The Hot Take: Snapdragon gets it's own windows. Makes me think they haven't converged code like Apple has with iOS/iPadOS/Mac OS.
Microsoft has finally confirmed what we reported in February 2026: Windows 11 26H2 is shipping this year, and itâs not a major release, as the company is trying to make Windows updates more predictable. It means this yearâs feature update will be similar to Windows 11 25H2 and install via an enablement package (eKB).
Windows 11 hasnât received a major feature update since 2024. Windows 11 24H2 was the last major update, and it was released on October 1, 2024. In 2025, Microsoft rolled out Windows 11 25H2, but it was based on the same underlying platform code as version 24H2, which means it doesnât come with additional features.
In fact, if you use Windows 11 25H2 or 24H2, you have access to the same set of features and improvements, including the monthly cumulative updates. But Windows 11 25H2 reset the OS life cycle, which means itâs supported for an additional year compared to version 24H2.
Windows 11 24H2âs support ends on October 13, 2026, while version 25H2 is supported until October 12, 2027.
Weâre going to see the same approach repeated in 2026. As Windows Latest previously exclusively reported in February 2026, Windows 11 26H2 references have already begun appearing in recent preview builds as an eKB (enablement package), a 200KB update that simply flips the OS version and build number.
Now, in new documentation, Microsoft has said Windows 11 26H2 is being prepared for a fall 2026 rollout, which I believe is October 2026.
âThe next annual update for Windows 11 is coming soonâŚ. continues our focus on delivering a predictable, low-disruption update experience for organizations and IT professionals,â Microsoft noted.
Microsoft usually prefers releasing feature updates in October, but in some cases, it could begin shipping as early as the last week of September or as late as the last week of October, with the majority getting the update during the holiday season.
If youâre already on Windows 11 24H2 or 25H2, this yearâs feature update wouldnât feel any different, and itâll install in less than 5 minutes. In fact, the size of enablement packages is typically under 500KB, so in most cases, youâll have your PC updated to Windows 11 26H2 in just 2 minutes.
Windows 11 26H2 requires a single reboot to finish installing, and it does not come with any visible differences.
How long is Windows 11 26H2 supported?
Windows 11 26H2 is supported until October 2028 for Home, Pro, Pro EDU, and Pro for Workstations editions.
In the case of enterprises, if you have Windows 11 Enterprise, Education, or IoT Enterprise, youâll continue to get updates until October 2029.
This is a standard update cycle where consumers get 24 months of support, while businesses get an extra year.
Windows 11 26H2 system requirements
If your device is already on Windows 11 24H2 or 25H2, youâll be upgraded to Windows 11 26H2 smoothly later this year. It does not come with any new hardware requirements. It still requires 4GB of RAM, 64GB of storage, and a 1GHz or faster 64-bit dual-core processor.
However, thereâs another update called Windows 11 26H1, which requires new silicon, such as Nvidia N1 (RTX Spark) and Snapdragon X2. But donât worry, youâre not really missing out on anything. Windows 11 26H1 is based on a new platform release, so itâs different from 24H2, 25H2, or 26H2, but it doesnât come with exclusive features.
In either case, thereâs nothing really new. Windows will be getting new features, but not via these annual updates. Instead, all the major changes will ship every month via cumulative updates. For example, an upcoming Patch Tuesday update will add support for a movable taskbar. A recent Windows update added support for Low Latency Profile, which is a major change.
These types of major changes were previously shipped with annual feature updates, but now theyâre bundled with monthly releases.
I asked Microsoft if thereâs any particular reason why itâs been skipping âmajorâ feature updates in favor of these minor enablement packages for the past two years, and it told me that itâs supposed to make it easier for customers, particularly enterprises.
As a follow-up, I asked if the trend would continue into 2027 with version 27H2, and Microsoft neither denied nor confirmed it.
The post Microsoft confirms Windows 11 26H2 for fall 2026 release, reveals supported PCs and other details appeared first on Windows Latest
The Hot Take: Interesting features, we'll see if they pull me from eM Client which has all these now. Minus .pst files.
Outlook âNew,â which is based on Outlook.com, is far from a decent email client. While it has come a long way, the new Outlook doesnât feel as good as the Classic version, and it still lacks many features most users want. Microsoft now says itâs adding advanced support for Mail Merge, .PST, and a new single view for all accounts to the new Outlook app.
Outlook for Windows and web is getting the All accounts view in August 2026
I asked Microsoft for more details, and it told me that Outlook on Windows 11 (and 10) will get support for a feature called âAll accounts view,â similar to a Gmail feature that lets you see emails from all your accounts in a single inbox.
This feature is handy for those who manage their personal and professional inboxes in the Outlook app.
The all-accounts view is also called Unified Inbox, and when it rolls out to Outlook for Windows or web in August 2026, youâll be able to see emails from all your accounts in a single view. That means you donât have to switch back and forth between different inboxes, as long as you pay attention to the labels.
It also means you no longer have to merge mailboxes to see everything in one place.
Outlookâs All accounts view has advanced controls too, so itâs not just about viewing your emails or responding to them. Youâll be able to interact with emails as youâd do in their dedicated inbox. This means you can also delete, archive, move, or mark messages as read across all your mailboxes.
You donât have to repeat these actions in their respective mailboxes.
Windows Latest also found that the All accounts view will have Copilot integration too, and it could be a bit useful. For example, when youâve enabled All accounts view and use Copilot to search emails, the updated immersive search experience will surface content from the All accounts view.
At the moment, you cannot add a shared mailbox to the All accounts inbox, and itâs also not possible to use cross-account search. These features will be added to the All accounts inbox later this year.
As mentioned at the outset, Microsoft plans to ship the All accounts inbox to everyone in August 2026, but given the companyâs track record, it can also get delayed.
New Outlook is making it easier to access Favorite folders
New Outlook always had the ability to set folders as âFavorite,â but you canât switch between Favorite folders without opening the full folder pane.
With a new update, you can now view the favorite folders in a vertical list and access folders you use most with just a single click. Also, counts appear directly, so you can see which folder needs your attention.
âItâs a familiar experience for anyone who loved favorites in classic Outlook, now built right into the new Outlook,â Microsoft noted in a document.
This feature is stated to arrive in September, 2026.
More control over the unread count for the folder pane
Microsoft is testing a new toggle that gives you greater control over the unread count in your folder pane for each folder. Youâll be able to choose whether each folder should have the unread count visible in the folder pane. You can also choose to show the total item count instead, so itâs totally up to you.
Right now, Outlook can display the count for each folder, but it canât tell you the total count for all folders. To use the new feature, you just need to right-click any folder and choose between the total or unread count.
New Outlook is adding Mail Merge support
Microsoft is finally testing advanced Mail Merge support in New Outlook for Windows and the web after a long delay.
In an update spotted by Windows Latest, Microsoft said itâs improving Mail Merge so that each recipient will receive an individual email with only their address in the recipient field. Microsoft will also allow you to personalize emails by replacing fields with recipient-specific values, such as the personâs name.
Mail Merge will release in September 2026, while other features could begin rolling out earlier:
Youâll be able to import your calendars and even contacts using a .pst file (July 2026)
You can select non-consecutive dates in the calendarâs mini month using two new keyboard shortcuts, which are Shift+Click or CTRL+Click (July 2026)
Outlook will support basic conditional formatting rules (July 2026).
It is worth noting that the update timeline could always change, and Microsoft has planned several changes for Outlook in June/July. I expect most features to be available to everyone by August 2026.
What else do you want Microsoft to add to the new Outlook for Windows or the web? Let me know in the comments below.
The post Ditch Outlook Classic? Microsoft confirms major New Outlook update with 5 features, all-accounts view, mail merge, .PST, and more appeared first on Windows Latest
The Hot Take: Now we know why M$ is trying to squeeze out every ounce of performance in Windows 11.....
Microsoft says youâll be able to run Windows 11âs local Language Model APIs on non-Copilot+ PCs as long as you meet the new hardware requirement: an RTX 30+ GPU with 6GB of VRAM. Itâs a major change, as it means Copilot+ PCsâ advantages are getting âthin,â and I wouldnât be surprised if Microsoft drops the NPU requirement entirely in the future.
Copilot+ PCs officially debuted on June 18, 2024, and theyâve been driving sales for PC makers. However, itâs not because of the âCopilotâ or âNPUâ factor. Itâs largely because newer PCs are now sold as âCopilot+ PCs,â so even a regular laptop purchase gets counted as proof that AI PCs are taking off.
For a PC to meet the âCopilot+ PCâ requirement, it would need to have 16GB of RAM, an SSD, and at least a 40 TOPS NPU. For those unaware, an NPU (Neural Processing Unit) is a chip designed to run AI models, specializing in efficiency rather than raw power. On the other hand, a GPU is a heavy-duty processor designed for massive parallel tasks.
What is a âCopilot+ PC?â
Microsoft sold you Copilot+ PCs as the only way to run local AI, but that was neverâŚ
The Hot Take: Well look at that, it's very interesting that Microsoft is suddenly knocking out all these windows 11 issues. Kinda like they're afraid Linux will take their user base.
The Windows 11 June 2026 Patch Tuesday update, KB5094126 brings Low Latency Profile, Shared Audio, Multi-App Camera, and a handful of other noteworthy changes. Buried deeper in the changelog, without much fanfare, are two improvements to the Microsoft Store, one addressing a long-standing download speed problem and another fixing a frustrating gap in error reporting for managed devices.
Neither of these fixes will generate hype the way the CPU boost feature does. But for anyone who has watched a 500MB app update crawl through the Store for twenty minutes while the same file would download in under two minutes through a browser, at least one of them will feel this improvement was overdue.
This feature is being rolled out gradually, and will be available to everyone in the coming weeks.
Microsoft Store downloads were throttled for years, and the June update fixes it
For a significant portion of Windows 11 users, downloading apps and updates from the Microsoft Store has been noticeably slower than downloading the same files from almost any other source.
The Store would throttle to a fraction of the available connection speed, pause mid-download for no apparent reason, and occasionally get stuck in a pending stateâŚ
The Hot Take: What about that small file handling, any better on that yet?
Microsoft admitted that File Explorer on Windows 11 is slower than the previous version and is taking steps to make it faster, but the performance improvements extend beyond just UI surfaces. Iâm told that Microsoft is internally testing a major performance boost for file operations, starting with batch deleting files.
When you select dozens or hundreds of smaller files, or a few large files, and delete them all in one go, the speed depends on both the SSD/HDD and Windows.
Windows file system overhead matters as well because the OS has to update NTFS entries, permissions, indexes, thumbnails, metadata, and a bunch of other items when you delete or bulk delete files.
Of course, Iâm not saying a faster Windows alone can magically purge files faster. Hardware still matters, especially the SSDâs random I/O speed when youâre dealing with many small files. But itâs also wrong to say the speed only comes down to SSD I/O. If Windows handles file operations more efficiently, bulk delete can still get noticeably faster.
Microsoft also confirmed that a combination of hardware and software advancements could help make file operations faster on all PCs.
According to Microsoft, bulk deleteâŚ
By ckasprzak | TkOut | June 8, 2026 | Linux, Software
The Hot Take: d0h!
Back in March Steam on Linux skyrocketed to 5.33% with more than double the Steam gaming marketshare of macOS. Then for April Steam on Linux pulled back to a still-great 4.52%, well above the times when Steam on Linux was at 2% or less for many years. Now the May 2026 figures have been published overnight by Valve...
The Hot Take: Wondering if this will break more people off into Linux. We'll have to see how/if Microsoft boots him off the board and starts distancing themselves from their pedo founder.
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has taken another battering after the Justice Department released files detailing his ties to Jeffrey Epstein.
In a February town hall with Gates Foundation staff, Gates admitted to two affairs referenced in Epsteinâs emails. Some people familiar with the matter said they heard about the admission with disbelief, although they should not have been too surprised, as during his divorce proceedings, allegations linked to more than 20 affairs had come up.
The Justice Department files show Epstein knew about some of Gatesâs extramarital relationships. A Gates spokesperson said he was not involved in any illegal activities with Epstein and accepted it had been a mistake to meet him.
âGates has apologised for that mistake and is voluntarily speaking with the House Oversight Committee [in June] to answer questions about his interactions with Epstein. Gates supports the release of all the Epstein files in hopes the victims can get the justice that they deserve,â the spokesperson said.
But according to the Wall Street Journal, Gates has been given the cold shoulder by Microsoft, the outfit he co-founded and still looms over like a corporate ghost.
He usually hosts a dinner at his Washington state home tied to Microsoftâs annual CEO summit. Weeks before the May event, his team was told it would be better not to do it this year.
A Volish spokesman said: âWhile it didnât work out this year, weâve already extended an invitation for Bill to attend the CEO Summit next year.â
There was more awkwardness at TerraPower, the nuclear outfit Gates founded. After the Epstein files release and Gatesâs admission of affairs, TerraPower chief executive told staff he had spoken to Gatesâs private office and âit is clear it doesnât involve TerraPower.â
Several current and former TerraPower employees found that a bit puzzling. One of the women Gates referred to as a past affair, a âRussian nuclear physicist who I met through business activities,â had close ties to TerraPower.
She worked at TerraPower from 2010 to 2012, according to her LinkedIn page, and her name was in the companyâs internal system. She was featured in a 2011 magazine article about her work at TerraPower, including a photo shoot with Gates.
The Gates spokesperson said he did not have âan inappropriate relationship with any employee of TerraPower.â
A person familiar with the matter said the brief affair happened after she worked at TerraPower, so that clears that up.
Bill Gates, Jeffrey Epstein, Microsoft, Gates Foundation, TerraPower, Netflix, Tremolo Productions, Gates Ventures, Justice Department
The Hot Take: OH look at that, suddenly we're getting more performance out of windows. Like they were handy capping it or something to push lets say something like mid-range hardware of the ARM variety....
Microsoft recently released Windows 11 KB5089573 (Build 26200.8524) optional update, and buried inside the lengthy release notes is a major performance upgrade. While the company simply calls it a â[General Performance]â improvement, we know this is the highly anticipated CPU boost feature internally codenamed âLow Latency Profile.â
According to the official changelog released on May 26, 2026, Microsoft notes: â[General Performance] This update accelerates app launch and core shell experiences such as Start menu, Search, and Action Center.â
We already reported that Windows 11 Low Latency Mode is rolling out in June 2026 with the mandatory security update. But as we said, the CPU boost feature will be available in the optional May update as well, so if youâre eager enough to enable it, go to Settings > Windows Update > Advanced options > Optional updates and just select the update to install it.
However, due to Microsoftâs Controlled Feature Rollout (CFR) strategy, the new performance boost may not be activated straightaway even after you install the Windows 11 KB5089573 optional update. Your PC has definitely downloaded the underlying code, but Microsoft often keeps the activation switch turned off for a subset of users to monitor stability.
Fortunately, you do not have to wait for Microsoft to flip the switch remotely. You can manually force the feature on right now using a popular third-party utility called ViveTool.
Note: The Low Latency Profile currently only makes OS flyouts, such as the Start menu, Notification Center, right-click menu, and other areas, load faster. It does not allow your apps to launch faster. That change will roll out in the next update.
How to enable Low Latency Profile in Windows 11
Before you proceed, you need to be sure you have already installed the May optional update.
To verify if the May 2026 optional update is installed, open Settings > System > About, and check the build number. If itâs Build 26200.8524 / 26100.8524 or newer, youâre eligible for Low Latency Profile improvements. Also, the Low Latency Profile does not require any special hardware, but itâs more impactful on budget/low-end PCs.
Now, follow these steps to activate Windows 11âs CPU boost feature:
Get ViveTool by going to the official ViveTool GitHub repository and downloading the latest .zip release.
Extract the contents to a convenient folder. For ease of use, I created a folder called ViveTool directly on my C drive and extracted the files there.
Click the Start menu, type âcmdâ, right-click on Command Prompt, and select Run as administrator.
Type cd C:\ViveTool and press Enter.
Type the following command to activate the feature and press Enter:
vivetool /enable /id:58989092
Restart your PC to apply the changes.
Note: The command uses /enable to turn the feature on. If you ever want to revert the changes, you can repeat the process using /disable instead. This only works for now, and once the feature officially becomes default on your device, you wonât be able to turn it off.
Ideally, we shouldnât have to enable features manually. Since Microsoft already has a vibrant Insider community, all testing should occur earlier, and deployment should begin now. Many users have complained that they still havenât received features rolled out in the April 2026 updates. And since Low Latency Profile is, by definition, just a CPU boost, it should have already arrived by now.
How do you verify if the Low Latency Profile is working?
Windows 11 does not include a toggle to enable or disable the Low Latency Profile. Instead, the feature is enabled by default on all PCs once it rolls out with the May 2026 Update, or if you enable it using the bypass method mentioned above.
As a result, the only way to verify that itâs working is by comparing performance before and after the feature is enabled. Check if the Start menu, Action Center, and Search load faster than before.
We canât rule out a placebo either, so you can also try checking CPU usage before and after Low Latency Profile is enabled:
No CPU boost before Low Latency Profile is enabled:
https://www.windowslatest.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Low-Latency-Profile-CPU-boost-feature-is-disabled.mp4
On the top right side of the screen recording, you can see that the CPU has not reached peak utilization while opening the Start menu or Action Center. I have checked it multiple times to be sure.
After enabling Low Latency Profile using the bypass method given above, I opened the Start menu and Action Center:
CPU utilization peaks while opening the Start menu after Low Latency Profile is enabled:
https://www.windowslatest.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/CPU-jumps-to-100-while-opening-Start-menu-after-enabling-Low-Latency-Profile.mp4
Â
As you can see on the top right side, CPU utilization jumps to 100% in the P cores on my Intel Core i5 13420H, and then falls to normal levels in a second or two, which essentially confirms the presence of Low Latency Profile.
CPU reaches 100% while opening the Action Center after Low Latency Profile is enabled:
https://www.windowslatest.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/CPU-Boost-while-using-Action-centre-after-enabling-Low-Latency-Profile.mp4
Here, too, you can see that the CPU utilization reaches 100% while opening the Action Center and then falls to normal levels almost immediately.
I have done these tests several times, and after seeing the CPU boost for the Start menu and Action Center only after enabling the feature, it is clear that my system has Low Latency Profile enabled.
Microsoft mentioned General Performance improvements to only the Start menu, Action Center, and Windows Search, so as of now, there is no speed boost while opening inbox apps or third-party apps.
Hands-on: UI smoothness over raw speed (for now)
I previously tested Low Latency Profile in a highly constrained environment, and the CPU Boost feature worked well enough that I felt it could make budget PCs usable. It was a dual-core virtual machine limited to 4GB of RAM. But even then, some actions felt surprisingly responsive because the OS was no longer waiting for the CPU to slowly ramp up to the required speeds.
Before enabling Low Latency Profile CPU boost:
https://www.windowslatest.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Before-Low-Latency-Profile-in-Windows-11.mp4
Yes, you have to be eagle-eyed enough to see the micro-strutters and occasional jitters. But itâs safe to say that most people have first-hand experience with the stuttery Start menu!
But now, after running before-and-after screen recordings on a regular, full-powered daily-driver PC with this new May optional update, the results are slightly different, but I like it.
After enabling Low Latency Profile CPU boost:
https://www.windowslatest.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/After-Low-Latency-Profile-in-Windows-11.mp4
The changes may look minute in the screen-recording, but it is definitely noticeable in the real world.
Opening the Start menu is less choppy than before. The Action Center glides onto the screen smoothly, and the notorious rendering delay when bringing up the right-click context menu looks to be significantly reduced. As the official release notes specifically highlight âcore shell experiences,â it appears the Low Latency Profile is currently prioritizing OS fluidity over speeding up inbox or third-party app launches.
Either way, since my regular PC wasnât slow in the first place, it now feels more premium because of the extra smoothness. Also, I didnât notice any heating or battery drain during my testing.
The needless controversy behind Windows 11âs CPU boost
When news of this CPU-spiking feature first broke, several users on social media heavily criticized Microsoft, claiming that artificially boosting the processor was a âlazy fixâ to cover up poorly optimized code.
Microsoft Copilot reaches 97% CPU
However, Microsoft stepped in to clarify the engineering behind it, and we agree. Scott Hanselman defended the technology by explaining the concept of âRace to Sleep.â By instantly spiking the CPU to its maximum frequency for a brief 1 to 3 seconds during a UI interaction, the processor completes the heavy lifting in a fraction of the time, allowing it to return to its low-power idle state much faster.
Hanselman pointed out that Apple uses similar hardware-level scheduling tricks on macOS to make the operating system feel buttery smooth.
Because of this initial public backlash, it makes sense that Microsoft chose to quietly label the feature as âGeneral Performanceâ in the changelog rather than explicitly announcing the âLow Latency Profileâ by its internal codename or sharing specific speed improvement metrics.
Whatâs next for Windows 11 performance improvements?
Windows 11 desktop still hasnât quite reached the flawless 120fps smoothness of modern-day smartphones. This update is a massive step in the right direction. And most importantly, this CPU boost is just one half of a much larger strategy.
As Microsoft commits to native UI for Windows 11, the company is replacing heavy web frameworks with lightweight native code, including in the Start menu. So, when you combine native optimizations with the immediate power delivery of Low Latency Profile, pretty soon, Windows 11 will feel as fast and premium as we expect.
The post Microsoftâs Windows 11 CPU boost is rolling out, and hereâs how to enable it right now appeared first on Windows Latest