The new features in Windows 10 Redstone 5

Posted on Thursday June 21, 2018

Hot on the heels of the Windows 10 April 2018 Update, also known as Redstone 4, is the highly anticipated release of Redstone 5. While no official launch date has been announced, word is that it will drop around the final quarter of 2018. What can we expect from this latest major update?

1. Windows Sets

Sets takes the concept of tabs in your browsers and applies it to the whole Windows operating system (OS). It allows users to open a window with tabs for apps, files, web pages, programs, basically anything and everything.

For example: You're working on a Word document and need to go online for research. Sets will open the web page in a tab beside your Word file. Then when you create a Powerpoint presentation for your report, it appears in a third tab. Everything connected to your Word document is neatly organized in a Set. So the next time you open your Word file, a prompt will remind you of the online article, PowerPoint presentation, and all other tabs related to your document. Microsoft explained it as “content that belongs together should stay together.”

2. Cloud Clipboard

Cloud Clipboard is shared across all your Windows 10 devices, so you can copy-paste between different devices. Cloud Clipboard also logs the things you copy, so you can refer back to them later.

3. Snipping Tool + Screen Sketch app

The current Snipping Tool in Windows is a bit cumbersome and inconvenient for quick screenshots. Now you can press ALT + Shift + S to open the Snipping Tool from any screen. There are also new types of snips you can make:

• Rectangular snip -- Form a rectangle (or square) around an object.
• Window snip -- Select a window or dialogue box that you want to snip.
• Free-form snip -- Draw a freeform shape around an object.
• Full-screen snip -- Take a snip of the whole screen.

Snipping Tool also allows you to launch the Screen Sketch app with one click, so you can immediately edit your image.

4. Dark theme for File Explorer

Microsoft finally added a dark theme to its File Explorer, so you won't be blinded when you browse in the middle of the night.

5. Improved search experience

Searching for files and apps from the Windows taskbar will have a wider display window to show more content and information. It also allows you to open related documents and perform related actions.

6. Improved Your Phone app

This app makes it a lot easier for iOS and Android smartphones to interact with your PC. You can send and receive SMS; and drag and drop files, photos, and more from phone to PC and vice versa.

These are just some of the reasons why there's much ado about the upcoming release of Windows 10 Redstone 5. Get ready for more updates and new features when it launches this September or October. If you need help with anything Windows-related before then, we're always available. Give us a call today!