Windows 11 arm64 VS2026 image generally available - GitHub Changelog
Try GitHub Copilot app
Attend GitHub Universe
Search
Back to changelog
The Windows 11 arm64 image with Visual Studio 2026 is now generally available on standard and larger GitHub-hosted runners. To use it in GitHub Actions, update your workflow file to runs-on: windows-11-vs2026-arm.
Prepare for the upcoming migration
GitHub will gradually update the windows-11-arm image to use Visual Studio 2026 by default beginning September 21, 2026. GitHub will complete the rollout by September 30, 2026. During this period, your workflows will gradually move to the new image.
Breaking change: The move to Visual Studio 2026 may break workflows that depend on Visual Studio 2022.
You don’t need to take any action if you want your workflows to move to Visual Studio 2026. Update the runs-on: target in your workflow file to windows-11-vs2026-arm to test the new image before the migration.
If you no longer want to use the Windows 11 arm64 image:
For standard runners, edit your workflow to target a different runner.
For larger runners, change the image assigned to your runner.
For more information or questions, visit the runner-images repository.
Related Posts
Aug.20 Improvement
Separate GitHub Actions path for GitHub Code Quality
actions<br>application security
...<br>+1
Jul.30 Release
Reference same-repository actions with self-repository syntax
actions
Jul.28 Improvement
GitHub Actions holds potentially malicious workflows for approval
actions<br>supply chain security
...<br>+1
Jul.16 Release
Xcode 27 runner image now in public preview
actions
Jul.08 Release
setup-java v5.5.0: signature verification, Kona JDK, and Maven fixes
actions
Jun.26 Improvement
Read-only Actions cache for untrusted triggers
actions<br>supply chain security
...<br>+1
Jun.25 Release
More control over your GitHub-hosted runners
actions
Jun.25 Improvement
Actions steps can now be run in parallel
actions
Jun.25 Release
Red Hat Enterprise Linux runner images are now in public preview
actions
Subscribe to our developer newsletter
Discover tips, technical guides, and best practices in our biweekly newsletter just for devs.
Enter your email*
Subscribe
By submitting, I agree to let GitHub and its affiliates use my information for personalized communications, targeted advertising, and campaign effectiveness. See the GitHub Privacy Statement for more details.
Back to top
© 2026 GitHub, Inc.
Terms
Privacy
Manage Cookies
Do not share my personal information
LinkedIn icon
GitHub on LinkedIn
Instagram icon
GitHub on Instagram
YouTube icon
GitHub on YouTube
X icon
GitHub on X
TikTok icon
GitHub on TikTok
Twitch icon
GitHub on Twitch
GitHub icon
GitHub’s organization on GitHub