Microsoft has released Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 18305 (19H1) to Windows Insiders. The company says that this will be the last major WIP build of 2018. With this build, the company is introducing a simplified default Start layout for new devices, new user accounts, and clean installs.
The new layout has been simplified into a sleek one column design with reduced top-level tiles. The simplified Start layout is part of an ongoing effort designed to enhance the Start experience in the upcoming release of Windows. The company is introducing Windows Sandbox which is a new lightweight desktop environment tailored for safely running applications in isolation.
Windows Sandbox is an isolated desktop environment where you can run untrusted software without the fear of lasting impact on your device. Any software installed in Windows Sandbox stays only in the sandbox and cannot affect your host. Once Windows Sandbox is closed, all the software with all of its files and state are permanently deleted.
The company is also pushing security app improvements. The new Protection History experience still shows you detections by Windows Defender Antivirus, but it’s now updated to also give more detailed and easier to understand information about threats and available actions. Tamper Protection is a new setting from Windows Defender Antivirus, which when on, provides additional protection against changes to key security features, including limiting changes which are not made directly through the Windows Security app.
Once updated, you’ll find we’ve included sections for punctuation, currency, geometric, math, Latin, and language symbols. As you pick your most commonly used symbols, the most recently used tab will populate with them, so it will be even easier to select them next time. Based on the feedback, the company is optimizing the design for text snippets – shrinking the height of each entry and thus giving you access to more entries without needing to scroll the view.
The company is also announcing support for setting up and signing in to Windows with a phone number account, without having to create or deal with the hassle of a password. Once you’ve set up your account, you can use Windows Hello Face, Fingerprint, or a PIN to sign in to Windows 10. Microsoft can automatically fix certain critical problems on your Windows device to keep it running smoothly. The company will show display recommended troubleshooting while it tests any feature. These tests, marked as “sample recommended troubleshooter”, are safe to run and will not make any changes to your device.
ARSO is a feature that automatically signs-in a user after an update to finish setting up and then locks the PC. This feature is part of the company’s Seamless Update Story for Windows, and its goal is to reduce customer pain points around updates, including things such as post login set up time and not being able to pick up where you left off. Post update, when you launch Task Manager, it will now to jump directly to your preferred tab.
The company is also introducing a new way to help users finish their Windows setup and quickly access some of the most frequently used settings. The Settings home page now has a header at the top allowing you to take quick action for things like signing in and managing your Microsoft account, making the Windows and Microsoft experience better. It also gives you an easy to glance at system status.
Finally, the company is also introducing new office app which is designed to help users get the most out of Office. It helps users easily find all your files in one place or easily access any Office solution available to you. The app itself is free and it can be used with any Office 365 subscription, Office 2019, Office 2016, or Office Online. The Office app will replace the My Office app.