Top 10 New Windows 10 Features

Windows 10 won’t be launching for quite a while but we already know a lot about Microsoft’s upcoming OS. From Xbox for Windows and Cortana for desktop to a resurrected Start Menu and new multitasking tools, the new platform will offer a bevy of new features. These are the 10 best.

1. Start Menu Returns

It’s what Windows 8 detractors have been clamoring for, and Microsoft has finally brought back the Start Menu. Now, when you click on the Start button at the bottom left of the screen, you get two panels side by side, with the left column showing pinned, recently and most-used apps.

You also get a power button at the top for options such as Hibernate, Standby and Shutdown, and an all apps option a la Windows 8. The right column features a selection of live tiles that you can customize, resize and reorganize. Not only that, but the search field at the bottom will look up related Internet results in addition to programs and files (as it did on Windows 7).

Even better, you can have the Start Menu expand to full screen whenever you want, eliminating the need for a Modern UI Start Screen.

2. Cortana on Desktop

Being lazy just got a lot easier. Windows 10 will bring Microsoft’s voice-controlled digital assistant Cortana to desktop computers, to make it easier for you to interact with your device without lifting a finger. You will be able to search your hard drive for specific files, pull up photos from specific dates, or launch PowerPoint presentations just by telling your PC to do so. You can even get Cortana to send an email while you’re working on a spreadsheet, making multi-tasking much easier.

3. Xbox App

You will soon be able to play any Xbox One game on your PC or tablet, with the Xbox app for Windows 10. The new operating system will support Xbox game streaming (through your home network), with improved speed and graphics performance thanks to DirectX 12 support. The app also lets you record, edit and share your fragging victories with the Game DVR feature, which lets you grab the previous 30 seconds of your game so you don’t miss unexpected wins. You’ll also be able to join your friends in games across Windows 10 or the Xbox platforms, and see your friends’ activity via Xbox Live

4. Project Spartan Browser

Forget Internet Explorer. The long-derided browser will be replaced by the newly announced Project Spartan. New features include PDF support, a reading mode that improves the layout of long articles, and a new note taking feature. The latter lets you scribble on any page and share your comments with your friends through social networks via a slide-in menu so you won’t have to leave the browser. Better yet, Project Spartan will feature Cortana support within the browser, so she can pull contextual information from the sites you’re on to do things like navigate to a restaurant you’re looking up or pull up an upcoming flight time without having to go into your email.

5. Improved Multitasking

A new Multiple Desktops feature lets you run another set of windows as if on another screen, but without the physical monitor. This is similar to Apple’s Spaces feature on OS X, and helps you manage your multitude of open windows and apps. Instead of having multiple windows open on top of each other on one desktop, you can set up a whole other virtual desktop for those programs to reside in. Set up one specifically for home and leave your apps such as Netflix and Amazon open, and create another desktop for work on which you keep Word, Excel and Internet Explorer open.

With the new desktops comes a new way to keep track of your open apps on Windows 10. On the new operating system, you can either hit the new Task View button on the task bar or swipe in from the left edge of the screen to pull up a one-page view of all your open apps and files. It’s not much different from using the Alt-Tab combination shortcut on your keyboard, but this presents a convenient way for touch-oriented users to get an overview of what’s running.

Microsoft also updated its Snap View multitasking feature to let you dock windows to the four corners of your screen. While you could split your display between apps before, the number of programs you could have side-by-side was limited by your device’s screen resolution. The system will even suggest what other open apps you can use to fill up available space, a feature called Snap Assist.

6. Universal Apps

To make the transition across devices more seamless, Microsoft is introducing a new category of software called Universal Apps, which use the same code but adapt their interface to the device in your hand. The company is also bundling its own set of Universal apps with the OS, including Photos, Videos, Music, Maps, People & Messaging and Mail & Calendar, which all function the same way on tablets, phones and PCs. The content is stored and synced via Microsoft’s cloud service OneDrive so you can pick up where you left off on another device.

Some of these apps, such as Photos, are brand new. Photos will pull your images across your PC and mobile devices and organize, enhance and sync them through OneDrive. The system even detects duplicates and stores just one copy of the same image, and can automatically create good-looking albums for you. The Mail app has also been overhauled and will now be a version of Outlook, complete with an editor based on Microsoft Word.

7. Office Apps Get Touch Support

A new version of Office apps Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook will provide a touch-first interface across phones, tablets and PCs. The persistent function ribbon at the top of the apps is now an app bar that shows up only when you need it. In Outlook, you’ll now be able to delete messages from your inbox by swiping each entry to the left. Swiping to the right flags that message. The apps will look and perform the same way on a PC as they do on a mobile device for a more coherent experience.

8. Continuum

With the rise of hybrid laptop-tablet devices, Microsoft wants to make it easier to switch between either mode. The system will detect if you’ve plugged in a keyboard or mouse and switch modes for more convenient interaction. If you remove the keyboard/mouse, a notification will pop up from the task bar at the bottom, asking if you want to activate Tablet mode. When you do, you are greeted with the more touch-friendly profile. Dock your tablet into the keyboard again, and you’ll receive the same prompt, this time asking if you want to exit Tablet mode.

9. Action Center

Windows 10 will provide a new way to look at all your notifications in one place. The Action Center appears to replace the Charms menu that slides in from the right on Windows 8 devices. It collects alerts from your device from all your apps, similar to the notifications drawers in iOS and Android. Depending on the app, you can also respond or react from this panel itself, with each notification expanding to show more actions. The Action Center also offers a quick way to toggle connectivity options and other settings such as display brightness and contrast.

10. Unified Settings / Control Panel

Instead of having two apps to control your device settings in Control Panel and PC Settings, Microsoft is making things less confusing by bringing them together in one. You’ll be able to manage your device from one place instead of hunting for a specific menu.

We expect more features to be announced as Microsoft gets closer to publicly releasing Windows 10, so stay tuned for more info.

What’s new in Windows 10, version 20H2 for IT Pros

Applies to

• WindowsВ 10, version 20H2

This article lists new and updated features and content that is of interest to IT Pros for Windows 10, version 20H2, also known as the Windows 10 October 2020 Update. This update also contains all features and fixes included in previous cumulative updates to Windows 10, version 2004.

With this release and future releases, the Windows 10 release nomenclature is changing from a year and month pattern (YYMM) to a year and half-year pattern (YYH1, YYH2).

As with previous fall releases, Windows 10, version 20H2 is a scoped set of features for select performance improvements, enterprise features, and quality enhancements. As an H2-targeted release, 20H2 is serviced for 30 months from the release date for devices running Windows 10 Enterprise or Windows 10 Education editions.

To download and install Windows 10, version 20H2, use Windows Update (Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update). For more information, including a video, see How to get the Windows 10 October 2020 Update.

Microsoft Edge

This release automatically includes the new Chromium-based Microsoft Edge browser instead of the legacy version of Edge. For more information, see the Microsoft Edge documentation.

Servicing

Windows Update

There are several changes that help improve the security of devices that scan Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) for updates. For more information, see Changes to improve security for Windows devices scanning WSUS.

Starting with Windows 10, version 20H2, LCUs and SSUs have been combined into a single cumulative monthly update, available via Microsoft Catalog or Windows Server Update Services. For more information, see Simplifying on-premises deployment of servicing stack updates.

Deployment

New guidance is available to help prepare a servicing strategy and move your devices to the latest version of Windows 10 quickly and as seamlessly as possible.

Activities are grouped into the following phases: Plan > Prepare > Deploy:

Plan your deployment by evaluating and understanding essential activities:

• Create a phased deployment plan
• Assign roles and responsibilities within your organization
• Set criteria to establish readiness for the upgrade process
• Evaluate your infrastructure and tools
• Determine readiness for your business applications
• Create an effective, schedule-based servicing strategy

Prepare your devices and environment for deployment by performing necessary actions:

Deploy and manage Windows 10 strategically in your organization:

• Use Windows Autopilot to streamline the set up, configuration, and delivery of new devices
• Use Configuration Manager or MDT to deploy new devices and update existing devices
• Use Windows Update for Business with Group Policy to customize update settings for your devices
• Deploy Windows updates with Windows Server Update Services (WSUS)
• Manage bandwidth for updates with Delivery Optimization
• Monitor Windows Updates with Update Compliance

Windows Autopilot

Enhancements to Windows Autopilot since the last release of Windows 10 include:

• Windows Autopilot for HoloLens: Set up HoloLens 2 devices with Windows Autopilot for HoloLens 2 self-deploying mode.
• Windows Autopilot with co-management: Co-management and Autopilot together can help you reduce cost and improve the end user experience.
• Enhancements to Windows Autopilot deployment reporting are in preview. From the Microsoft Endpoint Manager admin center (endpoint.microsoft.com), select Devices >Monitor and scroll down to the Enrollment section. Click Autopilot deployment (preview).

Windows Assessment and Deployment Toolkit (ADK)

There is no new ADK for Windows 10, version 20H2. The ADK for Windows 10, version 2004 will also work with Windows 10, version 20H2. For more information, see Download and install the Windows ADK.

Device management

Modern Device Management (MDM) policy is extended with new Local Users and Groups settings that match the options available for devices managed through Group Policy.

For more information about what’s new in MDM, see What’s new in mobile device enrollment and management

Security

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint

This release includes improved support for non-ASCII file paths for Microsoft Defender Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) Auto Incident Response (IR).

The DisableAntiSpyware parameter is deprecated in this release.

Microsoft Defender Application Guard for Office

Microsoft Defender Application Guard now supports Office: With Microsoft Defender Application Guard for Office, you can launch untrusted Office documents (from outside the Enterprise) in an isolated container to prevent potentially malicious content from compromising your device.

Windows Hello

With specialized hardware and software components available on devices shipping with Windows 10, version 20H2 configured out of factory, Windows Hello now offers added support for virtualization-based security with supporting fingerprint and face sensors. This feature isolates and secures a user’s biometric authentication data.

Virtualization

Windows Sandbox

New policies for Windows Sandbox are available in this release. For more information, see Policy CSP — WindowsSandbox.

Windows Virtual Desktop (WVD)

Note: WVD is not tied directly to a Windows 10 release, but it is included here as an evolving capability of Windows.

Windows Shell

Some enhancements to the Windows 10 user interface are implemented in this release:

• With this release, the solid color behind tiles on the Start menu is replaced with a partially transparent background. Tiles are also theme-aware.
• Icons on the Start menu no longer have a square outline around each icon.
• Notifications are slightly updated in appearance.
• You can now change the monitor refresh rate on advanced display settings.
• Alt+Tab now shows Edge browser tabs by default. You can edit this setting under Settings >System >Multitasking: Alt+Tab.
• The System control panel under System and Security has been updated to the Settings > About page. Links to Device Manager, Remote desktop, System protection, Advanced system settings, and Rename this PC are moved to the About page.

2-in-1 PCs

On a 2-in-1 device, Windows will now automatically switch to tablet mode when you detach the screen.

Surface

Windows 10 Pro and Enterprise are now available on Surface Hub 2. For more information, see What’s new in Surface Hub 2S for IT admins.

Desktop Analytics

Desktop Analytics is a cloud-connected service, integrated with Configuration Manager that provides data-driven insights to the management of Windows endpoints in your organization. Desktop Analytics requires a Windows E3 or E5 license, or a Microsoft 365 E3 or E5 license.

For information about Desktop Analytics and this release of Windows 10, see What’s new in Desktop Analytics.