Just under a year after Windows 11 was first released, the OS has received its most significant update yet.

The 2022 Update adds a slew of new features, including changes to Start menu and File Explorer, new touchscreen gestures and the long-awaited return of drag-and-drop to the taskbar. You also get new camera effects and key accessibility tools such as Live Captions and Voice Access.


It’s an update that almost every Windows 11 user will want to install, but most people won’t be able to get the final version yet. Microsoft only released the 2022 Update on 20 September, and a rollout to all compatible devices will take several months – newer devices will get it first.

However, even if you can’t download it yet, there is a way to try an earlier version on all Windows 11 hardware. Here’s all you need to know about both methods.