Microsoft is committed to updating Windows 11 once a year, as well as continuously.

When we reviewed Windows 11 last fall, one of our biggest fears was that we would have to wait until fall 2022 to see changes or improvements to its new and sometimes crude user interface:

In the rest of this review, we will identify a significant list of early issues with Windows 11. We can probably expect the bugs to be fixed quickly. But when it comes to bigger changes, like restoring lost taskbar and taskbar functionality, or continuing to modernize untouched parts of the user interface, is it necessary to wait a year for that to happen?

Any design that changes as much as Windows 11 has will benefit from many small, quick updates and tweaks to address the most common complaints and issues. I hope that Microsoft will leave room for itself to make such changes without waiting until this time next year to implement them.

Nearly a year later, it’s become quite clear that Microsoft isn’t holding back on changes and new apps to update the operating system’s features every year. One notable small addition was released back in February along with a commitment to “constant innovation”. Other, smaller updates before and after (not to mention the constantly updated Microsoft Edge browser) also highlighted Microsoft’s commitment to releasing new Windows features when they’re ready.

There has been speculation that Microsoft could be planning another major shake-up in the Windows update model by ditching annual updates to be replaced by quarterly feature releases ostensibly called “Moments”internally. These will be punctuated by larger Windows version updates every three years or so. As part of the publicity surrounding the Windows 11 2022 update (also known as Windows 11 22H2), the company has made it clear that none of this is happening.

“Windows 11 will continue to have annual feature updates released during the second half of the calendar year, marking the start of the support lifecycle,” wrote Microsoft Vice President John Cable, “with 24 months of support for the Home and Pro editions and 36 months of support for for Enterprise and Education editions.”These updates will include their own new features and changes just like the 2022 update, but you will also need to install the latest annual update to continue receiving additional feature updates through Windows Update and the Microsoft Store.

As for the Windows 12 rumors, Microsoft simply told Ars that it “has no plans to share them today.”This position leaves the company enough room to change its plans tomorrow or any day thereafter. But we can safely say that there will be no new numbered version of Windows in the near future.

For small changes that aren’t delivered as part of the annual feature update or through the Microsoft Store update, Microsoft will use what’s called a controlled feature rollout (CFR) to test features with a subset of Windows users rather than making them available to everyone at all stages. one day.

If you check Windows Update regularly (and you certainly do, right?), you may occasionally see optional monthly preview updates not installed unless you manually run them; new features will be available first to those who install these optional updates. Next month, when this update is no longer “preview”and becomes generally available, it will be pushed to all Windows 11 PCs (excluding display-stopping bugs found during preview). For example, the optional October Preview Update will add tabs to Windows Explorer, and the optional November Update will bring this feature to anyone who didn’t install the preview.

Small changes are also expected for Microsoft’s corporate and educational customers, a risk-averse audience that cares more about keeping their systems fixed and working than minor tweaks to the Start menu and taskbar. By default, new features in the annual update will be disabled for Windows Enterprise and Education editions. If desired, administrators can enable these changes manually using Group Policy or mobile device management software. But otherwise, the features won’t be enabled by default until the next annual Windows update is released. Therefore, the features included in the 22H2 release of Windows 11 are will not be enabled by default on Windows Education or Enterprise editions prior to the hypothetical 23H2 update; features in the 23H2 update will be enabled by default in the hypothetical 24H2 update; and so on.