If you’re still running Windows 7 or 8, get ready for Microsoft to push Windows 10 a little bit harder. Early next year, it will appear as a “Recommended Update” in Windows Update, and may automatically prompt you to upgrade.


Microsoft announced today some changes in how Windows 10 goes out to new users:

We will soon be publishing Windows 10 as an “Optional Update” in Windows Update for all Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 customers. Windows Update is the trusted, logical location for our most important updates, and adding Windows 10 here is another way we will make it easy for you to find your upgrade. Early next year, we expect to be re-categorizing Windows 10 as a “Recommended Update”. Depending upon your Windows Update settings, this may cause the upgrade process to automatically initiate on your device. Before the upgrade changes the OS of your device, you will be clearly prompted to choose whether or not to continue. And of course, if you choose to upgrade (our recommendation!), then you will have 31 days to roll back to your previous Windows version if you don’t love it.


This is no different than what other operating systems do—both OS X and most Linux distros also prompt you when new OS upgrades are available—but it’s definitely something Windows users will be unfamiliar with. So, keep an eye out for Windows 10 in your Windows Update, and be ready for it to pop up early next year.

We don’t know if Microsoft will automatically download the entire 3GB update before prompting you, so if you’re on a metered connection, it might be a good idea to turn off automatic updates, so you can download updates on your terms.

Making It Easier to Upgrade to Windows 10 | Windows