KEY POINTS
- Microsoft is preparing for the Windows 11 23H2 update, with early signs indicated by changes in the ‘Windows Configuration Update’, specifically the “Get the latest updates as soon as they’re available” toggle.
- All Windows 11 and Microsoft Edge updates now use Controlled Feature Rollouts (CFR) technology, gradually introducing new features. Users can choose to get these features immediately by enabling a specific toggle in Windows 11 22H2 or later.
- The Windows 11 23H2 update is expected to be announced at an event on September 21 in New York City.
Windows 11 23H2 is likely around the corner. Windows Latest has noticed that Microsoft quietly shipped a new version of ‘Windows Configuration Update’, directly linked to the toggle “Get the latest updates as soon as they’re available.”
This toggle gives early access to significant updates, and Microsoft last updated it a month before the Moment 3 update dropped.
The ‘Windows Configuration Update’ or Windows 11 KB5030509 doesn’t contain new improvements or noticeable tweaks. However, it makes interesting changes to the “Get the latest updates as soon as they’re available” toggle, which would be responsible for the first wave of the Windows 11 23H2 update.
Before we discuss the release date of the Windows 11 23H2 update, we need to understand how the toggle works and what exactly is “Windows Configuration Update”. First and foremost, all Windows 11 or Microsoft Edge updates are now shipped to the public using Controlled Feature Rollouts (CFR) technology.
The CFR technology approach is similar to A/B tests. It gradually turns on Windows or Edge features to help the tech giant iron out potential critical bugs before a broader rollout. After volunteers test features, the significant changes are rolled out to everyone in a later monthly security update.
Some users dislike the CFR or A/B tests approach, and Microsoft introduced the toggle to give users more control over the rollout process. If you want to skip the waitlist and get features now, you can enable “Get the latest updates as soon as they’re available” in Windows 11 22H2 or later.
At the moment, the toggle does nothing. It was previously used for the Windows 11 Moment 3 update, and Microsoft is now readying it for the next update – 23H2.
This was confirmed in an internal document published by the company and seen by Windows Latest.
The Windows Configuration Update sets the stage for the transition to Windows 11 23H2, but the toggle doesn’t work currently. If you do not turn on this switch, Windows 11 23H2 features will reach you during a typical update, like Patch Tuesday or optional.
Microsoft has already started adding new features of Windows 11 23H2 to Windows 11 22H2 update, but the enablement package required to turn on the hidden feature isn’t ready yet. Or at least that’s the suggestion based on clues found in September’s optional update.
We have previously spotted an enablement package named Microsoft-Windows-23H2Enablement-Package”, but it won’t work now. Once this starts working, new features like Windows Copilot, taskbar ungroup, and more can be activated.
Windows 11 23H2 release date
So when is the next big update coming? My sources tell me the company will announce Windows 11 23H2 at the September 21 event in New York City.
I expect the update to become ‘available’ to more users outside the Windows Insider Program in October, finally hitting the production channels in November.
