How to Try the Windows 10 21H1 Update in Advance
Want to try out the latest major feature update for Windows 10? If you don’t mind living insanely with the beta – which you might not want to risk if Windows apps are critical to your ability to do their job and / or function in real life – getting early access to Windows 10 21H1 is easy.
Before you start, back up your system just in case . It’s up to you if it means cloning your entire hard drive or copying important files to the cloud or external storage. However you choose to keep your data, make sure you do something; you never know when a beta version of Windows 10 might cause unexpected problems. (This happens with regular Windows updates, so …)
If you’re worried that the beta might break any superimportant apps you regularly use, consider ditching the beta entirely or creating a full disk clone so you can quickly and easily restore your stable OS in the event of a disaster. Or heck, you can always run Windows 10 21H1 in a virtual machine if you want to test new features without affecting your current OS at all.
Once you’ve made your decision, sign up for the Windows Insider Program if you haven’t already. You’ll find this option in Settings> Update & Security> Windows Insider . Once you’ve set it up, which will only take a few minutes and a few clicks, make sure you select the beta channel for your updates.
The next time you start Windows Update, you should see a dedicated callout box for Windows 10 21H1. The updated OS is not automatically installed (yet); you will need to run the download and install it yourself.
You can click the “See what’s in this update” link if you want, but at the time of this writing, you won’t actually be taken to a site that will show you what’s new in Windows 10 21H1. To save you the hassle of searching the web, here’s a tiny list of features you’ll get in addition to a host of bugs and security fixes:
- Supports multiple Windows Hello cameras to set as default external camera when both external and internal Windows Hello cameras are present.
- Improvements to the performance of Windows Defender Application Guard, including optimizing document open times.
- Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) Group Policy Service (GPSVC), which updates performance improvements to support remote scenarios.
A Windows update that contains features that you probably care about (and will use) is Windows 10 21H2 , which is slated for release at some point this fall. It’s a bit of a shame if you wanted to, say, play around with the new floating Start menu , but chances are good that now that you’re in the Windows Insider Program, you can get your hands on a beta version of the OS. before the official launch. While Windows 10 21H1 may not impress you, at least you are now familiar with the process and registered with the beta channel for any future (more interesting) updates.
If you want to exit the beta track for any reason, simply visit the Windows Insider program screen again, in the Windows update settings and select the Stop option to receive pre-builds. Consider switching the Release Preview channel . It won’t help you go back to the beta you’re currently in, but you will get a much more stable version of the OS – if that’s your problem – when it’s ready.