The May 2021 Update, generally known as Windows 10 version 21H1, will no longer get security updates after this month’s Patch Tuesday. Cumulative updates with bug fixes, security patches, and other improvements will no longer be provided for all editions.
In May 2021, Microsoft released Windows 10 21H1. It was a tiny feature update with just two standout additions: enhanced performance for Windows Defender Application Guard (WDAG) and Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) Group Policy Service, as well as support for multiple cameras for Windows Hello (GPSVC). Regular consumers could not access any new features because Microsoft was busy getting Windows 11 ready for release.
Windows 10 21H1 received only 18 months of support, similar to all Windows releases in the first half of the year. Version 21H2, which replaced 21H1, will continue to receive security updates until June 13, 2023.
Not just Windows 10 21H1, but also other Windows versions, are retiring. Microsoft will soon stop providing Windows 7 with extended security updates, and Windows 8.1 will be discontinued. In January 2023, the Microsoft intends to stop supporting those two outdated versions of Windows.
Users of Windows 10 21H1 should upgrade to a more recent version of Windows 10 or switch to Windows 11, which has already gotten a lot of new features and enhancements. Windows 10 21H2 and 22H2 (with “a limited set” of productivity features) are here to save the day if you are not ready to accept Microsoft’s most recent operating systems with their contentious upgrades. They don’t provide any new features and don’t alter the hardware specifications, yet the upgrading simply takes a few minutes.
