Windows 10 May 2021 Update 21H1 has been released and is ready to be installed

Microsoft has officially released the next Windows 10 Component Update to version 21H1 (or the May 2021 Update). It’s already available on some systems via the Update Center, and will appear on others a bit later, but you can install it yourself now if you want.

This review is about the ways to install the Windows 10 21H1 update without waiting for it to be available in the Update Center, as well as some additional information that you may find useful.

How to update to Windows 10 21H1 not from the Update Center

As before, if you need to install the update immediately instead of waiting for it to be available for your computer or laptop, you can use two methods (in case we are using official methods):

  • Download the update assistant (Windows 10 Update Assistant) from the Microsoft website and run the update through it.
  • Download the Windows 10 installer from the official website, and either select “Update this PC now” there or create a bootable flash drive and perform a clean install of the latest version of Windows 10, starting today – 21H1 only .

Both tools are available on the official page https://www.microsoft.com/ru-ru/software-download/windows10.

The “Update Now” button will download the update wizard, the “Download Tool Now” button will download the Installation Media Creation Tool.

To use the update wizard, just follow a few simple steps:

  • Click “Update Now” on the first screen.
  • Check that the system check is successful.
  • Wait for the necessary files to download. Please note that you need sufficient space on the system disk partition (the C drive) for the download and for the update process itself. I can’t give you an exact value of “enough”, but from experience I would say 15 GB, or better 20 GB. There may be errors at this stage if Windows 10 updates or system telemetry features have previously been disabled (due to lack of access to Microsoft servers) and then the update is prepared.
  • When prompted to reboot, click “Restart Now” to complete the update installation.
  • Upon completion, you will get an updated Windows 10 and a Windows.old folder on C drive that contains rollback data from the previous version. If everything works fine, you can delete the folder: How to delete the Windows.old folder.

    • The update process using the Media Creation Tool (when “Update this PC Now” is selected) is not much different. If you want, you can use the same utility to download the Windows 10 21H1 ISO (but it would be faster to use other ways to download the Windows 10 ISO), or create a bootable Windows 10 flash drive, and then install it. Windows 10 from flash drive.

    Warning: Although it is ready to install, as always with the release of the next update, problems both during and after the update installation cannot be ruled out. Among the common situations – malfunction of devices or the Internet, usually relatively easy to solve, for example, by reinstalling or rolling back the drivers (in my test, during the update of some drivers that I had not planned update was updated), in some cases – removal of third-party antivirus.

    You won’t see any obvious changes in the update: among them are multi-camera support for Windows Hello and improved performance (at least the statement about it) of certain system tools, like Windows Defender.

    In case it’s interesting, also:

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