HomeWinBuzzer NewsMicrosoft Rolls Out Windows 10 Preview Build 18298 with Sweeping Changes

Microsoft Rolls Out Windows 10 Preview Build 18298 with Sweeping Changes

Windows 10 Preview Build 18298 offers the biggest 19H1 branch update so far, with changed to File Explorer, Notepad, Narrator, Start Menu, and more.

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It's Patch Tuesday today and is also rolling out a new preview for Windows Insiders. This is the latest release for the 19H1 branch and is probably the most feature rich preview so far. Windows 10 Preview Build 18298 comes with changes to , , keyboard, Console, Notepad, Narrator, and sign-in.

Starting with the latter, Microsoft has simplified the sign-in experience, allowing users to set a security key from the Settings app.

Over the last few weeks, we have reported on Microsoft's decision to update its icons across services. The first signs of Windows 10's new icons are included in Preview Build 18298 in the form of a new icon for the File Explorer.

Speaking of File Explorer, Microsoft has also changed the Downloads folder to sort the most recent downloaded file at the top by default… finally!

In the Start Menu, Windows 10 Preview Build 18298 unpins groups and folders through a new entry on the context menu.

In a blog post to announce build 18298, Microsoft also discussed some changes to the touch keyboard on Windows 10:

  • “Type faster with more accuracy: When you're typing quickly, sometimes your fingers miss the actual key you're trying to hit by a small margin. This is totally normal but can impact the text prediction accuracy (if you ending up pressing a different letter than expected). To address this, as you type, under the covers we will now dynamically adjust the hit target of each key, based on prediction of what letter most likely will be typed next. The keys will look no different to the eye.”

Notepad and Narrator

Over on the Notepad, Windows 10 Preview Build 18298 adds a column to the status bar which shows the encoding of a document and the ability to save files in UTF-8 without a Byte Order Mark. In fact, saving as UTF-8 without a Byte Order Mark is now the default of Notepad.

Lastly, the Narrator has been updated to be more useable. The service has received a Narrator Home, which is a single hub for accessing all features and tools in Narrator:

“Every time you turn on Narrator, you'll be taken to Narrator Home, which gives you one place where you can access everything you need for Narrator—whether you want to change your settings or learn Narrator basics with QuickStart.

“In settings, you can remove Narrator Home from the Alt + Tab list, and instead minimize it to the system tray. You can access your settings through Narrator Home or by pressing Windows logo key + Ctrl + N.”

For more information on changes made in Windows 10 Preview Build 18292 and fixes made to the platform, head to Microsoft's blog here.

Luke Jones
Luke Jones
Luke has been writing about all things tech for more than five years. He is following Microsoft closely to bring you the latest news about Windows, Office, Azure, Skype, HoloLens and all the rest of their products.

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