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.
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