At one time, Windows 10 received two major updates annually, but for the next OS, the company announced a new strategy a year ago: Windows 11 was to receive only one update with new functionality. It was planned for the second half of the year and was supposed to be more significant than the previous “semi-annual” updates. But now Microsoft is changing its approach again.

From now on, Windows will receive a significant version update only once every three years — the next release will take place in 2024 (remember, Windows 11 was released in 2021). This means that the planned 2023 release, codenamed Sun Valley 3, has been canceled – but it’s not as bad as it seems.

Microsoft plans to release content updates during the three-year “pause”, and is preparing the ground for this in the first major update of Windows 11 22H2 (Sun Valley 2), which is expected in the fall. It will implement a tool with the working name Moments, which will allow the developer to “roll out” new functionality without the need to release a new version of the system.

Thanks to it, Microsoft plans to release much of the new functionality from the canceled Sun Valley 3 during 2023 — so not much will really change for the average user. As for the next big update to Windows 11, which is now expected in 2024, little is known about it. And taking into account such changes in the approach to development on the part of Microsoft, next year the company can change everything again.