(Credit: Zain bin Awais; Microsoft)
Will there ever be a Windows 12? Probably, but Microsoft still hasn't officially acknowledged anything about it. For all we know, this numbered version of the desktop OS might never actually materialize. And besides, with the company's heavy focus on AI lately, perhaps the next version of the OS will be called Windows Copilot!
Microsoft didn't give any clues about Windows at CES 2026, but I still expect a new major version in the next handful of years. Continued development on the Copilot, Copilot+ PC, and Windows on Arm fronts is a given. In fact, Microsoft released a good number of related features for Windows in 2025.
Six years passed between the launch of Windows 10 and Windows 11 in October 2021. Prior to Windows 10, major releases occurred every three years, at least since Windows Vista. But Windows 10, which was supposedly the "last version of Windows," marked a shift. Which cadence will we see going forward? Let's dive into the possibilities.
When Could Windows 12 Arrive?
Since Microsoft adopted an annual feature update cadence for its desktop OS, with updates like 24H2 and 25H2 arriving in the autumn of each year, that time of year seems likely for the next major version update. If we drew a parallel with the Windows 10 lifespan, we'd get Windows 12 in 2027. Yeah...let's go with that!
That's also the time frame my colleague Ed Bott at ZDNet is betting on. Another piece of evidence for this projection is that the latest annual update, Windows 11 25H2, will remain supported through October 2027. Ed also speculates that Windows 12 might require a Copilot+ PC equipped with a neural processing unit (NPU), something I've written about in the past.
Is Windows as a Service Gone?
Not by a long shot.
When Windows 10 launched, Microsoft stated that updates would arrive between the big updates in a steady stream, using the phrase "Windows as a service." Microsoft's Windows Lifecycle FAQ clearly states, "New versions of Windows 11 will be released once per year and will receive monthly quality updates that include security and non-security updates."
Windows 11 has followed this pattern, with a good number of new features and interface updates appearing since its initial launch. Windows 12 will certainly not be a static, monolithic entity, either. It will continue to evolve and gain new features on an ongoing basis. Keep in mind that Windows 10 in 2020 was a significantly different and more capable OS than Windows 10 in 2015, as the company had rolled out numerous feature updates in the interim.
Despite references to Windows 10 as "the last version of Windows," Microsoft has made it clear that its practice of releasing both major feature updates (as in 22H2 and 23H2) and interim updates (sometimes called Moments) continues with Windows 11. We have every reason to believe that strategy will continue with Windows 12.
Will Windows 12 Require a Subscription?
Eagle-eyed code watchers have noticed references to "subscription edition," "subscription type," and "subscription status" in the code for a Windows Insider build in the Canary channel (the earliest release channel). These references have led to speculation that Microsoft may require a subscription for the OS in the future, and that PC prices may be lower as a result. Further speculation suggests that a free, ad-supported version of Windows 12 may also be available.
However, that's merely speculation. A stronger possibility is that these references to subscriptions are for business users, similar to the already available Windows 365 Cloud PC option. Even Bowden published an article debunking the subscription rumor, though Ed Bott suggests that we may see subscriptions for the Pro editions of Windows 12, while the Home edition will run only Microsoft Store apps. I'm highly dubious of those last two claims, but Bott is an astute Windows watcher.
A subscription requirement would surely outrage longtime Windows users. That's what happened when Adobe Photoshop first moved to a subscription model. Users eventually paid up, however, boosting Adobe's profits and enabling the company to develop impressive new features.
Windows 12 Will Have More Built-In AI
The 2023 update of Windows 11 introduced powerful new AI tools in the form of Copilot. In 2024, Microsoft added even more functionality for Copilot+ PCs, in particular. In 2025, Microsoft subsequently announced the most significant Copilot feature in Windows yet, one that will let you analyze and control anything on your PC, along with a, optional Copilot search box for the taskbar. These are bringing AI agents closer to reality. A Microsoft executive showed how the latter works, explaining, "In the taskbar, you'll be able to press the @ key within the Windows 11 search bar to bring up a selection of AI agents you can prompt directly."
Copilot now also has PC voice control with "Hey Copilot," and Copilot on Windows can use the Copilot Vision feature to analyze visual content in a specified program window. An Insider preview build of Windows 11 recently got wake-word functionality for Copilot in the OS. On Copilot+ PCs, the nifty Click to Do feature has appeared, suggesting and taking actions for highlighted items on your PC screen. These machines also benefit from natural-language AI-assisted semantic search in the Search panel, File Explorer, and Settings.
The type of AI that can anticipate a user’s intentions could be even more powerful in Windows 12, though it could incite a Clippy-like backlash. With desktop system components and Windows itself now including built-in support for AI functions like machine learning, it only makes sense to take advantage of it for the operating system. It’s just a matter of balancing intrusion with helpfulness.
AI technology on the back end can also improve things like code stability, security, and update delivery.
Windows 12 Will Take Advantage of More AI Hardware
The statements from Intel and Qualcomm executives above include mentions of NPUs. Indeed, AMD, Intel, Nvidia, and Qualcomm all discussed AI hardware at Computex 2025.
Much of the AI that I believe is coming to Windows 12 will benefit from NPUs for local AI processing, such as machine learning. PCs that lack them might fall behind when Windows 12 rolls around and might not even enjoy official support. Even with the Copilot+ PCs, on-device AI functions are so far limited to things like image generation, the aforementioned Recall, semantic search, and video call effects. I expect more AI functionality to use local processing in the future rather than Microsoft's servers. On-device AI processing is a trend for Apple, Google, and Microsoft devices, thanks to its faster performance and lower environmental impact.
Will Windows 12 Have Better ARM Processor Support?
Microsoft has been embarrassing itself for years with truly lackluster performance on non-Intel/AMD-powered PCs, especially when you consider the magnificent speed gains its major desktop competitor has attained with Apple silicon. New Germanium platform code seems to have finally flipped the script.
Better ARM support is a focus for recent Windows updates, and the Copilot+ ARM-based PCs include a new Prism emulator to allow non-ARM-optimized applications to run with good performance. I run all manner of optimized and non-optimized apps on an Arm-based Surface Laptop and can report no compatibility or performance issues.
Qualcomm stated that the Snapdragon X Elite PC processor is 21% faster than Apple's M3 chip. A fast chip is great, especially one with the strong AI processing power that Windows now needs for Copilot, but the OS code and apps need to be fast, too. ARM-based PCs could be the spark plug Microsoft needs to get more people on the latest version of Windows, and Windows 12 will no doubt continue to ramp up this trend.
Componentization and Core PC
Along with AI, the concept of a modular version of Windows has been floating around for at least five years. Sometimes referred to as Core OS, sometimes CorePC, a modular Windows would separate OS components, making for smoother updates and better security. It would also allow Microsoft to tailor instances of Windows to specific platforms and use cases. Some of these instances might not need the ability to run all those huge legacy Windows applications, for example, saving system resources by omission.
The prime example of this core-based approach was Windows X, which never reached full release status. The idea behind it was to create a lightweight OS that could compete with ChromeOS. In the end, Microsoft used some of the Windows X interface concepts in Windows 11, such as the centered taskbar.
What's the Best Way to See What's Coming to Windows?
If you really want to see new features coming to Microsoft’s operating system, enroll a test PC in the Windows Insider program. The program has four channel options, from the highly experimental and unstable Canary channel through (in order of increasing stability and feature readiness) the Dev, Beta, and Release Preview channels.
Insider features have included interface tweaks, such as the redesigned volume indicator; new apps, such as the Media Player; and new capabilities for existing OS features, such as tabs for Task Manager.
The Copilot+ PC Factor
For now, Microsoft is more focused on its Copilot generative AI features and Copilot+ PCs. That includes ARM-based PCs like those with a Snapdragon X processor, as well as Intel- and AMD-based devices with NPUs to power the new AI features. Those are significant developments in Windows, which, for now, remains Windows 11.
What's in a Name?
Major new capabilities and design updates have been flowing into Windows outside of any major version name changes for years. Microsoft has updated core apps, such as Paint and Photos, in addition to the File Explorer (it got tabs). And in 2025 alone, Windows gained the ability to search your hard drive with Copilot, lock screen widgets, a redesigned Start menu with a phone panel, and the remarkable Copilot Vision with Highlights feature. And that's to say nothing of the features that debuted exclusively on Copilot+ PCs.
Since Windows users tend not to like big new changes, maybe it's good that Microsoft doesn't seem eager to rename its best-known product. Of course, that could all change if Microsoft, as company officials have discussed, fully embraces AI agents in the OS. Thankfully, those features are all opt-in and only in beta testing for now.
To get caught up on the current release, read our Windows 11 coverage as well as our full review of Windows 11. You can also learn about our top tips for using Windows 11.