Microsoft plans to update Windows 10 annually going forward. Until now, the Redmond-based company has released updates to Windows 10 twice a year. After the November 2021 update released today, Windows 10 will not receive another update until the end of 2022.

This strategy reflects what has become the industry standard. Apple updates MacOS and iOS only once a year, as does Google's Android OS; it is not unheard of for Windows to be updated once a year. After all, Microsoft has already adopted the same strategy with the recently released Windows 11.

"We will be moving to a new release sequence for Windows 10, with the goal of releasing feature updates once a year to coincide with the Windows 11 release sequence," Microsoft's head of Windows Service Delivery, John Cable, head of Windows Service Delivery at Microsoft, wrote in a blog post. The next Windows 10 feature update is scheduled for late 2022."

Compliance with industry standards may not be the only reason for the shift to annual releases. Microsoft has stated that customer feedback is also a factor. Many users were not satisfied with the additional configuration work involved in installing frequent updates. Stability and performance issues were also not uncommon. Annual updates would alleviate such frustrations.

Windows 11 is Microsoft's most focused product going forward, thanks to better-than-expected adoption by customers. John Cable stated the following:" Based on the positive rollout update experience we've seen and feedback from our users, we have accelerated the pace of the rollout faster than previously anticipated and are now making the Windows 11 upgrade more widely available for eligible Windows 10 devices. We are working to make it more widely available to eligible Windows 10 devices."

Microsoft plans to continue to support Windows 10 through October 2025. This means that there will still be several updates to this aging operating system. However, given the company's focus on Windows 11, it is likely that this will not be a significant update. In other words, there is still time before an update to Windows 11 is required. Hopefully, by then we will have a computer that can meet Microsoft's current stringent Windows 11 requirements.