Windows 10 20H1 Preview Build 18980
This build is making the new Cortana app — introduced in build 18945 – available to all insiders worldwide. Currently, the updated Cortana app supports English (U.S.) only. However, the company notes that “In a future Cortana app update, customers will have the option to use Cortana if they speak a supported language, regardless of their OS display language.”
This release has also added WSL2 support for ARM64 devices. There is also the added ability to set your distribution’s default user with the /etc/wsl.conf file. For more on the improvements check out Microsoft’s WSL release notes.
In addition to the new features and changes above, here is the list of other fixes and improvements included in today’s build:
There was an upgrade block on the previous flight in order to ensure that Insiders with certain versions of Outlook weren’t impacted by an issue in the build, which resulted in some insiders not finding the build when they checked for updates last week. This has been removed with this flight.We fixed a deadlock in netprofmsvc.dll that was occurring in recent builds. Symptoms for those impacted potentially included upgrade to the build freezing at 98%, or (if you were able to upgrade,) various aspects of the system unexpectedly freezing and becoming unresponsive.We’ve done some work to help address an issue where Outlook wouldn’t launch if you clicked an incoming email notification.We fixed an issue impacting touch keyboard reliability in recent builds.We fixed an issue impacting WIN+(Period) reliability.We’ve made the decision to return to the retail build version of the Korean IME while we work on addressing feedback Insiders shared with us about the updated IME experience.We fixed an issue impacting screen snipping reliability in the last few flights.We fixed an issue that could result in the login screen acrylic on the previous flight sometimes unexpectedly showing squares around UI elements.We fixed an issue that could result in certain app thumbnails going unexpectedly blank when you right-clicked them in Task View.We fixed an issue where removable devices were erroneously labeled as HDD in Task Manager’s performance tab. They will now be labeled Removable.As some Insiders have noticed, to give you the option to save disk space if needed, we’ve converted MS Paint and WordPad into Optional Features. You can choose to uninstall them or reinstall them via Optional Features in Settings.We’ve made some adjustments to help improve performance of the Apps & Features page in Settings when searching.We fixed an issue that could result in Settings crashing when updating your account picture.Ease of Access settings are no longer participating in settings synchronization (roaming). Accordingly, we have now removed the Ease of Access toggle in Settings > Accounts > Sync your settings.Magnifier reading now works better in applications like Google Chrome and Firefox.Magnifier reading no longer clicks the application when using the “Read from here” button or the Ctrl + Alt + Left Mouse Click keyboard shortcut.We fixed an issue where the text cursor indicator would not display when switching between left-to-right and right-to-left languages.We fixed an issue where the text cursor indicator would sometimes appear on read-only areas of the screen.We fixed an issue where the text cursor indicator would appear over the Start menu instead of staying in the Search edit box after typing text in the Search edit box.Improved the ability of reading the title of the window with Narrator while reading messages in Outlook.Improved auto-reading in Outlook with Narrator to make it more reliable.Made changes to more reliably read the message headers using Narrator while reading when using the Shift + Tab command while in Scan Mode.Improved the verbosity of Narrator when reading lists at verbosity level one.We fixed an issue where an edit field on some webpages was not getting properly updated on a configured braille display when editing the contents with Narrator.We fixed an issue where certain Local Experience Packs (LXPs) may revert to English.We fixed an issue resulting in certain Wi-Fi adapters not being able to load (code 10 error) after upgrading from a previous release of Windows and needing to be disabled and re-enabled for it to work.
Keep in mind that Windows 10 20H1 is an Insider build that will include the feature the updates we expect to see next Spring. Microsoft has announced that 19H2 will basically be a service pack which is expected to roll out later this month. With Insider builds you can expect a lot of bugs and other issues for both users and developers alike. Make sure to read Microsoft’s full blog post for all changes, known issues, and workarounds in build 18980.
