Windows 10 Is Going to an Annual Update Model, Just Like Windows 11

Windows logo in rainbow colors.
(Image credit: Microsoft)

In a blog post today, Microsoft announced that availability for the Windows 10 November 2021 update starts today, and with it the start of a new annual update model for the 6-year-old operating system.

Just like Windows 11, Windows 10 will now operate on a yearly update model for its feature updates, foregoing the traditional semi-annual model. The next major feature update is slated for 2H of 2022 instead of the usual Q2 release dates.

Microsoft notes it will continue to support at least one version (feature update) of Windows 10 until October 14, 2025, when the operating system is finally retired. For the November Update, Windows 10 Home and Pro will receive 18 months of support for the November 2021 Update, while the Windows 10 Enterprise and Education, versions will receive 30 months of support.

This is good news for large corporations and businesses who need to test new updates of Windows before the IT office ships it out to all employees. Going to an annual update model means less work for IT support testing the new update before it goes online.

This change also gives much more time for Microsoft and Windows Insiders to test out new feature updates, to hopefully reduce the number of critical bugs and glitches that occur right on release, which has been a common problem with Windows 10 updates in the past.

Aaron Klotz
Contributing Writer

Aaron Klotz is a contributing writer for Tom’s Hardware, covering news related to computer hardware such as CPUs, and graphics cards.

  • muser99
    Won't fix anything, just shifts any bugs/issues 6 months away - aka kicking the can down the road.
    Reply
  • passivecool
    less is more.
    Reply
  • ThatMouse
    Can't wait for new Windows features and preinstalled apps says no one ever.
    Reply
  • USAFRet
    ThatMouse said:
    Can't wait for new Windows features and preinstalled apps says no one ever.
    As opposed to all the people we see here that want WIn 11 right now.
    Oh yes, there have been many.
    Reply
  • Alvar "Miles" Udell
    So after six years Microsoft is finally doing what IT managers, and a number of other people, have been begging them to do since day one?
    Reply
  • hotaru251
    ya know....how about letting us have option to NOT auto update?

    WIN10 is old now let the users finally have the option.
    Reply
  • USAFRet
    hotaru251 said:
    ya know....how about letting us have option to NOT auto update?

    WIN10 is old now let the users finally have the option.
    That was the case with Win 8.1 and earlier.
    People disabled updates, often for misunderstood reasons, or at the prompt of people that think they knew better than MS.

    Result? Massive botnets and ransomware infections.
    MS was lambasted for this.

    Enter Win 10, with forced autoupdates, in hopes to mitigate this.

    Result?
    MS is lambasted for this.


    So, which should it be? Auto or no?
    Reply
  • BX4096
    USAFRet said:
    As opposed to all the people we see here that want WIn 11 right now.
    Oh yes, there have been many.
    Rounded corners, man, rounded corners! Plus they moved stuff around, which is almost just as exciting. Start button moved from left to middle? Mind blown. It's like living in the future, today!
    Reply
  • hotaru251
    USAFRet said:
    which should it be?
    user choice.
    let it be on by default but have OPTION for user to disable it.

    literally no downside.
    Reply
  • USAFRet
    hotaru251 said:
    user choice.
    let it be on by default but have OPTION for user to disable it.

    literally no downside.
    That's exactly how it was before Win 10.

    Leaving less than clueful users at the mercy of their neighbors son Jimmy (because you know he's really good with computers), and he turned it off for us...;)

    Ladies and germs...may I present the WannaCry v2 virus.
    MS published a patch for that 2 months before it went public.
    The unpatched (courtesy of lil Jimmy) were pretty much the only ones compromised. But that does affect ALL of us.


    I get what you're saying.
    But 'user choice' == turned off, whether they know what they're doing or not.
    There's your downside.
    Reply