So, the rumors were true! Or, technically, seem to be true. We have an indication or two that Microsoft is getting ever closer to the final RTM release of Windows 11 version 22H2.
This release, codenamed Sun Valley 2, is expected to hit the coveted RTM status this month, though some Microsoft watchers maintain the view that this final milestone could be on the cards a month later, in June.
And then there is the question of a certain build 22621, which is the most recent release in the Beta channel of the preview program and also available in ISO form for those that want it.
This is a pretty solid build, as far as builds go, and there are voices suggesting that this is, in fact, one of the release candidates that the Windows development team has shortlisted. It certainly is low on features and additions, and high on bug fixes and optimizations.
With the availability of this particular build, folks seem pretty confident that this one will be final Windows 11 22H2 build.
As a matter of fact, Zac Bowden of Windows Central, claims that this is the version destined for general availability in the very near future. He further adds that Microsoft is planning to sign it off on May 20, a week away from now.
Windows 11 build 22621 is what Microsoft wants to ship as the final/base build for version 22H2. Sign-off is May 20th. Assuming there are no showstopping bugs found before then, 22621 will be the base build that the public gets later this year.
— Zac Bowden (@zacbowden) May 11, 2022
Interestingly, while Microsoft has nothing official to say on the matter, the Senior Program Manager at the company, Brandon LeBlanc responded to one of the comments on the above Twitter post. He offered no refutation against this rumor, in an indication that there is a decent chance that it holds true.
Features like tabs in File Explorer will show up to Windows Insiders (between the Dev and Beta Channels) when they are ready, we're not as "release" based as we used to be as we mentioned in this blog post back in February. https://t.co/fWAvvAPZfS
— Brandon LeBlanc (@brandonleblanc) May 11, 2022
So, there you have it.
Over in the Dev side of things, the software titan has already moved onto Sun Valley 3, with build 25115 being the first of its kind. This is further suggestion that things are moving towards the release of 22H2 and sooner rather than later.
