The Windows 11 22H2 update works through Microsoft’s Windows Insider test channels, and we expect it to be available on Windows 11 PCs sometime in the coming weeks or months. But Microsoft had almost nothing to say about the next major Windows 10 update other than the fact that the operating system will continue to receive annual updates in the near future.
And the Windows 10 22H2 update is actually already there for those who know how to install it. Neowin has published a list of commands that can be typed on the command line or in the Windows terminal to convert a fully updated Windows 10 21H2 installation to a 22H2 installation. The commands use Microsoft Deployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM) tool to make changes to the Windows installation and require that the optional update KB5014666 for Windows 10 be installed first.
The catch is that activating Windows 10 22H2 does not seem to do much more than increase the version number on the Windows About screen.
Advertising
The Windows 10 21H2 update was released shortly after the release of Windows 11 late last year, and while it included some user-friendly enhancements, it updated the Windows subsystem for Linux and added some features for Wi-Fi networks using WPA3 encryption. Such low-level improvements and supported features may be hidden beneath the quiet surface of Windows 10 22H2, and if so, Microsoft has yet to say anything about them.
It may seem strange that a simple reversal of a switch can “upgrade” Windows 10 21H2 to version 22H2, but it is not unprecedented. The Windows 10 1909 update was released via a similar “activation package” that increased the version number and allowed some new features and modifications that were inactive in Windows 10 1903.
New features or not, you will need to install Windows 10 22H2 at some point to continue receiving software updates, as Microsoft service expiration dates are reset with each annual release of Windows. Version 21H2 will be updated by mid-2023 or mid-2024, depending on whether you are using the Home / Pro or Enterprise versions, and Microsoft plans to update at least one version of Windows 10 by October 2025.
These updates will be important for many years of computer hardware that can run Windows 10 but lags behind the security requirements of Windows 11. Windows 11 may run unofficially on these systems, although Microsoft has threatened to stop security updates for unsupported computers at some point in the future.
