More than a year has passed since the launch of Windows 11, and it is time to be thinking about the next generation that aims to be named Windows 12 Next Valley. At the moment few details of its development are known, although we can have data about the launch and the minimum requirements if we look at Windows 11. In this article we focus on compiling all the news that will become known about the new generation of Microsoft’s operating system for PCs, and also the rumors that are found on the Internet.

Main Windows 12 news that we expect

Today the only thing we can know about Windows 12 comes from the rumor mill surrounding Microsoft, but nothing official. One of the changes that could come to Windows 12 was revealed by Microsoft in one of its keynotes and would be precisely a design change in the interface itself in which the lower taskbar would become floating to be similar to the that is offered in macOS and that is very characteristic. In addition, the system icons would be located in the upper right part and a floating search box would appear in the central part. Here you can download Windows 12 iso 64-bit for your PC and laptop. windows 12 is free for everyone, you can just download or upgrade your previous Windows 10 to the new Windows 12.

Windows 12 and artificial intelligence

However, CoreOS does not stop there, since Windows 12 could also include integration with artificial intelligence and hardware optimization so that it perfectly matches hardware and software as is the case with Apple Silicon. Regarding AI, you could get the help of this service when making queries about what you are seeing on the screen or in third-party applications.

Artificial intelligence is not going to stop here, since as will be seen in Windows 11 it will be integrated to obtain personalized responses to what is shown on the screen itself. In the end, it is a kind of ChatGPT, like the one you have in Bing, but integrated into the operating system itself so that it can be used with any application.

But AI is not going to be limited only to offering these types of answers. Among the functions that we expect Windows 12 to have related to artificial intelligence, absolute control of its internal parameters stands out. This could cause the hardware resources to be improved so that it has greater energy savings or the necessary resources are dedicated to each program.

This is something that can precisely end up affecting the overclocking that we are accustomed to today in most processors to achieve greater processing speed. The use of AI can end precisely this practice by imposing AI values above those that the user can choose in the BIOS.

But such is the interest in focusing on artificial intelligence, that in addition to the operating system, we are also going to see how the peripherals are going to be updated to this new standard. We saw it at the beginning of 2024 when it was seen that the keyboards were going to have a new key to activate Copilot. Something that demonstrates the interest in this evolutionary leap.

Download Windows 12 ISO File?

To start creating Windows 12 installation media, I’ll need to gather all the necessary tools and files. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how I can create Windows 12 installation media:

1. First, I would download the Windows 12 ISO file from the official Microsoft website.
2. Next, I’d connect a USB flash drive with at least 8GB of storage to my computer.
3. Then, I’d open the Windows 12 Media Creation Tool and select the option to create installation media.
4. Within the tool, I would choose the language, edition, and architecture (32-bit or 64-bit) for my Windows 12 installation.

Once I complete these steps, the Media Creation Tool will generate the installation media on my USB flash drive. This installation media can be used to install or upgrade to Windows 12 on any compatible computer. I’m looking forward to experiencing the freedom and advantages of Windows 12.

Creating installation media for Windows 12 is a straightforward process that involves collecting the necessary tools and files and following a step-by-step guide. By following these steps, I can effortlessly create my installation media and have it ready for use. With the right tools and a bit of patience, anyone can create a Windows 12 installation media and enjoy the benefits of this operating system.

Windows 12 PC requirements

I can start by checking if my PC meets the system requirements for installing Windows 12. It’s important to ensure that my computer has the necessary specifications to run the new operating system smoothly and without any issues.

To do this, I can visit the official Microsoft website and look for the system requirements section. Here, I’ll find a list of minimum and recommended specifications for Windows 12. I’ll pay attention to the processor, RAM, storage, and graphics card requirements. If my PC falls short in any of these areas, I may need to consider upgrading certain components or even purchasing a new computer altogether.

• 64-bit processor (ARM/x86) at minimum 1GHz
• 4 GB of RAM
• 64 GB of minimum storage.
• UEFI with secure boot support
• TPM 2.0 (Trusted Platform Module)
• Minimum 9-inch screen 1,366 x 768 px
• DirectX 12 compatible GPU
• Internet connection

It is very likely that you can update. But, it is also possible that the tool tells you no. You may receive a warning that your PC is not compatible with Windows 12 64-bit. Especially if it is a tower, it could be that you have TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot disabled. My partner Javier Gualix is here to show you how to activate both features. In any case, you might be interested in seeing our colleague’s article on Windows 12 iso requirements and running the tool that automatically checks if you meet the requirements.

Installation Guide

• To install Windows 12 64-bit on my PC, the first step you need to take is to access the Windows 10 settings. Once inside, you click on the “Update and Security” section, where operating system updates are managed.
• Within the “Update and security” section, you should look in the left column and find the “Windows Insider Program” section. This is where activities related to the Windows 10 beta version test program are handled. Now, you getting ready to download the new Windows 12 ISO.
• Two scenarios can unfold in the “Windows Insider Program” section. If you meet the requirements for upgrading to Windows 12 64-bit, you won’t receive any specific message. However, if you don’t meet the requirements, you have seen a message stating that you won’t be able to access the beta versions of Windows 12 64-bit. If you don’t see any reference to Windows 12, everything is in order, and you should click on the “Start” button to enroll in the Windows Insider program.
• In the first enrollment step, you will be prompted to link an account to the program, which is crucial for downloading Windows 12. you will click on “Link an account” and select the Microsoft account I use on my computer. Typically, you can use the same account as in Windows 10 unless there are multiple linked accounts on my computer.
• After selecting an account, you’ll enter the “Choose your Insider settings” menu, where you can pick the channel you want to join to receive updates. Here, you must select the “Development Channel,” which provides access to the alpha versions with more errors and bugs. However, this is necessary to download the Windows 12 ISO and test its preliminary versions.
• After choosing the development channel and proceeding, a window will appear, informing me that Microsoft will collect information about how you use your computer. This data collection is standard in the Insider program, and you must accept it. My information helps Microsoft identify and rectify bugs in the Windows 12 setup.
• Now, a screen will appear, indicating that you need to restart your computer to apply the changes. This is essential because the process is not complete until you have restarted, and you won’t begin downloading the Windows 12 ISO until you have joined the Windows Insider program fully.
• Once I’ve restarted my computer, you will return to “Windows Settings,” head to “Update and security,” and navigate to the “Windows Update” section. Here, you will check for new operating system updates, and the pre-versions of Windows 12 64-bit will start downloading. Please note that the Windows 12 download file may take some time, as it’s a large file of several gigabytes.
• When the update to the Windows 12 ISO file finishes downloading, a notification will appear on the bottom right of my screen to inform me. At this point, all you need to do is restart your computer when it’s convenient for you since the update process can take more than half an hour.

Problems:

Problem 1: The first problem I’ve encountered is with the Windows 12 compatibility tool itself. Microsoft released this tool on the day of the official presentation, and it even appeared online before Windows 12 was officially announced. However, I must say that this tool is not exactly what I expected. It’s free and easy to use, but it’s somewhat lacking. On one hand, it only tells me whether my hardware is compatible or not, without giving me reasons or solutions. It also doesn’t specify which requirements I don’t meet. On the other hand, it has provided incorrect information to many users. Microsoft does have plans to fix it soon, but for now, I can’t say it’s 100% reliable.

Problem 2: The second issue revolves around the terminology used for the system requirements. The official website mentions “minimum requirements and specifications,” which might lead me to believe that these are the absolute minimums needed to install Windows 12. However, it seems these requirements are more like a “soft floor.”

Problem 3: Another concern is related to one of the minimum requirements, specifically having TPM 2.0. I’ve previously delved into what TPM is, how to check if my system has it, and how to activate it from the BIOS. However, the Microsoft support website refers to TPM 2.0 as a soft requirement and TPM 1.2 as a strict requirement. In other words, Windows 12 can technically run on a system with a TPM version older than 2.0, although it’s not recommended.

Problem 4: The fourth problem that has come to my attention is the lack of support for many modern processors. This is perhaps the most concerning aspect of the situation. According to the official list of supported processors, only CPUs from the 8th generation of Intel will be compatible with Windows 12. This means that even CPUs like the Kaby Lake series from 2016-2017, such as the i5 or i7 7400, 7600, and so on, are not compatible with Windows 12.

These processors aren’t ancient; they belong to a relatively recent generation and are widely used, especially among gamers. It’s quite surprising that they are incompatible with a system that Microsoft has marketed as ideal for gaming, especially given the ongoing global chip shortage. It’s somewhat ironic that the TPM requirement is perhaps the least of my concerns. If my CPU is around 5 to 7 years old, it should have TPM, even if it’s disabled. If not, my motherboard might have it, and if neither does, I can purchase a TPM module to add to my motherboard. This has led to some opportunistic price hikes, as it’s the year 2021, and there’s a genuine shortage of electronic products.

Features:

• Designed for macOS 12 Monterey and Windows 12: The app’s design language is updated to seamlessly integrate with both macOS Monterey and Windows 12 iso.
• Speed ​​and performance improvements: System resume is now 38% faster, OpenGL graphics are 6x faster, and 2D graphics on Windows are 25% faster. On M1 Macs, Windows 10 ARM Insider Preview is 33% faster, disk performance is 20% better, and DirectX 11 performance improved by 28%. Finally, on a Mac with Intel, the network connection is 60% faster.
• Enhanced driver for a more comprehensive Windows gaming experience: The display driver offers a much smoother Windows interface responsiveness and synchronized video playback.
• Specific enhancements for Mac with M1 chip: With Parallels Desktop 17, Windows 10 recognizes the status of the Mac’s battery and saves power when the power on the Mac is low. The new virtual TPM chip enables Windows 10 and Windows 12 to use BitLocker and Secure Boot, for a higher level of data protection. Support for multi-channel sound and pin presence detection with native drivers available for Linux virtual machines. Using a Linux virtual machine in a window view mode is made easier with dynamic resolution support that allows you to resize the virtual machine window by causing Linux to update the screen to a new resolution automatically.
• Coherence mode enhancement: All Windows shutdown, update, and login screens now occur in Windows, allowing you to minimize them so you don’t see them.
• Automatic Resource Manager enhancements: Designed to evaluate and determine the optimal amount of Mac hardware resources for virtual machines.
• Improvements in dragging and dropping content between Windows and Mac: We can now drag text or images between Mac and Windows applications.
• USB Device Support Enhancements: USB 3.1 support is here, allowing the use of additional USB storage devices. Now we can see the name of the device in the Parallels Desktop interface, which makes it easier to identify it when connecting or disconnecting it.
• Improved disk space control: Now we can see how much space virtual machines are taking up.

Windows 12 Incredible Features:-

• Screen: You might get done with earlier ones and therefore Windows 12 is going to surprise you in a great way. According to the people, the earlier ones did not have that way much great screen things.

• Direct Login To The Desktop: Users want Windows 12 to come with the great option of disabling or enabling this unique feature. And this would be quite helpful for the users.

• Charms Bar Turn On/Off With The User: This comes up with a bar option. The start screen in tabs helps to identify the latest views and active apps. Sometimes, it becomes quite tricky to remove this option as it keeps appearing on the screen all the time. Therefore, people are expecting to go with the thought that Windows 12 should come up with a controlling option so that it would manage to enable/disable this feature.
• Users Control Ribbon In Windows Explorer: Though most users do not like this feature it is high in demand. According to a study, most people have also tweeted about it. And most probably Windows 12 will come up without this feature.
• Offer Quick Access To Power: Power options have been added to the start menu and people can easily access the alternatives including sleep mode, shut down, restart, sleep mode, etc. Therefore people are demanding to add this option in.

When is Windows 12 coming out?

This is one of the most important aspects of any release, knowing the release time of this new version for our computers. Although an official release date is not yet known, we must take into account the change that was made in Microsoft’s release cycle. The company itself reported that its release cycle would be 3 years, and with this official figure, we can estimate when Windows 12 ‘Next Valley’ will be released.

But although all the rumors indicated that the launch would occur at the end of 2024, Microsoft has made it very clear that this will not be the case. In this way, they make an exception in their calendar to give way to Windows 11 24H2 in 2024 and without a date for the next generation of Windows.

Now all eyes are on 2025, which is precisely the year in which support for Windows 10 ends. It makes a lot of sense that this is the year when Windows 12 can be seen since it will avoid having three operating systems in development.

How to upgrade to Windows 12?

This is also something that can be asked a lot when a new operating system arrives, and the truth is that until it is officially released (or at least in its beta version) the update will not be possible. When this time comes, the new version will be able to be installed through Windows Update in the operating system settings. However, the minimum requirements must be met before installation so that you can have a good experience.

What seems to be clear is that this will be a completely free update for those users who have a Windows license. In this way, we would try to democratize the operating system by giving everyone access to this new version. Although some of the Microsoft employees have stated that this update may not be called ‘Windows 12’.

However, if we look at Windows 11, we may see some kind of surprise regarding its expansion arriving little by little. That is, it arrives depending on the type of CPU or GPU as it is developed for the different manufacturers.