First Windows 12 build spotted on new internal development branch at Microsoft

Windows 11 proved to be a bit of a disappointment for many people, and a lot of Windows 10 users saw no reason to upgrade. This means that there are a large number of users eager for something big and impressive -- and this what it is hoped Windows 12 will be.

Whether you're a Windows 10 hanger-on or a Windows 11 adopter keen for something even newer and shinier, ears are pricked for news about Windows 12. There have been several hints about what the operating system could be like, and even when it might be released, and now there is the first evidence of an increase in pace at Microsoft. The discovery of a new internal development branch at the company suggests that work has acerated on the next version of Windows.

See also:

• Microsoft's next big release will be Windows 11 24H2; Windows 12 may not launch until 2025
• Microsoft introduces much-needed changes to Windows 11 setup
• Microsoft releases Windows Server 2025 for brave sysadmins to try out

For anyone signed up to the Windows Insider program, keeping up to date with build numbers is par for the course. The latest Beta build is 22635.3130, the latest Dev build is 23620, and the latest Canary build is 26040.

These are all publicly available builds which anyone is free to download and install, but of course not everything Microsoft is working on is made public immediately. Now a new internal development branch, with a build number of 27547, has been spotted. The jump to a significantly higher build number is being interpreted as an indication that this is a much bigger upgrade than just the regular Canary build of Windows 11 -- it could well be Windows 12.

Microsoft detective XenoPanther posted the news on X:

This is currently only available internally at Microsoft, and it will be quite some time before even Insiders right on the bleeding edge can expect to get their hands on a build from the 27xxx branch.

While Windows 12 may be eagerly awaited, it is not expected to be released until 2025. The big release from Microsoft this year is likely to be the Windows 11 24H2 update.

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