Bash, new Edge browser extensions, updated emoji set, and more now in the latest Windows 10 test build
The Windows 10 Anniversary Update is only coming this summer, but you can try many of its new features now if you've signed up to be a tester.
Note: This article was first published on April 7, 2016.
Microsoft has just dropped Build 14316 for Windows 10 testers. If you’re an ‘Insider’ in the Fast ring, this is the first build where you can try many of the new Anniversary Update features that are announced at Build 2016 last week, such as running native Bash on Ubuntu on Windows.
Bash on Ubuntu on Windows: To do this, you first need to turn on Developer Mode via Settings > Update & security > For developers. Then, go to ‘Windows Features’ and choose ‘Turn Windows features on or off’ and enable ‘Windows Subsystem for Linux (Beta)’. To get Bash installed, open Command Prompt and type “bash”. Easy peasy!
Cortana: Microsoft will be updating Cortana on an ongoing basis starting this build, so that the personal assistant’s features are able to sync up more consistently across devices. In this build, you get notifications on your PC if your mobile device’s battery is low, a find my phone/ring my phone feature, and the ability to share directions across devices.
Microsoft Edge: Build 14291 in March brought extensions to the Edge browser. In this latest build, you’ve a couple of new ones: Pin It Button and OneNote Clipper. The existing Reddit Enhancement Suite, Mouse Gestures, and Microsoft Translator extensions are updated, too.
Skype UWP app preview: In case you missed it, Microsoft has decided to make a Skype Universal Windows Platform app after all, to unify all the Skype experiences under one app instead of having multiple task-oriented apps. Now, you can try this UWP app on the PC.
Action Center: You can now select which app notifications are more important to you in Action Center. Additionally, you can also adjust how many notifications are visible per app.
Updated emoji set: Microsoft has updated the entire set of font-based emoji in Windows 10 that aligns with the Microsoft Design Language with a distinct visual style as well as the Unicode standard. It supports skin tone modification across a wide variety of people glyphs.
Apart from the aforementioned bigger new features, there are several little tweaks and nice touches in Build 14316. For example, there’s now a universal toggle for dark and light modes, a new Connect app for better Continuum and Miracast experiences, the ability to pin a window on every desktop, and updated update progress, battery settings, and Windows Update experiences.
Once again, since this is a test build, bugs are to be expected. You can find out what have been fixed since the last build and currently known issues in Microsoft’s blog post.
Source: Microsoft.
Our articles may contain affiliate links. If you buy through these links, we may earn a small commission.