2024 is expected to bring plenty of changes to Windows and the PC market in general. While we wait for Microsoft to officially announce its plans for the next-generation Windows (maybe Windows "12"), new feature updates for Windows 11, and allegedly revised system requirements, enthusiasts are busy collecting breadcrumbs that could point to a new Windows version.
As reported by @XenoPanther (via Deskmodder), known for digging out stuff in Microsoft"s operating system and spotting builds, the internal Canary Channel (the one Microsoft uses in its development labs) recently made a big jump from build 26047 to 27545.
[Corrected]
— Xeno (@XenoPanther) January 30, 2024
There has been a build jump for internal canary!
26047 > 27547
Drastic build number increases usually indicate a new version or a brand-new release, as was the case with 19XXX builds in Windows 10 and the jump to 22XXX in Windows 11. Therefore, users already speculate that 27545 could be the first trace of Windows "12" or whatever Microsoft plans to release after Windows 11. Here is a brief recap of what is currently going on in the world of Windows:
| Stable Channel | Version 22H2 and 23H2 with the "Moment 4" update, build 22631 |
|---|---|
| Beta Channel | Build 22635 with the "Moment 5" features |
| Dev Channel | Build 23620 |
| Canary Channel (public) | Build 26040 (the next "big" update) |
| Canary Channel (internal) | Build 27545 (Windows 12?) |
The "Moment 5" update is expected as an optional update in February 2024, which opens the Dev and Beta Channels for version 24H2 (coming in the second half of this year), leaving the Canary Channel open for whatever is coming after Windows 11 version 24H2.
ge_release has been forked! Insiders won"t get the 27XXX builds for quite a while I suspect.
— Zac Bowden (@zacbowden) January 30, 2024
Next Windows release should RTM in the 26XXX range. https://t.co/U3y50S5Q81
Of course, at this point, without any official acknowledgments or confirmations, we can only speculate about what is behind that build 27545. According to Microsoft, the Canary Channel is for "testing things" that are not necessarily connected to a specific Windows version. And with rumors about Microsoft delaying Windows "12," it could be quite a while before we can get our hands on 27XXX builds.