Today Microsoft released Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 18990 (20H1) to Windows Insiders in the Fast ring.

What’s new in Build 18990

Enabling automatic restart for UWP apps

Last month, Microsoft introduced a new separate setting to control if registered desktop apps from your previous sign-in session are restarted when signing back in to Windows. In the latest Insider Preview builds, in addition to registered desktop apps, when you opt into this setting, the majority of open UWP apps are now also automatically restarted as well! To reduce sign-in time, UWP apps are restarted minimized, in a suspended state, giving Windows and other apps more resources to get started. To try it out:

1. Go to Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options and turn on “Automatically save my restartable apps when I sign out and restart them after I sign in.” under “Restart apps”.
2. Start one or more UWP apps, such as Feedback Hub.
3. Sign out and then sign back into Windows.

UWP apps that were started, such as Feedback Hub, should restart minimized with a taskbar button.

Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) improvements

• Improved the performance for directory listings in \\wsl$
• [WSL2] Injected additional boot entropy [Github Issue 4461]
• [WSL2] Fixed Windows interop when using su / sudo commands [Github issue 4465]

For the full details of changes in this latest Insider Preview build, please see the WSL release notes.

Other updates for Insiders

Xbox Game Bar Updates

In case you hadn’t seen, Microsoft is starting to roll out an FPS counter and achievement overlay!  The update will come via the Microsoft Store. Just set focus to your favorite game and press WIN + G to get started.

You may have to be joined to receive Game Bar updates via the Xbox Insider Hub app (under Insider Content) from the Microsoft Store to see this update.

Reset your PC from the cloud

Earlier today in the Windows Insider webcast, Microsoft had the Deployment Team as guests to talk about the new feature that is coming with 20H1 that allows you to reset your PC using the cloud. For more information, check out this article from Program Manager Aaron Lower. You can also watch the on-demand video of this morning’s webcast by visiting the Mixer channel!

General changes, improvements, and fixes for PC

• Microsoft fixed an issue where right-clicking on File Explorer’s search box didn’t bring up a context menu that could be used to paste clipboard contents.
• Microsoft has updated the default width of the search box in File Explorer to be a little bigger.
• Microsoft fixed an issue impacting Action Center reliability.
• Microsoft fixed an issue resulting in the credentials prompt sometimes not appearing when connecting to certain VPNs from the network flyout, so it said Connecting but never completed the connection.
• Microsoft fixed Magnifier bugs at different DPI levels.
• Microsoft fixed an issue where Magnifier UI wasn’t closing with Alt + F4 keyboard shortcut.
• Microsoft fixed an issue where sometimes Magnifier window became completely black after switching from lens mode to dock mode.
• Microsoft fixed an issue resulting in Magnifier not working when using the Russian display language.
• Microsoft have made it clearer how “Read from here” works in Magnifier.
• Microsoft improved legibility of Magnifier reading highlighting rectangle.
• Microsoft improved reading while in Lens mode.
• Microsoft fixed an issue where text cursor indicator sometimes did not appear, even though the setting was enabled.
• Microsoft made the text cursor shapes more legible and aesthetic.
• Microsoft fixed an issue in Narrator where changing the speech rate with the keyboard commands would speak the new rate using the old rate.
• Microsoft fixed Narrator’s whitespace sound.
• Microsoft improved Narrator’s automatic dialog reading experience.
• Table navigation hotkeys are now allowed when entering a list view to allow one to navigate across columns while using Narrator.
• Microsoft improved the Narrator’s Page Summary dialog by allowing tab and shift-tab to loop around the dialog controls.
• Narrator will no longer announce notifications from non-focused Chrome webpages.
• Narrator now announces the current value of the “thumb” in legacy color picker controls.
• Narrator is now presenting links and play buttons correctly in iTunes.
• Microsoft improved Narrator’s reading experience in Chrome and Firefox. Certain pages could cause Narrator to loop back up to previous content.
• Narrator is now updating an attached braille display correctly when some XAML controls are expanded.
• Thank you to everyone who shared feedback about the design of the input mode switcher on the taskbar for the Simplified and Traditional Chinese IMEs. Microsoft has adjusted the design based on your feedback that the icon glyph was large and blurry.
• Microsoft fixed an issue where some Chinese characters in the Common Standard Chinese Characters dictionary couldn’t be input with the new version of the Simplified Chinese IME.
• Microsoft fixed an issue where, when switching to English input mode and back to Chinese input mode, the punctuations would become Chinese punctuations, even if “Use English punctuations when in Chinese input mode” was enabled with the new version of Simplified Chinese IME.
• Microsoft fixed an issue where the new version of Simplified Chinese IME candidate window would sometimes not appear.
• Microsoft fixed an issue where the new version of the Traditional Chinese Bopomofo IME didn’t show candidates or next phrase candidates on touch keyboard.
• Microsoft fixed an issue where characters typed with the new version of Chinese Traditional IMEs weren’t committed by Enter key when using certain games.
• Microsoft fixed an issue where the legacy language bar didn’t show IME mode icons while using the new version of Japanese IME, Chinese Traditional IME, or Korean IME.
• Microsoft fixed an issue where the new version of Japanese IME wouldn’t reconvert a word pasted from somewhere else by Henkan key.

Known issues

• Certain 2D apps (like Feedback Hub, Microsoft Store, 3D Viewer) are incorrectly being treated as having protected content within Windows Mixed Reality. During video capture, these 2D apps block their content from being recorded.
• When capturing a repro video while filing a bug via Feedback Hub in Windows Mixed Reality, you won’t be able to select Stop video, due to the protected content issue noted above. If you want to submit a repro video, you will need to wait 5 minutes for the recording to time out. If you’d like to file the bug without a repro video, you can close the Feedback Hub window to end the recording and resume filing your bug when you reopen the app in Feedback > Drafts.
• When viewing Optional drivers in the new section on the Windows Update page, you may notice older drivers showing as available for download. If accepted, they will attempt to install and fail to do so. This is a bug related to revised Windows Update detection logic rather than this new UI. The root cause is understood, and a fix will be available in an upcoming build.
• Devices configured for dual scan (WSUS and Windows Update) for updates may not be offered new builds in the Fast ring. Selecting Check online for updates from Microsoft Update will scan for updates, but may return with the message, “Your device is up to date.” Microsoft is working on a fix for a future flight.

Windows 10 Insiders in the Fast Ring can download the new build by Checking for Updates in Settings.