What you need to know
- Microsoft has announced the May 2021 Update.
- It will arrive in... well, May.
- There's really not much else to it.
Microsoft has today confirmed that the next Windows 10 feature update, known up until now as version 21H1, will begin rolling out in May. The update will be called the "May 2021 Update" and will be a very minor release featuring the ability to choose between multiple Windows Hello webcams and a couple of enterprise-focused additions.
As was the case with the last Windows 10 feature update, the May 2021 Update (version 21H1) will roll out as a cumulative style release to users running Windows 10 version 2004 and up. Version 21H1 features the following new changes:
- Windows Hello multicamera support to set the default as the external camera when both external and internal Windows Hello cameras are present.
- Windows Defender Application Guard performance improvements including optimizing document opening scenario times.
- Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) Group Policy Service (GPSVC) updating performance improvement to support remote work scenarios.
It's fair to say that 21H1 will be the smallest Windows 10 feature update to date, featuring no surface-level changes or new features for users to play with. All of the additions in 21H1 are more settings-based, which is fine, as users often complain when too many things change at once.
Microsoft is also introducing a new "news and interests" Taskbar widget to Windows 10 users this spring, however that feature is being backported to all Windows 10 versions down to 1909. So, even if you don't upgrade to 21H1, you will get the new Taskbar feature. That said, updating to 21H1 should expedite access to the new feature.
Windows Insiders can download the final 21H1 media now, and it will begin rolling out to users via Windows Update as an optional feature update over the coming weeks. Will you be updating to 21H1? Let us know in the comments.
