Windows 11 2024 Update

Windows 11 2024 Updatehttps://github.com/MicrosoftDocs/windows-insider/commit/0c3a448224a9a8d6a945e9539e64fe7007c0990f (also known as version 24H2) is a major feature update for Windows 11, succeeding the 2023 Update. It was first announced on 8 February 2024 with the release of build 26052 to the Dev and Canary channels along with its server counterpart.Langowski, Amanda; LeBlanc, Brandon. Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26052 (Canary and Dev Channels), Windows Insider Blog, 8 February 2024. The version was made generally available on 1 October 2024, although it already came preinstalled with certain new devices as early as June 2024. It is the first version of Windows 11 to ship with the new Outlook for Windows as the default mail client across all Windows versions.
It is an incremental improvement over the previous release, introducing underlying quality-of-life changes towards printing support and energy saving, as well as usability improvements across the user interface such as a new machine learning-based history tool dubbed "Recall", a simplified networking experience, accessibility changes and various security improvements, most notably the deprecation of the legacy NTLM security protocol and mailslots.
== Main changes ==
=== Features exclusive to Copilot+ PCs ===
These features are only available for Copilot+ PCs, Microsoft's new classification for computers that include a neural processing unit. 
==== Windows Recall ====
History of the user's past actions can now be recorded and retrieved using Recall, an app based on a machine learning model that extends upon the initial functionality offered by the GPT-4-based Microsoft Copilot chatbot. Results produced by the model are stored inside of a SQLite database. The feature is opt-in and can be enabled in Settings.
The feature has initially garnered strong pushback by security researchers, privacy advocates and governments worldwide for its lackluster security (despite claims by Microsoft alleging otherwise), the lack of appropriate consent options provided to the user (in addition to it being automatically enabled by default in early RTM update builds), as well as creating a potential vector for abuse scenarios such as domestic violence or stalking.Kaminsky, Stan. Don’t forget about Recall, because Recall won’t forget about you, Kaspersky Blog. 25 June 2024. Due to this, Microsoft delayed the preview of Recall multiple times, most recently to December 2024.Warren, Tom. Microsoft just delayed Recall again, The Verge. 31 October 2024.
==== Windows Studio Effects ====
A suite of AI-powered video call and audio effects, known as Windows Studio Effects, have been added. These effects include background blurring, voice isolation and noise cancelling, among others.
==== AI image generation in Paint and Photos ====
Cocreator, an AI image generator and assistance tool for Paint; and Image Creator, another image generator for Photos; have been added. An image manipulation tool called Restyle Image has also been added to Photos, which allow existing photos to be modified based on the given prompt.
==== Translation in Live Captions ====
Live Captions now support the live translation of audio and videos in 44 different languages. 
=== Features available for all devices ===
==== Accessibility improvements ====
Various accessibility improvements have been added to the operating system. Most notably, the operating system can now read the user's written text out loud and act as a speaker, via the user's customized synthetic voice (only available if the device has an associated Microsoft account) or through several built-in natural voice synthesizers. In addition, custom voice commands are now supported by the Voice Access feature, and hearing aids that implement the Bluetooth Low Energy specification are now directly supported by Windows. The ability to draw a crosshair centered on the mouse pointer has been added to the operating system.
Machine learning models can now be used to further improve the overall quality of voice input during online communications through the introduction of Voice Clarity, a feature originally first introduced exclusively as part of the Microsoft Surface line of computers.
==== Security improvements ====
===== Protected Printing Mode =====
Improvements to printing have also been introduced with the addition of a new protected printing mode, implemented by a generic Mopria-certified Internet Printing Protocol driver.Norman, Jonathan. A new modern and secure print experience from Windows, Microsoft Security, Compliance and Identity Blog. 13 December 2023. This change complements the phase-out of OEM-provided printer drivers, which are more susceptible to a broader range of security flaws.Golden, Barry et al. End of servicing plan for third-party printer drivers on Windows, Microsoft Learn. 14 December 2023. Privileges in the existing printer spooling service have also been reduced to only provide the necessary privileges needed in order to send documents to a networked printer, and XPS document conversion is now performed at a user level rather than under full system privileges in an effort to reduce memory corruption attacks.
===== Server Message Block (SMB) =====
NTLM authentication requests can now be throttled over a set duration of time if a user sends a bad request. Server Message Block requests are now signed in all Windows releases by default in an effort to prevent man-in-the-middle attacks, and new group policies for minimum and maximum SMB versions have also been added.
===== Local Account Password System (LAPS) =====
LAPS has gained an automatic account management feature with the ability to create and modify accounts. Policies have been improved and LAPS can now detect if Windows has been rolled back to an older version or not.
==== Other changes and deprecations ====
Support for SHA-3 hashing and derived functions have been added to the operating system. The Documents, Pictures and Desktop folders of the user can now be encrypted with Personal Data Encryption (PDE), which can be enabled through Intune.
As part of a gradual phase-out process, the NTLM security protocol has been replaced by Kerberos to prevent further future pass the hash and SMBRelay attacks against existing user accounts. Non-local mailslots (a primitive IPC mechanism) have also been deprecated, and are disabled by default.
==== Windows Setup ====
The modernized Windows Setup user interface first introduced as part of Windows 8 has been updated to support installations made via the Windows Preinstallation Environment, starting with build 26040. Initial efforts to support installations via the modernized interface from a ramdisk-based environment were first attempted during early Windows 10 development builds from as early as build 9780, but were later abandoned.
The older setup user interface introduced as part of Windows Vista may be accessed through a separate option presented at the start of setup.
==== User Account Control ====
This version of Windows largely improves upon the existing User Account Control mechanism by introducing Sudo for Windows, an open-source command-line tool directly inspired by the Unix sudo command, which allows users to run other programs as the root superuser.Adoumie, Jordi. Introducing Sudo for Windows!, Windows Command Line. 8 February 2024. Retrieved 9 February 2024. Despite the name, Sudo for Windows is not based on its Unix counterpart, and is instead written from scratch in the Rust programming language. It does not aim to be compatible with the original implementation either due to the differences between the Windows and Unix permission systems, notably the absence of a superuser account. It can be enabled via the sudo config --enable command, or within a developer-specific toggle included as part of the Settings application.
Sudo for Windows supports multiple modes of operation with varying levels of isolation from unelevated processes. The new window mode merely triggers a User Account Control prompt for the given command and exits. The input disabled and inline modes work by running a second, elevated instance of Sudo itself which runs the given command and redirects its standard streams (excluding the standard input stream if running in input disabled mode) via remote procedure calls to the original, unelevated instance.
==== Networking ====
Support for the IEEE 802.11be (Wi-Fi 7) standard has been implemented. 
==== File storage ====
Native support for data compression in storage replicas and within the ReFS file system has been introduced, and thin disk provisioning support has been added to the Storage Spaces feature.
==== Performance ====
Branch prediction optimizations for AMD Zen 4 and Zen 5 processors have been added.
==List of known builds==
===Copper===
==== Pre-Dev Channel ====
====Dev Channel====
Development of Copper fluently transitioned into the next milestone, Zinc around build 25240https://twitter.com/thebookisclosed/status/1602638935011856384 and did not enter a stabilization phase usually associated with the creation of release branches.
===Zinc===
====Dev Channel====
==== Canary Channel====
The Dev Channel was rebooted in March 2023, with the original Dev Channel being replaced with the new Canary Channel.
===Gallium===
====Pre-Canary Channel====
====Canary Channel====
Development of Gallium fluently transitioned into the next milestone, Germanium around build 25941 and did not enter a stabilization phase usually associated with the creation of release branches.
===Germanium===
====Canary Channel====
==== Dev Channel ====
====RTM====
====RTM Updates====
====General availability (Copilot+ PCs)====
====Release Preview Channel====
==== General availability ====
==== Post-GA updates ====
====Dev Channel (ge_release_svc_betaflt branch)====
====Beta Channel (ge_release_svc_betaflt branch)====
==Notes==
==References==
Category:Versions of Windows 11