Microsoft says Windows 11 26H1 is supported until March 2028 for consumers and is now rolling out on PCs with eligible CPUs, which appear to be just Snapdragon X2, at least for now. There could be other chips on the list of supported hardware, such as Nvidia N1X, but it’s too early to comment on unreleased CPUs.
Microsoft officially launched Windows 11 26H1 on February 10, 2026, and it also started seeding its first cumulative update (Patch Tuesday) on the same day. But the question is, who really gets it? Microsoft insists the supported processors are Snapdragon X2, and an updated support document now lists three processors from the family.
In a support document, Microsoft lists the following CPUs:
- Snapdragon X2 Plus “X2P”
- Snapdragon X2 Elite “X2E”
- Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme “X2E”
Only newer Snapdragon X2 CPUs come pre-installed with Windows 11 26H1. That means if you own the first-generation Snapdragon Copilot+ PCs, you cannot upgrade to Windows 11 26H1.
Microsoft says version 26H1 is a “hardware-optimized release,” which is an interesting term, and I haven’t seen Microsoft use it before. The company says that this Windows update is “designed to enable next-generation silicon developed in partnership with device manufacturers and silicon partners.”
In another support document, Microsoft hints at potential new features or capabilities aimed at these new Arm-based chips.
“Windows 11, version 26H1 is a hardware-optimized release…. with capabilities tailored specifically for those platforms,” Microsoft noted in a support document.
At this point, we really don’t know what those “capabilities tailored specifically for those platforms” are, but if I were to make an educated guess, they are likely related to performance, power consumption, or battery life.
While Windows 11 26H1 is an exclusive release, it won’t offer major improvements or features over the existing version 25H2 or the upcoming 26H2, which will roll out to everyone. All Windows versions will continue to get the same set of fixes and features every month.
Microsoft has also committed that existing PCs with Windows 11 25H2 will continue to get “monthly security and quality updates, as well as new features, and remain supported.”
Windows 11 26H1 support cycle
For Enterprise and Education editions, which include Education, Enterprise, and Enterprise multi-session, Windows 11 26H1 is supported until March 13, 2029. It starts on February 10, 2026, and stays in support through that March 2029 date. This means the OS is supported for approximately 37 months, which is basically 3 years and 1 month.
For Home and Pro editions, which also include Pro Education and Pro for Workstations, Windows 11 26H1 is supported until March 14, 2028. It also starts on February 10, 2026, and is supported for 25 months.
It’s also worth noting that Microsoft clarified Windows 11 SE is not part of version 26H1 support, because 24H2 was the last supported version for SE.
You really don’t need Windows 11 26H1, as you miss out on nothing
I’ve been using Windows 11 26H1 for a while now, and I haven’t come across any meaningful changes, which is why I believe you’re not missing out on anything if you choose to stay on your existing non-Snapdragon X2 hardware.
There’s a new Windows release planned for everyone, including the first-generation Arm-based PCs, and it’s called Windows 11 26H2. Unlike version 26H1, which is hardware-tailored, version 26H2 is for everybody, and it will be the recommended release for wider deployment across organizations.
Windows 11 26H2 appears to be based on version 25H2/24H2, so you shouldn’t expect major upgrades, such as changes to the kernel, scheduler, or performance. On the other hand, Windows 11 26H1 is a new platform release, which is why you cannot upgrade to version 26H1 from 25H1.
All upgrade paths are closed, Windows Latest understands that Microsoft will upgrade Windows 11 26H1 and 26H2 to version 27H2 in the second half of 2027.
