Windows 11 is a major release of the Windows NT operating system developed by Microsoft that was released in October 2021. Starting with Windows 10, Microsoft described Windows as an "operating system as a service" that would receive ongoing updates to its features and functionality, augmented with the ability for enterprise environments to receive non-critical updates at a slower pace or use long-term support milestones that will only receive critical updates, such as security patches, over their five-year lifespan of mainstream support.
Overview
As with Windows 10 (since version 20H2), mainstream builds of Windows 11 are labeled "YYHX", with YY representing the two-digit year and X representing the half-year of planned release (for example, version 21H2 refers to builds which initially released in the second half of 2021).[1]
Version history
Version 21H2 (original release)
The original version of Windows 11 (also known as version 21H2 and codenamed "Sun Valley") was released in October 2021.[2][3] It carries the build number 10.0.22000.[4]The first public preview build was made available to Windows Insiders who opted in to the Dev Channel on June 28, 2021. Notable changes in this version include:
The update has reached end of service on October 10, 2023 for Home, Pro, Pro Education and Pro for Workstations editions.[10] The Enterprise, Enterprise multi-session, IoT Enterprise and Education editions have reached end of service on October 8, 2024.[11]
Insider releases
Windows Insider Preview builds are delivered to Insiders in four different channels. Insiders in the Dev and Canary Channel receive updates prior to those in the Beta Channel but might experience more bugs and other issues. Insiders in the Release Preview Channel do not receive updates until the version is almost available to the public but are comparatively more stable.
On February 3, 2022, Microsoft changed its plans on how they delivered builds for Windows Insiders, with Dev and Beta Channels being "parallel" active development branches, giving an option to switch from Dev to Beta Channel for a limited time. The Dev Channel builds are meant for upcoming and experimental features that may never release to general availability, whereas the Beta Channel builds are the "feature complete" builds that will make its way to the general availability for the specific Windows 11 release.[75]
On March 6, 2023, Microsoft announced that it was restructuring the preview channels in the Windows Insider Program. The Dev Channel would continue to test early versions of new features, and existing insiders were moved to the new Canary Channel that would primarily test changes to the kernel.[76][77]
See also
External links
References
- mestew. What's new in Windows 10, version 20H2 - What's new in Windows learn.microsoft.com, December 31, 2017, retrieved May 31, 2024^
- Windows 11: A new era for the PC begins today Windows Experience Blog, October 4, 2021, retrieved October 4, 2021^
- How to get Windows 11