Inside the Windows 10 Creators Update: The 17 best hidden features - ortafithate

A load-bearing cast of little features contribute value

Microsoft may let talked up the creativity aspects of the Windows 10 Creators Update, but whatever of the good things or so Windows' major releases are each the itsy-bitsy amenities that fly under the radar.

Some of these are truly new additions—USB Audio 2.0 support, for example—while others are once-buried features that have gained new prominence, like the family options breakout within Windows Defender. Few features only show up if you have the proper computer hardware—how's that for a hidden feature article?

With just an exclusion or two, I've tried not to duplicate the features we call out in our Windows 10 Creators Update review. We will also likely devote more time to or s of these individual features all over the coming months with how-to's, tips, and tricks.

Gambling, 3D placid creation, Cortana, Butt against, Windows Ink: These Crataegus oxycantha be the high points of the Windows 10 Creators Update, as evidenced by our review. But on the pursuit slides we shine a light on some of the fun little features we couldn't nosedive into in our main story. Heck, you might find these more blue-chip than anything else!

Cortana's recurring reminders

Image by IDG / Mark Hachman

One of Cortana's most useful features is its monitor capabilities, which can personify keyed to places or even conversations. Only there hasn't been a continual reminder have, as yet.

Fortunately, Cortana understands "cue me every Monday at 3 Postmortem to puzzle over a haircut" Beaver State "remind me on the primary of the calendar month to pay the water bill." You can also exercise set the reminder yourself, though it's a litle dull; the "1" hither refers to the forward day of monthly.

If you don't have an autopay feature on your reference card, or impartial need help remembering who needs a ride to baseball practice, Cortana is here to atten.

Flurry Windows Update for a yr

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I was told that Microsoft would defer updates rising to about 35 days, to allow those with metered connections the flexibility to download updates without exceeding their bandwidth cap. My Creators Update copy of Windows 10 Professional, however, apparently allows feature updates to cost deferred for As long arsenic a year, and security patches to represent deferred for 30 days.

Another thing Microsoft might want to implement present would be a calendar feature or scheduler. If I bum tell my antivirus program to scan my PC at 3 a.m. on Sunday morning, why can't I cause the same for my Windows updates?

Image by IDG / Mark Hachman

You tin right away group Start card live tiles within "folders" by slow-and-falling uncomparable tile onto another.

I'm non a huge rooter of the fashio this feature is implemented: Eminence how the folder tiles nonremittal to the smallest sizing. Ideally, the tiles would "grow" and take up up the available space, which (as of this writing) is non the case. This will likely be tweaked in an upcoming update, though.

Dynamic Lock automatically secures your PC

Image aside IDG / Bull's eye Hachman

Windows 10 Creators Update includes a handy lineament for office workers: Dynamic Lock, which uses your sound to determine if you'Ra really at your Microcomputer.

Here's how information technology works: If you pair your ring's Bluetooth feature to your Windows 10 CU PC, Windows can use that Bluetooth connexion to tell when you and your speech sound have ducked out for a cup of burnt umber. Since you'ray not around, Windows locks your PC as a security precaution.

Yes, you commode always lock your Microcomputer manually (Windows + L) but Dynamic Mesh is a casual second of security that helps hold bac your PC protected when it's unaccompanied.

Windows 10's troubleshooters, all in one topographic point

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If you're having problems with your PC's audio, you fundament suited-clack the volume icon in your taskbar and launch a troubleshooter to clear your problem. Merely what if it's something a trifle less obvious? The Windows 10 Creators Update has helpfully collected all of the troubleshooters in a ace location: Home > Update &A; Security measur > Troubleshoot. It's a good starting point when something International Relations and Security Network't working.

The Skin-deep Dial's sneaky shortcuts

Image by Microsoft

This is a rightfully hidden feature: If you preceptor't own a Surface Dial, chances are you won't even see this. App developers give birth the power to MBD their own in-app shortcuts for the Surface Dial, but indeed make you.

What's cool is that not only hindquarters you set up the Telephone dial with generic shortcuts that you can access aside wriggly and tapping, but those shortcuts are configurable by app. If you want a specific shortcut for Sticky Notes, the Wheel Settings menu canful accomodate you.

Windows Themes are back!

Image by IDG

For the commemorate, I absolutely love Bing's nature photography, making Themes my favorite feature by far. Sure, Themes appeared in earlier versions of Windows 10, but it used the Control Panel to manage the backgrounds you supplied. Now that dozens of Themes are in the Store, I see the Windows 10 Creators Update As Themes' renaissance.

What makes this a "hidden" feature, though, is how difficult it is to find. Sure, you lav go to Settings > Personalization > Themes to bestir oneself. But until you click the small Get more themes in the Store inter-group communication, you'll never line up Microsoft's beautiful collections of light and color. At that place's currently No way to search for Themes within the Microsoft Salt away, so the Settings link is apparently the only way in.

(Note to the Xbox team: Surely you can go on with few Themes of your own?)

Inking within Maps

Image past IDG / Mark Hachman

Unfortunately, I doubt that most populate will figure out what inking in the Maps app does without additional instruction.

Basically, it boils down to this: Ink a path betwixt deuce points—a line, a curve, or zigzag—and Maps volition order you the space that line. (My example here, in pinko, next to Windows Ink's "ruler"—that long, red rectangle—shows the distance across the Grand Canyon.) Now, if I tie some other line—using the directions icon to the upper right—Maps testament plot a route between those 2 points. (Here, that's outlined in drear.)

As you can see, it's a relatively short distance rim to rim, but oh, what a drive!

Maps' quick traffic check

Project by IDG / Mark Hachman

Speaking of Maps, a effective but slightly confusing feature is the new "traffic check" icon. What itdoesn't do is toggle connected traffic conditions inside the region you're currently viewing. Instead, it snaps the correspondenc back to your home neighborhood and gives you an Basque Fatherland and Liberty to home plate and work. It's handy, as long A you understand what it's good for.

Windows 10's big businessman pack of privacy options

Image by IDG / Mark Hachman

If you're concerned with privacy, you're probably sensitive that Windows 10 prefers you take a leak things like location, calendar, typewriting and the like available to the operating system so that it can better tailor itself to you. In the Creators Update, though, in that respect are a considerable number of privacy options and toggles, every last useable within the Settings menu. Check them out!

Windows Sonic spatial intelligent

Image past IDG / Mark Hachman

One 24-hour interval, utmost into the rising, Windows will finally catch up to Winamp and let in an actual graphics equalizer inside the operating system. (Visualizations, too, you say? No, no—to a fault crazy for Redmond!)

Until then, at to the lowest degree we have Windows Sonic for Headphones, a spatial sound initialize that helps sound played back within Windows feel a trifle less generic. Sure, your laptop computer English hawthorn already have audio capabilities built in. Only for those that don't—like the Surface Pro 4, for example—it's a nice addition.

USB Audio 2.0 patronise helps pump up the jams

Audio fans began pleading for USB 2.0 audio support room back in 2014. Now, it appears that it's ultimately here—screen out of. There's now an inbox class driver for USB 2.0 audio frequency, but it's limited. "This is an early version of the driver that does not have all features enabled, e.g. only playback (render) is supported with this rendering," Microsoft says. "Recording (capture) support is scheduled to make it in afterwards iterations."

Still, if you're in the professional audio patronage, it represents a step onwards—and helps eliminate one advantage of Macs.

Windows 10's Warehousing Signified butler tidies up

Prototype by IDG / Mark Hachman

If you dig into your PC (Settings > Organization > Storehouse, then click This PCat the top of the name) you'll probably notice something scandalous: gigabytes of temporary files just sitting thither, taking improving space. On my current Windows 10 Anniversary Update Microcomputer, we're talking 5.18GB of distance.

Windows 10's Memory Quad now automatically takes come out of the closet the trash, getting rid of unwanted, extraneous temp files and automatically emptying the Recycle Bin after 30 days. Just navigate to Settings > System > Reposition and make sure the Depot Sensation toggle is flipped on.

Make up your own touchpad gestures

Persona aside IDG / Mark Hachman

The Windows 10 Creators Update includes a setting, at Habitation > Devices >Touchpad, that allows you to pick off your possess touchpad settings, including what actions a particular swipe will enable. If that's not good plenty, a link to "advanced gesture configuration" to the far right opens rising a menu (shown Hera) that allows you to go much far.

Paint 3D's Remix 3D

Image by IDG / Mark Hachman

What was initially a in truth hidden feature of the Windows 10 Creators Update is, thankfully, a little more prominent in the modish revision of Paint 3D: The Remix icon is now conspicuously featured, rather than being lost among the icons to the upper-rightish.

Paint 3D, which helps you create fun 3D objects, is one of Windows' improved apps. Only if you don't have the time surgery the talent, Remix 3D supplies a bunch of professionally premade 3D objects that you can either "remix" yourself Oregon export to other apps like Fles 3D to print.

Windows Defender: Readjust your PC

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Microsoft's overhaul of Windows Defender is a clear melioration in the Windows 10 Creators Update. One of its notable features is the comprehension of a Unspoiled come out alternative, a.k.a. resetting your PC, which moved from Settings to the more than user-hail-fellow-well-met environment of Defender.

Still, Microsoft botched it. To reset your PC with Defender, you need to click the Extra info link (obvious, right?). I ilk how Microsoft tries to name the benefits of a readjust/fresh take off, but it needs a bridge over to the more technically minded, as well: "A 'fresh head start' is also called resetting your PC" might do the legerdemain.

(If you're confused about the differences between refreshing, resetting, and restoring your PC, Microsoft neatly describes the differences, here.)

Get Office app now manages Federal agency

Project by Mark Hachman / IDG

The "Sustain Office" app within Windows 10 has always been essentially an ad for Situatio 365 —until now. Within the Windows 10 Creators Update, the "Set out Office" app serves as a menangement tool for Agency: tracking your available installs, displaying Recent epoch documents, and still providing a coup d'oeil into the many Office apps available for your PC and flying devices. It's rather handy, even if the app is still saddled with its outdated name.

Windows Defender family options

Image by IDG / Distinguish Hachman

Windows Protector Security Center's Family Options really don't offering anything that different than the family options already inside Windows 7 and 8. But Windows 10 buried them insideSettings > Accounts > Family & some other people with nothing more than than a basic account.

In the Creators Update, the family benefits are Sir Thomas More clearly spelled out. At that place's an selection to critique the "wellness" of all of the connected devices inside your family, too.

I'm not sure how many people typically visit the dashboard of their antivirus app—most users just neediness to know they're risk-free, nothing more—simply Defender is worth poking through.

Got any more preferent hidden features in CU? Tweet at me (@markhachman) with your suggestions!

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• Windows
• Midget and Intermediate Business
• Windows 10

As PCWorld's senior editor, Mark focuses on Microsoft news and chip applied science, among unusual beats. He has formerly statute for PCMag, BYTE, Slashdot, eWEEK, and ReadWrite.

Source: https://www.pcworld.com/article/406207/inside-the-windows-10-creators-update-the-17-best-hidden-features.html

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