Today, as part of our commitment to transparency, we are providing an overview of how we plan to further optimize the delivery of our next feature update. This optimization is specific to devices running the Windows 10 May 2019 Update. For devices running earlier versions of Windows 10, the process remains unchanged.

In April, we announced enhancements to the Windows 10 May 2019 Update experience with an increased focus on user control, quality and transparency. These were a collection of improvements based on requests from customers like you to make the Windows update experience better with less disruption. With the next Windows 10 feature update, we’re taking this further.

Next feature release of Windows 10

The next feature update for Windows 10 (known in the Windows Insider Program as 19H2) will be a scoped set of features for select performance improvements, enterprise features and quality enhancements. To deliver these updates in a less disruptive fashion, we will deliver this feature update in a new way, using servicing technology (like the monthly update process) for customers running the May 2019 Update who choose to update to the new release. In other words, anyone running the May 2019 Update and updating to the new release will have a far faster update experience because the update will install like a monthly update.

For consumer or commercial users coming from versions of Windows 10 earlier than the May 2019 Update (version 1903), the process of updating to the new release will be the same as it has been and work in a similar manner to previous Windows 10 feature updates, using the same tools and processes.

As this release is a September-targeted release of Windows, commercial customers using Windows 10 Enterprise and Education editions of version 19H2 will continue to enjoy 30 months of servicing; for more specific information see this blog post.

Next steps

As with all our feature updates, we utilize a multifaceted quality strategy that includes automated and manual testing and leverages the Windows Insider Program to obtain user feedback and data on quality. The next update to Windows 10 will be no different. We will begin releasing 19H2 builds to Windows Insiders in the Slow ring starting today, with new features being offered in future Insider builds as they are ready. Note: some Insiders may not see the new features right away as we are using a controlled feature rollout (CFR)1 to gain better feedback on overall build quality. Broad availability of the next update to Windows 10 will begin later this calendar year. We will share further details on Insider Preview builds as we release each new build for both 19H2 (Slow ring) and 20H1 (Fast ring). Windows Insiders who have opted into the Fast ring have been providing feedback on 20H1 builds from our development branch since February 14.

We will provide more information on new features as we get closer to the launch of the next update to Windows 10. We are continuing to evolve how we deliver a great Windows 10 update experience to our customers and ecosystem and look forward to hearing your feedback.

Note:

1 Controlled Feature Rollout (CFR): A method to progressively rollout new features by gradually increasing the audience in a controlled manner.