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Microsoft’s Windows 10 21H1 update arrives – here’s what’s new

New update brings fixes, but it's also causing new ones

A black keyboard with a Windows key

When Microsoft isn’t accidentally ruining the performance of the best PC games with its Windows 10 updates, those nagging notifications are worth listening to. Bringing bug fixes, security patches, speeding up your OS, and sometimes helping boost fps, they’re worth installing as soon as you get a spare moment.

The latest Windows 10 21H1 update is here, and if your PC hasn’t pushed it to you yet, you can type “check for updates” into the start menu and try to force an install. There’s a reason Microsoft is rolling the update out in stages, however, as it’s already noted a few bugs that need ironing out first. You might want to hold off if you use your PC regularly.

There are no gaming-oriented features or UI overhauls here, however, as a significant design refresh is reserved for Microsoft’s Sun Valley update later this year. Instead, this smaller update focuses on improving the performance of existing features, a few minor additions, and removes some older features.

Here’s all you need to know about the Windows 10 May 2021 update:

windows 10 21h1 release date

Microsoft released the update on May 18, although your PC won’t necessarily nag you to upgrade right away, as it’s being staggered to users to ensure stable download speeds and quality assurance.

If you want it now, you can force an update by searching for “check for updates” in the start menu. If that still doesn’t work, head over to the Windows 10 download page to install the latest version manually – but you do so at your own risk, as new patches often come with issues.

Windows 10 21H1 features

There’s a minor change to the Windows Hello facial recognition system if you have the best gaming laptop hooked up to an external webcam. Provided your notebook supports the feature, Windows will now default to the external camera when searching for your face rather than the laptop’s built-in lens.

The latest update also removes support for the legacy version of the Microsoft Edge browser. That shouldn’t be an issue for most people though, as the recent Chromium-based version is much improved.

Windows 10 21H1 known issues

Despite it only recently launching, Microsoft has already listed two known issues arising from the update. These include the possibility of high-pitched noises occurring when using 5.1 audio, as well as issues with Japanese character entry in some apps. It’s entirely possible more may crop up as the adoption rate of the update increases.