Windows 10's light desktop background.

The latest version of Windows 10 is the November 2021 Update, version "21H2," which was released on November xvi, 2021. Microsoft volition now release new major updates every yr.

These major updates can take some time to reach your PC since Microsoft and PC manufacturers do extensive testing before fully rolling them out. Let'due south take a look at what's included in the latest version, how to find out what version you're running, and how you can skip the wait and become the about recent version if y'all don't already have information technology.

The Latest Version Is the Nov 2021 Update

The latest version of Windows ten is the November 2021 Update. which was released on November 16, 2021. This update was codenamed "21H2" during its evolution process, as it was released in the 2nd half of 2021. Its final build number is 19044.

Windows x'southward November 2021 Update is a modest update that focuses on bug fixes, merely similar the May 2021 Update and October 2020 Update were earlier it. It does accept a few other small changes, including compatibility with the "SAE Hash to Element" security standard used by some wireless WPA3 networks and GPU compute support for the Windows Subsystem for Linux.

How to Check if You Have the Latest Version

To meet which version of Windows 10 you have, open your Start carte, and then click the gear-shaped "Settings" icon to open up the Settings app. You lot tin also fire up the app by pressing Windows+I.

Opening Windows 10's Settings app

RELATED: How to Detect Out Which Build and Version of Windows 10 You lot Have

Head to System > About in the Settings window, and then scroll down toward the lesser to the "Windows Specifications" department.

A version number of "21H2" indicates you're using the November 2021 Update. This is the latest version. If you come across a lower version number, you're using an older version.

Annotation: 21H2 is a smaller update, then the "Installed On" date may non be updated here and may show a date in 2020 instead of 2021. Rest assured that, if the Settings app says y'all're using version 21H2, you have the latest version.
Windows 10's Settings app showing version 20H2.
In the screenshot, the PC is running Windows 10 version 20H2.

If yous run into a college version number than 21H2 on your system, you lot're probable running an unstable Insider Preview version of Windows.

How to Update to the Latest Version

When Microsoft provides the update to your PC, it automatically installs itself. But Microsoft doesn't offer new Windows updates to all PCs at in one case. Instead, Microsoft rolls them out slowly over time, subsequently both Microsoft and the various PC manufacturers check to encounter if they cause problems with dissimilar hardware configurations. If your PC doesn't become the update, Microsoft isn't entirely confident it will piece of work on your hardware simply nonetheless.

Still, yous can override this and choose to install the update anyway. After all, you can always downgrade back to your current version of Windows 10 if yous accept whatsoever problems, assuming you choose to do then within ten days subsequently upgrading. There's some risk here, simply y'all are nonetheless installing a stable operating system update.

To install the update anyway, you tin now head to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update and click the "Check for Updates" push button. If a stable version of Windows x is bachelor, Windows Update may offer to download and install it—fifty-fifty if information technology hasn't been rolled out to your PC however. Await for a "Download and install at present" link below a detect about a "Characteristic Update" beingness available for your PC.

Microsoft

Yous tin can also visit Microsoft'southward Download Windows 10 page to update. Click the "Update now" push button to download the Update Assistant tool, and so run the tool. It will upgrade your PC to the latest version of Windows 10—even if the update wasn't offered to yous via Windows Update. The tool may still decline to install the update if some issues need to be fixed with your PC'south configuration first. You can either await or endeavor to troubleshoot the problem yourself.