Those who have followed the development of the various beta and preview versions of Windows 10 have known the words " build insider " with which Microsoft identifies previews of the operating system still to be tested before the final release. Thanks to this mechanism of continuous updates Microsoft makes Windows 10 for PC a service that will be continuously improved over time. Since there will be no Windows 11, Microsoft gives all Windows 10 users the opportunity to try out new developments and experimental features before their final release as a regular update. A bit like with the beta of Chrome and Firefox, it is possible to activate the build insiders and then receive, on the PC, all the updates of Windows 10 before the final release . We see in this guide how Windows 10 Insider Build works and how to activate it.
Activate Windows 10 Insider Build
One of the most important and least obvious changes of Windows 10 compared to past Windows lies in the development of two versions of the operating system, one for daily use (more stable) and a version where there are new system features, an optimization of the performance and adding new programs or menus.The activation of Insider Build is free on all copies of Windows 10 installed on the computer and, if we are not satisfied with the latest version, we can always go back to the more stable version and with less updates.
System backup
Before proceeding with the activation of Windows 10 Insider Build, we recommend that you make a backup of the most important personal files and create a restore point, so that you can quickly go back in case of problems or sudden freezes (not to be excluded given the unstable nature of Insider updates).To make a backup of your personal files, open the Start menu at the bottom left, search for Backup settings and open the relative item in the Settings menu.
We activate the button under the heading Automatically back up files, we indicate the drive where to save the backups (a USB hard disk or a network disk ) and make sure that the folders that we want to save are included in the backup.
Then we open the Windows Start menu again (bottom left), look for the item Create a restore point and click on the homonymous item in the Control Panel .
In the window that will open, click on the Create item, set a name as you like and complete the procedure, so as to have a recovery ready to be used in case of problems.
To create more complete and effective Windows 10 backups, we refer you to reading our two guides on How to backup and restore your computer simple, fast and complete and how to Create a recovery partition of your Windows PC .
How to activate Windows 10 Insider Build
To activate Windows 10 Insider Build we open the Start menu at the bottom left, select the Settings app then go to the path Update and security -> Windows Insider Program .
In the window that we will see, just press the Start button to start the procedure. If we have already set up a Microsoft account in the system, the reception of the Insider Build will be immediately enabled; if instead we have used a local account for Windows so far, we will have to match a Microsoft account in order to continue. We can enter our credentials directly in the window by clicking on Link an account, otherwise we can proceed by going to the Settings -> Account -> E-mail and account -> Add a Microsoft account path. Confirmed the account, we press on Register and then on Subscribe (Microsoft will warn you about the instability of Insider releases).
We confirm the user license and wait for the configuration of the operating system, which could take several minutes. At the end the system will ask us to reboot, so that the applied changes will take effect.
Going back to the Update and security -> Windows Insider program path, we can also choose the speed of the Insider updates to be received:
- Fast : the most frequent updates, several times a week
- Slow : updates of medium frequency, about once a month
- Insider Preview : the latest updates before the release of the stable version, available every 6 months
How to disable Windows 10 Insider Build
If the too fast releases caused us too many problems, we can at any time stop receiving the Insider Builds, going back to the Update and security path -> Windows Insider Program and clicking this time on the Stop Build Insider Preview button .A new window will now open, where we will have to choose what to do.
Among the available items we can choose:
- Switch to less risky and less frequent planning : we can continue to receive Insiders, but only releases tested for at least a month (therefore more stable and with less problems).
- Suspend updates for a while : we can stop receiving updates for a few months (not recommended if the current release is unstable, we risk keeping it for a long time).
- I roll back the last release of Windows : it allows you to restore Windows to the stable release used before joining the program (if it has not been more than a month).
- Continue to provide me build until the next release of Windows : it will allow you to still receive Insider releases but only until the release of the next stable of Windows 10.
Conclusions
If we want to be the first to receive the news of Windows 10, just enable the Insider Builds within our operating system and choose the frequency of updates. These Windows releases are very unstable and can cause serious problems, so it is better to have a backup and a ready-made system image at hand.In another guide, we showed you how to block or uninstall Windows 10 updates .
To receive updates of all the programs installed on the system (even completely automatically), we recommend reading our guide on how to download automatic updates of programs and software installed on your PC .
