The first big Windows 11 update, Sun Valley 2, should be ready in mere months
Windows 11 may still have that new OS smell wafting off it, but there is still work to be done. We already know that Microsoft is only planning a single feature update each year, and it looks like the first major update for Windows 11 -- codenamed Sun Valley 2 -- could be available for testing in a matter of months.
Windows 11 22H2, as Sun Valley 2 is also known, is said to be scheduled to be completed in May. The update is expected to be finalized some time in the summer, and then be ready for a full release in the fall. But what can we look forward to in this release?
See also:
- Microsoft confirms color problem in Windows 11 -- but a fix is weeks away
- Intel releases performance-enhancing graphics driver update to fix Desktop Windows Manager problem in Windows 10 and Windows 11
- Microsoft has blocked all default browser workarounds in Windows 10 and Windows 11
Over on Windows Central, Zac Bowden's sources say that "the current engineering schedule has mainline development on version 22H2 scheduled for completion in May 2022". The update is described as "finishing off" the operating system, adding features that were not quite ready in time for the release of Windows 11 in late 2021.
This includes widening the support for system-wide dark mode and adding support for third-party widget. Other changes and improvements that are expected to make an appearance include adding new functionality to the taskbar -- perhaps making it more flexible in terms of docking, and maybe adding drag and drop support back -- and updating some of the built-in apps such as Notepad.
Rumors suggest that Windows 11's Mail and Calendar apps are set to be replaced with the new Outlook app currently known as Project Monarch. We can also expect to see Microsoft continuing to cut back the Control Panel as migration to the Settings app progresses.
Image credit: mundissima / Shutterstock