While the Windows 10 spring 2021 update will be a minor service pack style, with a strong focus on quality improvements for enterprise customers, reports have suggested that Windows 10 version 21H2 will be an important release.
With the Windows 10 Sun Valley update, we expect new features for the Start Menu, Taskbar, Action Center (Notification Center), File Explorer, and more.
Below we present the new changes that will be launched this year.
A new option from the Power menu in the Start menu
Microsoft has added a new option to the Power menu in the Start menu to restart applications after you sign in when you restart your device.
This setting is based on the existing “Restart applications” feature, which is currently available in Settings> Accounts> Login options> Restart applications in Windows 10 May 2020 Update (20H1) or later.
News and interests
Microsoft is working on a Google Discover-like news feed for the taskbar. This feature is called “News and interests” and will display news, sports scores, and other information based on your interests and location.
Microsoft will pin the news feed to the taskbar, and users can hover over the weather icon to access it. You can customize the feed by clicking the “Manage interests” button, which will launch the MSN customization page in Chromium-based Microsoft Edge.
Display settings
Microsoft is adding a new option to the Settings application that will allow you to turn off Adaptive Content Brightness Control (CABC). For those who don’t know, the CABC feature is used by OEMs like Dell and Lenovo to improve battery performance on PCs, but it costs image quality.
In some configurations, it can lead to changes in the fun brightness.
Starting with the Sun Valley update, you can turn off the feature by navigating to the Display Settings page.
File Explorer
Microsoft is working on a new touch interface for File Explorer. In preview versions, Microsoft distances items, columns, and rows in File Explorer and adds even more space to other areas to help you easily interact with your files on the touch screen.
Microsoft claims that these changes will provide greater consistency with modern code (XAML), which is used in UWP (Universal Windows Platform) applications. The new touch interface will not be exclusive to tablet mode, which means you can try the changes when using desktop mode (normal experience).
Room settings
Microsoft is also introducing a new Camera Settings page that will give users the ability to add / remove cameras and configure their default image settings.
This new Settings page can be found in Settings> Devices> Camera, and users can use it to configure the default image settings, such as brightness and contrast.
Animations
The Sun Valley update will also introduce new animations when opening and minimizing windows.
Currently, the new animation is enabled for almost all Windows transitions, including Command Prompt, PowerShell, modern and old applications, and more.
How to test these new features now
If you are a member of the Windows Insider Program (join it from the Microsoft website), here’s how you can download and install “Dev” versions before anyone else:
- Open the Start menu.
- Click the Cog icon to access Settings.
- Navigate to Update and Security> Windows Insider, or simply search for “Windows Insider Settings” on Cortana to skip the navigation steps.
- Click Start on the Windows Insider page.
- Log in to your Microsoft account (the email should be the one you used earlier to sign up for the Insider program).
- Select “Dev Channel”.
- Restart.
- Check for updates and download the update.