Windows 10 21H2 is now widely available, Windows 11 is still an 'optional update'

Microsoft has confirmed that Windows 10 will remain supported until at least October 2025. However, no new features will be introduced on this version of Windows until then. On the other hand, Windows 11 will receive a major feature update every year, which comes with improvements, quality new features, as well as necessary patches.

Back in November 2021, Microsoft started rolling out the Windows 10 November 2021 Update (version 21H2) to compatible devices. This is basically an update that is primarily geared towards perfecting and improving the stability of the platform, so includes only minor improvements. However, the importance of this update cannot be underestimated.

In a recently released update document, Microsoft confirms that Windows 10 version 21H2 is now available to all users when manually checking for updates. In addition, in the near future, Microsoft also plans to automatically deploy this update to all eligible Windows 10 systems in the near future.

Notably, Microsoft said that Windows 10 version 21H2 will have a quick installation experience, similar to the monthly cumulative updates. In addition, the Redmond Company is also planning to force the installation of this version of 21H2 on Windows 100 devices nearing the end of support, regardless of user consent.

'We will continue to train our machine learning model through all stages, to intelligently deploy Windows 10 updates and deliver the smoothest update experience for users,' Microsoft said. know.

According to the official release notes, Windows 10 21H2 enables Wi-Fi 6 support with the Hash-to-Element Wi-Fi Protected Access 3 (WPA3 H2E) protocol. This feature is designed to better protect against WiFi attacks in the form of side-channels. For example, attackers will not be able to easily steal WiFi passwords and other sensitive information of users.

In a recent statistic, 21H1 is still the most popular version of Windows 10 with 36.3% market share. But with the plan to make 21H2 a mandatory update, this is likely to soon become the most commonly used version of Windows 10 in the near future.

Windows 11 is still optional

It should also be noted that Windows 11 will still be oriented by Microsoft as an optional feature update for Windows 10 users, and the company has no plans to force the installation of the new operating system, at least for now. present. People running an older version of Windows 10 will only be automatically upgraded to a supported Windows 10 update instead of Windows 11.

Lesley Montoya

Update 24 January 2022