Microsoft just halted all Windows 10 preview build updates — here's why

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This could mean that Microsoft is gearing up for Windows 11

Windows 10
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It seems that in an effort to prevent leaks, Microsoft has paused all Windows 10 preview build updates ahead of the Sun Valley event slated for June 24. Many fans and members of the press have effectively dubbed Sun Valley Windows 11, given how substantive the update is supposed to be. Plus, it's easier to refer to the update as Windows 11 as opposed to Windows 10 Sun Valley. 

At the moment, Microsoft will be releasing the latest cumulative updates (LCU), as opposed to preview builds, in what officials say is needed to address bugs in pre-release builds. This story, as reported by Windows Latest, claims this is being done to test the "servicing pipeline" to find bugs not only in the latest build, but in the systems used to send those updates to users. 

“There are differences in testing LCUs on top of LCUs for released versions of Windows 10 and then testing it, finding bugs, fixing bugs, on pre-release builds of Windows 10,” wrote Brandon LeBlanc, senior program manager at the Windows Insider program on Twitter. This was in response to another Twitter user who claimed that the pause was part of a greater scheme to keep Sun Valley under wraps.

According to Windows Latest, there won't be any new builds until June 24, which is when Sun Valley will be unveiled. It's likely that Microsoft is also taking this time to migrate everything over to the latest update. 

According to Microsoft, also reported by Windows Latest, Sun Valley will bring "radical" changes that would be a "reinvigorating" of the operating system first released back in 2015. 

“We are now on a multi-year journey to revolutionize the Windows UX platform by delivering best interactive experiences, showcasing cutting-edge hardware,” per a program manager job posting that's still live as of publishing. 

Program Manager job posting by Microsoft

(Image credit: Microsoft Careers)

Not much else is known as to what we can expect from this upcoming update. It will apparently upend the entire user experience, including everything from the settings page to the Start menu. It will also reportedly integrate elements of Microsoft's now defunct Windows 10X operating system, first developed as a lightweight alternative to take on Chrome OS. 

The "Windows 11" event is planned for June 24 at 11 a.m. ET/8 a.m. PT.

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Imad Khan
Imad Khan

Imad is currently Senior Google and Internet Culture reporter for CNET, but until recently was News Editor at Tom's Guide. Hailing from Texas, Imad started his journalism career in 2013 and has amassed bylines with the New York Times, the Washington Post, ESPN, Wired and Men's Health Magazine, among others. Outside of work, you can find him sitting blankly in front of a Word document trying desperately to write the first pages of a new book.