Windows 10 is an operating system developed by Microsoft. Microsoft described Windows 10 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.
Rings / Channels
Preview builds are delivered to Insiders in three different channels. Insiders in the Dev Channel receive updates prior to those in then 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.
PC version history
Mainstream builds of Windows 10 are labeled "YYMM", with YY representing the two-digit year and MM representing the month of planned release.
Legend:
Version 1507
The original version of Windows 10 was released in July 2015. It carries the build number 10.0.10240; while Microsoft has stated that there was no designated release to manufacturing build of Windows 10, build 10240 was described as an RTM build by various media outlets. It was retroactively named "version 1507" by Microsoft per its naming conventions for future stable releases of the operating system. Notable changes in this version include:
The final release was made available to Windows Insiders on July 15, 2015, followed by a public release on July 29, 2015. Support of version 1507 ended on May 9, 2017 for devices in the Current Branch and Current Branch for Business; however, devices configured to receive updates from the Current Branch and Current Branch for Business continued to receive updates until June 27, 2018.
Version 1511 (November Update)
The Windows 10 November Update is the first major update to Windows 10 and the second version of the operating system. It carries the build number 10.0.10586. New features in this version of Windows 10 include:
Pre-installed Skype video, messaging, and phone apps
Tab previews and syncing in Microsoft Edge
Visual and functional tweaks
The first preview was released on August 18, 2015. The final release was made available to Windows Insiders on November 3, 2015, followed by a public release on November 12, 2015. Unlike the initial release of Windows, this branch was also made available to existing Windows Phone 8.1 devices and the Xbox One and as a preview release to Windows Server 2016, and was pre-installed on new Windows 10 Mobile devices. Support of this version for users of the Current Branch and Current Branch for Business ended on October 10, 2017. The last public update was released on April 10, 2018, for Enterprise and Education versions only.
Version 1607 (Anniversary Update)
The Windows 10 Anniversary Update is the second major update to Windows 10 and the first in a series of updates under the Redstone codenames. It carries the build number 10.0.14393. The first preview was released on December 16, 2015. The final release was made available to Windows Insiders on July 18, 2016, followed by a public release on August 2. This release of Windows 10 is supported for users of the Current Branch, Current Branch for Business and Long-Term Support Branch.
Version 1703 (Creators Update)
The Windows 10 Creators Update is the third major update to Windows 10 and the second in a series of updates under the Redstone codenames. It carries the build number 10.0.15063. The first preview was released to Insiders on August 11, 2016. The final release was made available to Windows Insiders on March 20, 2017, followed by a public release on April 5 via Update Assistant, and began to roll out on April 11.
Version 1709 (Fall Creators Update)
The Windows 10 Fall Creators Update is the fourth major update to Windows 10 and the third in a series of updates under the Redstone codenames. It carries the build number 10.0.16299. The first preview was released to Insiders on April 7, 2017. The final release was made available to Windows Insiders on September 26, 2017 before being released to the public on October 17.
Version 1803 (April 2018 Update)
The Windows 10 April 2018 Update is the fifth major update to Windows 10 and the fourth in a series of updates under the Redstone codenames. It carries the build number 10.0.17134. The first preview was released to Insiders on August 31, 2017. The final release was made available to Windows Insiders on April 16, 2018, followed by a public release on April 30, and began to roll out on May 8.
Version 1809 (October 2018 Update)
The Windows 10 October 2018 Update is the sixth major update to Windows 10 and the fifth in a series of updates under the Redstone codenames. It carries the build number 10.0.17763. The first preview was released to Insiders on February 14, 2018. The update was originally made available to public consumers on October 2, 2018, but its rollout was halted on October 6, 2018, due to a serious bug that deletes users' personal files after updating. On October 9, 2018, Microsoft re-released the update to Insiders, stating that all known issues in the update had been identified and fixed. On October 25, 2018, Microsoft confirmed the existence of another bug which overwrites files without any confirmation, when extracting from a ZIP file. The ZIP bug was fixed for Insiders on October 30, 2018, and the public rollout of the update resumed on November 13, 2018.
Version 1903 (May 2019 Update)
The Windows 10 May 2019 Update is the seventh major update to Windows 10 and the first to use a more descriptive codename instead of the "Redstone" or "Threshold" codename. It carries the build number 10.0.18362. The first preview was released to Insiders who opted in to the exclusive Skip Ahead ring on July 25, 2018. The update began rolling out on May 21, 2019. Notable changes in the May 2019 Update include:
A new "light theme"
Separation of Search and Cortana in the taskbar
Windows Sandbox
Ability to pause updates for 35 days or under
New default wallpaper
Recommended troubleshooting
Notifications hidden while in full-screen
Version 1909 (November 2019 Update)
The Windows 10 November 2019 Update is the eighth major update to Windows 10. The update is delivered as cumulative update to the May 2019 Update and carries the build number 10.0.18363. The first preview was released to Insiders who opted in to the slow ring on July 1, 2019. The update began rolling out on November 12, 2019. Notable changes in the November 2019 Update include:
Ability to create events from the Calendar fly-out on the taskbar
Improvements to notification management, including thumbnails demonstrating notification banners and the Action Center in application notification settings, and the ability to access per-application notification settings from their displays in Action Center
The Start menu's navigation sidebar icons expand into a drawer with text labels when the cursor is hovered over them
Support for using third-party digital assistants from the lock screen
OneDrive integration with File Explorer's search
Version 2004 (May 2020 Update)
The Windows 10 May 2020 Update is the ninth major update to Windows 10. It carries the build number 10.0.19041. The first preview was released to Insiders who opted in to the exclusive Skip Ahead ring on February 14, 2019. The update began rolling out on May 27, 2020. Notable changes in the May 2020 Update include:
Faster and easier access to Bluetooth settings and pairing
Ability to use Windows Hello without the need for a password
Ability to use Windows Hello PIN while in Safe mode
Cloud download option to reset Windows
Accessibility improvements
Version 20H2
The tenth major update to Windows 10 is delivered as cumulative update to the May 2020 Update, and carries the build number 10.0.19042. The first preview was released to Insiders who opted in to Beta Channel on June 16, 2020.
Fast Ring / Dev Channel
On December 16, 2019, Microsoft announced that Windows Insiders in the Fast Ring will receive builds directly from the "RS_PRERELEASE" development branch. Builds released from the Fast Ring are no longer matched to a specific Windows 10 release. The first build released under the new strategy, build 19536, was made available to Insiders on the same day. On May 13, 2020, Microsoft announced that builds from the "MN_RELEASE" branch would be available to Windows Insiders in the Fast Ring for a short period of time. As of June 15, 2020, Microsoft has introduced "channels" model to its Windows Insider Program, succeeding its "ring" model. Therefore, all future builds would be released to Windows Insiders in the Dev Channel. Two days later, Microsoft announced that Windows Insiders in the Dev Channel would be once again received builds from "RS_PRERELEASE" development branch.
