Microsoft will allow IT admins to employ Windows 11 quality updates during the OOBE

Microsoft announced that it will introduce a new policy that allows IT admins to install quality updates during OOBE (out-of-box experience) sometime in the following months.

The policy will apply only to those devices that run Windows 11 22H2 or higher, and IT admins can configure the setting via Windows Autopilot and its device preparation option; this way, Microsoft says, organizations can have seamless control over updates.

Syncing the existing update settings, including Windows quality update deferrals and pause policies, will also be possible. Microsoft will offer the latest approved security update instead for all of the network.

The new Windows 11 quality updates during the OOBE policy will also be available as a mobile device management policy.

This policy will significantly reduce the time spent updating Windows 11 outside the usual OOBE period. The quality updates will be installed simultaneously, and IT admins won’t need to schedule different times for different kinds of updates.

Microsoft says organizations don’t need to do anything for now, as the policy will be added to Windows Autopilot in mid-2025.

You can read the official blog post for more details.