Microsoft releases new Windows 10 preview for PCs, says focus is now on ‘bug fixing and final polish’

After releasing build 10158 on Monday and build 10159 on Tuesday, Microsoft has released yet another Windows 10 preview for PCs today. That’s three builds in four days for those keeping count. This one is build 10162, but it’s a little different than the rest.

While build 10158 added a slew of new features, and build 10159 came with the new wallpaper and logon UI, build 10162 doesn’t bring any new features. And this is the whole point.

Windows 10 for PCs is launching on July 29, and the company shouldn’t be adding new features anymore. Indeed, Gabriel Aul, the leader of Microsoft’s operating systems group’s data and fundamentals team, said the company’s “testing and internal telemetry metrics show [build 10162] has better reliability, performance, battery life, and compatibility than any Windows 10 Insider Preview build so far.”

At the same time, this in turn means more builds, more often. “We’re focused at this point on bug fixing and final polish, so it’s much easier for each build to get all the way through than earlier in the cycle when we’re adding big new features,” Aul said. “So now we find ourselves in a great situation, with an abundance of build candidates.”

Microsoft notes that while testers are asking for daily builds, the company doesn’t want to do that because builds need to be used for longer than that. This is especially true for testing deferred work (Aul points to examples like OneDrive sync, search indexing, background updating, and so on).

The update should arrive overnight for Windows 10 preview users via Windows Update (your PC has to be plugged in, and be on or sleeping). If you want to get build 10162 now, head to PC Settings, select “Update and recovery,” then “Preview builds,” and click the “Check Now” button.

If you’re not signed up for the Windows Insider program, register now, check out the system requirements, and then follow the instructions.