Coolest Things in Microsoft’s October Windows 10 Update
Microsoft’s big October update for Windows 10 is here. If Microsoft has not yet deployed it to your Windows computer, you can force a manual update by simply clicking the Start button, typing the word “check”, and then selecting the “Check for Updates” option. Click the gray “Check for Updates” box under Windows Update and it should appear.
(You can also check to see if you have the October Update by opening Windows 10 System Information and looking for “Version” of your operating system. If it’s at least “Version 10.0.17763 Build 17763,” you’re fine.)
However, you still have a little work to do to make the most of the latest Windows 10 features. Here are a few of our favorite features from the update and how to use them.
Cloud clipboard
Dassssss. Now you can share what you copy to the clipboard with any other Windows 10 device, which is incredibly useful if you constantly switch between your desktop and laptop.
Problem? You can press CTRL + C and CTRL + V as long as you like, but this will not automatically paste the very last one you copied to another computer. First, you need to enable the cloud clipboard with the new Windows Key + V keyboard shortcut .
Once you do that, whatever you copy to the clipboard, including text and images, should be accessible by pressing that Windows Key + V combination again . Whatever you click, it will be pasted into whatever application you use, as if would you do the usual old CTRL + V. (You can also pin frequently pasted items to the cloud clipboard if you like.)
Dark mode
All cool kids, apps, and services have dark mode, and Windows 10 is no different (right now). You will have to dig a little to make your operating system “more machine than human,” but at least it’s worth checking out.
Click on the “Start” button, enter “colors” and select “Choose your accent color.” Scroll down to the very bottom of the Colors screen in Settings and find “Choose Default Application Mode” under Advanced Options. Select “Dark”. Say something in a creepy voice. And be prepared to revert to the Light Side if you don’t like Microsoft’s implementation (and you’re not alone if so).
Move from fragmentation to slice and sketch
If you take a lot of screenshots – not using the old Print Screen or ALT + Print Screen combinations, but manually – you will have to say goodbye to Microsoft Snipping Tool lovingly. It was a lot of fun. We spent so much time together. However, open the app and you will see that it’s time to move on to something new and “improved”, Microsoft Snip & Sketch:
If you’ve installed the October update, the new Microsoft Snip & Sketch app is already ready to run on your Windows 10. Although you’re probably used to mixing Windows Key, typing “Snip” and thus launching the old Snipping Tool – since there was no Windows shortcut to get it out – you’ll want to relearn during this weird interim. when both apps exist (since Snip & Sketch will appear in a separate Apps section, this is hardly your first “best fit”).
However, you now have an easy-to-remember keyboard shortcut to invoke Snip & Sketch: Windows Key + Shift + S. When you do, your screen will gray out and you can choose from three screenshot options at the top. You can freehand it, draw a frame, or take a screenshot of the entire screen.
Synchronizing your Android device
So funny. The Windows 10 October Update ships with Microsoft’s new Your Phone app, which you can use to sync your Android device with the Windows operating system. The installation process is pretty straightforward: you give Microsoft your phone number and you will be sent a text message with a link to the app you need to download for Android, which you can also find right here .
Install it, link to the Microsoft account you use with Windows 10, and now you can view your device’s photos right in the operating system, but unfortunately, you can’t delete them. You will also be able to read and reply to text messages.
That’s all for now, but Microsoft teased that your phone might work with other third-party apps in the future. Maybe someday we’ll even get the Holy Grail: the ability to send and receive iOS messages via Windows.
Yes, and while you’re working Android users, you can also install Microsoft Launcher to view the Windows 10 timeline on your Android device. This is probably not the biggest selling point, but it is useful if you find yourself with a little time to kill and want to catch up with everything you did on your Windows 10 (s) computer.
Yes, there are still emoticons
What would the world be like without emojis? To start adding all the fun new Unicode 11 emoji to your Windows life, a list that includes Super Villain, Toilet Roll, and Cupcake (all unrelated), simply press Windows Key + Period to open the emoji finder.