On December 10, Microsoft released Windows 10 19H1 Preview Build 18298 to Windows Insiders in the Fast ring. This new test build adds a bunch of new features, alongside other feature and settings updates. Read this news to learn this build in detail.

This new release of Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 18298 brings very rich content, so to speak, it is an explosive upgrade. In the following part, let’s see the new features and the general changes & bug fixes.

What’re New in Windows Build 18298

Consolidating Sign-in Options

Microsoft has started to simplify sign-in settings to increase visual clarity and improve ease of use, and the goal is to offer users a one-stop shop for all the sign-in settings. Windows 10 Build 18298 adds a new option to the list: users can set up a security key straight from Settings.

Sign into Microsoft Account with a FIDO2 Device or Windows Hello
Sign into Microsoft Account with a FIDO2 Device or Windows Hello

Now you can sign into your Microsoft account with a FIDO2 device or Windows Hello, which is much safer for the account and data.

Read More

Two Improvements in File Explorer

Microsoft is updating the icon of File Explorer to match up with the new light theme. See the following figure to know what it looks like now:

The second improvement is to update the default download folder sorting so that the most recently downloaded files are at the top of the list. This can let you easily find the file you are looking for.

Note: If you already changed the current sorting from the default in any way, Microsoft won’t change it.

Start Menu Improvement

In Windows 10 19H1 Preview Build 18298, there is a new feature called Quick unpin for groups and folders located in Start Menu, allowing you to quickly start fresh and reorganize your Start menu layout.

Notepad Updates

1. UTF-8 encoding:

The way that Notepad handles encoding is improved. In the Build 18298, Microsoft adds an option to save files in UTF-8 without a Byte Order Mark. UTF-8 has become the default encoding for saving new files.

Besides, this company has added a column to the status bar to display the encoding of the document.

2. Modified indicator:

Now, Notepad shows an asterisk (*) in the title bar in front of a title of any document, which means that this document has unsaved changes.

3. Additional Short Cuts

  • Ctrl+Shift+N: create a new Notepad document
  • Ctrl+Shift+S: open Save as dialog
  • Ctrl+W: close the current Notepad window

4. Other Improvements and Bug Fixes

  • Notepad can open and save files with a path longer than 260 characters.
  • Microsoft has fixed some bugs: Notepad can count lines incorrectly for documents with very long lines; Notepad no longer creates a new file when launched with a file unexisting path, etc.

Touch Keyboards Improvements

When you type, Microsoft will dynamically adjust the hit target of each key depending on a prediction of what letter most likely will be typed next. This will allow faster typing with more accuracy.

Besides, Microsoft is making some improvements to reduce the number of times that a touch keyboard in tablet mode will eventually block text fields when docked.

Console Update

In Windows 10 19H1 Preview Build 18298, you will see an additional Terminal tab when opening the Properties page of any Console window.

Narrator Improvements

When you turn on Narrator each time, you will be brought to the Narrator Home, giving you a screen where you can access all the settings, learn Narrator basics and view the complete Narrator guide online.

Ease of Access Improvements

Microsoft has introduced new cursor sizes and colors in Windows 10 19H1 Preview Build 18298 to make it easier to see the cursor in Windows. To see these options, you can go to Settings > Ease of Access > Vision > Cursor & pointer.

Install Windows 10 Setup

Microsoft is adjusting the design of Windows 10 Setup. When running setup.exe from an ISO, you will enter the following interface:

Windows Update Notification

When there is an update installed and requires a reboot, you can see the Power button in the Start Menu has an orange indicator to alert you to restart your device after the installation.

Other Updates for Insiders

Microsoft also rolls out some updates to Insiders in the Fast ring, including:

  • Updating Feedback Hub to version 1811
  • Snip & sketch updates
  • Game bar updates

Additionally, there are many general changes, improvements and bug fixes in Windows 10 Build 18298, including a merge conflict, Check for Updates crash, Settings crash, night light settings not working, and more. Besides, some known issues are found.

Here, we won’t introduce these general fixes and changes in detail. To learn more, you can read this blog – Announcing Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 18298.

Tip: If you are the members of Insiders in the Fast ring, you can download the update by checking for updates in Settings. Note that you had better back up your important files and Windows OS before the upgrade to avoid data loss and system update issues. Here, the professional PC backup software, MiniTool ShadowMaker is helpful.
  • linkedin
  • reddit