Five things you need to know about Microsoft's looming Windows 10 Spring Creators Update

Poll At some point next month, just in time for Spring, Microsoft will start to emit the Windows 10 Spring Creators Update to everyone's PC.

Avid Reg readers will be aware of what's forthcoming for the Redmond operating system. If you're just tuning in, well, see the aforementioned link, and strap in for these highlights. When the OS upgrade is released proper, we'll be on the scene with the full details. In the meantime, here's your need to know:

1. Microsoft reckons the operating system will take, on average, 30 minutes to install, which is much shorter than usual.
2. The OS will feature a thing called Timeline, which presents a summary of what you've been up to over the past 30 days, with on-screen links to apps and documents.
3. You can share files with physically nearby devices using a wireless feature called Nearby Share.
4. Shell and other bits and pieces of the desktop will look nicer. You may be forced to use Edge, though, but at least you can mute the browser's tabs.
5. The Photos app in Windows 10 will be updated to use the High Efficiency Image File Format, a change that promises to improve the quality and compression of pictures.

Exactly when this update – codenamed Red Stone 4, aka version 1803 – will land, and what's actually in it, is anyone's guess right now as Microsoft is being coy about the final change log. The software is largely expected to roll out from April 10, that being the month's Patch Tuesday.

Our advice? Hold off until the initial bugs are ironed out, and the exact feature list is cemented in. Alternatively, grab betas from the Windows Insider stream of updates and play with it to your heart's content. ®