Microsoft has officially confirmed that Windows 11 will follow the upgrade model of Windows 10, including monthly security updates, optional cumulative updates, emergency out-of-band updates, service stack updates, and so on. In addition, Microsoft also confirmed that there will be a long-term service channel (LTSC) version of Windows 11.
In the recently updated official support document, Microsoft stated that Windows 11 is part of the “Windows as a service” model and will provide services on a monthly basis. In the document update, Microsoft pointed out that there will be no changes to the existing service model, and the update will continue to be released at least twice a month.That is to say, like the existing Windows 10 system, Windows 11 will receive cumulative updates including security updates during the monthly Patch Tuesday activity day; at the end of the month, it will receive optional, non-security updates (users can Skip, but the update will be integrated into the update released in the next month’s Patch Tuesday event).
Only the cumulative updates released on Patch Tuesday will be automatically downloaded and installed. Optional updates can be installed at the discretion of the user.
Like Windows 10, Windows 11 can also get out-of-band updates. If there is a high-risk security vulnerability waiting to be fixed and cannot wait for the monthly Patch Tuesday, then Microsoft will release an out-of-band update. These updates can be released without any prior announcement.
For those who are unfamiliar, LTSC (Long Term Service Channel) is a version of Windows that does not require continuous updates. It is usually used by enterprises. If you have an LTSC version of Windows, you can skip features or major updates and receive monthly security updates for a long time.
The normal Windows 10 version will be supported until the end of 2025, but the LTSC version (usually used by enterprises) will continue to receive updates even after 2025. Microsoft releases a new LTSC version of Windows approximately every three years, and each version contains all the new features. The Windows 10 21H2 version that arrives later this year will be an LTSC version, and it will be supported for five years.