Microsoft will now update Windows 10 annually with new features

Microsoft says it’s planning to update Windows 10 annually with any future feature updates. Starting today, Microsoft is releasing the Windows 10 November 2021 update, and the next major update after that will be available later in 2022. This update cadence matches the same used by Windows 11, which will also introduce new features on an annual basis.

“We will transition to a new Windows 10 release cadence to align with the Windows 11 cadence, targeting annual feature update releases,” explains John Cable, Microsoft’s head of Windows servicing and delivery. “The next Windows 10 feature update is slated for the second half of 2022.”

Microsoft’s commitment to future Windows 10 feature updates comes after the company was quiet about its plans during the Windows 11 unveiling earlier this year. It’s still not clear what Microsoft will bring to Windows 10 in the future, though. The November 2021 update is very minor, with the only standout feature for users being GPU compute support in the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL). Microsoft has also already started rolling out the new Microsoft Store to Windows 10 devices earlier this month.

Most of Microsoft’s future Windows plans are understandably for Windows 11, but the company will support at least one version of Windows 10 until October 14th, 2025. We could see two or maybe three feature updates to Windows 10 until its end of support date, but they’re not likely to be significant ones anymore.

Microsoft is also accelerating its rollout of Windows 11 today. “Based on the positive rollout update experience and user feedback we have seen to date, we are advancing the pace of the rollout faster than we previously anticipated, and now making the Windows 11 upgrade more broadly available to eligible Windows 10 devices,” says Cable.