Windows 10 Creators Update downloads to roll-out from 11 April - Microsoft

Paint 3D and new security improvements coming soon

The Windows 10 Creators Update will roll out from 11 April, Microsoft has revealed. However, the much-hyped Update to Windows 10 doesn't quite look like the major update that Microsoft has touted it as.

Also known by the snappy name of "Windows 10 version 1703", the news was released as the company also revealed that the Surface Book and Surface Studio would be launched into new markets.

According to Peter Han, general manager of OEM marketing at Microsoft, the Creators Update will "bring exciting new features and security enhancements". His colleague Yusuf Mehdi, meanwhile, corporate vice president, Windows and Devices Group, was keen to stress the security features.

The Creators Update, claimed Mehdi, "makes it easier than ever to manage your privacy with Windows 10 and other Microsoft services with a new set up experience that lets you choose the settings that are right for you". He continued: "A new Microsoft privacy dashboard lets you see and manage your activity data across multiple Microsoft services".

Indeed, the most substantial parts of the Update for common-or-garden users will probably be the new features in Windows Defender Security Center that , Mehdi claims, will give users more control over all their security options alongside a ‘Device Health Advisor'.

This "gives you information on the vital signs of your device, and new settings give you more control over app installation," wrote Mehdi.

The Creators Update features more support for virtual reality headsets with Windows Holographic APIs, and a new Paint 3D app and associated Remix3D.com community where models can be shown-off and shared.

Yusuf was also keen to show off a bunch of relatively trivial tweaks, including ‘night light', which reduces the level of blue light emitted by the operating system, which apparently will help you sleep better when you finally turn your machine off after a hard evening's work.

‘Mini view' enables windows to be be always-on-top so you can watch Game of Thrones while pretending work.

Microsoft is also looking to pitch Windows 10 as a gaming environment with the long-planned Windows 10 Game Mode, which promises to dedicate more system resources to PC games. "Once you've enabled Game Mode, you can apply it to any game," claimed Mehdi. There's a corresponding update to the Xbox One console as well, he added.

‘Screen time limits', meanwhile, will enable control-freak parents to limit the time their children can spend playing games across both their PC and Xbox console.

"With screen time limits, parents can set a daily time allowance for each child and your Xbox One or Windows 10 PC will automatically sign them out when time is up. For Windows 10, you can even get a report telling you what your child played each week," said Yusuf.

Devices scheduled for release to coincide with the release of the Creators Update include the Dell Canvas, Asus Zenbook Flip and latest HP Spectre x360.