Microsoft will release a major update codenamed “Sun Valley 2” to celebrate the one-year anniversary of Windows 11. Windows 11 devices will automatically receive the update, and for free, if they already run the new operating system.
Microsoft is getting more specific about Windows 11 Sun Valley 2 as we get closer to its release. In this case, Microsoft itself has officially confirmed the version number “22H2”.
According to a Windows Update released on Thursday, the operating system’s next feature update is called “Version 22H2”. As you can see in the screenshot below, Microsoft has finally selected version 22H2 as the tentative name for the next major update. Additionally, this confirms that the update is getting closer to completion.
At the moment, it is unclear how Microsoft plans to identify this major revision of Windows 11 publicly. Microsoft could use the version number as the public name or it could be named after a month. The Windows 11 version 22H2 has also appeared in a number of leaked Microsoft documents.
We already know that version 22H2 will focus more on fixing the existing features of Windows 11, such as the Start Menu, Control Center/notifications, native apps like MS Paint, Windows Settings, and the taskbar desktop.
The update will also bring back taskbar drag-and-drop support and add a new Task Manager to Windows 11.
How to Test the Windows 11 22H2 Now
You can download and install the early builds of Windows 11 Sun Valley 2 today and start testing it.
The Insider Program has multiple channels for each branch of the OS. If you want to try preview builds of the next major update today, you can join Dev Channel, which is targeted at the most technical users.
The ‘Dev Channel’ was originally used to test the initial builds of Sun Valley and later Windows 11. As Beta Channel is currently reserved for testing bug fixes, app updates also appear in the Dev Channel.
We will publish reliable builds in the beta channel as we get closer to the public launch. Ahead of the launch, Windows 11 22H2 will be published in the ‘Release Preview Channel’ which is typically used to test builds ready for production use.a