What’s new in recent Windows 10 updates

New features in recent Windows updates will help you customize your PC, increase security, and get more creative with Windows 10. With these updates, it’ll also be easier to get things done on your PC and across your other devices, including syncing to Android phones (7.0 or later).

Choose your favorite color mode

Make your apps and app tiles stand out by switching to Light or Dark mode. Select Start > Settings > Personalization > Colors . Under Choose your color, select either Light or Dark mode.

Keep tabs on your website tabs

When you’re on a frequently-used website and have a lot of tabs open, pin that site to your taskbar. Then, just hover over the pin to see a preview of all the open tabs.

To pin website to the taskbar, in Microsoft Edge, go to Settings and more > More tools > Pin to taskbar .

Quickly jump between open webpages with Alt + Tab

Select the Alt key and tap Tab to toggle through all the apps and items you have open, including website tabs in Microsoft Edge.

Go passwordless with Microsoft accounts on your device

Keep your device even more secure by removing passwords when signing in to Windows with Microsoft accounts on your device. Go to Start > Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options , and then turn on Require Windows Hello sign-in for Microsoft accounts.

Have Magnifier read text aloud

Magnifier, the screen-magnifying feature that comes with Windows 10, can also read text aloud. To use it, turn on Magnifier by pressing the Windows logo key‌ + Plus sign (+), select Read from here, then use your mouse pointer to select where you’d like to begin.

Make your text cursor easier to find

The text cursor indicator adds a splash of color to your text cursor, making it easier to find in a sea of text. To turn it on and change its size and color, go to Start > Settings > Ease of Access > Text cursor.

Create events quickly

Add an event or reminder to your calendar right from the taskbar. On the taskbar, select the date and time, then enter your details in the text box that says Add an event or reminder.

Get to notification settings from the taskbar

To choose where notifications show up and how to sort them, select Notifications > Manage notifications on the taskbar.

Add emoji from your keyboard

Express yourself however and wherever you want. Press the Windows logo key + period (.) to open an emoji panel. Use kaomojis to create faces with text, and symbols—like punctuation and currency—to make a statement.

Bring the Microsoft experience to your Android phone

Open the Google Play Store app on your Android phone, type Microsoft Launcher in the search box, and then install it. Once Microsoft Launcher is installed, you can get beautiful Bing wallpapers that refresh daily, sync your Office docs and calendar, and more.

Make your pointer easier to see

If you’re having trouble spotting your pointer on your screen, make it bigger or change the color. Select Start > Settings > Ease of Access > Cursor & pointer.

Make things on your screen larger

To make just the text on your screen bigger, select Start > Settings > Ease of Access > Display , then adjust the slider under Make text bigger. To make everything bigger, choose an option from the drop-down menu under Make everything bigger.

Use Snip & Sketch to capture, mark up, and share images

Screen sketch is now called Snip & Sketch. Open Snip & Sketch to take a snip of what’s on your screen or to mark up and share a previous image. In the search box on the taskbar, type Snip & Sketch, then select Snip & Sketch from the list of results to open the app.

To quickly take a snip, press the Windows logo key + Shift+ S. You’ll see your screen darken and your cursor displayed as a cross. Choose a point at the edge of the area you want to copy and left-click the cursor. Move your cursor to highlight the area you want to capture. The area you capture will appear on your screen.

The image you snipped is saved to your clipboard, ready for pasting into an email or document. If you want to edit the image, select the notification that appears after you’ve made your snip. Snip & Sketch offers options to save, copy, or share and includes a pen, highlighter, and an eraser, all with variable line widths.

Related links

For more info about Windows updates, see Windows Update: FAQ.

For info about activating Windows 10, see Activate Windows 10.

How to get the Windows 10 October 2020 Update

With organizations moving and adapting from remote to hybrid work scenarios, and essential workers continuing to support us all, it is more important than ever that we continue to provide you with the tools you need to remain protected and productive. In June, we announced Windows 10, version 20H2—and the availability of the first preview build in the Windows Insider Program. We then released a preview build to commercial customers in the Beta and Release Preview Channels for pre-release validation in August. We have continued to make improvements based on the feedback received through these programs and I am pleased to announce that we are beginning the availability of the October 2020 Update. Today’s post offers details on our measured and phased roll out approach, how you can get the update, and information to enable commercial organizations to begin targeted deployments.

Approach on update availability and rollout

In this work, learn and connect from home environment where people are relying on their PCs more than ever before, we are taking a measured seeker-based rollout approach to the October 2020 Update. We are throttling availability over the coming weeks to ensure a reliable download experience, so the update may not be offered to you right away. Additionally, some devices might have a compatibility issue for which a safeguard hold is in place, so we will not offer the update until we are confident that you will have a good update experience.

How to get the Windows 10 October 2020 Update

Beginning today, the October 2020 Update is available initially for users of select devices running Windows 10, version 1903 or later who are interested in experiencing the latest feature updates and are ready to install this release on their device. If you would like to install the new release, open your Windows Update settings (Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update) and select Check for updates. If the update appears, and you are running Windows 10, version 1903 or later, you can simply select Download and install to get started. Once the download is complete and the update is ready to install, we’ll notify you so that you can pick the right time to finish the installation and reboot your device, ensuring that the update does not disrupt your activities. People running the May 2020 Update will have a faster overall update experience because the update will install like a monthly update, just as it was for devices moving to Windows 10, version 1909 from version 1903.

For more information on how to get the October 2020 Update, watch this video. To learn more about the status of the update availability and rollout, safeguard holds, and which holds may be applied to your device, visit the Windows release health dashboard.

Information for commercial customers

As a second half (H2) of the calendar year release, Enterprise and Education editions of Windows 10, version 20H2 will receive 30 months of servicing and support beginning today. We recommend that commercial organizations begin targeted deployments to validate that their apps, devices and infrastructure work as expected with the new release and innovations therein. To support this effort, Windows 10, version 20H2 is now available through Windows Server Update Services (including Configuration Manager), Windows Update for Business and the Volume Licensing Service Center (VLSC) 1 . For more information about deployment options and the latest features for commercial customers, see ‘What’s new for IT pros in Windows 10, version 20H2.’ If you are curious about Windows Server, version 20H2, which was also released today, please refer to Windows Server documentation.

The tools you need to do more and stay secure

Our commitment remains on helping you remain protected and productive, both professionally and personally. The Windows 10 October 2020 Update offers an improved experience for tablet users and those seeking to personalize their taskbars, notifications and other settings. It is also the first Windows 10 release to include the new Microsoft Edge, built on Chromium, enabling you to create profiles for work, life and everything in between so that you can easily sync and switch profiles across devices. For a full recap of these and other improvements, see What’s new in the Windows 10 October 2020 Update.

As with each release, we will closely monitor the October 2020 Update experience and share timely information on the current rollout status and known issues (open and resolved) across both feature and monthly updates via the Windows release health dashboard and @WindowsUpdate. Please continue to tell us about your experience by providing comments or suggestions via Feedback Hub.

1 It may take a day for downloads to be fully available in the Volume Licensing Service Center (VLSC) across all products, markets and languages.

Обновление Windows 10 KB5001330 приносит очередные проблемы, включая BSOD

В некоторых конфигурациях Windows 10 возникают серьезные проблемы из-за недавнего обновления под номером KB5001330. Пользователи сообщают о проблемах с установкой, проблемах с производительностью, временной ошибке профиля пользователя и предупреждении о сбое системы.

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На этой неделе во вторник Microsoft выпустила новые накопительные обновления за апрель 2021 года для поддерживаемых версий ОС. Для версии 20H2/2004 Microsoft выпустила Windows 10 KB5001330, обязательное обновление безопасности, направленное на устранение ряда уязвимостей и проблем, вызванных предыдущим обновлением, включая проблемы с принтерами.

Согласно многочисленным сообщениям на сайтах социальных сетей, растет число пользователей, которые не могут установить последнее обновление Windows на свое оборудование. При попытке это сделать появляются ошибки: 0x800f081f, 0x800f0984.

Об ошибках при загрузке обновления KB5001330 сообщили многие пользователи в Центре отзывов.

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«Я получаю постоянный сбой при установке KP5001330 с кодом ошибки 0x800f0984. Это происходит на Surface Studio 2 и Pro 7. Второй месяц подряд нельзя установить накопительное обновление на моих устройствах. Установка приостанавливается на 20%, затем снова на 73%, потом на 100%, затем происходит сбой», — отметил один из пользователей.

В редких случаях также может повторяться известная ошибка временного профиля пользователя. Последний раз об этой ошибке сообщалось в декабре, она создает новый профиль пользователя при загрузке операционной системы после применения накопительного обновления. В этом случае пользовательские файлы и настройки (например, обои) могут исчезнуть.

«После обновления я больше не могу войти в свой компьютер. В нем говорится, что службе профилей пользователей не удалось войти в систему. Профиль пользователя не может быть загружен», — пожаловался один пользователь.

«После обновления Windows предлагает войти в гостевой профиль», — другой пользователь подтвердил проблему.

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К счастью, есть обходной путь для решения указанной проблемы. Необходимо либо откатить обновление, либо вручную переместить пользовательские файлы.

Кроме того, пользователи сообщают о сбоях в играх: графических артефактах и значительном падении частоты кадров, но проблему можно решить, удалив накопительное обновление вручную. Лишь некоторые пользователи сообщают об этих проблемах на форумах, и, похоже, они не так распространены, как другие ошибки.

Также многие сталкиваются с периодическими появлениями BSOD (синего экрана смерти)/

«Это обновление сломало Windows для меня и других. BSOD при обновлении сообщал, что определенного драйвера больше нет или он не поддерживается. Я восстановил Windows и обновился снова, затем BSOD на моем ПК повторился дважды за несколько часов. Я удалил обновление. Это случилось не только со мной, поэтому я бы посоветовал не устанавливать это обновление», — сообщил один из пользователей.

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Если вы загрузили обновление April 2021 Patch Tuesday и столкнулись с какими-либо проблемами, лучший способ решить проблему — это удалить исправление, выполнив следующие действия:

1. Откройте приложение «Настройки»;

2. Нажмите «Обновление и безопасность»;

3. Нажмите «Центр обновления Windows»;

4. Нажмите «Просмотреть историю обновлений»;

5. Нажмите «Удалить обновления», затем выберите KB5001330, чтобы удалить его;

6. Перезагрузите компьютер.

На данный момент компания Microsoft никак не прокоментировала многочисленные жалобы пользователей.