• Michael
• On December 28, 2016

Leaked build of Windows 10 reveals many changes coming soon to Insiders

Even though Microsoft did pause the Insider program around Christmas / New Year Eve, a build with number 14997 unofficially made its way to the public. This internal build of Windows 10 (for PC) hints at many changes coming soon to the official Public beta program. Here are the new features, changes and improvements expected to arrive in early January for the Insiders, and eventually to everyone with the Creators Update later in 2017.

New initial set-up menu

Microsoft improved the post-installation process with new steps to set-up Windows. These steps may vary according to the version of Windows 10 the user is installing. The user will see a new window to set-up Cortana.

Folders with Live Tiles

A feature we know from Windows Phone 8.1 and Windows 10 Mobile. You will be able to create folders with Live Tiles on the Start Screen. Drag and drop a Tile on another tile to create a new folder. You can name the folder and add more Live Tiles to the group.

Blue Light

A new feature you can find under Settings → Display. It automatically lowers the blue light the display emits, which improves the quality of your sleep. You can adjust the color temperature, turn on/off the feature, or schedule the Blue light automatically. Blue Light has its own quick action button in the Action Center.

Cortana shortcut

You can bring up Cortana by pressing the Windows logo key + C

Colors

In Settings → Persоnalization, the Colors section includes the five most recent colors you’ve used. Microsoft also slightly tweaked the settings for Transparency and Accent color.

Themes

The Personalization page has a new sub-menu called ‘Themes’. It allows you to change the Theme of Windows 10 from the Settings app. By doing this, you will change sound, mouse cursor, background and color information.

Microsoft Edge

A new button on the top left allows you to ‘Set tabs aside’ and restore them later with a click of the button. You can also expand the navigation bar and see the webpage previews by clicking on the little arrow next to the ‘New tab’ button (+).

Other features in Windows 10 Creators Update (14997):

• New Share interface

• A new link to ‘Manage Storage Spaces’ in System → Storage

• Bluetooth is now Bluetooth & other devices.

• Windows Update: Pause Update feature in the Advance Options menu.

• UI changes for Windows Defender

Overall, this leaked build includes many improvements and changes we will see very soon through the Insider program. Since PC and Mobile share the same core, we will likely also see many of these improvements coming to Windows 10 Mobile in January.

Images Credit: WindowsBlogItalia