After Panos Panay took on the responsibility of leading the Windows Experience and Microsoft hardware teams, things changed dramatically, and all for good reason. Windows 10X is coming next year; Surface Duo was launched and now we see more and more Microsoft trying to focus on user experience on Windows 10. Microsoft announced a new Feature Experience Pack to bring new features to Windows 10 without having to update the whole system. So in this article, we take a look at the new Windows 10 Feature Experience Pack and what it brings. So without further ado, let’s unpack the feature.
What is the new Windows 10 Feature Experience Pack?
As we all know, Windows 10 is terrible at handling updates and even minor feature additions, it sends important updates twice a year (May and October updates). Microsoft wants to change that. With the new Feature Experience Pack on Windows 10, Microsoft wants to drop new features without having to rely on a semi-annual cycle.
To give you a vague example on the Android side, Google Pixel devices get feature removals every 3-4 months. Basically, to get new features, you don’t need to wait for semi-annual updates. Meanwhile, from now on, you will get new features on Windows 10 more frequently with small updates.
Microsoft has found applications and areas where it can provide updates without having to update Windows 10. The company also decouples apps from Windows 10’s core framework so updates can be delivered independently.
Install the new Windows 10 Feature Experience Pack
Currently, to install the Feature Experience Pack on Windows 10, you must be registered with the Windows Insider Program and should be on beta channel (20H2 Build 19042.662 or later). The New Feature Experience Pack will eventually come to users on the stable release, but for now the company is in the testing phase and will be rolling out new updates over the next 3-4 months. Having said all that, let’s start now.
1. If you are on the stable version, you can upgrade to the beta channel by following these steps. Press the Windows key once and type “Windows Insider”. Here, click on ” Windows Insider Program Settings“.
2. Now sign up for the Windows Insider program with your Microsoft account and change the Inside settings to “ Beta under the “Choose your insider settings” page.
3. Once done, open Windows Settings by pressing Windows + I shortcut. After that, move to “ Update and security“. Here, click on “Check for updates” and download the new beta version.
4. Once you have updated your system to the beta channel, you can now install the new Windows 10 Feature Experience Pack. Again open “Windows Updates” and “ Check for updates“. You will instantly get an update for the new Feature Experience Pack. Just click “Install Now”.
5. Your computer will restart and within 5-10 minutes your PC will restart with new features. To date, there has been a single version of Windows Feature Experience Pack (120.2212.1070.0) and it adds two new features.
- You can now press Win + Shift + S shortcut on Windows 10 to take a screenshot then save it directly in any folder by simply pasting it. It’s pretty smooth, right? Right after taking a screenshot, press Ctrl + V in any folder to get the screenshot. No need to go through Snip and Sketch editor to save screenshot.
- The second is useful for Windows 10 touchscreen devices. When using a 2-in-1 touchscreen device, you can use the touchscreen keyboard in portrait orientation with support for split keyboard mode.
The new Feature Experience Pack on Windows 10 is pretty exciting
These are the first two additions to Windows 10 via the Feature Experience Pack and I must say the preview looks quite promising. It can bring many new utilities and features to native Windows 10 apps without having to rely on a semi-annual update cycle.
That said, don’t expect visual Windows 10 updates, as the project largely wants to avoid updating the base Windows system. In the next few days, we will surely find new interesting features and applications on Windows 10. Anyway, this is all from us. To learn more about these Windows 10 features, you can follow our linked guide.
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