Are Windows 10 Updates Really Necessary

[This article has been extensively revised and edited to reflect changes in Windows ten. The near recent revision was published in June 2020.]

Full version upgrades to a Windows PC used to be rare: Most people only had to deal with an upgrade one time every three to five years, and so typically as role of the procedure of ownership a new PC.

At present, in the "Windows as a service" era, you can expect a characteristic update (essentially a full version upgrade) roughly every six months. And although you can skip a feature update or even two, y'all tin can't wait longer than nearly xviii months.

If y'all're setting upwardly a new PC or doing a clean install of Windows 10 on older hardware, follow the instructions in How to set up a new Windows x PC perfectly in one hour or less.

How to tell if your device is eligible for the Windows 10 May 2020 update

For upgrades, the process is considerably simpler. After well-nigh an hr (more or less, depending on the underlying hardware), y'all should be dorsum at piece of work, with most apps and settings migrated successfully.

In either case, clean install or upgrade, apply this checklist to make sure you've covered some important bases that aren't function of Windows Setup. Note: All of these steps have been tested with the Windows 10 May 2019 Update (version 1903) and the Windows 10 October 2019 Update (version 1909).

1. Create a recovery bulldoze

Sure, your Windows 10 installation is working fine now, but if it e'er fails to kickoff properly, you'll be grateful you have a recovery drive handy. Booting from this peculiarly formatted USB wink drive gives yous admission to the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE), which you can use to fix virtually common startup problems.

Yous demand a USB wink drive. It should be at least 512 MB in size for a blank recovery drive and at to the lowest degree 8 GB if you also want to include Windows installation files.

You'll find a shortcut to the Recovery Bulldoze desktop app on Showtime, under the Windows Administrative Tools heading, or you lot can search for it. In either example, you lot'll need to provide an administrator's credentials to run the tool.

Blazon Recovery in the search box to locate this shortcut.

Total instructions for using this utility and adding the current Windows 10 installation files to the recovery drive are here: Windows 10 tip: Create a recovery drive.

two. Secure your user account

If you use a local account, your sign-in credentials are stored locally, and at that place's no way to provide a second factor for hallmark.

By contrast, signing in with a Microsoft account or an Azure Active Directory account (such as the account y'all use for an Part 365 Business organization or Enterprise subscription) means yous tin fix up ii-cistron authentication (2FA) that requires external confirmation from an app on your trusted mobile device.

Both types of accounts are gratis. If you're worried well-nigh privacy, gear up a new Microsoft business relationship for use exclusively for this purpose, and don't associate the @outlook.com address with whatever other service.

To ready 2FA for a Microsoft account, sign in at https://account.alive.com/proofs. That page displays the options shown here: You can turn on two-step verification, configure a mobile authenticator app, and manage trusted devices, among other tasks.

(That'south just ane of several handy shortcuts for managing a Microsoft account. For more than, see Windows 10 tip: Take control of Microsoft account security and privacy settings.)

To manage security settings for an Azure AD business relationship, go to https://portal.function.com/business relationship, select Manage Security and Privacy, and follow the links under the Additional Security Verification heading. (To bookmark that page, use this link: https://account.activedirectory.windowsazure.com/Proofup.aspx.)

Finally, if you have the hardware to support it, turn on Windows Hello. The options for facial recognition and fingerprint identification are available nether Settings > Accounts > Sign-in Options.

iii. Plough on BitLocker drive encryption

Encrypting every drive that contains personal data is a crucial security pace. Without encryption, anyone who steals that device can mountain the drive in an operating organisation of their choosing and siphon the data away with ease. With encryption, getting to your information requires an encryption key that is effectively uncrackable.

Full-strength BitLocker encryption requires a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) scrap and a business organization edition of Windows. On modern portable PCs running Windows 10 Home, you can enable device encryption if you're signed in with a Microsoft account. This option protects the contents of the system drive but does non allow encryption of any secondary drives.

For step-by-step instructions that explain how to plough on BitLocker Drive Encryption, meet: Windows 10 tip: Utilise BitLocker to encrypt your system drive. And brand sure y'all save a copy (or two) of your BitLocker recovery primal.

If your PC is currently running Windows 10 Home, you might be able to upgrade to Windows x Pro without having to pay the upgrade fee,. For instructions, see "How to upgrade from Windows 10 Home to Pro for free."

iv. Configure Windows Update

The good news is Windows 10 includes automatic, cumulative updates that ensure you lot're always running the most recent security patches. The bad news is those updates can make it when y'all're not expecting them, with a small but non-zero chance that an update will break an app or feature you lot rely on for daily productivity.

On Windows x Pro version 1909 and earlier, you can defer both types of updates from Settings.

If you'd rather let the balance of the world exam each month's security and reliability updates before you OK the install, you should exist running Windows 10 Pro or Enterprise, non Dwelling house. With those business editions, yous can defer updates by up to xxx days.

Afterwards you complete a Windows 10 upgrade, the get-go thing you should do is go to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update and click Bank check for updates. Install any available updates, including updated drivers.

Next, on the Windows Update page in Settings, click Change active hours to specify your normal piece of work hours (a window of up to 18 hours), when you don't want to exist interrupted past updates.

The next footstep depends on which Windows x version you're running.

For version 1909 or earlier, click Avant-garde options and set your deferral periods for monthly quality updates. Notation that you must be signed in as an ambassador to see the options shown here, and these options are non available if you lot are running a Windows 10 Insider preview build.

For version 2004 or later, those options are available only past adjusting Group Policy settings. Open Local Group Policy Managing director (Gpedit.exe) and navigate to Figurer Configuration > Authoritative Templates > Windows Components > Windows Update > Windows Update for Business, and and so enable one or both of these policies:

Select when Preview Builds and Feature Updates are received. Choose Semi-Annual Channel and so set a delay of upwards to 365 days (if you want to stay a version behind, choose 180 days). Because feature updates are no longer installed automatically, you don't take to worry about this setting. Only you will have to upgrade when your current version reaches the 18-month cease of back up marking.
Select when Quality Updates are received. You can choose a deferral period of up to 30 days.

I recommend setting a reminder in your calendar program for the 2nd Tuesday of each calendar month, the day on which Microsoft releases security updates for Windows. When you receive that reminder, you can choose to manually install the updates, or snooze the reminder and perform the task a few days later. Automated updates won't download and install until the deferral period you specify has passed.

(I also recommend that y'all open the Shop app and click the three dots in the upper right corner, so click Downloads and updates to install any available app updates. Windows 10 will update those apps automatically, but you tin speed up the process by checking manually.)

These options have been simplified since the original release of Windows 10.

5. Review privacy settings

By default, Microsoft collects a substantial amount of diagnostics information equally you use Windows ten. That information is, according to Microsoft's privacy policies, used exclusively for personalizing your experience with Windows and "to aid [Microsoft] provide a secure and reliable experience."

(For a full discussion of the privacy problems, see Microsoft defends (and explains) its Windows 10 privacy settings.)

You can't turn off the telemetry feature completely, but you can choose to send but a limited amount of data on your Windows 10 usage. To do so, go to Settings > Privacy > Diagnostics & Feedback and change the setting under the Diagnostic Data heading from Full to Basic. (Here, as well, y'all must be running as an administrator, and this choice is fix to Full and tin can't be changed if yous're running an Insider preview release.)

You lot can likewise make two other changes hither. Turn off the Tailored experiences option and then, under Feedback frequency, alter the setting to Never to tell Microsoft you prefer to non be asked for feedback every bit yous utilize Windows x.

half-dozen. Connect other accounts

The Microsoft account or Azure AD credentials that you use to sign in to Windows allow you to connect to apps using the same credentials. That makes information technology peculiarly like shooting fish in a barrel to go your email and schedule using the congenital in Mail & Calendar app.

Calculation these accounts to Windows 10 makes it easier to sign in when needed.

If you take additional accounts (especially Office 365 and Gmail accounts), now is a adept fourth dimension to add them to Windows so that they're available for utilize within apps as well. If you need to use two-factor hallmark for those accounts, y'all can do it once here and avoid hassles later. Connecting your Office 365 account, for example, allows yous to add that account to Microsoft Outlook and configure OneDrive for Business without having to enter a password or supply a 2FA prompt.

To add together accounts, go to Settings > Accounts > Email & Accounts and click Add an business relationship. Note that your options hither include specific choices for Role 365, Google, Yahoo, and iCloud accounts.

vii. Fine-tune Action Center settings

One of the signature features in Windows x is the Action Center, a pane that appears on the correct side of the display when yous swipe in from the correct on a touchscreen or click the notifications icon at the far right of the taskbar.

For a portable PC, I recommend customizing the Quick Action buttons at the bottom of the Activity Center pane. Hibernate any buttons you don't use, and brand sure the iv buttons you use most often are bachelor in the top row so that you tin can become to them when the full set of buttons is complanate to a unmarried row. For instructions, encounter Windows 10 tip: Customize and rearrange the Quick Actions buttons.

Drag these buttons around then the four y'all employ nearly often are in the superlative row.

Next, get through the listing of apps that are permitted to interrupt yous with notifications and silence those yous never want to hear from. The settings here allow yous to control pop-upwardly messages and sounds or plough off notifications completely. See Windows ten tip: Disable annoying app notifications for details.

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