I've been searching for an answer to what seems like a fairly simple question, but I keep finding only answers to similar but unrelated questions.
What I want to know is: what versions of Windows can each version of the Windows ADK be used to deploy, and what versions of the Windows ADK can deploy each version of Windows?
More specifically, I want to know whether the "Windows 11" ADK releases can still be used to deploy Windows 10.
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/get-started/adk-install states that the Win10 2004 version of the ADK supports "Windows 10, version 2004, and later versions of Windows 10". Since it does not mention Windows 11, it is presumptively not compatible with Windows 11.
Similarly, that page also states that the 1903, 1809, 1803, 1709, 1703, and 1607 versions of the ADK can be used to deploy those versions of Windows 10. Since they do not mention any other versions, they presumably are not compatible with any newer or older versions than the ones listed.
That same page also links to the Win11 version of the ADK, and does not say anything about whether or not it is compatible with Windows 10. By the same principle as the 1607 through 1903 versions, since it does not mention any other versions, it is presumptively not compatible with those versions.
However, these are only presumptions; they are not explicitly stated, and the results which they would produce do not always seem as if they would be reasonable in practice. In particular, since it is often necessary to test and pilot and validate a new version of Windows before deploying it, it would seem necessary that each version of the ADK be compatible with deploying at least the single preceding Windows version as well - and possibly multiple previous versions.
Still, as that compatibility is not stated, it cannot safely be assumed without testing - and testing the ADK requires a non-production Configuration Manager environment to test it in, which is not something that is easily spun up for simple testing purposes.
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/mem/configmgr/core/plan-design/configs/support-for-windows-adk is primarily about what versions of the ADK are compatible with what versions of Configuration Manager. It has a note for people who are deploying both Windows 11 and Windows Server 2022, but says nothing about deploying both Windows 11 and Windows 10.
It seems reasonable to expect that the Windows 11 ADK will still be able to deploy Windows 10 - especially since otherwise, it would seem to be difficult for people to test, pilot, and validate Windows 11 while still operating in a production Windows 10 environment, and needing to continue to deploy Windows 10.
But I do not want to blindly move forward with an upgrade to the Windows 11 ADK, only to discover after it's too late that it's not compatible, and be stuck having to move ahead with a Windows 11 rollout before we're ready to do so.
Can I get an official statement, from anywhere, about at least that specific question?
Ideally, given the stated or implied version-compatibility requirements of the various ADK releases mentioned above, it would be nice to have a table indicating exactly what versions of Windows each ADK is compatible for deploying.
