Microsoft is now rolling out Windows 10 build 18277 for devices enrolled in the Fast ring of the Windows Insider Program. This is the 12th preview that the company is making available as part of the 19H1 development, and it delivers several new features and improvements.
Windows 10 build 18277, according to the software giant, improves Focus assist, Action Center gets a slider to quickly adjust brightness, you’ll find a new version of emoji, and Windows Defender Application Guard gets new settings.
Windows 10 build 18277
Here are all the changes in the latest preview for Windows 10 19H1:
Action Center
Starting with build 18277, Action Center add a new slider to quickly adjust the brightness of the screen.
In addition, you can rearrange and add buttons without having to open the Settings app.
If you need to add or remove buttons, right-click a button, select Edit, and then click the unpin button or click the Add button add more buttons.
Focus assist
In the Focus assist setting page, Windows 10 is adding a new automatic rule to let remove distractions while you’re working on anything full screen. (The option is called “When I’m using an app in full screen mode.”)
Advanced scaling settings
Since the April 2018 Update, Windows 10 includes an option to automatically fix scaling for apps that may look blurry after your display settings change. However, it was an option that you needed to enable manually, but with the April 2019 update, the option is now enabled by default.
Storage
The Storage settings page has been redesigned to see at glance how space is been utilized, instead of having to select each drive to see the same information, which wasn’t very intuitive for many users.
As a result of this change, you’ll no longer find the Storage sense section, but you can still access the settings to enable, disable, and configure the feature by clicking the Configure Storage Sense or run it now link under “Storage.”
Under the More Storage settings section, you’ll now find options to access the Optimize Drives settings to use defragmentation, and you’ll find another option to view storage usage on other drives.
Windows Defender Application Guard
Windows 10 build 18277 includes an updated version of Windows Security, which introduces new Windows Defender Application Guard options that allows you to manage access to your camera and microphone while browsing using this security feature for Microsoft Edge.
“If this is managed by enterprise admins, users can check how this setting is configured. For this to be turned on in Application Guard for Microsoft Edge, the camera and microphone setting must already be turned on for the device in Settings > Privacy > Microphone & Settings > Privacy > Camera.”
Input
This flight is also updating the Japanese IME by redesigning how it works with applications, and the candidate window interface has been updated to be cleaner and more polished.
“You’ll notice that each text prediction candidate now has an index so you can quickly select it, just like the conversion candidates.”
As part of this work, all your Japanese IME settings have now been fully integrated into Settings. If you would like to see them, the fastest way there is to right-click the IME mode indicator in the taskbar and select Settings.
Additional changes
Alongside the features and improvements, Windows 10 build 18277 also includes a few other minor changes, such as updated icon to identify the Region page in Settings.
Windows 10 ships with some adjustments to improve the performance of Windows + Shift + S bringing up snipping.
Finally, this flight also ships with emoji 12, but it’s still a work in progress.
Microsoft is listing the complete set of improvements, fixes, and known issues for Windows 10 Insider Preview build 18277 at the Windows Blog.
Download Windows 10 build 18277
Although there are no ISO files for Windows 10 build 18277, the update is available immediately through the Fast ring and Skip Ahead option. This preview build will download and install automatically on your device, but you can always force the update from Settings > Update & security > Windows Update, and clicking the Check for updates button.
You can also check out these resources:
Update November 14, 2018: Alongwith build 18277, Microsoft is also releasing update KB4470200 that bumps the version number to build 18277.1006, and it adds an update block for a small number of PCs that use Nuvoton (NTC) TPM chips with a specific firmware version (1.3.0.1) due to a bug causing issues with Windows Hello face/biometric/pin login not working. In addition, update KB4470200 fixes a media display bug that was causing unexpected display rendering for some users.
Mauro Huculak is a Windows expert and the Editor-in-Chief who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He is also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 12 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows, software, and related technologies, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 20 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me.