Microsoft releases action-packed Windows 10 20H1 Build 18963

Microsoft is busy rolling out new Windows 10 20H1 builds on a weekly basis. Build 18956, released nine days ago, introduced some network and notification improvements.

Today’s new flight, Build 18963, brings updates to Task Manager, Virtual Desktops, Optional Features in Settings, Notepad, account profiles, and Windows Search.

The Task Manager improvement comes in the form of GPU temperature monitoring support. Select the Performance tab and if you have a dedicated graphics card you can view its current temperature.

In this build you can now rename virtual desktops. This is one of those changes which is only being offered to 50 percent of Insiders however. You might be lucky, you might not.

The Optional Features page in Settings (Settings > Apps & Features > Optional Features) has undergone a number of usability improvements (well, for 50 percent of Insiders anyway). The changes include:

  • Multi-select: You can now select and install multiple optional features at the same time.
  • Better list management: You can now search through lists of optional features and sort them by Name, Size, and Install date.
  • More useful information: You can now see the install date for each optional feature in your 'Installed features' list. Microsoft has also added feature dependencies to the description of each optional feature in the list of features available for install.
  • Easier page navigation: View the status of your latest installs/uninstalls/cancels right on the main page in the 'Latest actions' section. You can now add optional features and view your history via pop-up dialogues, so you never have to navigate away from the main page

Mouse settings gains a cursor speed entry (go to Settings > Devices > Mouse), and Notepad can now be updated through the Microsoft Store.

If you choose to change your Windows account picture, the process is more consistent from this build.

  1. Open "Your info" in Windows settings by pressing the Windows key, and typing "Your info," and selecting "Your account info."
  2. Use the options in 'Create your picture' to select a new picture for your account.
  3. Check if your picture has been updated in Windows, and on the sites and apps you use.

Finally, there have been some improvements made to Windows Search, including improved spelling correction for Apps & Settings searches, and hints to improve best match results.

Other changes, improvements, and fixes in this build include:

  • Fixed an issue where when connected via cellular or Ethernet, the Network status would show you weren’t connected, even though you were able to successfully use the network.
  • Fixed an issue resulting in the candidate selection in the prediction candidate window for the Japanese IME occasionally not matching the composition string.
  • Fixed an issue where the candidate selection via number keys for the new Simplified Chinese IME did not match with the composition string.
  • Fixed an issue impacting typing speed over remote desktop.
  • Fixed an issue where, when using the emoji panel in certain places with an East Asian language active, it would close automatically after entering a single emoji even if the option to keep it open was enabled.
  • Fixed an issue where typing a very long string with the Vietnamese Telex keyboard without committing could result in the underlying app crashing.
  • Fixed a recent issue where the touch keyboard input a period when pressing the space key when typing in Korean.
  • Fixed an issue where, if the Allow Input Personalization group policy was set to disabled, then search would crash.
  • Fixed an issue resulting in search not returning results after disconnecting from the internet when using a local account.
  • Fixed an issue that could cause the search box to become invisible in the taskbar if you opened Start menu while there was an update pending on your system.
  • Fixed an issue for those using the new Cortana experience, where WIN+C wasn’t bringing up Cortana.
  • Fixed an issue resulting in iCloud calendars not syncing with the Calendar app.
  • In order to help reduce disk footprint, Microsoft is shifting the Connect app to now be available as an optional feature downloadable in Settings.
  • Fixed an issue resulting in not being able to setup Windows Hello in Settings in recent builds.
  • Fixed a recent issue where if Sound Settings was open, and you used the hardware volume keys on your PC to update the volume, the master volume slider in Settings might not stay in sync with the current value.
  • Fixed an issue resulting in the Graphics Settings drop-down list for Microsoft Store apps being empty.
  • Fixed an issue impacting Snip & Sketch capture reliability in recent builds.

Known issues are:

  • Insiders may notice a new "Cloud download" option in the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) under "Reset this PC". This feature is not working quite yet. Microsoft will let you know once it is, so you can try it out!
  • There has been an issue with older versions of anti-cheat software used with games where after updating to the latest 19H1 Insider Preview builds may cause PCs to experience crashes. Microsoft is working with partners on getting their software updated with a fix, and most games have released patches to prevent PCs from experiencing this issue. To minimize the chance of running into this issue, please make sure you are running the latest version of your games before attempting to update the operating system.
  • Some Realtek SD card readers are not functioning properly.
  • Microsoft is investigating reports that the minimize, maximize, and close title bar buttons aren’t working for certain apps. If you’re using an impacted app, Alt+F4 should work as expected to close the app if needed.

Photo credit: charnsitr / Shutterstock

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