The next big Windows 11 update could arrive in February 2024, packed with some great features — but it might be missing a few tricks, too.

And we just heard from Windows Central (Zach Bowden) that the fifth moment should arrive in February (actually its alternative name is “February 2024 Moment”).

However, the catch is that this will be the initial preview release, late in the month, so the full version of the Moment 5 update won’t actually arrive until March. On the second Tuesday of the month, if the typical release cadence for Microsoft cumulative updates is adhered to – making the date marked in your timeline March 12.

What will this update pack in the way of new features? Well, don’t get your hopes up for anything too exciting, as we’re told this will be a soft release compared to some of the previous moments.

However, there will be a significant amount of tweaks and additions, and one clever function aimed at pen users – the ability to write directly into text fields with their pen (something Microsoft has promised will eventually be an OS-level capability in Windows).

Voice access is also getting some commendable attention, including multi-screen support and powerful new voice shortcuts. The latter are customizable commands that allow opening files or folders or pasting a piece of boilerplate text, for example (and they can be linked together for multiple steps).

Microsoft is set to make a bunch of minor tweaks – some of which are useful, like limiting the number of characters for Notepad, and the ability to rename devices using Nearby Sharing, to make them easier to identify at a glance (‘Darren’s PC’ for example). – But some work elsewhere is only about complying with European regulations.

Specifically, these changes are related to compliance, and are specific to the European Economic Area (EEA). They include the option to uninstall the Edge browser from Windows 11, as well as the ability to remove Bing from the taskbar search box (and instead get web results through an alternative, like Google).

Analysis: the march of progress

Unfortunately, Windows 11 users outside the EEA won’t get these latest options, but they will benefit from another step to allow the user to uninstall a greater number of default apps – like Photos, for example.

Furthermore, Microsoft is offering an option to specify that the widgets panel contain only widgets, with users able to remove the news feed. Interestingly, we’ve also been told that Microsoft will make it possible to integrate other third-party services into the panel – so you can integrate the dashboard with Google News, if you want.

Fortunately, these tooling possibilities are available to everyone, not just the EEA – and we can keep our fingers crossed that the other changes mentioned relating to Europe will be rolled out more widely as well. A lot of people would like to be able to organize Windows 11 a little more by getting rid of Edge, no doubt.

Of course, we have to keep in mind that these changes are all rumors, although we’ve seen all of the mentioned features being tested recently, so it all makes sense. The February (for preview) and March release date is a nugget of information that needs more salt, but Bowden is one of the most reliable sources for information from Microsoft. It is always possible for the intended time frame to slip slightly.

From what we’ve heard, this could be the last Moment update before the next generation of Windows launches later in 2024. Whether that’s Windows 12, something else (Windows AI?), or if Microsoft might stick with Windows 11 ( When the 24H2 upgrade is being released, we don’t know yet, but the theory is that this may be the last minute before that next big step arrives.

According to recent Bowden rumors, Microsoft will presumably be moving away from Moments, releasing fewer of these updates going forward, and making more changes and feature additions in the big annual upgrade. (And yes – in short, it means going back more to the way things were before.)

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