We are bit late to the party but we are here finally with details of the latest Windows 10 Desktop Build 10041 that Microsoft has pushed to Windows Insiders’ devices yesterday.
Have a look at some of the first screenshots below.
Translucent start menu:
Large Tiles:
Lock-screen settings:
New “Remove everything and re-install settings”:
New WiFi pop-up menu:
Improved Multitasking:
Windows 10 Build 10041 official changelog:
Improving the Start experience: In 9926 we introduced the XAML based Start experience, and we’ve continued to make improvements since then. Start now has transparency, and we’ve addressed issues with the All Apps list like making the All Apps button easier to use with touch. Dragging and dropping apps from All Apps or your most used apps list to pin them to Start was a top request, and this has been added.
Improvements to Virtual Desktops: We’ve addressed your #1 feature request for Virtual Desktops from Insiders – you can now drag a window to a Virtual Desktop! Previously, you had to right-click and use a context menu. You can also drag a window to the “+” icon to both create a Virtual Desktop and move the window to it in single step. We also now support a filtered taskbar. This means that only the running windows in a particular Virtual Desktop will show in the taskbar. This allows you to better organize what you are working on. We are doing some A/B testing for this where there will be different defaults for different users to help us decide what default to use based on feedback from Insiders. We also added a filtered Alt+Tab so you only see the windows on the given Virtual Desktop.
Cortana is expanding into new markets on the desktop: Cortana now also works on the desktop in China, the UK, France, Italy, Germany, and Spain – in addition to the U.S. For you in these new markets, look for her to help you find the things you need and proactively bring you information that you care about. Currently, Cortana will help you search for apps, settings, and files as well as search the web. Cortana learns your preferences and provides smarter recommendations over time. Cortana is still fairly new to the desktop but we are continuing to fix bugs and add new capabilities all the time.
New network fly-out from the taskbar: We’ve heard a lot of feedback on this and have introduced a network fly-out from the taskbar when you click on the network icon for quick access to your network settings. You’ll be able to easily connect to wireless networks from this fly-out. We have more work to do here as the UX isn’t complete just yet.
Enhancements to the Photos app: The updated Live Tile for the Photos app will now include your photos on OneDrive in the recent photo rotation where previously you would only see local photos. We’ve made lots of performance and reliability improvements across the entire app. You will see added support for RAW format files, which should be up to date with new major cameras. If you find a RAW file that doesn’t show up correctly in the Photos app, let us know what camera model it’s from using the Feedback app. We’ve also implemented our first set of keyboard shortcuts for the Photos app – try using the tab, arrow keys and page up/down with the Photos app open. In coming weeks we’ll be adding keyboard shortcuts for popular actions/workflows. If you have one you really count on – let us know via the Feedback app.
New Text Input Canvas: We’ve introduced an updated experience for handwriting panel recognition optimized for short text entry. Auto displayed on tap in edit control with pen, positioned near the edit control, provides recognition candidates, suggestions and next word predictions.
Experimenting with the Lock screen: We often hear feedback around the learning curve when it comes to a big new release. To make things easier, we’re experimenting with the Lock screen as a place to share some “did you knows” as well as tips and tricks to help people learn Windows 10. Some of you may have noticed the Lock screen lighting up with beautiful imagery and a “Welcome to the Windows Insider Program” message with the previous build we released back in January (9926). Between now and our final release, we’ll be rolling out more of these – first in the U.S. and France. In other countries, for now you will continue to see rotations of beautiful imagery. Your Lock screen may look different than your fellow Windows Insider’s lock screen, as we rotate through a variety of different content. Send us feedback through the Windows Feedback app and let us know what you think about this. And of course you can still change your Lock screen background to any photo of your choice.
Improvements to the Windows Insider Program
We’ve made some improvements to the Windows Feedback app and Insider Hub app based on feedback from Windows Insiders.
The Windows Feedback app now has the ability to filter your feedback as well as suggestions versus problems. “Me too” functionality shows up in search results so you can quickly add your “Me too” to items from directly from the search results view. We’ve also made performance improvements around launching the app, category download, search results, and submitting feedback.
For the Insider Hub, we’ve updated the “Your Progress” page to track how many missions you’ve completed, how often you’ve responded to requests for feedback, how much feedback you’ve submitted, and the number of up-votes your feedback has received. We’ll be continuing to deliver news, new missions, alerts, and other content (including opportunities to win prizes!) through the Insider Hub that won’t necessarily be blog posts or tweets from me, so keep checking there for new information.
Some top issues fixed in this build
- In 9926 there were several issues which prevented Start from launching, these should all be fixed.
- Search box now works if you have taskbar on the top/side of your screen.
- After installing the last build (9926), you saw a boot selection menu when you rebooted your PC. We’ve fixed this and you should no longer see the boot selection menu – unless you’re intentionally dual-booting.
- We received feedback that people were seeing persistent grey thumbnails in the Collection view in the Photos app on Build 9926. We think we’ve worked through all these issues, so definitely let us know if you find a case where one still crops up.
