Windows 11 26H2 Is Out - How to Get It Now, ISO and USB Included

Windows 11 26H2 is out, and on most PCs it is a 174KB download and one restart.

Microsoft released it to everyone on 29 September 2026.

It is free, it keeps your files and apps, and the full ISO is on Microsoft's site too.

Here is which route fits your PC, and how to take it in a few minutes.

Which Route Is Yours

Press Win + R, type winver and press Enter. The second line of the window shows your version.

• 25H2 or 24H2 - use Windows Update. This is the tiny download.
• 23H2 or older - Windows Update will not offer it. Use the Installation Assistant or the ISO, both below.
• Windows 10 - there is no 26H2 update for Windows 10. If your PC meets Windows 11's requirements, the Installation Assistant below upgrades it for free and keeps your files.
• A new or wiped PC - download the ISO and make a USB installer.
• 26H1 - this version only ships on some new Arm laptops, and it cannot move to 26H2. Nothing to do.

The Quick Way: Windows Update

26H2 shares its system files with 24H2 and 25H2. The update just switches on features your PC already downloaded over the past year, which is why it is so small.

• Open Settings, then Windows Update. Install anything waiting first - 26H2 needs the September 2026 updates in place.
• Turn on 'Get the latest updates as soon as they're available'. Then click Check for updates.
• Click Download and install when 'Windows 11, version 26H2' appears.
• Restart once. Run winver again and it should read 26H2, build 26300.

Microsoft rolls it out in waves, so the offer may take a few days to reach you. If it does not show at all, the free Windows 11 Installation Assistant installs it over the top and keeps your files - it runs on standard Intel and AMD PCs, not Arm laptops.

What Is Actually New

Most of 26H2 arrived bit by bit in monthly updates, so do not expect a new look overnight. The headline changes are a taskbar you can finally move to the top or sides of the screen, and a Start menu with Small, Large and Automatic sizes.

Search also gets a switch to turn off web suggestions, so typing an app name stops pulling in Bing results. Microsoft calls the release low-risk, with no compatibility problems listed at launch.

Download the Windows 11 26H2 ISO

The ISO is for clean installs, fixing a broken PC, or upgrading from 23H2. Go to Microsoft's Windows 11 download page, pick the multi-edition ISO for your processor, choose your language and click Download.

Each file is about 7.9GB, with separate x64 and Arm64 versions and no 32-bit option. Each language has its own ISO, so pick the one you want Windows to speak.

To upgrade from 23H2 and keep your files, double-click the ISO, run setup.exe and choose to keep personal files and apps. To check the download is genuine first, run this in PowerShell and compare the result with the SHA-256 value on Microsoft's page:

Get-FileHash "$env:USERPROFILE\Downloads\Win11*.iso" -Algorithm SHA256

Make a Bootable USB Installer

You need a USB stick of at least 8GB, and 16GB gives you room to spare. Everything on it will be erased, so copy off anything you want to keep.

Rufus is the fast, free way: pick the stick, pick the 26H2 ISO, click Start. Microsoft's own Media Creation Tool also works, but it only makes x64 installers.

After a Clean Install, Your Videos May Not Play

An upgrade keeps your apps. A clean install starts from zero, so every player, codec and video extension you added is gone.

If MKV, HEVC or old AVI files stop opening, the K-Lite Codec Pack puts the missing formats back in one install. It is a good first download on any fresh Windows setup.

Quick questions