Windows 10 Creators Update available early

A screenshot showing off Windows 10's new "Compact Overlay" feature, which will allow apps to have a sort of picture in picture mode when in the background. (Source: Microsoft)

The official Windows 10 Creators update is already available for those who would like to update manually. The update brings some significant new features to Windows 10.

Douglas Black, Published 03/29/2017

Windows Software

Windows 10 Creators Update has been in the works for a while now, and though those intrepid Windows Insiders get access before everyone else, not everyone is willing to risk their system stability to have first dibs on a beta product. Although the official roll out is supposed to start in April, it is actually possible to jump the queue and install the full, finalized Windows 10 Creators Update now.

Since it has been revealed that the most recent slow-ring build (15063) is indeed the RTM version, according to a leaked version of the Update Assistant tool, all one has to do is download that version of the Insider Preview directly from Microsoft—no Windows Insider program required! Simply use the Update Assistant tool from Microsoft, or get the .iso from here (64-bit) or here (32-bit).

Why bother with the upgrade? There are some interesting new features in the Creators Update, including:

Compact Overlay Windows (a picture-in-picture style overlay for supported apps)
Game Mode for increased performance when playing games
Night Light (an integrated blue light filter)
Throttling the CPU use of background apps

Of course, if you have an unusual system configuration or you are very risk-adverse, it is probably a better idea to hang back for a couple of months and wait for the inevitable bugs to be shaken out of such a large update.