The Spring Creators Update is the name of the next big refresh for Windows 10 version 1803, expected to release in April 2018. In this first semi-annual update, Microsoft is planning to introduce a new set of features and changes aimed to improve the overall experience in a number of areas, including productivity, performance, and security.
On version 1803, Windows 10 continues migrating features to the Settings app from Control Panel and adding new ones. You’ll also find new features, such as Timeline and Nearby Sharing, improvements on Microsoft Edge, tweaks in the user interface, and a lot more.
In this guide, we’ll get a quick look at the new features and improvements Windows 10 is introducing with the Spring Creators Update (version 1803). However, remember that these are just a few of the changes that Microsoft has been working for the next feature update, the Windows 10 Spring Creators Updates includes a slew of features and improvements, which you can discover in this guide. (You can also check the best features, and those hidden gems coming with the update this spring to Windows 10.)
System
- Windows Update: When updates are downloading, Windows Update will prevent your device from going to sleep for up to two hours to ensure updates are install successfully.
- Windows Hello: You can quickly set up Windows Hello face recognition, fingerprint, or PIN from your lock screen by clicking the Windows Hello option under “Sign-in options.”
- HDR Calibration tool: You can now use a calibration tool to get the best picture when using a HDR monitor.
- Eye control: On an effort to make Windows 10 more accessible, the Spring Creators Update includes improvements to make eye control easier to scroll, faster access to Start, Timeline, Settings and more.
- No password required: On Windows 10 S devices, you can now just download the Authenticator app on your phone to configure Windows Hello to access your device and never set up a password again.
Settings
- Fonts: You can now change font options through the Settings app. The new experience offers more capabilities, such as the ability to show color and variable fonts, and now you can download fonts from the Microsoft Store.
- Telemetry data: It’s now possible to view and delete the data that Microsoft has collected about your device using the new privacy settings and Diagnostic Viewer app.
- File access: Apps no longer have unrestricted access to your files. Starting with Windows 10 version 1803, you can control which Microsoft Store apps have access to your documents, pictures, and video folders.
- Focus assist (Quiet hours): You can now choose those times when you don’t want to be bothered with notifications. You can configure the feature to automatically turn on during a specific times of day, presentation, or playing games. It also lets you set priorities to allow contacts and certain apps to bypass the feature and show notifications.
- Password recovery: You can recover your local account password from the Lock screen. This is possible with a new option that allows you to add security questions to your local account, which you can then answer in the Lock screen to reset your password.
- Region & Language settings: The experience has been updated with new icons to indicate the language features, including text-to-speech, speech recognition, and handwriting. The experience to install new languages has also been updated, and languages are now available from the Microsoft Store.
- Startup tasks: You no longer need to use Task Manager to control apps that launch during startup. In the “Apps” settings section, you’ll find a new page that allows you to view and decide which applications run a startup.
Input
- Emoji: This feature is now expanding, and you can find an emoji by keyword in over 150 locales. In addition, using the touch keyboard search has been improved to offer related emojis as you type a search.
- Share-writing: This input functionality is not only available using one-handed keyboard, but also in the wide touch keyboard.
Microsoft Edge
- Clutter-free printing: It’s a feature that allows you to print web pages without advertisements and unnecessary clutter.
- Full-screen: Without exiting the experience, you can now access the address bar, tools, and navigate your tabs. (Just hover your mouse pointer or drag a finger from the top of the screen.)
- Reading: The Spring Creators Update also brings a number of improvements with the PDF, EPUB, and Reading View experience. In this new version of Microsoft Edge, you’ll find a redesigned experience to read books, documents, and websites. There’s even a “Notes” menu for EPUB books, grammar tools for EPUB and Reading View, new full-screen experience, and more.
- Autofill: Microsoft Edge is also gaining improvements to make it easier to autofill information like address on forms, credit cards, and saved passwords (InPrivate). The browser will now even save these data automatically and make it available across devices.
- Mute tabs: Tabs making sound will now display an audio icon, which you can click to mute the website, or you can always right-click the tab and select the option to mute it.
Fluent Design
- In the Spring Creators Update, Windows 10 continues its gradual rollout of the Microsoft Fluent Design system, and in this new version, you’ll discover contrasting colors and text, more transparency and cool animations across more of the Windows interface, including Microsoft Edge, Start menu, Settings, and Action Center.
Timeline
- Starting with the Windows 10 Spring Creators Update, you can resume activities you were working in the past using Timeline. This is a new feature part of Task View that allows you to quickly view a list (organized in a chronological order and sorted by day) of apps, websites, and documents you were interacting previously on your computer or other devices connected with your Microsoft account.
- If you want to configure Timeline, you can use the new Activity history page in the Settings app to enable or disable the experience, decide which accounts can show activities, and clear your device and account activities.
Nearby Sharing
- Nearby Sharing is a new feature that allows you to share files and links easily using wireless connectivity to nearby devices using Wi-Fi or Bluetooth.
Cortana
- New home for your content known as “Organizer,” which offers an easier access to your lists, Collections, and reminders.
- An update has been added as well to let you control music playback on more apps, including Spotify.
- Cortana Collections is a new feature that allows the assistant to learn things about you, including restaurants, recipes, books, and TV shows, and put them into an organized list. (This feature is currently available only in the United States.)
Game bar
- This experience has been completely redesign, and now you can access your captures, toggle your microphone and camera, edit the title of your Mixer stream, even check the time without leaving the experience.
My People
- On Windows 10 version 1803, you can now drag and drop contacts to rearrange them in the taskbar. In addition, you can display up to ten contacts or show all using an overflow interface.
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.