Before rolling out to the general public, new Windows 10 features or Windows 11 are already extensively tested. The nice thing is that everyone can participate in this. Here’s how to become a Windows Insider, and we’ll also briefly discuss the risks involved.
Some computer users wait to update until the new versions are completely stable. Early adopters, on the other hand, are eager to get started with fresh releases.
Maybe you belong to that group and then the Windows Insider program is for you. We don’t recommend going through the following steps on your main PC, which you need every day. This is because the latest updates can cause problems more often.
Choose Windows Insider channel
Go to Settings and choose Update & Security, Windows Insider Program. If a message related to diagnostics appears, open in Settings first the Diagnostics and feedback and switch Optional Diagnostics in.
If that’s okay, then you can Click Get Started and on Link account. Select your Microsoft account (or create one by clicking Microsoft account) and confirm with Get on.
There are three different update channels available in the Windows Insider program. Are you technically inclined and do you like to get started with the very latest functions, then choose the Dev Channel. You have to take into account functions that do not yet work one hundred percent or even sporadic crashes.
Prefer to be a little more careful? Then sign up for the Beta Channel, as these updates are already quite stable. Finally, there is the Release Preview Channel, which introduces you to Windows updates and security features several months before the general public gets access to them.
For those who remember the previous version of this program: these channels correspond to the ‘fast ring’, ‘slow ring’ and ‘preview release ring’ respectively. Microsoft ensures an automatic transition to the corresponding channel if you had previously subscribed to such a ring.
Select the desired channel and click twice on Confirm and on Restart now. When you open Windows Insider program again, you will notice that you have indeed subscribed to the chosen channel. If you do not want to receive any more preview versions afterwards, set the switch to On. Your device will now be automatically signed out when installing the next major Windows release.
Also note the option here To give feedback on: You can share your experiences with Microsoft from the Feedback Hub. Also check regularly Settings, Update & Security, Windows Update. It probably won’t be long before the update mechanism provides you with the next Windows release.
Download Windows Insider ISO
Microsoft does not recommend subscribing to any of these channels on a main PC. We agree with that advice. You may be able to do that on a machine that you hardly or don’t use. If necessary, you can first install Windows here via the Media Creation Tool.
Follow the link, click Download utility now, start the tool and follow the further instructions. After that, you can request the updates you want through the Windows Insider program.
If you had already signed up for the Windows Insider program, it is so easy to immediately get a disk image file of a preview version. Surf to the page with Windows Insider Preview Downloads and sign in here with your Microsoft account.
Then click at the bottom Select edition and on Windows 10 Insider Preview ([…] channel). You can choose between Dev, Beta and Release Preview. Press Confirm and select the desired language. Click again Confirm and choose 64-bit Download. You can now download the requested iso file.
You now have an ISO file with the requested Windows preview version. You can in principle install it ‘in place’, so as it were over your current Windows installation. To do this, double-click the iso file in the explorer so that Windows mounts it as a virtual DVD drive. Then double click on the file here Setup.exe to start the installation process.
You definitely want the option Keep personal files and apps so you don’t lose any apps or personal data from your old Windows installation. If you prefer to go for ‘a clean installation’, choose Change what you want to keep and select Nothing.
Tip: Want a lot more ins-and-outs about the Windows 10 update process? Then do the free crash course Windows 10 up to date.
Windows Insider in Virtual Machine
Finally, you can also install this preview version virtually. Even on your main PC, for example with the free VirtualBox. In a nutshell it goes like this. Launch VirtualBox and click klik New in the management module. Enter a name and choose Microsoft Windows 10 (64-bit) in front of Type and Version. Confirm twice with Create.
Select the virtual machine and click Start. Click on the yellow folder icon, choose Add, refer to the iso file and select To open and Select. Confirm with Start and run the Windows virtual installation. Afterwards you can start it virtually from the management module.
