Microsoft pauses rollout of Windows 10 October 2018 Update

Microsoft CEO Satya NadellaStephen Brashear/Getty Images

• Microsoft has “paused” the rollout of a huge new update to Windows 10, which had started going out to users earlier this week. 
• Some users said that installing the update resulted in the loss of huge amounts of personal files, while others said that it had a significant detrimental impact on battery life. 
• The update was only available to users who actively sought it out, with plans to push it to more Windows 10 users starting on October 9th. 
• Now, Microsoft has taken the update down, and it’s unclear when more users will be able to download it.

Microsoft has “paused” the rollout of the October 2018 Update to Windows 10 after some users reported that installing it would permanently wipe huge chunks of their files. 

The update started rolling out on Tuesday, timed with a big Microsoft event in New York City to unveil the new lineup of Surface laptops. However, not long after it went out, Microsoft began investigating claims from users that installing the software resulted in the loss of hundreds of gigabytes of personal files, or that it hurt their computer’s battery life.

“We have paused the rollout of the update while we continue to investigate reports from some customers,” a Microsoft spokesperson tells Business Insider. 

Of note is that the update hadn’t yet gone into a wide release. The update was only available to Windows 10 users who actively sought it out by running the Windows Update utility, or who downloaded it directly from Microsoft’s website. Now, Microsoft has removed the October 2018 Update for download from either source. 

Microsoft planned to push the update out more widely to users on October 9th, at which point, users’ PCs would begin prompting them to install the update. It is unclear if those plans have changed in the wake of this paused rollout. 

The October 2018 Update is one of Microsoft’s regular feature updates to the Windows 10 operating system, bringing many new features and changes to its flagship operating system. Chief among the new arrivals in the Windows 10 October 2018 Update is the Your Phone app, a new tool that allows Android phone users to send texts and view photos right from their Windows 10 PC desktop. 

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