I'm working on creating a new golden image for AVD deployment using Windows 11 multi-session 25h2. We've switched the Office suite from semi-annual to monthly channel for parts of the business, and while the change seems to stick in our live environment, I'm having issues with the new box. After installing the monthly channel via the Office Deployment Tool (ODT) with the XML configured for monthly, the installation goes smoothly. However, after applying updates, it inexplicably switches back to the semi-annual channel. I've checked Group Policies and Office 365 settings, but can't find any indication of what's causing this. All other devices in the same organizational unit (OU) are operating normally on the monthly channel. The gold image VM is a completely fresh setup, so I'm stumped on why it's not behaving like the others.
3 Answers
Have you looked for a banner in the M365 admin portal regarding active users? Sometimes those alerts can point out if there’s a policy affecting your installations or updates. It could provide some clues!
It sounds like you might have the semi-annual channel set as the default in your Microsoft 365 admin center. To check this, go to **Settings** > **Org settings** > **Services** and look for **Microsoft 365 Apps installation options**. Make sure the update channel is set to the one you want — you should have options like Current Channel, Monthly Enterprise Channel, and so on. Just a quick reminder to double-check this setting!
Thanks for the tip! I totally forgot about that setting in the admin center. I'll check it again.
Another thing to check is if there's a Microsoft Update Health Tools or an Office Deployment policy that's enforcing the semi-annual channel at a higher level like the tenant or update baseline. There could also be a servicing profile in your Microsoft 365 admin center that might be overriding your channel settings, so it's worth investigating those as well.
No, I didn't see any banner in the admin on the home page or user pages. That’s a good call, though. I’ll keep an eye out for anything!