOBE MSA requirement, and now allowing Google account sign-in in Edge, the software giant is showing a clear shift away from the aggressive lock-in tactics that defined the past few years of Windows, and this gives me hope in the future of the OS. That said, whether this shift holds or whether it is a calculated goodwill play before the next round of Copilot integrations remains to be seen. For now, Chrome users who have resisted Edge because of the Microsoft account wall will have one less reason to say no, and that is probably what Microsoft is counting on. The post Microsoft is killing the Microsoft account lock-in across products, Windows 11 may be next appeared first on Windows Latest

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AMD Mustang Peak: Threadripper switches to TR6 and PCIe 6.0 with Zen 6

By ckasprzak | TkOut | June 20, 2026 | AMD, CPU, Hardware, x86
The Hot Take: AMD getting ready for Intel refocus on HPDT?

With Threadripper, it has always been a bit like heavy-haul transport on the motorway: massively overdimensioned for normal users, but for certain workloads exactly the kind of tool where every additional lane matters. Now AMD’s next workstation generation has become tangible for the first time. An entry for “TR6 Mustang Peak” has appeared in AMD’s […]

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