Microsoft is making the build available as part of the Windows Insider Program that kicks off today on its official page

Oct 1, 2014 07:00 GMT  ·  By

Microsoft yesterday unveiled the new Windows 10 and revealed that a preview build of the operating system would be provided to users today, while the stable product is expected to debut in early 2015.

Even though the preview build is clearly an unfinished version that could come with a lot of bugs and issues, millions of users are expected to give it a shot, mostly thanks to the amount of changes that Microsoft is making to the platform.

Downloading the preview bits, however, isn’t as easy as clicking on a link, as some might expect, but requires you to join the Windows Insider Program and thus make a promise to Microsoft that you’d send feedback about the new operating system.

At this point, the download links aren’t yet ready, but we’ll update this article later today when they become available for everyone.

Register for the Windows Insider Program

First and foremost, you need to register for the Windows Insider Program, a brand new effort released by Microsoft for those who give a try to its unlaunched products and thus can come up with ideas and suggestions on how to improve the operating system.

The company warns that this isn’t a program aimed at beginners, but at more experienced users and IT experts who know how to correctly determine the cause of an issue and send it to Microsoft.

Here’s an excerpt from Microsoft’s instructions:

“We are excited to announce the Windows Insider Program, where PC experts and IT Pros can get access to a technical preview of Windows 10 for desktops and laptops. Soon after, we’ll also be releasing technical previews of Windows Server and our management tools.

“With the Insider program, we’re inviting our most enthusiastic Windows customers to shape Windows 10 with us. We know they’re a vocal bunch – and we’re looking forward to hearing from them.

“The Windows Insider Program is intended for PC experts and IT pros who are comfortable using pre-release software with variable quality. Insiders will receive a steady stream of early builds from us with the latest features we’re experimenting with.”

So before anything else, just register for the program. You should then receive a confirmation email that would provide access to some beta products, including Windows 10 Technical Preview.

Start the download and save the product key

A product key would also be provided once you start downloading the Windows 10 Preview, so you'd better write it down to make sure that you have it near you when starting the installation process.

Some people who already received the testing builds claimed that Microsoft might provide a universal key to all users, but at this point we cannot confirm this and we’re still waiting for the download links to go live later today.

Once you download the preview build, just burn it to a disc or create a bootable USB drive and start installing just like any other Windows version.

Update: Windows 10 Preview is now available for download.