Microsoft is about to release its next big semi-annual update. What’s in it, how long will it take to install, and should you install it now? I’ve got some answers.
After six years of Windows 10’s «software as a service» model, the one lesson PC admins have learned is not to get too comfortable with Microsoft’s update rules. Every six months, things change. Case in point: The soon-to-be-released version 21H1. It would be logical to expect this feature update to be packed with new capabilities, following the cadence that Microsoft established with its H1 releases in 2019 and 2020. See also: But version 21H1 has no significant new features. Instead, it’s similar in size and impact to the 20H2 release from the end of last year. Microsoft says version 21H1 consists of «a scoped set of features… delivered with servicing technology like that used for the monthly update process and how 20H2 was delivered.» For those who are baffled by that Redmond-speak, allow me to translate. If you’re already running version 2004 or 20H2, this version will be delivered as a tiny update called an enablement package. The entire thing will take two or three minutes to install, just long enough to increment the major build number from 19041 (version 2004) or 19042 (version 20H2) to 19043. To check the current version on your PC, go to Settings > System > About and look under the Windows Specifications heading.
