The Windows 10 Fall Creators Update (version 1709) will officially release on October 17 worldwide, Microsoft has now confirmed, and it’ll be a free update for devices already running Windows 10.
The Fall Creators Update is the fourth major refresh for Windows 10 (and the second update in 2017), and it includes a slew of improvements and several new features that focus on design, security, and productivity.
Windows 10 rollout begins on October 17
In this update, Windows 10 introduces a new design system known as Fluent Design, a system that moves away from the boring flat design and introduces a new set of visuals, including new transparency with blur and noise layers, three-dimensional perceptive and motions, visual effects, and system that adapts to any screen.
OneDrive Files On-Demand is a new feature that allows you to access all your files in the cloud without having to download them to your device saving local storage space. My People finally arrives to the OS, and it’s a feature that will allow you to quickly connect and share files with those close to your circle.
Windows 10 will now include native support for emoji using hardware keyboard. You’ll be able to connect your phone to your computer for cross-device web-browsing experience. Cortana settings migrate to the Settings app, and you will be able to ask the assistant to shutdown your computer with voice commands.
Windows Defender will also get smarter to protect your device and data from malicious code and malware, such as ransomware, with features like Controlled folder access, and Windows Defender Exploit Guard (enterprise feature). In addition, Microsoft is also introducing several improvements to make Windows 10 more accessible for users with disability.
No everyone will get the update on October 17
Similar to the previous releases, the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update is expected to rollout slowly, which means that no everyone will get it on October 17. Usually, Microsoft will update devices known to work with version 1709 first, such as Surface and newer devices that came with Windows 10, and then the update will continue to rollout to other devices.
Alongside the update, Microsoft is also planning to release another edition of the OS, which the company calls Windows 10 Pro for Workstations. This new variant of Windows 10 Pro is meant to extends support for server grade computer hardware for intensive workloads.
In April, the software giant announced that new feature updates of Windows 10 will release twice a year — targeting March and September for the release dates. However, with today’s news, it may seem like Microsoft will be about a month late, but while it may look that way, usually, major releases become available weeks after the updates is finalized. As we’ve seen in the past with the Creators Update that was due in March, but released in April 2017, and the Anniversary Update, which was due in July, but it became available in August 2016.
While we all are Anxiously waiting for version 1709 to rollout, during the early days major releases are known to include bugs and not everything feature may work as advertised. This means that if you’re planning to wait a little longer, it’s now the time to configure your system to defer the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update to a later date.
Mauro Huculak is a Windows expert and the Editor-in-Chief who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He is also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 12 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows, software, and related technologies, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 20 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me.