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Hotpatch updates (public preview)

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Important

The information in section applies to Business premium, A3+, E3+ and F3 licenses. For more information, see Features and capabilities and Licenses and entitlements.

Important

This feature is in public preview. It is being actively developed and might not be complete. They're made available on a "Preview" basis. You can test and use these features in production environments and scenarios and provide feedback.

Hotpatch updates are Monthly B release security updates that can be installed without requiring you to restart the device. Hotpatch updates are designed to reduce downtime and disruptions. By minimizing the need to restart, these updates help ensure faster compliance, making it easier for organizations to maintain security while keeping workflows uninterrupted.

Key benefits

  • Hotpatch updates streamline the installation process and enhance compliance efficiency.
  • No changes are required to your existing update ring configurations. Your existing ring configurations are honored alongside Hotpatch policies.
  • The Hotpatch quality update report provides a per policy level view of the current update statuses for all devices that receive Hotpatch updates.

Operating system configuration prerequisites

To prepare a device to receive Hotpatch updates, configure the following operating system settings on the device. You must configure these settings for the device to be offered the Hotpatch update and to apply all Hotpatch updates.

Virtualization based security (VBS)

VBS must be turned on for a device to be offered Hotpatch updates. For information on how to set and detect if VBS is enabled, see Virtualization-based Security (VBS).

Arm 64 devices must disable compiled hybrid PE usage (CHPE) (Arm 64 CPU Only)

This requirement only applies to Arm 64 CPU devices when using Hotpatch updates. Hotpatch updates aren't compatible with servicing CHPE OS binaries located in the %SystemRoot%\SyChpe32 folder. To ensure all the Hotpatch updates are applied, you must set the CHPE disable flag and restart the device to disable CHPE usage. You only need to set this flag one time. The registry setting remains applied through updates. To disable CHPE, set the following registry key: Path: **HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management** Key value: **HotPatchRestrictions=1**

[!IMPORTANT:] This setting is required because it forces the operating system to use the emulation x86-only binaries insetad of CHPE binaries on Arm 64 devices. CHPE binaries include native Arm 64 code to improve performance, excluding the CHPE binaries might affect performance or compatibility. Be sure to test application compatibility and performance before rolling out Hotpatch updates widely on Arm 64 CPU based devices.

If you choose to no longer use Hotpatch updates, clear the CHPE disasble flag (HotPatchRestrictions=0) then restart the device to turn on CHPE usage.

Eligible devices

To benefit from Hotpatch updates, devices must meet the following prerequisites:

  • Operating System: Devices must be running Windows 11 24H2 or later.
  • VBS (Virtualization-based security): VBS must be enabled to ensure secure installation of Hotpatch updates.
  • Latest Baseline Release: Devices must be on the latest baseline release version to qualify for Hotpatch updates. Microsoft releases Baseline updates quarterly as standard cumulative updates. For more information on the latest schedule for these releases, see Release notes for Hotpatch.

Ineligible devices

Devices that don't meet one or more prerequisites automatically receive the Latest Cumulative Update (LCU) instead. Latest Cumulative Update (LCU) contains monthly updates that supersede the previous month's updates containing both security and nonsecurity releases.

LCUs requires you to restart the device, but the LCU ensures that the device remains fully secure and compliant.

Note

If devices aren't eligible for Hotpatch updates, these devices are offered the LCU. The LCU keeps your configured Update ring settings, it doesn't change the settings.

Release cycles

For more information about the release calendar for Hotpatch updates, see Release notes for Hotpatch.

  • Baseline Release Months: January, April, July, October
  • Hotpatch Release Months: February, March, May, June, August, September, November, December

Enroll devices to receive Hotpatch updates

Note

If you're using Autopatch groups and want your devices to receive Hotpatch updates, you must create a Hotpatch policy and assign devices to it. Turning on Hotpatch updates doesn't change the deferral setting applied to devices within an Autopatch group.

To enroll devices to receive Hotpatch updates:

  1. Go to the Intune admin center.
  2. Select Devices from the left navigation menu.
  3. Under the Manage updates section, select Windows updates.
  4. Go to the Quality updates tab.
  5. Select Create, and select Windows quality update policy (preview).
  6. Under the Basics section, enter a name for your new policy and select Next.
  7. Under the Settings section, set "When available, apply without restarting the device ("Hotpatch") to Allow. Then, select Next.
  8. Select the appropriate Scope tags or leave as Default and select Next.
  9. Assign the devices to the policy and select Next.
  10. Review the policy and select Create.

These steps ensure that targeted devices, which are eligible to receive Hotpatch updates, are configured properly. Ineligible devices are offered the latest cumulative updates (LCU).

Note

Turning on Hotpatch updates doesn't change the existing deadline-driven or scheduled install configurations on your managed devices. Deferral and active hour settings will still apply.