Windows 10 Build 10240

If you have Windows 10 Build 10240, congratulations. You have the “final” Release to Manufacturing (RTM) build of Windows 10.

In as much as there is a final build, of course. In fact, when I received an official, Microsoft-approved, Lenovo Yoga 12 laptop with Windows 10 on it last night, I thought there would be some sort of official stamp of completion. A new wallpaper. A sticker, perhaps? But when I powered it on...I was taken aback. Because there was nothing more than Windows 10 Build 10240 on it.

I asked Microsoft for clarification. ““This build is the latest Windows 10 build, and we’ll continue to update Windows 10 code as we head toward launch and beyond,” a Microsoft spokeswoman said in a statement. “We are embracing a new way to deliver Windows.”

A few days ago, Microsoft stopped making ISO copies of Windows 10 available. If your Windows 10 PC has updated itself to Windows 10 Build 10240, then you basically have what PC makers have as well. On July 29, those that haven’t caught up will receive Windows 10 Build 10240—or whatever Microsoft is calling it then—and possibly even an entirely new build (or patch). We simply don’t know yet.  

What those of us with Windows 10 Build 10240 have seen, however, have been post-build updates for Windows Defender and other security fixes. More importantly, Microsoft has updated many of the Windows 10 apps separately, much like Google does for its Android operating system, or what Microsoft itself does for Windows Phone. Those fixes have produced notable improvements—for example, the Windows 10 Mail app used to be unable to dig up an old email that it would have to search the server for. Now, it does so in a reasonable amount of time.