Microsoft rolls out Windows 11 23H2, a new baseline for the frequently updated OS

Enlarge (credit: Microsoft)

Windows 11’s next yearly update is here. Microsoft is rolling out the Windows 11 2023 Update, also known as Windows 11 23H2, to the general public starting today, the company announced in a blog post.

Microsoft Windows Servicing and Delivery VP John Cable describes the 23H2 update as “scoped,” “cumulative,” and “streamlined,” which are all different ways of saying that it doesn’t do a whole lot in and of itself other than rolling the version number over. Most of the big new features, including the Copilot AI assistant, actually began rolling out a month ago to Windows 11 22H2. It’s just that you’ll know that any PC running 23H2 has those features, whereas older versions of 22H2 may not.

Cable notes a couple of 23H2-specific additions, namely that the Chat app from earlier Windows 11 releases has been replaced by Microsoft Teams (free) (that was not our parenthetical; that’s what the company calls it), which is pinned to the taskbar by default just like Chat used to be. Built-in system apps get a new “system” label in the “All apps” view on the Start menu, and system apps are now managed separately from other apps in the Settings app under System > System Components.