Windows 10 release types & cadences
Although Microsoft releases flight builds to Windows Insiders, Microsoft will publish two types of Windows 10 releases broadly to the public on an ongoing basis:
Feature updates install the latest new features, experiences, and capabilities on devices that are already running Windows 10. Because feature updates contain an entire copy of Windows, they are also what customers use to install Windows 10 on existing devices running Windows 7 or Windows 8.1, and on new devices where no operating system is installed. Microsoft expects to publish an average of one to two new feature updates per year.
Quality updates deliver security issue resolutions and other important bug fixes. Quality updates will be provided to improve each feature currently in support, on a cadence of one or more times per month. Microsoft will continue publishing quality updates on Update Tuesday (sometimes referred to as Patch Tuesday). Additionally, Microsoft may publish additional quality updates for Windows 10 outside the Update Tuesday process when required to address customer needs.
During Windows 10 development, Microsoft streamlined the Windows product engineering and release cycle so that we can deliver the features, experiences, and functionality customers want, more quickly than ever. We also created new ways to deliver and install feature updates and quality updates that simplify deployments and on-going management, broaden the base of employees who can be kept current with the latest Windows capabilities and experiences, and lower total cost of ownership. Hence we have implemented new servicing options – referred to as Current Branch (CB), Current Branch for Business (CBB), and Long-Term Servicing Branch (LTSB) – that provide pragmatic solutions to keep more devices more current in enterprise environments than was previously possible.
The below table describes the various servicing branches and their key attributes.
Servicing option
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Availability of new feature updates for installation
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Key benefits
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Supported editions
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Current Branch (CB)
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Immediately after first published by Microsoft
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Makes new features available to users as soon as possible
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Home, Pro, Education, Enterprise, Mobile, IoT Core, Windows 10 IoT Core Pro (IoT Core Pro)
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Current Branch for Business (CBB)
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Approximately 4 months after first published by Microsoft
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Provides additional time to test new feature updates before deployment
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Pro, Education, Enterprise, Mobile Enterprise, IoT Core Pro
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Long-Term Servicing Branch (LTSB)
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Immediately after published by Microsoft
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Enables long-term deployment of selected Windows 10 releases in low-change configurations
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Enterprise LTSB
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For a more detailed description of the Windows as a Service model please read the TechNet article published here.
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