Microsoft makes Windows 10 21H1 available
Microsoft has started to distribute the 21H1 update, or May 2021 Update, from Windows 10. The company is making the update available in phases, but users can also download the ISO images.
The 21H1 update is the first of two major updates for Windows 10 this year, although the size of 21H1 is limited and hardly adds any new functionality. Microsoft reports the availability of Windows 10 21H1 on its Windows 10 Update page. The new update shares the release notes there with last year’s 20H2 and 2004 updates, as those versions are identical in terms of system files.
Users can download the update via Windows Update, the Media Creation Tool and the Update Assistant. For the time being, this will only be available via Windows Update after manually checking for updates and then only if the user has a system that already belongs to the first batch of compatible devices. Microsoft will be making Windows 10 21H1 available to more systems in stages over the next week.
The Windows 10 May 2021 Update can also be downloaded via Microsoft’s Update Assistant, for those who want to update immediately and do not want to wait for availability via the update tool integrated in Windows. The third option is to download the MediaCreationTool21H1.exe file via the Media Creation Tool from Microsoft’s download page and thus carry out the update. The ISO files can also be downloaded manually, Windows Latest describes.
Fixes and performance improvements
Windows 10 21H1 is a modest update that mainly revolves around fixes and performance improvements. By default, after the update is done, the OS will contain the Chromium-based Edge browser and the old version will no longer be available. Adobe Flash is also no longer part of the OS after the update.
Furthermore, the camera support for Windows Hello has been expanded. If there is both a built-in camera, from a laptop, and an external camera, the external camera is the default camera for Windows Hello and Windows Hello for Business. The services give priority to cameras with infrared and color sensors. Furthermore, the speed of Defender Application Guard would have been improved and the performance of Windows Management Instrumentation Group Policy Services has been improved.
21H2 should be released at the end of this year and this update promises to bring more features and changes to Windows 10. Among other things, Microsoft will make a large number of visual changes. The company is working on this under the project name Sun Valley.