How to get Windows 11 24H2, and what’s special about it

How to get Windows 11 24H2, and what’s special about it

Windows 11 24H2 is the second major update of this iteration of Microsoft’s OS since it was launched on October 5, 2021. “Major” here means, first off, that the release actually reinstalls the whole system rather than building upon what’s already on the drive. Secondly, of course, such an update brings new stuff with it, new functions and features designed to make Windows more convenient and useful. For Microsoft, 2024 can easily be called the year of AI, since this is when, essentially, its investments in artificial intelligence began to bear fruit. So, it’s not surprising that Windows 11 24H2 gives us, the users, some very handy tools that lean on Copilot Runtime, a pool of 40+ language models that reside in the device.

First things first: the Windows 11 24H2 rollout plan and eligibility criteria

Inter alia, Microsoft made a bet in the hardware domain, designing and putting on the market Copilot+ computers, which capitalize on everything ARM processors can do better than their x86 counterparts (we’ve compared them in this piece), and have a dedicated NPU (neural processing unit, a.k.a. AI accelerator), on board. Naturally, these PCs were the first to receive W11 24H2. As for all the other Windows-governed computers, the rollout is phased and gradual. While there’s no specific information about dates readily available online, we did gather some Windows 11 24H2 update eligibility criteria:

• conformity to the minimum hardware requirements for the 11th version of the OS;
• good history of reliability and stability, as collected by Microsoft telemetry;
• first in line are the computers that run Windows 11 versions 22H2 and 23H2;
• provided either criteria are met, another category of first-in-liners are users who have opted in to receive the latest updates as soon as they are available (done in Settings > Windows Update, there’s a respective switch there).

The key reason for this approach to the OS update is Microsoft’s desire to make the transition as smooth as possible, because it allows ironing out discrepancies without affecting large crowds of users in the process.

Windows 11 24H2 AI-powered features

Some new cool functions introduced in W11 24H2 are exclusive to Copilot+ computers, since they need the NPU to work. We’ll start the list below with those that aren’t and wrap it up with features that may have you thinking about buying the fruit of Microsoft’s latest effort in the realm of hardware.

Live captions with translation

As the name suggests, this feature gives you real-time captions for audio and video content and can translate speech from different languages. What’s especially cool is that it works offline, too. 

AI voice clarity

This feature uses low-complexity AI models (some of the 40+ small language models Copilot Runtime brings onboard) to suppress background noise during audio or video calls.

Improved Windows search

Even on non-Copilot+ computers, this feature lets you look for anything on the hard drive using descriptive phrases instead of exact file names.

Copilot App

A fitting item to start off the part of the list that showcases the new Windows 11 24H2 features available for Copilot+ PCs exclusively. The app lets you query the namesake AI, stores prompt history, allows plugins, and has a built-in notebook.

Windows Studio Effects

AI-driven enhancements for video calls, including background effects, eye contact adjustment, automatic framing, background noise reduction, and voice amplification.

Auto Super Resolution (AutoSR)

This one is for gamers: the feature upscales the frame rate and makes everything on the screen more detailed.

Cocreator in Paint and Image Creator in Microsoft Photos

Ever wanted to remove something from a photo? Or change the background? Or add an object to a picture, for that matter? The Creator features of Windows 11 24H2 will help you do that, and more.

Click to Do

This one is really intriguing: the feature introduces an interactive overlay that, when summoned, gives a list of context-dependent actions pertaining to the content displayed, like image search, save, share, open with, blur background, remove objects, and summarize or reword.

Windows Recall

We’ve written about Windows Recall previously (here and here); basically, it’s a photographic memory that records everything that happens on the screen and lets you browse the snapshots if/when you’re looking for something from the past.

If you’ve already moved up to Windows 11 24H2, please share your experience with AI-powered features in the comments below!