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Windows 10 will now let you reinstall from the cloud

Published May 28th, 2020 6:50AM EDT
Windows 10 Update
Image: Elaine Thompson/AP/Shutterstock

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  • The latest Windows 10 update brings several new features to PC users, including a significant update to Cortana, as well as a slew of security upgrades.
  • The Windows 10 May 2020 Update also brings over a new way to reset the PC and perform reinstalls, giving users the ability to download the Windows 10 files directly from the cloud.
  • The Windows 10 update is available to download right now, but you might want to back up your sensitive data before getting the new release.

Microsoft just released its newest Windows 10 update, the May 2020 release, which is available for download right away. The update brings over a few neat features, including faster connections to wireless devices, Windows Hello sign-in improvements, support for Kaomoji in the Windows emoji keyboard, Direct X12 Ultimate update for better gaming, and Microsoft Edge improvements that should increase its performance. Apps, including Calculator, Notepad, and Your Phone, have also been upgraded, and Microsoft added several accessibility features to the operating system.

The new release also comes with a few important features, including the Windows Subsystem for Linux 2 (WSL 2) and new Cortana tricks. WSL 2 might not speak volumes to most people, but the new Cortana features could come in handy. You can use both text and voice to interact with Microsoft’s digital assistant, and Microsoft now supports quick searches inside the app that will deliver fast access to immediate results about the weather, news, and other information. The update also includes a variety of new security features, and one of them is something you might come to appreciate the most when you have to reinstall the operating system.

Windows 10 may have come a long way from the hell of reinstalling Windows, but it can still be problematic, and you can run into unexpected problems along the way. The new feature won’t make the issues disappear, but it gives you at least one other Windows 10 install option.

The “cloud recovery option” isn’t new, as Microsoft detailed the feature in min-January. However, as ZDNet points out in its roundup of new Windows 10 security features, you can finally take advantage of it.

The “Cloud download” option is now available alongside the usual “Local reinstall” option, which was the only mode to reset the PC. As expected, the cloud reset requires an internet connection, preferably a fast one, as the computer might download more than 4GB of data, according to Microsoft’s warning seen below.

You will need to upgrade to Windows 10 May 2020 Update before using the cloud download option to reset the computer. That’s Windows 10 version 2004, which will either present itself as a new Windows 10 update, or you can summon yourself by going to Settings, Update & Security, and then Windows Update.

A full rundown of Windows 10 May 2020 Update feature is available at this link, and ZDNet’s recap of the new Windows 10 security features in the May update is also worth a read. As always, with new Windows 10 releases, things might not go flawlessly, and some issues will still need fixing after the fact.


Chris Smith Senior Writer

Chris Smith has been covering consumer electronics ever since the iPhone revolutionized the industry in 2008. When he’s not writing about the most recent tech news for BGR, he brings his entertainment expertise to Marvel’s Cinematic Universe and other blockbuster franchises.

Outside of work, you’ll catch him streaming almost every new movie and TV show release as soon as it's available.