Windows 10 Tip: Get the Anniversary Update Immediately

On Tuesday, Microsoft announced that the Anniversary Update began rolling out to the over 350 million people around the world using Windows 10. But the release isn’t necessarily immediate, and many Windows 10 PCs still haven’t received the update. Here’s how you can get it immediately.

“The Windows 10 Anniversary Update is being rolled out to Windows 10 PCs across the world in phases starting with the newer machines first,” Microsoft’s Michael Fortin explained. “You don’t have to do anything to get the Windows 10 Anniversary Update, it will roll out automatically to you through Windows Update if you’ve chosen to have updates installed automatically on your device.”

Yeah, about that.

Returning home from France on Tuesday, I pulled a number of my PCs out of storage and began the update process, curious to see which would immediately receive the Anniversary Update. As Mr. Fortin states, doing so is easy enough: Just check Windows Update.

But regardless of the age of the machine—surely, the Surface Pro 4 is considered sufficiently new to make the first pass, no?—none of the several PCs I’ve already tested automatically received the Anniversary Update as of this morning. These PCs include Microsoft devices like the Surface Pro 4 noted above, but also Surface Pro 3, Surface 3, and older ASUS and Samsung ultrabooks. (My Surface Book was already on the Insider Preview, so that one has had this update for weeks.) I’ll begin testing various HPs today, but there’s no reason for me—or you—to wait. You can get the Anniversary Update right now.

Should you bother? Yes, I think so. As I noted in my Windows 10 Anniversary Update review, this important update makes the best desktop operating system even better, with important new features that will benefit all users of this system. And while some will always report problems with such an update, the feedback I’ve received from readers so far has been overwhelmingly positive. That is, yes, I’ve received a few problem reports, but nothing endemic, where certain issues seem to be widespread. This was the most heavily-tested version of Windows ever created, and it looks like that transparency is paying off.

So. How can you get the Windows 10 Anniversary Update right now?

Windows Update. First, and most obviously, check Windows Update. If what you see is yet another Windows Defender definition update and not something called “Feature update to Windows 10, version 1607, it’s time to move on.

Use the Windows 10 Upgrade Assistant. This is the simplest way to get the Windows 10 Anniversary Update right now: Just download and run the Windows 10 Upgrade Assistant, a wizard-based app that can upgrade your Windows 10 (1511)-based PC as soon as its downloaded.

Download the ISO. The more technically-minded can download an ISO image of the full Windows 10 version 1607 Setup disc, which can be used to upgrade your existing Windows 10-based PC as well. Just open the ISO and run Setup.

Enjoy!