Microsoft will start work proper on the Windows 10 21H1 update – due to land in the first half of 2021 – in June, when testers will begin evaluating preview builds.
21H1 will be the next major update for Windows 10, following the imminent May 2020 Update (20H1), because the next release for 2020, which is of course 20H2, is looking very much like it will only be a service pack-style affair with no major feature additions (as 19H2 was the previous year).
As Windows Latest spotted, a Microsoft blog post accidentally revealed that the testing currently underway in the Fast ring of preview builds is for the next 20H2 update (codenamed ‘Manganese’), but that Fast ring testers will switch to the 21H1 update – which is the next major one, according to strong whisperings from the rumor mill – in June.
Apparently 21H1 will be codenamed ‘Iron’, and testing will start in later June rather than earlier in the month, but the fact remains that Microsoft is about to flip the switch for the serious work to begin on this update.
Cat escapes bag
No details on exactly what we can expect with 21H1 were revealed, sadly, and the blog post in question has now been edited to delete the above information, showing of course that Microsoft didn’t mean to let this slip out.
We haven’t heard much about the 21H1 update yet, seeing as it’s still quite some time off – 20H1 or the May 2020 Update isn’t even out yet, although it’s expected imminently.
One of the changes we could see with the 21H1 update is the majorly revamped Start menu which there’s been a fair bit of chatter about lately. With 20H2 seemingly a minor update, the following upgrade for early 2021 makes sense for a big change like this.