Microsoft says that Windows 11 24H2 now plays nicely with wallpaper customization applications

Microsoft is starting the process of lifting a compatibility hold that was preventing some Windows 11 users from updating to Windows 11 24H2.

The block has been in place since September, stopping users with certain unnamed wallpaper customization applications from installing the latest version of the operating system. Microsoft has still not provided a list of the apps that it has, until now, considered troublesome, but says that it will “gradually remove this safeguard hold”.

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There were a few people with the blacklisted apps who managed to install Windows 11 24H2, but it is because of their experiences that the block was put in place. At the time of introducing the compatibility / safeguard hold, Microsoft said:

After installing Windows 11, version 24H2, some wallpaper customization applications might not launch or function correctly. Multiple applications are affected, and symptoms can include wallpapers not appearing correctly, icons disappearing from the desktop, loss of desktop preview functionality, issues with virtual desktops, or error messages displayed by the application.

To safeguard your update experience, we have applied a compatibility hold on devices which are utilizing one of these applications. These devices will not be offered or install Windows 11, version 24H2 via the Windows Update release channel.

But now things are starting to change. The company has posted an update to Windows release health which reads:

We have started to gradually remove this safeguard hold. If you try to install version 24H2 using Windows Update under Settings, Windows 11 Installation Assistant, or Media Creation Tool, you might receive a message requesting you to uninstall your wallpaper app. We also recommend updating the app, since a newer version might be compatible. Or you may uninstall, instead. After you complete this action, you will be able to finish installing version 24H2.

It is not all good news, however. Some people are going to find they are still unable to install Windows 11 24H2. Why? Microsoft explains: "Note that several wallpaper applications are currently included in this compatibility hold. For this reason, the specific timing of the resolution of this issue on a given device may depend on the application being used and the timing of that application's update. As new versions and updates are released for these applications by their respective developers, it's expected that these issues will be resolved".

Quite why Microsoft has failed to publish a list of the apps that are an issue is not clear, but it seems as though a frustrating block will be removed for many in the near future.

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