Here we are continuing our month by month look back at the builds and updates released to Windows Insiders for the pre-release builds of Windows 10. 

This month we look back over the recently wrapped up month of November. This is now the fifth month we have done this review and you can compare this summary with the others we have published for October, September, August, and July.

As expected, November was a fairly standard month following the release of Windows 10 (Version 20H2) in October. Of note, Version 20H2 is the first Windows 10 update released which uses the same moniker for the development and final release versioning (20H2).

November also wrapped up without any shuffling of what pre-release builds are running in each #WindowsInsider channel. We will be watching to see if that happens this month before the big holiday stand down period hits Microsoft or if we will begin the new year seeing adjustments across those development channels.

Here is the November rundown for all three #WindowsInsider Channels.

#DevChannel

• Build 20251 – November 4, 2020
• Build 20257 – November 11, 2020
• Build 20262 – November 18, 2020
• Build 20262.1010 – November 20, 2020 (*)

(*) Released to test servicing pipeline

All these builds are from what Microsoft calls the Iron Branch (fe_release) instead of the pre-release branch as is the normal process. However, this is likely an opportunity to reset the pre_release branch in preparation for the continued development of Windows 10 vNext beginning in the new year.

Remember, Microsoft made it clear when they announced the new development channel scheme for #WindowsInsider pre-release builds – this channel is not tied to a specific upcoming release of Windows 10 but is a general test bed for potential new features for Windows 10 down the road.

Just like the channels below, all of these builds either ship fixes or were servicing pipeline tests.

#BetaChannel & #ReleasePreviewChannel

• Build 19042.630 – November 10, 2020
• Build 19042.631 – November 20, 2020
• Build 19042.662 – November 23, 2020

Just like in October, these updates continue to be the same for each development channel. They do not include any new features or functionality just bug fixes. All these updates get released into these two channels and then ultimately make their way to the production release of Windows 10 (Version 20H2).

What’s Next?

It is still a waiting game to see when Microsoft will shuffle these channels to their next development builds. Expect that #ReleasePreviewChannel will remain on Windows 10 (Version 20H2) to test upcoming cumulative updates for the production operating system.

The #BetaChannel will become the development channel for Windows 10 (Version 21H1) which is expected to be publicly available in April/May 2021.

For the #DevChannel, it should shift back to the pre_release branch soon and continue to be the advanced testing platform for potential updates and other enhancements for Windows 10 (Version vNext).

Look for these changes to potentially happen in the next couple of weeks before things wind down towards the end of the year.