Windows 10 Release and Servicing

Windows 10 offers new options for how fixes and new features are delivered to devices running Windows 10, and only business editions of the OS can defer new feature upgrades, receive long-duration support, and allow mission-critical systems to stay on the same build of Windows until the business is ready to upgrade the OS.

The new models for delivering servicing updates and feature upgrades to Windows bring both benefits and costs for businesses; for example, features can be changed, added, removed, or moved between editions with each release. The new models will likely continue with future Windows releases, but questions remain about the impact of the new options on an organization’s productivity.

Fast-Track Servicing for Consumers and Testing

For consumers and organizations that want to deploy and test new features and updates quickly, there are two approaches to servicing the OS: Windows Insider Program (WIP) and Current Branch (previously known as Current Branch for Consumers).