Windows 10 update will solve this major annoyance — here's how

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Windows 7's optional updates return in Windows 10

Windows 10 update may actually save us from buggy Windows 10 updates
(Image credit: Future)

Windows 10 updates get a deservedly bad rap. Every day it seems like we see another story of a buggy update to Windows that makes things run slower, or worse, crash. That may finally be changing — and drivers are going to be easier to install as well.

As reported by Windows Latest, Windows 10 Build 19041.450 is bringing back the category of optional Windows updates, something Microsoft announced back in June to help you halt the tide of updates. That's right, the spirit of Windows 7 is alive in Windows 10.

Frustratingly, Windows Update will still automatically sling system updates into your PC automatically, unless you tell it not to by clicking Pause update.

Hugely, though, this means you're no longer poking around in the aging Device Manager window when it's time to install drivers. That method was a little too granular, only showing you available drivers at a device-by-device level. The move to the Settings app and Windows Update means all available drivers will be visible at once, for a better overview.

Yes, after Windows 10 Build 19041.450, you'll go through the Settings app. Here's how:

How to install drivers through Windows 10 

  1. Open Settings (it's the gear icon in the Start menu)
  2. Click Update & Security
  3. Click Windows Update
  4. Click View optional updates

Going through those simple steps will bring you to a page where any drivers that Microsoft has approved will appear.

To get the Optional Updates experience, look for the August 2020 security update for Windows 10 version 2004. On an older version of Windows? It's coming to your system at a later, to be determined, date.

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Henry T. Casey
Henry T. Casey
Managing Editor (Entertainment, Streaming)

Henry is a managing editor at Tom’s Guide covering streaming media, laptops and all things Apple, reviewing devices and services for the past seven years. Prior to joining Tom's Guide, he reviewed software and hardware for TechRadar Pro, and interviewed artists for Patek Philippe International Magazine. He's also covered the wild world of professional wrestling for Cageside Seats, interviewing athletes and other industry veterans.