Windows 10 what's new. Search Preview

Microsoft has pretty much raised the performance of its new Windows 10 OS. But this is not enough, no matter if you use your PC at home or at work, you don’t want to be limited by a difficult-to-use interface, or a confusing search for OS functions.

If you're using a small tablet or Windows 10 phone, you'll be spending most of your time on your desktop. At first glance, when you start Windows 10, everything looks the same as before, the taskbar at the bottom of the screen, the Windows key in the bottom left corner, and the system tray with a clock in the bottom right corner.

While first impressions are deceptive, the Windows 10 desktop has seen some pretty significant changes. Each change is an improvement or refinement of an existing component, or something completely new.

The ability to have multiple desktops on a computer is already a familiar feature of GNU/Linux, and there have long been many plug-ins to add this feature to Windows.

However, with Windows 10, Microsoft included this much-desired feature with its operating system from the start. It is launched from a taskbar icon, which you can recognize by two rectangular boxes, one in front of the other.

Running Multiple Desktops in Windows 10

By clicking on this icon, you will see thumbnails of all open windows, as well as a dark bar at the bottom of the screen, with an "add desktop" button in its center.

Add desktop button in Windows 10

When you have multiple desktops open, they will appear as small, vibrant thumbnails in a dark bar.

Desktop management in Windows 10

Click right click mouse click (press and hold) on the application thumbnail, displays the "options" menu, which has the option to move between desktops. In the final version of Windows 10, keyboard shortcuts will additionally be used to move apps between desktops, and expectedly, the ability to simply drag and drop apps between different desktops.

Any desktop can be closed by clicking, on its thumbnail, on the "Close" icon, which appears when you hover the mouse cursor over the icon.

Attention. Closing the desktop does not mean closing applications running on it at the same time. When you close the desktop, any open applications are automatically moved to the nearest open desktop.

The multiple desktop feature can be very useful, especially in a business environment. For example, when working in your home office, you might have Internet Explorer and Outlook open on one desktop, Microsoft Word on the other, and maybe a few screenshots and tests open. virtual machines on the third.

In addition, you can keep Odnoklassniki and Minesweeper open on one desktop, and open an application for work on another (for the employer).

Return to Windows 10 Start Menu.

One of the main criticisms of Windows 8 is the removal of the start menu from the desktop, and replacing it with a complete one. start screen with the "all applications" view.

The Start menu was first introduced in Windows 95, and immediately received a lot of praise, and after improvements in Windows Vista and Windows 7, when the huge pop-up menu was no longer displayed by the All Programs link, it became world-famous. You'll be happy to hear that the Start menu is making a triumphant return in Windows 10 and is being improved once again.

Start menu in Windows 10

To be honest, the way of pinning application icons to the taskbar and launching files from the jump list is a much faster way to launch any application in Windows.

So what's new in this redesigned Start menu, and what's improved on the old one?

The first thing you'll notice is that tiles for universal apps can now be pinned to the right side of the menu. This is completely optional, if you're only going to use the Start menu on the desktop and don't need Live Tiles, you can skip this.

However, if you still want to keep some of the tiles, that's not a bad idea either. Live tiles can be useful if only because they contain a lot of useful information. For example, by pressing the Windows key, you will immediately see the headers of your latest received emails, as well as news and weather, all without having to open those applications or news sites.

In the Windows 7 Start Menu, options for various PC locations such as Documents, Computer File Explorer, Control Panel, Devices, and Printers have been placed in the right pane. They have now moved to the top left of the start menu, in the location section.

Below that is a list of the most used apps, followed by recently installed apps. The All Apps button is now in the lower left corner of the Start menu, and displays a list of all the apps installed on your computer, much like it did in Windows 7.

In the final version of Windows 10, these views will be configured, just like in Windows 7, with a number of various ways. In addition, universal applications can simply be dragged from the "all applications" list directly to the tiles area, on right side start menu.

Note. It is expected, but not yet confirmed, that in the final version of Windows 10, you will be able to drag and drop universal app tiles onto the desktop, where they will be pinned and used as live information widgets.

There are three additional buttons at the top of the Start menu. In the upper left corner is your avatar, by clicking on the parameters of which you can change the user account settings, log out or lock the computer. On the top right side of the start menu is the power button: hibernate, shutdown and restart, as well as a maximize button that will toggle between full screen and windowed mode.

Switching between apps in Windows 10.

This may seem obvious by now, but switching between running apps in versions of Windows prior to Windows 10 was often hindered by the small size of app thumbnails.

The Flip 3D view, in Vista, provided large thumbnails but was not popular with users. Therefore, in Windows 7, they returned to the standard switching between open applications using the Alt-Tab keys.

However, in Windows 10, this task was solved more simply by simply increasing the size of the thumbnails. They are also live, so you can always see what is happening there at a given time.

Switching between apps in Windows 10

As you can see in the picture, the applications are correctly and completely labeled, making it easy to find the right thumbnail. At least in the past, if you had several open windows in File Explorer, switching between them and finding the right one was a big problem.

The task view can also be controlled using laptop touchpad gestures.

Four ways to bind to the Windows 10 desktop.

The introduction of the Desktop Snap option in Windows 7 was a brilliant idea. The ability to quickly snap two windows to the left and right side of the screen, so that you can move files around later, or compare two web pages or two documents, and then move them further away and return to their original size is extremely useful.

However, it has always been a pity that you can only work with two windows. After all, simultaneously shuffle video and other files between different disks computer is necessary quite often. The great news is that Instant Snap in Windows 10 has been improved to support four ways to snap.

Snap windows in Windows 10

You can still drag apps to the far left and right of the screen, as before, and use two-window snapping. In addition, you can drag apps to the four corners of the screen to snap them to the top left, top right, bottom left, and bottom right corners.

When you click on a window in Windows 10, the rest of the space will show thumbnail images of the rest of the open apps. If you select one of them, it will automatically fill the remaining space in a two-, three-, or four-window view. In addition, you can click on one of the pinned or desktop applications and return there.

Search from the Windows 10 taskbar.

Regardless of whether you use the function in Windows 10, you can change the search options right on the taskbar by right-clicking on it and selecting the appropriate option, allowing you to search both on a PC and on the Internet.

Search Options in Windows 10

Search here works much the same as it does in a web browser.

Note. For people using Windows 10 on a touch device, it is important that the desktop screen keyboard now supports full auto-correction and predictive input text. They were a feature and it's great that they can now be used in Windows 10.

File Explorer Windows 10.

It should be noted that the file explorer in Windows 10 does not go through many updates.

However, one interesting addition, without a doubt, is that by default (although you can change this) when opening a File Explorer window, the main view is the new Quick Access Toolbar.

File Explorer in Windows 10

This new view shows information about recently used folders, locations, and files, allowing you to quickly access the documents, files, and locations you are currently working in.

Everything can be pinned to the Quick Access Toolbar, which replaces the Favorites bar in Windows 7 and Windows 8.1. Folders, local and network drives, and files. An item pinned to the Quick Access Toolbar is displayed not only as a tree on the left side of the Explorer window, but also in the main window.

But, by and large, the file explorer is currently almost unchanged, although some refinements can be expected, for example, improved touch support, perhaps an improvement in the ribbon interface, and so on.

Touch and touch gestures in Windows 10.

Whether you're using Windows 10 with a touch screen or a laptop, you'll be using touch, of course, and the way you interact with your PC has been greatly improved in this new OS. Not all gestures for Windows 10 are perfect just yet, but Microsoft is expected to further refine OS gesture control.

New touch gestures for laptops include but are not limited to the following:

• You can clear the desktop by swiping down on the sensor with three fingers.

This gesture will automatically minimize all windows on the screen. To restore the windows to their original places, you need to swipe up with three fingers on the sensor.

• To open the taskbar in Windows 10 and see large thumbnail windows of your running apps, swipe up on your trackpad with three fingers, a gesture similar to restoring all minimized windows.

After that, to move among open applications, move your finger on the touchpad left and right, keep your fingers on the trackpad until you select the desired one. To open the desired application, lift your finger from the touchpad.

Generally, touch gestures are constantly being improved, and more can be expected.

Single sign-on in Windows 10.

One of the important improvements made by Microsoft in Windows 8.1 and Windows phone 8.1, the ability to automatically synchronize between various computers their sites, usernames, and passwords with a single Microsoft account.

In Windows 10, they want to further expand this functionality by providing a new enhanced single sign-on (SSO). The full details of this are sketchy so far, but the goal is to make it easier to log in to multiple services that require the same login and password.

Single sign-on will of course work with a Microsoft account and in Windows Domain services such as Azure and Active Directory. But whether other companies providing various services, such as Google and Apple, will be included is still unknown.

The ultimate goal of CCO is to provide security, meaning, for example, when you change your account and set up your Microsoft billing information, you will be prompted to enter your username and/or password.

OneDrive and OneDrive for Business.

Microsoft fully supports the development of its cloud services and products, including OneDrive and Office 365, which are critical to the company's prosperity.

In recent years, the company has achieved great success in your OneDrive cloud sync and backup service. Including increasing the storage space available to consumers and businesses, increasing maximum limit file size, and so on.

One of the best OneDrive features Windows 8.1 had the use of file stubs. You might have dozens or even hundreds of gigabytes of files stored in your OneDrive account. On a desktop PC, with a large hard drive, this is not a problem, and you can store local copies of these files, but on a tablet or ultrabook, which usually have very limited storage, it is impossible to store a large amount of files. In Windows 8.1, stubs began to be used instead of real files. These stubs look like a file, have the correct file size, and so on, but they're not a file, but links to it in OneDrive storage.

When you run the stub, it assumes Internet access, downloads the file itself, and stores it locally, syncing with your PC until you right-click on it and instruct Windows to make it available offline. It was an extremely smart idea, and Windows 10 added Microsoft support OneDrive for Business Services.

Previously, to use OneDrive for Business, you had to download separate module synchronization, which exists separately and still exists. Windows 10 combines them into a single synchronization module so that both can be managed from the OS itself.

OneDrive for Business is not without drawbacks, the main one being that after reinstalling the OS, you will have to sync all the files again, which does not happen in the consumer version of OneDrive.

Games and Xbox video streaming.

Games have always been a hugely important part of the PC, and recent research has shown that PC game companies are at the top of the priority list, ahead of consoles like the Xbox One and PlayStation 4. This is despite the seeming focus on smartphone games.

With Windows 8, Microsoft introduced a new Xbox experience, although it was limited to a couple of apps and a few games that could be synced to an Xbox Live account.

Windows 10 takes gaming to the next level with a new graphics engine, DirectX 12 support, and true cross-platform interaction.

Cross-platform gaming on Windows 10

New features include the ability to play the same game with a friend at the same time, whether on desktop, tablet, and/or Xbox One. However, by far the most outstanding feature for gaming on Windows 10 is the ability to live stream gameplay from your Xbox console on a tablet or PC running Windows 10. This allows you to play your Xbox One games on almost any Windows 10 device, because the graphics are streaming, and the device on which you play the game does not need much of its graphics power. This stream is reached by your home Wi-Fi network and will allow you to use the next generation of Xbox One controllers on multiple PC devices.

New apps in Windows 10.

As you might expect, the launch of the new operating system will come with universal app updates available for your PC. Generally, updates will be available for all major apps, including Mail, People, Calendar, Photos, Videos, Music, and more.

Microsoft hasn't said what new functionality these new apps will get or how they'll link to the new storage, the only thing Microsoft has said is that "other kinds of digital content" will be available in addition to apps and games.

However, there is one app they are talking about, the new Photos app, which will have two very exciting new features. The first of these is the auto-correct mode, which will be used for simple changes that won't ruin your photos: skin tone enhancements, color balance, contrast, brightness.

New Feature albums will automatically aggregate your photos stored on your computer(s), phone, and OneDrive account into single center, where they are automatically sorted and categorized based on the people they shot, where they were taken, and so on.

Microsoft HoloLens Headset.

Microsoft's January 2015 announcement of Windows 10 was completely overshadowed by the presentation of the HoloLens headset.

The HoloLens headset, the prototype of which is a natural and logical continuation of the Kinect sensor and a number of other Microsoft technologies that allow you to interact with the outside world.

Headset HoloLens

HoloLens has two goals. First, the headset allows virtual objects to be superimposed on the real world, such as watching a video on a living room wall or placing social media nets on the refrigerator door.

Interaction with the outside world through HoloLens

Secondly, the headset will allow you to interact with your physical environment and other people in new ways, such as chasing monsters in your own living room, creating a virtual Minecraft castle on your desk, or building a 3D printable model in the air.

In addition, the HoloLens demonstration showed people working on Windows 10 tablets who could see what the owner of the headset saw and then prompted him what to do next, for example, looking in the instructions for which pipes to unscrew or where to find the manifold in the engine .

When you move your head in this virtual world, the applied objects remain unchanged, giving them a full sense of reality, and each can be interacted with using hand and gestures (although you can't actually touch or grab...yet!).

Reviewers who have already used the HoloLens have described it as extremely realistic and even "magical," where virtual objects don't appear on a screen less than an inch from your eyes, but are projected directly onto a real object throughout the room.

According to Microsoft, HoloLens will be released in the “Windows 10 timeline”, that is, in the next couple of years. Pricing has yet to be announced, and the success of the product will depend on the quality and availability of the app.

It is clear that new updated features Windows 10 will be coming all the time, and obviously Microsoft is trying to make it so that we can work on its OS more, faster and easier, whether at home, in college or at work.

It was extremely inconvenient. It seemed that Microsoft was taking the risk of conducting a reckless experiment on us and itself. As it seemed to me then, it turned out quite unsuccessfully. I quickly abandoned the G8, however, like the vast majority of my entourage. It remains to be hoped that the next operating system eliminate all the shortcomings, and it will be the success of XP.

According to WinBeta.org, June 2015 Windows 7 held 61% of the global desktop operating system market. Windows 8 accounted for only 13%.

But it's too early to take a swing at the loud glory of the thirteen-year-old "grandfather", although I dare to predict that the youngster will shoot. All the makings are there: fast loading, excellent performance, classic convenience, promising cross-platform and a number of fresh useful features. For six months of testing the "tens" I fell in love with her. I definitely recommend trying Windows 10 right after the release. And in order to make the transition as smooth as possible, I propose to learn about the most catchy innovations of the popular working environment.

Start

Microsoft stopped playing hide-and-seek with users and returned the Start button to its rightful place. Although it was not without deviations from the canons: "live" tiles were added, which caused the size of the menu to increase greatly. On laptops, it can take up - offhand - 70-80% of the screen area. It comes out a lot. But not everything is so bad, because the panel is well configured: unnecessary elements are removed, the necessary ones are dragged and grouped for convenience, and the overall size is adjusted by dragging the mouse (as in normal windows).

But that's not all. Looking into the settings of the operating system, you can stumble upon the "Personalization" section. Among other things, there are several options for the "Start" here.

It turns out that several simple actions you can adjust the "Start" of Windows 10 as close as possible to the type of "seven". And everything looks much more modern and stylish.

Settings

Did the Start personalization window seem a bit unusual to you? And all because the Redmonds have radically changed the form of filing most of the system settings. Although the essence remains the same: nine categories include dozens of tabs, which contain hundreds of options, switches and sliders.

At first, it was too unusual and hard for me to wander among the settings, even if they are well structured and wonderfully presented. But this is where the search comes in handy. With its help, finding the required parameters is much faster.

Lost and missing something? The good old "Control Panel" has not gone away. Press Win + X and use the usual way.

By the way, the Win + I combination is responsible for calling the settings. I already mentioned this in an article about Windows 10. Alternative option- pressing the icon on the notification bar.

Notification panel

The notification panel accumulates all the service and auxiliary information of your working environment. Here you'll find messages about available updates, scheduled reboots, current issues, and a wealth of data from the Microsoft services you use. A handy thing, whatever one may say.

There are also buttons for quick actions: adjusting the brightness of the display, connecting to wireless devices, turning on Internet silence mode, starting a VPN connection. This is useful.

But back to the hints and reiterate: their benefits are more obvious when using a Microsoft account.

Microsoft Services Integration

During my acquaintance with Windows 10 TP, it seemed to me that in order to work in the system it is necessary to have a Microsoft account, and a login and password combination must be entered each time the operating system is loaded. I shared it with readers, who pointed out my mistake: you can also use local profiles. The choice is yours. But a registered account is still better. Why? For example, OneDrive is already integrated into the top ten, which makes it much easier to work with the cloud. Undoubtedly, over time, developers will begin to bring the services and platforms that run Windows 10 even closer together. You will hardly notice the transition from a computer to a tablet or mobile phone. Full data synchronization between devices connected to the same profile will even allow you to watch what your friends are playing on their Xbox. In the future, it will be possible to play console games on your PC. Cross-platform multiplayer gaming is just around the corner. To do this, just download the free application from the store.

Universal Applications

Let's make a little analogy. Do you have an Android smartphone or iPhone, to which you tirelessly download useful things from Google Play or iTunes. So for the "dozens" there is an application store - Store. Moreover, it works in a common ecosystem for both mobile gadgets and computers.

Universal applications are developed for one system - Windows 10. This automatically means that they work on both stationary and portable devices.

You can easily download the Skype app directly from the Store, place a link on the taskbar, and launch the program from there. You do not need to download the distribution kit from the Internet, take a steam bath with the choice of the installation directory or read the license agreement - the process will take place as on the phone.

Universal apps open like a normal window that can be dragged around the screen, minimized, closed, and scaled. A little unusual, but ideologically correct. You are downloading the utility from a trusted source, not from a random site on the web. In this case, security is increased.

Safety

Surely your "seven" has some kind of antivirus installed. Perhaps it Microsoft Security Essentials - own free solution corporation that provides basic system protection. In the top ten, by default, there is something fresh called " Windows Defender».

But do not be inspired: the same MSE is hidden behind the new sign. And this means that you still have to choose something more reliable from third-party developers. Why? Antivirus from Microsoft consistently shows not the best results in the popular AV-TEST test.

Speaking of security, it's worth mentioning the SmartScreen feature, a Windows component that detects suspicious web page characteristics, fake sites, and dubious downloads. Now it works at the system level, although it was not previously selected outside the native Internet Explorer. The latter, by the way, gave way to a more impressive successor.

edge

According to NetMarketShare, in June 2015, Internet Explorer was the leader among desktop browsers with an overwhelming share of 54%. To tell the truth, I cannot believe these figures (although other sources have similar statistics) and I do not know who all these garden people are. :) On the other hand, the percentages are falling from month to month and gradually flow to Google, Mozilla and Opera. Microsoft is aware of the trend and is trying to change it with absolutely new development- Edge web browser.

A little earlier, it was known under the code name Project Spartan. Once upon a time I already had my impressions of a perspective web viewer. Gradually, the browser is getting better and better, acquiring new features and increasing performance in various benchmarks. In general, a good thing is planned. Of course, Edge is automatically registered on the "dozens" taskbar.

Taskbar and desktops

The task feed has got two important elements: search bar and task view button. Let's start with the second.

In the task view mode, you will see all the processes you are running and will be able to distribute them to virtual desktops. This is very, very useful, for example, if you want to distinguish between work and play. Imagine, the boss enters the office, you press an elegant key combination and all running solitaire games are quickly replaced by office programs. The mosquito will not undermine the nose!

The search bar is amazing. She can search for files and documents on your hard drive or find information on the Internet. It also has a built-in Cortana assistant.

Cortana

Cortana - voice assistant from Microsoft a la mobile Google Now or Siri. It is not yet possible to praise or scold the assistant, since it is simply not localized for our region. But the idea is excellent. The assistant will be integrated into the overall ecosystem: it will be able to analyze your mail and remind you of events, clean up cloud storage, suggest decent catering and inform about the weather, point out traffic jams, give relevant explanations for unfamiliar terms, translate in the browser, and simply stay in Windows 10 comfortable to the limit. I believe that sooner or later it will.

Conclusion

And in a few years, Microsoft will completely stop Windows support 7 and 8 will wait a bit and remove the version number, leaving just Windows. The result is inevitable, we will all move to the top ten. Catch the wave right away and move to a fresh OS. She took all the best from her predecessors and became universal. Windows 10 is easy to learn and light on computer resources. What else is needed?

But her release was delayed.

Timeline expands the capabilities of Task View by adding a history of the activities you have previously performed on your computer. Click the "Task View" button on the taskbar, or use the Windows key + Tab combination to see the activities you performed "Earlier today" or in previous days. Timeline can show sites you've opened in Microsoft Edge, articles you've read in the News app, documents you've worked on in Microsoft Word, and places you've viewed in Maps.

The main purpose of this function is to resume activities that were abruptly interrupted or deliberately delayed. Timeline supports synchronization between devices. Thus, you can continue any activity on another PC where your account is used. Personal voice Cortana Assistant will offer a list of activities to resume when switching to another device.

The user can use the scrollbar or search bar to navigate through activities. All activities are sorted by day, and daily activities are sorted by hours. You can use the context menu to clear activities for a specific hour. You can set up Timeline in Settings > Privacy > Activity Log.

Microsoft plans to integrate this function V mobile applications so that users can switch between tasks even on different types of devices. However, app developers will need to first implement support for this feature in order for it to work with computers and mobile apps.

Sharing files with nearby devices

Windows 10 (version 1803) has a new file sharing feature called "Near Share" that's similar to Apple's AirDrop.

Viewing diagnostic data

Microsoft is trying to fix the privacy issues in Windows 10 and make things more transparent. To this end, Redstone 4 will introduce a new application, the Diagnostic Data Viewer ( diagnostic data Viewer). This program V text form will show diagnostic information that is sent to the Microsoft servers. The tool even displays all the information about your device that is stored in the Microsoft cloud.

To enable this feature, go to Settings > Privacy > Diagnostics & Feedback and turn on the “Diagnostic Data Viewer” option. The page warns that this feature may require up to 1 GB of disk space. After activating the feature, you can follow the link to go to the Windows Store to download the free Diagnostic Data Viewer. This application allows you to view diagnostic data, supports search and filters by different types events.

Microsoft also allows you to delete diagnostic data collected from your device. Just click the "Delete" button in the section Deleting diagnostic data on the Settings > Privacy > Diagnostics & Feedback page.

Users who are not administrators will have greater control over the diagnostic data sent to Microsoft. Any user can go to the app Settings > Privacy > Diagnostics & feedback and select the amount of data to send "Basic" or "Full". Previously, only administrators could change this setting.

Microsoft has also expanded the online privacy control panel. There's a new Activity Log page that lets you view the information Microsoft collects about PC usage.

The “quick pairing” feature makes it easy to pair Bluetooth devices with Windows 10 computers. Simply put your Bluetooth wireless device into pairing mode near your computer. Windows 10 will automatically recognize the device and show you a pairing prompt - you no longer need to go to the Settings app to access your Bluetooth settings.

Initially, the new feature will work with Surface Precision mice and devices whose manufacturers have added support for the new feature. Similar technologies are used on other platforms: Fast Pair on Android or AirPods quick pairing from Apple.

Support for Progressive Web Apps in the Windows Store

The Microsoft Edge browser is getting a number of new features that let you run progressive web apps(Progressive Web Apps, PWAs) on Windows 10. This is new standard web applications that behave like normal desktop applications. Each application has its own window and taskbar shortcut, is capable of working offline, and can send notifications. PWA technology is already supported by Google, Mozilla and Microsoft, and Apple is already working on implementing support.

Microsoft will index and offer Progressive Web Apps in the Windows Store. They can be installed just like any other Windows 10 app. In the future, you are also expected to be able to install them directly from Microsoft Edge.

Soon we will be able to see Google apps in the Windows Store, such as Gmail or Google Calendar. Developers will be able to create applications that can run almost anywhere, eliminating the need to prepare separate versions for different platforms. As a result, Windows 10 users will be able to get more quality applications.

Update installation process All Windows 10 users will appreciate this change. This means that the installation wait time will be reduced. The online phase of the update installation process will run at a low priority and the performance of the computer will not suffer much. According to Microsoft tests, this innovation has reduced the time of the offline phase of the update (when the system is unavailable) from 82 minutes to 30 minutes.

Installing Windows 10 feature updates just got faster

The focus assistant will automatically turn on under certain scenarios for using the device - when mirroring the screen to a projector or when running a DirectX game in full screen mode. The tool supports different notification priorities, so you can allow high priority notifications and temporarily block low priority notifications. By disabling Focus Assist, the user will see a summary of any notifications that have been missed.

To set up the feature, go to the Settings app > System > Focus Assist. On this screen, you can set notification priorities and set the hours when you want Focus Assist to turn on automatically. You can also turn Focus Assist on or off using the notification icon on the right side of the taskbar.

Language packs in the Microsoft Store

Language packs are now delivered through the Microsoft Store. Install Required language pack You can do it right in the Store or by going to Settings > Time & Language > Region & Language.

Microsoft says the company is using artificial intelligence and machine learning for its translations. The presence of language packs in the Store means that they can now be updated more frequently.

Display options: Advanced scaling options

Information about screens and monitors is now available in Settings > System > Display > Advanced display options.

Developers are trying to improve the display of old desktop applications on high-resolution screens. To do this, in the section Settings > System > Display > Advanced scaling options, a new option “Fix scaling for applications” has appeared. When enabled, Windows will attempt to automatically adjust apps so they don't look blurry. In addition, Windows 10 will automatically detect blurry apps and suggest fixing them.

Additional per-application settings will be available by right-clicking on the .exe executable and selecting Properties > Compatibility > Change high DPI settings.

Rejection of the “Homegroup”

Support for HEIF images

Windows 10 now supports viewing High Efficiency Image File (HEIF) images without the use of third-party software. This graphic format is used by the Camera app on mobile devices. iPhone devices. In addition, Google is also adding support for this format to Android.

The first time you try to open a HEIF or HEIC file, the Photos app will open and start installing the required codecs from the Microsoft Store. After that, images will open seamlessly in the Photos app, and thumbnails and metadata will be available in Windows Explorer.

Sign in without a password in Windows 10 S mode

Microsoft will now allow you to sign in without entering a password. At first, this feature will only be available on Windows 10 S. To do this, you will need to download the Microsoft Authenticator app and configure the Windows Hello service accordingly.

After that, you will no longer see the password form, either in the Settings app or on the login screen. If you are unable to use your smartphone, you can alternatively enter your PIN code to log in.

New Options and Other Changes

• OneDrive status in the navigation pane. Information about the synchronization status of folders saved to OneDrive now appears in the left navigation pane of Windows Explorer. To enable or disable this feature, select the menu View > Options > View and find the option “Always show availability status”.

• Windows Update Icon. When a warning or alert occurs, the Windows Update service icon will appear in the system tray.
• Windows Update will block hibernation: If your computer is connected to an AC adapter, then windows update will prevent the PC from going to sleep for a maximum of 2 hours if a system update is required. As a result, you are more likely to install updates if you are not using a PC.
• Recovering passwords for local accounts. Users can set Control questions for local accounts. You will need to answer the security questions on the authorization screen when you try to regain access to your computer. To set security questions, go to Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options.

• Improved emoji input. Emoji keyboard, accessible by Windows + . or Windows + ; , will not automatically close after selecting an emoticon. You can select multiple emoji characters at once. Press the Esc key or the "X" button to close the keyboard. The touch keyboard will also suggest emoji as you type certain words, for example “unicorn” (unicorn).
• Application startup management. You can now configure app startup in the Settings app > Apps > Startup. Previously, this option was hidden in the Task Manager.

• Windows Defender settings: The Settings > Update & Security > Windows Defender page has been renamed to “Windows Security”. It now offers quick access to various settings security, including account protection and device security. Read more in the Windows Defender Security Center Improvements overview.

• Categories in privacy settings: Separate categories have appeared in the Settings > Privacy menu in the navigation bar, which now separate Windows privacy settings and application permission settings.
• Quick access to application settings. You can now right-click on an app's tile or start menu shortcut and select More > App Settings to quickly open a settings page where you can adjust app permissions, reset, delete the app or its data. This screen is also available in Settings > Apps > Apps & features by clicking on the app's name and tapping "More options". The new screen also shows the app's version number, startup tasks, and alias command line.
• Scissors and Paint 3D. The Scissors app, which is used to capture screenshots, has new button"Edit in Paint 3D".
• Keyboard settings. The new keyboard settings page is available in the Settings app > Time & language > Keyboard. On this screen, you can switch between different layouts, adjust autocorrect, sounds, and other advanced options. Some settings have been removed from the Control Panel and are now available in the Settings app.
• Prefer cellular data. You can now prioritize using cellular data over Wi-Fi either all the time or when the signal is weak wireless network. This setting is available in Settings > Network & Internet > Cellular if your device has the required hardware installed.
• Narrator in safe mode: Windows now allows you to use Narrator's text-to-speech feature even when the system is booted in safe mode.
• Wi-Fi and Ethernet data consumption. In Settings > Network & Internet > Data usage, you can now set data limits, apply background data limits, and view data usage over Wi-Fi and wired Ethernet connections in addition to cellular connections. You can right-click the Data Usage tab on the Settings app screen and select the Pin to Start menu option to see your data usage in a live tile format on the Start menu.
• Selecting a handwriting font. You can choose the font that your handwriting will be converted to. The setting is available in Settings > Devices > Pen & Windows Ink > Change handwriting font.
• Built-in handwriting panel. Now you can easily use handwriting in some text fields, for example in the Settings app. When focus is placed on a field, the handwriting panel will expand.
• Reset game mode settings. You can reset all game mode settings to their default values ​​by going to Settings > Games > Game Mode > Reset Game Mode Settings.
• Simplified installation of Windows Hello. In Sign-in Options under Windows Hello, you can now set up face, fingerprint, or PIN sign-in.
• Auto-hide scrollbars in Windows: Windows automatically hides scrollbars in new UWP apps, but you can now disable this behavior in Settings > Ease of Access > Display > Windows auto-hide scrollbars.
• Enable or disable color filter hotkeys. In Settings > Ease of Access > Color Filters and High Contrast, you can now enable or disable hotkeys. They are disabled by default.
• Viewing and clearing the dictionary: On the Settings > Privacy > Speech, handwriting, and text input page, you can view the custom dictionary or clear it if necessary.
• Disk cleanup in storage settings. The Disk Cleanup tool is now available in Settings > System > Device storage > Free up space now.

• New sound settings options. Many sound customization options such as input and output devices, troubleshooting, etc. are now available in Settings > System > Sound. The new “Application and device volume” page allows you to set individual audio input and output devices for individual applications or for the system as a whole.
• Language hints. When typing with the keyboard, you can now enable language hints. You can use the arrow keys to navigate through the hints, and the space bar to use the selected hint. This feature is disabled by default and only works in English so far.
• Working folders on request: the “Work Folders” feature, which allows companies to share individual folders with employees, has received a new “File Access on Demand” option. When enabled, the Work Folders feature will work like OneDrive in Windows Explorer - all files will be visible, but will only be downloaded when you try to open them.
• Improved eye control: Microsoft added built-in eye tracking with Fall Creators Update. Simplified scroll and click functions are now implemented and general tasks e.g. pause. This feature requires a special peripheral device to track eye movement.
• Multilingual Text Prediction: when typing with the touch keyboard, you no longer need to manually switch languages. Windows will automatically show the word in one of three commonly used languages. You can change this feature in Settings > Devices > Input > Multilingual Text Prediction.

• Curl and Tar commands. The Curl and Tar utilities for downloading files and extracting .tar archives, which are commonly used in Linux, are now built into Windows and are available at C:\Windows\System32\curl.exe and C:\Windows\System32\tar.exe.
• Native UNIX sockets. Windows 10 now supports UNIX sockets natively with the new afunix.sys kernel driver. This improvement will make it easier to port the application from Linux or other UNIX systems in Windows.
• Registry process. In Task Manager you will see new process with the name "Register". This is a minimal process designed to store registry data for Windows kernel. Since the data was previously stored in the kernel anyway, the total system memory usage remains unchanged. Microsoft says this will allow them to optimize the amount of memory used by the registry in the future.
• Windows Defender application guard. Windows Defender Application Guard feature for Microsoft protection Edge, which was introduced with the Fall Creators Update, was originally intended for Windows 10 Enterprise users. One is now available to Windows 10 Pro users, but disabled by default.
• New delivery optimization policies. New policies allow you to control the Delivery Optimization feature used for app updates in Windows Update and the Microsoft Store. For example, administrators can limit bandwidth based on the time of day. These policies are available under Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Delivery Optimization in the Group Policy Editor.
• Windows Hypervisor Platform API. The new API allows third party applications create and manage partitions, configure memory layout and control virtual processors.
• Custom scripts during update: companies can now configure their computers to run their own scripts during the Windows feature update installation process.
• New power plan in Windows 10 Pro for Workstations: the new Ultimate Performance policy builds on the already familiar “ High performance” and includes additional optimizations to reduce micro-latencies, as well as advanced power management techniques. The scheme will only be available for desktop computers and may increase power consumption.
• Productivity apps in Windows 10 Pro for Workstations: in Windows 10 Pro for Workstations, the Start menu will now show dedicated productivity apps instead of custom applications and games like Candy Crush.
• Windows AI Platform and other new APIs: Microsoft announced support for new APIs for developers, including the Windows AI platform. Developers will now be able to import existing models machine learning from various platforms and run them locally on Windows 10 computers.

Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) improvements

• Native UNIX sockets: The new UNIX sockets work not only for Windows applications, but also for Linux applications in the Windows Subsystem for Linux.
• Serial Device Support for Linux Applications. Linux applications running on the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) can now access serial devices (COM ports).
• Background tasks for Linux applications. Linux applications running on the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) can now run in the background. This means that applications like sshd, tmux and screen will now work correctly.
• Permissions improvements for Linux applications. Users can now run both elevated (administrator) and normal (standard user) applications in the same WSL session.
• Support for scheduled tasks for Linux applications. You can now run a Linux application in WSL from scheduled tasks.
• Support for remote connections for Linux applications. Users can run WSL while connected using OpenSSH, VPN, PowerShell, or other remote access tool.
• Quick conversion of Linux paths to Windows. The Wslpath command allows you to quickly convert Linux paths to Windows.
• Setting launch options. The user can now change some of the startup settings for Linux distributions for the WSL subsystem. Each Linux distribution has its own file in /etc/wsl.conf. You can edit the file to change automount options and network settings.
• Environment variable exchange: new environment variable WSLENV is common to Windows and Linux distributions running on WSL. You can format variables and they will work correctly on both Windows and Linux.
• Case sensitivity for Windows: new NTFS option can enable case sensitivity in folder. After enabling the option, even Windows applications will treat files in this folder with case sensitivity. This will allow you to work with two files named "example" and "Example" and Windows applications will treat them as different files.

Sets interface for launching applications in tabs is available in Redstone 5

Microsoft has decided to delay the release of the Sets feature in Windows 10 - it has been removed from Redstone 4 test builds and is available in Redstone 5 preview builds.

Sets introduces a new unique tabbed experience that allows users to combine various applications and sites in one window. For example, the user can open in one window word document, search engine Google system and a note from OneNote and easily switch between each app or site. The idea is to allow users to conveniently group content from the web with application content.

Cloud Clipboard will be available in Redstone 5

Microsoft originally announced that the cloud clipboard would be part of Timeline. It was expected to appear in the system with the release of the Fall Creators Update. Cloud Clipboard allows you to sync your copied text and data with other devices, which will improve your productivity when working with multiple devices. For example, you can copy a piece of text on a Windows PC using the Windows + V hotkey and then paste it on an iPhone.

This feature appeared in early versions of Redstone 4, but has since been removed. It looks like Microsoft wants to devote more time to the development of the cloud buffer. We hope to see this feature in the next major feature update.

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Cloud Clipboard: History and Sync

Redstone 5 has received powerful new features for working with the clipboard. You can access the buffer history by pressing Windows + V. Optionally, you can enable clipboard synchronization between devices associated with your Microsoft account. Manual synchronization of individual entries in the buffer pop-up window is also available in order to prevent the synchronization of sensitive data, in particular passwords and bank card details.

In the future, Microsoft will add cloud clipboard support to the SwiftKey keyboard for Android and iOS mobile devices. Thus, you will be able to copy and paste data on smartphones, tablets and Windows computers.

Your Phone app for Android and iPhone users

Windows 10 (version 1809) now includes the Your Phone app, which adds smartphone integration features to the desktop operating system and simplifies the process of setting up interaction with mobile devices.

For users Android devices running Android 7.0 and above, the Your Phone app will give you instant access from your computer to photos taken on your smartphone or tablet. IN the future of Microsoft plans to add notification sync and text messages from an Android smartphone.

iPhone users get fewer options - this is due to restrictions Apple platforms. However, the Continue on PC feature will be available for both iPhone users, and for Android users. This feature allows you to send a web page directly to your computer to continue working. As long as you're using Edge, you'll be able to continue reading articles, watching videos, or surfing the web on the big screen.

Dark theme for File Explorer

Windows Explorer gets dark support windows themes 10, which is enabled in Settings > Personalization > Colors.

Microsoft added dark theme for the context menu (right-click menu) of Windows Explorer, including the context menu on the desktop. Dialog boxes“Open” and “Save” also now support dark theme.

SwiftKey on Windows 10

Microsoft acquired the project SwiftKey keyboards in 2016. This keyboard still available for installation on Android smartphones and iPhone, iPad tablets, and now it will appear in Windows 10 October 2018 Update (version 1809).

The built-in touch keyboard will now be based on SwiftKey technologies. It is currently available when you type in English (US and UK), French (France), German (Germany), Italian (Italy), Spanish (Spain), Portuguese (Brazil), and Russian.

Microsoft says SwiftKey will provide more accurate automatic text corrections and predictions by learning the user's writing style. Input using gestures (swipes) will also be supported.

Search Preview

The search function in the Start menu now supports previewing results. As you type your search term, Windows will show a preview pane with more information about the results.

For example, if the Start menu decides that searching the Internet is the best solution for your query, then you will see the results in the search engine. Bing system. If you are trying to find an application installed on your computer, you will see various options, such as “Pin to Start”. You will also be able to see a preview of a specific document if its title matches your request.

In addition, Microsoft has blocked the ability to disable web search on the Start screen using Group Policies.

New screenshot tool

Windows 10 October 2018 Update (version 1809) received a new screenshot tool called Screen Sketch. You can use it to take a screenshot of a specific area of ​​the screen, an individual window, or the entire screen. After you have taken a screenshot, you can edit it: add annotations and various graphic elements, such as arrows or highlight highlights.

You can call the Screen Sketch application by pressing Windows + Shift + S. A new option has been added to the Options > Ease of Access > Keyboard menu that allows you to call up a new tool when you press the PrtSc (Print Screen) key.

When you try to run the old Snipping tool, you will be warned that it will be removed in future updates. Microsoft plans to remove Scissors already in Redstone 5, but it is possible that the old tool will be kept until the release of Windows 10 19H1.

Major update to Microsoft Edge

Microsoft paid a lot of attention Microsoft improvements edge. The main menu “...” and the settings page have been redesigned. In the new menu, typical commands such as “New Tab” and “New Window” have received large buttons. The new settings page is categorized to make it easier to find the setting you're looking for.

Edge has received an option to control the automatic playback of media content (Settings > Advanced Options). The user decides which sites can automatically play videos. The default is set to “Allow”, which allows the site to play the video when the user views the tab. The “Restrict” option will block audio playback when the video starts automatically, while “Block” will prevent the video from playing automatically until the user manually starts the media content.

Users can now configure site-specific video and audio content playback permissions in the Website Permissions section of the Website Identification panel. Click on the lock icon on the left side of the address bar and select "Manage Permissions"

Several other useful features have appeared in the Edge browser interface. Right-clicking on the Edge icon in the taskbar or start menu opens a list of the most popular sites. The user can now assign labels to groups of sites for delayed viewing. New context menu options are available on the downloads panel - "Show in folder" and "Copy link".

Edge received support for FIDO U2F security keys for web authentication, as well as other hardware authentication tools for authorizing websites. In the future, these tools will be able to completely replace passwords.

Edge got more updated UI elements in style fluent design, such as the tab bar now supports the depth effect. If you're using Edge as your default PDF viewer, you'll see a new icon for PDF files in Windows Explorer. PDF documents have a new designation, replacing the blue Edge logo with a red PDF logo.

A new dictionary feature has been added that allows you to view word meanings while reading a page or PDF document. Select a word and see its description in the pop-up window just above. You can listen to the correct pronunciation of a word or view detailed information about its meaning.

Microsoft Edge gets enhanced Reading Learning Tools, including additional topics with the ability to change the color of the selection of individual sections of text and the "Line Focus" function to improve concentration when reading an article by highlighting sets of one, three or five lines.

The panel for working with PDF documents has also received a portion of improvements. The panel now shows text descriptions for icons for better understanding various functions. New options have been added to the panel, such as Add Notes. The PDF toolbar can now be docked to the top of the document for quick access to the tools you need. If desired, you can unpin the panel - then it will automatically collapse, and to show it again on the screen, just move the cursor to the upper area.

Finally, Edge has received a new “Beta” logo for Windows 10 test builds to distinguish stable versions browser from test.

HDR display settings

In the display settings (Settings > System > Display) there is a new page " Windows Settings HD Color. New option Designed for devices that can display High Dynamic Range (HDR) content that supports Wide Color Gamut (WCG) color enhancement technology. These features are increasingly supported by modern 4K monitors.

The page shows system capabilities for displaying HDR content and contains HDR and WCG display settings for supported systems.

These features will only work if you are using a compatible display.

Mobile network improvements

With the Windows 10 October 2018 Update (version 1809), Microsoft is moving to a new, more robust network driver model based on an updated framework. This change should improve the reliability of the mobile network connection (LTE) for computers with mobile network support: using the built-in network interface or USB modem.

Go to Settings > Network & Internet > Data usage to view the amount of roaming data consumed.

Hidden window borders in Acrylic style

Microsoft has changed the display of window borders in Windows 10. Instead of colored borders, you will see reduced gray borders that effectively disappear into the shadow of each window. However, users can re-enable colored window borders if they want more color.

Visual changes to the interface of the operating system are carried out as part of the “Fluent Design” graphic concept, which is gradually being implemented in Windows 10, starting with the Fall Creators Update. In version 1809, you'll see more Acrylic-style system elements, notably in the Windows Security app, in the Timeline, and in the Sets tab bar.

The Mail app will now ignore the default browser

Microsoft is testing a change that will force the Mail app to force links to open in Microsoft Edge, regardless of the default browser.

This is part of the general trend towards integrating Edge into Windows everywhere. For example, links you click on search suggestions on the home screen always open in Edge. You can use third party software to bypass Microsoft restrictions.

Windows Defender becomes Windows Security app

The Windows Defender Security Center has been renamed to Windows Security. In the “Virus and threat protection” section, a new section “Current threats” has appeared, which shows all potentially dangerous objects that require some kind of action.

In Windows Security > Virus & Threat Protection > Virus & Threat Protection Settings, the user can enable the “Suspicious Activity Blocking” option, which will enable Windows Defender Exploit Guard attack and exploit protection.

Windows Defender Application Guard, which is used to run Edge sessions isolated from the main system, has received a new interface in the Windows Security app. Independent users will be able to independently install (Windows Security > Application/Browser Control > Install Windows Defender Application Guard) and configure Windows Defender Application Guard settings without having to change registry settings. Users of devices managed by the organization's Group Policy will be able to view protection component configurations that have been set by administrators to better understand the behavior of Windows Defender Application Guard.

If you've been using Controlled Folder Access to protect your files against ransomware, it's now easier to allow recently blocked apps to access your files. If the application has been blocked, go to the Virus & Threat Protection section and open the Manage Ransomware Protection link under the Ransomware Protection heading. In the "Controlled folder access" section, click the "Allow the application through controlled access to folders" and select "Add Allowed Application" to add the required application.

Added a new page that shows another installed antivirus, virus scanner, firewall or other security application on your device. Go to Windows Security > Settings > Manage Providers. On the new page, the user will be able to open the corresponding application or view information about problems.

Installing fonts without administrator rights

In older versions of Windows, fonts required administrator rights to install and were installed for all users on the system. In Redstone 5, Microsoft improved this behavior and made it possible for all users to install fonts. Simply right-click on the font file and select "Install" to install the font for the current user only, or "Install for all users" to install the font globally for the entire system. Only in the second case, administrator rights will be required.

Power consumption information in Task Manager

There are two new columns in the Task Manager on the Processes tab that show the estimated power consumption of individual applications and processes, taking into account the load on the processor, graphics subsystem and disks.

The Power Consumption column shows the instantaneous value of the energy consumption of applications and services, while the Power Consumption Trend column shows the average consumption over 2 minutes. The user can sort by these columns to identify the most energy-intensive processes in the system.

Enlarge text

Windows 10 October 2018 Update (version 1809) allows you to increase text size throughout the system (start menu, File Explorer, Settings, etc.) and in UWP and win32 apps without changing the system zoom level.

To adjust the font size, go to Settings > Accessibility > Display and use the "Increase the size of all items" scroll bar.

Windows will predict the best time to reboot

Windows 10 October 2018 Update (version 1809) will now use machine learning technologies to prevent your computer from restarting while you are using the system.

Earlier versions of Windows 10 also didn't restart to complete the update if you were using a PC. However, it was worth taking a break for a cup of coffee, as Windows could consider that you had ended the session and caused the system to restart.

Machine learning technologies are now used to predict the correct reboot time. Windows 10 will be able to detect when you are actively using your PC. In other words, the system will be able to predict whether you left the workplace for a couple of minutes or actually finished work.

This is a very useful feature, but you can prevent your PC from restarting by using the Active Clock feature. This function allows you to set the interval of active working hours up to 18 hours per day. Windows will try to restart the PC at a different time than during these hours. However, even the rest of the time, Windows 10 will be more intelligent about when to restart.

Game bar improvements

The game panel that received new design with the April 2018 Update, now includes some new features. The user can now change the default audio output device, as well as mute or adjust the volume in games and applications.

Added performance visualization features, now you can view the frame rate, CPU consumption, VRAM and RAM consumption during the game.

Added a "Dedicated Resources" option to the Game Bar, which should improve the gameplay experience by desktop computers. Gamers on PC with big amount background processes on the system should notice a performance boost.

Microsoft has made it easier to access the Game Bar. Now the panel can be opened at any time from the Start menu or by using the combination Win + G .

Updated wireless screen projection control

When casting your screen to wireless projectors, you will now see a new panel at the top of the screen - the same as when using Remote Desktop. This panel shows the name of the connected device and allows you to quickly connect and disconnect from it.

Windows offers several modes of operation when connected to wireless projector. Game mode will keep screen latencies to a minimum, Video mode will increase them for smoother playback, and Productivity mode will balance latency for responsive typing and minimize graphical artifacts.

New emoticons

Unicode 11 includes 157 new emojis that will be available in the Windows 10 October 2018 Update (version 1809). Press Windows + . to launch the emoji panel to rate new characters from superheroes to teddy bears.

Major update for Skype for Windows 10

The Skype for Windows app received a major update: new calling features added, flexible group call buddy customization, screenshot feature added, screen sharing feature simplified, contacts bar updated, custom color and theme options added, media gallery improvements, panel notifications and mentions feature.

Extended string translation support in Notepad

The Notepad app in Windows 10 October 2018 Update (version 1809) now supports Unix/Linux (LF) and Macintosh (CR) string translation. This will allow users and developers to copy text from other platforms and paste it into Notepad while retaining the original formatting.

You will be able to edit and save these files, and Notepad will automatically use the appropriate newlines as in the original document. Notepad will still save translation files Windows lines(CRLF). In the status bar, you can enable the display of information about the break style of the current document.

Numerous Notepad improvements

Notepad in Windows 10 got a large number of improvements. Added Text Wrap option to the Find/Change feature, which will allow you to search or replace for an entire document without having to position the cursor at the top or lower part document.

Text scaling is implemented in Notepad. Added a new menu View > Zoom to change the zoom factor. In addition, you can use the hotkeys Ctrl + Plus and Ctrl + Minus or the mouse wheel while holding down the Ctrl key. The combination Ctrl + 0 allows you to restore standard level scaling.

Other useful features include displaying the row and column number when text wrapping is enabled. In addition, the status bar is now displayed by default. It can be disabled from the View menu. The combination Ctrl + Backspace allows you to delete the previous word. Microsoft has improved Notepad's performance when opening large files.

Added search function in search engine bing. Select the text and press Ctrl + B or choose Edit > Find in Bing .

Support for copy and paste hotkeys in Bash

The Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) allows you to run Bash and other Linux-based command-line environments. Ubuntu distributions, Fedora, openSUSE and Debian on Windows. In Redstone 5, Microsoft listened to users and decided to add a long-awaited feature to Bash - support for copy and paste hotkeys.

Right-click on the window's title bar and select "Properties" to select an option that allows the hotkeys Ctrl + Shift + C and Ctrl + Shift + V for copy and paste, respectively.

These combinations will be available in all console environments, but will be especially useful in the Linux shell, where the familiar Ctrl + C and Ctrl + V are reserved for other functions and are not associated with copy and paste.

Launching a Linux Shell in File Explorer

You can now run Linux shell from any folder in Explorer. Hold Shift key and call the context menu with the right mouse button. You will see the option "Open Linux shell here" next to the option "Open Powershell window here".

Diagnostic Data Viewer Improvements

Microsoft first introduced the Diagnostic Data Viewer with the Windows 10 April 2018 Update. The tool must be installed separately from the Microsoft Store, it shows which diagnostic and telemetry data is sent to the Microsoft servers.

In Redstone 5, the Diagnostic Data Viewer now shows Problem Reports. These reports are generated when applications crash or other errors occur. This data is given to Microsoft and app developers useful information to help resolve the error. The user will be able to view information about the time when the report was created and sent, as well as the name of the program that caused the problem.

In addition, the Diagnostic Data Viewer received several additional options filters to help sort diagnostic information.

Simplified setup as digital signage

The Windows 10 October 2018 Update (version 1809) now includes a simplified page for setting up restricted access (Settings > Search for Assigned Access > Kiosk Setup).

This page allows device administrators to configure the PC as a terminal or digital signage. In addition, Edge now supports restricted access, allowing administrators to create custom viewing experiences designed for kiosks: digital or interactive signage, two public viewing modes, or normal viewing.

Useful features and other changes

• Battery level of Bluetooth devices in the Settings app: In Settings > Devices > Bluetooth & other devices, you can now check the battery percentage of your Bluetooth devices. You will also see notifications if the battery level reaches low values.
• Privacy notices: The user will now be notified if access to the microphone was blocked for the first time according to the current privacy settings. You can review your privacy settings if you wish.
• Focus Improvements: The feature will now be automatically enabled to reduce startup interruptions full screen games. Previously, only DirectX games were supported.
• Setting video by light level. Added a new option “Adjust video by light level” in Settings > Applications > Video playback. It is designed to improve image clarity when you are in a very bright environment. Your device must have an ambient light sensor installed for this feature to work.
• Memory Sense improvements: Windows can now automatically delete OneDrive “on-demand files” that were previously open to save disk space. When you try to open them again, they will be downloaded from the cloud server. To enable this behavior, go to Settings > System > Device storage and turn on "Storage Sense", then select the "Change automatic cleanup settings" option and choose when you want to delete OneDrive files.
• Disk Cleanup tool will be excluded from Windows 10. The classic Disk Cleanup utility will be removed from the operating system. Microsoft can remove the tool at any time, but for now it is still integrated into Windows 10. All the functions of the old utility will be available in the “Free up space now” section of the Settings app.
• Sound settings: The Audio Options screen has a new Device Properties link for renaming audio input and output devices and selecting surround sound settings.
• Editing graphic files HEIF: You can now rotate HEIF images and edit their metadata in Windows Explorer after installing prerequisites from the Microsoft Store. Simply right-click on the image and then select the options “Rotate Left” or “Rotate Right”. Metadata can be edited on the Details tab of the Properties dialog box.
• Safe extraction external video cards: Redstone 5 introduces a safe way to disable external GPUs connected via Thunderbolt 3. A safe way to remove external GPUs lets you know what applications are running on the external GPU. GPU so that you can safely disconnect it, preventing data loss during disconnection.
• Setup after update: After installing the update, you will now see a new setup screen that introduces new features in Windows and shows options that you can configure.
• Regional preferences: Go to Settings > Time & Language > Region and override the display formats for region-specific information: Calendar, First day of the week, Date, Time and Currency.
• Localized Interface Packs- packages from Microsoft Store can be set in Settings > Time & Language > Language. Select the "Add a Windows Interface Language with Localization Pack" link to download the appropriate package from the Microsoft Store.
• Search in Calendar: You can now search by events in the Calendar app. The search feature only works with Outlook, Hotmail, Live, and Office 365 accounts and does not support Exchange Server, Gmail, Yahoo, or other IMAP calendars.
• Handwriting improvements. The built-in handwriting panel will now automatically be the default for digital pen (stylus) input in modern UWP apps. Simply select a text area, such as a search bar, and a panel for input and handwriting recognition will open. You can edit what you have written with simple and intuitive gestures. The panel will remain available in the touch keyboard.
• TypingInsights: Microsoft uses artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies to increase productivity by automatic fix spelling errors, word predictions and clues. detailed information available in Settings > Devices > Input > View Typing Insights.
• Magnifier improvements: In app Settings > Accessibility > Magnifier added options for positioning the mouse cursor in the center of the screen. Added new zoom levels - 5% and 10%.
• Narrator improvements: Narrator has received an improved keyboard layout that is familiar to users of screen readers. The tool has received many new features, in particular the search function - if there is a requested word or phrase in the screen reader's viewport, it will jump to this fragment.
• Narrator guide: Narrator now launches with a new usage guide that is designed to introduce you to the main features.
• Mixed reality improvements A: Microsoft has implemented numerous improvements to the virtual reality platform. In particular, the ability to simultaneously stream audio to both the headset and PC speakers has been added. The new Flashlight feature allows you to look into your physical environment without taking off your goggles or helmet. You can switch to the real world using the Start menu, hotkey or voice command.

New Features for Power Users, Developers and System Administrators

• Firewall for Linux Processes: Windows Firewall now supports processes Windows subsystems for Linux (Windows Subsystem for Linux, WSL). For example, when you start an SSH server or a web server, the system firewall will ask you to confirm that the port is open for external connections.
• Protected processes for third-party antiviruses: The Windows Security Center (WSC) service now requires third-party antivirus programs were launched in the system as a protected process for their registration. Protected processes only allow downloads secure code and are better protected from attacks, which improves the overall level of system security.
• Autocomplete in Registry Editor. The Registry Editor got a drop-down menu that appears as you enter a path and offers prompts for quick completion. Now you can use Ctrl + Backspace to delete the last "word" (Ctrl + Delete will delete the next word).
• Data on memory consumption in the Task Manager. The Memory column in the Processes tab of the Task Manager no longer shows the memory used by suspended UWP processes. Microsoft hopes that this change will more accurately reflect the memory used by suspended UWP processes, which can be taken by the system if necessary. The new and old memory columns will be available in the Details tab.
• Improvements for Windows Defender Application Guard (WDAG): The WDAG feature allows Pro and Enterprise users to run Edge in a secure container. System administrators can apply a Group Policy setting that allows the user of a secure copy of Edge to upload files to the host system.
• Installing Microsoft WebDriver: Specialized software Microsoft WebDriver is used to test sites in Microsoft Edge. The toolkit can now be installed using the feature-on-demand system. The component is automatically enabled when developer mode is enabled.
• RSAT installation: tools remote administration server (Remote Server Administration Tools) will be available for installation as a feature on demand. This toolkit can be installed from the Settings application - it will receive updates standard means Windows.
• Biometric authentication on a remote machine. Azure Active Directory and Active Directory users using Windows Hello for Business can now use the biometric authentication for identification on the remote desktop.
• New group policies for Microsoft Edge. Microsoft Edge has received new group policies and MDM settings available to system administrators. New policies allow you to configure full screen, print, save browsing history, home button, and bypass errors with security certificates.
• Web sign-in for Windows 10. Previously, logins used IDs bundled with ADFS or other providers that support the WS-Fed protocol. A new way to log in to a PC called "Web Login" has now been implemented. Web login allows you to log in to Windows system for third party providers not related to ADFS (such as SAML).
• Quick sign in to a shared Windows 10 PC. If you're using shared computer mode in your workspace, signing in to your account will now be much faster. In the new assembly, the "Quick Login" option has appeared, which allows you to almost instantly log in to the general Windows computer 10.

There are also rumors that in the October 2018 Update (version 1809) any Windows user 10 will be able to switch to Windows 10 S mode, but this feature has not yet been implemented in test versions.

Found a typo? Select and press Ctrl + Enter

Very soon, Windows 10 will receive another "spring" creative update called Spring Creators Update 1803. The operating system is traditionally updated twice a year - in spring and autumn. Unlike regular updates that fix security issues or fix bugs, the Spring Creators Update will add many new features and freshen up the look and feel.

You can already download and install the update manually, but it's best to wait for the official release - the launch scheduled for April 10 had to be temporarily postponed until May to make important changes.

Today we will find out what's new in the Windows 10 Spring Update.

New features in Windows 10 Spring Update

A lot of work has been done on the spring version of Windows. The design has been updated, bugs and shortcomings have been fixed, new technologies and functions have been introduced. The list of all innovations is very large, and today we will get acquainted with only a few of them.

Updated look

The first thing that draws attention is that a new look called Fluent Design is changing the operating system more and more. Updated Options, Watch, Task bar and many other elements look fresh and interesting.

User activity timeline in Windows 10

The updated operating system has built in the ability to view previously launched applications, open web pages and modified files, sorted by time. The timeline saves the history of your actions, and now you can quickly resume working with files or return to the page of the site that you visited a month ago. Just click on the icon next to the menu Start or use a combination Win And Tab, and scroll through the activity history until the desired time.

Not everyone liked this innovation. Many immediately ask themselves the question - how to turn off the user activity scale so that no one can see the history of actions on this computer. To do this is easy enough.

1. Go to Options by clicking on the gear in the menu Start or keys Win And I on keyboard.
2. Find a tab Confidentiality, on the left select Activity log.
3. Turn off Filter activities from accounts.
4. In chapter Collect information about activities in point Let Windows Collect Information also set the switch to the off position.
5. And if you want to delete the already collected activity history, click Clear V Log of cleanup operations.

Timeline is synchronized between computers and tablets that use the same Microsoft account, and you can use it to continue working, for example, with files from your office computer at home on your laptop.

Quick installation of Windows 10 updates

The installation of updates for Windows will now be carried out to a greater extent in the background, and at this moment you will be able to use the computer without restrictions. According to the assurances of the developers, this will reduce the time of a major update from an hour and a half to thirty minutes in the future.

This is probably one of the most useful innovations. For a long time expectations and the inability to use the computer at this time repeatedly forced many to turn off the Windows 10 update.

Managing fonts and language packs in Windows 10

You can now download and install new fonts through the Windows App Store. And to view or delete a font, you just need to go to the menu Personalization.

Also in the App Store you can now download the desired language pack, which means that they will now be updated more often. You can set the language in Parameters. Select Time and language, and click on the item Region and language.

Convenient pairing of devices via Bluetooth

The new feature simplifies the connection of a computer via Bluetooth. It suffices to translate, for example, wireless mouse or headphones into pairing mode, as the operating system will automatically detect the device and send a connection request. However, it should be noted that this function does not work with all Bluetooth devices- Not all manufacturers are implementing the new technology yet.

Near Sharing feature for file sharing

Windows 10 had a Do Not Disturb feature that allowed you to temporarily turn off all notifications. Now it has turned into "Focus Assistant". When playing games in full screen mode or displaying the image on another screen, Do Not Disturb mode will automatically turn on. You can also set the function to turn on at a specified time or change the priority of notifications. You can set up this feature in Parameters. Go to menu System and select .

Finally

This is not a complete list of all the innovations that await us after the spring update. It's great to see Windows 10 growing and evolving, getting better and better. We hope it's updated Windows version 10 You will like it. Just do not forget to free up a few tens of gigabytes after the update - for this you need