Windows Insiders: It’s Go Time

Windows Insiders have a decision to make, and time is running out: With the Anniversary Update now publicly available, Insiders can opt out of the program and remain on Windows 10 version 1607 if they’d like.

A bit of background here: Windows Insiders get early access to new Windows 10 features, but this benefit comes at a price: They must also frequently download new builds, and in doing so risk unreliable functionality and performance.

But there’s a second problem with being on the Insider program: While you can move easily enough between the Fast, Slow and Release Preview rings if you’d like—where the latter two get fewer pre-release builds in turn, basically—what you can’t typically do is move back to a production build. That is, if you want to leave the Insider program on a particular PC, you pretty much has to restore or reset that PC to do so.

There is, however, an exception. When Microsoft ships a milestone release of Windows 10, as it did recently with Windows 10 version 1607 (courtesy of the Anniversary Update), the Insider and production builds of the OS are aligned. And that means that you can now take your PC out of the Insider program and return to the normal production build track—where your PC will simply receive whatever public updates, mostly of the security and bug fix variety, that Microsoft ships going forward.

There’s no risk to doing so: You can return the PC to the Windows Insider program at any time. But you have to move fast. Because sometime soon, as soon as this week, Microsoft will wind up the Windows Insider engine again and start cranking out new builds for the next major milestone release, which is currently code-named “Redstone 2.” (Windows 10 version 1607 was originally code-named “Redstone 1”.)

So. If you would like to take your PC out of the Windows Insider program—permanently or temporarily—open Windows 10 Settings (WINKEY + I) and navigate to Update & Security, Windows Insider Program.

From here, you can:

Stop Insider Preview builds. Click this button to exit this PC from the pre-release build cycle entirely. Note that you will then need to click “Need to stop getting Insider builds completely?” link too; otherwise, the Insider builds will start reappearing after the configured break time of 1 to 7 days. Which is not what you want. (You’ll need to restart to completely make this change.)

Change how frequently you get new builds. You could also simply slow down (or speed up) the frequency at which you get new Insider builds going forward: The “Choose your Insider level” option lets you choose between Fast, Slow, and Release Preview rings.

And again, if you later change your mind, no worries: You can enroll your PC in the Windows Insider program again at any time.