Explore the update channels for Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise
One of the benefits of Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise is that Microsoft provides new and updated features for Office apps on a set schedule. Microsoft 365 Administrators can control how often the users in their organization get these new features by specifying the update channel.
Update channels provide not only new features on a monthly basis, but also security and nonsecurity updates. Nonsecurity updates provide fixes for known issues and provide stability or performance improvements for Office.
There are three primary update channels - Current, Monthly Enterprise, and Semi-Annual Enterprise. The following sections outline of these channels.
Current Channel
The Current Channel provides users with the newest Office features as soon as they're ready. Current Channel usually receives new features at least once a month. However, there's no set release schedule for those updates. Current Channel also receives other updates during the month, which include security and nonsecurity updates. Whiles there's also no set schedule for these updates, there are generally two or three releases each month, including one on the second Tuesday of the month.
There's a dedicated preview version of the Current Channel known as Current Channel (Preview). Microsoft recommends that organizations use Current Channel (Preview). This channel enables them to become familiar with the new features coming in the next feature release. There isn’t a set release schedule for Current Channel (Preview). In general, Microsoft releases a new version of Current Channel (Preview) with new features at least a week or more before releasing that new version to Current Channel. There may be several releases of Current Channel (Preview), with nonsecurity updates, before Microsoft releases that version to Current Channel.
Microsoft recommends deploying the features in the Current Channel (Preview) to a small, representative sample of users in an organization. Doing so helps identify any possible issues for the organization before it releases those new features more broadly to the users that have Current Channel. Current Channel (Preview) also enables organizations to identify any possible issues they want Microsoft to fix before it releases that version to Current Channel. Using Current Channel (Preview) can help reduce the number of nonsecurity updates needed for Current Channel.
Monthly Enterprise Channel
The Monthly Enterprise Channel provides users with new Office features each month. Microsoft recommends this channel if an organization only wants to receive one update per month on a predictable release schedule. Microsoft releases updates to the Monthly Enterprise Channel on the second Tuesday of the month. The features in the monthly update can include feature, security, and nonsecurity updates.
There's no dedicated preview channel for Monthly Enterprise Channel like there is for Current Channel. However, an organization can have a representative sample of its users download and start using the new version as soon as it becomes available on the Office CDN. This practice enables users to become familiar with the new features in a monthly feature release of the Monthly Enterprise Channel. After that, the new version can roll out to the rest of the organization over the course of several days. During that time, Office automatically becomes aware of the availability of a new version on the Office CDN.
Semi-Annual Enterprise Channel
Microsoft recommends the Semi-Annual Enterprise Channel for those select devices in an organization that need extensive testing before rolling out new Office features. For example, organizations may require testing to follow regulatory, governmental, or other business requirements. Organizations may also require testing when they can’t provide their users with new Office features on a more frequent basis than twice a year. Microsoft releases updates to the Semi-Annual Enterprise Channel on the second Tuesday of the month. In January and July, the monthly update can include feature, security, and nonsecurity updates. In other months, the update may include security and nonsecurity updates.
There's a dedicated preview channel for the Semi-Annual Enterprise Channel just like there is for the Current Channel. Microsoft recommends that organizations use the Semi-Annual Enterprise Channel (Preview) to become familiar with the new features coming in the next feature release of Semi-Annual Enterprise Channel. Microsoft releases new features to the Semi-Annual Enterprise Channel (Preview) twice a year, on the second Tuesday in March and September. This schedule provides the organization with four months before Microsoft releases those same new features in the Semi-Annual Enterprise Channel. The Semi-Annual Enterprise Channel (Preview) also receives, if needed, security and nonsecurity updates every month, on the second Tuesday of the month.
As with Current Channel (Preview), Microsoft recommends deploying the Semi-Annual Enterprise Channel (Preview) to a small, representative sample of users in the organization. Doing so helps identify any possible issues for the organization before Microsoft releases those new features more broadly to the users that have Semi-Annual Enterprise Channel.
There's a second reason why Microsoft encourages organizations to use the Semi-Annual Enterprise Channel (Preview). It allows them to identify any possible issues they want Microsoft to fix in the four months before it releases that version to the Semi-Annual Enterprise Channel. Once Microsoft releases a version to the Semi-Annual Enterprise Channel, the approval process for nonsecurity updates becomes even more rigorous.
Channel recommendations
Understanding the update channels is vital for Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise deployments. Creating targeted users for piloting new versions is an important part of ongoing version management in enterprise companies.
- Microsoft recommends Current Channel because it provides users with the newest Office features as soon as they're ready.
- Microsoft recommends Monthly Enterprise Channel if an organization needs more predictable scheduling as to when Microsoft releases new Office features each month.
- Microsoft recommends Semi-Annual Enterprise Channel when an organization has a select group of devices that require extensive testing before receiving new features.
These recommendations are based on typical business requirements. However, many organizations must take into account multiple factors that determine which update channel they should select for their deployment of Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise. These factors include:
- Network bandwidth usage
- End-user training and support
- Line-of-business applications
- Other organizational requirements
Configuring users for update channels
Microsoft 365 Administrators can select from the following methods for applying update channels to users:
Using the Microsoft 365 admin center. Navigate to the Organization settings page, and under the Services tab, select Office installation options. Select one of the following installation options:
- As soon as updates are ready (Current Channel)
- Once a month (Monthly Enterprise Channel)
- Every six months (Semi-Annual Enterprise Channel)
Microsoft recommends the Current Channel, or as soon as the updates are ready. If at any time an organization switches from every month to every six months, all users will lose any updates that are for a future release. There's no option for Deferred Channel within the Microsoft 365 admin center.
Using the Office Deployment Tool (Office 2016 version). With this method, organizations can edit the configuration.xml file to change the update channel to either Current, Monthly Enterprise, or Semi-Annual Enterprise. Different users can have different configuration.xml files to vary the release schedules per user.
Using Group Policy. The Office Administrative Template files include a configuration setting for how quickly the organization supplies updates to users. Once an organization downloads the Template files, it can create a Group Policy Object to specify the availability of the update channels to the user. You can find this setting in the following folder: Configuration\Administrative Templates\Microsoft Office 2016 (Machine)\Updates. The choices when enabling the Group Policy settings are Current, Monthly Enterprise, or Semi-Annual Enterprise.