Windows 11; Microsoft is testing an option to install preview updates automatically

Microsoft is testing a way to install preview updates for Windows 11 automatically. The feature is currently available in the Canary Channel of the Windows Insider Preview Program.

In case you missed it, the Redmond company recently announced the Canary Channel for users who like to test builds that are fresh-out-of-the-oven. The channel will receive updates more frequently, which in turn will allow users faster access to experimental features.

What are Windows C and D Updates

Windows B releases are commonly referred to as Patch Tuesday updates, which are typically released on the 2nd Tuesday of every month. These are available for all users in the stable channel of Windows 11 and 10, and ship with bug fixes and security patches. Refer to Martin's article for additional information on the topic.

Windows C Updates, on the other hand, are optional, cumulative updates (also called quality updates) that do not contain security fixes. These are usually released in the third week of a month for older versions of Windows. Windows D releases are released a week later, i.e., in the 4th week, for newer versions of Windows 11 and Windows 10.

If you check for updates manually in the Windows Update section of the Settings app, you may have noticed that Cumulative Update Previews show up from time to time. These are the preview updates from the C and D releases, but unlike regular Windows Updates, these preview packages are not downloaded and installed automatically.

Windows 11 will allow users to install preview updates automatically

This is what the experimental feature is changing, by allowing users to decide whether they want to get the updates early, and install them automatically. For now, the option is available exclusively in the Canary Channel, in Build 25314 to be precise. WinAero reports that while the feature exists in Canary Build 25309, it requires the Update Stack Package version 1101.2303.8011.0 to work.

PhantomOfEarth says that the name of the feature is 'ContinuousInnovationOptin'. They also shared a screenshot of the option.

How to enable automatic installation of preview updates in Windows 11

1. Download the ViveTool utility, and extract its contents to C:\ViveTool.

2. Open a Terminal window with administrator rights.

3. Paste the following command in the Terminal.

C:\ViveTool\ViveTool /enable /id:43132439

4. Press Enter and the utility will enable the feature.

5. Restart the computer, and open the Settings app > Windows Update. You should now see an option that says "Get the latest updates as soon as they're ready for your PC".

You may toggle the option to set Windows 11 to download and install the preview updates automatically.

Note: I tried this in the latest Dev Channel Build, it doesn't work.

I think it goes without saying that these preview updates could be buggy, so we don't recommend enabling the option on your primary computer when it is eventually rolled out to all users. But if you are on the Canary Channel of Windows Insider Preview, I'd argue that you might as well enable it, as it may fix some bugs in what is considered to be unstable builds of the operating system.

Do you install cumulative update previews on your computer?

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