When Is Windows 10 Version 2004 Supposed to Launch?

[tarekma7]

A new feature update for Windows 10 is projected to launch in the spring, as per Microsoft’s typical release schedule, and a few months ago, the company confirmed this one would be called “version 2004.”

The version number makes total sense given the fact it’s a direct indicator of the date when it was finalized. In the case of version 2004, the first two digits represent the year when it was signed off – so in 2020, while the other two stand for the month – the fourth month, so April.

The same system was used for the previous Windows 10 feature updates as well – Windows 10 version 1903, for instance, was finalized in March 2019.

Windows 10 version 2004 doesn’t yet have an official name, but depending on its time of launch, the update could be called “Windows 10 April 2020 Update” or “Windows 10 May 2020 Update.”

According to people familiar with the matter, the work on Windows 10 version 2004 was complete in December 2019, at which point Microsoft decided to use the remaining months until the update is signed off for last-minute polishing. So technically, the update is already ready for launch, but Microsoft just wants to spend more time fixing bugs and refining the overall experience to make sure everything is working correctly.

As per Microsoft’s typical release calendar, Windows 10 version 2004 should be ready in March or April, but judging from the version number, the latter is the month to witness the update being signed off. If this is the case, then Windows 10 version 2004 should be released to the first devices in April or May, which again aligns with Microsoft’s standard release schedule.

As it happens every time Microsoft rolls out a new feature update for Windows 10, version 2004 will go live for production devices in stages, which means that not everyone is getting it on day one. This is part of an approach that allows Microsoft to thoroughly test every feature update on a wider array of configurations and determine its reliability more efficiently – if any issue is discovered, the rollout for certain configurations is halted, thus making sure the impact is as limited as possible.

While we’re not going to discuss too much about the improvements coming in this update, Windows 10 version 2004 is without a doubt a highly-anticipated release, especially after Windows 10 version 1909, or November 2019 Update, was more or less just a service pack focused on under-the-hood refinements.

Windows 10 version 2004 will also come with new features, and this makes it the update to go for, especially if you’re running an older version of Windows 10.

Once Windows 10 version 2004 will go live for the first wave of production devices, Microsoft will also offer alternative download methods to allow customers to install it without waiting on Windows Update. These will include the dedicated ISO images and the Media Creation Tool, both of which will make it possible to create bootable media that can then be used to update a device to version 2004.

However, given that Microsoft uses the first weeks after the release to test the reliability of the update, and typically puts some upgrade blocks in place, turning to these methods isn’t necessarily recommended, as they could allow you to bypass these holds. This means you could end up running Windows 10 version 2004 despite your device not being ready for it, which in turn leads to various issues that eventually affect the experience with the update.

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