Microsoft confirms that Windows 11 will receive new features more often

Microsoft published a large post dedicated to the release of Windows 11 2022 Update (version 22H2), in which, among other things, she stated that she intends to release new features and improvements for Windows 11 more often without being tied to major updates. At the same time, functional updates will still be released once a year during the autumn period, so there are no changes in this plan yet.

It is known that new features and improvements will be distributed to users through both the Microsoft Store and cumulative updates. This means that most users will receive updates automatically. Enterprise customers, of course, will be able to control the rollout process with a Universal Group Policy that allows you to completely disable all the innovations that will be added to Windows 11 22H2 during the year.

The first such update will be released in October 2022. It will bring with it support for a tabbed interface in File Explorer, Suggested Actions, an updated taskbar overflow interface, and an all-new Photos app. The release dates for subsequent updates have not been officially announced.

According to Zach Bowden, the Windows Central portal editor, a second update of this kind (they are all codenamed Moment) is scheduled for February-March 2023. However, even Microsoft does not have a specific schedule for the release of updates, so the timing may change.

Some time ago, Zach also reported that Microsoft decided to return to the traditional three-year development cycle for client versions of Windows. There was no official comment on this topic, but the company confirmed that it intends to release functional updates annually. This means that next fall, Windows 11 will likely receive version 23H2, but it could be built on the 22H2 codebase. Simply put, 23H2 can commit all the changes made to 22H2 within the coming year.

Microsoft is currently in the early stages of planning and developing the next major version of Windows, scheduled for 2024. At the moment, it is not known whether this update will be for Windows 11, or whether we are waiting for a new version of Windows with a different number.