How to: Manage the release candidate for Semi-Annual Enterprise Channel

Microsoft recommends using Monthly Enterprise Channel to preview upcoming updates for Semi-Annual Enterprise Channel. This article outlines the advantages of Monthly Enterprise Channel and provides instructions on how to implement it as a release candidate for Semi-Annual Enterprise Channel.

You should deploy the release candidate to a small, representative sample of users in your organization. This small sample can help you identify any possible issues for your organization before those new features are released more broadly to your users that have Semi-Annual Enterprise Channel.

Why use Monthly Enterprise Channel as a Preview?

Monthly Enterprise Channel offers several advantages that make it an ideal preview path for Semi-Annual Enterprise Channel:

• Predictable Monthly Cadence: Monthly Enterprise Channel delivers updates once a month, providing a consistent and manageable update rhythm.
• Early Access to Features: Monthly Enterprise Channel includes new features ahead of Semi-Annual Enterprise Channel, allowing IT admins to validate compatibility and performance.
• Extended Support Window: Monthly Enterprise Channel provides support for three months, giving you the flexibility to test and validate updates with the latest security updates.
• Release Candidate Designation: Twice a year, Monthly Enterprise Channel publishes a version that is marked as the release candidate for Semi-Annual Enterprise Channel.

For more information, see the Overview of update channels for Microsoft 365 Apps.

Getting started

To utilize the release candidate, you will need to migrate your test devices to the Monthly Enterprise Channel and designate a target update version. This approach ensures that devices install and maintain the designated version throughout your testing. The release candidate is available in October and April, three months before the new Semi-Annual Enterprise Channel feature updates are released in January and July.

Microsoft 365 Apps is designed to stay current each month. In the case of the release candidate, you will be keeping devices on a specified version for up to 90 days by leveraging the extended support duration available for Monthly Enterprise Channel. To remain current with security and quality updates, you will need to maintain the update version for these devices each month. Microsoft recommends using the Office CDN and update policies to deploy and manage the release candidate.

To identify which version of Monthly Enterprise Channel is the next release candidate, following these steps:

1. Visit the update history page for Microsoft 365 Apps and refer to the Supported Versions table.
2. Locate Monthly Enterprise Channel in the table and find the version that is marked as the release candidate.
3. Make a note of the version and build number. This will be used in your deployment settings to configure your test devices.

Configuration options

Based on your preferred management solution, choose from the following options to apply the release candidate:

• Microsoft Intune
• Group Policy
• Microsoft Configuration Manager

Microsoft Intune

In this section, we cover the recommended policy settings for managing the update channel and update servicing options for Microsoft 365 Apps using Microsoft Intune.

Pre-checks

• Verify that your network allows devices to access the Microsoft CDN directly or through a proxy. For more information, refer to: Microsoft 365 URLs and IP address ranges.
• Consider enabling Delivery Optimization for Microsoft 365 Apps to help reduce the traffic on your internet links.
• There are no conflicting Office update policies or application deployments. For example, policies that are forcing a different update channel or deployments that have a different version or update channel defined.

Create a Microsoft Entra ID security group

This security group will contain the devices you plan to install the release candidate on.

1. Create a new security group in Microsoft Entra ID for targeted devices. For guidance on this step, refer to QuickStart: Create a group with members.
2. Add the computer objects that you will use for testing to this security group.

Create a configuration profile

Create a new configuration profile in the Microsoft Intune admin center. Refer to the following steps:

1. Sign in to https://intune.microsoft.com/ with an account that has the Intune Administrator role.
2. From the left navigation, select Devices.
3. Under Manage devices, select Configuration.
4. From the Devices | Configuration page, select Create > New Policy.
5. From the Create a profile flyout, choose the following options and select Create:
   • Platform: Windows 10 and later
   • Profile type: Settings catalog
6. From the Create profile page, on the Basics tab, provide a name for this profile and select Next. For example: Profile – Microsoft 365 Apps MEC RC.
7. From the Configuration settings tab, select Add settings.
8. From the Settings picker flyout, select Microsoft Office 2016 (Machine) > Updates.
9. On the lower-third of the flyout, mark the checkboxes for the following settings and apply the corresponding configuration:

10. Click Next.
11. From the Scope tags tab, select Next.
12. From the Assignments tab, add your security group and select Next.
13. On the Review + create tab, select Create.

Monitor and validate

Monitor the progress of your configuration profile assignment using the following steps:

1. From the left navigation, select Devices.
2. Under Manage devices, select Configuration.
3. Locate the policy you want to monitor and select it. Review the status at the top of the profile page.

Devices with this profile assignment will move to the designated update channel and version within the next 24 hours. For testing, you can optionally force a device to sync with Intune and then trigger the update from the Microsoft 365 Apps by navigating to File > Account > Update Options > Update Now.

Apply future updates

To apply the latest update for the release candidate, use these steps:

1. Sign in to https://intune.microsoft.com/ with an account that has the Intune Administrator role.
2. From the left navigation, select Devices.
3. Under Manage devices, select Configuration.
4. Locate the policy you want to modify and select it.
5. From the profile setting page, scroll to the bottom and select edit next to Configuration settings.
6. From the Configuration settings tab, update the value for Target Version using the format 16.0.#####.#####.
7. Click Review + save.
8. From the Review + save tab, select Save.

Group Policy

In this section, we cover the recommended policy settings for managing the update channel and update servicing options for Microsoft 365 Apps using Active Directory-based Group Policy Objects (GPO).

Pre-checks

• Verify that your network allows devices to access the Microsoft CDN directly or through a proxy.
• Consider enabling Delivery Optimization for Microsoft 365 Apps to help reduce the traffic on your internet links.
• Keep up to date with the latest version of the ADMX templates for Microsoft 365 Apps.
• There are no conflicting Office update policies or application deployments. For example, policies that are forcing a different update channel or deployments that have a different version or update channel defined.

Create an Active Directory security group

This security group will contain the devices you plan to install the release candidate on.

1. Create a new security group in Active Directory for targeted devices. For guidance on this step, refer to: Create a Group Account in Active Directory.
2. Add the computer objects that you will use for testing to this security group.

Create a Group Policy Object

1. Open the Group Policy Management console.
2. Create a new GPO and give it a name. For example: Microsoft 365 Apps MEC RC.
3. Edit the policy and navigate to: Computer Configuration > Policies > Administrative Templates > Microsoft Office 2016 (Machine) > Updates.
4. Configure the following settings:

5. Close the editor and review the Settings tab for your new GPO.

Apply Security Filtering

Apply security filtering to ensure that only in-scope devices are targeted.

1. Open the Group Policy Management console.
2. Select the GPO that you created.
3. Select the Scope tab.
4. Under the Security Filtering section, remove all entries.
5. Click Add, enter the name of your security group, and select OK.

Link the GPO

Link the GPO to an Organizational Unit (OU) that contains your targeted devices.

1. Open the Group Policy Management console.
2. Navigate to the OU where your targeted devices are located.
3. Right-select on the OU and select Link an existing GPO.
4. In the Select GPO dialog, under Group Policy objects, select the GPO and select OK.
5. Select the OU you linked the GPO to, under Linked Group Policy Objects, review the order and make any adjustments needed.

Monitor and validate

Devices with this GPO assigned will move to the designated update channel and version within the next 24 hours. For testing, you can optionally force a device to retrieve their policies by running gpupdate /force, and then trigger the update from the Microsoft 365 Apps by navigating to File > Account > Update Options > Update Now.

Apply future updates

To apply the latest update for the Monthly Enterprise Channel release candidate, use these steps:

1. Open the Group Policy Management console.
2. Right-select the GPO that you created and select Edit.
3. From the policy editor, navigate to: Computer Configuration > Policies > Administrative Templates > Microsoft Office 2016 (Machine) > Updates.
4. Right-select on the Target Version setting and select Edit.
5. Update the value for Update version using the format 16.0.#####.#####.
6. Click OK and close the editor.

Microsoft Configuration Manager

With Configuration Manager you have two options for deploying and managing the release candidate updates:

• Option 1: Disable update management for Microsoft 365 Apps in Configuration Manager and replace it with update policies and the Office CDN. This is the recommended approach and what we will cover in this section.

• Option 2: Use Configuration Manager Software Updates to limit which devices receive the release candidate and remain on that version during testing. For this approach, refer to Manage updates to Microsoft 365 Apps with Microsoft Configuration Manager, and only deploy the updates for the release candidate to approved devices.

Create device collections

The first device collection will contain the devices you plan to install the release candidate on and will be used to disable update management for Microsoft 365 Apps.

1. Create a new device collection in Configuration Manager. For guidance on this step, refer to How to create collections in Configuration Manager.
2. Add the device objects to this collection that will be used for testing the release candidate.

Create and deploy client settings

Create a new custom client device settings package in Configuration Manager. For guidance, refer to How to configure client settings in Configuration Manager.

1. From the Client Settings dialog, select the Software Updates group.
2. From the Software Updates group, set Enable management of the Office 365 Client Agent to No and select OK to save your changes.
3. Deploy the custom client device settings package to the device collection you created previously and ensure the priority is higher than any conflicting client settings.

Once these settings are applied, Configuration Manager will no longer manage updates for Microsoft 365 Apps for the targeted devices. Use Microsoft Intune or Group Policy to set update policies for the release candidate.