Microsoft improves start menu and built-in apps in Windows 10

Microsoft has released a new preview build for Windows 10. The new software has many improvements, including an additional column for pinning apps to the start menu and updates to many built-in applications.

An overview of the innovations in the newly launched Windows 10 build, numbered 10547, can be found on Microsoft’s weblog. According to the Redmond company, users had asked for wider ’tiles’ to be pinned to the start menu, making an extra column available; there are now four instead of three. This can be turned on in the settings. Furthermore, the maximum number of pinned apps has been increased from 512 to 2048, according to Microsoft.

Furthermore, build 10547 has improvements for the tablet mode. It should be easier to place applications next to each other on the screen. Users also no longer need to have a Windows account to use the built-in Cortana functionality. Other built-in applications have also been updated, including the Xbox application; a list of improvements for the app has been put online by Microsoft, which makes it clear that, among other things, there will be more real-time updates and the possibility to compare progress in games with friends.

A number of bugs have also been fixed in the new Windows 10 build. Despite this, a list of known issues remains, such as apps not updating automatically and some text files opening. Those will probably need to be fixed in future releases. When the new build will be rolled out to Windows 10 users is unclear; for the time being, it is a preview that is only available to Insiders who are on the ‘fast ring’.