Microsoft has made the 24H2 version of Windows 11 available, but for now, it's only for Copilot+ PCs, at least officially.
This means that the 24H2 update is only released for those specific devices to begin with, which means, to begin with, Windows on Arm laptops with the new Snapdragon X (Arm-based) chips, and no other PCs.
As spotted by Windows Latest, Microsoft states in its release notes: “Windows 11, version 24H2 is only available for PC Copilot+ devices.”
However, there is a twist in that what Microsoft means here is that 24H2 is only available in its final version for PC Copilot+. These devices go on sale tomorrow (June 18) and when you turn on your Copilot+ laptop, it will run 24 hours a day and immediately apply KB5039239 (it's the June cumulative update).
Those who don't have a Copilot+ PC can download and run KB5039239, but only as a Windows Insider. In other words, 24H2 is only available as a trial version (26100.863) found in the Release Preview channel.
However, as Windows Latest points out, if you run this preview on a standard system (other than Copilot+), you may experience a rough ride in terms of bugs, more so than a normal trial version (certainly one on Preview version, which is, as the name suggests, the final step before release).
Analysis: Are you missing out? Not precisely
If you're afraid of missing out by not getting Windows 11 24H2, we won't worry about that. As we already noted, yes, this is only for Arm-based Copilot+ PCs, and while you can technically preview it on a PC with an AMD or Intel CPU, there aren't many new features anyway. (And the only major feature for Copilot+ PCs, Recall, was removed, as you may recall, and tested for the foreseeable.)
In fact, for now, all the initial 24H2 build does is apply a few bug fixes, including one to ensure games with BattlEye anti-cheat work with Windows on Arm, and security tweaks.
However, there is one considerable change with Copilot, which will become an 'app experience' so that the desktop assistant can be treated like any app within Windows 11. In other words, you can move the Copilot window, adjust it, or change its size, etc. – rather than having it locked to a side panel – but even that is something you can probably expect.
When the full release of the 24H2 update arrives, likely in September if the rumors are correct (although it could be delayed until later in 2024), there will be many more features built in (although some of them will be PC Copilot+ only, like Remember).
So for now, you're not missing anything and in fact, this preview build returning to testing is a good sign for everyone in terms of the release timeframe for the full Windows 11 24H2 update. If you remember, the release and preview testing was halted due to several nasty bugs, and we were worried that there might even be a delay up to 24 hours 2, but with the release resumed on the release preview channel, that's a good sign. Let's hope things stay on track regarding the release schedule.
