Right on schedule, Microsoft is now delivering the November 2019 update (previously known as 19H2) to Windows 10 PCs. It's technically the second (and last) big feature update to Windows 10 planned for 2019, though it is more akin to the Service Packs of old.
That's to say, it does not bring any jarring changes to Windows 10. It mostly deals with performance and stability improvements. Nevertheless, if you want to stay completely up to date, it's out there.
"Today, we are announcing that the Windows 10 November 2019 update is now available for users on the most recent versions of Windows 10 who seek the new update via Windows Update," Microsoft states in a blog post.
The new build may not show up if your Windows 10 PC is not updated with the latest patches (such as the Patch Tuesday updates that rolled out yesterday), so that's the first order of business. Once you've done that, if the November 2019 update is available to you, it will shop up under the "Optional updates available" heading, as highlighted in the image at the top of this article.
As always, you should back up your important data before applying a major update—work documents, family photos and videos, and/or whatever else you consider precious.
Here are some of the key upgrades the latest build brings it, as outlined by Microsoft:
- Quickly creating an event directly from the Calendar flyout on the Taskbar.
- Better managing notifications, including a new button at the top of the Action Center and the ability to sort notifications by most recently shown.
- Integrating OneDrive content online with traditional indexed results in the File Explorer search box.
- The navigation pane on the Start menu now expands when you hover over it with your mouse to better inform where clicking goes.
- Using your voice to activate third-party digital assistants from the Lock screen.
Microsoft has set a goal of releasing two major feature upgrades to Windows 10 every year. This is the second one for 2019. The next big update will arrive sometime in the first half of 2020, and will likely bring more changes to the table than the November 2019 update.
Given the timing of this release, don't be surprised if it does not come already installed on a new PC, particularly ones featured as Black Friday deals (which tend to be slightly older, though always). But's it's relatively fast and painless to install—so says Jarred Walton, our resident brave man who likes to grab the latest driver and Windows updates as soon as they're available, caution be damned. Welcome to version 1909, build 18363.476.
