<s>
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
is	O
a	O
major	O
release	O
of	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
the	O
direct	O
successor	O
to	O
Windows	B-Device
8.1	I-Device
,	O
which	O
was	O
released	O
nearly	O
two	O
years	O
earlier	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
was	O
made	O
available	O
for	O
download	O
via	O
MSDN	O
and	O
TechNet	O
,	O
as	O
a	O
free	O
upgrade	O
for	O
retail	O
copies	O
of	O
Windows	B-Application
8	I-Application
and	O
Windows	B-Device
8.1	I-Device
users	O
via	O
the	O
Windows	B-Application
Store	I-Application
,	O
and	O
to	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
users	O
via	O
Windows	O
Update	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
receives	O
new	O
builds	O
on	O
an	O
ongoing	O
basis	O
,	O
which	O
are	O
available	O
at	O
no	O
additional	O
cost	O
to	O
users	O
,	O
in	O
addition	O
to	O
additional	O
test	O
builds	O
of	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
,	O
which	O
are	O
available	O
to	O
Windows	B-Application
Insiders	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
June	O
2021	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
announced	O
that	O
support	O
for	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
editions	O
which	O
are	O
not	O
in	O
the	O
Long-Term	O
Servicing	O
Channel	O
(	O
LTSC	O
)	O
will	O
end	O
on	O
October	O
14	O
,	O
2025	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
received	O
generally	O
positive	O
reviews	O
upon	O
its	O
original	O
release	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Critics	O
praised	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
decision	O
to	O
provide	O
the	O
desktop-oriented	O
interface	O
in	O
line	O
with	O
previous	O
versions	O
of	O
Windows	O
,	O
contrasting	O
the	O
tablet-oriented	O
approach	O
of	O
Windows	B-Application
8	I-Application
,	O
although	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
's	O
touch-oriented	O
user	O
interface	O
mode	O
was	O
criticized	O
for	O
containing	O
regressions	O
upon	O
the	O
touch-oriented	O
interface	O
of	O
its	O
predecessor	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Critics	O
also	O
praised	O
the	O
improvements	O
to	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
's	O
bundled	O
software	O
over	O
Windows	B-Device
8.1	I-Device
,	O
Xbox	B-Application
Live	I-Application
integration	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
the	O
functionality	O
and	O
capabilities	O
of	O
the	O
Cortana	B-Application
personal	O
assistant	O
and	O
the	O
replacement	O
of	O
Internet	B-Application
Explorer	I-Application
with	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Edge	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
media	O
outlets	O
have	O
been	O
critical	O
of	O
the	O
changes	O
to	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
behaviors	O
,	O
including	O
mandatory	O
update	O
installation	O
,	O
privacy	O
concerns	O
over	O
data	O
collection	O
performed	O
by	O
the	O
OS	O
for	O
Microsoft	O
and	O
its	O
partners	O
,	O
and	O
adware-like	O
tactics	O
used	O
to	O
promote	O
the	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
on	O
its	O
release	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
initially	O
aimed	O
to	O
have	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
installed	O
on	O
over	O
one	O
billion	O
devices	O
within	O
three	O
years	O
of	O
its	O
release	O
;	O
that	O
goal	O
was	O
ultimately	O
reached	O
almost	O
five	O
years	O
after	O
release	O
on	O
March	O
16	O
,	O
2020	O
,	O
and	O
is	O
by	O
now	O
most	O
used	O
version	O
in	O
virtually	O
all	O
countries	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
January	O
2018	O
,	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
surpassed	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
as	O
the	O
most	O
popular	O
version	O
of	O
Windows	O
worldwide	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
,	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
is	O
estimated	O
to	O
have	O
a	O
73%	O
share	O
of	O
Windows	B-Application
PCs	I-Application
,	O
still	O
3.5	O
×	O
the	O
share	O
of	O
its	O
successor	O
Windows	B-Application
11	I-Application
(	O
and	O
20×	O
of	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
share	O
has	O
been	O
declining	O
from	O
a	O
January	O
2022	O
peak	O
of	O
82%	O
,	O
since	O
Windows	B-Application
11	I-Application
,	O
which	O
is	O
now	O
the	O
second	O
most	O
popular	O
Windows	O
version	O
in	O
many	O
countries	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
has	O
a	O
58%	O
share	O
of	O
all	O
PCs	B-Device
(	O
the	O
rest	O
being	O
other	O
Windows	B-Device
editions	I-Device
and	O
other	O
operating	B-General_Concept
systems	I-General_Concept
such	O
as	O
macOS	B-Application
and	O
Linux	B-Application
)	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
22%	O
share	O
of	O
all	O
devices	O
(	O
including	O
mobile	O
,	O
tablet	B-Device
and	O
console	B-Device
)	O
are	O
running	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
June	O
24	O
,	O
2021	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
announced	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
's	O
successor	O
,	O
Windows	B-Application
11	I-Application
,	O
which	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
October	O
5	O
,	O
2021	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
is	O
the	O
final	O
version	O
of	O
Windows	O
that	O
supports	O
32-bit	B-Device
processors	O
(	O
IA-32	B-Device
and	O
ARMv7-based	O
)	O
and	O
devices	O
with	O
BIOS	B-Operating_System
firmware	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Its	O
successor	O
,	O
Windows	B-Application
11	I-Application
,	O
requires	O
a	O
device	O
that	O
uses	O
UEFI	B-Architecture
firmware	I-Architecture
and	O
a	O
64-bit	B-Device
processor	I-Device
in	O
any	O
supported	O
architecture	O
(	O
x86-64	B-Device
for	O
x86	B-Operating_System
and	O
ARMv8	O
for	O
ARM	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
the	O
Microsoft	O
Worldwide	O
Partner	O
Conference	O
in	O
2011	O
,	O
Andrew	O
Lees	O
,	O
the	O
chief	O
of	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
mobile	O
technologies	O
,	O
said	O
that	O
the	O
company	O
intended	O
to	O
have	O
a	O
single	O
software	B-Application
ecosystem	I-Application
for	O
PCs	B-Device
,	O
smartphones	B-Application
,	O
tablets	B-Device
,	O
and	O
other	O
devices	O
:	O
"	O
We	O
wo	O
n't	O
have	O
an	O
ecosystem	O
for	O
PCs	B-Device
,	O
and	O
one	O
for	O
phones	O
,	O
and	O
one	O
for	O
tabletsthey	O
'll	O
all	O
come	O
together.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
December	O
2013	O
,	O
technology	O
writer	O
Mary	O
Jo	O
Foley	O
reported	O
that	O
Microsoft	O
was	O
working	O
on	O
an	O
update	O
to	O
Windows	B-Application
8	I-Application
codenamed	O
"	O
Threshold	O
"	O
,	O
after	O
a	O
planet	O
in	O
its	O
Halo	O
franchise	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Similarly	O
to	O
"	O
Blue	O
"	O
(	O
which	O
became	O
Windows	B-Device
8.1	I-Device
)	O
,	O
Foley	O
described	O
Threshold	O
,	O
not	O
as	O
a	O
single	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
,	O
but	O
as	O
a	O
"	O
wave	O
of	O
operating	B-General_Concept
systems	I-General_Concept
"	O
across	O
multiple	O
Microsoft	O
platforms	O
and	O
services	O
,	O
quoting	O
Microsoft	O
sources	O
,	O
scheduled	O
for	O
the	O
second	O
quarter	O
of	O
2015	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
She	O
also	O
stated	O
that	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
goals	O
for	O
Threshold	O
was	O
to	O
create	O
a	O
unified	O
application	O
platform	O
and	O
development	O
toolkit	O
for	O
Windows	O
,	O
Windows	B-Protocol
Phone	I-Protocol
and	O
Xbox	B-Device
One	I-Device
(	O
which	O
all	O
use	O
a	O
similar	O
kernel	O
based	O
on	O
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
the	O
Build	B-Application
Conference	O
in	O
April	O
2014	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
Terry	O
Myerson	O
unveiled	O
an	O
updated	O
version	O
of	O
Windows	B-Device
8.1	I-Device
(	O
build	B-Application
9697	O
)	O
that	O
added	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
run	O
Windows	B-Application
Store	I-Application
apps	O
inside	O
desktop	B-Device
windows	O
and	O
a	O
more	O
traditional	O
Start	O
menu	O
in	O
place	O
of	O
the	O
Start	O
screen	O
seen	O
in	O
Windows	B-Application
8	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
new	O
Start	O
menu	O
takes	O
after	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
's	O
design	O
by	O
using	O
only	O
a	O
portion	O
of	O
the	O
screen	O
and	O
including	O
a	O
Windows	O
7-style	O
application	O
listing	O
in	O
the	O
first	O
column	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
also	O
unveiled	O
the	O
concept	O
of	O
a	O
"	O
universal	O
Windows	B-Application
app	I-Application
"	O
,	O
allowing	O
Windows	B-Application
Store	I-Application
apps	O
created	O
for	O
Windows	B-Device
8.1	I-Device
to	O
be	O
ported	O
to	O
Windows	B-Protocol
Phone	I-Protocol
8.1	I-Protocol
and	O
Xbox	B-Device
One	I-Device
while	O
sharing	O
a	O
common	O
codebase	O
,	O
with	O
an	O
interface	O
designed	O
for	O
different	O
device	O
form	O
factors	O
,	O
and	O
allowing	O
user	O
data	O
and	O
licenses	B-License
for	O
an	O
app	O
to	O
be	O
shared	O
between	O
multiple	O
platforms	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Protocol
Phone	I-Protocol
8.1	I-Protocol
would	O
share	O
nearly	O
90%	O
of	O
the	O
common	O
Windows	O
Runtime	O
APIs	O
with	O
Windows	B-Device
8.1	I-Device
on	O
PCs	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Screenshots	O
of	O
a	O
Windows	O
build	B-Application
purported	O
to	O
be	O
Threshold	O
were	O
leaked	O
in	O
July	O
2014	O
,	O
showing	O
the	O
previously	O
presented	O
Start	O
menu	O
and	O
windowed	O
Windows	B-Application
Store	I-Application
apps	O
,	O
followed	O
by	O
a	O
further	O
screenshot	O
of	O
a	O
build	B-Application
identifying	O
itself	O
as	O
"	O
Windows	O
Technical	O
Preview	O
"	O
,	O
numbered	O
9834	O
,	O
in	O
September	O
2014	O
,	O
showing	O
a	O
new	O
virtual	B-Application
desktop	I-Application
system	O
,	O
a	O
notification	O
center	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
new	O
File	B-Protocol
Explorer	I-Protocol
icon	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
September	O
30	O
,	O
2014	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
officially	O
announced	O
that	O
Threshold	O
would	O
be	O
unveiled	O
during	O
a	O
media	O
event	O
as	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Myerson	O
said	O
that	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
would	O
be	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
"	O
most	O
comprehensive	O
platform	O
ever	O
"	O
,	O
providing	O
a	O
single	O
,	O
unified	O
platform	O
for	O
desktop	B-Device
and	O
laptop	B-Device
computers	I-Device
,	O
tablets	B-Device
,	O
smartphones	B-Application
,	O
and	O
all-in-one	B-Device
devices	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
emphasized	O
that	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
would	O
take	O
steps	O
towards	O
restoring	O
user	O
interface	O
mechanics	O
from	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
to	O
improve	O
the	O
experience	O
for	O
users	O
on	O
non-touch	O
devices	O
,	O
noting	O
criticism	O
of	O
Windows	B-Application
8	I-Application
's	O
touch-oriented	O
interface	O
by	O
keyboard	B-Device
and	O
mouse	B-Device
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
regards	O
to	O
Microsoft	O
naming	O
the	O
new	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
instead	O
of	O
Windows	O
9	O
,	O
Terry	O
Myerson	O
said	O
that	O
"	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
product	O
that	O
's	O
coming	O
,	O
and	O
just	O
how	O
different	O
our	O
approach	O
will	O
be	O
overall	O
,	O
it	O
would	O
n't	O
be	O
right	O
to	O
call	O
it	O
Windows	O
9.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
also	O
joked	O
that	O
they	O
could	O
not	O
call	O
it	O
"	O
Windows	O
One	O
"	O
(	O
referring	O
to	O
several	O
recent	O
Microsoft	O
products	O
with	O
a	O
similar	O
brand	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
OneDrive	B-Application
,	O
OneNote	B-Application
,	O
and	O
the	B-Device
Xbox	I-Device
One	I-Device
)	O
because	O
Windows	B-Application
1.0	I-Application
already	O
existed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
a	O
San	O
Francisco	O
conference	O
in	O
October	O
2014	O
,	O
Tony	O
Prophet	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
Vice	O
President	O
of	O
Windows	O
Marketing	O
,	O
said	O
that	O
Windows	O
9	O
"	O
came	O
and	O
went	O
"	O
,	O
and	O
that	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
would	O
not	O
be	O
"	O
an	O
incremental	O
step	O
from	O
Windows	B-Device
8.1	I-Device
"	O
,	O
but	O
"	O
a	O
material	O
step	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
We	O
're	O
trying	O
to	O
create	O
one	O
platform	O
,	O
one	O
eco-system	O
that	O
unites	O
as	O
many	O
of	O
the	O
devices	O
from	O
the	O
small	O
embedded	O
Internet	B-Operating_System
of	I-Operating_System
Things	I-Operating_System
,	O
through	O
tablets	B-Device
,	O
through	O
phones	O
,	O
through	O
PCs	B-Device
and	O
,	O
ultimately	O
,	O
into	O
the	O
Xbox.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Further	O
details	O
surrounding	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
's	O
consumer-oriented	O
features	O
were	O
presented	O
during	O
another	O
media	O
event	O
held	O
on	O
January	O
21	O
,	O
2015	O
,	O
entitled	O
"	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
:	O
The	O
Next	O
Chapter	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
keynote	O
featured	O
the	O
unveiling	O
of	O
Cortana	B-Application
integration	O
within	O
the	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
,	O
new	O
Xbox-oriented	O
features	O
,	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
Mobile	I-Operating_System
,	O
an	O
updated	O
Office	B-Application
Mobile	I-Application
suite	O
,	O
Surface	O
Huba	O
large-screened	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
device	O
for	O
enterprise	O
collaboration	O
based	O
upon	O
Perceptive	O
Pixel	B-Algorithm
technology	O
,	O
along	O
with	O
HoloLens‑augmented	O
reality	O
eyewear	O
and	O
an	O
associated	O
platform	O
for	O
building	O
apps	O
that	O
can	O
render	O
holograms	B-Algorithm
through	O
HoloLens	B-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
Additional	O
developer-oriented	O
details	O
surrounding	O
the	O
"	O
Universal	B-Device
Windows	I-Device
Platform	I-Device
"	O
concept	O
were	O
revealed	O
and	O
discussed	O
during	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
Build	B-Application
developers	O
 '	O
conference	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Among	O
them	O
were	O
the	O
unveiling	O
of	O
"	O
Islandwood	O
"	O
,	O
which	O
provides	O
a	O
middleware	B-General_Concept
toolchain	B-General_Concept
for	O
compiling	O
Objective-C-based	O
software	O
(	O
particularly	O
iOS	B-Application
)	O
to	O
run	O
as	O
universal	O
apps	O
on	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
and	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
Mobile	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
port	O
of	O
Candy	B-Application
Crush	I-Application
Saga	I-Application
made	O
using	O
the	O
toolkit	O
,	O
which	O
shared	O
much	O
of	O
its	O
code	O
with	O
the	O
iOS	B-Application
version	O
,	O
was	O
demonstrated	O
,	O
alongside	O
the	O
announcement	O
that	O
the	O
King-developed	O
game	O
would	O
be	O
bundled	O
with	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
at	O
launch	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
the	O
2015	O
Ignite	O
conference	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
employee	O
Jerry	O
Nixon	O
stated	O
that	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
would	O
be	O
the	O
"	O
last	O
version	O
of	O
Windows	O
"	O
,	O
a	O
statement	O
that	O
Microsoft	O
confirmed	O
was	O
"	O
reflective	O
"	O
of	O
its	O
view	O
of	O
the	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
being	B-Architecture
a	I-Architecture
"	I-Architecture
service	I-Architecture
"	I-Architecture
with	O
new	O
versions	O
and	O
updates	O
to	O
be	O
released	O
over	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2021	O
,	O
however	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
announced	O
that	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
would	O
be	O
succeeded	O
on	O
compatible	O
hardware	O
by	O
Windows	B-Application
11	I-Application
–	O
and	O
that	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
support	O
will	O
end	O
on	O
October	O
14	O
,	O
2025	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
June	O
1	O
,	O
2015	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
announced	O
that	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
would	O
be	O
released	O
on	O
July	O
29	O
,	O
2015	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
July	O
20	O
,	O
2015	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
began	O
"	O
Upgrade	O
Your	O
World	O
"	O
,	O
an	O
advertising	O
campaign	O
centering	O
on	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
,	O
with	O
the	O
premiere	O
of	O
television	O
commercials	O
in	O
Australia	O
,	O
Canada	O
,	O
France	O
,	O
Germany	O
,	O
Japan	O
,	O
the	O
United	O
Kingdom	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
commercials	O
focused	O
on	O
the	O
tagline	O
"	O
A	O
more	O
human	O
way	O
to	O
do	O
"	O
,	O
emphasizing	O
new	O
features	O
and	O
technologies	O
supported	O
by	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
that	O
sought	O
to	O
provide	O
a	O
more	O
"	O
personal	O
"	O
experience	O
to	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
campaign	O
culminated	O
with	O
launch	O
events	O
in	O
thirteen	O
cities	O
on	O
July	O
29	O
,	O
2015	O
,	O
which	O
celebrated	O
"	O
the	O
unprecedented	O
role	O
our	O
biggest	O
fans	O
played	O
in	O
the	O
development	O
of	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
makes	O
its	O
user	O
experience	O
and	O
functionality	O
more	O
consistent	O
between	O
different	O
classes	O
of	O
device	O
,	O
and	O
addresses	O
most	O
of	O
the	O
shortcomings	O
in	O
the	O
user	O
interface	O
that	O
were	O
introduced	O
in	O
Windows	B-Application
8	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
Mobile	I-Operating_System
,	O
the	O
successor	O
to	O
Windows	B-Protocol
Phone	I-Protocol
8.1	I-Protocol
,	O
shared	O
some	O
user	O
interface	O
elements	O
and	O
apps	O
with	O
its	O
PC	O
counterpart	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
supports	O
universal	O
apps	O
,	O
an	O
expansion	O
of	O
the	O
Metro-style	O
first	O
introduced	O
in	O
Windows	B-Application
8	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Universal	O
apps	O
can	O
be	O
designed	O
to	O
run	O
across	O
multiple	O
Microsoft	O
product	O
families	O
with	O
nearly	O
identical	O
codeincluding	O
PCs	B-Device
,	O
tablets	B-Device
,	O
smartphones	B-Application
,	O
embedded	B-Architecture
systems	I-Architecture
,	O
Xbox	B-Device
One	I-Device
,	O
Surface	O
Hub	O
and	O
Mixed	B-General_Concept
Reality	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Windows	O
user	O
interface	O
was	O
revised	O
to	O
handle	O
transitions	O
between	O
a	O
mouse-oriented	O
interface	O
and	O
a	O
touchscreen-optimized	O
interface	O
based	O
on	O
available	O
input	O
devicesparticularly	O
on	O
2-in-1	O
PCs	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Both	O
interfaces	O
include	O
an	O
updated	O
Start	O
menu	O
which	O
incorporates	O
elements	O
of	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
's	O
traditional	O
Start	O
menu	O
with	O
the	O
tiles	O
of	O
Windows	B-Application
8	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
also	O
introduced	O
the	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Edge	I-Application
web	B-Application
browser	I-Application
,	O
a	O
virtual	B-Application
desktop	I-Application
system	O
,	O
a	O
window	O
and	O
desktop	B-Device
management	O
feature	O
called	O
Task	O
View	O
,	O
support	O
for	O
fingerprint	O
and	O
face	O
recognition	O
login	O
,	O
new	O
security	O
features	O
for	O
enterprise	O
environments	O
,	O
and	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Windows	O
Runtime	O
app	O
ecosystem	O
was	O
revised	O
into	O
the	O
Universal	B-Device
Windows	I-Device
Platform	I-Device
(	O
UWP	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
universal	O
apps	O
are	O
made	O
to	O
run	O
across	O
multiple	O
platforms	O
and	O
device	O
classes	O
,	O
including	O
smartphones	B-Application
,	O
tablets	B-Device
,	O
Xbox	B-Device
One	I-Device
consoles	O
,	O
and	O
other	O
devices	O
compatible	O
with	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Application
apps	I-Application
share	O
code	O
across	O
platforms	O
,	O
have	O
responsive	B-General_Concept
designs	I-General_Concept
that	O
adapt	O
to	O
the	O
needs	O
of	O
the	O
device	O
and	O
available	O
inputs	O
,	O
can	O
synchronize	O
data	O
between	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
devices	O
(	O
including	O
notifications	O
,	O
credentials	O
,	O
and	O
allowing	O
cross-platform	O
multiplayer	O
for	O
games	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
are	O
distributed	O
through	O
the	B-Application
Microsoft	I-Application
Store	I-Application
(	O
rebranded	O
from	O
Windows	B-Application
Store	I-Application
since	O
September	O
2017	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Developers	O
can	O
allow	O
"	O
cross-buys	O
"	O
,	O
where	O
purchased	O
licenses	B-License
for	O
an	O
app	O
apply	O
to	O
all	O
of	O
the	O
user	O
's	O
compatible	O
devices	O
,	O
rather	O
than	O
only	O
the	O
one	O
they	O
purchased	O
on	O
(	O
e.g.	O
,	O
a	O
user	O
purchasing	O
an	O
app	O
on	O
PC	O
is	O
also	O
entitled	O
to	O
use	O
the	O
smartphone	B-Application
version	O
at	O
no	O
extra	O
cost	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
ARM	O
version	O
of	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
allows	O
running	O
applications	O
for	O
x86	B-Operating_System
processors	O
through	O
32-bit	B-Device
software	O
emulation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
,	O
the	B-Application
Microsoft	I-Application
Store	I-Application
serves	O
as	O
a	O
unified	O
storefront	O
for	O
apps	O
,	O
video	O
content	O
,	O
and	O
eBooks	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
also	O
allows	O
web	B-Application
apps	I-Application
and	O
desktop	B-Device
software	O
(	O
using	O
either	O
Win32	B-Library
or	O
.NET	B-Application
Framework	I-Application
)	O
to	O
be	O
packaged	O
for	O
distribution	B-Application
on	O
the	B-Application
Microsoft	I-Application
Store	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Desktop	B-Device
software	O
distributed	O
through	O
Windows	B-Application
Store	I-Application
is	O
packaged	O
using	O
the	O
App-V	O
system	O
to	O
allow	O
sandboxing	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
new	O
iteration	O
of	O
the	O
Start	O
menu	O
is	O
used	O
on	O
the	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
desktop	B-Device
,	O
with	O
a	O
list	O
of	O
places	O
and	O
other	O
options	O
on	O
the	O
left	O
side	O
,	O
and	O
tiles	O
representing	O
applications	O
on	O
the	O
right	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
menu	O
can	O
be	O
resized	O
,	O
and	O
expanded	O
into	O
a	O
full-screen	O
display	B-Device
,	O
which	O
is	O
the	O
default	O
option	O
in	O
Tablet	B-Device
mode	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
new	O
virtual	B-Application
desktop	I-Application
system	O
was	O
added	O
by	O
a	O
feature	O
known	O
as	O
Task	O
View	O
,	O
which	O
displays	O
all	O
open	O
windows	O
and	O
allows	O
users	O
to	O
switch	O
between	O
them	O
,	O
or	O
switch	O
between	O
multiple	O
workspaces	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Settings	O
app	O
(	O
formerly	O
PC	O
Settings	O
)	O
was	O
refreshed	O
and	O
now	O
includes	O
more	O
options	O
that	O
were	O
previously	O
exclusive	O
to	O
the	O
desktop	B-Device
Control	O
Panel	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
is	O
designed	O
to	O
adapt	O
its	O
user	O
interface	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
type	O
of	O
device	O
being	O
used	O
and	O
available	O
input	O
methods	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
offers	O
two	O
separate	O
user	O
interface	O
modes	O
:	O
a	O
user	O
interface	O
optimized	O
for	O
mouse	B-Device
and	O
keyboard	B-Device
,	O
and	O
a	O
"	O
Tablet	B-Device
mode	O
"	O
designed	O
for	O
touchscreens	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Users	O
can	O
toggle	O
between	O
these	O
two	O
modes	O
at	O
any	O
time	O
,	O
and	O
Windows	O
can	O
prompt	O
or	O
automatically	O
switch	O
when	O
certain	O
events	O
occur	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
disabling	O
Tablet	B-Device
mode	O
on	O
a	O
tablet	B-Device
if	O
a	O
keyboard	B-Device
or	O
mouse	B-Device
is	O
plugged	O
in	O
,	O
or	O
when	O
a	O
2-in-1	B-Device
PC	I-Device
is	O
switched	O
to	O
its	O
laptop	B-Device
state	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
Tablet	B-Device
mode	O
,	O
programs	O
default	O
to	O
a	O
maximized	O
view	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
taskbar	O
contains	O
a	O
back	O
button	O
and	O
hides	O
buttons	O
for	O
opened	O
or	O
pinned	O
programs	O
by	O
default	O
;	O
Task	O
View	O
is	O
used	O
instead	O
to	O
switch	O
between	O
programs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
full	O
screen	O
Start	O
menu	O
is	O
used	O
in	O
this	O
mode	O
,	O
similarly	O
to	O
Windows	B-Application
8	I-Application
,	O
but	O
scrolls	O
vertically	O
instead	O
of	O
horizontally	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
incorporates	O
multi-factor	O
authentication	O
technology	O
based	O
upon	O
standards	O
developed	O
by	O
the	O
FIDO	O
Alliance	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
includes	O
improved	O
support	O
for	O
biometric	O
authentication	O
through	O
the	O
Windows	O
Hello	O
platform	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Devices	O
with	O
supported	O
cameras	O
(	O
requiring	O
infrared	O
illumination	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
Intel	B-Algorithm
RealSense	I-Algorithm
)	O
allow	O
users	O
to	O
log	O
in	O
with	O
iris	O
or	O
face	O
recognition	O
,	O
similarly	O
to	O
Kinect	B-Algorithm
.	O
</s>
<s>
Credentials	O
are	O
stored	O
locally	O
and	O
protected	O
using	O
asymmetric	B-Application
encryption	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2017	O
,	O
researchers	O
demonstrated	O
that	O
Windows	O
Hello	O
could	O
be	O
bypassed	O
on	O
fully-updated	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
version	O
1703	O
with	O
a	O
color	O
printout	O
of	O
a	O
person	O
's	O
picture	O
taken	O
with	O
an	O
IR	O
camera	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
passwords	O
are	O
transmitted	O
to	O
domain	B-Protocol
controllers	I-Protocol
,	O
PINs	O
are	O
not	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Backed	O
by	O
a	O
Trusted	O
Platform	O
Module	O
(	O
TPM	O
)	O
chip	O
,	O
Windows	O
uses	O
PINs	O
to	O
create	O
strong	O
asymmetric	B-Application
key	I-Application
pairs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
addition	O
,	O
whereas	O
weak	O
passwords	O
may	O
be	O
broken	O
via	O
rainbow	B-Algorithm
tables	I-Algorithm
,	O
TPM	O
causes	O
the	O
much-simpler	O
Windows	O
PINs	O
to	O
be	O
resilient	O
to	O
brute-force	O
attacks	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
was	O
first	O
introduced	O
,	O
multi-factor	O
authentication	O
was	O
provided	O
by	O
two	O
components	O
:	O
Windows	O
Hello	O
and	O
Passport	O
(	O
not	O
to	O
be	O
confused	O
with	O
the	O
Passport	O
platform	O
of	O
1998	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
enterprise	O
edition	O
of	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
offers	O
additional	O
security	O
features	O
;	O
administrators	O
can	O
set	O
up	O
policies	O
for	O
the	O
automatic	O
encryption	O
of	O
sensitive	O
data	O
,	O
selectively	O
block	O
applications	O
from	O
accessing	O
encrypted	O
data	O
,	O
and	O
enable	O
Device	O
Guarda	O
system	O
which	O
allows	O
administrators	O
to	O
enforce	O
a	O
high-security	O
environment	O
by	O
blocking	O
the	O
execution	O
of	O
software	O
that	O
is	O
not	O
digitally	O
signed	O
by	O
a	O
trusted	O
vendor	O
or	O
Microsoft	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Device	O
Guard	O
is	O
designed	O
to	O
protect	O
against	O
zero-day	O
exploits	O
,	O
and	O
runs	O
inside	O
a	O
hypervisor	B-Operating_System
so	O
that	O
its	O
operation	O
remains	O
separated	O
from	O
the	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
itself	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
console	B-Device
windows	O
based	O
on	O
Windows	B-Application
Console	I-Application
(	O
for	O
any	O
console	B-Device
app	O
,	O
not	O
just	O
PowerShell	B-Application
and	O
Windows	B-Device
Command	I-Device
Prompt	I-Device
)	O
can	O
now	O
be	O
resized	O
without	O
any	O
restrictions	O
,	O
can	O
be	O
made	O
to	O
cover	O
the	O
full	O
screen	O
by	O
pressing	O
,	O
and	O
can	O
use	O
standard	O
keyboard	B-Device
shortcuts	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
those	O
for	O
cut	B-General_Concept
,	I-General_Concept
copy	I-General_Concept
,	I-General_Concept
and	I-General_Concept
paste	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
functions	O
can	O
be	O
disabled	O
to	O
revert	O
to	O
the	O
legacy	O
console	B-Device
if	O
needed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Anniversary	O
Update	O
added	O
Windows	O
Subsystem	O
for	O
Linux	B-Application
(	O
WSL	O
)	O
,	O
which	O
allows	O
the	O
installation	O
of	O
a	O
user	B-Operating_System
space	I-Operating_System
environment	O
from	O
a	O
supported	O
Linux	B-Application
distribution	I-Application
that	O
runs	O
natively	O
on	O
Windows	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
subsystem	O
translates	O
Linux	B-Application
system	B-Operating_System
calls	I-Operating_System
to	O
those	O
of	O
the	O
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
kernel	O
(	O
only	O
claims	O
full	O
system	B-Operating_System
call	I-Operating_System
compatibility	O
as	O
of	O
WSL	O
2	O
,	O
included	O
in	O
a	O
later	O
Windows	O
update	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
environment	O
can	O
execute	O
the	O
Bash	B-Operating_System
shell	I-Operating_System
and	O
64-bit	B-Device
command-line	O
programs	O
(	O
WSL	O
2	O
also	O
supports	O
32-bit	B-Device
Linux	B-Application
programs	O
and	O
graphics	O
,	O
assuming	O
supporting	O
software	O
installed	O
,	O
and	O
GPUs	O
support	O
for	O
other	O
uses	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Application
applications	I-Application
cannot	O
be	O
executed	O
from	O
the	O
Linux	B-Application
environment	O
,	O
and	O
vice	O
versa	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Linux	B-Application
distributions	I-Application
for	O
Windows	O
Subsystem	O
for	O
Linux	B-Application
are	O
obtained	O
through	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Store	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
feature	O
initially	O
supported	O
an	O
Ubuntu-based	O
environment	O
;	O
Microsoft	O
announced	O
in	O
May	O
2017	O
that	O
it	O
would	O
add	O
Fedora	O
and	O
OpenSUSE	B-Operating_System
environment	O
options	O
as	O
well	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
To	O
reduce	O
the	O
storage	O
footprint	O
of	O
the	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
,	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
automatically	O
compresses	B-General_Concept
system	O
files	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
system	O
can	O
reduce	O
the	O
storage	O
footprint	O
of	O
Windows	O
by	O
approximately	O
1.5GB	O
for	O
32-bit	B-Device
systems	O
and	O
2.6GB	O
for	O
64-bit	B-Device
systems	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
level	O
of	O
compression	O
used	O
is	O
dependent	O
on	O
a	O
performance	O
assessment	O
performed	O
during	O
installations	O
or	O
by	O
OEMs	O
,	O
which	O
tests	O
how	O
much	O
compression	O
can	O
be	O
used	O
without	O
harming	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
performance	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Furthermore	O
,	O
the	O
Refresh	O
and	O
Reset	O
functions	O
use	O
runtime	O
system	O
files	O
instead	O
,	O
making	O
a	O
separate	O
recovery	O
partition	O
redundant	O
,	O
allowing	O
patches	O
and	O
updates	O
to	O
remain	O
installed	O
following	O
the	O
operation	O
,	O
and	O
further	O
reducing	O
the	O
amount	O
of	O
space	O
required	O
for	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
by	O
up	O
to	O
12GB	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
functions	O
replace	O
the	O
WIMBoot	O
mode	O
introduced	O
on	O
Windows	B-Device
8.1	I-Device
Update	O
,	O
which	O
allowed	O
OEMs	O
to	O
configure	O
low-capacity	O
devices	O
with	O
flash-based	O
storage	O
to	O
use	O
Windows	O
system	O
files	O
out	O
of	O
the	O
compressed	O
WIM	O
image	O
typically	O
used	O
for	O
installation	O
and	O
recovery	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
also	O
includes	O
a	O
function	O
in	O
its	O
Settings	O
app	O
that	O
allows	O
users	O
to	O
view	O
a	O
breakdown	O
of	O
how	O
their	O
device	O
's	O
storage	O
capacity	O
is	O
being	O
used	O
by	O
different	O
types	O
of	O
files	O
,	O
and	O
determine	O
whether	O
certain	O
types	O
of	O
files	O
are	O
saved	O
to	O
internal	O
storage	O
or	O
an	O
SD	B-Device
card	I-Device
by	O
default	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
introduces	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Edge	I-Application
,	O
a	O
new	O
default	O
web	B-Application
browser	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
initially	O
featured	O
a	O
new	O
standards-compliant	O
rendering	O
engine	O
derived	O
from	O
Trident	B-Application
,	O
and	O
also	O
includes	O
annotation	O
tools	O
and	O
integration	O
with	O
other	O
Microsoft	O
platforms	O
present	O
within	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Internet	B-Application
Explorer	I-Application
11	I-Application
is	O
maintained	O
on	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
for	O
compatibility	O
purposes	O
,	O
but	O
is	O
deprecated	O
in	O
favor	O
of	O
Edge	O
and	O
,	O
since	O
mid-June	O
2022	O
,	O
is	O
no	O
longer	O
supported	O
on	O
editions	O
which	O
follow	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
Modern	O
Lifecycle	O
Policy	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
initial	O
version	O
of	O
Edge	O
was	O
later	O
succeeded	O
by	O
a	O
new	O
iteration	O
derived	O
from	O
the	O
Chromium	B-Language
Project	I-Language
and	O
Blink	B-Language
layout	I-Language
engine	I-Language
,	O
which	O
replaced	O
the	O
previous	O
EdgeHTML-based	O
version	O
of	O
Edge	O
(	O
renamed	O
"	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Edge	I-Application
Legacy	O
"	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
is	O
bundled	O
with	O
the	O
OS	O
by	O
default	O
from	O
build	B-Application
20H2	O
onwards	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
incorporates	O
a	O
universal	O
search	B-Application
box	I-Application
located	O
alongside	O
the	O
Start	O
and	O
Task	O
View	O
buttons	O
,	O
which	O
can	O
be	O
hidden	O
or	O
condensed	O
into	O
a	O
single	O
button	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Previous	O
versions	O
featured	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
intelligent	B-Protocol
personal	I-Protocol
assistant	I-Protocol
Cortana	B-Application
,	O
which	O
was	O
first	O
introduced	O
with	O
Windows	B-Protocol
Phone	I-Protocol
8.1	I-Protocol
in	O
2014	O
,	O
and	O
supports	O
both	O
text	O
and	O
voice	O
input	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Many	O
of	O
its	O
features	O
are	O
a	O
direct	O
carryover	O
from	O
Windows	B-Protocol
Phone	I-Protocol
,	O
including	O
integration	O
with	O
Bing	B-Application
,	O
setting	O
reminders	O
,	O
a	O
Notebook	B-Device
feature	O
for	O
managing	O
personal	O
information	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
searching	O
for	O
files	O
,	O
playing	O
music	O
,	O
launching	O
applications	O
and	O
setting	O
reminders	O
or	O
sending	O
emails	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Since	O
the	O
November	O
2019	O
update	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
has	O
begun	O
to	O
downplay	O
Cortana	B-Application
as	O
part	O
of	O
a	O
repositioning	O
of	O
the	O
product	O
towards	O
enterprise	O
use	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
May	O
2020	O
update	O
removing	O
its	O
Windows	B-Application
shell	I-Application
integration	O
and	O
consumer-oriented	O
features	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Users	O
can	O
create	O
a	O
designated	O
family	O
,	O
and	O
monitor	O
and	O
restrict	O
the	O
actions	O
of	O
users	O
designated	O
as	O
children	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
access	O
to	O
websites	O
,	O
enforcing	O
age	O
ratings	O
on	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Store	I-Application
purchases	O
,	O
and	O
other	O
restrictions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
service	B-Architecture
can	O
also	O
send	O
weekly	O
e-mail	O
reports	O
to	O
parents	O
detailing	O
a	O
child	O
's	O
computer	O
usage	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlike	O
previous	O
versions	O
of	O
Windows	O
,	O
child	O
accounts	O
in	O
a	O
family	O
must	O
be	O
associated	O
with	O
a	O
Microsoft	O
accountwhich	O
allows	O
these	O
settings	O
to	O
apply	O
across	O
all	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
devices	O
that	O
a	O
particular	O
child	O
is	O
using	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
also	O
offers	O
the	O
Wi-Fi	O
Sense	O
feature	O
originating	O
from	O
Windows	B-Protocol
Phone	I-Protocol
8.1	I-Protocol
;	O
users	O
can	O
optionally	O
have	O
their	O
device	O
automatically	O
connect	O
to	O
suggested	O
open	O
hotspots	O
,	O
and	O
share	O
their	O
home	O
network	O
's	O
password	O
with	O
contacts	O
(	O
either	O
via	O
Skype	B-Application
,	O
People	O
,	O
or	O
Facebook	B-Application
)	O
so	O
they	O
may	O
automatically	O
connect	O
to	O
the	O
network	O
on	O
a	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
device	O
without	O
needing	O
to	O
manually	O
enter	O
its	O
password	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Universal	O
calling	O
and	O
messaging	O
apps	O
for	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
are	O
built	O
in	O
as	O
of	O
the	O
November	O
2015	O
update	O
:	O
Messaging	O
,	O
Skype	B-Application
Video	I-Application
,	O
and	O
Phone	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
offer	O
built-in	O
alternatives	O
to	O
the	O
Skype	B-Application
download	O
and	O
sync	O
with	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
Mobile	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
provides	O
greater	O
integration	O
with	O
the	O
Xbox	B-Application
ecosystem	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Xbox	B-Protocol
SmartGlass	I-Protocol
is	O
succeeded	O
by	O
the	O
Xbox	B-Protocol
Console	I-Protocol
Companion	I-Protocol
(	O
formerly	O
the	O
Xbox	B-Protocol
app	I-Protocol
)	O
,	O
which	O
allows	O
users	O
to	O
browse	O
their	O
game	O
library	O
(	O
including	O
both	O
PC	O
and	O
Xbox	B-Application
console	I-Application
games	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
Game	O
DVR	O
is	O
also	O
available	O
using	O
a	O
keyboard	B-Device
shortcut	O
,	O
allowing	O
users	O
to	O
save	O
the	O
last	O
30	O
seconds	O
of	O
gameplay	O
as	O
a	O
video	O
that	O
can	O
be	O
shared	O
to	O
Xbox	B-Application
Live	I-Application
,	O
OneDrive	B-Application
,	O
or	O
elsewhere	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
also	O
allows	O
users	O
to	O
control	O
and	O
play	O
games	O
from	O
an	O
Xbox	B-Device
One	I-Device
console	B-Device
over	O
a	O
local	B-General_Concept
network	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Xbox	B-Application
Live	I-Application
SDK	O
allows	O
application	O
developers	O
to	O
incorporate	O
Xbox	B-Application
Live	I-Application
functionality	O
into	O
their	O
apps	O
,	O
and	O
future	O
wireless	O
Xbox	B-Device
One	I-Device
accessories	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
controllers	O
,	O
are	O
supported	O
on	O
Windows	O
with	O
an	O
adapter	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
also	O
intends	O
to	O
allow	O
cross-purchases	O
and	O
save	O
synchronization	O
between	O
Xbox	B-Device
One	I-Device
and	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
versions	O
of	O
games	O
;	O
Microsoft	O
Studios	O
games	O
such	O
as	O
ReCore	B-Application
and	O
Quantum	B-Application
Break	I-Application
are	O
intended	O
as	O
being	O
exclusive	O
to	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
and	O
Xbox	B-Device
One	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Candy	B-Application
Crush	I-Application
Saga	I-Application
and	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Solitaire	I-Application
Collection	I-Application
are	O
also	O
automatically	O
installed	O
upon	O
installation	O
of	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
adds	O
native	O
game	O
recording	O
and	O
screenshot	O
capture	O
ability	O
using	O
the	O
newly	O
introduced	O
Game	O
Bar	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
adds	O
FLAC	B-Application
and	O
HEVC	B-Algorithm
codecs	O
and	O
support	O
for	O
the	O
Matroska	O
media	O
container	O
,	O
allowing	O
these	O
formats	O
to	O
be	O
opened	O
in	O
Windows	B-Device
Media	I-Device
Player	I-Device
and	O
other	O
applications	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Device
Media	I-Device
Center	I-Device
is	O
no	O
longer	O
bundled	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
includes	O
DirectX	B-Application
12	O
,	O
alongside	O
WDDM	B-Device
2.0	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unveiled	O
March	O
2014	O
at	O
GDC	O
,	O
DirectX	B-Application
12	O
aims	O
to	O
provide	O
"	O
console-level	O
efficiency	O
"	O
with	O
"	O
closer	O
to	O
the	O
metal	O
"	O
access	O
to	O
hardware	O
resources	O
,	O
and	O
reduced	O
CPU	B-Device
and	O
graphics	O
driver	O
overhead	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Most	O
of	O
the	O
performance	O
improvements	O
are	O
achieved	O
through	O
low-level	B-Language
programming	I-Language
,	O
which	O
allow	O
developers	O
to	O
use	O
resources	O
more	O
efficiently	O
and	O
reduce	O
single-threaded	B-Operating_System
CPU	B-Device
bottlenecking	O
caused	O
by	O
abstraction	O
through	O
higher	O
level	O
APIs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
DirectX	B-Application
12	O
will	O
also	O
feature	O
support	O
for	O
vendor	O
agnostic	O
multi-GPU	O
setups	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
WDDM	B-Device
2.0	O
introduces	O
a	O
new	O
virtual	O
memory	O
management	O
and	O
allocation	O
system	O
to	O
reduce	O
workload	O
on	O
the	O
kernel-mode	O
driver	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
adds	O
three	O
new	O
default	O
typefaces	O
compared	O
to	O
Windows	B-Application
8	I-Application
,	O
but	O
omits	O
several	O
others	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
is	O
available	O
in	O
five	O
main	O
editions	O
for	O
personal	B-Device
computing	I-Device
devices	O
;	O
the	O
Home	O
and	O
Pro	O
editions	O
of	O
which	O
are	O
sold	O
at	O
retail	O
in	O
most	O
countries	O
,	O
and	O
as	O
pre-loaded	O
software	O
on	O
new	O
computers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Home	O
is	O
aimed	O
at	O
home	O
users	O
,	O
while	O
Pro	O
is	O
aimed	O
at	O
power	B-General_Concept
users	I-General_Concept
and	O
small	O
businesses	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Each	O
edition	O
of	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
includes	O
all	O
of	O
the	O
capabilities	O
and	O
features	O
of	O
the	O
edition	O
below	O
it	O
,	O
and	O
adds	O
additional	O
features	O
oriented	O
towards	O
its	O
market	O
segments	O
;	O
for	O
example	O
,	O
Pro	O
adds	O
additional	O
networking	O
and	O
security	O
features	O
such	O
as	O
BitLocker	O
,	O
Device	O
Guard	O
,	O
Windows	O
Update	O
for	O
Business	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
join	O
a	O
domain	B-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
Enterprise	O
and	O
Education	O
,	O
the	O
other	O
editions	O
,	O
contain	O
additional	O
features	O
aimed	O
towards	O
business	O
environments	O
,	O
and	O
are	O
only	O
available	O
through	O
volume	B-License
licensing	I-License
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
part	O
of	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
unification	O
strategies	O
,	O
Windows	O
products	O
that	O
are	O
based	O
on	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
's	O
common	O
platform	O
but	O
meant	O
for	O
specialized	O
platforms	O
are	O
marketed	O
as	O
editions	O
of	O
the	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
,	O
rather	O
than	O
as	O
separate	O
product	O
lines	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
updated	O
version	O
of	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
Windows	B-Protocol
Phone	I-Protocol
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
for	O
smartphones	B-Application
,	O
and	O
also	O
tablets	B-Device
,	O
was	O
branded	O
as	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
Mobile	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Editions	O
of	O
Enterprise	O
and	O
Mobile	O
will	O
also	O
be	O
produced	O
for	O
embedded	B-Architecture
systems	I-Architecture
,	O
along	O
with	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
IoT	B-Operating_System
Core	O
,	O
which	O
is	O
designed	O
specifically	O
for	O
use	O
in	O
small	O
footprint	O
,	O
low-cost	O
devices	O
and	O
Internet	B-Operating_System
of	I-Operating_System
Things	I-Operating_System
(	O
IoT	B-Operating_System
)	O
scenarios	O
and	O
is	O
similar	O
to	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
Embedded	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
May	O
2	O
,	O
2017	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
unveiled	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
S	O
(	O
referred	O
to	O
in	O
leaks	O
as	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
Cloud	O
)	O
,	O
a	O
feature-limited	O
edition	O
of	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
which	O
was	O
designed	O
primarily	O
for	O
devices	O
in	O
the	O
education	O
market	O
(	O
competing	O
,	O
in	O
particular	O
,	O
with	O
ChromeOS	B-Operating_System
netbooks	O
)	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
Surface	B-Device
Laptop	I-Device
that	O
Microsoft	O
also	O
unveiled	O
at	O
this	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
OS	O
restricts	O
software	O
installation	O
to	O
applications	O
obtained	O
from	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Store	I-Application
;	O
the	O
device	O
may	O
be	O
upgraded	O
to	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
Pro	O
for	O
a	O
fee	O
to	O
enable	O
unrestricted	O
software	O
installation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
a	O
time-limited	O
promotion	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
stated	O
that	O
this	O
upgrade	O
would	O
be	O
free	O
on	O
the	O
Surface	B-Device
Laptop	I-Device
until	O
March	O
31	O
,	O
2018	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
S	O
also	O
contains	O
a	O
faster	O
initial	O
setup	O
and	O
login	O
process	O
,	O
and	O
allows	O
devices	O
to	O
be	O
provisioned	O
using	O
a	O
USB	O
drive	O
with	O
the	O
Windows	O
Intune	O
for	O
Education	O
platform	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
March	O
2018	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
announced	O
that	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
S	O
would	O
be	O
deprecated	O
because	O
of	O
market	O
confusion	O
and	O
would	O
be	O
replaced	O
by	O
"	O
S	O
Mode	O
"	O
,	O
an	O
OEM	O
option	O
wherein	O
Windows	O
defaults	O
to	O
only	O
allowing	O
applications	O
to	O
be	O
installed	O
from	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Store	I-Application
,	O
but	O
does	O
not	O
require	O
payment	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
disable	O
these	O
restrictions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
public	O
beta	O
program	O
for	O
Windows10	B-Operating_System
known	O
as	O
the	O
Windows	B-Application
Insider	I-Application
Program	I-Application
began	O
with	O
the	O
first	O
publicly	O
available	O
preview	O
release	O
on	O
October	O
1	O
,	O
2014	O
.	O
Insider	O
preview	O
builds	O
are	O
aimed	O
towards	O
enthusiasts	O
and	O
enterprise	O
users	O
for	O
the	O
testing	O
and	O
evaluation	O
of	O
updates	O
and	O
new	O
features	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Users	O
of	O
the	O
Windows	B-Application
Insider	I-Application
program	I-Application
receive	O
occasional	O
updates	O
to	O
newer	O
preview	O
builds	O
of	O
the	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
and	O
will	O
continue	O
to	O
be	O
able	O
to	O
evaluate	O
preview	O
releases	O
after	O
general	O
availability	O
(	O
GA	O
)	O
in	O
July	O
2015this	O
is	O
in	O
contrast	O
to	O
previous	O
Windows	O
beta	O
programs	O
,	O
where	O
public	O
preview	O
builds	O
were	O
released	O
less	O
frequently	O
and	O
only	O
during	O
the	O
months	O
preceding	O
GA	O
.	O
Windows	B-Application
Insider	I-Application
builds	O
continued	O
being	O
released	O
after	O
the	O
release	O
to	O
manufacturing	O
(	O
RTM	O
)	O
of	O
Windows10	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
July	O
29	O
,	O
2015	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
officially	O
announced	O
that	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
would	O
be	O
released	O
for	O
retail	O
purchase	O
as	O
a	O
free	O
upgrade	O
from	O
earlier	O
versions	O
of	O
Windows	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
comparison	O
to	O
previous	O
Windows	O
releases	O
,	O
which	O
had	O
a	O
longer	O
turnover	O
between	O
the	O
release	O
to	O
manufacturing	O
(	O
RTM	O
)	O
and	O
general	O
release	O
to	O
allow	O
for	O
testing	O
by	O
vendors	O
(	O
and	O
in	O
some	O
cases	O
,	O
the	O
development	O
of	O
"	O
upgrade	O
kits	O
"	O
to	O
prepare	O
systems	O
for	O
installation	O
of	O
the	O
new	O
version	O
)	O
,	O
an	O
HP	O
executive	O
explained	O
that	O
because	O
it	O
knew	O
Microsoft	O
targeted	O
the	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
for	O
a	O
2015	O
release	O
,	O
the	O
company	O
was	O
able	O
to	O
optimize	O
its	O
then-current	O
and	O
upcoming	O
products	O
for	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
in	O
advance	O
of	O
its	O
release	O
,	O
negating	O
the	O
need	O
for	O
such	O
a	O
milestone	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
general	O
availability	O
build	B-Application
of	O
Windows10	B-Operating_System
,	O
numbered	O
10240	O
,	O
was	O
first	O
released	O
to	O
Windows	B-Application
Insider	I-Application
channels	O
for	O
pre-launch	O
testing	O
on	O
July	O
15	O
,	O
2015	O
,	O
prior	O
to	O
its	O
formal	O
release	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
a	O
Microsoft	O
official	O
said	O
there	O
would	O
be	O
no	O
specific	O
RTM	O
build	B-Application
of	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
,	O
10240	O
was	O
described	O
as	O
an	O
RTM	O
build	B-Application
by	O
media	O
outlets	O
because	O
it	O
was	O
released	O
to	O
all	O
Windows	B-Application
Insider	I-Application
members	O
at	O
once	O
(	O
rather	O
than	O
to	O
users	O
on	O
the	O
"	O
Fast	O
ring	O
"	O
first	O
)	O
,	O
it	O
no	O
longer	O
carried	O
pre-release	O
branding	O
and	O
desktop	B-Device
watermark	O
text	O
,	O
and	O
its	O
build	B-Application
number	O
had	O
mathematical	O
connections	O
to	O
the	O
number10	O
in	O
reference	O
to	O
the	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
's	O
naming	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Enterprise	O
edition	O
was	O
released	O
to	O
volume	B-License
licensing	I-License
on	O
August	O
1	O
,	O
2015	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
is	O
distributed	O
digitally	O
through	O
the	O
"	O
Media	O
Creation	O
Tool	O
"	O
,	O
which	O
is	O
functionally	O
identical	O
to	O
the	O
Windows	B-Application
8	I-Application
online	O
installer	O
,	O
and	O
can	O
also	O
be	O
used	O
to	O
generate	O
an	O
ISO	B-General_Concept
image	I-General_Concept
or	O
USB	O
install	O
media	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In-place	O
upgrades	O
are	O
supported	O
from	O
most	O
editions	O
of	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
with	O
Service	B-Architecture
Pack	O
1	O
and	O
Windows8.1	B-Device
with	O
Update	O
1	O
,	O
while	O
users	O
with	O
Windows8	B-Application
must	O
first	O
upgrade	O
to	O
Windows8.1	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Changing	O
between	O
architectures	B-General_Concept
(	O
e.g.	O
,	O
upgrading	O
from	O
32-bit	B-Device
edition	O
to	O
a	O
64-bit	B-Device
editions	O
)	O
via	O
in-place	O
upgrades	O
is	O
not	O
supported	O
;	O
a	O
clean	O
install	O
is	O
required	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In-place	O
upgrades	O
may	O
be	O
rolled	O
back	O
to	O
the	O
device	O
's	O
previous	O
version	O
of	O
Windows	O
,	O
provided	O
that	O
30days	O
have	O
not	O
passed	O
since	O
installation	O
,	O
and	O
backup	O
files	O
were	O
not	O
removed	O
using	O
Disk	B-Application
Cleanup	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
was	O
available	O
in	O
190countries	O
and	O
111	O
languages	O
upon	O
its	O
launch	O
,	O
and	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
efforts	O
to	O
"	O
re-engage	O
"	O
with	O
users	O
in	O
China	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
also	O
announced	O
that	O
it	O
would	O
partner	O
with	O
Qihoo	O
and	O
Tencent	O
to	O
help	O
promote	O
and	O
distribute	O
Windows10	B-Operating_System
in	O
China	O
,	O
and	O
that	O
Chinese	O
PC	O
maker	O
Lenovo	O
would	O
provide	O
assistance	O
at	O
its	O
service	B-Architecture
centers	O
and	O
retail	O
outlets	O
for	O
helping	O
users	O
upgrade	O
to	O
Windows10	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
retail	O
,	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
is	O
priced	O
similarly	O
to	O
editions	O
of	O
Windows	B-Device
8.1	I-Device
,	O
with	O
U.S.	O
prices	O
set	O
at	O
$119	O
and	O
$199	O
for	O
Windows	O
10Home	O
and	O
Pro	O
respectively	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
Pro	O
Pack	O
license	O
allows	O
upgrades	O
from	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
Home	O
to	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
Pro	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
New	O
devices	O
shipping	O
with	O
Windows10	B-Operating_System
were	O
also	O
released	O
during	O
the	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
's	O
launch	O
window	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Operating_System
RT	I-Operating_System
devices	O
cannot	O
be	O
upgraded	O
to	O
Windows10	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
its	O
first	O
year	O
of	O
availability	O
,	O
upgrade	O
licenses	B-License
for	O
Windows10	B-Operating_System
could	O
be	O
obtained	O
at	O
no	O
charge	O
for	O
devices	O
with	O
a	O
genuine	O
license	O
for	O
an	O
eligible	O
edition	O
of	O
Windows7	B-Device
or8.1	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
offer	O
did	O
not	O
apply	O
to	O
Enterprise	O
editions	O
,	O
as	O
customers	O
under	O
an	O
active	O
Software	O
Assurance	O
(	O
SA	O
)	O
contract	O
with	O
upgrade	O
rights	O
are	O
entitled	O
to	O
obtain	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
Enterprise	O
under	O
their	O
existing	O
terms	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
All	O
users	O
running	O
non-genuine	O
copies	O
of	O
Windows	O
,	O
and	O
those	O
without	O
an	O
existing	O
Windows7	B-Device
or8	O
license	O
,	O
were	O
ineligible	O
for	O
this	O
promotion	O
;	O
although	O
upgrades	O
from	O
a	O
non-genuine	O
version	O
were	O
possible	O
,	O
they	O
result	O
in	O
a	O
non-genuine	O
copy	O
of10	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
the	O
general	O
availability	O
build	B-Application
of	O
Windows10	B-Operating_System
(	O
the	O
original	O
release	O
)	O
,	O
to	O
activate	O
and	O
generate	O
the	O
"	O
digital	O
entitlement	O
"	O
for	O
Windows10	B-Operating_System
,	O
the	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
must	O
have	O
first	O
been	O
installed	O
as	O
an	O
in-place	O
upgrade	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Once	O
installed	O
,	O
the	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
can	O
be	O
reinstalled	O
on	O
that	O
particular	O
system	O
via	O
normal	O
means	O
without	O
a	O
product	B-Application
key	I-Application
,	O
and	O
the	O
system	O
's	O
license	O
will	O
automatically	O
be	O
detected	O
via	O
online	O
activation	O
-	O
in	O
essence	O
,	O
the	O
Microsoft	O
Product	O
Activation	O
Server	O
will	O
remember	O
the	O
system	O
's	O
motherboard	O
and	O
give	O
it	O
the	O
green	O
light	O
for	O
product	O
re-activation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
build	B-Application
treated	O
Windows7	B-Device
and	O
Windows8/8.1	O
product	B-Application
keys	I-Application
as	O
Windows10	B-Operating_System
product	B-Application
keys	I-Application
,	O
meaning	O
they	O
could	O
be	O
entered	O
during	O
installation	O
to	O
activate	O
the	O
free	O
license	O
,	O
without	O
the	O
need	O
to	O
upgrade	O
first	O
to	O
"	O
activate	O
"	O
the	O
hardware	O
with	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
activation	O
servers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
major	O
Original	O
Equipment	O
Manufacturers	O
(	O
OEMs	O
)	O
,	O
Windows	O
8/8.1	O
and	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
OEM	O
product	B-Application
keys	I-Application
are	O
embedded	O
in	O
the	O
firmware	O
of	O
the	O
motherboard	O
and	O
if	O
the	O
correct	O
edition	O
of	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
is	O
present	O
on	O
the	O
installation	O
media	O
,	O
they	O
are	O
automatically	O
inputted	O
during	O
installation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Since	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
the	O
Fall	O
Creators	O
Update	O
(	O
version	O
1709	O
)	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
decided	O
to	O
release	O
multi-edition	O
installation	O
media	O
,	O
to	O
alleviate	O
installation	O
and	O
product	O
activation	O
issues	O
users	O
experienced	O
because	O
of	O
accidentally	O
installing	O
the	O
wrong	O
edition	O
of	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Windows	B-Application
Insider	I-Application
Preview	O
version	O
of	O
Windows10	B-Operating_System
automatically	O
updated	O
itself	O
to	O
the	O
generally	O
released	O
version	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
version	O
progression	O
and	O
continues	O
to	O
be	O
updated	O
to	O
new	O
beta	O
builds	O
,	O
as	O
it	O
had	O
throughout	O
the	O
testing	O
process	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
explicitly	O
stated	O
that	O
Windows	B-Application
Insider	I-Application
was	O
not	O
a	O
valid	O
upgrade	O
path	O
for	O
those	O
running	O
a	O
version	O
of	O
Windows	O
that	O
is	O
ineligible	O
for	O
the	O
upgrade	O
offer	O
;	O
although	O
,	O
if	O
it	O
was	O
not	O
installed	O
with	O
a	O
license	O
carried	O
over	O
from	O
an	O
in-place	O
upgrade	O
to	O
10	O
Insider	O
Preview	O
from	O
Windows7	B-Device
or8	O
,	O
the	O
Insider	O
Preview	O
does	O
remain	O
activated	O
as	O
long	O
as	O
the	O
user	O
does	O
not	O
exit	O
the	O
Windows	B-Application
Insider	I-Application
program	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
offer	O
was	O
promoted	O
and	O
delivered	O
via	O
the	O
"	O
Get	O
Windows10	B-Operating_System
"	O
application	O
(	O
also	O
known	O
as	O
GWX	O
)	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
automatically	O
installed	O
via	O
Windows	O
Update	O
ahead	O
of	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
's	O
release	O
,	O
and	O
activated	O
on	O
systems	O
deemed	O
eligible	O
for	O
the	O
upgrade	O
offer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Via	O
a	O
notification	O
area	O
icon	O
,	O
users	O
could	O
access	O
an	O
application	O
that	O
advertised	O
Windows10	B-Operating_System
and	O
the	O
free	O
upgrade	O
offer	O
,	O
check	O
device	O
compatibility	O
,	O
and	O
"	O
reserve	O
"	O
an	O
automatic	O
download	O
of	O
the	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
upon	O
its	O
release	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
July	O
28	O
,	O
a	O
pre-download	O
process	O
began	O
in	O
which	O
Windows10	B-Operating_System
installation	O
files	O
were	O
downloaded	O
to	O
some	O
computers	O
that	O
had	O
reserved	O
it	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
said	O
that	O
those	O
who	O
reserved	O
Windows10	B-Operating_System
would	O
be	O
able	O
to	O
install	O
it	O
through	O
GWX	O
in	O
a	O
phased	O
rollout	O
process	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
could	O
alternatively	O
be	O
downloaded	O
at	O
any	O
time	O
using	O
a	O
separate	O
"	O
Media	O
Creation	O
Tool	O
"	O
setup	O
program	O
,	O
that	O
allows	O
for	O
the	O
creation	O
of	O
DVD	O
or	O
USB	O
installation	O
media	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
May	O
2016	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
announced	O
that	O
the	O
free	O
upgrade	O
offer	O
would	O
be	O
extended	O
to	O
users	O
of	O
assistive	O
technologies	O
;	O
however	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
did	O
not	O
implement	O
any	O
means	O
of	O
certifying	O
eligibility	O
for	O
this	O
offer	O
,	O
which	O
some	O
outlets	O
thereby	O
promoted	O
as	O
being	O
a	O
loophole	O
to	O
fraudulently	O
obtain	O
a	O
free	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
upgrade	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
another	O
loophole	O
was	O
found	O
that	O
allowed	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
and	O
8.1	B-Device
users	O
upgrade	O
to	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
using	O
existing	O
licenses	B-License
,	O
even	O
though	O
the	O
free	O
upgrade	O
offers	O
officially	O
ended	O
in	O
2017	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
No	O
word	O
from	O
Microsoft	O
was	O
given	O
whether	O
it	O
will	O
be	O
closed	O
,	O
and	O
some	O
outlets	O
have	O
continued	O
to	O
promote	O
it	O
as	O
a	O
free	O
method	O
of	O
upgrading	O
from	O
the	O
now-unsupported	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
upgrades	O
,	O
Windows10	B-Operating_System
licenses	B-License
are	O
not	O
tied	O
directly	O
to	O
a	O
product	B-Application
key	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
If	O
Windows10	B-Operating_System
is	O
reinstalled	O
cleanly	O
and	O
there	O
have	O
not	O
been	O
any	O
significant	O
hardware	O
changes	O
since	O
installation	O
(	O
such	O
as	O
a	O
motherboard	O
change	O
)	O
,	O
the	O
online	O
activation	O
process	O
will	O
automatically	O
recognize	O
the	O
system	O
's	O
digital	O
entitlement	O
if	O
no	O
product	B-Application
key	I-Application
is	O
entered	O
during	O
installations	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
unique	O
product	B-Application
keys	I-Application
are	O
still	O
distributed	O
within	O
retail	O
copies	O
of	O
Windows10	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlike	O
previous	O
versions	O
of	O
Windows	O
,	O
Windows	O
Update	O
does	O
not	O
allow	O
the	O
selective	O
installation	O
of	O
updates	O
,	O
and	O
all	O
updates	O
(	O
including	O
patches	O
,	O
feature	O
updates	O
,	O
and	O
driver	B-Application
software	I-Application
)	O
are	O
downloaded	O
and	O
installed	O
automatically	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Users	O
can	O
only	O
choose	O
whether	O
their	O
system	O
will	O
reboot	B-Device
automatically	O
to	O
install	O
updates	O
when	O
the	O
system	O
is	O
inactive	O
,	O
or	O
be	O
notified	O
to	O
schedule	O
a	O
reboot	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
If	O
a	O
wireless	O
network	O
is	O
designated	O
as	O
"	O
Metered	O
"	O
—	O
a	O
function	O
which	O
automatically	O
reduces	O
the	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
's	O
background	O
network	O
activity	O
to	O
conserve	O
limits	O
on	O
Internet	O
usage	O
—	O
most	O
updates	O
are	O
not	O
downloaded	O
until	O
the	O
device	O
is	O
connected	O
to	O
a	O
non-metered	O
network	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Under	O
the	O
Windows	O
end-user	O
license	O
agreement	O
,	O
users	O
consent	O
to	O
the	O
automatic	O
installation	O
of	O
all	O
updates	O
,	O
features	O
and	O
drivers	O
provided	O
by	O
the	O
service	B-Architecture
,	O
and	O
implicitly	O
consent	O
"	O
without	O
any	O
additional	O
notice	O
"	O
to	O
the	O
possibility	O
of	O
features	O
being	O
modified	O
or	O
removed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
agreement	O
also	O
states	O
,	O
specifically	O
for	O
users	O
of	O
Windows10	B-Operating_System
in	O
Canada	O
,	O
that	O
they	O
may	O
pause	O
updates	O
by	O
disconnecting	O
their	O
device	O
from	O
the	O
Internet	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Users	O
can	O
instead	O
choose	O
to	O
only	O
use	O
peer-to-peer	O
updates	O
within	O
their	O
local	B-General_Concept
area	I-General_Concept
network	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
original	O
release	O
of	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
receives	O
mainstream	O
support	O
for	O
five	O
years	O
after	O
its	O
original	O
release	O
,	O
followed	O
by	O
five	O
years	O
of	O
extended	O
support	O
,	O
but	O
this	O
is	O
subject	O
to	O
conditions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
's	O
support	O
lifecycle	O
policy	O
for	O
the	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
notes	O
that	O
updates	O
"	O
are	O
cumulative	O
,	O
with	O
each	O
update	O
built	O
upon	O
all	O
of	O
the	O
updates	O
that	O
preceded	O
it	O
"	O
,	O
that	O
"	O
a	O
device	O
needs	O
to	O
install	O
the	O
latest	O
update	O
to	O
remain	O
supported	O
"	O
,	O
and	O
that	O
a	O
device	O
's	O
ability	O
to	O
receive	O
future	O
updates	O
will	O
depend	O
on	O
hardware	O
compatibility	O
,	O
driver	O
availability	O
,	O
and	O
whether	O
the	O
device	O
is	O
within	O
the	O
OEM	O
's	O
"	O
support	O
period	O
"	O
a	O
new	O
aspect	O
not	O
accounted	O
for	O
in	O
lifecycle	O
policies	O
for	O
previous	O
versions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
policy	O
was	O
first	O
invoked	O
in	O
2017	O
to	O
block	O
Intel	B-Application
Clover	I-Application
Trail	I-Application
devices	O
from	O
receiving	O
the	O
Creators	O
Update	O
,	O
as	O
Microsoft	O
asserts	O
that	O
future	O
updates	O
"	O
require	O
additional	O
hardware	O
support	O
to	O
provide	O
the	O
best	O
possible	O
experience	O
"	O
,	O
and	O
that	O
Intel	O
no	O
longer	O
provided	O
support	O
or	O
drivers	O
for	O
the	O
platform	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
will	O
continue	O
to	O
support	O
at	O
least	O
one	O
standard	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
release	O
until	O
October	O
14	O
,	O
2025	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
following	O
table	O
collects	O
current	O
status	O
of	O
the	O
aforementioned	O
updating	O
and	O
support	O
of	O
different	O
branches	O
of	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
:	O
</s>
<s>
+Windows	O
10	O
support	O
and	O
update	O
branches	O
Update	O
branchMicrosoft	O
internal	O
channels(more information here )	O
Alpha	O
software	O
Windows	B-Application
Insider	I-Application
Preview	O
Branch(WIPB )	O
Beta	O
software	O
Annual	O
Channel(formerly CB and SAC )	O
"	O
End	O
user	O
"	O
Long-term	O
Servicing	O
channel(formerly LTSB )	O
"	O
Mission	B-Application
critical	I-Application
"	O
EditionHomeEnterprise	O
LTSCProEducationEnterprise	O
Critical	O
updatesSecurity	O
patches	O
and	O
stability	O
updates	O
rowspan	O
=	O
2	O
rowspan	O
=	O
2	O
Feature	O
upgradesNon-critical	O
functionality	O
and	O
feature	O
updates	O
However	O
,	O
deferrals	O
can	O
only	O
be	O
enabled	O
using	O
Group	O
Policy	O
past	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
Group	O
Policy	O
Editor	O
past	O
release	O
2004	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Feature	O
upgrades	O
cadence	O
Continuous	O
Discontinued	O
Continuous	O
,	O
deferrable	O
for	O
12	O
months	O
at	O
a	O
time	O
;	O
once	O
a	O
deferral	O
period	O
is	O
past	O
,	O
no	O
further	O
deferrals	O
possible	O
until	O
latest	O
updates	O
are	O
installed	O
LTSC	O
releases	O
are	O
stable	O
'	O
snapshots	O
 '	O
of	O
AC	O
Upgrade	O
support	O
Continuous	O
updating	O
,	O
features	O
come	O
and	O
go	O
silently	O
with	O
new	O
builds	O
Continuous	O
updating	O
or	O
in-place	O
upgrade	O
to	O
supported	O
LTSC	O
builds	O
In-place	O
upgrade	O
support	O
for	O
the	O
three	O
most	O
recent	O
LTSC	O
builds	O
Update	O
support	O
Only	O
the	O
latest	O
build	B-Application
is	O
supported	O
Unsupported	O
;	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
no	O
longer	O
in	O
Insider	O
program	O
,	O
Insider	O
effort	O
shifted	O
to	O
Windows	B-Application
11	I-Application
instead	O
10	O
years	O
(	O
or	O
~	O
6	O
months	O
from	O
deferring	O
build	B-Application
upgrade	O
or	O
until	O
future	O
builds	O
require	O
hardware	O
support	O
the	O
old	O
device	O
does	O
n't	O
have	O
.	O
)	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
is	O
often	O
described	O
by	O
Microsoft	O
as	O
being	B-Architecture
a	I-Architecture
"	I-Architecture
service	I-Architecture
"	I-Architecture
,	O
as	O
it	O
receives	O
regular	O
"	O
feature	O
updates	O
"	O
that	O
contain	O
new	O
features	O
and	O
other	O
updates	O
and	O
fixes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Mainstream	O
builds	O
of	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
,	O
up	O
to	O
2004	O
,	O
were	O
labeled	O
"	O
YYMM	O
"	O
,	O
with	O
"	O
YY	O
"	O
representing	O
the	O
two-digit	O
year	O
and	O
"	O
MM	O
"	O
representing	O
the	O
month	O
of	O
release	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
default	O
branch	O
for	O
all	O
users	O
of	O
Windows10	B-Operating_System
Home	O
and	O
Pro	O
was	O
"	O
Semi-Annual	O
Channel	O
(	O
Targeted	O
)	O
"	O
(	O
formerly	O
"	O
Current	O
Branch	O
"	O
,	O
or	O
"	O
CB	O
"	O
)	O
,	O
which	O
received	O
stable	O
builds	O
after	O
they	O
were	O
publicly	O
released	O
by	O
Microsoft	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Each	O
build	B-Application
of	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
is	O
supported	O
for	O
18	O
months	O
after	O
its	O
original	O
release	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Once	O
a	O
stable	O
build	B-Application
is	O
certified	O
by	O
Microsoft	O
and	O
its	O
partners	O
as	O
being	O
suitable	O
for	O
broad	O
deployment	O
,	O
the	O
build	B-Application
is	O
then	O
released	O
on	O
the	O
"	O
Semi-Annual	O
Channel	O
"	O
(	O
formerly	O
"	O
Current	O
Branch	O
for	O
Business	O
"	O
,	O
or	O
"	O
CBB	O
"	O
)	O
,	O
which	O
is	O
supported	O
by	O
the	O
Pro	O
and	O
Enterprise	O
editions	O
of	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Administrators	O
can	O
also	O
use	O
the	O
"	O
Windows	O
Update	O
for	O
Business	O
"	O
system	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
existing	O
tools	O
such	O
as	O
WSUS	O
and	O
System	B-Protocol
Center	I-Protocol
Configuration	I-Protocol
Manager	I-Protocol
,	O
to	O
organize	O
structured	O
deployments	O
of	O
feature	O
updates	O
across	O
their	O
networks	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Windows	B-Application
Insider	I-Application
branches	O
receive	O
unstable	O
builds	O
as	O
they	O
are	O
released	O
;	O
it	O
is	O
divided	O
into	O
two	O
channels	O
,	O
"	O
Dev	O
"	O
(	O
which	O
receives	O
new	O
builds	O
immediately	O
after	O
their	O
release	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
"	O
Beta	O
"	O
(	O
whose	O
releases	O
are	O
slightly	O
delayed	O
from	O
their	O
"	O
Dev	O
"	O
release	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Enterprise	O
licensees	B-Application
may	O
use	O
the	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
Enterprise	O
LTSC	O
(	O
formerly	O
LTSB	O
)	O
edition	O
,	O
where	O
"	O
LTSC	O
"	O
stands	O
for	O
"	O
Long-Term	O
Servicing	O
Channel	O
"	O
,	O
which	O
only	O
receive	O
quality	O
of	O
life	O
updates	O
(	O
i.e.	O
</s>
<s>
security	O
patches	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
has	O
a	O
full	O
5	O
or	O
10-year	O
support	O
lifecycle	O
for	O
each	O
build	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
this	O
reason	O
,	O
it	O
excludes	O
Cortana	B-Application
,	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Store	I-Application
,	O
and	O
all	O
bundled	O
Universal	B-Device
Windows	I-Device
Platform	I-Device
apps	O
(	O
including	O
but	O
not	O
limited	O
to	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Edge	I-Application
,	O
hence	O
these	O
builds	O
ship	O
only	O
with	O
Internet	B-Application
Explorer	I-Application
as	O
browser	B-Application
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Four	O
LTSC	O
builds	O
have	O
been	O
released	O
,	O
correlating	O
with	O
the	O
1507	O
,	O
1607	O
,	O
1809	O
,	O
and	O
21H2	O
versions	O
of	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
,	O
respectively	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
July	O
2017	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
announced	O
changes	O
in	O
the	O
terminology	O
for	O
Windows	O
branches	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
its	O
effort	O
to	O
unify	O
the	O
update	O
cadence	O
with	O
that	O
of	O
Office	B-Operating_System
365	I-Operating_System
ProPlus	O
and	O
Windows	B-Device
Server	I-Device
2016	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
after	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
version	O
2004	O
,	O
the	O
update	O
only	O
pushed	O
for	O
those	O
running	O
a	O
feature	O
update	O
version	O
that	O
is	O
nearing	O
end	O
of	O
service	B-Architecture
or	O
it	O
can	O
be	O
paused	O
for	O
up	O
to	O
35	O
days	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Feature	O
updates	O
prior	O
to	O
version	O
1909	O
were	O
distributed	O
solely	O
as	O
an	O
in-place	O
upgrade	O
installation	O
,	O
requiring	O
the	O
download	O
of	O
a	O
complete	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
package	O
(	O
approximately	O
3.5GB	O
in	O
size	O
for	O
64-bit	B-Device
systems	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
May	O
2017	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
unveiled	O
Fluent	B-Application
Design	I-Application
System	I-Application
(	O
previously	O
codenamed	O
"	O
Project	O
Neon	O
"	O
)	O
,	O
a	O
revamp	O
of	O
Microsoft	O
Design	O
Language	O
2	O
that	O
will	O
include	O
guidelines	O
for	O
the	O
designs	O
and	O
interactions	O
used	O
within	O
software	O
designed	O
for	O
all	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
devices	O
and	O
platforms	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
December	O
7	O
,	O
2016	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
announced	O
that	O
,	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
a	O
partnership	O
with	O
Qualcomm	O
,	O
it	O
planned	O
to	O
introduce	O
support	O
for	O
running	O
Win32	B-Library
software	O
on	O
ARM	B-Architecture
architecture	I-Architecture
with	O
a	O
32-bit	B-Device
x86	I-Device
processor	B-General_Concept
emulator	O
,	O
in	O
2017	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Terry	O
Myerson	O
stated	O
that	O
this	O
move	O
would	O
enable	O
the	O
production	O
of	O
Qualcomm	O
Snapdragon-based	O
Windows	O
devices	O
with	O
cellular	O
connectivity	O
and	O
improved	O
power	O
efficiency	O
over	O
Intel-compatible	B-Operating_System
devices	O
,	O
and	O
still	O
capable	O
of	O
running	O
the	O
majority	O
of	O
existing	O
Windows	O
software	O
(	O
unlike	O
the	O
previous	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
RT	I-Operating_System
,	O
which	O
was	O
restricted	O
to	O
Windows	B-Application
Store	I-Application
apps	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
is	O
initially	O
targeting	O
this	O
project	O
towards	O
laptops	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
launched	O
the	O
branding	O
Always	O
Connected	O
PCs	B-Device
in	O
December	O
2017	O
to	O
market	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
devices	O
with	O
cellular	O
connectivity	O
,	O
which	O
included	O
two	O
ARM-based	O
2-in-1	O
laptops	B-Device
from	O
Asus	O
and	O
HP	O
featuring	O
the	O
Snapdragon	B-Architecture
835	O
system-on-chip	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
announcement	O
of	O
a	O
partnership	O
between	O
AMD	O
and	O
Qualcomm	O
to	O
integrate	O
its	O
Snapdragon	B-Application
X16	I-Application
gigabit	O
LTE	O
modem	O
with	O
AMD	O
's	O
Ryzen	O
Mobile	O
platform	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
August	O
2019	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
began	O
testing	O
changes	O
to	O
its	O
handling	O
of	O
the	O
user	O
interface	O
on	O
convertible	O
devices	O
—	O
downplaying	O
the	O
existing	O
"	O
Tablet	B-Device
Mode	O
"	O
option	O
in	O
favor	O
of	O
presenting	O
the	O
normal	O
desktop	B-Device
with	O
optimizations	O
for	O
touch	O
when	O
a	O
keyboard	B-Device
is	O
not	O
present	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
increasing	O
the	O
space	O
between	O
taskbar	O
buttons	O
and	O
displaying	O
the	O
virtual	B-Device
keyboard	I-Device
when	O
text	O
fields	O
are	O
selected	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
April	O
2021	O
,	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
run	O
Linux	B-Application
applications	O
using	O
a	O
graphical	B-Application
user	I-Application
interface	I-Application
,	O
such	O
as	O
Audacity	B-Language
,	O
directly	O
in	O
Windows	O
,	O
was	O
introduced	O
as	O
a	O
preview	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
feature	O
would	O
later	O
be	O
included	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
updated	O
Windows	O
Subsystem	O
for	O
Linux	B-Application
2	O
for	O
Windows	B-Application
11	I-Application
only	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
+Hardware	O
requirements	O
for	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
Component	O
Minimum	O
Recommended	O
Processor	B-General_Concept
1GHz	O
clock	O
rateIA-32	O
or	O
x86-64	B-Device
architecture	O
with	O
support	O
for	O
PAE	B-General_Concept
,	O
NX	B-General_Concept
and	O
SSE2x86-64	O
CPUs	B-Device
must	O
also	O
support	O
CMPXCHG16B	O
,	O
PrefetchW	B-General_Concept
and	O
LAHF/SAHF	O
instructions	B-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
basic	O
hardware	O
requirements	O
to	O
install	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
were	O
initially	O
the	O
same	O
as	O
those	O
for	O
Windows	B-Application
8	I-Application
and	O
Windows	B-Device
8.1	I-Device
,	O
and	O
only	O
slightly	O
higher	O
than	O
for	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
and	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
64-bit	B-Device
variants	O
require	O
a	O
CPU	B-Device
that	O
supports	O
certain	O
instructions	B-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
Devices	O
with	O
low	O
storage	O
capacity	O
must	O
provide	O
a	O
USB	O
flash	O
drive	O
or	O
SD	B-Device
card	I-Device
with	O
sufficient	O
storage	O
for	O
temporary	O
files	O
during	O
upgrades	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Certified	O
tablets	B-Device
must	O
include	O
,	O
,	O
and	O
keys	O
;	O
and	O
keys	O
are	O
no	O
longer	O
required	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
with	O
Windows	B-Application
8	I-Application
,	O
all	O
certified	O
devices	O
must	O
ship	O
with	O
UEFI	B-Architecture
Secure	O
Boot	O
enabled	O
by	O
default	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlike	O
Windows	B-Application
8	I-Application
,	O
OEMs	O
are	O
no	O
longer	O
required	O
to	O
make	O
Secure	O
Boot	O
settings	O
user-configurable	O
,	O
meaning	O
that	O
devices	O
may	O
optionally	O
be	O
locked	O
to	O
run	O
only	O
Microsoft-signed	O
operating	B-General_Concept
systems	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
Device	O
Guard	O
requires	O
a	O
UEFI	B-Architecture
system	O
with	O
no	O
third-party	O
certificates	O
loaded	O
,	O
and	O
CPU	B-Device
virtualization	O
extensions	O
(	O
including	O
SLAT	B-Device
and	O
IOMMU	B-General_Concept
)	O
enabled	O
in	O
firmware	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Beginning	O
with	O
Intel	B-Device
Kaby	I-Device
Lake	I-Device
and	O
AMD	O
Bristol	O
Ridge	O
,	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
is	O
the	O
only	O
version	O
of	O
Windows	O
that	O
Microsoft	O
will	O
officially	O
support	O
on	O
newer	O
CPU	B-General_Concept
microarchitectures	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
policies	O
were	O
criticized	O
by	O
the	O
media	O
,	O
who	O
especially	O
noted	O
that	O
Microsoft	O
was	O
refusing	O
to	O
support	O
newer	O
hardware	O
(	O
particularly	O
Intel	O
's	O
Skylake	B-Architecture
CPUs	B-Device
,	O
which	O
was	O
also	O
originally	O
targeted	O
by	O
the	O
new	O
policy	O
with	O
a	O
premature	O
end	O
of	O
support	O
that	O
was	O
ultimately	O
retracted	O
)	O
on	O
Windows	B-Device
8.1	I-Device
,	O
a	O
version	O
of	O
Windows	O
that	O
was	O
still	O
in	O
mainstream	O
support	O
until	O
January	O
2018	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
addition	O
,	O
an	O
enthusiast-created	O
modification	B-Device
was	O
released	O
that	O
disabled	O
the	O
check	O
and	O
allowed	O
Windows	B-Device
8.1	I-Device
and	O
earlier	O
versions	O
to	O
continue	O
to	O
work	O
on	O
the	O
platform	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
versions	O
1703	O
and	O
later	O
do	O
not	O
support	O
Intel	B-Application
Clover	I-Application
Trail	I-Application
system-on-chips	O
,	O
per	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
stated	O
policy	O
of	O
only	O
providing	O
updates	O
for	O
devices	O
during	O
their	O
OEM	O
support	O
period	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Starting	O
with	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
version	O
2004	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
will	O
require	O
new	O
OEM	O
devices	O
to	O
use	O
64-bit	B-Device
processors	I-Device
,	O
and	O
will	O
therefore	O
cease	O
the	O
distribution	B-Application
of	O
x86	B-Operating_System
(	O
32-bit	B-Device
)	O
variants	O
of	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
via	O
OEM	O
channels	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
32-bit	B-Device
variants	O
of	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
will	O
remain	O
available	O
via	O
non-OEM	O
channels	O
,	O
and	O
Microsoft	O
will	O
continue	O
to	O
"[provide]	O
feature	O
and	O
security	O
updates	O
on	O
these	O
devices	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
was	O
later	O
followed	O
by	O
Windows	B-Application
11	I-Application
dropping	O
32-bit	B-Device
hardware	O
support	O
altogether	O
,	O
and	O
thus	O
making	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
the	O
final	O
version	O
of	O
Windows	O
to	O
have	O
a	O
32-bit	B-Device
version	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
maximum	O
amount	O
of	O
RAM	B-Architecture
that	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
can	O
support	O
varies	O
depending	O
on	O
the	O
product	O
edition	O
and	O
the	O
processor	B-General_Concept
architecture	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
All	O
32-bit	B-Device
editions	O
of	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
,	O
including	O
Home	O
and	O
Pro	O
,	O
support	O
up	O
to	O
4	O
GB	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
64-bit	B-Device
editions	O
of	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
Education	O
and	O
Pro	O
support	O
up	O
to	O
2	O
TB	O
,	O
64-bit	B-Device
editions	O
of	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
Pro	O
for	O
Workstations	O
and	O
Enterprise	O
support	O
up	O
to	O
6	O
TB	O
,	O
while	O
the	O
64-bit	B-Device
edition	O
of	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
Home	O
is	O
limited	O
to	O
128	O
GB	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
supports	O
up	O
to	O
two	O
physical	O
processors	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
maximum	O
of	O
32	O
cores	O
is	O
supported	O
in	O
32-bit	B-Device
versions	O
of	O
Windows	B-Application
8	I-Application
,	O
whereas	O
up	O
to	O
256	O
cores	O
are	O
supported	O
in	O
the	O
64-bit	B-Device
versions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
received	O
generally	O
positive	O
reviews	O
,	O
with	O
most	O
reviewers	O
considering	O
it	O
superior	O
to	O
its	O
predecessor	O
Windows	B-Application
8	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
CNN	O
Business	O
praised	O
every	O
aspect	O
of	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
TechRadar	O
felt	O
that	O
it	O
could	O
be	O
"	O
the	O
new	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
"	O
,	O
citing	O
the	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
's	O
more	O
familiar	O
user	O
interface	O
,	O
improvements	O
to	O
bundled	O
apps	O
,	O
performance	O
improvements	O
,	O
a	O
"	O
rock	O
solid	O
"	O
search	O
system	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
Settings	O
app	O
being	O
more	O
full-featured	O
than	O
its	O
equivalents	O
on8	O
and8.1	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Edge	B-Application
browser	I-Application
was	O
praised	O
for	O
its	O
performance	O
,	O
although	O
it	O
was	O
not	O
in	O
a	O
feature-complete	O
state	O
at	O
launch	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
's	O
by	O
no	O
means	O
certain	O
that	O
developers	O
are	O
going	O
to	O
flock	O
to	O
Windows10	B-Operating_System
from	O
iOS	B-Application
and	O
Android	B-Application
simply	O
because	O
they	O
can	O
convert	O
their	O
apps	O
easily	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Engadget	B-Application
was	O
similarly	O
positive	O
,	O
noting	O
that	O
the	O
upgrade	O
process	O
was	O
painless	O
and	O
that	O
Windows10	B-Operating_System
's	O
user	O
interface	O
had	O
balanced	O
aspects	O
of	O
Windows8	B-Application
with	O
those	O
of	O
previous	O
versions	O
with	O
a	O
more	O
mature	O
aesthetic	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Cortana	B-Application
's	O
always-on	O
voice	B-General_Concept
detection	I-General_Concept
was	O
considered	O
to	O
be	O
its	O
"	O
true	O
strength	O
"	O
,	O
also	O
citing	O
its	O
query	O
capabilities	O
and	O
personalization	O
features	O
,	O
but	O
noting	O
that	O
it	O
was	O
not	O
as	O
pre-emptive	O
as	O
Google	B-Application
Now	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows10	B-Operating_System
's	O
stock	O
applications	O
were	O
praised	O
for	O
being	O
improved	O
over	O
their	O
Windows	B-Application
8	I-Application
counterparts	O
,	O
and	O
for	O
supporting	O
windowed	O
modes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Xbox	B-Protocol
app	I-Protocol
was	O
also	O
praised	O
for	O
its	O
Xbox	B-Device
One	I-Device
streaming	O
functionality	O
,	O
although	O
recommending	O
its	O
use	O
over	O
a	O
wired	O
network	O
because	O
of	O
inconsistent	O
quality	O
over	O
Wi-Fi	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
conclusion	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
argued	O
that	O
"	O
Windows10	B-Operating_System
delivers	O
the	O
most	O
refined	O
desktop	B-Device
experience	O
ever	O
from	O
Microsoft	O
,	O
and	O
yet	O
it	O
's	O
so	O
much	O
more	O
than	O
that	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
's	O
also	O
a	O
decent	O
tablet	B-Device
OS	O
,	O
and	O
it	O
's	O
ready	O
for	O
a	O
world	O
filled	O
with	O
hybrid	B-Operating_System
devices	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Heck	O
,	O
it	O
makes	O
the	B-Device
Xbox	I-Device
One	I-Device
a	O
more	O
useful	O
machine.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
the	O
other	O
hand	O
Ars	O
Technica	O
panned	O
the	O
new	O
Tablet	B-Device
mode	O
interface	O
for	O
removing	O
the	O
charms	O
and	O
app	O
switching	O
,	O
making	O
the	O
Start	O
button	O
harder	O
to	O
use	O
by	O
requiring	O
users	O
to	O
reach	O
for	O
the	O
button	O
on	O
the	O
bottom-left	O
rather	O
than	O
at	O
the	O
center	O
of	O
the	O
screen	O
when	O
swiping	O
with	O
a	O
thumb	O
,	O
and	O
for	O
making	O
application	O
switching	O
less	O
instantaneous	O
through	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
Task	O
View	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	B-Application
Edge	I-Application
was	O
praised	O
for	O
being	O
"	O
tremendously	O
promising	O
"	O
,	O
and	O
"	O
a	O
much	O
better	O
browser	B-Application
than	O
Internet	B-Application
Explorer	I-Application
ever	O
was	O
"	O
,	O
but	O
criticized	O
it	O
for	O
its	O
lack	O
of	O
functionality	O
on-launch	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
conclusion	O
,	O
contrasting	O
Windows8	B-Application
as	O
being	O
a	O
"	O
reliable	O
"	O
platform	O
albeit	O
consisting	O
of	O
unfinished	O
concepts	O
,	O
Windows10	B-Operating_System
was	O
considered	O
"	O
the	O
best	O
Windows	O
yet	O
"	O
,	O
and	O
was	O
praised	O
for	O
having	O
a	O
better	O
overall	O
concept	O
in	O
its	O
ability	O
to	O
be	O
"	O
comfortable	O
and	O
effective	O
"	O
across	O
a	O
wide	O
array	O
of	O
form	O
factors	O
,	O
but	O
that	O
it	O
was	O
buggier	O
than	O
previous	O
versions	O
of	O
Windows	O
were	O
on-launch	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
ExtremeTech	O
felt	O
that	O
Windows10	B-Operating_System
restricted	O
the	O
choices	O
of	O
users	O
,	O
citing	O
its	O
more	O
opaque	O
setting	O
menus	O
,	O
forcing	O
users	O
to	O
give	O
up	O
bandwidth	O
for	O
the	O
peer-to-peer	O
distribution	B-Application
of	O
updates	O
,	O
and	O
for	O
taking	O
away	O
user	O
control	O
of	O
specific	O
functions	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
updates	O
,	O
explaining	O
that	O
"	O
it	O
feels	O
,	O
once	O
again	O
,	O
as	O
if	O
Microsoft	O
has	O
taken	O
the	O
seed	O
of	O
a	O
good	O
idea	O
,	O
like	O
providing	O
users	O
with	O
security	O
updates	O
automatically	O
,	O
and	O
shoved	O
the	O
throttle	O
to	O
maximum.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
has	O
also	O
received	O
criticism	O
because	O
of	O
deleting	O
files	O
without	O
user	O
permission	O
after	O
auto	O
updates	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Critics	O
characterized	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
Windows10	B-Operating_System
as	O
being	O
forced	O
onto	O
users	O
of	O
past	O
versions	O
of	O
Windows	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Critics	O
have	O
also	O
noted	O
that	O
Windows10	B-Operating_System
heavily	O
emphasizes	O
freemium	O
services	O
,	O
and	O
contains	O
various	O
advertising	O
facilities	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Examples	O
of	O
these	O
have	O
included	O
microtransactions	O
in	O
bundled	O
games	O
such	O
as	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Solitaire	I-Application
Collection	I-Application
,	O
default	O
settings	O
that	O
display	B-Device
promotions	O
of	O
"	O
suggested	O
"	O
apps	O
in	O
the	O
Start	O
menu	O
,	O
"	O
tips	O
"	O
on	O
the	O
lock	O
screen	O
that	O
may	O
contain	O
advertising	O
,	O
ads	O
displayed	O
in	O
File	B-Protocol
Explorer	I-Protocol
for	O
Office	B-Operating_System
365	I-Operating_System
subscriptions	O
on	O
Creators	O
 '	O
Update	O
,	O
and	O
various	O
advertising	O
notifications	O
displayed	O
by	O
default	O
which	O
promote	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Edge	I-Application
when	O
it	O
is	O
not	O
set	O
as	O
the	O
default	O
web	B-Application
browser	I-Application
(	O
including	O
,	O
in	O
a	O
September	O
2018	O
build	B-Application
,	O
nag	O
pop-ups	O
displayed	O
to	O
interrupt	O
the	O
installation	O
process	O
of	O
competitors	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Due	O
to	O
the	O
high	O
system	O
requirements	O
of	O
its	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
's	O
successor	O
Windows	B-Application
11	I-Application
,	O
some	O
critics	O
have	O
cited	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
being	O
better	O
than	O
its	O
successor	O
and	O
have	O
warned	O
not	O
to	O
switch	O
to	O
Windows	B-Application
11	I-Application
given	O
its	O
high	O
system	O
requirement	O
despite	O
very	O
limited	O
new	O
features	O
compared	O
to	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Up	O
to	O
August	O
2016	O
,	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
usage	O
was	O
increasing	O
,	O
with	O
it	O
then	O
plateauing	O
,	O
while	O
eventually	O
in	O
2018	O
,	O
it	O
became	O
more	O
popular	O
than	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
(	O
though	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
was	O
still	O
more	O
used	O
in	O
some	O
countries	O
in	O
Asia	O
and	O
Africa	O
in	O
2019	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
,	O
the	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
is	O
running	O
on	O
over	O
a	O
billion	O
devices	O
,	O
reaching	O
the	O
goal	O
set	O
by	O
Microsoft	O
two	O
years	O
after	O
the	O
initial	O
deadline	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Twenty-four	O
hours	O
after	O
it	O
was	O
released	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
announced	O
that	O
over	O
14million	O
devices	O
were	O
running	O
Windows10	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
August	O
26	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
said	O
over	O
75million	O
devices	O
were	O
running	O
Windows10	B-Operating_System
,	O
in	O
192countries	O
,	O
and	O
on	O
over	O
90,000	O
unique	O
PC	O
or	O
tablet	B-Device
models	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
Terry	O
Myerson	O
,	O
there	O
were	O
over	O
110million	O
devices	O
running	O
Windows10	B-Operating_System
as	O
of	O
October	O
6	O
,	O
2015	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
January	O
4	O
,	O
2016	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
reported	O
that	O
Windows10	B-Operating_System
had	O
been	O
activated	O
on	O
over	O
200million	O
devices	O
since	O
the	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
's	O
launch	O
in	O
July	O
2015	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
StatCounter	O
,	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
overtook	O
Windows	B-Device
8.1	I-Device
in	O
December	O
2015	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Iceland	O
was	O
the	O
first	O
country	O
where	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
was	O
ranked	O
first	O
(	O
not	O
only	O
on	O
the	O
desktop	B-Device
,	O
but	O
across	O
all	O
platforms	O
)	O
,	O
with	O
several	O
larger	O
European	O
countries	O
following	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
one	O
week	O
in	O
late	O
November	O
2016	O
,	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
overtook	O
first	O
rank	O
from	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
,	O
before	O
losing	O
it	O
again	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
February	O
2017	O
,	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
was	O
losing	O
market	O
share	O
to	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
mid-January	O
2018	O
,	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
had	O
a	O
slightly	O
higher	O
global	O
market	O
share	O
than	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
,	O
with	O
it	O
noticeably	O
more	O
popular	O
on	O
weekends	O
,	O
while	O
popularity	O
varies	O
widely	O
by	O
region	O
,	O
e.g.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
was	O
then	O
still	O
behind	O
in	O
Africa	O
and	O
far	O
ahead	O
in	O
some	O
other	O
regions	O
e.g.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
Home	O
is	O
permanently	O
set	O
to	O
download	O
all	O
updates	O
automatically	O
,	O
including	O
cumulative	O
updates	O
,	O
security	O
patches	O
,	O
and	O
drivers	O
,	O
and	O
users	O
cannot	O
individually	O
select	O
updates	O
to	O
install	O
or	O
not	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Tom	O
Warren	O
of	O
The	O
Verge	O
felt	O
that	O
,	O
given	O
web	B-Application
browsers	I-Application
such	O
as	O
Google	B-Application
Chrome	I-Application
had	O
already	O
adopted	O
such	O
an	O
automatic	O
update	O
system	O
,	O
such	O
a	O
requirement	O
would	O
help	O
to	O
keep	O
all	O
Windows10	B-Operating_System
devices	O
secure	O
,	O
and	O
felt	O
that	O
"	O
if	O
you	O
're	O
used	O
to	O
family	O
members	O
calling	O
you	O
for	O
technical	O
support	O
because	O
they	O
've	O
failed	O
to	O
upgrade	O
to	O
the	O
latest	O
Windows	O
service	B-Architecture
pack	O
or	O
some	O
malware	O
disabled	O
Windows	O
Update	O
then	O
those	O
days	O
will	O
hopefully	O
be	O
over.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Concerns	O
were	O
raised	O
that	O
because	O
of	O
these	O
changes	O
,	O
users	O
would	O
be	O
unable	O
to	O
skip	O
the	O
automatic	O
installation	O
of	O
updates	O
that	O
are	O
faulty	O
or	O
cause	O
issues	O
with	O
certain	O
system	O
configurations	O
—	O
although	O
build	B-Application
upgrades	O
will	O
also	O
be	O
subject	O
to	O
public	O
beta	O
testing	O
via	O
Windows	B-Application
Insider	I-Application
program	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Criticism	O
was	O
also	O
directed	O
towards	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
decision	O
to	O
no	O
longer	O
provide	O
specific	O
details	O
on	O
the	O
contents	O
of	O
cumulative	O
updates	O
for	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
users	O
reported	O
that	O
during	O
the	O
installation	O
of	O
the	O
November	O
upgrade	O
,	O
some	O
applications	O
(	O
particularly	O
utility	O
programs	O
such	O
as	O
CPU-Z	B-Application
and	O
Speccy	B-Application
)	O
were	O
automatically	O
uninstalled	O
during	O
the	O
upgrade	O
process	O
,	O
and	O
some	O
default	O
programs	O
were	O
reset	O
to	O
Microsoft-specified	O
defaults	O
(	O
such	O
as	O
Photos	O
app	O
,	O
and	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Edge	I-Application
for	O
PDF	B-Application
viewing	O
)	O
,	O
both	O
without	O
warning	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Further	O
issues	O
were	O
discovered	O
upon	O
the	O
launch	O
of	O
the	O
Anniversary	O
Update	O
(	O
"	O
Redstone	O
"	O
)	O
,	O
including	O
a	O
bug	O
that	O
caused	O
some	O
devices	O
to	O
freeze	O
(	O
but	O
addressed	O
by	O
cumulative	O
update	O
KB3176938	O
,	O
released	O
on	O
August	O
31	O
,	O
2016	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
that	O
fundamental	O
changes	O
to	O
how	O
Windows	O
handles	O
webcams	B-Protocol
had	O
caused	O
many	O
to	O
stop	O
working	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
June	O
2017	O
,	O
a	O
Redstone	O
3	O
Insider	O
build	B-Application
(	O
RS_EDGE_CASE	O
in	O
PC	O
and	O
rs_IoT	O
on	O
Mobile	O
)	O
was	O
accidentally	O
released	O
to	O
both	O
Insider	O
and	O
non-Insider	O
users	O
on	O
all	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
devices	O
,	O
but	O
the	O
update	O
was	O
retracted	O
,	O
with	O
Microsoft	O
apologizing	O
and	O
releasing	O
a	O
note	O
on	O
their	O
Windows	B-Application
Insider	I-Application
Program	I-Application
blog	O
describing	O
how	O
to	O
prevent	O
the	O
build	B-Application
from	O
being	O
installed	O
on	O
their	O
device	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
Gartner	O
analyst	O
felt	O
that	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
Pro	O
was	O
becoming	O
increasingly	O
inappropriate	O
for	O
use	O
in	O
enterprise	O
environments	O
because	O
of	O
support	O
policy	O
changes	O
by	O
Microsoft	O
,	O
including	O
consumer-oriented	O
upgrade	O
lifecycle	O
length	O
,	O
and	O
only	O
offering	O
extended	O
support	O
for	O
individual	O
builds	O
to	O
Enterprise	O
and	O
Education	O
editions	O
of	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Critics	O
have	O
acknowledged	O
that	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
update	O
and	O
testing	O
practices	O
had	O
been	O
affecting	O
the	O
overall	O
quality	O
of	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
relies	O
primarily	O
on	O
user	O
testing	O
and	O
bug	O
reports	O
via	O
the	O
Windows	B-Application
Insider	I-Application
program	I-Application
(	O
which	O
may	O
not	O
always	O
be	O
of	O
sufficient	O
quality	O
to	O
identify	O
a	O
bug	O
)	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
correspondence	O
with	O
OEMs	O
and	O
other	O
stakeholders	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
wake	O
of	O
the	O
known	O
folder	O
redirection	O
data	O
loss	O
bug	O
in	O
the	O
version	O
1809	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
pointed	O
out	O
that	O
bug	O
reports	O
describing	O
the	O
issue	O
had	O
been	O
present	O
on	O
the	O
Feedback	B-Application
Hub	I-Application
app	O
for	O
several	O
months	O
prior	O
to	O
the	O
public	O
release	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Following	O
the	O
incident	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
updated	O
Feedback	B-Application
Hub	I-Application
so	O
that	O
users	O
may	O
specify	O
the	O
severity	O
of	O
a	O
particular	O
bug	O
report	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
was	O
criticized	O
for	O
the	O
tactics	O
that	O
it	O
used	O
to	O
promote	O
its	O
free	O
upgrade	O
campaign	O
for	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
,	O
including	O
adware-like	O
behaviors	O
,	O
using	O
deceptive	O
user	O
interfaces	O
to	O
coax	O
users	O
into	O
installing	O
the	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
,	O
downloading	O
installation	O
files	O
without	O
user	O
consent	O
,	O
and	O
making	O
it	O
difficult	O
for	O
users	O
to	O
suppress	O
the	O
advertising	O
and	O
notifications	O
if	O
they	O
did	O
not	O
wish	O
to	O
upgrade	O
to	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
upgrade	O
offer	O
was	O
marketed	O
and	O
initiated	O
using	O
the	O
"	O
Get	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
"	O
(	O
GWX	O
)	O
application	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
first	O
downloaded	O
and	O
installed	O
via	O
Windows	O
Update	O
in	O
March	O
2015	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
September	O
2015	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
reported	O
that	O
Microsoft	O
was	O
triggering	O
automatic	O
downloads	O
of	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
installation	O
files	O
on	O
all	O
compatible	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
or	O
8.1	B-Device
systems	O
configured	O
to	O
automatically	O
download	O
and	O
install	O
updates	O
,	O
regardless	O
of	O
whether	O
or	O
not	O
they	O
had	O
specifically	O
requested	O
the	O
upgrade	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Other	O
critics	O
argued	O
that	O
Microsoft	O
should	O
not	O
have	O
triggered	O
any	O
downloading	O
of	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
installation	O
files	O
without	O
user	O
consent	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
October	O
2015	O
,	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
began	O
to	O
appear	O
as	O
an	O
"	O
Optional	O
"	O
update	O
on	O
the	O
Windows	O
Update	O
interface	O
,	O
but	O
pre-selected	O
for	O
installation	O
on	O
some	O
systems	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
on	O
October	O
29	O
,	O
2015	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
announced	O
that	O
it	O
planned	O
to	O
classify	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
as	O
a	O
"	O
recommended	O
"	O
update	O
in	O
the	O
Windows	O
Update	O
interface	O
sometime	O
in	O
2016	O
,	O
which	O
would	O
cause	O
an	O
automatic	O
download	O
of	O
installation	O
files	O
and	O
a	O
one-time	O
prompt	O
with	O
a	O
choice	O
to	O
install	O
to	O
appear	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
March	O
2016	O
,	O
some	O
users	O
also	O
alleged	O
that	O
their	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
and	O
8.1	B-Device
devices	O
had	O
automatically	O
begun	O
upgrading	O
to	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
without	O
their	O
consent	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
December	O
2016	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
chief	O
marketing	O
officer	O
Chris	O
Capossela	O
admitted	O
that	O
the	O
company	O
had	O
"	O
gone	O
too	O
far	O
"	O
by	O
using	O
these	O
tactics	O
,	O
stating	O
"	O
we	O
know	O
we	O
want	O
people	O
to	O
be	O
running	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
from	O
a	O
security	O
perspective	O
,	O
but	O
finding	O
the	O
right	O
balance	O
where	O
you	O
're	O
not	O
stepping	O
over	O
the	O
line	O
of	O
being	O
too	O
aggressive	O
is	O
something	O
we	O
tried	O
and	O
for	O
a	O
lot	O
of	O
the	O
year	O
I	O
think	O
we	O
got	O
it	O
right.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
January	O
21	O
,	O
2016	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
was	O
sued	O
in	O
small	O
claims	O
court	O
by	O
a	O
user	O
whose	O
computer	O
had	O
attempted	O
to	O
upgrade	O
to	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
without	O
her	O
consent	O
shortly	O
after	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
the	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
Shortly	O
after	O
the	O
suit	O
was	O
reported	O
on	O
by	O
the	O
Seattle	O
Times	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
confirmed	O
it	O
was	O
updating	O
the	O
GWX	O
software	O
once	O
again	O
to	O
add	O
more	O
explicit	O
options	O
for	O
opting	O
out	O
of	O
a	O
free	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
upgrade	O
;	O
the	O
final	O
notification	O
was	O
a	O
full-screen	O
pop-up	O
window	O
notifying	O
users	O
of	O
the	O
impending	O
end	O
of	O
the	O
free	O
upgrade	O
offer	O
,	O
and	O
contained	O
"	O
Remind	O
me	O
later	O
"	O
,	O
"	O
Do	O
not	O
notify	O
me	O
again	O
"	O
and	O
"	O
Notify	O
me	O
three	O
more	O
times	O
"	O
as	O
options	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
March	O
2019	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
announced	O
that	O
it	O
would	O
display	B-Device
notifications	O
informing	O
users	O
on	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
devices	O
of	O
the	O
upcoming	O
end	O
of	O
extended	O
support	O
for	O
the	O
platform	O
,	O
and	O
direct	O
users	O
to	O
a	O
website	O
urging	O
them	O
to	O
upgrade	O
to	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
or	O
purchase	O
new	O
hardware	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
dialog	O
will	O
be	O
similar	O
to	O
the	O
previous	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
upgrade	O
prompts	O
,	O
but	O
will	O
not	O
explicitly	O
mention	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Privacy	O
advocates	O
and	O
other	O
critics	O
have	O
expressed	O
concern	O
regarding	O
Windows10	B-Operating_System
's	O
privacy	O
policies	O
and	O
its	O
collection	O
and	O
use	O
of	O
customer	O
data	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Under	O
the	O
default	O
"	O
Express	O
"	O
settings	O
,	O
Windows10	B-Operating_System
is	O
configured	O
to	O
send	O
various	O
information	O
to	O
Microsoft	O
and	O
other	O
parties	O
,	O
including	O
the	O
collection	O
of	O
user	O
contacts	O
,	O
calendar	O
data	O
,	O
and	O
"	O
associated	O
input	O
data	O
"	O
to	O
personalize	O
"	O
speech	O
,	O
typing	O
,	O
and	O
inking	O
input	O
"	O
,	O
typing	O
and	O
inking	O
data	O
to	O
improve	O
recognition	O
,	O
allowing	O
apps	O
to	O
use	O
a	O
unique	O
"	O
advertisingID	O
"	O
for	O
analytics	O
and	O
advertising	O
personalization	O
(	O
functionality	O
introduced	O
by	O
Windows	B-Device
8.1	I-Device
)	O
and	O
allow	O
apps	O
to	O
request	O
the	O
user	O
's	O
location	O
data	O
and	O
send	O
this	O
data	O
to	O
Microsoft	O
and	O
"	O
trusted	O
partners	O
"	O
to	O
improve	O
location	O
detection	O
(	O
Windows8	B-Application
had	O
similar	O
settings	O
,	O
except	O
that	O
location	O
data	O
collection	O
did	O
not	O
include	O
"	O
trusted	O
partners	O
"	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Users	O
can	O
opt	O
out	O
from	O
most	O
of	O
this	O
data	O
collection	O
,	O
but	O
telemetry	O
data	O
for	O
error	O
reporting	O
and	O
usage	O
is	O
also	O
sent	O
to	O
Microsoft	O
,	O
and	O
this	O
cannot	O
be	O
disabled	O
on	O
non-Enterprise	O
editions	O
of	O
Windows10	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
use	O
of	O
Cortana	B-Application
also	O
requires	O
the	O
collection	O
of	O
data	O
"	O
such	O
as	O
Your	O
PC	O
location	O
,	O
data	O
from	O
your	O
calendar	O
,	O
the	O
apps	O
you	O
use	O
,	O
data	O
from	O
your	O
emails	O
and	O
text	O
messages	O
,	O
who	O
you	O
call	O
,	O
your	O
contacts	O
and	O
how	O
often	O
you	O
interact	O
with	O
them	O
on	O
Your	O
PC	O
"	O
to	O
personalize	O
its	O
functionality	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
also	O
pointed	O
out	O
that	O
the	O
requirement	O
for	O
such	O
vast	O
usage	O
of	O
customer	O
data	O
had	O
become	O
a	O
norm	O
,	O
citing	O
the	O
increased	O
reliance	O
on	O
cloud	B-Architecture
computing	I-Architecture
and	O
other	O
forms	O
of	O
external	O
processing	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
similar	O
data	O
collection	O
requirements	O
for	O
services	O
on	O
mobile	O
devices	O
such	O
as	O
Google	B-Application
Now	I-Application
and	O
Siri	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
August	O
2015	O
,	O
Russian	O
politician	O
Nikolai	O
Levichev	O
called	O
for	O
Windows10	B-Operating_System
to	O
be	O
banned	O
from	O
use	O
within	O
the	O
Russian	O
government	O
,	O
as	O
it	O
sends	O
user	O
data	O
to	O
servers	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Writing	O
for	O
ZDNet	O
,	O
Ed	O
Bott	O
said	O
that	O
the	O
lack	O
of	O
complaints	O
by	O
businesses	O
about	O
privacy	O
in	O
Windows10	B-Operating_System
indicated	O
"	O
how	O
utterly	O
normal	O
those	O
privacy	O
terms	O
are	O
in	O
2015.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
a	O
Computerworld	O
editorial	O
,	O
Preston	O
Gralla	O
said	O
that	O
"	O
the	O
kind	O
of	O
information	O
Windows10	B-Operating_System
gathers	O
is	O
no	O
different	O
from	O
what	O
other	O
operating	B-General_Concept
systems	I-General_Concept
gather	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Critics	O
interpreted	O
this	O
statement	O
as	O
implying	O
that	O
Microsoft	O
would	O
scan	O
for	O
and	O
delete	O
unlicensed	O
software	O
installed	O
on	O
devices	O
running	O
Windows10	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
others	O
pointed	O
out	O
that	O
this	O
agreement	O
was	O
specifically	O
for	O
Microsoft	O
online	O
services	O
such	O
as	O
Microsoft	O
account	O
,	O
Office	B-Operating_System
365	I-Operating_System
,	O
Skype	B-Application
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
Xbox	B-Application
Live	I-Application
,	O
and	O
that	O
the	O
offending	O
passage	O
most	O
likely	O
referred	O
to	O
digital	O
rights	O
management	O
on	O
Xbox	B-Application
consoles	I-Application
and	O
first-party	O
games	O
,	O
and	O
not	O
plans	O
to	O
police	O
pirated	O
video	O
games	O
installed	O
on	O
Windows10	B-Operating_System
PCs	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Despite	O
this	O
,	O
some	O
torrent	B-Protocol
trackers	I-Protocol
announced	O
plans	O
to	O
block	O
Windows10	B-Operating_System
users	O
,	O
also	O
arguing	O
that	O
the	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
could	O
send	O
information	O
to	O
anti-piracy	O
groups	O
that	O
are	O
affiliated	O
with	O
Microsoft	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Columnist	O
Kim	O
Komando	O
argued	O
that	O
"	O
Microsoft	O
might	O
in	O
the	O
future	O
run	O
scans	O
and	O
disable	O
software	O
or	O
hardware	O
it	O
sees	O
as	O
a	O
security	O
threat	O
"	O
,	O
consistent	O
with	O
the	O
Windows10	B-Operating_System
update	O
policy	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Additionally	O
,	O
in	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
Home	O
,	O
the	O
first	O
Microsoft	O
account	O
linked	O
to	O
the	O
primary	O
user	O
's	O
account	O
can	O
no	O
longer	O
be	O
unlinked	O
,	O
but	O
other	O
users	O
can	O
unlink	O
their	O
own	O
Microsoft	O
accounts	O
from	O
their	O
user	O
accounts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
late-July	O
2020	O
,	O
Windows	O
Defender	O
began	O
to	O
classify	O
modifications	O
of	O
the	O
hosts	B-Protocol
file	I-Protocol
that	O
block	O
Microsoft	O
telemetry	O
servers	O
as	O
being	O
a	O
severe	O
security	O
risk	O
.	O
</s>
