windows 10
Terry Myerson, executive vice president of operating systems at Microsoft, speaks at a media event for new Windows 10-powered products on October 6, 2015 in New York City. The company is planning a new wave of updates for its operating system, which is rumored to offer tighter integration with mobile devices and better data sharing. Andrew Burton/Getty Images

Windows 10 Creators update isn’t live yet, but you can download and install it early if you just can't wait. Using the official media creation tool, it’s possible to perform a clean reformat and in-place upgrade. This guide will tell you how to successfully complete either path.

For both methods, you first need to install the official Media Creation Tool here. Click "Download Tool Now" and run it. After “getting a few things ready,” accept the license agreement. You’ll be greeted with “upgrade” or “installation media” options

How To Perform A USB or Disc Clean Install With Installation Media

  1. Before anything, pop in your blank DVD or USB stick. Click the bubble for installation media and then Next.
  2. Use the recommended settings and click next. If the recommended settings aren’t what you want, uncheck the box to change them.
  3. Choose between disc (ISO) and USB
  4. If you selected USB, you should see your inserted thumb drive in the list of available drives. For ISO, skip to step 5.
  5. Let Windows 10 download and create media
  6. If your method was ISO, you can click the button to “Open DVD Burner” to burn the image. Alternately, you can use a free tool like Imgburn to do that too.
  7. With the media created, perform a clean install as you normally would. In most cases this involves jamming the F12 key on your keyboard after a restart. Select to boot from DVD or USB depending on the media you just created. The setup will guide you through the rest of the process.

How To Perform An In-Place Upgrade

The path to upgrade is essentially automatic. Once you select the option to upgrade, setup will begin to download and create the installation files. Along the way, you may need to accept an additional license agreement.

Once everything is all set to install, you’ll see a screen that reminds you your files won’t be removed. After that, your computer will reboot several times until the process is complete. The whole process generally takes an hour or two.

To reiterate, if any of the steps in this guide sound too difficult, a far simpler automatic installation via Windows Update will start going live Tuesday. In our opinion, waiting for the Windows Update release will probably be just fine for most average users.

The Windows 10 Creators Update is the next major iteration of Microsoft’s latest operating system. It offers new perks like a Game Mode, 3D Paint application, mixed reality support and enhanced Microsoft Edge browser privacy. It’s a free upgrade for all existing Windows 10 users.

What are your thoughts on the Windows 10 Creators Update so far? Are you willing to upgrade early? Tell us in the comments section!

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