Announcing the Annual Release Cadence for Microsoft Configuration Manager
Starting with version 2609, Microsoft Configuration Manager will transition to an annual release cadence. This change is a formalization of the direction we’ve communicated at events and in customer conversations. Microsoft Intune is the future of device management, and all new innovations will occur there. Configuration Manager will continue to serve your on-premises devices, with a renewed focus on security, stability, and long-term support. Why Move to an Annual Release Cadence? Historically, Configuration Manager followed a semi-annual release schedule. As the industry shifts toward cloud-native management, we’re aligning our release cycle to better support your long-term planning and operational stability. This annual cadence allows IT teams to: Plan upgrades with confidence - knowing when to expect new releases. Focus on stability and security - with each release prioritizing reliability over new features. Transition at your own pace - while Microsoft Intune receives all future investments and innovations. What Does This Mean for You? Here’s what you can expect from upcoming releases: 2509 (December 2025): Stability and quality updates, including ARM64 support. 2603 (March 2026): Enhanced security aligned with the Microsoft Secure Future Initiative 2609 (September 2026): The first annual release under the new cadence. 2709 (September 2027): Future-focused release (details to be determined). Focus on Security and Stability Annual releases will align with the Windows client security and stability cadence (H2). Our top priority is to maintain a secure, reliable Configuration Manager experience. This means: Applying critical updates and patches as needed. Providing hotfix rollups only when absolutely necessary (e.g., for critical security or functionality issues). Continuing to support existing environments, with advance notice for any feature deprecations. Support Lifecycle The support lifecycle remains unchanged; each version receives 18 months of support from its release date. Here’s a quick reference, but you should always refer to the lifecycle management chart here: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/lifecycle/products/microsoft-configuration-manager Version Support Start Support End 2403 April 22, 2024 October 22, 2025 2409 December 4, 2024 June 6, 2026 2503 March 31, 2025 September 30, 2026 2509 December 2025 June 2027 Frequently Asked Questions Q: Is this a new direction for Configuration Manager? A: No. While we’ve discussed this shift publicly for some time, this is the first time we’re formally documenting it. The only “new” aspect is the official annual cadence and the clarity it brings to your planning. Q: Will there be hotfixes or out-of-band updates? A: Only if absolutely necessary - such as for critical security or functionality issues. Otherwise, updates will be bundled into the annual release. Q: What about support for existing environments? A: We remain committed to supporting your Configuration Manager environments. Any changes or deprecations will be communicated well in advance. Looking Ahead This annual release cadence is designed to give you predictability, stability, and the confidence to plan for the future. As you consider your long-term device management strategy, remember that Microsoft Intune is where all new innovation happens. Whether you’re getting started with Intune or currently using Configuration Manager, Microsoft provides clear guidance to help you modernize at your own pace. Explore the Intune deployment guide to set up or move to Intune, and see the section on using Configuration Manager for co-management or a phased transition. We’re here to support your journey - wherever you are on the path to cloud-native Windows. If you have any questions, leave a comment on this post or reach out on X @MSConfigMgrTeamUpdate 2403 for Microsoft Configuration Manager current branch is now available.
Update 2403 for Configuration Manager current branch is available as an in-console update. Apply this update on sites that run version 2211 or later. When installing a new site, it will also be available as a baseline version soon after general availability. This article summarizes the changes and new features in Configuration Manager, version 2403. Site infrastructure Microsoft Azure Active Directory rebranded to Microsoft Entra ID Starting Configuration Manager version 2403, Microsoft Azure Active Directory is renamed to Microsoft Entra ID within Configuration Manager. Automated diagnostic Dashboard for Software Update Issues A new dashboard is added to the console under monitoring workspace, which shows the diagnosis of the software update issues in your environment this feature can easily identify any issues related to software updates. You can fix software update issues based on troubleshooting documentations. Special credit to Shankar Subramanian and Smita Jadhav for their details and troubleshooting notes. For more information, see Software update health dashboard. Introducing centralized search box: Effortlessly find what you need in the console! Users can now use the global search box in CM console, which streamlines the search experience and centralizes access to information. This feature enhances the overall usability, productivity and effectiveness of CM. Users no longer need to navigate through multiple nodes or sections/ folders to find information they require, saving valuable time and effort. For more information, see Improvements to console search. Added Folder support for Scripts node in Software Library You can now organize scripts by using folders. This change allows for better categorization and management of scripts. Full Administrator and Operations Administrator roles can manage the folders. For more information, see Folder support for scripts. HTTPS or Enhanced HTTP should be enabled for client communication from this version of Configuration Manager HTTP-only communication is deprecated, and support is removed from this version of Configuration Manager. Enable HTTPS or Enhanced HTTP for client communication. For more information, see Enable site system roles for HTTPS or Enhanced HTTP. and Deprecated features Windows Server 2012/2012 R2 operating system site system roles are not supported from this version of Configuration Manager Starting 2403, Windows Server 2012/2012 R2 operating system site system roles aren't supported in any CB releases. Clients with extended support (ESU) will continue to support. For more information, see Supported-operating-systems-for-site-system-servers. Resource access profiles and deployments will block Configuration manager upgrade Any configured Resource access profiles and deployments block Configuration manager upgrade. Consider deleting them and moving the co-management workload for Resource Access (if co-managed) to Intune. For more information, see FAQ and Resource access policies are no longer supported. Software updates New parameter SoftwareUpdateO365Language is added to Save-CMSoftwareUpdate cmdlet A new parameter SoftwareUpdateO365Language is now added to PowerShell Save-CMSoftwareUpdate cmdlet. Customers now don't have to check a specific language in the SUP Properties (causing a metadata download for that language for all updates). PowerShell Commandlet: Save-CMSoftwareUpdate – SoftwareUpdateO365Language <language name> (<region name>)" Note Languages need to be in O365 format to be consistent with Admin Console UI. E.g. "Hungarian (Hungary)". OS deployment Support for ARM 64 Operating System Deployment Configuration Manager operating system deployment support is now added on Windows 11 ARM 64 devices. Currently Importing and customizing Arm 64 boot images, Wipe and load TS, Media creation TS, WDS PXE for Arm 64 and CMPivot is supported. Enhancement in Deploying Software Packages with Dynamic Variables Administrators while deploying the "Install Software Package" via Dynamic variable with "Continue on error" unchecked to clients, will not be notified with task sequence failures even if package versions on the distribution point are updated. For more information, see Options for Install Application. Cloud-attached management Upgrade to CM 2403 is blocked if CMG V1 is running as a cloud service (classic) The option to upgrade Configuration Manager 2403 is blocked if you're running cloud management gateway V1 (CMG) as a cloud service (classic). All CMG deployments should use a virtual machine scale set. For more information, see Check for a cloud management gateway (CMG) as a cloud service (classic). Deprecated features Learn about support changes before they're implemented in removed and deprecated items. System Center Update Publisher (SCUP) and integration with ConfigMgr planned end of support Jan 2024. For more information, see Removed and deprecated features for Configuration Manager. Other updates Improvements to BitLocker This release includes the following improvements to BitLocker: Starting in this release, this feature ensures proper verification of key escrow and prevents message drops. We now validate whether the key is successfully escrowed to the database, and only on successful escrow we add the key protector. This feature now prevents a potential data loss scenario where BitLocker is protecting the volumes with keys that are never backed up to the database, in any failures to escrow happens. For more information on BitLocker management, see Deploy BitLocker management. and Plan for BitLocker management.. From this version of Configuration Manager, the Windows 11 readiness dashboard shows charts for Windows 23H2. Defender Exploit Guards policy for controlled folder now accepts regex in the file path for apps. For example, [C:\Folder\Subfolder\app?.exe] [C:\Folder1\Sub*Name] Next steps At this time, version 2403 is released for slow ring (all in console update), Baseline will be updated in portal soon. Thank you, The Configuration Manager team Additional resources: What’s New in Configuration Manager Documentation for Configuration Manager Microsoft Configuration Manager announcement Microsoft Configuration Manager vision statement Evaluate Configuration Manager in a lab Upgrade to Configuration Manager Configuration Manager Forums Configuration Manager Support Report an issue Provide suggestionsCloud Attach Your Future - Part II - "The Big 3"
When the global pandemic started, we were all thrust into the new (and very lightly explored) area of managing devices remotely 100% of the time. Of course, everyone rushed to their VPN solution only to uncover new obstacles and even more significant challenges which they had never anticipated. As I talk to customers and I listen to how their management of the Windows estate has changed, I am always surprised by the lack of the "Big 3": Cloud management gateway (CMG) Tenant attach Co-management These are the essential features that you need NOW as you continue to modernize and streamline your management solution.Microsoft Configuration Manager 2309 - Press release
This article provides information about Microsoft Configuration Manager 2309 release. To learn about the Configuration Manager, see Microsoft Configuration Manager FAQ. Microsoft Configuration Manager 2309 release is planned for October 2023. With this release we are bringing in new features and additional enhancements to the existing feature set. Configuration Manager 2305 Technical Preview had new enhancements, likewise, 2307 Technical Preview will bring additional capabilities to customers. Here is the list of features that are being introduced during Configuration Manager 2307 TP and 2309 Current Branch focusing on key customer value/asks and delivering high quality product updates. Some of the key additions are 1) Operating system deployment support for Windows 23H2; 2) Customers can perform Windows 11 edition upgrade like they did for Windows 10 edition upgrade from Professional to Enterprise Operating System; 3) a Windows 11 readiness dashboard for administrators or management to decide on how many devices are ready to upgrade to latest Windows 11 operating system, 4) Script runtime can be scheduled with simple steps, and customers can schedule the scripts to run on a particular time from the Primary Site time zone 5) Unified Service Orchestrator (USO) integration with Configuration Manager provides native windows update reboot experience( pre-release feature), and 6) Improvements in external notifications (Console Connectors). Furthermore we added critical customer asks such as, 1) Operating Systems Deployment (OSD) Preferred MP options which enables IT admins to choose a preferred Management point for PXE boot scenario; 2) Task Execution Status messages can now be deleted from primary servers which are older than 30 days, or any configured number of days; 3) CMG creation using third party app via console or PowerShell instead of the first party app; 4) Attack Surface Reduction (ASR) capability now marks server SKU as compliant only after enforcement is completed successfully; 5) Enable BitLocker through provisionTS task sequence option available on CM console to save the recovery key on CM database; 6) Client certificate state in console (self-signed) will now match state in control panel (PKI) applet; 7) Discrepancy in App Summarization report in console is corrected; 😎 Synchronization of collection memberships to Azure AD groups now optimized to show the entire set of members; 9) Patch downloader log size increased for troubleshooting purposes. We value your feedback on the upcoming functionalities to be released as it will contribute greatly to the enhancement of the product. Thanks, The Configuration Manager team Additional resources: What’s New in Configuration Manager Documentation for Configuration Manager Microsoft Configuration Manager announcement Microsoft Configuration Manager vision statement Evaluate Configuration Manager in a lab Upgrade to Configuration Manager Configuration Manager Forums Configuration Manager Support Report an issue Provide suggestionsUpdate 2303 for Microsoft Configuration Manager current branch is now available.
Microsoft Configuration Manager product branding Starting with Configuration Manager version 2303 Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager is now Microsoft Configuration Manager. Microsoft Configuration Manager is an integrated solution for managing all your devices. Microsoft brings together Configuration Manager and Intune, without a complex migration, and with simplified licensing. Continue to use your existing Configuration Manager investments, while taking advantage of the power of the Microsoft cloud at your own pace. Cloud-attached management Improvements to Cloud Sync (Collections to Azure Active Directory Group Synchronization) feature Starting with Configuration Manager version 2303 collection member sync status (Success, In Progress, Failed - with reason for failure) is available in the Collection Cloud Sync dashboard for the chosen collection on the bottom pane. Earlier with Configuration Manager version 2211, the scalability of this feature has been improved with better throttling and error handling. Additionally, dedicated dashboards for user collections and device collections are added in Monitoring workspace to show Cloud Sync status. The dashboard displays the Cloud Sync status per collection with the mapped Azure AD group, total member count, synced member count, status (success, failed, in progress) and last sync details. For more information, see Synchronize collections to Azure Active Directory Group. Endpoint Security reports in Intune admin center for Tenant Attached devices Starting with Configuration Manager version 2303, you can now opt for Endpoint Security reports in Intune admin center for tenant attached devices. Once you opt in, Unhealthy endpoints and Active malware operational reports under Endpoint security node in Intune admin center will start showing data from tenant attached devices. Also, Antivirus agent status and Detected malware organizational reports under Microsoft Defender Antivirus in Reports section will show data from tenant attached devices. For more information, see Tenant attach - Create and deploy Antivirus policies from the admin center. Site infrastructure Authorization failure message in admin service now shown in Status message viewer We have introduced audit messages about authorization failure in admin service. You can now view request details and status messages. These messages are shown in “All Status Message” at “Status Message Queries” in “Monitoring” ribbon. Previously these failures were logged in log files. With the new audit messages, we intend to avoid the inconvenience of log files rollback. Details about the user, resource access attempts and the number of attempts for all the authorized requests made by user in a day will now be available. We are also auditing read operations for HTTPS requests and for cloud-initiated operations. This helps admins to scope permission and roles of users while also determining if there are any malicious users. All unauthorized requests are aggregated for 24 hours before being sent to the status message viewer. For more information, see Administration Service documentation. SQL Server 2022 version support added for Configuration Manager Starting with 2303, support is added for SQL server 2022 RTM version. You can use this version of SQL Server for the following sites: A central administration site A primary site A secondary site The following table identifies the recommended compatibility levels for Configuration Manager site databases: SQL Server version Supported compatibility levels Recommended level SQL Server 2022 150, 140, 130, 120, 110 150 For more information, see support-for-sql-server-versions. Software updates Unified update platform (UUP) GA release The Unified Update Platform (UUP) servicing is finally here for all Windows 11, version 22H2 updates delivered via Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) and Configuration Manager! Starting March 28, on-premises Windows 11, version 22H2 devices will receive quality updates via the Unified Update Platform (UUP). For more information, see What’s UUP? New update style!. The Unified Update Platform (UUP) is a single publishing, hosting, scan, and download model for OS quality and feature updates. It offers improved delivery technologies in response to IT admin requests for more seamless updates, more control over installation time, more battery life, and lighter download size. Note: A one-time 10-GB download to distribution points with your first UUP update. UUP is becoming the default and only way to download quality updates. This means that you should plan for an extra 10GB download to distribution points (not endpoint clients) with the March 28th update. That's a one-time 10GB download for updates for Windows 11, version 22H2 per architecture (AMD64 and ARM64). Let's look at the key benefits, version requirements. Quality updates for Windows 11 22H2 and above Quality updates with the UUP continue to be cumulative and include all released Windows quality and security fixes. All of these new capabilities are brought to you by UUP on premises! If interested in learning more about these improvements, read Faster, Smaller. Windows 11, version 22H2 update fundamentals. UUP on premises unlocks some amazing benefits going forward: Up to 30% smaller client downloads for monthly quality updates Cumulative update integration with feature updates (i.e., get current in one reboot) Seamless retention of installed language packs and optional features on demand (FODs) during feature updates Reduced client downloads for feature updates (i.e., inbox app downloads are conditional) Automatic OS healing during the update process1 that requires no action from the enterprise admins End-user acquisition of language packs and FODs Note: To receive quality updates on Windows 11, we recommend that the latest security updates be installed on your devices. Minimally, devices should be updated through Windows 11 22H2. To take advantage of UUP on premises, you must be using a supported platform: Recommended version: 2203 Configuration Manager Current Branch and above Enable Software Update on client’s settings to Yes. For Client Operating Systems that can support delta download (Win 10 Version 10.0.16299 or up), delta download endpoint will always get turned on regardless of the Client Agent Settings, and the port number will be honored even if Delta downloads not enabled. If Delta Download disabled, only UUP update will do delta download, all other updates, regardless of if express or not, will all do full file download. If Delta Download enabled, all updates will go with delta download code path regardless of if express or not, unless the only DP available is cloud DP. Any supported versions of Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) Note If you're a WSUS Standalone admin, please apply the upcoming February and March updates promptly to ensure your readiness! And if you haven't yet, learn about Adding file types for Unified Update Platform on premises . Known issue: On newly installed CM client, Delta Download delays to start on. Patchdownloader.log shows incorrect download percentage. WSUS Servers running on server 2022, 2019 or 2016 likely to break after Feb 2023 LCU if custom mime types are added at a subsite level in IIS. Update to the default value of supersedence age in months for software updates With Unified Update Platform (UUP) general availability release, the feature update and non-feature update supersedence should be greater than 3. For new software update role installations, we're updating this to 6, existing customers can review and update to 6. Update to the default value of supersedence age in months for software updates. Known issue: Update to the default value of supersedence age in months for software updates will not impact existing configurations. Removing SUP role in Admin Console does not reset the supersedence age property in WMI. As a result, while reconfiguring the role, the previously configured value is shown in the configuration window. Enable Windows features introduced via Windows servicing that are off by default The Commercial control for continuous innovation in Windows is now integrated with Configuration Manager 2303 release. Commercial control for continuous innovation (Windows 11) For more information, see client settings in Configuration Manager Configuration Manager console Dark theme extended to delete secondary site wizard The Configuration Manager console now extends the dark theme for the delete secondary site wizard. This wizard will also have a new look for the normal theme. This is part of the ongoing effort to make dark theme and overall admin console experience better. To use the theme, select the arrow from the top left of the ribbon, then choose the Switch console theme. Select Switch console theme again to return to the light theme. For more information, see Dark theme for the console. Deprecated features Removed Community hub service and integration with ConfigMgr Removed Community Hub configuration from Hierarchy settings and Community Hub service integration. Learn about support changes before they're implemented in removed and deprecated items. Other updates Maintenance window schedules Offset for recurring monthly maintenance window schedules. Based upon your feedback, you can now offset monthly maintenance window schedules to better align deployments with the release of monthly security updates. For example, using a maximum offset of seven days after the second Tuesday of the month, sets the maintenance window for next Monday. Removing Microsoft Store for Business and Education new config capability As part of Microsoft Store for Business deprecation, we are making these changes to the customer experience with using this feature: Removing a user's ability to create new Microsoft Store for Business in Configuration Manager. Display a warning message box when user triggers a sync from Microsoft Store for Business. Display a warning in the Create Application Wizard when user attempts to create a new app from Store license information. For more information, see removed and deprecated items. For more details and to view the full list of new features in this update, check out our What’s new in version 2303 of Microsoft Configuration Manager documentation. For assistance with the upgrade process, please post your questions in the Site and Client Deployment forum. Send us your Configuration Manager feedback through Feedback in the Configuration Manager console. Continue to share and vote on ideas about new features in Configuration Manager. Thank you, The Configuration Manager team Additional resources: What’s New in Configuration Manager Documentation for Configuration Manager Microsoft Configuration Manager announcement Microsoft Configuration Manager vision statement Evaluate Configuration Manager in a lab Upgrade to Configuration Manager Configuration Manager Forums Configuration Manager Support Report an issue Provide suggestionsUpdate 2207 for Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager current branch is now available
We are delighted to announce Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager release 2207. This release includes several feature enhancements and updates, including key enhancements to manage security settings, hybrid workspace, and simplifying the admin persona.System Center 2012 Configuration Manager is Approaching End of Support
On July 12, 2022, System Center 2012 Configuration Manager and System Center 2012 Endpoint Protection will reach end of support. We recommend that you upgrade your Configuration Manager 2012 and Endpoint Protection 2012 infrastructure as soon as possible to the latest version of Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager.Video Tutorial: Endpoint Protection Part 8 - Windows Defender Application Control (WDAC) Policies
Hello everyone, here is part 8 of a series focusing on Endpoint Protection integration with Configuration Manager. This tutorial focuses on how Configuration Manager integrates with Windows Defender Application Control and how it can be used to enforce Windows Defender Application Control settings.Video Tutorial: Endpoint Protection Part 7 - Windows Defender Application Guard policies
Hello everyone, here is part 7 of a series focusing on Endpoint Protection integration with Configuration Manager. This tutorial focuses on how Configuration Manager integrates with Windows Defender Application Guard and how it can be used to enforce Windows Defender Application Guard settings.
