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Does deferring an update causes it to be forcefully installd after the deferral period is exceeded?

Daniel Niccoli 196 Reputation points
2020-10-30T17:06:01.247+00:00

I am reading the blog post ('Simplified Windows Update settings for end users') and it is not clear to me how feature update deferral periods work.

She writes:

Deferrals work by allowing you to specify how many days after an update is released before it is offered to your device. For example, if you configure a feature update deferral of 365 days, you will be offered every feature update 365 days after it has been released.

Meaning, when I defer an update for 365 days, it's offered for installation on my device and I can decide whether to install it now, or later. Every feature update is supported for two years, so I have another year to install it, before installation is enforced by the operating system. It also means that after the first year, my computer is offered a feature update every 6 months, but I still can decide whether to take up the offer to install it, or just don't.

Then she writes:

However, given that we release Windows10 feature updates semi-annually, if you configure a feature update deferral of 365 days, your device will install a new feature update every six months, twice as often as an end user who has not configured any settings.

Why did she just jump from updates being offered to being installed? It doesn't make sense to me. Either deferrals change when they are offered to my computer, or the effectively set an installation date. What is it?

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  1. Adam J. Marshall 9,041 Reputation points MVP
    2020-10-30T17:28:54.467+00:00

    No - deferral means:

    If a feature update is released on October 20th, 2020, it will not be offered to the computer until the deferral time has lapsed. If you say 1 year, then October 20, 2021.

    Remember the old windows updates had a 'hide' option. This is equivalent to the 'hide' option, but with the automatic unhiding a set time later.

    1 person found this answer helpful.
  2. Adam J. Marshall 9,041 Reputation points MVP
    2020-10-30T18:04:30.507+00:00

    It's correct - point of reference

    1709 released Oct 2017 is delayed for 365 days (October 2018)
    1803 released April 2018 is delayed for 365 days (April 2019)
    1809 released October 2018 is delayed for 365 days (October 2019)
    1903 released May 2019 is delayed for 365 days (May 2020)
    1909 released October 2019 is delayed for 365 days (October 2020)

    etc.

    Notice, the client still sees updates every 6 months - just they are OLDER feature updates every 6 months, however they are "newer" than the current OS System build.

  3. Teemo Tang 11,366 Reputation points
    2020-11-02T06:57:36.897+00:00

    Yes, your understand is exact.
    About this article you mentioned, there are two points we can learn:

    1. When we defer feature updates, new Windows features won’t be offered, downloaded, or installed for a period of time that is greater than the deferral period set.
    2. After several months, Windows Update will automatically download the new feature update and install it. Microsoft will also stop producing security updates that can be installed on that old “build” of Windows, requiring you to install the feature update to keep getting security updates.
      As your post title said, the second point is forceful, once time is up, feature update will be downloaded and installed automatically, we no longer have a chance to determine whether download it.
      I guess the reason for this behavior is related to servicing timeline for a version. In general, servicing timeline of a feature update is 18 months from release date. After we defer it for 365 days, this feature update only have 6 months servicing timeline then end of support, so Windows forcibly install it and doesn’t give us option to choose.

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  4. abbodi86 3,866 Reputation points
    2020-11-04T03:23:51.98+00:00

    If you do not use Deferrals, Feature Updates are offered as Optional updates (given that you OS is updated to support this new section)

    once you set any deferrals, your are switched to Windows Update for Business, and Feature Updates will arrive as regular updates (i.e. to be installed directly) when the defer period is over

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