Is Windows 12 Coming? What Microsoft Has Confirmed

Updated8 October 2026 — no Windows 12 at Microsoft’s 7 October Windows and Surface event. Windows 11 version 26H2 began rolling out on 29 September. All dates rechecked against Microsoft’s release information.

The Short Answer

No. Windows 12 has not been announced. There is no release date, no feature list, no Insider preview and no hardware requirements. Nothing on Microsoft’s own release pages refers to any version of Windows beyond Windows 11.

Microsoft has gone further than silence this year. Ahead of its Build conference in May, Pavan Davuluri, who runs Microsoft’s Windows and Devices division, posted that the coming announcements were “not a new OS version”. Then on 7 October, at its first dedicated Windows and Surface event since May 2024, Microsoft launched the Surface Laptop Ultra running Windows 11, alongside a set of Copilot and Windows Search changes arriving over the coming months. If Microsoft were going to unveil a new version of Windows in 2026, that was the stage. It didn’t.

Could Windows 12 Arrive in 2027?

It’s possible — nothing rules it out — but the evidence points the other way. Here’s how it stacks up.

The case for 2027

The calendar. Windows 10 launched in 2015 and Windows 11 in 2021, six years apart. Autumn 2027 would be six years on from Windows 11. That is the strongest argument for a 2027 Windows 12, and it is the same reasoning that produced the 2024, 2025 and 2026 predictions — each of which came to nothing.

The case against

• Windows 11’s own roadmap already reaches into 2027. Version 26H1, which ships only on new Arm-based PCs, isn’t offered the 26H2 update, and reporting on the 26H2 release expects that to change with Windows 11 version 27H2. The autumn 2027 release is already being discussed as a Windows 11 update.
• Windows 10 is still being patched until October 2027. Microsoft extended consumer Extended Security Updates to 12 October 2027. Launching a new OS while it is still supporting Windows 10 would split users across three versions — the opposite of what Microsoft has spent four years trying to achieve.
• The big changes now ship inside Windows 11. The AI agents, the Copilot overhaul and the new Search actions shown on 7 October are Windows 11 features. Microsoft is delivering what would once have justified a new version number as annual updates instead.

What you’d see first

A new Windows doesn’t appear without warning. Windows 11 was unveiled in June 2021, previewed to Windows Insiders within weeks, and released that October. A 2027 Windows 12 would need a public announcement and a preview programme well before launch. Until either appears, the most likely thing arriving in autumn 2027 is Windows 11 version 27H2. We’ll update this page if that changes.

Where Windows 11 Actually Is

Windows 11 version 26H2 began rolling out on 29 September 2026. Like 25H2 before it, it arrives as an enablement package on PCs already running 24H2 or 25H2: the new code is already on the machine, the update switches it on, and a single restart completes it. Headline changes include an AI agent in Settings that finds options from a plain-English description, NPU and AI-workload monitoring in Task Manager, more control over Start menu size and taskbar position, and improvements to Search and File Explorer.

Each Windows 11 version is supported for 24 months on Home and Pro, and 36 months on Enterprise and Education. On Microsoft’s release information page, 26H2 is supported on Home and Pro until 10 October 2028. Windows 11 itself has no announced end-of-support date — under Microsoft’s current lifecycle approach, staying on a supported version is simply a matter of taking the annual update.

Why the Rumours Keep Circulating

The “Hudson Valley” codename that appears in most Windows 12 write-ups dates from internal Microsoft planning in 2023. It was never attached to a confirmed product. CorePC — the modular architecture often described as the foundation of Windows 12 — was a real internal initiative from the same period, but its ideas have been folded into Windows 11 progressively rather than held back for a separate release. The subscription-Windows rumour has circulated for more than a decade without becoming a consumer product.

The rest is search demand. “Windows 12 release date” is a popular query, so pages promising one keep appearing, often with invented features and dates. If a page gives you a Windows 12 launch date, it made it up.

The adoption numbers explain Microsoft’s caution. Windows 11 overtook Windows 10 in 2025, and StatCounter’s February 2026 figures put it at roughly 73% of Windows desktops, with Windows 10 still on about 26%. A quarter of PCs are still mid-transition. Adding a third version on top of that would make things harder, not easier.

Should You Wait Before Buying Windows 11?

No. Windows 10 reached end of support on 14 October 2025. Security updates now come only through Microsoft’s Extended Security Updates programme, which for home users now runs to 12 October 2027. That buys time; it isn’t a destination. Our Windows 10 ESU guide covers the UK options.

Waiting for Windows 12 means waiting for a product with no announcement, no date and no confirmed hardware requirements. Windows 11 is current, it’s being actively developed, and every annual update keeps it supported. When a successor does eventually arrive, a PC already running Windows 11 is in the best position for it. If you’re unsure whether your current machine can run Windows 11 at all, check the Windows 11 system requirements first.

What This Means If You’re Buying Windows 11 Today

Windows 11 is the platform Microsoft is building on. 26H2 is rolling out now, and the next release already in view is another Windows 11 update. A genuine perpetual licence means a one-time purchase, no subscription and no expiry. Not sure which edition you need? Our Windows 11 Home vs Pro comparison covers the differences.

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