Microsoft will release the Windows 10 21H1 feature update, also known as the Spring 2021 Update, in April or May as an optional update, with it being rolled out more widely at the end of the year.
The Windows 10 Spring 2021 update will be released on Windows 10 2004 and Windows 20H2 as an activation package, which will be installed very quickly and with a single restart.
This is because the features of version 21H2 are already included in Windows 10 2004 / 20H1 and remain inactive until the activation package is installed and enabled. Users running previous versions of Windows 10 will need to download the full update, which will take longer to install.
When released, Windows 10 21H1 will be available through Windows Update for ‘search engines’ or for those who manually click on the ‘Check for updates’ button. Even so, the Windows 10 21H1 feature update will be offered as an optional update, as shown below.
What’s in Windows 10 21H1
Unfortunately, Windows 10 21H1, the Spring 2021 update, is not a very exciting version with many new features.
Instead, it is being released as a small update with bug fixes, performance improvements and some improvements to existing features aimed at business users.
The short list of new improvements that will come in Windows 10 21H1 are:
- Support for multiple Windows Hello cameras to set the default as the external camera when Windows Hello external and internal cameras are present.
- Performance improvements in Windows Defender Application Guard, including optimizing times for the document opening scenario.
- The Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) Group Policy Service (GPSVC) updating the performance improvement to support remote work scenarios.
However, the good news is that Microsoft is changing the way it provides updates to many of its most popular Windows 10 features so that new versions can be released more quickly.
Microsoft will do this through updates from the Microsoft Store or through ‘Windows Feature Experience Packs’, which is a new way to provide updates for standalone features outside of regularly scheduled Windows 10 updates.
Some of the features that fit this new update model are Windows Terminal, Notepad, Windows 10 Start Menu, integration with XBOX, the Windows Clipping Tool and the Windows Subsystem for Linux.
The next Sun Valley update is more exciting
For those hoping for a more exciting and feature-rich update, you’ll need to wait until autumn, when Microsoft will release the Windows 10 Sun Valley 21H2 feature update.
The Windows 10 Sun Valley update will include a design review with new animations, rounded dialogs and new user interface elements, with an example shown below.
In addition to the user interface review, Microsoft will introduce several new features, including DoH, the new battery settings, and the modern Disk Management settings page.
How to install the Windows 10 21H1 update now
If you are looking forward to testing the Windows 10 21H1 feature update now, you can use two methods.
The first method is to join the Windows Insider program and join the ‘Beta’ channel, which will ask you to install Windows 10 21H1 on your computer.
It should be noted that after installing the Insider build, you will not be able to downgrade to the general version.
To return to a non-development version, you will need to wait until the Insider builds are synchronized with the builds of the general version and then disconnect from the Insider program on the device.
Another method you can use to try Windows 10 21H1 now is to install the operating system via an ISO that can be downloaded from the Windows Insider website.
Insiders can only download the ISO, but once downloaded, you can use it to perform a clean install on any device, as long as you have a Windows 10 product key.