How to download Windows 10 Fall Creators Update right now

Fall is in the air. The days are shorter, the weather is cooler and a new version of Windows is here.

Matt Elliott Senior Editor

Matt Elliott is a senior editor at CNET with a focus on laptops and streaming services. Matt has more than 20 years of experience testing and reviewing laptops. He has worked for CNET in New York and San Francisco and now lives in New Hampshire. When he's not writing about laptops, Matt likes to play and watch sports. He loves to play tennis and hates the number of streaming services he has to subscribe to in order to watch the various sports he wants to watch.

Expertise Laptops, desktops, all-in-one PCs, streaming devices, streaming platforms

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Matt Elliott

Oct. 17, 2017 9:03 p.m. PT

2 min read

Ready to upgrade your PC to the latest version of Windows 10? All right, let's get to it.

First, let me state: Before you install any big OS update, it's a good idea to back up your system in case something goes awry during the installation. You can simply upload important files to your preferred cloud service or an external drive. Windows's built-in backup service can be found by going to Settings > Update & security > Backup.

You should also make sure your computer meets the system requirements:

1GHz or faster processor
1GB of RAM for a 32-bit machine; 2GB of RAM for a 64-bit machine
16GB hard drive space for a 32-bit machine; 20GB hard drive space for a 64-bit machine
DirectX 9 or later graphics card with WDDM 1.0 driver

Check Windows Update

Microsoft will start rolling out Windows 10 Fall Creators Update on Oct. 17 but will do so gradually, so you may not get the update right away. (To be fair, rolling out an update to hundreds of millions of computers takes time and planning.)

To check if it's available for your PC, head to Settings > Update & security > Windows Update and click the Check for updates button. Your PC will scan for the update and, if it's available, it will begin downloading it. After it finishes downloading the update, click Restart Now to restart your PC and complete the installation process.

If you go to Windows Update only to be told your device is up to date, then you'll either need to wait patiently for the update to hit you or go the manual route.

...Or skip the line and install manually

If you want to get Fall Creators Update before fall turns to winter, then you can manually update Windows 10 instead of waiting for the update to arrive. Go to this Microsoft Software Download page and download the ISO files for Windows 10 Fall Creators Update. Run the file to open the Windows 10 Update Assistant, and follow the instructions to complete the installation process.

windows-10-update — Screenshot by Matt Elliott/CNET

Update Oct. 17, 10:30 a.m.: The ISO files for Fall Creators Update have yet to make their appearance on Microsoft's Software Download page. We will update this post when the files become available.

Update Oct. 17, 2:00 p.m.: You are good to go. Microsoft's Software Download page has been updated to include Fall Creators Update.

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