Windows insider program consist of more than 5 million members worldwide, helping Microsoft improve the coming releases of Windows 10. There are different insider rings offered by Microsoft, each with its own update release schedule. There are total 4 rings in Windows insider program and any can be opted as per user’s liking. Below is a brief explanation about each ring and when it should be preferred.
Contents
1. Insider Fast Ring
Fast ring is the most advanced ring in Windows insider program. Out of all the 4 rings, Insiders in the fast ring are the first to get a preview build. These builds however have more chances of bringing in serious bugs and stability issues, sometimes even crashing the entire device. Since majority of the Insiders are only into the program to get the latest build available, they prefer to go with the fast ring. Fast ring offers a new build every 2 weeks. Our recommendation is to enroll for fast ring only on the device which doesn’t affect you or your work, usually a backup PC/Mobile.
2. Insider Slow Ring
Insider slow is the less risky cousin of insider fast. Recommended for those with less tolerance and courage, Insider slow brings in much stable and tested builds. Usually there won’t be such nasty bugs which can render the device useless, however small bugs are sure to come since it is pre-release software after-all. Insider slow brings a new build every 6 weeks. We recommend to switch to this ring if you want to experience the latest in Windows on a daily driver or main device.
3. Release Preview Ring
Release preview ring is a newly announced ring which definitely brought in some confusion for the users. Release preview ring offers users to receive builds only from the current branch. For example – the current branch is 10586.xxx. So users will receive builds for 10586.xxx branch. Usually these builds will be cumulative updates, so there will not be any new features. It will enhance the overall user experience and performance of the device. Release preview ring brings in monthly updates and is recommended for people who are in official Windows 10 version.
4. Production Ring
Production means production i.e. ready for the end users. By choosing this build you will no longer be getting insider builds. That means from that moment you will only receive builds which are publicly available for anyone to install. If you no longer want to get a buggy Windows update, just go with the production ring and you’ll only receive the tested and bug free updates.
Which ring are you going to enroll for? Leave your opinion in the comments below 🙂