Most Windows users are used to testing the final versions of the operating system. Whether they are new releases or updates that come to our computer every 6 months. However, Microsoft offers users a completely free and optional program through which anyone can try out what’s new in Windows before anyone else and help Microsoft debug and improve the operating system. This program is known as “Insider”.
The Windows Insider program is an optional group of users who agree to receive operating system updates during their development phase in order to be able to test what’s new Microsoft is preparing before anyone else.
To join this group of users, all you need is a Microsoft account and an original Windows license. Anyone can sign up for it and start receiving the experimental updates on their PC, although the target audience for this plan are the enthusiasts, professional users, programmers and IT departments of companies, so that everyone can guarantee that their programs and infrastructures work smoothly with new versions of the operating system.
Advantages and disadvantages
Microsoft works on new versions of its operating system months in advance. You may even be working on a second update with almost a year to spare, before releasing the closest one. This has happened multiple times. For example, Microsoft started working on the 2004 version of Windows in April 2019, even before the May 2019 Update was released .
Insider versions of Windows allow us to test what’s new and improved before anyone else. Many times we can even have access to experimental characteristics that, after a while, disappear. Insider users, for example, are among the few who have been able to test Tabs, the Windows 10 file explorer tabs.
However, these “beta” versions of Windows often have experiments that impair the proper functioning of the computer and can cause our PC to go wrong. Furthermore, these versions often have bugs and errors that end up harming the operating system experience. Windows can slow down, crash, or cause all kinds of problems. Something that in certain environments (for example, to work) we cannot allow.
Although it may be eye-catching for many users, in reality this experimental update program is not for everyone.
Different levels Insider
Microsoft offers users different channels within the Insider program, and depending on the channel we choose, we will receive one or the other versions:
- Early Ring (Fast Ring) : This ring is the most common and used by users who sign up for the Windows 10 Insider program. This is the first to get the newest versions of Windows 10 updates. Generally, you usually receive updates every week. . Users targeted to this ring are the first to test the news of Windows, but they are also the most exposed to problems, since the builds that are launched within this ring are the most unstable and will cause us to encounter more than one error critical or blue screen.
- Delayed (Slow Ring) : This ring receives updates much slower than the fast ring, but all the versions it receives are more stable. Users targeted to this program receive new builds of Windows 10 every several weeks, and since the builds have already gone through the fast ring, they are more stable. The Slow Ring can also hide faults, although to a lesser extent.
- Release Preview : This ring is designed to allow users to receive new preview versions of Windows applications, cumulative updates, and Windows drivers. Also, when Windows updates are close to the RTM, this ring allows users to update the computer before anyone else. The Release Preview is the most stable ring of all, and the one that is updated less frequently. Users who want to prepare their computers before anyone else, with the least probability of experiencing problems, should opt for this ring.
There was also an additional Insider ring, called “Skyp Ahead” and focused on making the leap to new versions before anyone else. However, this ring is no longer available, Microsoft removed it from the possibilities as it is considered much more unstable than the others.
Which level to choose?
The Insider level we want to choose already depends on each one. For example, if we are adventurous users and we want to try the news before anyone else, regardless of stability, we can choose the anticipated level. We recommend this ring only on a test computer, or in a virtual machine.
If we want to test the new features of Windows before anyone else, but with less tolerance for errors, then the deferred ring is the one that best suits our needs. We will receive fewer updates to Windows 10, and these will be much more stable.
Finally, if we only want to be one step ahead of the others, but without errors, better to choose the version preview. We will receive the new versions of Windows a few weeks before the others, and in the meantime, our PC will only receive some experimental patches. The probability of something going wrong is much less (but still exists).
How to be part of the Insider group
To join the Windows Insider program, what we must do is have our operating system updated, activated with a license and with a Microsoft account linked to the PC.
If we meet these requirements, what we must do is open the Configuration menu of the operating system, scroll to the section ” Update and security> Windows Insider Program ” and within this section we will click on “Start”.
A simple wizard will appear through which we will join this program. We will have to choose the Microsoft user account that we want to link to the Insider program, the level, or ring, to which we want to join and after a few seconds we will have to restart the computer.
When the process ends, and reboot the PC, our Windows 10 will already be joined to the Insider program, and will be ready to receive the builds through Windows Update.
How to find and download preliminary updates
Once we are signed to the Insider ring, and our computer has restarted, we can start receiving the preliminary versions corresponding to the selected ring.
All we have to do is open the Windows 10 Settings menu, go to the Update and security section, and look for new updates in Windows Update . We can see that a build will appear in the list of updates to download. This will be the new preview version of Windows 10.
Insider versions are usually quite heavy (they are not delta updates; the entire operating system is downloaded) and the installation usually takes a long time. Therefore, it is recommended to make sure you have time ahead when we go to install this new version.
How to change the ring
If at any time we want to change the Insider ring in which we participate, we can easily do it by going back to the Configuration> Update and security> Windows Insider program menu, and selecting the “Choose your Insider configuration” section.
We can change rings at any time, although we must bear in mind that there will be no regression. That is, you can never install a previous build to the one we have installed. If we are in the early ring and move to the deferral, we will have to wait for a new deferral build newer than the one we currently have installed.
How to stop being an Insider and go back to normal updates
There may come a time when we get tired of Windows preview releases and all of your issues. When this happens, what we will have to do is leave the Insider program to return to the branch of normal Windows updates.
We can do this in several ways. The first, and not recommended, is to use a USB install to install the latest stable version of Windows manually. The second, the one that Microsoft offers us, is to go to the ” Configuration> Update and security> Windows Insider program ” section and check the ” Stop obtaining preliminary versions ” box.
To avoid problems, what Windows 10 does with this option is wait for the Insider versions to be the same as the versions that reach all users (that is, when the launch phase is reached) and when this occurs it will be abandoned for completed the Insider program.
From now on, we will only receive stable updates again through Windows Update.
