May 2020 Update finally ready for all PCS

Microsoft has said that version 2004 of Windows 10, released in May 2020, is now stable enough to be installed on all computers.

It announced on 3 February that the 2004 Feature Update had reached the “broad deployment” phase. This means that Microsoft thinks it’s reliable enough for everyone to install, including organisations and businesses as well as home users.

If you’re still running version 1909 (released in November 2019), you’ll now be prompted to install 2004, unless Microsoft blocks it because it thinks your hardware isn’t powerful enough to handle it, or that it might clash with your computer’s settings. These blocks are commonly called ‘compatibility holds’ or ‘safeguard holds’.

Previously, to get version 2004 you had to click the ‘Check for updates’ button in the Windows Update section of Settings (see screenshot), or by installing it using Windows Update Assistant ( www.snipca.com/37296).

The decision doesn’t affect computers already running version 20H2, which was released in October 2020. The next update for these computers will be 21H1, reported to be coming in June.

It took over eight months for 2004 to reach broad deployment, which is the longest gap for any Windows 10 feature update, beating the six and a half months for version 1909. In previous years the gap averaged around four months.

Microsoft seems to have extended these periods because of the disastrous release of the October 2018 Update (1809), which had to be suspended following complaints that it was wiping files from computers. The company now appears to be waiting longer before approving the update for all machines, giving it enough time to fix any problems that may emerge.

However, delaying broad deployment also shortens the period you might be able to use the latest version before Microsoft stops supporting it. For example, it’s due to end support for 2004 on 14 December, 2021 – only 10 months after it was made available to all.

Microsoft has also reminded users that it will stop supporting version 1909 on 11 May, leaving them to decide between upgrading now to 2004, or waiting for 21H1.

Version 21H1 is expected to be a minor feature update, containing small fixes and improvements to existing tools. A more substantial update, possibly including a redesign of Windows 10, is expected in the autumn.