Microsoft’s schedule delivers Windows 10 feature updates twice a year. Quality updates address security and reliability issues and do not include new features. These updates are cumulative, and they increment the minor version number after the major version number.
Will Windows 10 updates be cumulative?
The bottom line is all Windows 10 update releases published by Microsoft will be cumulative.
How often does Windows 10 get new versions?
In the “Windows as a Service” era, Microsoft releases a new version of Windows 10 every six months. For all updates through the first half of 2020, the major version, corresponding to each one of those semi-annual feature updates, was expressed as a four-digit number in the format yymm.
Will windows 10 still get feature updates?
Users can’t remain on an old version of Windows 10 forever. Microsoft says that it will automatically install the latest feature update when the version of Windows 10 the user is currently running reaches end of support. For consumers, a feature update is in support for around 18 months.
This begs the question “What is a Windows 10 feature update?”
Feature updates are technically new versions of Windows 10, which become available twice a year (roughly every six months) during spring and fall. These are also known as “semi-annual” releases.
At the beginning of 2021, there was still the assumption that Microsoft was planning an extensive feature update for Windows 10 for the fall. However, that has probably come to nothing. For fall 2021, a Windows 10 version 21H2 is announced as the next feature update ( Windows 10 21H2 announced and first Insider Preview released ).
You can always see the updates installed on your device in Settings > Windows Update, and by then clicking the View update history option. Unlike feature updates, these type of updates do not include new features, visual changes, or significant improvements.
The October 2020 Update, version 20H2, is the first to use this nomenclature, with 21H1 and 21H2 on deck for next year. Windows 10 apps: Which are worth keeping? SEE FULL GALLERY The version number is important because it allows you to look up the end-of-service date using the table on the Windows 10 Release Information dashboard.
What is a cumulative update?
Cumulative update is an update which includes previously released updates, it’s like more than one simple update bundled together. For example if Microsoft release update KB00001 in July, KB00002 in August, and KB00003 in September.
Can I delay the installation of a Windows 10 feature update?
On a PC running Windows 10 Home or Pro, version 1903 or earlier, a new feature update will arrive sometime soon (maybe even today!). You might be able to delay its installation by a few days, but that’s it.