Windows 10 update history

Windows 10, version 20H2 and Windows Server, version 20H2

Updates for Windows 10, version 20H2 and Windows Server, version 20H2

Windows 10 is a service, which means it gets better through periodic software updates.

The great news is you usually don’t have to do anything! If you have enabled automatic updates, new updates will automatically download and install whenever they’re available, so you don’t have to think about it.

On the left side of this page, you’ll find a list of all the updates released for this version of Windows. You can also find more information about releases and any known issues. Installing the most recent update ensures that you also get any previous updates you might have missed, including any important security fixes.

For more information about the update and how to get it, see:

What’s new for Windows 10, version 20H2 and Windows 10, version 2004 release notes

Windows 10, versions 20H2 and 2004 share a common core operating system and an identical set of system files. As a result, the release notes for Windows 10, version 20H2 and Windows 10, version 2004 will share an update history page. Each release page will contain a list of addressed issues for both 20H2 and 2004 versions. Note that the 20H2 version will always contain the fixes for 2004; however, 2004 will not contain the fixes for 20H2. The update history page will provide you with the build numbers for both 20H2 and 2004 versions so that it will be easier for support to assist you if you encounter issues.

Current status of Windows 10, version 20H2 and Windows Server, version 20H2

For the most up-to-date information about Known Issues for Windows and Windows Server, please go to the Windows release health dashboard.

Known issues

Certain Japanese half-width Katakana and full-width Katakana characters that have a consonant mark aren’t interpreted as the same character. When you use the CompareStringEx() function with the NORM_IGNOREWIDTH flag to compare them, these characters are evaluated as different because of an issue in the sorting rule . This issue affects all the updates starting on October 29, 2020 for Windows 10, version 20H2.

Open the Command Prompt window ( cmd.exe) with elevated privileges.

Run “reg add HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Nls\Sorting\Versions /ve /d 0006020F /f”

Restart the computer or processes to see the full effect.

Important If you have not installed KB4586853or later on the computer, setting an invalid value in this registry might prevent the computer from starting up.

This workaround reverts the National Language Support (NLS) sorting rule to version 6.2, which is used in Windows 10, version 1909 and earlier. When sharing data between systems, consider applying the workaround consistently. If you use this workaround, conduct sufficient testing and evaluations to mitigate problems caused by different sorting rule versions on multiple systems.

Notes and messages

General

IMPORTANT Release notes are changing! To learn about the new URL, metadata updates, and more, see What’s next for Windows release notes.

IMPORTANT Starting in July 2020, we will resume non-security releases for Windows 10 and Windows Server, version 1809 and later. There is no change to the cumulative monthly security updates (also referred to as the «B» release or Update Tuesday release). For more information, see the blog post Resuming optional Windows 10 and Windows Server non-security monthly updates.

IMPORTANT Starting in July 2020, all Windows Updates will disable the RemoteFX vGPU feature because of a security vulnerability. For more information about the vulnerability, seeCVE-2020-1036 and KB4570006. After you install this update, attempts to start virtual machines (VM) that have RemoteFX vGPU enabled will fail, and messages such as the following will appear:

If you re-enable RemoteFX vGPU, a message similar to the following will appear:

“The virtual machine cannot be started because all the RemoteFX-capable GPUs are disabled in Hyper-V Manager.”

“The virtual machine cannot be started because the server has insufficient GPU resources.”

«We no longer support the RemoteFX 3D video adapter. If you are still using this adapter, you may become vulnerable to security risk. Learn more (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=2131976)”

Troubleshooting

If you have questions or need help activating or troubleshooting Windows, see our help topics below:

For information about how to update, see Update Windows 10.

If you have questions about manually installing or removing an update, see Windows Update: FAQ.

Getting an error message when updating? See Troubleshoot problems updating Windows 10.

If you need to activate Windows, see Activation in Windows 10. If you’re having trouble with activation, see Get help with Windows activation errors.

To get the latest major update to Windows 10, see Get the Windows 10 October 2020 Update.

windows 10 difference between versions

Introducing Windows 10 Editions

As in the past, we will offer different Windows editions that are tailored for various device families and uses. These different editions address specific needs of our various customers, from consumers to small businesses to the largest enterprises.

Windows 10 Home

— PCs, tablets and 2-in-1s
— Cortana Assistant
— Microsoft Edge web browser
— Continuum tablet mode for touch-capable devices
— Windows Hello face-recognition, iris and fingerprint login
— universal Windows apps like Photos, Maps, Mail, Calendar, Music and Video
— Ability to capture and share game play for XBOX One owners — PCs, tablets and 2-in-1s
— Cortana Assistant
— Microsoft Edge web browser
— Continuum tablet mode for touch-capable devices
— Windows Hello face-recognition, iris and fingerprint login
— universal Windows apps like Photos, Maps, Mail, Calendar, Music and Video
— Ability to capture and share game play for XBOX One owners
— Domain Join Services
— BitLocker Drive Encryption
— Remote Access Services
— Group Policy editor
— Windows Update for Business

Windows 10 Enterprise

— PCs, tablets and 2-in-1s
— Cortana Assistant
— Continuum tablet mode for touch-capable devices
— Windows Hello face-recognition, iris and fingerprint login
— universal Windows apps like Photos, Maps, Mail, Calendar, Music and Video
— Ability to capture and share game play for XBOX One owners
— Domain Join Services
— BitLocker Drive Encryption
— Remote Access Services
— Group Policy editor
— Windows Update for Business
— Long Term Servicing Branch
— Device Guard — help protect against the ever-growing range of modern security

threats targeted at devices, identities, applications and sensitive company

Windows 10 Education

— All the features of Windows 10 Enterprise for Academia

Windows 10 Mobile

— smaller, mobile, touch-centric devices like smartphones and small tablets
— universal Windows apps
— touch-optimized version of Office
— Continuum for phone
— productivity, security and management capabilities for customers who use their

personal devices at work

Windows 10 Mobile Enterprise

— All the features of Windows 10 Mobile
— Update management for businesses

• Windows 10 IoT for industry devices
  Desktop Shell, Win32 apps, Universal Apps and Drivers
  1 GB, 16 GB Storage
  x86
• Windows 10 IoT for mobile devices
  Modern Shell, Universal Apps and Drivers
  512 MB RAM, 4 GB Storage
  ARM
• Windows 10 IoT for small devices
  No Shell, Universal Apps and drivers
  256 MB RAM, 2GB storage
  x86 or ARM

Thanks Ken Marin [Microsoft MVP]

Learn more:

For a break down of the logical upgrade paths existing Windows users can expect:

• Windows 10 Home — For PCs running consumer editions of Windows 7 (such as Starter, Home Basic and Home Premium), Windows 8/8.1 Core. (Can also be upgraded to Windows 10 Pro and Enterprise)
• Windows 10 Pro — For PCs running Windows 7 Professional and Ultimate, Windows 8/8.1 Pro
• Windows 10 Enterprise — For volume license customers with active Software Assurance running Windows 7/8/8.1 Enterprise
• Windows 10 Mobile — For Windows Phone 8.1

Most users will only see Windows 10 Home and Pro for desktop PCs and Tablets. Microsoft has not revealed all the details about pricing for Windows 10 yet, but it was announced earlier in 2015 that Windows 10 will be free for the first year to all Windows 7, Windows 8.1 and Phone 8.1 users.

For the first time, Microsoft will make it possible for managed IT environments to upgrade factory preinstalled OEM licenses whether it is consumer or business editions) to volume license upgrades without formatting the device.

How much RAM does each edition of Windows 10 support?

Windows 10 Home 32 bit 4 GBs Windows 10 Home 64 bit 128 GBs Windows 10 Pro 32 bit 4 GBs Windows 10 Pro 64 bit 512 GBs Windows 10 Enterprise/Education 32 bit 4 GBs Windows 10 Enterprise/Education 64 bit 512 GBs

How much will Windows 10 cost if I need to perform a new installation on a PC without a qualifying license?

Retail pricing information:

Edition	Pricing
Windows 10 Home	US $119
Windows 10 Pro	US $199
Windows 10 Pro Pack	US $99

What are the official upgrade paths to Windows 10?

Microsoft revealed in a Channel 9 Video the official upgrade paths to Windows 10:

Windows XP and Windows Vista users will have to do a clean install from a .ISO, so will Windows 8.0 users.

Windows 10 update history

Windows 10, version 2004 and Windows Server, version 2004

Updates for Windows 10, version 2004 and Windows Server, version 2004

Windows 10 is a service, which means it gets better through periodic software updates.

The great news is you usually don’t have to do anything! If you have enabled automatic updates, new updates will automatically download and install whenever they’re available, so you don’t have to think about it.

On the left side of this page, you’ll find a list of all the updates released for this version of Windows. You can also find more information about releases and any known issues. Installing the most recent update ensures that you also get any previous updates you might have missed, including any important security fixes.

For more information about the update and how to get it, see:

Current status of Windows 10, version 2004 and Windows Server, version 2004

For the most up-to-date information about Known Issues for Windows and Windows Server, please go to the Windows release health dashboard.

Known issues

Certain Japanese half-width Katakana and full-width Katakana characters that have a consonant mark aren’t interpreted as the same character. When you use the CompareStringEx() function with the NORM_IGNOREWIDTH flag to compare them, these characters are evaluated as different because of an issue in the sorting rule . This issue affects all the updates starting on June 9, 2020 for Windows 10, version 2004.

Open the Command Prompt window ( cmd.exe) with elevated privileges.

Run “reg add HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Nls\Sorting\Versions /ve /d 0006020F /f”

Restart the computer or processes to see the full effect.

Important If you have not installed KB4586853or later on the computer, setting an invalid value in this registry might prevent the computer from starting up.

This workaround reverts the National Language Support (NLS) sorting rule to version 6.2, which is used in Windows 10, version 1909 and earlier. When sharing data between systems, consider applying the workaround consistently. If you use this workaround, conduct sufficient testing and evaluations to mitigate problems caused by different sorting rule versions on multiple systems.

Notes and messages

General

IMPORTANT Release notes are changing! To learn about the new URL, metadata updates, and more, see What’s next for Windows release notes.

IMPORTANT Starting in July 2020, we will resume non-security releases for Windows 10 and Windows Server, version 1809 and later. There is no change to the cumulative monthly security updates (also referred to as the «B» release or Update Tuesday release). For more information, see the blog post Resuming optional Windows 10 and Windows Server non-security monthly updates.

IMPORTANT Starting in July 2020, all Windows Updates will disable the RemoteFX vGPU feature because of a security vulnerability. For more information about the vulnerability, seeCVE-2020-1036 and KB4570006. After you install this update, attempts to start virtual machines (VM) that have RemoteFX vGPU enabled will fail, and messages such as the following will appear:

If you re-enable RemoteFX vGPU, a message similar to the following will appear:

“The virtual machine cannot be started because all the RemoteFX-capable GPUs are disabled in Hyper-V Manager.”

“The virtual machine cannot be started because the server has insufficient GPU resources.”

«We no longer support the RemoteFX 3D video adapter. If you are still using this adapter, you may become vulnerable to security risk. Learn more (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=2131976)”

Troubleshooting

If you have questions or need help activating or troubleshooting Windows, see our help topics below:

For information about how to update, see Update Windows 10.

If you have questions about manually installing or removing an update, see Windows Update: FAQ.

Getting an error message when updating? See Troubleshoot problems updating Windows 10.

If you need to activate Windows, see Activation in Windows 10. If you’re having trouble with activation, see Get help with Windows activation errors.

To get the latest major update to Windows 10, see Get the Windows 10 October 2020 Update.