Windows 12 may be a while away, but we may have seen hints of its existence. Even if not, it seems that something big is happening behind the scenes of Microsoft's operating system.

As reported by sibling site TechRadar (via NeoWin and DeskModder), X/Twitter user XenoPanther, in the Windows 11 Insider Program (where early updates and features are tested) Canary channel, posted that the build has jumped from 26047 to 27547. Interestingly, the latest Canary channel build is version 26040; some speculate that going from build 26XXX to build 27XXX suggests that the build in question is where Windows 12 features will be tested.

Here's where it gets even more interesting: Windows Central's Zac Bowden, who has been on top of Windows 12 news for several years, quoted XenoPanther as saying that Windows Insiders will not get the 27XXX build for " He stated that it will be "a while. He also said the next Windows release should be in the 26XXX range.

Bowden recently stated that Windows 12 may not arrive in 2024. Instead, Windows 11 will reportedly receive a major update in September; Update 24H2 or "Hudson Valley" is expected to be a fairly large OS update based on a new version of the Windows platform. Based on its reported scope, some believed that Update 24H2 would be Windows 12, but it still appears to be Windows 11.

TechRadar speculates that the 27XXX preview version may be the next Windows update after 24H2. If Bowden's claim that the next Windows release will be in the 26XXX range is accurate, that is a possibility. If true, Windows 11 would undergo a radical overhaul (at least at its core) in 2024, with Windows 12 coming in 2025. But obviously, all of this is speculation at this point, as Microsoft has not officially announced the rumored Windows 11 Hudson Valley update or Windows 12.

As always, please take everything in this report with a healthy dose of skepticism. Please stay tuned for further updates on future Windows updates as they become available.