Back in April, Microsoft announced a new service called Windows Autopatch, a new patching program for Windows 11 and Windows 10 enterprise users. Since then, there has been plenty of confusion about what Autopatch is and what it will do for users. To help ease that confusion, Microsoft has released a blog explaining what the service will provide.
This is not the first time Microsoft has needed to explain the exact nature of Windows Autopatch. Last month the company had to explain that the service will not be replacing monthly Patch Tuesday updates.
As the name suggests, Autopatch is an automatic update program that delivers security patches to Windows. It reached preview for enterprise customers last month and will get a full launch in July.
In a new Tech Community blog post, Microsoft's Lior Bela explains what Autopatch is and how it will work for organizations. It now seems while Patch Tuesday will exist, it will only be for users who do not use Windows Autopatch:
“For organizations who select this option, the second Tuesday of every month will be ‘just another Tuesday'.”
Windows Updates
Also this week, a PSA (Twitter) from Jeremy Chapman, Director at Microsoft, went further into the specifics of Autopatch. He explains how the service works alongside Microsoft Endpoint Manager and Windows Update to send automatic updates to users.
“Windows updates
The General Availability Channel is the source for Windows updates through Windows Autopatch. Polices for quality and feature updates can be set independently to meet your needs.
Admins will be able to see what updates have been applied through the Windows Autopatch message center in Endpoint Manager and will learn about what updates to expect. The familiar cadence of monthly Windows security and quality updates, also referred to as “B” releases, will continue and out-of-band updates will be applied as needed.”
Tip of the day: When using your Windows 10 laptop or convertible with a mobile hotspot you might want to limit the Internet bandwidth your PC uses. In our tutorial we are showing you how to set up a metered connection in Windows 11 or Windows 10 and how to turn it off again, if needed.
