Windows 8.1 Preview: FAQ

Windows 8.1 Preview and Windows RT 8.1 Preview are prerelease versions of Windows 8.1. They build on Windows 8 and bring you more ways to stay productive, have fun, and do all the things you need and want to do on your PC. Windows 8.1 Preview and Windows RT 8.1 Preview include enhancements in personalization, search, apps, the Windows Store, and cloud connectivity, and have the security and reliability features you expect from Windows. They're fast, and made to work on a variety of form factors—especially the new generation of touch devices.

Here’s your chance to be one of the first to try out the preview. We'll use your feedback to make the final product even better.

For detailed product and feature information, download the Windows 8.1 Preview Product Guide.

We strongly recommend that only experienced PC users download Windows 8.1 Preview or Windows RT 8.1 Preview. Before you download the preview, you should weigh the pros and cons of installing software that's still in development. If you install the preview release, you'll get to try out the many new features, but you might also encounter errors that you wouldn't encounter using a released version of Windows.

You should consider downloading the preview only if all of the following apply to you:

Warning

• If you're running Windows RT you won't be able to restore Windows RT after you install Windows RT 8.1 Preview. You'll be able to upgrade to the final version of Windows RT 8.1.

• If installation of Windows RT 8.1 Preview fails on your PC, you may need to contact your PC manufacturer.

Yes. Windows 8.1 Preview and Windows RT 8.1 Preview are stable and have been thoroughly tested, but aren't the finished product. Your PC could crash and you could lose important files. You should back up your data and you shouldn't test the preview on your primary home or business PC. You might also encounter problems like:

You should carefully balance the risks and rewards of trying out the preview before you install it.

Windows 8.1 Preview works great on the same hardware that powers Windows 8:

Windows RT 8.1 Preview requires that you have a PC already running Windows RT with 10 GB of free storage space.

Warning

• In order to use Windows 8.1 Preview you must sign in to your PC with a Microsoft account. The option to create a local account will be made available at the final release of Windows 8.1.

Additional requirements to use certain features:

Windows will check your system's eligibility before you update to make sure your system can support Windows 8.1 Preview.

Windows 8.1 Preview is available in Arabic, English, Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), French, German, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese (Brazil), Russian, Spanish, Swedish, and Turkish.

Notes

• If you install Windows 8.1 Preview in a language that's different from the language currently on your PC, you can only keep your files, not your apps or settings.

• If you're running Windows 8 and have installed a language pack or a language interface pack (LIP), they'll be removed when you install Windows 8.1 Preview.

Windows 8.1 Preview and Windows RT 8.1 Preview should work with the same devices and programs that work with Windows 8 and Windows RT. In some cases, the device or program might not work or may require an update, or you might need to uninstall some programs, and then reinstall them after installing Windows 8.1 Preview.

With every new release, Microsoft strives to offer a high degree of compatibility with all apps and devices. Microsoft regularly tests thousands of apps and devices and gathers customer feedback in order to help identify and fix compatibility issues. However, there are a few classes of products, like security and system utilities, that typically aren't compatible across Windows versions because they depend on internal parts of Windows. Microsoft works closely with manufacturers of these devices and apps to help them have working versions ready when Windows is released. Drivers for basic device functionality are available "in-box" (meaning, as part of the Windows image). This includes drivers for storage, networking, input, and display. These drivers allow you to complete the Windows installation and connect to the Internet. You can get more drivers from Windows Update or from the device manufacturer once you're online.

If you have Windows 8 Pro with Media Center and you download the preview through the Windows Store, you can keep Windows Media Center without reinstalling it. If you install the preview using the ISO file, Windows Media will be removed and you'll need to reinstall it with your original Windows 8 Pro pack or Windows 8 Media Center Pack product key.

If you want compatibility info for a specific device or program, see the Windows 8 Compatibility Center.

If you start your PC from removable media that you created when you downloaded the ISO, you won't be able to keep your apps, Windows settings, or personal files when you update. This table shows what you can keep when you update, depending on the version of Windows you currently have running on your PC.

To verify which version of Windows you're running, see Which Windows operating system am I running?

When you install subsequent editions of Windows 8.1 you'll be able to keep your personal files, but you'll need to reinstall your apps.

There are two ways to install Windows 8.1 Preview: through the Windows Store or through the ISO.

If you're running Windows 8 in one of the 13 languages that the preview is available in, we strongly recommend that you download the preview from the Windows Store. When you install from the Store, you can't create installation media but must download the preview directly from the Windows Store. If you're running Windows RT, the only way you can update is through the Store. Updating through the Store will give you the same edition of Windows 8.1 Preview as the edition of Windows 8 you're currently running. (For example, if you are updating from Windows 8 Pro, you will update to Windows 8.1 Pro Preview.) To see if you can update through the Store, see Download Windows 8.1 Preview.

Warning

• If you're running Windows 8 and you don't use any of the 13 languages the preview is available in, you'll need to install using the ISO.

• If you're running Windows 8 Enterprise, you'll need to install the preview using the ISO.

If you're running Windows 8 and you want to install Windows 8.1 Preview using the ISO, it's important that you know where your Windows 8 product key is. When you update to the final edition of Windows 8.1 you'll need your Windows 8 product key to activate. To install Windows 8.1 Preview from within Windows 8, follow these steps:

If you're running Windows XP, Windows Vista, or Windows 7, you can download an ISO image and use it to create a bootable DVD or USB flash drive to install Windows 8.1 Preview.

Notes

• If you need to update your firmware or drivers during the installation, you should install all required updates from Windows Update.

• If you need to free up disk space during the installation, consider copying files to a USB flash drive or uninstalling apps that take up a lot of space.

• If you start to get Windows 8.1 Preview but decide to stop, make sure you uninstall the associated Windows Update. Open Control Panel and search for View installed updates. Look for the Microsoft Windows category and then uninstall KB2849636.

If you install Windows 8.1 Preview through the Windows Store, you don't need a product key. If you download the ISO, you'll need to enter this product key: NTTX3-RV7VB-T7X7F-WQYYY-9Y92F.

Additionally, you'll also need your Windows 8 product key when you update to the final edition of Windows 8.1 from the preview.

Uninstalling the preview isn't supported. However, it may be possible to restore your entire system to its factory condition.

If your PC came with Windows 8 you may be able to restore it back to Windows 8 by using PC refresh. Your personal files won't be affected, but apps that did not come with the PC will need to be reinstalled and apps that you installed while using the preview may not be available through the Windows 8 Store. To find out more about using PC refresh, see Restore, refresh, or reset your PC.

If you're running Windows XP, Windows Vista, or Windows 7, you can't uninstall the preview. To go back to your previous operating system, you'll need to reinstall it from the recovery or installation media that came with your PC (typically DVD media). If you don't have recovery media you might be able to create it before you update from a recovery partition on your PC using software provided by your PC manufacturer. Check the support section of your PC manufacturer's website for more info. After you install Windows 8.1 Preview you won't be able to use the recovery partition on your PC to go back to your previous version of Windows.

Warning

• If you're currently using Windows RT, you won't be able to uninstall Windows RT 8.1 Preview. You'll be able to upgrade to the final edition of Windows RT 8.1 when it becomes available.

If you're running Windows 8 and you install the preview using the ISO, you won't be able to uninstall it. You'll need to reinstall Windows 8 using recovery or installation media that came with your PC. If you don't have recovery media, you might be able to create a USB recovery drive. For more info, see Create a USB recovery drive.

The best way to provide feedback is to participate in the Windows 8.1 Preview forum. On this dedicated forum, you'll find thousands of other Windows enthusiasts who are testing our product, posting their experiences, and participating in the Windows 8.1 Preview online community. In particular, if you think you've encountered a problem that you'd like to have addressed in future releases of Windows 8.1, post a “Bug Report” about your issue on the Windows 8.1 Preview forum. In your post, describe what you encountered, any text or messages that were displayed, and other info that would help us reproduce your issue in our own testing environments. We're monitoring the Windows 8.1 Preview forum and might ask you to post additional info to help us improve the experience.

We’ve created some online forums where you can ask questions and get answers from other preview testers and Microsoft support professionals. (We don't offer technical support for prerelease software, including Windows 8.1 Preview.)

To learn more about Windows 8.1 Preview for businesses, read about the benefits of Windows 8.1 for Enterprise.

Read What's New in Windows 8.1 Preview for IT professionals, and for the latest resources, tips, and events for IT professionals, subscribe to the Springboard Series Insider.

Designers and developers can find resources to get started by visiting the Windows Dev Center. Developers can find what's new in the Windows 8.1 Preview Product Guide for Developers and can download free tools, SDKs, and sample code to get started building apps now.