Forum Discussion
Microsoft Inventory Unsupported Builds
Recently we have begun using the Microsoft 365 Apps admin center to update our company's O365 Apps accounts. Some of the users added in the inventory have "Unsupported Builds". Further investigations into this topic have come up empty and I was wondering what these unsupported builds mean for the user as well as steps to take to get them running a build that is supported.
6 Replies
- manoth_msft
Microsoft
Depending on the update channel, version (e.g. 2103, 2208 and such) are falling out of support. Each channel has different support lifetimes, e.g. Current Channel is till next version is released (e.g. when 2304 is publishes, version 2303 becomes unsupported), Semi-Annual is for 14 months since initial release.
Unsupported means two things: a) those version to NOT get security updates and longer, so devices on unsupported versions are becoming a security risk. And b) the connection to the Microsoft 365 services is not supported, so users may experience issues (performance, reliability, connectivity, ...)
Check this doc & video for more details:
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/deployoffice/updates/overview-update-channels
https://youtu.be/eNn4PDkmo7s
You can check the update release overview for a quick overview of which versions are currently supported per channel: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/officeupdates/update-history-microsoft365-apps-by-date
Especially as unsupported versions are becoming an increasing security risk over time, we recommend to update those devices to a supported version. How do you manage updates today? Maybe switching to Servicing profiles is an option to automate update deployment? Doc & links to videos: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/deployoffice/fieldnotes/adopt-servicing-profiles- When you say unsupported version do not get security updates, is it the Windows 10 version or Microsoft Office version? So, how can we fix these unsupported version? We have around 124 devices that are showing as unsupported and I am not following should the versions be uninstalled and reinstalled or what needs to be done?
- manoth_msft
oryxway I'm referring to the Microsoft 365 Apps version. The inventory in the Microsoft 365 Apps admin center is reporting on Microsoft 365 Apps version support only, not Windows support.
If the devices in question are on Current Channel or Monthly Enterprise Channel, we would recommend to enable Cloud Update and let those/all devices updated automatically. So a step-by-step guide here: Enabling and configuring cloud update - Deploy Office | Microsoft Learn, the full documentation of Cloud updates is located here: Overview of cloud update in the Microsoft 365 Apps admin center - Deploy Office | Microsoft Learn.
If the unsupported version are from other channels, the required actions depend on your management solution (e.g. SCCM or Intune). In general it is not necessary to reinstall those devices, but rather make sure that those have a proper Microsoft 365 Apps update management applied, so devices will stay current in the long term.
