Microsoft has released the May 2019 update for Windows 10, also known as version 1903. To celebrate the occasion, the Windows maker has also made some changes to the way Windows updates are delivered to PCs across the world. A blog post from Windows Servicing and Delivery Director John Cable covers an update for Windows 10 versions 1803 and 1809 that will enable PCs to get the latest feature update for the world's most popular desktop OS.
The first step to updating your PC is…updating your PC. Microsoft released an update for Windows Update as a companion to the May 2019 version. If your PC already has the latest version of Windows Update, a link to download the May 2019 release will appear within the Windows Update control panel. Once that update is installed, you'll need to restart your PC. The next time your PC looks for updates, the May 2019 feature update will appear. If that's too many times reading the word "update" for you, Microsoft has posted a video to YouTube detailing the process.
With all that update talk out of the way, we can discuss what's new. Oh, wait, no we can't; this update is all about a better update process. Corporate Vice President of Windows Mike Fortin took to the Windows blog recently to detail an improved Windows 10 update user experience. Previously, Microsoft decided programmatically when a device would be capable of running a given feature update. Now, Fortin says, users control when updates are installed. He says Windows will alert users to the availabilty of a feature update, but the user must actively choose to install it. Users can also pause monthly and feature updates for up to 35 days, seven days at a time. Active Hours has also been overhauled to better detect when is a good time to update. Finally, when a device approaches the end of its supported life, Windows will revert to its previous state of automatically installing updates.
Other user-facing changes are few and far in between, because Microsoft says it's focusing on quality of updates over the quantity of features this time around. We're sure that users who lost data thanks to an October 2018 bug will be glad to hear that. New user-facing updates include Sandbox, a quick way to run untrusted executables in a virtual machine. Microsoft has also decoupled Cortana from Windows Search. Amusingly, Kaomoji get their own input space alongside emoji and other symbols. Once I update my PC, I'll be able to (╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻ like a pro.