Microsoft’s free Windows 10 Creators Update has finally arrived. Here’s everything you need to know, from features to launch date details.<\/b>
More than five months after its grand unveiling last October, the Windows 10 Creators Update is finally here\u2014and the wait was worth it.
Following in the footsteps of last August\u2019s sweeping Windows 10 Anniversary Update , the Creators Update tweaks and tunes the core Windows 10 experience while heaping on a pile of handy all-new features. While PCWorld\u2019s comprehensive Windows 10 Creators Update review contains detailed impressions of Microsoft\u2019s refreshed operating system, here\u2019s a higher-level look at what you need to know about the Creators Update.
Just sit tight! The Windows 10 Creators Update starts rolling out to the general public on April 11 via the standard Windows Update process, just like every other Windows 10 update. There\u2019s no way for home users to opt out of the upgrade.
That doesn\u2019t necessarily mean you\u2019ll receive it today, however; the Anniversary Update took about four months to propagate to 80 percent of Windows 10 users. Microsoft prioritizes newer PCs with optimal specs for Windows 10 first. If you\u2019re the impatient type, you can manually kick off the Creators Update installation by using Microsoft\u2019s Update Assistant. (Warning: Clicking that link will download an executable file for the Update Assistant to your PC.)
Microsoft releases two major Windows 10 updates each year, and the Creators Update is the first of those.
With a little practice, the Creators Update\u2019s Paint 3D app can be used to construct fun 3D scenes like this one.
It includes some helpful quality-of-life changes, such as a high-level privacy dashboard, an easier setup process, and usability tweaks to various settings and features throughout the operating system. The Creators Update also packs in new goodies, the most notable being the Paint 3D app , native video game-streaming, a Game Mode that improves gaming performance, and Edge support for native ebooks and 4K Netflix streams. And, oh yeah! Themes are back and better than ever.
Seriously, there\u2019s a lot of stuff in the new-look Windows 10. Check out PCWorld\u2019s roundup of the Creators Update\u2019s best new features for much, much more.
Yep, free-as-in-beer free\u2014at least if you\u2019re already on Windows 10.
Microsoft\u2019s free upgrade offer for Windows 10 expired long ago, so if you\u2019re still on Windows XP, Vista, 7, or 8, you\u2019ll need to buy a fresh copy of Windows 10 before you can get the Creators Update. It\u2019ll set you back $120 for Windows 10 Home or $190 for the more capable Windows 10 Pro, or more if you want it on a flash drive
Not really, though the Windows 10 Creators Update is missing many of the highlight features Microsoft promised at its October reveal.
Windows Holographic is lurking inside the Creators Update, but for devs only, and no consumer VR headsets are available at launch.
Virtual reality and 3D creation were two of the major cornerstones of the Creators Update vision\u2014the reason for its name!\u2014but beyond the new Paint 3D app those features are largely AWOL. The ballyhooed My People app was quietly scuttled for this release. We haven\u2019t had success getting Cortana\u2019s teased handoff feature to actually pass work from one device to another. There\u2019s no release date for any of those hyped-up $300 Windows VR headsets.
It\u2019s a bit of a bummer, sure. But if you ignore what\u2019s not there and focus on what is in the Creators Update , you\u2019ll find a lot to like.<\/p>\n