In March, we announced that Microsoft Edge would be moving from a 6-week to a 4-week release cycle cadence to deliver more innovation to users and organizations, faster. For most users, this means receiving and enjoying our latest browser innovations on a more frequent basis. Organizations though might experience this change differently due to the complexities of testing, deployment, and maintenance. To more effectively serve organizations who may want a longer timeline, we will offer a new 8-week “Extended Stable” release cycle option (configurable by Group Policy) in addition to the regular 4-week “Stable” release cycle which will be the default beginning with Microsoft Edge 94.
“Extended Stable” is available starting with Microsoft Edge 94
Starting with Microsoft Edge 94, IT administrators will have the flexibility to select between different release cycle options for Microsoft Edge Stable: the 4-week “Stable” option or the 8-week “Extended Stable” option. This means there isn’t a new browser application to deploy to use the “Extended Stable” release option—organizations can just select the release cycle option that is right for them. It’s like setting a recurring update for the Microsoft Edge stable application where a cumulative set of features will be delivered to the browser based on the selected release cycle.
The 8-week “Extended Stable” release cycle option for Microsoft Edge Stable will deliver cumulative feature updates aligned with even-numbered releases beginning with Microsoft Edge 94; any feature updates from odd-numbered releases will be packaged up and delivered as part of the subsequent even-numbered release. For instance, if an organization selects the 8-week “Extended Stable” release cycle with Microsoft Edge 94, they will receive subsequent feature updates with Microsoft Edge 96, Microsoft Edge 98, and so on. While feature updates will be packaged and delivered with new version releases based on the selected release cycle, important security patches and fixes will be delivered as needed independent of the selected release option to help maintain browser security.
Note: The WebView2 Runtime will update following the 4-week “Stable” release cycle.
Opt-in and manage using Group Policy or Microsoft Endpoint Manager
IT administrators will be able to opt-in to the 8-week “Extended Stable” release cycle option for Microsoft Edge Stable by using the “TargetChannel” Group Policy and selecting the “Extended Stable” option (updated policy files will be available from the Microsoft Edge Business website with Microsoft Edge 94). If this policy is not set, Microsoft Edge will default to the 4-week “Stable” release cycle. Organizations using Microsoft Endpoint Manager will also be able to select the 8-week “Extended Stable” release option via Intune.
The Microsoft Edge browser updates automatically by default, and we recommend this as the best method to receive version releases, regardless of the release cycle option selected. With auto-updating, organizations can avoid the hassle of manually updating the Microsoft Edge application every 4 or 8 weeks, while exciting their users with the latest browser features as they’re released. For those organizations who prefer to manually update Microsoft Edge, packages will be found in the Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) catalog.
Support continues for current and recent versions of Microsoft Edge
With the transition from a 6-week release cycle to 4-week and 8-week release cycle options, we will also update our support policy. We will continue to support the latest major version release of Microsoft Edge “Stable”, along with the previous two “Stable” releases. We will also support the latest major version release of “Extended Stable” and the previous “Extended Stable” release to provide similar coverage.
| Release option | Major version release supported | Cumulative coverage |
| 4-week “Stable” | Latest, and previous two “Stable” releases (eg. 96, 95, 94) | 12 weeks |
| 8-week “Extended Stable” | Latest, and previous “Extended Stable” release (eg. 96, 94) | 16 weeks |
Note: For more information on Microsoft Edge support and servicing, please see our Microsoft Edge Support Lifecycle page.
Over the last year and a half, customers have been delighted by innovations in Microsoft Edge that have boosted performance and offered new ways to experience the web. We’re excited to serve our customers more effectively with these new release cycle options arriving with Microsoft Edge 94 in late September. For a closer look at the Microsoft Edge release schedule, please see our Docs article
Source: Windows Blog
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