Microsoft Releases Hotpatching for Windows 11 Updates

Microsoft has begun deploying the long-awaited hotpatch update for security updates in Windows 11 Enterprise 24H2 and Microsoft 365 Preview Builds. Once installed, users will be able to download and install security patches via Windows Updates without needing to restart their device for them to take effect. 🔄

Hotpatch updates are specific and provide a complete set of patches. security of the operating system. No additional features are included,» Microsoft explains. They are unique because they take effect immediately after installation without requiring a device restart, which helps ensure fast and focused protection. 🛡️

Hotpatch updates have been available in Windows Server 2022 Datacenter: Azure Edition since February 2022, and are now also available in Windows Server 2025. They are proving to be more than just a quality-of-life improvement, as they reduce system downtime caused by each required restart for apply security patches.

Hotpatching update the code in memory with the update, thus avoiding the need to reboot the system. This method also has other advantages, as mentioned Microsoft:

• Fewer binaries mean that updates install faster and consume less disk resources and CPU.
• Less impact on workload with less need to reboot the machine.
• Better protection, as Hotpatch update packages are geared towards security updates Windows, which install faster without requiring a reboot.
• Reduces time exposed to risks of security and change windows, as well as facilitating patch orchestration with Azure Update Manager.

Hotpatching is incredibly useful for commercial workloads, since hotpatching patches are security are required regularly, some more urgently than others. Thus, users no longer need to plan an update for a critical patch and coordinate a reboot for complex servers and clusters that use these operating systems. Microsoft also uses hotpatching for its clusters, such as the red from Xbox. 🎮

We inform that Microsoft I was testing hotpatching internally a few months ago, with the goal of deploying it to 22H2 and Arm64-based devices, which will be delayed for a full year.

There are limitations to hotpatching, as it only works for patches of security. This means that Cumulative Updates, which are rolled out during the first month of each quarter, will require a restart. It is worth noting that for Windows For Windows Server 2022 and 2025, hotpatching does not include non-security updates for Windows, .NET updates, or non-Windows patches such as firmware, driver, and software updates. software, which will likely be the case with Windows 11 Enterprise and Windows 365 as well.

The editions of Windows 11 Enterprise forms part of the Windows Enterprise subscription, which includes Enterprise E3, Enterprise E5, and Microsoft 365 Enterprise plans. Those who have subscribed to this plan will need a Windows 11 Pro license. Windows 11 Enterprise includes more features, such as Azure Virtual Desktop, Credential Guard, Direct Access, Universal Print, and others. The Pro and Enterprise versions are designed for business users but with specific purposes. 💼

One might expect that the hotpatching It will inevitably arrive in the Home and Pro editions of Windows, although hotpatching is more beneficial on systems with more complex deployments. Restarting each system after an update is impractical in many situations, as it involves downtime. ⏳