Report: Microsoft will return to releasing new Windows versions once every 3 years

According to a report from Windows Central, Microsoft is changing the way it updates Windows. Rather than updating a single version of Windows for many years, Microsoft plans to return to a schedule where it releases a new major version of Windows roughly once every three years.

This looks like a return to the way things were before Windows 10. Windows 7 and 8 were followed by Windows 10. According to the report, Microsoft will continue to refine the current Windows release at a steady clip, with new feature drops planned once per quarter. We've already experienced that with Windows 11, which has evolved steadily throughout the year instead of saving all its big changes for the upcoming Windows 11 22H2 update.

When Windows 11 was released in October of 2021, Microsoft said that both Windows 11 and Windows 10 would get feature updates once per year in the second half of the year. Two of these updates were received by Windows 10. According to Windows Central, the big yearly update model for Windows 11 could be going away for good.

The company isn't ready to make a public announcement at the moment. A Microsoft spokesman told us that the company doesn't comment on rumors.

There are a lot of unanswered questions. Will there be a "23H2" release of Windows for purposes of determining Windows 11's update life cycle? Will it be free for current Windows users to upgrade to Windows 12 or will it be a paid upgrade? There are features that will be maintained across multiple Windows releases. What features are held back for major releases?

It is possible to make larger user interface changes or under-the-hood improvements while also benefiting from the extra user awareness and media attention that accompanies major updates. It is possible to change system requirements to ensure that any system that runs Windows 12 has more capable hardware than one that runs Windows 11.

For third-party developers and IT administrators, the current plan sounds like the worst of both worlds: a constantly shifting current version of Windows that's always being changed, plus a more-fragmented install base with big groups of users. IT admins can fall back on bad habits, skipping less desirable versions of Windows, while staying on good known-quantity versions, missing out on meaningful new features and security upgrades.

When the yearly feature updates for Windows 10 and Windows 11 are released later this year, Microsoft may give more information about its update plans. In the Windows Insider testing channels, Windows 11 22H2 has been well documented. The company has not commented on Windows 10 22H2, which may or may not add any user-noticeable features.