How does WorkSpaces manage operating system updates for Windows?

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During default maintenance windows, Windows WorkSpaces download and install updates and patches. The running mode for your WorkSpace determines its default maintenance windows. As a best practice, keep Windows Update active in your WorkSpaces.

Note: The default time zone for a WorkSpace is the same as its AWS Region.

AlwaysOn WorkSpaces maintenance windows for updates and patches

The default maintenance window for AlwaysOn WorkSpaces OS updates is a 4-hour time period each week. Updates occur on Sundays from 00h00-04h00 in your WorkSpace's time zone. When you turn on time zone redirection, the time zone of the WorkSpace updates when a user connects from another Region.

Note: To learn more about turning off time zone redirection, see Turn off time zone redirection for PCoIP and Turn off time zone redirection for WSP.

AutoStop WorkSpaces maintenance windows for updates and patches

The default maintenance window for AutoStop WorkSpaces OS updates is a 5-hour time period each day for up to 2 weeks each month. OS updates start on the third Monday of the month and can run on any day during the 2-week maintenance window. Updates run from 00h00-05h00 in your WorkSpace's time zone.

Microsoft releases software patches on the second Tuesday of each month. AutoStop WorkSpaces scan for and install any software patches on any day during the 2-week maintenance window.

Note: Because a WorkSpace must run to apply updates, AutoStop WorkSpaces incur billing charges during maintenance windows. For more information, see Billing and pricing.

Additional update considerations

When you set up customizations through group policy, you might restrict or control Windows updates. You must configure Windows OS update settings for maintenance windows to function in WorkSpaces.

For PColP and other WorkSpace components, the system scans for updates during maintenance windows. Updates are pushed upon each reboot.

For more information about settings that can affect Windows updates, see Manage your Windows WorkSpaces.

You can manage Windows updates for WorkSpaces by configuring a Windows Server Update Server (WSUS Server). When a WorkSpace has no outbound internet access, configuring a WSUS server is the only way to update the WorkSpace.

For more information, see Deploy Windows Server update services on the Microsoft website.

To manually perform OS maintenance tasks, temporarily change your WorkSpace state to Maintenance.

For more information about changing your WorkSpace state to perform maintenance, see Manual maintenance.

Related information

WorkSpace maintenance

Best practices for deploying Amazon WorkSpaces