The pros and cons of being a Windows Insider

Windows Insider is Microsoft’s programme for more ambitious users. Sign up and you can download pre-release builds of Windows 10 and Windows Server to use before anyone else. While up-to-date Windows 10 users are currently working with build 1709 – Fall Creators Update, code-named Redstone 3 – Windows Insiders have had access to 1803, Redstone 4, since 31 August 2017. The rest of us will have to wait until early 2018 to join them.

There are many reasons why you might want to run pre-release builds, from simple curiosity to a need to test them in a quarantined environment. For developers who need to ensure their applications are compatible with forthcoming revisions to the OS, signing up is a no-brainer. Entry into the programme isn’t generally restricted, though, so home users who simply want to see what’s coming down the line can join them. You’ll need to be running at least Windows 10 version 1703. To find out if you are, open Settings and click About in the System pane.

Naturally, there are caveats. You’ll be installing software that, by its very definition, is unfinished. It’s usually stable, and we’ve not encountered any problems, but if you lose data you have only yourself to blame, so adequate backups are a must. Microsoft warns “[The Windows Insider programme] isn’t for the faint of heart, and can often lead to bugs and other problems. By signing up for this programme, you’re agreeing to let Microsoft install pre-release software on your PC and collect usage information.”

Previously, managing your membership required that you installed a dedicated Windows Insider app, but its features have now been rolled into the Windows 10 Settings application. You’ll find them in the “Update & security” section, and can choose what kind of updates you receive, as well as the speed at which they arrive. Brave members will sign up for Fast, which gives them access to the earliest public releases. These will have been through three levels of internal testing at Microsoft, but not been seen in the wild before. More conservative users should opt for the Slow ring, which rolls out the same updates only if they’ve not been found to cause problems for the Fast ring members. If you’re signing up on your only PC, we’d recommend opting for the Release preview ring and receiving the updates only if they’ve behaved well for both the Fast and Slow ring members.

You can find out more about the programme at insider.windows.com. BELOW Membership of Windows Insider gives you access to pre-release builds of Windows. A similar programme offers early rollouts to Office users

“You’ll be installing software that, by its very definition, is unfinished”