Microsoft to release Windows preview updates in the last week of the month

You might already be familiar with Microsoft’s Patch Tuesday, which refers to the Windows updates released every second Tuesday of each month. It’s also referred to as the “B” release internally by Microsoft.

The update often ships with bug fixes, security updates, as well as new features at times. However, Microsoft has announced a significant change made to the schedule. Now, instead of making the release on the second Tuesday of every month, the company has pushed the release date to the last week of every month.

According to Chris Morrissey, Windows and Devices Senior Director of Communications at Microsoft:

Starting in April 2023, we now target optional non-security preview releases for the fourth week of the month. We have found this to be the optimal time for us to publish and for you to consume these updates. That’s two weeks after your latest monthly security update and about two weeks before you’ll see these features become part of the next mandatory cumulative update. We’re excited for this improvement as it is meant to optimize the validation of payloads, improve consistency, and enhance the predictability of your testing, update, and upgrade experience.

Microsoft uses these cumulative updates to test out non-security fixes that are slated to be released to the Windows systems in the next Patch Tuesday release. When the change takes effect next month, the optional non-security preview release will now replace the previous “C” and “D” releases which normally ship during the third and fourth week of every month.

The company will continue providing Out-of-band (OOB) releases when required to patch bugs or vulnerabilities. Share your thoughts with us regarding the change in the release schedule.