Back in November 2021, Microsoft started rolling out Windows 10 November 2021 Update (version 21H2) to compatible devices. Unlike Windows 11 version 21H2, Windows 10 November 2021 Update includes minor improvements only, such as new virtualization features, Windows Subsystem for Linux changes and other fixes.
Microsoft has confirmed that Windows 10 will remain supported until at least October 2025, but Microsoft won’t be adding new features to Windows 10. On the other hand, Windows 11 will get one feature update a year with quality improvements and new features.
In updated documentation, Microsoft has now confirmed that Windows 10 version 21H2 is available for everyone who will manually click on the “Check for updates” button. As you’re probably aware, users who click on “Check for updates” are officially known as “seekers”. If you don’t click on the button, you’ll automatically receive the update in future.
Microsoft says that version 21H2 will have a fast installation experience as the feature update will install like a monthly cumulative update. Additionally, Microsoft is planning to force install Windows 10 version 21H2 on devices that are approaching the end of servicing period.
“We will continue to train our machine learning model through all phases to intelligently rollout new versions of Windows 10, and deliver a smooth update experience,” Microsoft said.
According to the official release notes, Windows 10 21H2 enables support for Wi-Fi 6 with Wi-Fi Protected Access 3 Hash-to-Element protocol (WPA3 H2E). This feature has been designed to provide better protection from Wi-Fi side-channel attacks. For example, attackers won’t be able to easily steal Wi-Fi passwords and other sensitive information.
Windows 11 remain optional for now
Remember that Windows 11 remains an optional feature update for Windows 10 users and Microsoft is not planning to force install the new operating system.
For those running older Windows 10 versions, they will be automatically upgraded to a supported version of Windows 10 only.