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We're getting close: Microsoft has been issuing new Windows 10 Insider Preview builds on a regular basis, ahead of the official release July 29th. Want to endeavor it out? There are 64-bit and 32-bit versions available for US and UK English, Chinese, and Brazilian Portuguese, amongst other languages. Follow these instructions to download and install the Windows 10 Insider Preview.

Be prepared

As always with beta and preview software, you shouldn't install it unless yous're fully prepared. This ways y'all should back up any important files, and ideally you should have a carve up hard bulldoze or partition to install the Insider Preview on. You cannot revert from Windows 10 Insider Preview to Windows vii or Windows 8; if you accept second thoughts, you volition have to reinstall from scratch.

Windows 10

Download the Windows x Insider Preview

To begin, head on over to preview.windows.com and bring together the Windows Insider Program. This only takes a few clicks if yous already have a Microsoft account.

Y'all and so need to download the appropriate installation file (an ISO) for your system. This is probably the 64-bit (x64) version — though if yous have an older system, or you want to test out the 32-bit version, take hold of the 32-bit download instead. The download will probably take quite a while: the 64-bit ISO comes in at just under 4GB. Note downward your license key (though y'all will be able to visit the page later on, too). Microsoft has greatly simplified the process; you can grab it from the company'due south dedicated Windows 10 Insider Preview download page.

With the ISO fully downloaded, y'all then demand to transfer it to either a USB thumb drive (preferred) or burn down it to a DVD. If you have Windows 8 or 8.i, burning a DVD is fairly piece of cake — yous tin do it directly in Explorer. For burning an ISO paradigm to a USB thumb drive, the Windows seven USB/DVD Download Tool is probably withal your best bet, and we've as well had good luck with Rufus.

If you desire to install a fresh version of Windows 10 Insider Preview, reboot your reckoner, boot from the USB stick/DVD drive, and follow the on-screen prompts  (use "Advanced" mode when prompted). If you want to upgrade an existing version of Windows vii or viii/8.1, just run setup.exe from the USB/DVD drive from Explorer.

Caveats and other options

You can upgrade your existing Windows vii or Windows 8/8.1 installation to the Windows ten Insider Preview. I would advise you to do a clean installation of the Insider Preview, even so, on a separate sectionalization or difficult drive, in example something messes up. Eventually, each Insider Preview license expires, merely non before some other Preview build is released. Other potential caveats/pitfalls can be found on the Windows x Insider Preview FAQ.

Another pick, and a quite good 1, is installing Windows 10 Insider Preview in a virtual machine.

At present read: Windows 10: Hither's what Microsoft should take done instead

Sebastian Anthony wrote the original version of this article. It has since been updated with new information.