Windows 10 version 21H1 is now available for “seekers” in the Beta Channel

Microsoft has finally shared all the details about Windows 10 version 21H1, the next version of the OS to be released later this Spring. As expected, this will be another minor update just like 20H2 was last fall, and this will actually be the first time since Microsoft shifted to a bi-annual release cycle that the “Spring” update for Windows 10 is a minor one.

Windows 10 version 21H1 is available today for “seekers” in the Beta channel. To download it, you’ll need to go to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update and then choose to download and install 21H1, which is the build 19043.844 (KB4601382). The installation process will be very fast, similar to the upgrade path from version 2004 to 20H2.

“Windows 10, version 21H1 will have a scoped set of features improving security, remote access and quality. The features we are releasing in this update are focused on the core experiences that customers have told us they’re relying on most right now,” explained John Cable, Vice President, Program Management, Windows Servicing and Delivery.

New features in Windows 10 version 21H1 include multi-camera support for Windows Hello, which will allow users of PC with an integrated camera to use an external camera for authentication. The update also brings performance improvements for Windows Defender Application Guard as well as Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) Group Policy Service (GPSVC) updating, the latter getting support for remote work scenarios.

Windows 10 version 21H1 will be available for non-insiders “later in the first half of this calendar year,” Cable said today, and we should get a release date in the coming weeks. In the meantime, Microsoft has also released a new 20H2 build for Insiders in the Beta channel who don’t want to install the 21H1 update yet. You can learn more about this new 20H2 build in our separate post.