Windows updates can now expire

Microsoft recently enabled a new update expiration policy for Windows updates. Updates released for Windows may be marked as expired by the company now, and that means these updates will no longer be available through Windows updates, Microsoft’s update catalog, or other release channels.

Microsoft releases regular updates, cumulative updates, and feature updates for Windows regularly. Cumulative updates are released for all supported versions of Windows every month; Each cumulative update includes the fixes included in its predecessor.

The title of a support page for an expired update, for example, the support page for KB4540673, has EXPIRED added. Also, an “EXPIRY NOTICE” is added to the page at the top explaining what this means.

IMPORTANT As of 8/5/2021, this KB is no longer available on Windows Update, the Microsoft Update Catalog, or other release channels. We recommend that you update your devices to the latest security quality update.

In Windows Server Update Services, a new banner is displayed at the top that highlights if an update has expired.

Only cumulative updates according to Microsoft will expire. Security-only updates for Windows 7 SP1, Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2008 SP2, Windows Server 2012, and Windows Server 2012 SP2 client and server operating systems will not expire because they are “not cumulative and only keep one month of arrangements «. Microsoft notes that older packages also do not expire if a newer update package has a dependency that has not “been superseded by a newer package.”

The expiration policy is beneficial to users and administrators as it leads to “better performance, shorter scan times, a faster user experience, and a lower risk of deploying older updates that have been superseded by newer ones.” and safe ».

Microsoft is evaluating the expiration of published packages on a regular basis. The company did not disclose the expiration criteria, only that some older packages may not be marked expired, while the most recent updates for the same version of Windows are marked expired.

Are there any downsides to expiring updates? Expired updates will no longer be available, but if they are old enough, they shouldn’t affect anyone. Some benefits, including faster scan times, benefit many users and administrators.

On the other hand, expired updates are not offered through Windows updates for machines as other updates have already superseded them. Home users can download them from other sources, including Microsoft’s Update Catalog website, and install them on devices manually.

Now you: What is your view on this?

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