Windows 11 recently received a very important feature straight from its server counterpart: Windows Hotpatching. This feature is designed to minimize downtime and disruptions by allowing the operating system to install important security updates without restarts. Initially, Microsoft launched Windows Hotpatching for x64 devices with Intel and AMD processors on Windows 11 version 24H2. Now, hotpatching is available for Windows on ARM.
In the announcement post, Microsoft says that Windows Hotpatching offers multiple benefits for Windows 11 users. For example, security updates are applied immediately, and there is no need to wait for everyone to restart their systems. This approach significantly reduces the vulnerability window and allows IT admins to ensure everyone has the latest security update. In addition, hotpatching minimizes the number of times users are required to restart their systems. As such, no downtime and more productivity.
Other benefits include the ability to deploy smaller updates at a higher speed and control everything within the organization with Microsoft Intune and Windows Autopatch. Microsoft says that since its launch in April 2025, millions of devices have received hotpatch updates, and the company received "overwhelmingly positive feedback" about this feature.
Microsoft releases hotpatch updates every month. However, the process is not 100% from restarts and interruptions. Every three months, the company pushes a baseline update, which requires a system restart. After that, users can enjoy two months of no forced updates. This month, users get a new baseline update, with August and September scheduled to receive no-restart hotpatch updates. Note, though, that some updates might be released that still require a restart.
You can learn more about Windows Hotpatch for Windows on ARM in a blog post on the official website. There, you will also find all the details about enrollment, useful resources, documentation, system requirements, and other prerequisites.