Microsoft to Resume Optional Windows 10 Updates in July
- Paul Thurrott
- Jun 18, 2020
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Back in March, Microsoft temporarily suspended the delivery of optional updates to Windows 10 users to help out during the pandemic. But this week, the firm revealed that it will resume delivery of these updates starting in July. It’s also changing the way it identifies optional updates.
“Based on feedback and the ongoing stabilization of business continuity, we will resume optional releases in July of 2020 for Windows 10 version 1809 and later, to once again provide you with the ability to test planned non-security fixes targeted for the next month’s Update Tuesday release,” Microsoft’s Chris Morrissey writes. “We are also instituting a few changes to simplify the update process and help you continue to stay current with Windows 10.”
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As you may know, Microsoft now refers to its optional, non-security updates as “C” and “D” releases, as opposed to Patch Tuesday updates, which arrive in the second week of each month and are referred to as “B” releases.
Based on feedback, Microsoft is changing this naming scheme. Now, these “C” and “D” releases will be referred to as “Preview” releases “for clarity” (which is a hilarious term when you consider how poorly Microsoft typically communicates). Users will see the naming change reflected in the release title on the Windows Update page in Settings. So an update that might normally have been identified as “2020-07 Cumulative Update for Windows 10 version 2004 for x86-based Systems (KB1234567)” will now be named as “2020-07 Cumulative Update Preview for Windows 10 version 2004 for x86-based Systems (KB1234567)”
Also, these Preview updates will now only be delivered in the “C” (or third) week each month, though security updates will of course still be delivered whenever needed.
Seems reasonable.