Access to this page requires authorization. You can try signing in or changing directories . Access to this page requires authorization. You can try changing directories . Applies to: ✅ Windows 11 , ✅ Windows 10 Windows updates help you to stay productive and protected. They provide your users and IT administrators with the security fixes they need, and protect devices so that unpatched vulnerabilities can't be exploited. Updates for the Windows client OS are typically cumulative. They include all previously released fixes to guard against fragmentation of the operating system. Reliability and vulnerability issues can occur when only a subset of fixes is installed. This article provides details on the types of updates that Microsoft provides, and how they help make the overall user experience simple and consistent. If you'd like to know what's coming to Windows, check out the Windows Roadmap . The roadmap is a high-level overview of the features and functionality that are planned for future releases of Windows. Types of update releases Monthly security update release Most people are familiar with the monthly security update release . The monthly security update release is published on the second Tuesday of each month, typically at 10:00 AM Pacific Time (PST/PDT). This release might commonly be referred to as: B week releases (meaning the second week of the month) Quality updates Security updates Latest cumulative update (LCU) Monthly security update releases are cumulative. The release includes both new and previously released security fixes, along with nonsecurity content introduced in the prior month's Optional nonsecurity preview release . These updates help keep Windows devices secure and compliant by deploying stability fixes and addressing security vulnerabilities. Most organizations consider monthly security update releases as mandatory. Monthly security update releases are available through the following channels: Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) The Microsoft Update Catalog Many update management tools, such as Microsoft Configuration Manager and Microsoft Intune , rely on these channels for update deployment. Starting Windows 11, version 24H2, Microsoft may periodically release cumulative updates as checkpoints. The subsequent updates will consist of: The update package files associated with the checkpoints, and New update package files that contain incremental binary differentials against the version of binaries in the last checkpoint. Multiple checkpoints may be shipped during the lifecycle of a given Windows release. Devices updating from Windows Update and WSUS can continue to seamlessly install the latest monthly security update regardless of whether there are any preceding checkpoint cumulative updates, no change is needed to their update process . Catalog users can review Checkpoint cumulative updates and Microsoft Update Catalog usage for reference. Optional nonsecurity preview release Optional nonsecurity preview releases provide IT admins an opportunity for early validation of that content prior to the monthly security update release . Admins can test and validate production-quality releases ahead of the planned monthly security update release for the following month. These updates are optional, cumulative, nonsecurity preview releases. New features might initially be deployed in the prior month's optional nonsecurity preview release , then ship in the following monthly security update release . Optional nonsecurity preview releases are typically released on the fourth Tuesday of the month at 10:00 AM Pacific Time (PST/PDT). These releases are only offered to the most recent, supported versions of Windows. Optional nonsecurity preview releases might commonly be referred to as: D week releases (meaning the fourth week of the month) Preview updates To access the optional nonsecurity preview release: Navigate to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update and select Check for updates . Use Windows Insider Program for Business Use the Microsoft Update Catalog . Starting Windows 11, version 24H2, Microsoft may periodically release cumulative updates as checkpoints. The subsequent updates will consist of: The update package files associated with the checkpoints, and New update package files that contain incremental binary differentials against the version of binaries in the last checkpoint. Multiple checkpoints may be shipped during the lifecycle of a given Windows release. Devices updating from Windows Update and WSUS can continue to seamlessly install the latest monthly security update regardless of whether there are any preceding checkpoint cumulative updates, no change is needed to their update process . Catalog users can review Checkpoint cumulative updates and Microsoft Update Catalog usage for reference. Out-of-band (OOB) releases might be provided to fix a recently identified issue or vulnerability. They're used in atypical cases when an issue is detected and can't wait for the next monthly release, because devices must be updated immediately to address security vulnerabilities or to resolve a quality issue impacting many devices. Out-of-band (OOB) releases are provided outside of the monthly schedule when there's an exceptional need.

Some key considerations about OOB releases include: OOB releases are always cumulative. OOB releases supersede any prior monthly security update and optional nonsecurity preview release. OOB releases supersede any prior monthly security update and optional nonsecurity preview release. OOB releases generally require IT admins to deploy off-cycle. Some OOB releases are classified as critical. Critical OOB releases are automatically available to WSUS and Windows Update client policies, just like the monthly security update releases. Critical OOB releases are automatically available to WSUS and Windows Update client policies, just like the monthly security update releases. Some OOB releases are classified as noncritical. Noncritical releases only go to the Microsoft Update Catalog for users or organizations to voluntarily obtain the update. Noncritical releases only go to the Microsoft Update Catalog for users or organizations to voluntarily obtain the update. Starting Windows 11, version 24H2, Microsoft may periodically release cumulative updates as checkpoints. The subsequent updates will consist of: The update package files associated with the checkpoints, and New update package files that contain incremental binary differentials against the version of binaries in the last checkpoint. Multiple checkpoints may be shipped during the lifecycle of a given Windows release. Devices updating from Windows Update and WSUS can continue to seamlessly install the latest monthly security update regardless of whether there are any preceding checkpoint cumulative updates, no change is needed to their update process . Catalog users can review Checkpoint cumulative updates and Microsoft Update Catalog usage for reference. Continuous innovation for Windows 11 Starting with Windows 11, version 22H2, new features and enhancements are introduced periodically to provide continuous innovation for Windows 11. These features and enhancements use the normal update servicing channels you're already familiar with. At first, new features are introduced with an optional nonsecurity preview release and gradually rolled out to unmanaged clients. These new features are released later as part of a monthly security update release . Some of the new features may be disruptive to organizations. By default, these select features are turned off temporarily for all managed devices until the next annual feature update is installed. In this scenario, a device is considered managed if it uses one of the following to determine which updates to install: Windows Update client policies Devices that have updates managed by Microsoft Intune use Windows Update client policies Devices that have updates managed by Microsoft Intune use Windows Update client policies WSUS Devices that have updates managed by Configuration Manager use WSUS Devices that have updates managed by Configuration Manager use WSUS Features that are turned off by default are listed in the KB article for the monthly cumulative update. If you want to enable these features, there's a client policy that allows admins to enable features that are behind temporary enterprise control. For more information about this policy, see Enable features that are behind temporary enterprise feature control . Annual feature updates Annual feature updates are released in the second half of the calendar year. These updates are typically cumulative and include all previously released fixes. They also include new features and enhancements. The annual feature update marks the start of the support lifecycle: 24 months of support for Home and Pro editions of Windows 36 months of support for Enterprise and Education editions For more information, see Windows lifecycle FAQ . Release information For more information about specific releases, see: Windows 11, version 22H2 update history Windows 11, version 21H2 update history Windows 10 update history Windows release health What's new in Windows Was this page helpful? Need help with this topic? Want to try using Ask Learn to clarify or guide you through this topic? Additional resources Last updated on 2025-03-27