Microsoft still blocking Surface devices from latest version of Windows 10

Surface Laptop 3 15
Surface Laptop 3 15 (Image credit: Windows Central)

What you need to know

  • Microsoft is still blocking some Surface devices from receiving the Windows 10 May 2020 Update.
  • It appeared as if the blocks were removed last week, but Microsoft has since updated its availability page.
  • Microsoft has not specified which other safeguards are causing the block of the update.

Updated July 10, 2020: We've added a note that the blocks could be related to issues with OneDrive.

Microsoft continues to block Surface devices from receiving the Windows 10 May 2020 Update (Windows 10 version 2004). At the end of June, Microsoft updated a page on Windows 10 version 2004 availability. That update stated an issue was resolved and that the safeguard hold had been removed. Now, Microsoft has added text into that post stating that other safeguards might still prevent your device from receiving the update.

ZDNet spotted the words that Microsoft added on July 8. Here is what the page stated before.

This issue was resolved in KB4557957 and the safeguard hold has been removed as of June 29, 2020. It can take up to 48 hours before the update to Windows 10, version 2004 is offered.

You can see an archived version of that page courtesy of the Wayback Machine.

Here is the new wording, with emphasis added by ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley:

This issue was resolved in KB4557957 and the safeguard hold has been removed as of June 29, 2020. Please note, if there are no other safeguards that affect your device, it can take up to 48 hours before the update to Windows 10, version 2004 is offered.

Microsoft has not specified which other safeguard holds could block devices from receiving the Windows 10 May 2020 Update. The Surface Pro 7 and Surface Laptop 3 were blocked previously, but Foley reports that people with several devices have been blocked from the update, including those with a Surface Laptop 3, Surface Pro 7, Surface Go 2, Surface Book 2, Surface Book 3, and Surface Pro X.

There's a chance that the blocks are related to OneDrive issues. Some on Reddit have had to uninstall OneDrive in order to upgrade Surface devices to Windows 10 version 2004.

Forcing an upgrade to the latest version of Windows 10 on blocked device can result in issues. We recommend holding off at least until Microsoft states that these issues are resolved, and holds are completely removed.

Sean Endicott
News Writer and apps editor

Sean Endicott brings nearly a decade of experience covering Microsoft and Windows news to Windows Central. He joined our team in 2017 as an app reviewer and now heads up our day-to-day news coverage. If you have a news tip or an app to review, hit him up at sean.endicott@futurenet.com.