When will 1909 be forced to download the Feature Update?

..and which version will it get?

Microsoft have said in the past that an optional Feature Update offered by Windows Update will only remain optional until at or near end of service for your current version. There has never been a clear statement of what 'near' means. To that end I have deliberately left a virtual machine on Win10 Pro version 1909 to see if/when it gets forced to update. I have also set it's group policy to 'notify for download' so that it won't upgrade until I permit it.

1909 reaches end of service on 10th May 2021.

Semi-Annual Channel

Version	Servicing option	Availability date	OS build	Latest revision date	End of service: Home, Pro, Pro Education, Pro for Workstations and IoT Core	End of service: Enterprise, Education and IoT Enterprise
20H2	Semi-Annual Channel	2020-10-20	19042.844	2021-02-24	2022-05-10	2023-05-09	Microsoft recommends
2004	Semi-Annual Channel	2020-05-27	19041.844	2021-02-24	2021-12-14	2021-12-14
1909	Semi-Annual Channel	2019-11-12	18363.1411	2021-02-16	2021-05-11	2022-05-10

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-gb/win...se-information


Today, some two months ahead of end of service, the Feature Update has just switched from being optional to 'Pending download'. Interestingly, it is the update to 2004 that's now being forced, not 20H2. That's still showing as an optional update.

Bree said:

an optional Feature Update offered by Windows Update will only remain optional until

... until you have installed KB4023057 (Microsoft Update Health Tools) as the following member said:

Bree said:

The Update Health Tools are an installed app, and Windows Update should only run it after it has queued a Feature Update to be installed.

@W10 Tweaker and @Matthew Wai


I deliberately took no steps to prevent this machine from updating, save to set the group policy to notify me before doing so. The sole purpose of keeping this machine running 1909 was to find out when a clean install of 1909 with all the regular updates would be automatically updated to the next version.

The answer would appear to be 'any time within three months of end of service'.


Personally I find no problems with 20H2 and run that on all my other machines.

I am rather confused about what is supposed to happen. My system 'About' shows me to be:


And then 'Update and Security' shows:


This notice has been the same since that May, 2020 date. I generally prefer to allow Windows to do updates automatically and do not knowingly have any restrictions on that. I do get regular updates for my 1909 system. Don't have a burning desire to have the 'May, 2020' update, but don't want to get left in the dust either. Any thoughts appreciated.

W10 Tweaker said:

Again, to provide clarity, correct me if I'm mistaken, setting the Group Policy to notify should not result in a 'download pending' condition. Windows Update should be notifying the user that the update is available for download with an option to download now. Is that not correct?

In almost all cases, yes that is correct. All CUs, other updates for Windows and definition updates will trigger a notification, but wait for you to click the 'Download' button.



When this policy is enabled there is a message in Windows Update that: *Some settings are managed by your organisation.



...with the * indicating that further clarification is given lower down on that page.



Experience has shown that the only updates that MS deem 'required to keep Windows running smoothly' and that will download and be 'pending install' rather than 'pending download' are those that have significant security implications. Those are the platform updates for Defender (but not the definitions) and the (now defunct) Flash updates.

Bree said:

definition updates will trigger a notification

I have seen a member complaining about the notification of definition updates. They wanted automatic definition updates while they wanted notifications of other updates.