Microsoft moves Windows 10 21H1 to the Release preview channel

Microsoft is now installing the Windows 10 21H1 build in the Release preview channel, indicating that it will likely be released later this month or in May.

Windows 10 21H1 is the next feature update to be released and delivered as an enablement package that enables dormant features already installed on Windows 10 2004 and Windows 20 20H2.

Microsoft began testing the Windows 10 21H1 feature update (build 19043) in February after releasing it on the Windows Insider 'Beta' channel. Since then, Microsoft has been releasing new cumulative updates to fix bugs and newly discovered security vulnerabilities.

During this time, Microsoft had continued installing cumulative update previews for the latest general release of Windows 10 version 20H2 (build 19042) so that users can test the fixes before they are generally released.

Windows 10 21H1 moved to the Release channel

Yesterday, Microsoft announced that they had moved the Windows 10 21H1 feature update to the 'Release' channel, which indicates that they are very close to releasing it. 

"Hello Windows Insiders, today we’re releasing 21H1 Build 19043.928 (KB5001330) the Beta Channel for those Insiders who are on 21H1 (Click here for the 21H1 announcement). This update is also available for commercial devices in the Release Preview Channel on 21H1 as mentioned here in this blog post," Microsoft announced yesterday.

Microsoft had already released Windows 10 21H1 to the enterprise for testing last month.

Now that Windows 10 21H1 is in the release channel for users, we will likely see it released to seekers, those who manually check for new Windows updates, next month.

Microsoft released Windows 10 20H2 in the third week of October, on the 20th, to users who manually 'Checked for updates' in Windows Update.

As Windows 10 21H1 just made it into the Release channel for testing, it will likely not be released to the general public this month and should instead expect it sometime in May.

Sadly, Windows 10 21H1 is a very dull release with only a few new features aimed at business users. The more exciting features are expected in the fall with the release of Windows 10 21H2, the Sun Valley update.

With that said, it is still recommended that users install Windows 10 21H1 when it is released, as it will come with bug fixes, performance improvements, and a rumored new security feature.