Windows 10 Version 1903 Now Due in Late May 2019

• The next version of Windows 10 has been delayed, and Windows 10 servicing plans remain in flux.
• All customers will gain some ability to defer Feature Updates, but Enterprise and Education customers should continue to rely on Windows Update for Business to help manage deployment.

Based on Microsoft’s latest plan, changes to Windows 10 version 1903—also known as 19H1 or the “May 2019 Update”—will enter an “Extended Release Preview” during the second week of April and be generally available via the Semi-Annual Channel (SAC) in late May. All customers gain improved control of Feature Updates, although organizations deploying Enterprise and Education editions should continue to use Windows Update for Business to manage deployment. Most large organizations should skip version 1903 and wait for a more enterprise-targeted version planned for the second half of 2019 (19H2), which has a longer support life cycle. (See the illustration “Windows Client OS Timeline“.)

Version 1903

Microsoft’s servicing and support model changes constantly. For example, Version 1903 should have reached general availability via the SAC in April of 2019. The eventual rollout of Windows 10 version 1903 in late May, after the new “Extended Release Preview” phase, will still be gated by Microsoft’s analysis of telemetry data about devices and known blocking issues, and whether a user has decided to delay versions (also called Feature Updates). Future general availability via the SAC may also be subject to Extended Release Previews, meaning enterprises should expect two releases per year, one in each half of the year, without expecting a version in any set month.