How to start and stop receiving Windows 10 Insider Preview builds
The following guide walks you through the steps of joining or leaving the Windows 10 Insider Preview program.
Microsoft launched the Insider Preview program for Windows 10 as a way to test changes made to the operating system before they are deployed to regular versions of the operating system.
This is a fundamental change to the update cycle in previous versions where updates were only tested internally before they were deployed.
Millions of Insider Preview systems provide Microsoft with a large sample size of hardware and software configurations.
It is free to join the Windows Insider program, and it is free to leave it again. Leaving won't reset the PC to the latest Stable version, however, unless you exit the program right around the time a new Stable feature update is released.
Becoming an Insider
This is the easier option of the two most of the time, provided you run Windows 10 already. If you do, all you need to do is the following:
- Tap on the Windows-key, and select the Settings from the Start Menu that opens up.
- Navigate to Update & Security.
- Select Windows Insider Program from the menu on the left.
- The "Get Insider Preview builds" option is displayed on the screen.
- Click on the "get started" button.
- You are asked to sign in to a Microsoft account first.
Once you have done so, click on "get started" again.
A warning is displayed that highlights some of the risks of joining the program.
You will be installing pre-release software and services that might not be fully tested.
Continue only if you...
Know your way around a PC and feel comfortable reinstalling Windows from scratch.
Want to try out pre-release software and share your opinion about it.
Don't mind frequent updates with significant changes.
Aren't installing it on your everyday computer.
Click the next button to continue, or cancel to exit the process.
The "before you confirm" prompt highlights that you may need to remove everything from your PC and reinstall Windows if you select to stop receiving Insider Preview Builds in the future.
A restart the PC prompt is displayed afterwards to complete the process.
Note: Once done, you may receive new updates via Windows Update depending on the old build and the build the Windows Insider program is on.
Leaving the Windows Insider program
Please note that you may need to reinstall Windows from scratch if you leave the Insider program. The best time to leave the program is when the stable builds and the Insider builds are in sync.
To leave the Insider Preview builds program do the following:
- Tap on the Windows-key to open the Start Menu and select Settings from it.
- Navigate to Update & Security in the settings app.
- Select "Windows Insider Program" on the next page.
- Click on the "stop insider preview builds" button on the next page.
- You get options to stop receiving builds for 1, 3 or 5 days, or to stop getting them permanently.
- Click on "stop receiving Insider Preview builds if you want to leave the program and hit apply.
If things to well, a restart prompt is displayed to restart the system and apply the change.
You can verify if you have left the Insider Preview program by opening the same menu under Update&Security again. You should see a "join" button now.
Now You: Have you joined the Insider Preview build program?
What mental age of reader are you targeting with the first sentence? 10?
Why not write an article on how to *avoid* upgrading from W10 to W11. Analogous to those like me who avoided upgrading from 7 to 10 for as long as possible.
If your paymaster Microsoft permits it, of course.
5. Rufus
6. Ventoy
PS. I hate reading these “SEO optimized” articles.
I used Rufus to create an installer for a 6th gen intel i5 that had MBR. It upgraded using Setup. No issues except for Win 11 always prompting me to replace my local account. Still using Win 10 Pro on all my other PCs to avoid the bullying.
bit pointless to upgrade for the sake of upgrading as you never know when you’ll get locked out because ms might suddenly not provide updates to unsupported systems.
ps…. time travelling?
written. Jan 15, 2023
Updated • Jan 13, 2023
This happens when you schedule a post in WordPress and update it before setting the publication date.
Anyone willing to downgrade to this awful OS must like inflicting themselves with harm.
I have become convinced now that anybody who has no qualms with using Windows 11/10 must fit into one of the following brackets:
1) Too young to remember a time before W10 and W11 (doesn’t know better)
2) Wants to play the latest games on their PC above anything else (or deeply needs some software which already dropped W7 support)
3) Doesn’t know too much about how computers work, worried that they’d be absolutely lost and in trouble without the “”latest security””
4) Microsoft apologist that tries to justify that the latest “features” and “changes” are actually a good thing, that improve Windows
5) Uses their computer to do a bare minimum of like 3 different things, browse web, check emails, etc, so really doesn’t fuss
Obviously that doesn’t cover everyone, there’s also the category that:
6) Actually liked W7 more than 10, and held out as long as possible before switching, begrudgingly uses 10 now
Have I missed any group off this list?
You have missed in this group just about any professional user that uses business software like CAD programs or ERP Programs which are 99% of all professional users from this list.
Linux doesn’t help anyone who is not a linux kid and apple is just a fancy facebook machine.
Microsoft has removed KB5029351 update
only from windows update though
KB5029351 is still available from the ms update catalog site
1. This update is labaled as PREVIEW if it causes issues to unintelligent people, then they shouldn’t have allowed Preview updates ot install.
2. I have installed it in a 11 years old computer, and no problems at all.
3. Making a big drama over a bluescreen for an updated labeled as preview is ridiculous.
This is probably another BS internet drama where people ran programs and scripts that modified the registry until they broke Windows, just for removing stuff that they weren’t even using just for the sake of it.
Maybe people should stop playing geeks and actually either use Windows 10 or Windows 11, but don’t try to modify things just for the sake of it.
Sometimes removing or stopping things (like defender is a perfect example) only need intelligence, not scripts or 3rd party programs that might mess with windows.
Windows 11 was a pointless release, it was just created because some of the Windows team wanted to boost sales with some sort of new and improved Windows 10. Instead, Microsoft cannot support one version well let alone two.
Windows 11 is the worst ugly shame by Microsoft ever. They should release with every new W11 version a complete free version of Starallback inside just to make this sh** OS functionally again.
motherboard maker MSI has recently released a statement regarding the “unsupported processor” blue screen error for their boards using Intel 600/700 series chipsets & to avoid the KB5029351 Win11 update:
https://www.msi.com/news/detail/MSI-On–UNSUPPORTED-PROCESSOR–Error-Message-of-Windows-11-Update-KB5029351-Preview-142215
check out the following recent articles:
Neowin – Microsoft puts little blame on its Windows update after UNSUPPORTED PROCESSOR BSOD bug:
https://www.neowin.net/news/microsoft-puts-little-blame-on-its-windows-update-after-unsupported-processor-bsod-bug/
BleepingComputer – Microsoft blames ‘unsupported processor’ blue screens on OEM vendors:
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/microsoft/microsoft-blames-unsupported-processor-blue-screens-on-oem-vendors/
While there may be changes or updates to the Windows 10 Store for Business and Education in the future, it is premature to conclude that it will be discontinued based solely on rumors.
My advice, I left win 15 years ago. Now I’m a happy linux user (linuxmint) but there is Centos, Fedora, Ubuntu depending on your needs.
motherboard maker MSI has recently released new BIOS/firmware updates for their Intel 600 & 700 series motherboards to fix the “UNSUPPORTED_PROCESSOR” problem (Sept. 6):
https://www.msi.com/news/detail/Updated-BIOS-fixes-Error-Message–UNSUPPORTED-PROCESSOR–caused-BSOD-on-MSI-s-Intel-700-and-600-Series-Motherboards-142277