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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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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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Microsoft confirms Windows 11 26H2 for fall 2026 release, reveals supported PCs and other details

By ckasprzak | TkOut | June 19, 2026 | Microsoft Windows, Software
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 it’s not a major release, as the company is trying to make Windows updates more predictable. It means this year’s feature update will be similar to Windows 11 25H2 and install via an enablement package (eKB). Windows 11 hasn’t 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 doesn’t 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 it’s supported for an additional year compared to version 24H2. Windows 11 24H2’s support ends on October 13, 2026, while version 25H2 is supported until October 12, 2027. We’re 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. “The next annual update for Windows 11 is coming soon…. continues our focus on delivering a predictable, low-disruption update experience for organizations and IT professionals,” 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 you’re already on Windows 11 24H2 or 25H2, this year’s feature update wouldn’t feel any different, and it’ll install in less than 5 minutes. In fact, the size of enablement packages is typically under 500KB, so in most cases, you’ll 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, you’ll 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, you’ll 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, there’s another update called Windows 11 26H1, which requires new silicon, such as Nvidia N1 (RTX Spark) and Snapdragon X2. But don’t worry, you’re not really missing out on anything. Windows 11 26H1 is based on a new platform release, so it’s different from 24H2, 25H2, or 26H2, but it doesn’t come with exclusive features. In either case, there’s 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 they’re bundled with monthly releases. I asked Microsoft if there’s any particular reason why it’s been skipping “major” feature updates in favor of these minor enablement packages for the past two years, and it told me that it’s 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

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Microsoft Surface Flaw Allowed Unprotected Devices To Be Bricked By a Single Packet

By ckasprzak | TkOut | June 15, 2026 | Hardware, Mobile
The Hot Take: Ouch!

Longtime Slashdot reader Dotnaught shares a report from The Register: For the past 90 days, Microsoft has been quietly patching a firmware flaw in Surface devices that allowed the hardware to be bricked with a single packet, though only for those who have disabled Secure Core and Secure Boot. And the company's Copilot AI software inadvertently helped identify the faulty firmware. According to Jack Darcy, a security researcher based in Australia, his instance of Microsoft Copilot stumbled across the bug after being asked to adjust the screen backlighting on a Surface device. The Copilot-conjured Python script ended up rendering the researcher's laptop inoperable by overwriting the embedded controller firmware. "Copilot autonomously created and executed four progressively aggressive Python scripts during a probe for backlight control values that sent raw SSAM ioctl commands (SSAM_CDEV_REQUEST = 0xC028A501) directly to the SAM microcontroller through the SAM software path," Darcy explained to The Register. [...] "We appreciate the work of Jack Darcy and The Register for reporting this issue under a coordinated vulnerability disclosure," a Microsoft spokesperson said in a statement. "Our investigation found that a deprecated UEFI interface could trigger a boot loop on some devices. To trigger this loop, the user must have administrator privileges and have already disabled the Secure Boot security feature. We have released updates to address the issue for most impacted devices." That means managed devices are not at risk. But those using Linux, or Windows users who have disabled Secure Core and Secure Boot for gaming, or who use custom Windows drivers, or who have USB boot enabled, may still be vulnerable if their systems haven't received the update. We're uncertain about the range of Surface devices affected. Our source said it appears to be all of them (Surface Laptops 3-6, Surface Book 1-3) except for Surface Go models. ARM variants, however, have not been tested. The report notes that Microsoft is planning to move the Surface stack to a more secure architecture based on Rust code. "Our most recent Surface for Business hardware features a major architectural shift in terms of improved reliability and security that spans our embedded controller, UEFI, but also some of our drivers," said David Abzarian, chief architect for Microsoft Surface. "We're investing in the most secure foundation for a PC by building our embedded controller firmware from the ground up in Rust (as part of leveraging and contributing to the Open Device Partnership (ODP)) in addition to a rewrite of the UEFI DXE Core in Rust; these projects are known as Secure EC and Project Patina respectively." "We're also not only shipping some of our drivers written in Rust, but also helping co-develop the framework Windows Drivers in Rust (WDR) to help enable a broad set of partners in the Windows ecosystem to capitalize on these benefits. I will also note that all of these efforts are open-source promoting one of our key security principles around transparency." Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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Microsoft is killing the Copilot+ PC advantage, brings Windows 11’s local AI to RTX 30+ PCs with 6GB vRAM

By ckasprzak | TkOut | June 11, 2026 | Microsoft Windows, Software
The Hot Take: Now we know why M$ is trying to squeeze out every ounce of performance in Windows 11.....

Microsoft says you’ll be able to run Windows 11’s 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. It’s a major change, as it means Copilot+ PCs’ advantages are getting “thin,” and I wouldn’t be surprised if Microsoft drops the NPU requirement entirely in the future. Copilot+ PCs officially debuted on June 18, 2024, and they’ve been driving sales for PC makers. However, it’s not because of the “Copilot” or “NPU” factor. It’s largely because newer PCs are now sold as “Copilot+ PCs,” so even a regular laptop purchase gets counted as proof that AI PCs are taking off. For a PC to meet the “Copilot+ PC” 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 “Copilot+ PC?” Microsoft sold you Copilot+ PCs as the only way to run local AI, but that was never…

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Microsoft just killed the slow Microsoft Store downloads in Windows 11, after years of throttling

By ckasprzak | TkOut | June 10, 2026 | Microsoft Windows, Software
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 state…

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Microsoft reveals Windows 11 will bulk delete files at least 30% faster, and it’s only the start

By ckasprzak | TkOut | June 10, 2026 | Microsoft Windows, Software
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. I’m 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, I’m not saying a faster Windows alone can magically purge files faster. Hardware still matters, especially the SSD’s random I/O speed when you’re dealing with many small files. But it’s 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 delete…

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Microsoft’s Windows 11 CPU boost is rolling out, and here’s how to enable it right now

By ckasprzak | TkOut | May 29, 2026 | Microsoft Windows, Software
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 “[General Performance]” improvement, we know this is the highly anticipated CPU boost feature internally codenamed “Low Latency Profile.” According to the official changelog released on May 26, 2026, Microsoft notes: “[General Performance] This update accelerates app launch and core shell experiences such as Start menu, Search, and Action Center.” 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 you’re 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 Microsoft’s 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 it’s Build 26200.8524 / 26100.8524 or newer, you’re eligible for Low Latency Profile improvements. Also, the Low Latency Profile does not require any special hardware, but it’s more impactful on budget/low-end PCs. Now, follow these steps to activate Windows 11’s 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 “cmd“, 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 won’t be able to turn it off. Ideally, we shouldn’t 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 haven’t 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 it’s 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 can’t 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   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 it’s 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 “core shell experiences,” 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 wasn’t slow in the first place, it now feels more premium because of the extra smoothness. Also, I didn’t notice any heating or battery drain during my testing. The needless controversy behind Windows 11’s 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 “lazy fix” 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 “Race to Sleep.” 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 “General Performance” in the changelog rather than explicitly announcing the “Low Latency Profile” by its internal codename or sharing specific speed improvement metrics. What’s next for Windows 11 performance improvements? Windows 11 desktop still hasn’t 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 Microsoft’s Windows 11 CPU boost is rolling out, and here’s how to enable it right now appeared first on Windows Latest

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