Best New Features in Windows 10 May 2019 Update
Microsoft today officially released the Windows 10 May 2019 Update to everyone, meaning everyone who hasn’t tested it in beta in months. It is very easy to get the specified update. Click the Start button, type Updates, click the Check for Updates pop-up option, and on the next screen, click the Unmissable Check for Updates button. If you see the Windows 10, version 1903 update list, this is what you need.
If you don’t have this option, you can instead use Microsoft Update Assistant , a standalone utility that will allow you to download and install the latest update seamlessly. You can even join the Windows Insider Program and subscribe to release tracked updates only – your choice!
While I don’t expect any disasters with this update (unlike previous ones), those who don’t want to walk in the wild should also consider backing up their systems before installing . I always want to, but the excitement prevails over me.
As the download gets to your system and the installation begins, here’s a quick overview of what to expect in the May 2019 release.
Windows Sandbox
Finally, Microsoft has built this awesome security feature right into Windows 10. The idea is perfect: you run applications in an isolated desktop environment so they don’t ruin your real computer if they do something bad. On paper, however, this feature isn’t that interesting for most people because Microsoft is only releasing it for Windows 10 Pro or Windows 10 Enterprise users. (Nothing personal, Windows 10 Home users. You should be able to connect to virtualization through an OS that your paltry version of Windows doesn’t support.)
But don’t worry. For those stumped by Microsoft’s strategy, there is always the third-party Sandboxie app. It’s free too! Otherwise, it will take a little time to get started with Windows Sandbox , but it will be worth it.
Step out into the light (theme)
I am a lover of dark themes on any operating system, application or website, so it hurts a little for me to type. Microsoft added a new light theme in the May update for Windows 10. It’s easy to access, although you might not want to use the default “theme.”
Click the “Start” button and type “Personalization” and then click the “Themes and related settings” option that appears. Watch! These are themes! Click Windows (light) to switch directly to the new view (and wallpaper). I like to keep my paper as it is; if you agree, click on “Colors” in the left sidebar instead.
Here you will see several different ways to set “light” and “dark” modes for different parts of the Windows 10 operating system. The “Choose your color” option allows you to select light or dark system-wide. If you want to clarify, select “individual”. Now you will be able to choose the style you want for the user interface of the Windows 10 system and applications.
For example, if the former is set to dark and the latter is set to light, you get a black taskbar and start menu combined with a white explorer screen and settings. Mix and match as you see fit. (For consistency, I think the system-wide “pick your color” option creates the best look, but that’s just me.)
Pause future Windows updates
This is strange, but listen to me. Windows 10 Pro or Enterprise owners have the option to pause all Windows updates for a decent amount of time (35 days at the time of this writing). After this period, you are forced to install all pending updates before re-enabling the delay mechanism.
For business users, this option is great because you’ll probably want to confirm that a major Windows 10 update won’t impact key systems before you roll it out all over the place. For most home users, this is a terrible option – or so I thought, until Microsoft failed the aforementioned October 2018 update over and over again.
Microsoft is now giving all Windows 10 users a quick and easy way to pause Windows updates for seven days. Look for the option right on the Windows Update screen. You cannot miss this.
Click on it and you will postpone updates for a week. Click it again and you can add another week. You can mix it for up to five weeks – the same as Windows Pro and Enterprise users get with their (formerly) exclusive premium option.
Remove more crappy apps
A typical Windows 10 installation includes all sorts of apps that you may not need or need. You can remove some of them from the start – Skype, Weather, OneNote, etc., but not all. While you still can’t just install the base version of Windows 10 without some crappy or marketing apps taking up space, you have the option to uninstall a little more thanks to the May Update. As Paul Turrott wrote earlier this year, apps that are now eligible for digital lock include:
- 3D Viewer
- Calculator
- The calendar
- Groove Music
- Films and TV
- 3D paint
- Fragment and sketch
- Notes
- Dictaphone
It was fun, Groove Music.
Copy to cloud clipboard
I know I know. There is nothing more attractive than the Windows 10 clipboard. But in fact, there is something more attractive than the invisible default clipboard that you don’t even think about. (How many of us do more than CTRL + V after CTRL + C anyway?)
Microsoft updated the Windows 10 cloud clipboard user interface in the May Big Update. I bet you did not even know that Windows 10 originally has a cloud clipboard. (Oddly enough, it is off by default.)
To change this, open the Settings app, then go to System and Clipboard. Turn on “Clipboard History” as well as the “Sync between devices” option. Now, if you press Windows Key + V instead of CTRL + V , you get a little popup where you can choose exactly what you want to paste into anything – be it what you just copied or the element that you copied. for a long time. The “sync” feature is self-explanatory and should work with the associated SwiftKey app on Android as well . (There is no word yet on whether this feature will ever arrive on iOS.)
Find the perfect symbols
I used to hate typing ALT code on the keyboard just to insert an em dash into my articles. Now that I’ve switched to a ten-key keyboard shortcut, the process is even more annoying – I have to set up a hotkey combination to access the lovely “-” and eventually it won’t work until I restart my system.
Now, thanks to the May Windows 10 Update, I can press Windows Key +; to open the updated Smiley Panel, which now contains the character set. I will demonstrate its power: ‘®↯Ω.
Make your mouse look pretty (or insanely huge)
This is one of the quirky features I’ve seen in Windows Update, but I love it. The Windows 10 May Update now allows users to customize the mouse pointer – I know it’s wild. Listen to me. Open Settings and tap Ease of Access. Click on “Cursor and Pointer” and you can adjust a number of options, including its size and color. Want a giant neon green mouse pointer? Why not? Live wildly.