Windows 12 (or whatever the next version of Windows is called) will probably arrive someday, but not any time soon. Microsoft didn't say anything publicly about it at Build or CES, and when I recently spoke with some executives involved in Windows development, they told me the company has no plans to release Windows 12 this year.  That said, the representatives did discuss some plans for the future of the world’s most popular desktop operating system, so I have a pretty good idea of what to expect from Windows 11's eventual successor. Below are six predictions you can count on. 1. Don't Expect Windows 12 Before 2027 Six years passed between the launch of Windows 10 and Windows 11 in October 2021, so we’re technically due for a new version of Windows in 2027. If that's the actual plan, Microsoft would likely announce it in the summer of 2027. However, this doesn't seem likely to me. Microsoft is still dealing with the mess it created by stranding many existing PCs on Windows 10, and the company is in no hurry to repeat that mistake by launching yet another edition. Sources tell me that Microsoft employees are debating the value of naming a new version of their operating system Windows 12 versus continuing to improve Windows 11. (The latter continues to get major updates annually in the fall.) I've also learned that the support life cycle is a major consideration: If Microsoft releases Windows 12, it could trigger an end-of-life timer for Windows 11. Companies would have to upgrade or lose security updates, and Microsoft would be dealing with another Windows 10-style mess. Thus, Microsoft seems motivated to improve the Windows 11 experience in the near term. 2. Windows 12 Won't Require a Subscription Rumors that Windows will one day require a subscription have persisted for years. There’s no evidence Microsoft will require a subscription to use Windows 12. In fact, the company is moving in the opposite direction: After previously announcing that Windows 10 users would have to pay to continue receiving security updates after the operating system reached the end of mainstream support in October 2025, it repeatedly waived this requirement and continued to offer years of free security updates. Microsoft clearly doesn’t want to tell home users they need a subscription to continue using their PCs (even if businesses must).   Yes, the words “subscription edition” and “subscription status” appeared in Windows builds in 2023, but these were likely in reference to business-focused editions, such as Windows 365 (a cloud-hosted Windows desktop that runs on Microsoft’s servers) or subscription-based licensing for businesses. Many companies have volume licensing contracts with Microsoft that are essentially subscriptions for the operating system and security updates. A subscription requirement would be disastrous, as no other desktop operating system requires one. It would be a massive mistake to go this route, when Windows faces competition from Apple’s macOS and the forthcoming Googlebooks to desktop Linux, SteamOS gaming systems, and existing versions of Windows that don’t require a subscription. Still, Windows 12 may get deeper integrations with Microsoft’s other subscription services. To that end, Windows 11 already shows your Microsoft 365 subscription status in the Settings app and encourages you to upgrade for more OneDrive storage. Windows 12 might introduce more powerful AI features that require a Copilot subscription, but it will almost certainly be optional. Windows 11 recommends Microsoft subscriptions in its Settings app, but it doesn’t require them (Credit: PCMag/Microsoft) 3. Most Windows 11 PCs Should Run Windows 12 If Microsoft does release Windows 12 in the next few years, it likely won’t bump the operating system’s hardware requirements. As mentioned, Windows 11’s stringent hardware requirements have resulted in a large number of ineligible Windows 10 PCs that the company feels obligated to continue supporting. Microsoft is also de-emphasizing its Copilot+ PC branding. Copilot+ PCs include AI features such as Click To Do and Recall, and require a computer with a neural processing unit (NPU). The company is expanding AI efforts beyond those machines, activating AI features on PCs with Nvidia GPUs and debuting Aion small language models that can run on CPUs at Build. Windows 12 probably won’t require more than 8GB of RAM, either. After pushing for 16GB of RAM as the minimum for Copilot+ PCs, Microsoft is now making Windows more efficient to address the RAM crisis and better compete with Apple’s MacBook Pro. Microsoft recently released new Surface devices with only 8GB of RAM. It has also said that it will continue offering versions of Windows on both Arm and x86 hardware, unlike Apple, which ended support for Intel-powered x86 Macs after macOS Tahoe. 4. Agentic AI Will Define Windows 12 Microsoft has been clear that agentic AI is the future of Windows and computing in general, showing off AI agents at Build. If it does release a splashy new Windows 12 operating system, it will almost certainly focus on agentic AI features that can use your apps for you and carry out tasks independently.  Microsoft is already working on agentic AI features that run on Windows 11; the company doesn’t want to limit them to only a handful of devices. Instead, it thinks “every Windows 11 PC is an AI PC.” I expect the vast majority of Microsoft’s latest AI features to roll out to all Windows 11 PCs rather than in a future version of the OS. Additionally, Microsoft already created a new AI-first operating system experience called Project Solara, which it debuted at Build. Rather than a Windows 8-style approach of replacing the traditional desktop with something entirely new, Microsoft is keeping its experimental AI-first interface off of Windows for now. Microsoft’s Project Aion interface from 2024 appears to have been an experimental project, and I don't expect it to be a blueprint for Windows 12. Recommended by Our Editors I Saw the Future of Windows at Microsoft Build, and It's Unrecognizable At Build 2026, Microsoft Sent a Clear Message: Copilot+ PCs No Longer Matter Microsoft demonstrated OpenClaw agents using Windows 11 at Build 2026 (Credit: Chris Hoffman) 5. Windows 12 Will Feel More Familiar Than New Microsoft’s Windows team isn’t acting like it’s about to unveil a completely new interface, as it did with Windows 8, Windows 10, and Windows 11. Instead, developers have been polishing the Windows 11 desktop. Microsoft is working on restoring features to the taskbar and speeding up File Explorer, for example. Recent changes in Windows Insider builds focus on modernizing the interface, replacing older Windows 8-style dialogues with Windows 11-style ones, and porting options from the Control Panel to the Settings app. Additionally, Microsoft is committing to its current application platform. At Build, the company announced that its WinUI 3 application framework for developers would now be called WinUI without the version number. Microsoft’s Chris Anderson, vice president of software engineering, said the company has no plans to make a massive shift and wants to deliver a stable application platform for developers. Based on Microsoft’s actions, a new version of Windows with a fresh application platform and redesigned desktop is almost certainly not just around the corner. Thus, if Microsoft does launch something branded “Windows 12,” it is likely to feel like an update to Windows 11 with more agentic AI features rather than an overhaul. In other words, Windows 12 might turn out to be more of a marketing effort than a transformative shift. You can move the taskbar via Windows 11’s Settings app (Credit: Microsoft/PCMag) 6. Watch the Windows Insider Program for Early Clues Microsoft is developing much of Windows in public. The revamped Windows Insider program has a variety of channels, including an Experimental (Future Platforms) one. Microsoft says these builds “represent platform changes early in the development cycle.” Major changes in these experimental builds might give us an idea of what to expect when a new version of Windows is on the way. After the company polishes Windows 11 with the 26H2 release in the fall of 2026, perhaps it will shift to more future-looking changes to Windows 11 that might ultimately be the foundation of Windows 12 rather than a prospective 27H2 Update.