Microsoft says unmanaged Windows 11 24H2 PCs will get 25H2 automatically

Microsoft’s Windows 11 release health page now says version 25H2 is being rolled out more widely to unmanaged Home and Pro PCs running Windows 11 24H2. That means consumer systems and smaller unmanaged machines are now in line to receive the update automatically. As per Microsoft, “unmanaged” refers to PCs that are not managed by an organization’s IT department or tied to an enterprise's device-management tools.

Delivery through an enablement package

The move from Windows 11 24H2 to 25H2 is not a full operating system upgrade. In the support document KB5054156, Microsoft says both versions use the same core system files.

The new 25H2 features are already present on 24H2 systems through monthly quality updates, but they stay turned off until Microsoft enables them with an enablement package.

To get the update this way, a device must already be running Windows 11 24H2 and have the August 29, 2025, preview update KB5064081, or a later cumulative update, installed. Microsoft says systems that receive updates through Windows Update or Windows Server Update Services will get the enablement package automatically once the device is considered ready.

Users can still choose when to install it

Even on eligible unmanaged PCs, users still have some control over when the update is applied. Once “Windows 11, version 25H2” is downloaded and ready to install, users can schedule the restart for a later time or postpone the update for a limited period.

Manual checks are also still supported. Users can go to Settings > Windows Update and select “Check for updates” to see whether version 25H2 is available for their device.

If the update does not appear, the system may not have reached Microsoft’s rollout threshold yet, or it may be blocked by a safeguard hold related to a known hardware, driver, or software compatibility issue.

In recent Windows 11 news, Microsoft released KB5086672 as an out-of-band update for versions 24H2 and 25H2 after some users ran into installation problems with dpreview update KB5079391. The update restores the earlier preview changes while fixing the 0x80073712 install error that caused the rollout to be paused.