Windows 10 recovery: Microsoft borrows Apple's Mac cloud reinstall feature

Microsoft could soon make it a whole lot easier for users to recover a Windows 10 machine when disaster strikes.   

The company is looking at introducing a new cloud-based recovery option. It's the latest detail to emerge from the Windows Insider build that Microsoft accidentally leaked last week, revealing Windows 10 could shelve Live Tiles in the Start Menu.  

SEE: 20 pro tips to make Windows 10 work the way you want (free PDF)    

The incoming feature could arrive with Windows 10 20H1, which should be released in the northern hemisphere's spring of 2020.  

Microsoft's cloud recovery option addresses a few problems that Windows 10 users can face if they're on a Windows Insider build or if their locally stored recovery image of Windows is corrupted. 

As Neowin notes, some Windows hardware makers don't even offer recovery images that include all the drivers required for a specific device. Even Lenovo, the biggest PC maker by shipments, limits users to a single recovery image download. 

Thanks to Apple controlling its hardware and operating system, Mac users enjoy the easier recovery option of downloading and reinstalling macOS direct from Apple over the internet. The other choice it offers is to install a backed-up version of macOS from Time Machine, if users have one. 

The new cloud download option to reinstall Windows will be in addition to one for reinstalling Windows locally. 

According to Windows watcher WalkingCat, the new boot user interface from Windows 10 will ask users 'How would you like to reinstall Windows?', with two options, including 'Cloud download' or 'Reset locally'.  

There's no official word from Microsoft about what version the cloud download option would install. However, Neowin speculates it could be the latest production version of Windows 10. This could make it easier to do a clean install when upgrading from an older version of Windows 10. 

More on Microsoft's Windows 10

• A new look for Windows 10 Start menu: Live Tiles ditched in leaked preview build
• Windows 10 1903 clash: Old Intel storage drivers can block update
• Microsoft's Bill Gates: Steve Jobs cast spells on everyone but he didn't fool me
• Windows 10 19H2: If you're on 1903, expect 'far faster' update, says Microsoft
• Microsoft starts testing Windows 10 19H2 in the Slow Ring
• Microsoft is notifying users if their devices aren't ready for Windows 10 1903
• Windows 10 slow shutdown? USB-C bug in 1809 causing minute's delay, says Microsoft
• Bill Gates: My biggest mistake? Not making Android
• Windows 10 updates: We're now using AI to push 1803 users to 1903, says Microsoft
• Windows 10 yields more secrets: Microsoft plan to split OS from shell takes shape
• Microsoft adds more Your Phone app features; rolls out another Windows 10 20H1 test build
• How to delete the Windows 10 paging file on every shut-down TechRepublic
• Test Microsoft's Chrome-like Edge browser for Windows 10 CNET