Microsoft rolls out new ‘download and install now’ option for Windows 10

At the beginning of April, Microsoft promised that Windows 10 would be given an option that would give users more control over when the half-yearly major update is installed. This feature has now been announced and is called ‘Download and install now’.

The feature should help Windows 10 users avoid accidentally accepting a feature update after they use Windows Update to check for new patches, reports ZDNet. By clicking on ‘Check for updates’, users can check for monthly or security updates. In the past, however, this was also the start of the function update, which can be a major disruption in the day-to-day operations.

The ‘Download and install now’ option should prevent this. The option has appeared in preview versions of Windows 10 1903 and the May 2019 Update. Under the button to check for updates there is a department called “Additional updates available”. That’s where the new option is incorporated.

End of support

By clicking on the new option when it is offered for a function update, the user indicates that he does indeed want to update. From that moment on, the update can be paused for a maximum of 35 days. If a user does not click on ‘Download and install now’, the update can be avoided as long as the current version of Windows 10 is supported.

If this version reaches the end of its support, the update can no longer be avoided. When exactly that is, Microsoft has not announced. However, if a machine detects that Windows has reached that status, they are automatically forced to install the next update.

However, the new option means that a user can click on ‘Check for updates’ to receive updates in addition to that major six-monthly update. The ‘Download and install now’ option will also be extended by Microsoft to versions 1803 and 1809 of Windows 10 at the end of May. That’s when Windows 10 1903 has to be released to the general public.