[German]The feature update Windows 11 Version 25H2, expected in fall 2025, has not yet been officially announced by Microsoft. However, the ISO files with the installation media are apparently available on Microsoft servers. The enablement update, which allows Windows 11 24H2 to be upgraded to Windows 11 25H2, is also already "available" on the internet. There are no new features, but WMIC has been removed.
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Windows 11 25H2 ISO installation images available
Microsoft uploaded the ISO installation images for Windows 11 25H2 to its servers even before the official announcement.
Windows Central points this out in the tweet above and has provided the relevant links for downloading the 64-bit versions of Windows 11 25H2 for Intel and ARM platforms in various languages in this article.
The ISO installation file is required if anyone wants to reinstall Windows 11 25H2 or upgrade Windows 11 23H2 to the new version. You can also switch from Windows 11 24H2 to 25H2 via an enablement update (see below). The download has now grown to a whopping 7.2 gigabytes.
Via Enablement Update KB5054156 on Windows 11 25H2
Since Windows 11 24H2 and Windows 11 25H2 have the same code base, Windows 11 24H2 can be easily upgraded to Windows 11 25H2 via a so-called enablement update. After a restart, the build will then be updated to Windows 11 25H2.
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The colleagues at deskmodder.de had already pointed out in this article on August 30, 2025 that the Enablement Update KB5054156 was available in the Insider Preview channels. The MSU file is also available for download in the article. Since this Enablement Update only unlocks the new version, owners of Windows 11 24H2 can install this update to upgrade their operating system to Windows 11 25H2.
After Windows 11 25H2 is released, the enablement update will then be offered as usual via Windows Update. Uninstalling this enablement update will then restore Windows 11 24H2.
No new features, but longer support
According to Microsoft, Windows 11 25H2 has no new features compared to Windows 11 24H2. Both versions use the same update channel. In other words, updates released for Windows 11 24H2 also apply to Windows 11 25H2.
The advantage is that the compatibility of apps or drivers in Windows 11 25H2 is the same as in Windows 11 24H2. The new version will also contain the same bugs as Windows 11 24H2.
The advantage of upgrading to Windows 11 version 25H2 is that this version comes with a new support lifecycle. As soon as Microsoft announces the release of Windows 11 version 25H2—probably in October—the support period will begin, which will then be a full 24 months for the Home and Pro versions (Windows 11 24H2 only has 12 months of support left). The Enterprise and Education versions will even receive 36 months of support (which should then run until 2028).
WMIC is being removed in Windows 11 25H2
However, there is one change compared to Windows 11 24H2: WMIC will be removed in Windows 11 25H2. I already pointed out Microsoft's plans in January 2024 in the article Windows 11: WMIC will be removed in future. It stated that Microsoft wanted to discontinue the command line tool wmic.exe in the next version of Windows 11. The WMI Command-line Utility (WMIC) provides a command-line interface for Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI).
Bleeping Computer mention in the above tweet and this article that the WMIC tool will be removed in the new Windows 11 25H2. As a replacement for this command line tool, Microsoft suggests using corresponding PowerShell queries.
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