In this tutorial, I will show you how to perform Windows 11 24H2 upgrade using SCCM. We will use Windows Servicing to deploy the Windows 11 24H2 feature update to our devices using Configuration Manager.
In October 2024, Microsoft released Windows 11, version 24H2, also referred to as the Windows 11 2024 update. As per the Microsoft article, Windows 11, version 24H2 includes all features and fixes in previous cumulative updates to Windows 11, version 23H2.
With Windows 10 reaching its end of support on October 14, 2025, organizations should look to upgrade their existing fleet of Windows 10 devices to version 24H2 to get security and critical updates regularly.
Both Configuration Manager and Intune are capable of rolling out Windows 11 24H2 feature update. With Configuration Manager version 2409 or later, administrators can make use of Windows Servicing to quickly deploy the 24H2 feature update to eligible devices. Whereas with Intune, you can use feature update policy to upgrade existing devices to the 24H2 version.
Is Windows 11 24H2 an enablement package?
No, Windows 11 24H2 is not an enablement package. A full OS swap is required, which means an in-place OS upgrade is performed by this update package. In addition, devices must be running Windows 11, version 23H2 or 22H2, with the May 2024 non-security preview update installed in order to update to version 24H2.
Prerequisites
Your ConfigMgr setup needs to be ready to download and install the 24H2 upgrade to all the eligible devices. Listed below are all the prerequisites required for the Windows 11 24H2 upgrade using SCCM.
- Configuration Manager 2409 or a later version must be used for deploying Windows 11 24H2.
- Ensure the service connection point is online before you sync the updates.
- Configure Software Update Point, and make sure the Windows 11 product is enabled under Software Update Point > Products.
- Turn on dynamic updates for feature updates and specify thread priority for feature updates to Normal in Configuration Manager Client Settings.
- Have a test device collection ready for testing the 24H2 in-place upgrades.
Download the Windows 11 24H2 feature update
First, let’s download the Windows 11 24H2 feature update using SCCM. It is recommended that you first download the 24H2 update and then distribute the content to distribution points before deploying it.
Use the following steps to get the Windows 11, version 24H2 feature update in the SCCM console:
- In the SCCM console, go to Software Library > Windows Servicing > All Windows Feature Updates.
- In the search box, type ‘24H2‘ and click on Search. This will filter the updates and display only 24H2 updates.
- Right-click on the Windows 11, version 24H2 x64 2024-12B update and select Download.
When you search for 24H2 feature updates, you will find the list of these updates:
- Windows 11, version 24H2 x64 2024-12B
- Windows 11, version 24H2 x64 2024-11B
- Windows 11, version 24H2 x64 2024-10B
- Windows 11, version 24H2 x64 2024-09B
Some of you may get confused as to which feature update should be downloaded. You should always download the latest feature update for 24H2, and that can be identified with year and month. The 2024-12B feature update represents the 24H2 update released in December 2024.
To confirm the release date of these updates, right-click on the feature update and select Properties. The Software Update Details tab shows all the information about the update. Look for Date revised details to find out when the update was last revised.
Create a deployment package for Windows 11 24H2
I recommend creating a new deployment package for the Windows 24H2 feature update that will contain the required upgrade files. This package will be created in Software Library > Software Updates > Deployment Packages.
To begin with, choose the option Create a new deployment package and specify the package name as Windows 11 24H2 Deployment Package. Next, specify the package source, which is a shared folder where you want to download the updates. Enabling the binary differential replication is optional. Click Next.
Click on the Add button and select the distribution points to host the package content. You may select distribution point groups as well if you have to send the content to a group of DPs. Click Next.
On the Distribution Settings page, configure the general distribution settings for the deployment package. Click Next.
On the Download Location page, select the location from where you want to download the 24H2 upgrade files. In the below example, I have selected the option to Download software updates from the internet. Click Next.
On the Summary window, review the settings for the deployment package and click Next. Now, on the Progress tab, we see the Windows 11 24H2 package updates being downloaded.
It may take some time to download these upgrade files because they are relatively large OS files. At this step, be patient and do not panic until you actually see an error. Once the downloads are completed, close the wizard.
If you, like me, are curious about what was actually downloaded to the source location, let us investigate. When you navigate to the downloaded location, you will notice that the 24H2 update package contains three folders, each of which contains several updates. In my lab, the combined size of all the folders was 13.0 GB.
Windows 11 24H2 x64 2024-12B update stuck downloading
In some environments, the download software updates wizard doesn’t download the 24H2 feature update at all. The issue is seen on the Progress page, where the download is almost stuck and there is no option to close the wizard unless there is an error.
To troubleshoot these download issues, you must review the PatchDownloader.log located in the %temp% folder. This file records all the errors that occur during the download of Windows 11 feature updates.
Perform Windows 11 24H2 upgrade using SCCM
In this step, using Windows Servicing, we will deploy the Windows 11 24H2 feature update using Configuration Manager. Just remember that the devices must be running Windows 11, version 23H2 or 22H2, with the May 2024 non-security preview update installed in order to update to version 24H2.
If you are performing the Windows 11 24H2 upgrade for the first time in your organization, I suggest testing the upgrade on a pilot device collection. A few devices that are intended to test the upgrade to 24H2 should be included in this device collection. Use the following guide to create Windows 11 device collections in SCCM.
Use the following steps to deploy the Windows 11 24H2 feature update using SCCM:
- In the ConfigMgr console, navigate to Software Library\Overview\Windows Servicing\All Windows Feature Updates.
- Right-click Windows 11, version 24H2 x64 2024-12B update, and select Deploy.
On the General page, enter the following details for the feature update deployment.
- Deployment Name: Enter the deployment name, for example, Windows 11 24H2 upgrade.
- Description: Add a brief description about the deployment.
- Software Update Group: This is created automatically and is visible under Software Update Groups in the Configuration Manager console.
- Collection: Click Browse and select a device collection consisting of a few pilot devices selected for testing the Windows 24H2 upgrade.
Click the Next button to continue.
Accept the license terms for the Windows 11 24H2 update. Click Next.
On the Deployment Settings page, specify the type of deployment. Choose whether you want to make the Windows 11 24H2 upgrade available for users in the Software Center or deploy it as required. Read more about Available vs. Required in ConfigMgr to know the differences. Click Next.
The Scheduling page lets you configure schedule details for the deployment. Configure the following settings:
- Schedule Evaluation | Time Based on: Select Client Local Time.
- Software Available Time: As soon as possible.
If you want to make the 24H2 upgrade available at a specific date and time, select a specific time and define it. Define the deadline for installation to ensure the upgrade happens within the defined period.
Specify the following user experience settings for the 24H2 feature update deployment:
- User Notifications: Display in Software Center and show all notifications.
- Commit changes at the deadline or during a maintenance window (requires restarts): Yes
- If any update in this deployment requires a system restart, run the updates deployment evaluation cycle after the restart. No.
Click Next.
On the Download Settings tab, specify the download settings for the current deployment:
- Client Computers can use distribution points from neighbor boundary: Yes
- Download and install software updates from the fallback content source location: Yes
Click Next to continue.
Review the deployment settings on the Summary page and click Next. On the completion window, click Close.
Testing Upgrade to Windows 11 24H2 using SCCM
After you have deployed the Windows 11 24H2 feature update using Windows Servicing, it’s time to test the upgrade installation on Windows computers. The end-user experience is similar to other feature upgrades.
On the client computer, close all the files that are in use. Because this is an in-place OS upgrade, save all of your important documents to an online storage service like OneDrive, Google Drive, etc.
To begin with, launch the Software Center on the Windows 11 computer. Once the Software Center has been opened, select Windows 11, version 24H2 x64 2024-12B update by clicking the Updates tab. Click on the Install button.
Confirm that you want to upgrade this computer’s operating system. Note that this is an in-place upgrade to version 24H2, and the setup automatically migrates your apps, data, and settings. Click on the Install button to begin the Windows 11 24H2 upgrade.
The Windows 11, version 24H2 update starts to download in the Software Center. In my lab, it took around 40 minutes for the 24H2 upgrade files to download and begin the installation.
While the upgrade files are being downloaded, some of you may experience errors during this process. In such situations, you must review the DeltaDownload.log located in the C:\Windows\CCM\Logs folder on the client computer to locate the cause of errors.
Importantly, make sure your administrator has not limited the CCMCache size; else the upgrade files fail to download from the nearest distribution point server as the file sizes are over 10 GB.
The Software Center shows that a system restart is required to complete the upgrade. Click on the Restart button to reboot the computer.
Talking about the end-user experience, the upgrade is effortless and smooth, and users will see few reboots throughout this process. The Windows device reboots to update files, apps, and settings. Sign in to your Windows PC after it has rebooted and look at the build number to confirm the upgrade.
In the below screenshot, we see the previous Windows version was 23H2, and after the upgrade, the version is 24H2. The OS build number is updated from 22631 to 26100.
That completes the tutorial for upgrading your Windows devices to version 24H2 using Configuration Manager. I hope this guide helps.
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