Microsoft makes Windows settings backup the default in 26H2 - The Register
Microsoft has enabled Windows settings backup by default in the new Windows 11 26H2 update. This change has raised concerns among IT administrators regarding privacy and the shift from an opt-in to an opt-out model for cloud data synchronization.
Why it matters
It highlights the ongoing tension between corporate cloud-first strategies and the data privacy requirements of enterprise IT departments.
Annual update installed. You're up to date, so nothing seems to have changed. Wait a minute...
Windows 11 26H2 is out, and Microsoft has enabled Windows settings backup by default, a move that could send administrators scrambling to opt out where they once had to opt in.
The latest release hasn't made a lot of shockwaves in the community featurewise. Users with up-to-date versions of 25H2 will unlikely notice much difference – 26H2 has the same code base, delivered via an enablement package. It even has the same set of known issues, although all are now "mitigated" in one way or another.
However, administrators will spot several important changes. The end-of-support clock is reset, and Microsoft has flipped some switches behind the scenes; notably, enabling Windows backup and restore (formerly Windows Backup for Organizations) by default.
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