We recently moved to a co-managed setup and enabled Windows Autopatch. While reviewing our update ring, I noticed Microsoft recommends setting feature-update deferrals to zero and using separate feature update policies instead. However, those policies seem to offer fewer controls, with options mainly for when an update becomes available or mandatory, rather than the usual deadline and grace-period settings. For the Windows 11 26H2 rollout, should we let Autopatch handle the pilot and simply adjust its target groups, or should we use feature update policies with zero deferral in the update rings? How are others structuring this?
4 Answers
There are multiple feature update policy types. The multi-phase feature update policy provides more rollout controls than the basic option, so it may be a better fit if you want staged deployment rather than handing the entire rollout to Autopatch.
Keep the deadline and grace-period settings in the update ring, but set feature-update deferral to zero. Then use the feature update policy to control which Windows version devices are allowed to install. The policy determines the version, while the ring handles enforcement behavior.
If you’re using a feature update policy, set the feature-update deferral in the update ring to zero. Mixing deferrals from both the ring and the feature update policy can make the effective dates difficult to predict.
A cautious approach is to leave the current enterprise version in place while it remains supported, then pilot the new release with a small target group before expanding it. You can let Autopatch manage the staged rollout, but keep the version assignment and ring settings from overlapping.
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