Security News > 2021 > October > Microsoft: Old Windows updates now expire to improve speed, security
Installing updates is slower and their size gets incrementally bigger due to the long backlog caused by the two or more updates for each Windows platform released every month.
Microsoft increases Windows Update's overall performance by marking earlier updates for expiration as part of a regular evaluation process.
"Microsoft produces two to three updates per supported Windows platform monthly. Many of these updates are cumulative and include all earlier updates that have been published for that platform," said Christine Ahonen, a Program Manager at Microsoft.
"This KB is no longer available from Windows Update, the Microsoft Update Catalog, or other release channels," Microsoft says on the entries of expired updates.
Microsoft also announced last week that it redesigned cumulative updates in Windows 11 to allow users to install security and quality updates faster by removing reverse differentials from the cumulative update package and with the help of more efficient packaging.
"The cumulative update size in Windows 11 is approximately 40% smaller than the same set of quality and security updates would have been packaged for Windows 10," Microsoft said.
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