Windows 10 Redstone: A guide to the Insider Preview builds

Microsoft never sleeps. Even before the Windows 10 October 2018 Update (version 1809) started to roll out, the company began work on the next major update to Windows 10, due to be released next spring. As it did with the October 2018 Update, Microsoft has been releasing a series of public preview builds to members of Microsoft’s Windows Insider Program.

After years of using “Redstone” in its code names, Microsoft is changing it up with the next release, which is code-named “19H1” (for 2019, first half) rather than “Redstone 6.” What follows is a list of every preview build of Windows 10 19H1 that has been rolled out to Windows Insiders in the Fast ring, starting with the most recent. For each build, we’ve included the date of its release, a summary of what’s in the build and a link to Microsoft’s announcement about it.

After that you’ll find summaries of all the preview builds that led up to the Windows 10 October 2018 Update (Redstone 5), Windows 10 April 2018 Update (Redstone 4), the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update (Redstone 3), and the Windows 10 Creators Update (Redstone 2).

Note: If you’re looking for information about updates being rolled out to all Windows 10 users, not previews for Windows Insiders, see “Windows 10: A guide to the updates.”

Preview builds for Windows 10 19H1

Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 18298

Release date: December 10, 2018

This build includes a variety of minor additions throughout Windows. You can now set up a security key for signing into Windows in the Settings app, and the default sorting display for downloaded files has been changed to the most recently downloaded. There’s also a new context menu choice for unpinning groups and folders on the Start menu.

The touch keyboard received several improvements, including one that those with errant fingers will appreciate: The “hit target” of each key (where the key is typically pressed) will change based on prediction of what letter will most likely be typed next. This is expected to result in more accurate typing.

The Notepad gets several small changes, including one in which it shows an asterisk in the title bar in front of the document’s name to indicate that the document has unsaved changes. The Narrator has also seen several improvements, including the new Narrator Home, a one-stop shop for Narrator instructions, tips and settings. Users are sent to Narrator Home every time Narrator is started. And Snip & Sketch gets several bug fixes and reliability improvements, including fixing an issue in which the bottom of a snip gets truncated.

There are also a wide variety of small improvements and fixes, including fixing an issue in which Settings crashed when clicking “Check for Updates,” and another in which the handwriting panel might crash when a pen was used for input into win32 apps.

Known issues in this build include the Settings page crashing when users click on the “View storage usage on other drives” option under System > Storage, and another in which USB printers may appear twice in the Devices and Printers under Control Panel. Reinstalling the printer resolves the issue.

(Get more info about Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 18298.)

Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 18290

Release date: November 28, 2018

This build includes only relatively minor additions, such as incorporating Microsoft’s Fluent design guidelines into the Start menu with the use of new icons. You can now also tell which app is using your microphone by hovering your mouse over the microphone icon in the taskbar. There’s also a new landing page for when you perform searches. Microsoft To-Do has also been added to Mail & Calendar.

There are also a wide variety of small improvements and fixes, including fixing an issue in which PDFs opened in Microsoft Edge did not display correctly, and making Narrator more compatible with Chrome.

Known issues in this build include the Settings page crashing after the account password or PIN is changed. Settings will also crash when opening Speech Settings or clicking on the “View storage usage on other drives” option under System > Storage.

Note that the builds previous to this one have a built-in expiration date that Microsoft calls a “timebomb.” The timebomb is set to go off on December 14, after which those builds will no longer work. Insiders need to update to Build 18290 or later before then to avoid that.

(Get more info about Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 18290.)

Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 18282

Release date: November 14, 2018

This build adds a new light theme, created to provide more contrast to the Windows dark theme. In the new light theme, the taskbar, Start menu, Action Center, touch keyboard and other interface elements are light instead of dark. Additionally, the OneDrive flyout now supports the Windows dark theme.

There are also new features added to the Snip & Sketch screen capture tool, including a delayed mode and the ability to capture individual windows. Windows Update has received minor improvements, including making it easier to pause updates and having Windows detect the best hours to perform updates. And Narrator has gotten a variety of additions, including making read-by-sentence commands available via a braille display.

There are also a variety of small improvements and fixes, including fixing an issue that caused File Explorer to freeze when interacting with video files, and another in which x86 apps and games had blurry text rendering.

Known issues in this build include the Settings page crashing after changing the account password or PIN, and PDFs opened in Microsoft Edge not displaying correctly – they’re too small, instead of using the entire space.

(Get more info about Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 18282.)

Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 18277

Release date: November 7, 2018

This build includes only minor changes, including the ability to customize the way Action Center works from directly within it instead of having to go through Settings, and the ability to use Focus Assist, which lets you turn off alerts, while you’re in full screen mode. The build also shows off the emoji Microsoft has designed so far in preparation for the release of Emoji 12.

There are also a variety of small improvements and fixes, including fixing an issue that resulted in Timeline crashing explorer.exe if you pressed Alt-F4 while it was visible, and another that affected Emoji Panel reliability.

Known issues in this build include the Settings page crashing after changing the account password or PIN, and PDFs opened in Microsoft Edge not displaying correctly — they’re too small, instead of using the entire space.

(Get more info about Insider Preview Build 18277.)

Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 18272

Release date: October 31, 2018

This build will please fans of Windows Hello, a feature that lets people sign into Windows using a fingerprint, facial recognition or a PIN instead of a password. Microsoft admits in its note on the build that the sign-in screen for Windows Hello had been cluttered and confusing. So it’s redesigned it, by condensing sign-in options into a list that explains what each option does, and its next step for setup.

The Snip & Sketch screen capture and markup tool has been improved in a variety of ways, including an option to add borders to a screenshot so that it stands out when copied into a document. You can also now print screenshots, and you can save screenshots in .jpg and .gif formats.

There are also several small improvements and fixes, including for an issue that could result in Settings crashing when navigating to Data Usage, and one in which enhancements selected under Speaker Properties > Enhancements wouldn’t persist on upgrade.

Known issues in this build include Task View failing to show the + button under New Desktop after creating two Virtual Desktops, and PDFs opened in Microsoft Edge not displaying correctly — they’re too small instead of using the entire space.

(Get more info about Insider Preview Build 18272.)

Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 18267

Release date: October 24, 2018

This minor build adds a new enhanced mode for the search indexer. You can now tell Windows to search all your folders and drives, instead of limiting the search to Documents, Pictures, Videos, and Desktop by default. Beyond that, there are a few small accessibility improvements, including Narrator working better with Chrome. In addition, there are several small improvements and fixes, including for an issue that caused Settings to crash when invoking actions in certain places, including under Windows Security.

There are a handful of known issues in this build, including one in which when you change Task Manager settings, the next time Task Manager is opened it will revert to the default.

(Get more info about Insider Preview Build 18267.)

Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 18262

Release date: October 17, 2018

This minor build adds a new optional column to the Details tab of Task Manager so you can find out the DPI awareness per process. DPI awareness properly displays fonts and applications when the resolution of a monitor changes. The build also allows users to easily uninstall some preinstalled Windows applications such as Calendar, Mail and Calculator via the context menu.

There are a variety of other changes, improvements and fixes, including a fix for a bug in which Task Manager’s icon in the notification area of the taskbar did not stay visible while Task Manager was open. There are several known issues with the build, including one in which Settings crashes when taking actions on certain pages.

(Get more info about Insider Preview Build 18262.)

Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 18252

Release date: October 3, 2018

This minor build has only a few small changes. For instance, you can now configure advanced Ethernet IP settings in the Settings app, including support for a static IP address and configuring a preferred DNS server. Previously, you could only make these changes in Control Panel. It’s part of Microsoft’s ongoing effort to consolidate settings in one location rather than several.

There’s also the usual variety of fixes, including for a bug that caused Task Manager to report inaccurate CPU usage, and another where the arrows to expand “Background processes” in Task Manager used to “blink constantly and weirdly,” in Microsoft’s words.

In its description of the build, Microsoft warned, “As is normal with builds early in the development cycle, builds may contain bugs that might be painful for some…If this makes you uncomfortable, you may want to consider switching to the Slow ring.”

Among the known issues with this build are one in which Settings crashes when invoking actions on certain pages.

(Get more info about Insider Preview Build 18252.)

Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 18247

Release date: September 26, 2018

This build has only a handful of small fixes, including one for a bug in which app icons sometimes became invisible in the taskbar and another in which WebView controls did not respond to the keyboard.

There are also several known issues, including one in which File Explorer’s context menu has an unexpectedly thick white border. The problem in the previous build with arrows that expand “Background processes” in Task Manager “blinking constantly and weirdly” remains in this build as well.

(Get more info about Insider Preview Build 18247.)

Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 18242

Release date: September 18, 2018

This build has only small fixes, including for a bug in which the back button in Settings and other apps became white text on a white background if you hovered over it, and another that caused some apps to crash when you tried to save a file from the app.

There are three known issues in this build, including one in which Task Manager is not reporting accurate CPU usage, and another in which the arrows used to expand “Background processes” in Task Manager “are blinking constantly and weirdly,” in Microsoft’s words.

(Get more info about Insider Preview Build 18242.)

Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 18237

Release date: September 12, 2018

This build adds the acrylic translucent texture from Microsoft’s Fluent Design to the Windows sign-in screen. There’s also a wide variety of fixes, including for an issue where Task Manager couldn’t be resized, and another where if you opened one of the taskbar flyouts (like network or volume), and then quickly tried to open another, it wouldn’t work.

There are three known issues in this build, including one in which Narrator sometimes does not read in the Settings app when you navigate using Tab and arrow keys.

(Get more info about Insider Preview Build 18237.)

Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 18234

Release date: September 6, 2018

This build adds support for handwritten input into the Microsoft To-Do app. There’s also an update to the Sticky Notes app, which syncs notes across devices, among other improvements. The Snip & Sketch screen capture and annotation tool gets new options, including the ability to delay screen capture a certain amount of time.

Aside from that, there are several dozen fixes and changes, including for an issue in which logging out of your user profile or shutting down your PC would cause the PC to perform a bug check (GSOD), and another that caused Start to be unreliable.

There are half-a-dozen known issues in this build, including one in which the background of notifications and the Action Center lose color and become transparent, and another in which when you use the Ease of Access Make Text bigger setting, you might see text clipping issues or find that text is not increasing in size everywhere.

(Get more info about Insider Preview Build 18234.)

Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 18219

Release date: August 16, 2018

This build includes improvements to the Narrator, including increased reliability and improved Braille usage. There’s also a variety of changes and fixes, including for an issue in which the icons in the Microsoft Edge extension pane were drawing unexpectedly close to the toggles and one in which minimized apps had squished thumbnails in Task View.

There are 11 known issues in this build, including one in which the taskbar flyouts (network, volume, etc.) no longer have an acrylic background.

(Get more info about Insider Preview Build 18219.)

Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 18214

Release date: August 10, 2018

This build includes the Your Phone app introduced with the Windows 10 October 2018 update. Aside from that, it only has minor fixes, such as fixing an issue in which Timeline’s scrollbar didn’t work with touch and one in which the Windows Security icon in the taskbar system tray would become a little bit blurrier every time there was a resolution change.

There are more than a dozen known issues in this build, including one in which in Narrator’s automatic dialog reading the title of the dialog is spoken more than once.

(Get more info about Insider Preview Build 18214.)

Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 18204

Release date: July 25, 2018

This is the first preview for 19H1. It includes no new features — it’s the same as the Preview Build 17723 for Redstone 5.

(Get more info about Insider Preview Build 18204.)

Preview builds for the Windows 10 October 2018 Update (Redstone 5, version 1809)

Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 17763

Release date: September 18, 2018

This minor build has no new features and offers fixes for a half-dozen small issues. Among them are one in which touching a Flash element in Microsoft Edge with two or more fingers may result in the tab crashing, and another where thumbnails and icons might not be rendered if there were any video files saved to the desktop.

There are two known issues in this build: Task Manager does not report accurate CPU usage, and the arrows that expand “Background processes” in Task Manager are, in Microsoft’s words, “blinking constantly and weirdly.”

(Get more info about Insider Preview Build 17763.)

Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 17760

Release date: September 14, 2018

This minor build has no new features and offers fixes for a half-dozen small issues. Among them are rendering issues in certain types of PDFs in Microsoft Edge, crashes that occurred when using swipe to navigate back in Microsoft Edge, and apps that use .NET 4.7.1 not working correctly.

There are no known issues in this build.

(Get more info about Insider Preview Build 17760.)

Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 17758

Release date: September 11, 2018

This minor build has no new features; it offers fixes for a handful of small issues. Among them are an issue that caused the back button in Settings and other apps to become white text on a white background if you hovered over it, and another in which certain apps crashed when you tried to save a file from the app.

In the description of this build, Microsoft announced that starting with Build 17720, it updated the Storage Sense feature by letting it automatically free up disk space by turning older, unused, locally available files in OneDrive into online-only files. The “What’s new in Storage Sense?” blog post has more details.

There is one known issue in this build, in which Narrator sometimes does not read in the Settings app when you navigate using Tab and arrow keys.

(Get more info about Windows 10 Insider 17758.)

Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 17755

Release date: September 7, 2018

This minor build has no new features and only three fixes for problems: One that had resulted in slower resume from hibernation on some devices, another that had caused HDR video being unexpectedly clipped in certain situations, and a third in which Windows Hello spent more time in the “Getting Ready” state in recent builds.

There are two known issues in this build, including one in which when you use the Ease of Access Make Text bigger setting, you might see text clipping issues or find that text is not increasing in size everywhere. The two issues are the same as in the previous build, 17754.

(Get more info about Insider Preview 17755.)

Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 17754

Release date: September 5, 2018

This minor build has a variety of fixes for small problems, another sign that the Windows 10 October 2018 Update is close to being done. Among the issues fixed are one that caused the Action Center to work with reduced reliability, another in which clicking on web links in progressive web apps such as Twitter didn’t open the browser, and a third in which using the pen to ink in Microsoft Edge’s web notes caused crashes.

There are two known issues in this build, including one in which when you use the Ease of Access Make Text bigger setting, you might see text clipping issues or find that text is not increasing in size everywhere.

(Get more info about Insider Preview Build 17754.)

Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 17751

Release date: August 31, 2018

This build is a minor one and shows that Microsoft is coming closer to finalizing the code for the Windows 10 October 2018 Update, as the upcoming release is now officially named. The main thing you’ll notice is that there’s no longer a watermark on the lower right-hand corner of the desktop. That doesn’t mean it’s the final build, but it does mean that Microsoft is “beginning the phase of checking in final code to prepare for the final release,” in Microsoft’s words.

Apart from that, the build has only minor fixes and changes. Among the issues fixed are one in which you would get an error saying no supported app is installed after clicking some activities in Timeline, even though a supported app was installed, and another in which explorer.exe crashed if you were in Tablet Mode and opened Task View while in portrait orientation.

There are three known issues in this build, including one in which clicking on web links in progressive web apps such as Twitter doesn’t open the browser.

(Get more info about Insider Preview Build 17751.)

Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 17746

Release date: August 24, 2018

This build, as is the case with the last several builds, is a very minor one with only a handful of small changes, improvements and fixes. Expect it to be that way for most, if not all, of the remaining builds before final release of Redstone 5. There are only five small changes and fixes in this build, including for a bug in which Narrator would incorrectly report some standard combo boxes as “editable combo box” instead of “combo box,” and another in which Windows Mixed Reality caused motion controllers to need to be re-paired after the initial setup before appearing in the headset.

There are three known issues in this build, including one in which you may experience a bug check (GSOD) when logging out of your user profile or shutting down your PC.

(Get more info about Insider Preview Build 17746.)

Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 17744

Release date: August 21, 2018

This very minor build includes only a handful of small changes, improvements and fixes, including resolving an issue in which the contents of the Microsoft Edge window became offset from its window frame, and another in which certain apps crashed when they sent their Timeline activities.

There are four known issues in this build, including one in which you may experience a bug check (GSOD) when logging out of your user profile or shutting down your PC, and another in which after setting up a Windows Mixed Reality headset for the first time with motion controllers, the controllers may need to be paired a second time before appearing in the headset.

(Get more info about Insider Preview Build 17744.)

Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 17741

Release date: August 17, 2018

This very minor build includes a new desktop icon that, when clicked, launches the Your Phone app for Android phones, which lets people see and copy photos from Android phones to their PCs. The app was introduced back in build 17730; only the desktop icon for launching it is new in this build.

Apart from that, there are more than a dozen minor changes, improvements and bug fixes, including fixing an issue which caused PCs to bug check (GSOD) when deleting a local folder that was synced to OneDrive, and another issue in which when Settings was open to “Bluetooth & Other Devices” and then minimized to the taskbar, when you tried to resume the app, Settings would crash.

There are three known issues in this build, including one in which after setting up a Windows Mixed Reality headset for the first time with motion controllers, the controllers may need to be re-paired before appearing in the headset.

(Get more info about Insider Preview Build 17741.)

Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 17738

Release date: August 14, 2018

This very minor build introduces no new features. It has more than a dozen bug fixes and minor changes and improvements, including fixing an issue that hurt the Start menu’s performance and reliability, and another in which Microsoft Edge’s Settings and More menu became truncated when the option to increase text size was enabled in Settings.

There are a half-dozen known issues in this build, including one in which a PC will perform a bug check (GSOD) when deleting a local folder that is synced to OneDrive, and another in which after setting up a Windows Mixed Reality headset for the first time with motion controllers, the controllers may need to be paired a second time before appearing in the headset.

(Get more info about Insider Preview Build 17738.)

Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 17735

Release date: Aug. 10, 2018

This very minor build introduces no new features, and has fewer than a dozen bug fixes and minor changes and improvements, including fixing an issue in which links that launched one app from another app were not working, and another in which in Windows Mixed Reality the voice command, “Flashlight on,” would fail to activate the flashlight feature.

There are a number of known issues in this build, including your PC performing a bugcheck (GSOD) when deleting a local folder that is synced to OneDrive, and another in which the taskbar flyouts (network, volume, etc.) no longer have an acrylic background.

(Get more info about Insider Preview Build 17735.)

Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 17733

Release date: Aug. 8, 2018

This very minor build introduces only one very small feature, a dark theme in File Explorer. In addition, Narrator received more than a dozen fixes, including one in which Narrator couldn’t access all the emoji in the Touch Keyboard’s emoji panel, and another in which Narrator couldn’t read the label of the Word document recovery dialog.  A few overall fixes were also made for Windows 10 itself, including one in which the touch keyboard became invisible on the screen, and another in which – if you reset certain devices and chose to keep files – the Sound Settings page would be unresponsive after logging back into Windows.

There are a number of known issues in this build, including potential Start reliability and performance issues, and one in which after setting up a Windows Mixed Reality headset for the first time with motion controllers, the controllers may need to be re-paired a second time before appearing in the headset.

(Get more info about Insider Preview Build 17733.)

Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 17730

Release date: Aug. 3, 2018

This build introduces the new Your Phone App that will let people with Android phones see and copy photos from those phones to their PCs. To install it, click the Your Phone app icon, and you’ll then get an app that has to be installed on the phone. The iOS version links an iPhone to a PC, so that when you surf the web on your phone, you’ll be able to send the webpage to your PC and pick up where you left off on the phone.

The build also lets the Edge browser take advantage of HTTP/2 as supported in Windows Server 2019. For details, see Top 10 Networking Features in Windows Server 2019: #8 A Faster, Safer Internet.

In addition, there are the usual small changes and fixes, including resolving an issue that caused the volume slider in certain apps to perform poorly with touch, and another in which in certain apps, including Twitter, stopped rendering content when navigating after a while.

There are a number of known issues in this build, including one in which clicking a link to launch one app from another app may not work, and potential Start reliability and performance issues.

(Get more info about Insider Preview 17730.)

Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 17728

Release date: July 31, 2018

This minor build makes a number of changes to the Narrator, including better reading and navigating in Scan mode, improved reliability, and better use of Braille commanding when using the Narrator key from the Braille display.

Microsoft also announced that in the next few weeks, Windows Insiders will be able to use the new Your Phone App to let people with Android devices see content from those devices on their PCs. It will do things such as let someone take pictures on an Android phone and then view the photos on a PC. The app will let users with iOS devices link their phones to their PCs to do things such as surf the web on their phones, then send the webpage to their PCs so they can pick up where they left off.

In addition, there are the usual small changes and fixes, including an issue in which the Clock & Calendar flyout sometimes did not appear until the Start or the Action Center was clicked, and another in which Find on Page in Microsoft Edge would stop working for open PDFs once the PDF was refreshed.

There are a number of known issues in this build, including one that affects WDAG, Remote Desktop and Hyper-V. In it, Remote Desktop Client (mstsc.exe) users will see a misleading error dialog warning about low virtual memory when a connection is being established.

(Get more info about Insider Preview 17728.)

Windows 10 Insider Preview Builds 17723 and 18204

Release date: July 25, 2018

This build serves double-duty. It’s both a preview (17723) for Redstone 5 as well as the first build for testers (18204) who have opted into Skip Ahead for Redstone 6.

Emoji fans will be pleased to see that there are now 157 new emoji, including superheroes, redheads, a softball, a pirate flag and a llama. That’s because Unicode 11 has been incorporated into the build. Access them via the Emoji Panel (WIN + .) or the touch keyboard.

Also new is what Microsoft is calling a mixed reality flashlight, which lets you easily bypass the mixed reality world when you’re wearing a mixed reality headset, and instead look at the real world. So no longer will you have to remove your headset when you want to peek at something nearby or reach for a drink or phone, for example. You’ll be able to do it via the Start menu, a button shortcut or a voice command.

Microsoft Edge has gotten a few tweaks, including new Group Policies and MDM settings for IT administrators to manage it. There’s also an easier way for device administrators to set up their PCs as a kiosk or digital sign.

In addition, there are a variety of small changes and fixes, including one in which some laptops underwent a CRITICAL PROCESS DIED bug check when the PC was put to sleep by closing the lid and the connected power disconnected. There are also a variety of known issues, including one in which the clock & calendar flyout may not appear until bringing up Start or Action Center, and they will then both appear at the same time. The same issue may result in notifications not appearing until Start or Action Center is opened.

(Get more info about Insider Preview Build 17723 and 18204.)

Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 17711

Release date: July 6, 2018

No big news in this build. Microsoft Edge gets a few minor additions, including new themes and a new consent box for saving autofill data. Microsoft also continues to add new Fluent design elements throughout Windows, including shadows for popup controls. There’s also a new Windows HD Color page, available under Display Settings. The Registry Editor has been improved with more useful input tools.

There is also a wide variety of very small fixes, including for a bug in which attempting to pin Settings categories to the Start menu would either crash Settings or do nothing, and another in which creating a system image from backup and restore in the control panel would fail on x86 machines.

(Get more info about Insider Preview Build 17711.)

Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 17704

Release date: June 27, 2018

The big news in this build is that the Sets feature, which lets you group documents, web pages, files and apps in tabs, and then work with them, has been pulled — with no word about when it might be reinstated. This means that it may not ship with Redstone 5.

Sets was originally scheduled to be released as part of the Windows 10 April 2018 Update (Redstone 4), but Microsoft pulled it due to a variety of problems. The company included Sets in Redstone 5 builds starting with Build 17618 on March 7, 2018 — even before the Windows 10 April 2018 Update was released. And now, in Build 17704, Microsoft has pulled it again.

Microsoft explained the decision this way in its description of this latest build: “Starting with this build, we’re taking Sets offline to continue making it great. Based on your feedback, some of the things we’re focusing on include improvements to the visual design and continuing to better integrate Office and Microsoft Edge into Sets to enhance workflow. If you have been testing Sets, you will no longer see it as of today’s build, however, Sets will return in a future WIP flight.”

No date was set for the feature’s return, so there’s no guarantee it will be included in Redstone 5, due this fall. If you’ve been following the build notes for Redstone 5, you might not be that surprised about what Microsoft has done, because Microsoft has continually reported issues with the feature in its notes about each build.

Aside from pulling Sets, Microsoft has done a fair amount of work on Microsoft Edge in this build, including incorporating more Fluent Design elements into it, adding redesigned settings and the ability to customize the toolbar, as well as giving users control over whether media should automatically play on web pages.

The Skype for Windows 10 app gets a serious update with a variety of new features, including easier screen sharing, a new layout making it easier to find contacts, customizable themes and more. Check here for more details from Microsoft.

The Diagnostic Data Viewer, available as a separate download, has gotten tweaks, including the ability to view problem reports that have been or will be sent to Microsoft. However, it remains an extremely difficult-to-use tool that even programmers will struggle to understand.

There have also been a several improvements to Windows Security, including new protections and settings such as to block suspicious behaviors and to manage the various types of anti-malware, firewall and other security software running on your PC.

Other changes include allowing non-admin users to install fonts, and new columns for Task Manager that show power usage and power trends. There is also a long list of fixes, including for a bug that caused the lock screen to crash in a loop when Picture Password was selected, and another in which when Cortana search results were clicked, nothing would happen.

And there are a small number of known issues, including one in which Windows Mixed Reality might get stuck after going to sleep and display an error message in Mixed Reality Portal or a “Wake up” button that doesn’t work.

(Get more info about Insider Preview Build 17704.)

Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 17692

Release date: June 14, 2018

This build introduces an easier way to use the Windows 10 touchscreen keyboard with the addition of SwiftKey, which lets you enter text by dragging your fingers. SwiftKey, previously available only for iOS and Android, also improves the accuracy of autocorrections and text-input predictions.

In addition, there have been improvements to a number of Windows features. You can now search for text using Narrator’s new Find feature, and Narrator will also automatically read the contents of a dialog box when brought to the foreground, among other additions. New audio controls have been added to the Game Bar that let you change your default audio output device and mute or adjust the volume of games and apps running. Windows Mixed Reality has gotten several improvements, including the ability to stream audio to both a headset and PC speakers simultaneously.

There are the usual variety of minor changes and fixes, including for a bug that resulted in audio glitching on systems with lots of firewall rules, and another in Microsoft Edge where if both images and text were selected, right-clicking on the image and selecting copy wouldn’t work.

There is a long list of known issues with this release, including one in which launching Start causes reliability and performance issues, and another in which some settings in Settings may be unexpectedly missing and/or missing their labels. The Game Bar may also crash on x86 machines.

(Get more info about Insider Preview Build 17692.)

Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 17686

Release date: June 6, 2018

This minor build makes several minor improvements to Windows Mixed Reality, including adjustments to the mixed reality video capture experience to make it easier to stop videos from the Start menu. Also, the Windows Settings app gets a new Region page that lets you override default regional format settings such as Calendar, First day of the week, Dates, Times, and Currency. To use it, go to Settings > Time & Language > Region.

There are the usual variety of minor changes and fixes, including one in which Paint and WordPad settings and recent files weren’t migrated during upgrades, and another in which taskbar flyouts (network, volume, etc.) didn’t have a shadow. There are also a number of known issues that haven’t been fixed, including increased reliability and performance issues when launching Start. The new Sets feature continues to have problems working with Microsoft Office; for instance, there’s a bug in which tiling and cascading windows, including features like “View Side by Side” in Word, will not work for inactive tabs.

(Get more info about Insider Preview Build 17686.)

Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 17682

Release date: May 31, 2018

This build includes several minor changes, notably to the new Sets feature. Microsoft has tweaked Sets’ tab page to make it more obvious that apps can be launched from it. Now, when you click the plus button in a Sets window, apps will be included in the frequent destinations list. The “all apps” list has also been integrated into the page so you can browse your apps, instead of having to use the search box.

Microsoft Edge now includes a preview of the new Web Authentication API for developers, which  provides an open, scalable and interoperable solution for authentication, and replaces passwords.

Wireless projection gets some tweaks designed to help you know when you’re wirelessly projecting and how to disconnect, particularly if your session was begun in File Explorer or an app. A new control banner at the top of the screen tells you the state of your connection and allows you to quickly disconnect or reconnect. You can also use it to tune the connection based on what you are doing.

There’s the usual variety of minor changes and fixes, including fixing an issue that resulted in some apps missing pinned and recent items when you right-clicked their icons in the taskbar. There are also a number of known issues that have yet to be fixed, including reliability and performance issues when launching Start. The new Sets feature continues to have a variety of problems working with Microsoft Office, many of which have also been present in past builds, including one in which the top of some Win32 desktop app windows may appear slightly underneath the tab bar when maximized. To work around the issue, restore and re-maximize the window.

(Get more info about Insider Preview Build 17682.)

Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 17677

Release date: May 24, 2018

This build includes a variety of minor changes. Microsoft Edge’s “Settings and more” menu has been reorganized into groups to make options easier to find, and with icons placed next to each menu option. You can now also see your most visited sites on the Windows taskbar or Start menu. Right-click the Microsoft Edge icon to see a list of most visited sites and pin any you want. Right-click on an entry to remove it from the list. You can also more easily organize groups of tabs. In addition, new options (“Show in folder” and “Copy link”) have been added to the right-click menu for downloads in the “Downloads” pane.

The Windows Narrator has been improved and supports selecting content in Edge, Word, Outlook, Mail and most text applications. Mobile Broadband (LTE) connectivity on Windows gets a makeover in this build, and includes a new, more reliable network driver model. In addition, Task Manager’s memory reporting has been improved, and the Windows kernel now has support for IPv6 to KDNET.

There are several minor fixes, including for a bug in which the Home and End keys did not work in Edge. The build also has a variety of known issues, including one in which if you right-click apps in the taskbar, you might find that the jump list is missing pinned and recent items. And the new Sets feature has a variety of problems working with Microsoft Office, including one in which the top of some Win32 desktop app windows may appear slightly underneath the tab bar when maximized. To work around the issue, restore and re-maximize the window.

(Get more info about Insider Preview Build 17677.)

Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 17672

Release date: May 16, 2018

This build has only very minor changes and fixes. In it, the Windows Security Center (WSC) service now requires that third-party antivirus programs run as protected processes, or else they won’t show up in the Windows Security interface, and Windows Defender Antivirus will run side by side with them. You can, however, disable the behavior by creating the following registry key and rebooting:

HKLMSOFTWAREMicrosoftSecurity CenterFeature DisableAvCheck (DWORD) = 1

Note that the key won’t work when the next version of Windows 10 is closer to being released.

There’s also a variety of minor changes and fixes, including one in which PCs appeared to be stuck at “Preparing to install…” between 80% and 100% in Windows Update when attempting to install a new build.

The build has a variety of known issues, including one in which Narrator reads extra text when Alt + Tab is pressed. And the new Sets feature has a variety of problems working with Microsoft Office, including one in which tiling and cascading windows will not work for inactive tabs.

(Get more info about Insider Preview Build 17672.)

Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 17666

Release date: May 9, 2018

This build adds a variety of new features, including additions to the Sets feature. Sets now uses more Fluent Design standards, including an acrylic title bar. You can also mute web pages in Sets that play audio. And using Alt -Tab will show all recent Edge tabs when you switch between apps, not just the active one.

Windows Clipboard has been powered up. You can now paste previous items from the Clipboard’s history. And your Clipboard will roam across all of your devices, so you can clip items from a device other than the one you’re currently using.

There are a variety of other improvements, including the addition of a dark theme to File Explorer and improved search. A variety of bugs have been fixed, including one in which the VPN wasn’t working, and another in which a .dll would cause explorer.exe to crash every few minutes. There are, however, a number of known issues, including one in which your PC appears to be stuck on “Preparing to install” when it gets to 80% to 100% of updating. It will take 30 minutes or more to complete the installation from that point.

(Get more info about Insider Preview Build 17666.)

Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 17661

Release date: May 3, 2018

This build adds a variety of new features, including tweaks to screen capture in Windows 10. Screen Sketch, which lets you annotate screen captures and was originally part of Windows Ink, is now its own app. In addition, pressing WIN + Shift + S brings up a toolbar that lets you capture a rectangle, free-form snip or the entire screen. (In the current version of Windows, that key combination only lets you capture a rectangle.) You’ll also get a notification that, when clicked on, lets you open the snip in Screen Sketch for annotation and sharing.

There are a number of other minor improvements, including one in which Microsoft’s Fluent Design is being extended to Task View, whose background gets a new soft blur look. This build also adds to support for the High Efficiency Image File Format (HEIF), introduced in Build 17623, and lets you do things such as rotate HEIF images.

There’s also the usual assortment of changes and fixes, including fixing an issue in which using arrow and Page Up / Page Down keys didn’t work to scroll webpages in Microsoft Edge. There are a number of known issues with this build, including one in which some notifications from Action Center may cause regular Explorer.exe crashes.

(Get more info about Insider Preview Build 17661.)

Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 17655

Release date: April 25, 2018

This extremely minor build has only one new feature: Mobile Broadband (LTE) connectivity on Windows is getting a makeover. Microsoft says that its new Net Adapter framework “introduces a new, more reliable, network driver model that inherits the goodness of the Windows driver framework while bringing an accelerated data path.” Only PCs that support Mobile Broadband — that is, use cellular networks — will use the new framework.

Aside from that, there are only two changes and fixes. The brightness toggle in the Battery flyout in the Notification Area of the taskbar has been removed. Microsoft says that will make for an improved user experience. The build also fixes in issue in which Microsoft Edge didn’t work when dragging a favorite from one folder to another.

There are a variety of known issues in this build, including one in which the mouse cursor may disappear when hovering over certain user interface elements and text fields, and another in which the arrow and Page Up / Page Down keys don’t work to scroll web pages in Microsoft Edge. There are also a variety of issues with the new Sets feature, and with Microsoft Office working properly with this build.

(Get more info about Insider Preview Build 17655.)

Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 17650

Release date: April 19, 2018

This very minor build gives the Windows Defender Security Center a design refresh using Microsoft’s Fluent Design elements, including adjusting the spacing and padding around it and dynamically sizing the categories on the main page if more room is needed for extra info. In addition, the Windows Defender Firewall now supports Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) processes.

There’s also the usual assortment of changes and fixes, including an issue in which File Explorer would always open with the Ribbon minimized, rather than remembering how you’d left it. There are a number of known issues with this build, including one in which when a PC resumes from sleep, the desktop may be momentarily visible before the lock screen displays as expected.

(Get more info about Insider Preview Build 17650.)

Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 17643

Release date: April 12, 2018

This minor build introduces integration between the Microsoft Office and the new Sets feature that lets you group documents, web pages, files and apps in tabs, and then work with them. In addition, if you use a SIM on a mobile device, it will tell you how much data you use while you’re roaming. There are also the usual improvements and fixes, including fixing an issue in which Reveal would sometimes not appear if you moved your mouse over and off an element repeatedly, and another in which there was noticeable screen flicker when the screen adjusts after a device is rotated.

There are number of known issues with this build, including one in which if you open Settings and click on any links to the Microsoft Store or links in tips, Settings will crash, and another in which when a computer resumes from sleep, the desktop may be momentarily visible before the Lock screen displays as expected.

(Get more info about Insider Preview Build 17643.)

Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 17639

Release date: April 4, 2018

The big news in this build is the new features added to the Sets tool that let you group documents, web pages, files and apps in tabs, and then work with them. You can now drag and drop apps between tabs and use Alt + Tab to switch between tabs. Sets also gets its own section in Settings, available via Settings > System > Multitasking. There are also new context menu options when you right-click on a tab set, including “close other tabs,” “move to new window” and “close tabs to the right.”

Beyond that there’s an assortment of changes, improvements and fixes, including a fix for an issue that caused duplicate entries in Disk Management, and one in which some Windows apps silently terminated when minimized.

There are several known issues with this build, including one in which if you open the Settings app and click any links to the Microsoft Store or links in tips, Settings will crash.

(Get more info about Insider Preview Build 17639.)

Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 17634

Release date: March 29, 2018

In this build, search is now available in the Windows 10 calendar. You can search by name, location, people included, or words in the event body. It works for Outlook, Hotmail, Live and Office 365 accounts, but not yet Exchange Server, Gmail, Yahoo or other IMAP calendars. In the build, Cortana Show Me supports voice commands, such as for updating Windows, uninstalling an app, discovering Bluetooth devices and more. There is also an assortment of minor fixes and improvements, including for a bug in which Microsoft Edge could crash when certain extensions were turned off, and another in which typing in the Microsoft Edge URL bar immediately after opening a new tab sometimes resulted in the letters appearing out of order.

(Get more info about Insider Preview Build 17634.)

Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 17627

Release date: March 21, 2018

This very minor build includes only small bug fixes, including for one in which an emoji panel wasn’t working, and another where if you tried to open an online-only file from OneDrive that hadn’t been previously downloaded to your PC, your PC might perform a bug check.

(Get more info about Insider Preview Build 17627.)

Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 17623

Release date: March 16, 2018

This build rolls out the High Efficiency Image File Format (HEIF), a container that uses modern codecs like HEVC to improve image quality, compression and capabilities compared to earlier formats like JPEG, GIF and PNG. In addition to single images, HEIF supports encoding image sequences, image collections, auxiliary images like alpha or depth maps, live images and video, audio, and HDR. The Windows Defender Application Guard (WDAG) also gets performance improvements.

There are also the usual minor changes and fixes, including for an issue that crashed the touch keyboard when focus was moved to certain password fields, and another in which touch couldn’t be used to interact with the Timeline scrollbar.

(Get more info about Insider Preview Build 17623.)

Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 17618

Release date: March 7, 2018

This preview reintroduces a major new Windows 10 feature, Sets, that lets you group webpages, documents, files and applications on individual tabs in Windows Explorer. (Sets made a brief appearance in the preview builds for the April 2018 Update but was pulled because it wasn’t ready for general release.) Apps such as Mail, Calendar, OneNote, MSN News, Windows and Microsoft Edge can be grouped. Microsoft says support for more apps will come in the future.

Windows Mixed Reality is buggy in this build. Microsoft notes that it “runs at a very low frame rate (8-10fps) that could result in some physical discomfort. And there are multiple crashes at startup that will cause Windows Mixed Reality to not work.”

There are also the usual minor changes, improvements and fixes, including for a bug in which three- and four-finger gestures on the touchpad were unresponsive, and another in which navigating to Themes Settings crashed Settings.

(Get more info about Insider Preview Build 17618.)

Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 17604

Release date: February 14, 2018

This is the first preview for Redstone 5, and includes no new features — it’s essentially the same as the Preview Build 17101 for Redstone 4. However, Microsoft warns that this and other early Redstone 5 builds may be buggy, and adds, “So, things will likely be a little rough as they normally are at the beginning of the development cycle for a new Windows 10 release. If this concerns you or makes you uncomfortable, you may want to consider opting out of Skip Ahead.”

(Get more info about Insider Preview Build 17604.)

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