The Windows 10 October 2020 Update is already here. If you want to download it before everyone else, here’s how to do it.

Microsoft has just announced that Windows 10 build 19042.508 (KB4571756) , and intended for users of the Windows Insider program, actually corresponds to the October 2020 update which will soon be released to the general public and businesses. Released for the moment via the Release Preview channel , this new edition of Windows 10 brings some relevant new features, starting with a revamped start menu that we have been talking about for months already.
Windows 10 20H2: update on what’s new
Officially titled October 2020 Update , Windows 10 version 20H2 is already available. While officially build 19042.508 is mostly a security update, it is actually one of the two most important updates to Windows 10 for this year. Admittedly, last May’s update remains the more substantial of the two, but the 20H2 still offers some interesting new features. The Start menu has undergone a small facelift (the icons are no longer displayed on a colored tile).
It has been known for a while now that the Settings module is intended to replace the Control Panel (for the general public, at least). Rather than choosing the latter, more and more adjustment tools use the Parameters module, as this new edition of Windows 10 proves.
While many fixes are also required, Microsoft also promises with this new build an update that is easier and faster to download. If you’ve already installed the May 2020 update, the download should take less than 400MB .

How to preview Windows 10 October Update (20H2)
Although the next big update for Windows 10 will not be released until next October, it is already possible to download it in preview . But first of all, let’s remember that this new version of Windows 10 is not completely finalized. Microsoft can still make a few more changes to it by October, but the fact that it’s going on the Release Preview channel indicates that if there are any fixes, they should be minor.
Also, this edition is theoretically more stable than the versions released through the Dev channel. We installed it on 4 editorial workstations and did not notice the slightest problem. On the other hand, if you want to avoid the slightest hassle on your daily work machine, it may be better to install it on a second partition of your computer, or on a PC that you do not use occasionally. Rest assured, the finalized October update shouldn’t be long anyway.
If you’re already part of the Windows Insider program, you don’t have much to do except make sure you’ve selected the Release Preview Channel. To do this, proceed as follows:
- Press the [Windows] + [I] keys to open the Parameters module
- Go to Update & Security , then click Windows Insider Program
- There, make sure you have selected the Release Preview channel
- Retrace Update and security , and in the section Windows Update , press the Search updates. The build 19042.508 (KB4571756) should be available. All you have to do is download and install it like any Windows 10 udpate.

If you haven’t signed up for Windows Insider yet, here’s how to do it:
- Go to the Start menu , then click on the small cogwheel to open the Settings module . You can also simultaneously press the [Windows] + [I] keys on your keyboard, it’s the same thing
- Head over to Update & Security, and head over to the Windows Insider Program .
- Press the Start button .
- The service will then ask you to link an account . Add the account that you use to sign in to Windows to join the Windows Insider Program.
- You will then be asked which update channel you want to use. Select the Release Preview channel . Press the Confirm button and you’re done.
- The PC should restart normally. Open the Settings module again and go to Update & Security again
- In the left section titled Windows Update, click the Check for Updates button
- The October 2020 update called build 19042.508 (KB4571756) should be available. All you have to do is download and install it. As with any major Windows 10 update, restarting the PC is essential.
The October 2020 update named 20H2 will not revolutionize Windows 10 and acts more as an add-on to the 2004 Windows 10 update pushed into May 2020.
Windows 10 New Version Small changes to the look
The first thing that will be eye-catching with Windows 10’s 20H2 update is the Start menu which will be revamped somewhat.
The menu will match the color of the theme that we have defined on our Windows. So if we chose the light or dark theme, the icons will match accordingly.

The look of the menu: Start will match the color theme of our Windows 10. Image Credit: Microsoft.
Notifications will also be entitled to a small focus on the visual side. We will then be able to see the logo and the name of the application which sends us the notification.

inally, the task bar will be dynamic. We will find the Xbox application there if we have an Xbox Live account or the application: Your phone if we have paired our phone with our computer.
Edge Chromium as default browser
During the 2004 Windows 10 update, Microsoft started pushing (some say too hard) the Edge browser. It was the first thing we saw on the screen that it was now our default browser.
For once, Microsoft will continue in this vein, this time by imposing the new version of Edge based on the Chromium engine .
This version is said to increase browser performance, according to Microsoft. It also allows compatibility with all the tools developed by Google in the Edge browser.
It will obviously be possible to configure another default browser, whether it is Chrome, Firefox, Opera or others.
Still, Edge Chromium will allow you to see all the tabs that you have opened with the keyboard shortcut: Alt + Tab.
Tools to optimize our computer
New management tools will also be offered on our computer with Windows via the 20H2 update.
We will find a function that allows us to automatically delete unused applications .
In the same vein, another function named: Cleaning recommendations. It will tell us which large and unused files may be worth deleting to make space on our disk.
Finally, the tab: System in the settings will be replaced by a tab called: About this PC.
Nothing revolutionary, however we will have a button allowing us to quickly copy all the components of our computer. Handy if a technician asks us what our computer has in the belly.
