The next big Windows 10 version is the Creators Update, scheduled to arrive in April 2017. Read the latest rumours on the Windows 10 Creators Update features and UK launch date.
Windows 10 (reviewed) was released on 29 July 2015 and was followed by the free Anniversary Update on 2 August 2016. The next big Windows 10 update is the Creators Update, another free download scheduled to arrive in spring 2017. Here’s your complete guide to Windows 10.
Also see: Surface Pro 5 | Surface 4 | Surface PC | Surface Book 2 | Surface Phone | Windows Cloud rumours
Latest update : We’re now in the final few weeks of waiting for Microsoft to fix the bugs and make the last few tweaks before releasing the Creators Update to the public. The latest preview build – number 15046 – is out and the only significant features to report are support for 360-degree videos in the Films & TV app, and a new setting that can prevent the user installing Windows apps unless they’re from the Windows Store.
This is similar to the GateKeeper feature in macOS (and the ‘unknown sources’ setting in Android), and is intended to help prevent malicious programs being downloaded and installed. Clearly, this will also benefit Microsoft as it will drive people to use the Windows Store, but it can be disabled easily enough.
Microsoft has been working on the next big update to Windows 10 for some time and it was revealed in October 2016. Progress appears to be on track and ‘feature-locked’ versions of Creators Update are currently under testing.
Assuming your PC is already running Windows 10, you should receive the Creators Update automatically, since it’s an update and updates in Windows 10 are installed when they’re available. However, you can check for updates manually by going to Start, Settings (the cog icon), Update and Security, Check for Updates. The Creators Update will be available in the same place.
If it’s like previous major updates, you should also be able to download and install the update manually. To do this you’ll need a USB flash drive with at least 4GB of space, a portable hard drive or writable DVD. Now, download the tool from Microsoft. Choose Create installation media for another PC, then select the language, edition and whether you want 32- or 64-bit. You can then use the tool to copy the files to a bootable USB drive or a bootable DVD. Once this is complete you can boot from the drive or disc and follow the on-screen instructions to install the Windows 10 update.
Here’s a selection of the main features to look forward to when the Creators Update arrives in April:
Microsoft has detailed some more changes to its Edge web browser. Chief among these is native support for mixed reality and, specifically, WebVR. Websites are increasingly offering VR content, and when the Creators Update is released, Windows 10 users will be able to view this content in Edge without having to install a plug-in. In fact, talking of Extensions Microsoft has given developers of add-ons access to more features and functions in the browser and – with a bit of luck – we’ll start to see the library grow. Currently the list of Extensions is relatively short.
Another update to Edge is the ability to save and restore groups of tabs. The idea behind this is to reduce clutter and improve performance for people who tend to have a lot of tabs open. Instead of keeping lots of pages open, you can save a group of them, ‘set them aside’ and then return to them later on without having to search through your history or try to remember what you were looking at. It’s not a killer feature for everyone, but for some it will be a compelling reason to use Edge over another browser.
3D content was a focus for Microsoft, with Windows 10 focusing greater on 3D content, which spans to Paint and Powerpoint too! And yes, Paint got a fresh lick of paint – pun intended.
You can now create 3D shapes in Paint and share them directly with your social followers, or SketchUp network – better still, print them directly on your 3D printers, nifty. Here’s a brief look at how it will work:
Arguably the biggest new feature is the new Windows Holographic interface.
