Windows 11 to move to just one feature update per year

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2021-06-25 02:30:03

By Mary Jo Foley for All About Microsoft | June 24, 2021 -- 15:54 GMT (08:54 PDT) | Topic: Enterprise Software

When Microsoft introduced Windows 10 in 2015, a big part of that announcement was the new servicing model for the operating system. Microsoft announced plans to provide feature updates two or three times a year for Windows 10. By 2017, that timetable evolved into two Windows 10 feature updates per year. And that was still one too many for many IT pros. Microsoft continued to try to soften the impact of multiple feature updates per year by changing the ability for administrators to delay updates. It also changed the support timetable so that the Windows 10 feature update which the company typically released in the spring got 18 months of support, while the 'fall' feature update got 30 months of support. That shift meant many IT pros just ignored the first annual feature update, leaving it to consumers to further test it, and, instead, deployed only the fall update each year.

Also: Best Windows 10 laptop in 2021 With Windows 11, Microsoft is shifting servicing gears yet again. But this time, in a way that IT will likely find much more palatable. Microsoft is moving to a single annual update per year for Windows 11. The Home and Pro editions will get 24 months of support. Enterprise and Education will get 36 months of support.