Articles about Windows 10 21H2

In three short months, Microsoft is ending support for various editions of Windows 10 21H2. This means that not only will there be no more new features or bug fixes, there will also be no more security updates released for the operating system.

Running any version of Windows that is not in receipt of security updates is a bad idea, but as this latest announcement includes numerous Enterprise and Education versions of Windows 10, the impact could be huge.

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With the release of the June 2023 security updates for Windows 10, Microsoft has brought Windows 10 21H2 to the end of service. This means that the Home, Pro, Pro Education, and Pro for Workstations versions of Windows 10 21H2 will no longer receive any more updates.

End of service for Windows 10 21H2 has been known about for quite some time, and Microsoft recently reminded users that it was about to happen. What has upset some, however, are the forced upgrades that Microsoft is implementing.

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While some versions of Windows 10 are reaching the end of support and many people are making the upgrade to Windows 11, Microsoft continues to push newer editions of Windows 10 to users.

For those people who either do not want to upgrade to Windows 11 -- or find that the hardware requirements mean that they are simply not able to -- there is Windows 10 version 21H2 (Windows 10 November 2021 Update as it is also known). Microsoft has just announced that this particular edition is now designated for broad deployment.

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There is a lot of attention focused on Windows 11 and the update releases for it, but we shouldn't forget that there are millions of people running Windows 10. Far from being a dead operating system, Microsoft is not only still producing updates, but has an active Insider program for Windows 10 that continues to see the arrival of new features and options.

The latest example of this comes with the release of the KB5011543 update which brings Windows 11's search highlight feature to Windows 10. The update includes a number of other important changes and additions, and takes the operating system up to Windows 10 21H2 Build 19044.1618.

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Using Windows' built in option to reset your computer and erase data may not be as secure as you thought. If you are passing on a computer to a friend or family member, or perhaps selling a machine you no longer need, you may well have used the option to reset the PC and wipe out your personal data. While this seems like a sensible move, an update to the data wiping tools in Windows 10 and Windows 11 means that potentially revealing and sensitive data can be left behind.

Tests conducted by Microsoft MVP Rudy Ooms showed that in Windows 10 version 21H2 and Windows 11 version 21H2 the data wiping function left behind user data in the Windows.old folder. Versions of the operating system prior to 21H2 did not suffer from this issue.

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It is, of course, no secret that Microsoft would like as many people as possible to use Windows 11. While it may not be realistic for the company to expect all computer users -- or even all Windows users, for that matter -- to install the latest version of the operating system, it can at the very least ensure that it minimizes the number of systems out there running unsupported versions of Windows.

And this is precisely what is happening with machines that currently have Windows 10 2004 installed. Microsoft is automatically (or forcibly, depending on your perspective) upgrading such computers to Windows 10 21H2. And next in the company's sights are people still running Windows 10 20H2.

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For Windows 10 users on the Release Preview channel, Microsoft has an important new update.

The KB5007253 update is available to testers of Windows 10 21H2 and Windows 10 21H1. It will be of interest to business and enterprise users thanks to a fix for a Window Hello issue.

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Feature updates for Windows are the updates which are supposed to be the most interesting. Rather than just improving security and fixing problems, they often include new features (hence the name) and are far more significant than regular monthly updates.

So significant are feature updates that they are considered to be new versions of Windows and for Windows 10, Microsoft has been releasing them twice a year -- in the spring and in the fall. But moving forward, after the release of Windows 10 November 2021 Update (21H2), Windows 10 will be brought in line with Windows 11, meaning feature updates will become annual events.

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If you’ve been waiting for the latest feature update for Windows 10 -- Windows 10 November 2021 Update (or 21H2) the wait may be over.

I say 'may' because although Microsoft is making the update available from today, it is taking its usual measured approach to the roll out, so you will likely have to wait a while to be offered it.

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Although Windows 11 is getting most of the press these days, Windows 10 is still being actively developed and Microsoft is about to release the latest feature update for it.

The software giant believes that Build 19044.1288 is the final build for the Windows 10 November 2021 Update (21H2) and you can download and install it now.

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Windows 11 might be on its way, but before it gets here there’s another feature update for Windows 10 set to arrive. Today, Windows 10 21H2 gets a little nearer to release with Microsoft making Build 19044.1200 (KB5005101) available to Insiders in the Release Preview Channel.

If you’re already on Windows 10, version 21H2 this update will be offered automatically. If not, you’ll need to get it via the 'seeker' experience in Windows Update, although it will only be offered to Insiders who were moved from the Beta Channel to the Release Preview Channel because their PC did not meet the hardware requirements for Windows 11.

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Although much of the development focus at Microsoft is understandably on Windows 11 at the moment, work is still underway on polishing up the next feature update for Windows 10 -- 21H2 -- and getting it ready for release.

The latest new flight for this, Build 19044.1149 (KB5004296), is now available in the Release Preview Channel.

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When Microsoft announced Windows 11 recently, it confirmed that Windows 10 users would not be abandoned. And now the company has officially announced Windows 10 21H2, a feature update for those who can't have -- or don't want -- Windows 11.

As development and attention has been focused on Windows 11, it should come as little surprise that there are no major new additions to Window 10 with this update, but it remains an important one. A key new arrival is GPU compute support in the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL), and if you're eager to try it out right now, you may be able to do so.

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We may not have an exact release date for Windows 10 21H2 -- and interest may be focused on Windows 11 at the moment -- but details about what we can expect from the update are starting to creep out.

When the Windows 10 October 2021 Update rolls out in a few months' time, it introduces a number of new features that will be of interest to anyone who is sticking with Windows 10 rather than jumping to Windows 11 -- whether through choice or necessity. Information about just what there is to look forward to has been spotted on Microsoft's own support pages.

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Microsoft has announced a new Windows 10 Bug Bash for people taking part in the Insider program. The Bug Bash gives the company a chance to gather more information about problems with the operating system, and gives participants the opportunity to earn rewards.

The Bug Bash is available right now and runs until May 17. Microsoft has set up quests to check various elements of Windows 10 including using Desk Management to check storage, and testing the magnifier tool.

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