Windows news you can use: September 2025

Building upon the big milestones in Windows we announced in August, yesterday we announced the availability of Windows 11, version 25H2! Be sure to check out our IT pro’s guide to Windows 11, version 25H2 and how Wi-Fi 7 is a game changer for enterprises. These blogs cover the Windows 11, version 25H2 release in depth—truly news you can use!

My colleagues in Windows 365 also had a wealth of new features and capabilities announced throughout the month of September—you can read more about those below. And if you have a Copilot+ PC, be sure to check out our new AI agent in Settings—it allows you to search for settings using natural language queries. Give it a try and see for yourself!

Without further ado, here’s the news for September 2025.

New in Windows update and device management

• [W11 25H2] Windows 11, version 25H2 reached general availability yesterday, September 30, 2025. In an IT pro’s guide to Windows 11, version 25H2, you can discover tools and resources to help you roll out version 25H2 at your organization.

o   Read about how to get the newest version of Windows 11 and watch this video.

o   Find release information and updates on known issues on the Windows release health hub.

o   Wi-Fi 7 support for enterprise access points is now generally available in Windows 11, version 24H2 and version 25H2. Discover how your organization can benefit from better speed, high throughput, improved reliability, and enhanced security.

• [INTUNE] There’s a change coming on December 2, 2025, to Microsoft Intune network service endpoints. If your organization uses outbound traffic policies based on IP addresses or service tags, be sure to review and update your firewall rules before December 2, 2025 to avoid service disruptions. Learn more about what you need to do to prepare.

• [INTUNE] Have questions about simplifying endpoint management, unifying data across Microsoft solutions, and how to stay ahead of the curve in device and app security? Don’t miss this Tech Community Live—Microsoft Intune edition on October 6, 2025. Engineering and product team members will be on hand to answer your questions. Save the date and post your questions in advance.

• [OFFICE HOURS] Join our continuing series of live Q&A for IT professionals. Product experts, servicing experts, and engineers will be on hand to answer your questions. RSVP for the next Windows Office Hours on October 16, 2025.

New in Windows security

• [PURVIEW] Discover the advantages of Microsoft Purview to help reduce data breaches across your organizations. Learn about key areas of impact and the steps you can take to modernize data security and governance strategies. Looking for ways to stay current with regulations, certifications, and reporting? Consider using Microsoft Purview Compliance Manager. For more information, dive into the insights offered in the Total Economic Impact™ (TEI) of Microsoft Purview study by Forrester Consulting.

• [DEFENDER] Ready to consolidate fragmented security capabilities at your organization? Learn more about using the integrated tools and AI-powered insights in Microsoft Defender. It can help strengthen your organization’s security posture and build resiliency across hybrid and multicloud environments while benefiting from significant return on investment.

• [SECURE BOOT] Take action now to prepare for the expiration of Secure Boot certificates in June 2026. Learn which new certificates will be available in the coming months to maintain UEFI Secure Boot continuity. Learn more from frequently asked questions about the Secure Boot update process.

New in AI

• [M365 COPILOT] Beginning in October, the Microsoft 365 Copilot app will automatically be installed on Windows client devices with Microsoft 365 desktop apps. The app simplifies access to Copilot and engagement with productivity features. Review the documentation to manage this change at your organization.

• [WINDOWS ML] Big news for developers: With Windows ML, now generally available, developers can deliver real-time, secure AI workloads to Windows devices. Discover how to use Windows ML to deploy production experiences.

• [AI IN WINDOWS] Catch up on using AI for Windows management and how to get started using Microsoft Copilot Chat. Parts 2 and 3 of our Skilling snack series on AI in Windows offer more resources to help you use AI for management and improved work experiences. Stay tuned for more snacks—coming soon.

Install the September 2025 non-security update for Windows 11, version 24H2 to get this and other capabilities, which are rolling out gradually.

• [FILE EXPLORER] Use AI actions in File Explorer to edit images or summarize documents. Right click (or press Shift+F10) on the file and select AI actions. (Note: This experience is not yet available for customers in the EEA.)

• [MICROSOFT 365] AI actions in Microsoft 365 make it easier to work with your documents. Use Summarize action in Copilot to quickly generate summaries of files stored in OneDrive and SharePoint, eliminating the need to open each one. (Note: Requires an active Microsoft 365 subscription and a Copilot license. Microsoft account and Microsoft Entra ID supported.)

• [COPILOT+ PC] Learn about new capabilities for Copilot+ PCs in this update.

New in Windows Server

For the latest features and improvements for Windows Server, see the Windows Server 2025 release notes and Windows Server, version 23H2 release notes.

• [WINDOWS SERVER 2025] Learn how to prepare for and use N-4 media-based upgrades to move your organization’s physical devices and virtual machines directly to Windows Server 2025 from earlier versions of Windows Server.

New in productivity and collaboration

[W365] Four years after Windows 365 first came to market, it continues to transform the approach to AI-driven cloud computing. This month saw expanded availability of key features and capabilities and a host of new ones. Read about these capabilities and how they can help you address key priorities at your organization such as flexibility, security and resilience, and AI-enabled endpoint management. Here are just a few highlights:

• [CLOUD APPS] Windows 365 Cloud apps are now in public preview. Learn about this new way to securely stream Windows apps to any device.

• [FRONTLINE] Do you help support IT at U.S. government agencies? Windows 365 Frontline is now available for Government Community Cloud (GCC) and GCC High (GCCH). It provides frontline workers with secure, compliant access to Cloud PCs from any device. Learn more about the editions that will best meet your organization’s needs.

• [HEALTH CHECK] Use the health check suite for proactive troubleshooting that helps ensure optimal performance across Windows 365 and Azure Virtual Desktop environments.

[UPDATES] Review the September 2025 security update for Windows 11, version 24H2 and version 23H2. For additional details, please refer to the August 2025 non-security preview update release notes for Windows 11, version 24H2 and version 23H2.

To preview what’s coming in October 2025, install the September 2025 optional non-security preview update for Windows 11, version 24H2, which includes the gradual rollout of:

• [NARRATOR] Narrator now includes Braille Viewer, which shows on-screen text and its Braille equivalent on a refreshable Braille display. To open Braille viewer and start Narrator, press the Windows logo key+Ctrl+Enter, press Narrator key+Alt+B. Also new in Narrator: A smoother, more natural experience in Word, with improved voice feedback, reliable continuous reading, and better navigation for footnotes, comments, lists, and tables.

• [TASKBAR] IT administrators no longer need to restart explorer.exe to apply the pinning policy. After applying the policy, pins should appear on the taskbar within approximately 8 hours.

• [DESKTOP] You can now move the hardware indicators for brightness, volume, airplane mode, and virtual desktops to different positions on your screen.

• [PASSKEYS] There is now seamless plugin passkey manager integration in Windows 11. To use plugin credential manager for passkeys, install a credential manager application that supports integration then go to Settings > Accounts > Passkeys > Advanced options.

• [SETTINGS] More settings have moved from Control Panel to Settings. You can now add additional clocks, change your time server, and customize date and time formatting directly from Settings > Time & language > Date & time. Keyboard character repeat and cursor blink rate settings are now easier to find under Settings > Accessibility.

Lifecycle milestones

Check out our lifecycle documentation for the latest updates on Deprecated features in the Windows client and Features removed or no longer developed starting with Windows Server 2025.

• [WMIC] The Windows Management Instrumentation Command-line (WMIC) tool is moving toward the next phase for removal from Windows. It will be removed when updating to Windows 11, version 25H2. Note: Only the WMIC tool is being removed – Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) itself remains part of Windows. To prepare for a smooth transition, learn about using PowerShell or other tools for tasks previously completed with the WMIC tool.

• [W10 EOS] Windows 10 end of support (EOS) is now less than two weeks away. The October 2025 monthly security update will be the last update available for this version. Consult helpful resources in this 60-day reminder message.

• [W10 EOS] [IOT] Find out which versions of Windows 10 IoT Enterprise are impacted on October 14, 2025.

• [W11 22H2] Windows 11, version 22H2 (Enterprise and Education editions) no longer receives non-security preview updates. Monthly security updates will continue through October 14, 2025, when version 22H2 officially reaches end of servicing. Consult helpful resources in this 60-day reminder message.

• [W11 23H2] Windows 11, version 23H2 (Home and Pro editions) will reach end of servicing on November 11, 2025. Enterprise and Education editions will continue to be serviced through November 10, 2026 per the Modern Lifecycle Policy.

Additional resources

Looking for the latest news and previews for Windows, Copilot, Copilot+ PCs, the Windows and Windows Server Insider Programs, and more? Check out these resources:

• Windows Roadmap for new Copilot+ PCs and Windows features – filter by platform, version, status, and channel or search by feature name

• Microsoft 365 Copilot release notes for latest features and improvements

• Windows Insider Blog for what’s available in the Canary, Dev, Beta, or Release Preview Channels

• Windows Server Insider for feature preview opportunities

• Understanding update history for Windows Insider preview features, fixes, and changes to learn about the types of updates for Windows Insiders

September was another great month of new features and capabilities! Thank you for staying up on the latest news you can use. We’re looking to make this monthly summary more helpful to you! Please drop us a note below and let us know what information you most want to hear about.

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