Tip: The Magic Window for Windows 10 RS5 is Here (UPDATED)
- Paul Thurrott
- Oct 03, 2018
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UPDATE: Microsoft has issued a new 19H1 build to the Fast ring, so this magic window is already closed! That was incredibly, irresponsibly fast, given that there was no warning from Microsoft at all. –Paul
The clock is now ticking for Windows Insiders who would like to get off the pre-release train and stick with the shipping version of Windows 10. That’s right: We’re in the magic window again.
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I write about this magic window with each Windows 10 release. As you may remember, this didn’t go too well with Windows 10 version 1803 (Redstone 4), which was finalized, and then pulled, updated, and reset, and then re-released.
But I’m confident this time: Microsoft issued the final build of Windows 10 version 1809—build 17763—to the Fast ring on September 18, over two weeks ago. And while I knew this was the final build, I held off on publishing this tip because of what had happened last time. But as I and others predicted, Microsoft did announce the general availability of this build as the final, shipping version of Windows 10 version 1803 yesterday. And next week, this version of Windows 10 will begin heading out to the “non-seeking” masses.
So it’s finally magic window time again for Insiders.
As I’ve explained with each previous version of Windows 10, users who enroll a PC in the Windows Insider program’s Fast or Slow rings is typically “stuck” in one of those pre-release build rings. You can slow things down—get in the Slow ring—or speed things up with Fast, but you can’t get out.
But during this magic window, Windows Insiders in the Fast or Slow ring can un-enroll from the program on each PC on which they’re testing Windows 10 version 1809 (Redstone 5). In doing so, they return that PC to the normal support channel, or what we call the shipping version of Windows 10.
During this period of time, users who wish to jump forward to the next version of Windows 10 can also do so easily, using the method I most recently documented this past Spring. But because of the speedy schedule this time around, that is no longer necessary: If you want Windows 10 version 1809 right now, you can get it: Just check for updates in Windows Update, you seeker you. It’s also possible to now download this version from Microsoft’s Download Windows 10 website in ISO form.
So this tip is really for Insiders. We don’t know the how short the schedule is this time: Microsoft will eventually start shipping new builds of the next Windows 10 version, previously codenamed Redstone 6 but now called 19H1. That will happen quickly for the Fast ring, perhaps as soon as this week. And less quickly for the Slow ring.
Put simply, if you wish to un-enroll one or more PCs from the Insider Program, and those PCS are in the Fast or Slow rings, the time to move is now. (If you’re in Skip Ahead, you’re already testing 19H1, so you’re stuck.) And doing so is easy enough:
1. Navigate to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Insider Program.
2. Select the Stop Insider Preview builds button. The “Stop getting insider content” notification that appears.
3. Select “Stop Insider builds completely” and then Next.
4. In the “Ready to stop getting Insider builds?” notification that appears, select the Confirm button.
5. Select the Restart Now button to restart your PC and make the change.
Now you can use your PC as normal, and you will receive whatever cumulative updates that Microsoft delivers to this shipping version of Windows 10 going forward. When and if you wish to re-enroll in the Insider program to begin testing 19H1, you can do so just as easily.