Tech heavyweight Microsoft is out with the Windows 10 version release, complete with limited feature updates. The company is also changing the cadence and support schedule for Windows 10 updates, halving it to once-a-year along the lines of its successor Windows 11.
Has the crippling helplessness arising from Windows updates ever frustrated you? Well, here’s a piece of good news. As the Windows 11 rollout picks up steam, Microsoft has made some changes to the way it provides updates for its predecessor Windows 10. As such, the update cadence pertaining to feature releases for Windows 10 is shifting to an annual release cycle.
Microsoft also released the Windows 10 November 2021 update (Windows 10 21H2). The new cadence is “based on the positive rollout update experience and user feedback we have seen to date.â€
The highly popular operating system runs on almost 80% of computers globally. Of this, Windows 10 itself is the most popular, taking up 43.53% of all Windows implementations. So the change in the update cadence to once-a-year will naturally have a significant impact.
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But considering this is the norm across other OS vendors such as Apple and Google, which provide one annual update for macOS, iOS and Chrome OS, Android respectively, Windows users won’t miss out on much. In fact, it should relieve users, who have been complaining about the biannual update cadence.
Moreover, Microsoft has already instituted one annual update for Windows 11, as it points out. So it makes sense to shift Windows 10, which was released in 2015, to the same standards. “We will transition to a new Windows 10 release cadence to align with the Windows 11 cadence, targeting annual feature update releases,†the company said. “We are now renaming the servicing option for releases to the General Availability Channel starting with the November 2021 Update.â€
Microsoft said it will continue to support at least one version of Windows 10 through Oct. 14, 2025. As for Windows 21H2, which was released yesterday, the Home and Pro editions will receive 18 months of servicing and support, while users of the Enterprise and Education editions are entitled to 30 months.
Looking at the Windows 10 November release, it is clear that Microsoft’s feature release focus is on Windows 11 considering Windows 10 21H2 has only a few new features. These include:
- GPU compute support in the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL)
- GPU compute support in Azure IoT Edge for Linux on Windows (EFLOW) deployments
- Improved Wi-Fi security WPA3 H2E standards support
- Passwordless deployment models streamlined for Windows Hello for Business
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Besides new features, Microsoft is rolling out Windows AI Platform, Windows App Platform and Frameworks, Windows Apps, Windows Cryptography, Windows Fundamentals, Windows Input and Composition, Windows Kernel, Windows Media, Windows Office Media, and Windows Virtualization as security updates in Windows 10.
To check for updates, go to Start > Settings > Update & Security. Find the ‘Check for updates’ button and click it. If the update is available for your machine, select ‘Download and install’. Microsoft is also pacing up the broader Windows 11 rollout so eligible machines should have a message in the top right corner of the same Update & Security window. Check in the image below:Â
Windows 10, 11 Updates
Going forward, Windows 10 updates will be offered to those that Microsoft thinks may have “a good update experience.†The next Windows 10 feature update is slated for release in the second half of 2022.
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