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Microsoft will now release major Windows 10 updates every March and September

Microsoft will now release major Windows 10 updates every March and September

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The next one arrives this September

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Windows 10 review photos
Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge

Microsoft revealed last year that it was planning two major Windows 10 updates for 2017. After shipping its Creators Update recently, the next major release will arrive in September. Microsoft is now committing to what it calls a “predictable twice-per-year” feature release schedule for Windows 10. Future updates will arrive in March or September each year, and Microsoft says each feature release will be serviced and supported for 18 months.

Microsoft's new commitment does imply that the company will continue with Windows 10 as its "last version of Windows" for the foreseeable future. While Microsoft has switched to running Windows as a service, company executives have never officially ruled out the possibility of a "Windows 11" or another version of Windows.

New Windows 10 features expected to be unveiled next month

Microsoft isn’t detailing exactly what its next major Windows 10 update will include, but the company recently started allowing Windows Insiders to start testing what is codenamed Redstone 3. The next Windows 10 update will include power throttling for background apps, and we’re expecting to see the return of the people integration into the taskbar that was originally scheduled for the Creators Update.

Beyond that, Microsoft is also expected to reveal some design changes, codenamed Project Neon, with the next major Windows 10 update. Microsoft has started teasing some of its design changes to Windows 10, and additional screenshots have also leaked showing off a redesigned Start menu and a focus on transparency. We’re expecting to hear more about the update at Microsoft’s Build developers conference in Seattle next month.