Next Windows 10 update out in October

What was code-named Redstone 5 is the October 2018 Update, writes MARK HACHMAN

We now know when the next Windows 10 update is coming, and if you forget, it’s right there in the name. Microsoft’s autumn update to Windows 10 is known as the Windows 10 October 2018 Update. At the time of writing, it was expected to be a collection of improvements and updates, rather than any earth-shattering new features.

Microsoft made the announcement at this year’s IFA show in Berlin. The build cycle for the October 2018 Update, also known as Redstone 5, is wrapping up. While at the time of writing it’s not known what the final build will be, Microsoft typically issues several rounds of bug fixes before settling on a ‘final’ build that it decides to push to consumers.

As for the date consumers will receive it? That’s still unknown. Microsoft originally pushed the ‘final’ build of its most recent Windows 10 April 2018 Update on 10 April, then discovered bugs that pushed the eventual release to 30 April.

Windows Insiders typically receive the ‘final’ build somewhat earlier, though. It’s was expected that Microsoft would push the next big update to Insiders for final testing sometime mid-September. That would give Microsoft several weeks to pore through its telemetry data and decide whether its ‘final’ build is, indeed, final.

What you should do: Microsoft issues feature updates every spring and autumn, and every update cycle arrives with complaints that Microsoft is springing the update on consumers unexpectedly. To prevent this from happening to you, visit the Settings > Update & Security menu. Ensure you have your Active Hours set, to prevent Windows from installing the update during business hours. If you have Windows 10 Pro, you can choose to defer or pause the update for 365 days. You can also tell Windows to show a reminder when it will update and restart. Save yourself some stress and toggle this on.