Windows 10 users ready themselves for Windows 10 Anniversary Update

Windows 10 users around the world are gearing up for the launch of the first major update to Windows 10 since its launch in July 2015.

Dubbed the Windows 10 Anniversary Update, it will be available to download on Tuesday 2 August around the globe and promises a number of new incremental features and tweaks including improvements to its voice assistant; Cortana.

The software is set to bring new features that focus on Windows Ink, its software that works to improve stylus-use for devices like the Microsoft Surface. It'll also bring extensions for Edge and upgrades for Hello and Cortona, among other things.

The Anniversary Update will mark the one-year anniversary of Window 10's release (which was 29 July 2015). It'll be free to everyone with a device running Windows 10 and be accessible via the usual download channels on PCs and tablets.

If you're updating from an older version of Windows, that isn't Windows 10, you'll will now have to pay £99.99 ($119) for a full install. Eligible PC users hoping to get Windows 10 for free will be out of luck, the cut off date was Saturday July 29, 2016, although there is now a back door to getting a free upgrade still, if you claim that you are using assistive technology elements within the software.

Microsoft first announced its Windows 10 Anniversary Update in March during its annual Build developer conference. At the time, Microsoft only said the update would arrive "this summer".