Microsoft Overhauls Windows 11 Servicing, One Update Per Year

Today, Microsoft announced Windows 11 and the company is making sweeping changes across all corners of the OS. Everything from a new Start menu, updated system requirements, and now, updated servicing models.

Microsoft is finally granting all of our wishes and will be moving to one major update to the OS per year. This moves away from the previous model where two major updates were shipped per year with varying servicing windows.

To simplify lifecycle support, Windows 11 will move to a cleaner cadence. Starting with the new OS, Windows 11 Home and Pro editions will be supported for 24 months and Enterprise and Education editions will be supported for 36 months.

Yes, you read that right, 36 months, not 30 months to force you to upgrade early, Microsoft is finally taking the proper steps to make running Windows at work or at school, much easier to manage.

It took Microsoft to ship a new OS to finally rectify the support lifecycle of Windows but late is better than never. I also suspect that with an easier-to-manage update cadence, this may entice some companies to move to the OS sooner, rather than later.

Another question we don’t know the answer to yet is if the version of Windows 10 that shipped this spring is the last version of Windows 10. Windows 11 will arrive in the fall which means that Windows 10 21H1 should be the last release as it would be a bit awkward to ship Windows 10 21H2 along-side Windows 11.