Microsoft is now automatically rolling out Windows 11 24H2 to all eligible and supported PCs, whether you like it or not.
In a recent status update to its Windows 11 24H2 known issues and notifications page, the company announced that it has reached a new stage in the phased rollout of version 24H2. All eligible computers running the Home and Pro editions of Windows 11 23H2 and 22H2 will now gradually receive the 24H2 version.
Also: How to upgrade your ‘incompatible’ Windows 10 PC to Windows 11 in 2025
If you don’t want to wait for the automatic update to pop up, head to Settings, select Windows Update, and click the button to Check for updates. You should then see an option prompting you to download and install version 24H2.
This automatic update applies only to personal computers not managed by IT departments. Even then, individual users can choose to reschedule or postpone the update. But doing so will pause all updates, not just the 24H2 version. Sooner or later, you’ll probably have to accept the update, especially when 23H2 and 22H2 are no longer supported, just like 21H2 and 22H2 reached end of support in October 2024.
The downside here is that Windows 11 24H2 has proven to be a decidedly buggy and problematic update. All major Windows updates contain at least a few bugs here and there. However, 24H2 has been worse than most. While no one glitch has been a total showstopper, the sheer number of issues has even forced Microsoft to stall the update for affected PCs.
To try to fix the volume of bugs, the company has rolled out three series of patches so far — one in late October, another in mid-November, and a third in December. The October update fixed a few bugs and created some new ones. The November update resolved a few more glitches. The December update fixed one specific glitch with certain USB-connected scanners and other devices. But otherwise, Microsoft has been slow to fix the problems in this latest version of Windows 11.
Also: Windows 11 24H2 bug list updated: One fixed, 12 to go
The Windows 11 24H2 known issues and notifications page shows only one issue resolved in January, specifically a conflict with several games from Ubisoft. The other known issues listed on the page show either Confirmed or Mitigated status. Confirmed means that Microsoft has reproduced the problem but has no fix. Mitigated means that the company has some kind of workaround in place but no permanent solution.
Out of the 13 bugs on the list, eight have been around since October, several of them from early October. Three months is a long time for a glitch to go unresolved, especially for an important update to a version of Windows that Microsoft has long been promoting.
I’ve been advising Windows 11 users to hold off on 24H2 for now. Until Microsoft fixes all or most of the outstanding bugs, I still maintain that most people should avoid this update. But if the company is now pushing it to all eligible and supported PCs, that’s going to be increasingly difficult.
Also: How to set up God Mode in Windows 11 – and the wonders you can do with it
With the update set to install automatically, the only action you can take for now is to pause all updates. To do that, head to Settings, and select Windows Update. Click the dropdown menu for Pause updates and you can then pause them for anywhere from one to five weeks.
Source: Robotics - zdnet.com
