Windows 10's light desktop background.

The latest version of Windows 10 is the November 2021 Update, version "21H2," which was released on November 16, 2021. Microsoft will now release new major updates every year.

These major updates can have some fourth dimension to accomplish your PC since Microsoft and PC manufacturers do extensive testing before fully rolling them out. Let's accept a look at what's included in the latest version, how to find out what version you're running, and how yous tin skip the await and get the most contempo version if you don't already have it.

The Latest Version Is the November 2021 Update

The latest version of Windows 10 is the November 2021 Update. which was released on November 16, 2021. This update was codenamed "21H2" during its development process, as information technology was released in the 2d half of 2021. Its final build number is 19044.

Windows 10's November 2021 Update is a small update that focuses on problems fixes, but similar the May 2021 Update and October 2020 Update were before it. It does have a few other small changes, including compatibility with the "SAE Hash to Chemical element" security standard used by some wireless WPA3 networks and GPU compute support for the Windows Subsystem for Linux.

How to Check if You Take the Latest Version

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

Opening Windows 10's Settings app

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Head to Organisation > Nigh in the Settings window, and then scroll down toward the bottom to the "Windows Specifications" section.

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

Note: 21H2 is a smaller update, so the "Installed On" engagement may not be updated here and may show a engagement in 2020 instead of 2021. Residue assured that, if the Settings app says you'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 x version 20H2.

If you see a higher version number than 21H2 on your organisation, you're likely 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. Merely Microsoft doesn't offering new Windows updates to all PCs at in one case. Instead, Microsoft rolls them out slowly over time, after both Microsoft and the various PC manufacturers bank check to run across if they crusade bug with different hardware configurations. If your PC doesn't get the update, Microsoft isn't entirely confident it will work on your hardware just yet.

However, you tin override this and choose to install the update anyway. After all, y'all tin can always downgrade dorsum to your electric current version of Windows 10 if you have any problems, assuming you choose to exercise so inside x days after upgrading. There's some risk hither, simply y'all are even so installing a stable operating system update.

To install the update anyway, you can now head to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update and click the "Check for Updates" push. If a stable version of Windows 10 is available, Windows Update may offer to download and install it—even if it hasn't been rolled out to your PC yet. Look for a "Download and install at present" link below a notice about a "Feature Update" existence available for your PC.

Microsoft

You tin can as well visit Microsoft'due south Download Windows 10 page to update. Click the "Update now" push button to download the Update Banana tool, and so run the tool. It will upgrade your PC to the latest version of Windows ten—fifty-fifty if the update wasn't offered to you via Windows Update. The tool may still refuse to install the update if some bug demand to be fixed with your PC's configuration showtime. You can either wait or endeavor to troubleshoot the problem yourself.