Long-Term Servicing Channel (LTSC) for Surface devices

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Warning

For updated information on this topic, see Surface device compatibility with Windows 10 Long-Term Servicing Channel. For more information on this update, see the Documentation Updates for Surface and Windows 10 LTSB Compatibility post on the Surface Blog for IT Pros.

General-purpose Surface devices in the Long-Term Servicing Channel (LTSC) aren't supported. As a general guideline, if a Surface device runs productivity software, such as Microsoft Office, it's a general-purpose device that doesn't qualify for LTSC and should instead be on the Semi-Annual Channel.

Note

For more information about the servicing branches, see Overview of Windows as a service.

LTSC prevents Surface devices from receiving critical Windows 10 feature updates and certain non-security servicing updates. Customers with poor experiences using Surface devices in the LTSC configuration will be instructed to switch to the Semi-Annual Channel. Furthermore, the Windows 10 Enterprise LTSB edition removes core features of Surface devices, including seamless inking and touch-friendly applications. It doesn't contain key in-box applications including Microsoft Edge, OneNote, Calendar or Camera. Therefore, productivity is impacted and functionality is limited. LTSC isn't supported as a suitable servicing solution for general-purpose Surface devices.

General-purpose Surface devices are intended to run on the Semi-Annual Channel to receive full servicing and firmware updates and forward compatibility with the introduction of new Surface features. In the Semi-Annual Channel, feature updates are available as soon as Microsoft releases them.

Surface devices in specialized scenarios–such as PCs that control medical equipment, point-of-sale systems, and ATMs–might consider the use of LTSC. These special-purpose systems typically perform a single task and don't require feature updates as frequently as other devices in the organization.