Windows Autopatch for the US government: How to get started

The power of automated Windows update management is coming to government SKUs. This cloud-based service has now been approved to be added to the Azure FedRAMP High Provisional Authorization to Operate. If you manage Government Community Cloud (GCC) devices, this service became part of Microsoft 365 Government this month.

When will this happen

Windows Autopatch is available to US government organizations starting November 2025.

How this will affect your organization

This is what Windows Autopatch allows you to accomplish for your GCC devices:

• Control over which content is approved for deployment to which devices
• Automation of a safe rollout process
• Faster security with hotpatching
• Pausing or expediting monthly quality updates or drivers
• Simplified update compliance reporting
• Policy management and reporting through the Microsoft Intune admin center

What you need to do to prepare

Review additional information for prerequisites and complete details. Here’s one way to get started:

1. Go to the Microsoft Intune admin center.
2. In the left pane, select Tenant administration and then navigate to Windows Autopatch > Autopatch groups.
3. Create a Windows Autopatch group and assign devices, automating a few things:
4. Distribute devices for gradual rollout into a set of Microsoft Entra groups.
5. Configure a safe rollout schedule using update rings.
6. (Optional) Configure content approval using feature and driver update policies.
7. (Optional) Configure update settings for Microsoft 365 Apps and Microsoft Edge.
8. Enroll devices to receive hotpatch updates, getting them secure faster.
9. That’s it! Just monitor the reports to ensure that you’re hitting your update compliance targets.

Additional information

• Read the announcement at Windows Autopatch for the US government: How to get started.
• Double-check that your devices meet the prerequisites for Windows Autopatch.
• Configure role-based access control to manage access to your organization’s resources.
• Configure your network.