What are checkpoint cumulative updates?
Providing a basis for newer updates
Checkpoint cumulative updates are a way for Microsoft to reduce the size of update packages for PCs that already have the latest updates installed since the initial release of an operating system. You might think cumulative updates already address this since they’re differential, meaning that for each binary, the system checks what files have changed since the initial release and only installs the necessary files for your PC considering the updates that are already installed.
However, with the current system of cumulative updates, every change made to the package is added on top of the base release, for example, Windows 11 version 21H2 released back in 2021. That means these updates have kept getting bigger ever since that initial release, even if you don’t need most of those files anymore, because the update needs to be installable on PCs that may never have been updated since 2021.
With checkpoint cumulative updates, however, certain updates will be labeled as checkpoints, which means that those updates become the base for all subsequent cumulative updates. In layman’s terms, this means that the updates released after a checkpoint update will no longer contain all the files from cumulative updates released since the initial availability of the operating system. Instead, these updates will only contain the package files that have changed since the latest checkpoint update, making update packages that much smaller and faster to download and install.
How do checkpoint updates affect you?
You (probably) won’t have to do anything different
One big thing to note about checkpoint cumulative updates is that for most people, they don’t require any extra work on the user’s end. If you use Windows Update, Windows Update for Business, Windows Autopatch, or Windows Server Update Services, every monthly update will look just like a regular update up until this point. The only thing you may notice is that they’ll start being smaller when checkpoint updates exist, since each package will no longer need to contain changes that were made prior to the latest checkpoint update.
The differences only start showing up if you rely on the Microsoft Update Catalog to download and install your updates. In these cases, you may notice that the files available to download for a given update include a few extra packages. This is because the updates will include the previous checkpoint updates plus the package files for the changes since the latest checkpoint update. In this case, you can install each of the files sequentially using deployment tools, but if you already have the latest checkpoint, all you need to do is download the differential package, which will be significantly smaller than previous updates have been.
This even applies if you’re using a third-party tool for managing updates. If it relies on Windows Update as the source, then it will behave as a regular Windows cumulative update just as it always has.
Checkpoint updates benefit Microsoft’s current system of releasing new feature updates as well, because now it can “reset” cumulative updates whenever it releases a new feature update, resulting in smaller subsequent updates. In the past, because new feature updates often shared code with previous releases, the cumulative updates for both versions would grow that much more due to encompassing all the changes for both versions, even prior to the latest feature update. Now, updates can start fresh after a feature update.
Which versions of Windows will be affected?
Only Windows 11 version 24H2 will support checkpoint updates
Checkpoint cumulative updates are currently only available in preview through the Windows Insider Dev channel with the latest update. For the general public, checkpoint cumulative updates will only start appearing with Windows 11 version 24H2, which is going to be released later this year. Checkpoint cumulative updates will start appearing in late 2024.
If you have a previous version of Windows 11, or you’re still running Windows 10, you’ll continue receiving cumulative updates as you always have. Of course, you will eventually be pushed to upgrade to version 24H2, bringing this new type of update to everyone.
Checkpoint updates are good for everyone
Checkpoint cumulative updates create a sort of middle ground between having each update be its own individual patch and the cumulative updates we have today. Management becomes simpler than having to install dozens of updates as you might have had to do back in the days of Windows Vista or 7, but you also avoid the overly large package files that cumulative updates become over time. It’s aiming for a sweet spot of being manageable without resulting in very large updates, and that’s a good thing.
