Microsoft is holding "a moment of your time" event in New York City, where it is announcing the next major Windows 10 update is ready.

The next major update to Windows 10 - which Microsoft said would get two feature updates every year - is called Windows 10 October 2018 Update, and it is officially releasing for Windows 10 PC devices automatically via Windows Update. You don't have to do anything to get the update; it will eventually download and install automatically on your PC, based on your Windows Update settings.

But you shouldn't expect that to happen right away, since Windows 10 is running on more than 700 million monthly active devices. When it does arrive for you, you'll see new features included, ranging from a revamped search experience to a new Snip and Sketch tool. You will also notice more battery details for Bluetooth devices, text size changes, and a new cloud clipboard, among other things.

How to get Windows 10 October 2018 Update

Check for the update

  1. In the Search tab, type “Settings”.
  2. On the Settings page, navigate to Update and Security.
  3. Go to Windows Update.
  4. Click “Check for updates” to begin the download process.

Although the Windows 10 October 2018 Update is available now, it won't begin to release broadly until 9 October 2018, Microsoft said.

When the software officially rolls out worldwide, you can go to Windows Update to manually check for the update. If you want to try it immediately, go to Settings > Update and Security > Windows Update, and click Check For Updates. If your system is on Microsoft's list of devices that are eligible, it should immediately begin downloading and installing. If not, you can install the update manually.

Install the update manually

We recommend waiting for the update to arrive, but if you are a pro and don't mind getting it through a more complicated route, go to the official Download Windows 10 page. If you see "Windows 10 October 2018 Update now available" on the page, do one of the following:

  1. Click Update Now to download and run the Update Assistant and begin the download and installation process.
  2. Click Download Tool Now to run the latest release of the Media Creation Tool, download an ISO file with the latest version or create bootable media, and run Setup. That's it! 

Want to know more?

Check out Microsoft's blog post here for details.