Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise offers three production update channels for you to choose from: Current Channel, Monthly Enterprise Channel and Semi-Annual Enterprise Channel. The channel(s) you choose to support in your environment will determine the update frequency, features, and support duration between versions. There are a number of ways for you to manage these updates, including our latest addition: Servicing Profiles.
Today, we are pleased to announce an update for Microsoft 365 Apps that will improve update manageability in Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager. Up until now the use of Automatic Deployment Rules (ADR) with Microsoft 365 Apps has been a challenge to manage, depending on the update channel(s) you support. Starting in late June, all future updates for Microsoft 365 Apps, including 2019 and 2021 volume license products, will receive an updated naming convention via the Title property. With this change you will be able to utilize the Title property within the search criteria of your ADR definition to easily target the necessary updates for your environment. This improvement should eliminate the need for IT admins to continually update their search criteria with each new release.
Overview
The updated Title property in the update catalog for Microsoft 365 Apps will include the following changes:
- The release type will be included in the title, enabling you to easily specify which update you want to select without needing to include the specific version.
- The Version number and architecture values have traded places.
Adding release type to the Title property should help simplify update management with your ADRs. If we look at the update history for Microsoft 365 Apps, there are three different release types:
- Feature Update. This is the first release of the most recent fork. Feature updates will include new features, along with security and non-security updates.
- Quality Update. These are subsequent releases of the most recent fork. Quality updates will include security and non-security updates.
- Extended Quality Update. These are subsequent releases of the previous fork. Extended quality updates will include security and non-security updates.
A closer look at the upcoming changes
Refer to the following list of updates to illustrate what the upcoming changes look like on release:
Note that this list of updates is for demonstration purposes only and that the announced changes will apply starting in late June.
Before - Channel Name, Release Version, Architecture, Build.Version
Microsoft 365 Apps Update - Current Channel Version 2104 for x64 based Edition (Build 13929.20386)
Microsoft 365 Apps Update - Current Channel Version 2104 for x64 based Edition (Build 13929.20372)
Microsoft 365 Apps Update - Monthly Enterprise Channel Version 2103 for x64 based Edition (Build 13901.20516)
Microsoft 365 Apps Update - Monthly Enterprise Channel Version 2102 for x64 based Edition (Build 13801.20638)
Microsoft 365 Apps Update - Semi-Annual Enterprise Channel Version 2008 for x64 based Edition (Build 13127.21064)
Microsoft 365 Apps Update - Semi-Annual Enterprise Channel Version 2008 for x64 based Edition (Build 13127.21624)
Microsoft 365 Apps Update - Semi-Annual Enterprise Channel Version 2002 for x64 based Edition (Build 12527.21912)
After - Channel Name, Release Type, Architecture, Release Version, Build.Version
Microsoft 365 Apps Update - Current Channel Feature Update for x64 based Edition Version 2104 (Build 13929.20386)
Microsoft 365 Apps Update - Current Channel Quality Update for x64 based Edition Version 2104 (Build 13929.20372)
Microsoft 365 Apps Update - Monthly Enterprise Channel Feature Update for x64 based Edition Version 2103 (Build 13901.20516)
Microsoft 365 Apps Update - Monthly Enterprise Channel Extended Quality Update for x64 based Edition Version 2102 (Build 13801.20638)
Microsoft 365 Apps Update - Semi-Annual Enterprise Channel Feature Update for x64 based Edition Version 2008 (Build 13127.21064)
Microsoft 365 Apps Update - Semi-Annual Enterprise Channel Quality Update for x64 based Edition Version 2008 (Build 13127.21624)
Microsoft 365 Apps Update - Semi-Annual Enterprise Channel Extended Quality Update for x64 based Edition Version 2002 (Build 12527.21912)
Updating your Automatic Deployment Rules
With Configuration Manager, one of the best ways to automate update management for Microsoft 365 Apps is through the use of Automatic Deployment Rules (ADR). This feature helps reduce administrative overhead by automatically selecting, downloading and deploying updates based on the criteria you define. If you have implemented Monthly Enterprise Channel or Semi-Annual Enterprise Channel for Microsoft 365 Apps, an ADR can be challenging to manage due to the fact that both channels have a minimum of 2 versions available at any given time.
The following examples will illustrate how to use the updated Title property to simplify your ADR rules.
ADR search criteria for Monthly Enterprise Channel
Monthly Enterprise Channel offers 2 releases: current and extended. You can leverage the release type value to select your desired update version. The screenshot below illustrates a set of search criteria that can be used to identify the current updates for Monthly Enterprise Channel by excluding the extended tag. If you require extended updates for this channel use the following value in the Title property: Monthly Enterprise Channel Extended.
The results from this search criteria will include the x86 and x64 non-extended updates for Monthly Enterprise Channel.
ADR search criteria for Semi-Annual Enterprise Channel
Semi-Annual Enterprise Channel offers 4 releases: preview, current and extended. You can leverage the release type value to select your desired update version. The screenshot below illustrates a set of search criteria that can be used to identify the current updates for Semi-Annual Enterprise Channel by excluding the preview and extended tags.
The results from this search criteria will include the x86 and x64 non-extended updates for Semi-Annual Enterprise Channel, along with monthly quality updates.
ADR search criteria for Semi-Annual Enterprise Channel Extended
If you are on the current version of Semi-Annual Enterprise Channel and can maintain feature updates every 6 months, the search criteria outlined above will ensure devices update to the next version automatically without the need to update your ADR.
If you are on an extended version of Semi-Annual Enterprise Channel and need to remain on the extended release, you will need to update your ADR search criteria between the months of January-February and July-August as the updates reach end of life.
To select an alternate release type for Semi-Annual Enterprise Channel, update the Title property search criteria with a value from the following table:
|
Release |
ADR Search Criteria - Title Property |
|
Preview |
Semi-Annual Enterprise Channel (Preview) |
|
Quality |
Semi-Annual Enterprise Channel Quality |
|
Extended |
Semi-Annual Enterprise Channel Extended |
Other important callouts
Updates for Microsoft 365 Apps are cumulative and separated by update channel. Keep the following in mind when setting up your update deployments:
- Updates for Microsoft 365 Apps do not follow the same update timelines and behavior as Windows.
- If multiple updates for Microsoft 365 Apps are assigned to a device, the device will always try to install the latest update available for the update channel it is on. For example, if your devices are on an extended support version of Semi-Annual Enterprise Channel and your Software Update Group contains updates for Semi-Annual Enterprise Channel that are not labeled as 'extended', your devices will update to a non-extended version.
- If you are using Automatic Deployment Rules with Configuration Manager, use the 'Preview' feature on the search criteria page of the ADR to ensure you are only consuming the updates needed for your organization.
Watch
Additional Resources
For more information on the different update channels available for Microsoft 365 Apps, refer to the following articles:
- Overview of update channels for Microsoft 365 Apps - Deploy Office | Microsoft Docs
- Update history for Microsoft 365 Apps (listed by date) - Office release notes | Microsoft Docs
Change Log
05.14.2021 Initial Release
05.19.2021 Updated before/after examples for SAEC. There is only 1 "Feature Update" every 6 months.
09.18.2024 Updated guidance to distinguish the difference between updates for Microsoft 365 Apps and Windows
This blog post is brought to you by Bob Clements, a Senior Customer Engineer and “Office Ranger” at Microsoft. Feel free to share your questions and feedback in the comments below.
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