New Skip Ahead Build Delivers Sets Improvements

New Skip Ahead Build Delivers Sets Improvements

A new Windows 10 Insider Preview build for Skip Ahead delivers a number of improvements to Sets, a feature coming in Windows 10 version 1809.

“Today, we are releasing Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 17639 (RS5) to Windows Insiders who have opted into Skip Ahead,” a Microsoft blog post explains.

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This build seems almost entirely devoted to improvements to Sets, a feature Microsoft first tried to deliver with Windows 10 version 1803. (There are some other small improvements to Bluetooth settings and Calculator too.) Chief among them are:

Drag and drop tabs. You can now drag and drop tabs to reorder apps and windows with a Set. (But drag and drop for Microsoft Edge tabs within Sets isn’t yet supported.)

ALT + TAB task switching. ALT + TAB works normally for apps and windows in a Set now.

Sets settings improvements. Sets settings (available in Settings > System > Multitasking) has been made more visible and will appear in searches.

File Explorer improvements. It’s easier to create new File Explorer tabs now, and you can use CTRL + T to as a shortcut.

Sets context menu. When you right-click a tab in a Set, you will see a context menu with Close tab, Close other tabs, Close tabs to the right, Move to new window, and Close menu options.

Previous Tabs improvements. Microsoft has made a number of improvements to the Previous Tabs functionality in Sets. You can now pick and choose which Previous Tabs you want to restore, restore Previous Tabs from any type of activity, and you’ll be prompted to restore other tabs when you open a document that previously had tabs.

More improvements are coming to Sets, Microsoft notes, and if you’re interested in testing Microsoft Office 2016 applications in Sets, the firm recommends joining the Office Insider program.

Microsoft will start making Windows 10 version 1803 available to customers next week, so we’ll be moving the Windows Insider Fast and Slow rings to Redstone 5 pretty soon, I’d think.

 

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Conversation 9 comments

  • Yasir Jaborie

    Premium Member
    04 April, 2018 - 1:45 pm

    <p>It’s strange that there is no discussion about how sets will affect the UI experience on mobile devices with 16:9 screen aspect ratios. I currently use the Groupy app and it eats up even more of the sparse vertical space on my 16:9 device. Sigh. And the only alternative on the windows platform is to buy a device from the catastrophic Surface line (in terms of quality control &amp; repairability). </p>

    • jimchamplin

      Premium Member
      04 April, 2018 - 4:14 pm

      <blockquote><a href="#259641"><em>In reply to YAJ12:</em></a></blockquote><p>At least they could make 16:10 the common aspect. I guess the reason 16:9 is so cheap for them is that they can use the same panels as TVs.</p>

    • NazmusLabs

      04 April, 2018 - 4:51 pm

      <blockquote><a href="#259641"><em>In reply to YAJ12:</em></a></blockquote><p>Blame the manufacurers for not making a more productivity oriented screen size. 16:9 is designed for consumption tablets; it doesn't belong on PCs.</p>

  • Chris_Kez

    Premium Member
    05 April, 2018 - 11:45 am

    <p>I would much rather have a Set appear in the taskbar as a Set, rather than having the different tabs segregated by program. If space allows then show the icons and labels for the tabs, but keep them together by Set. If space runs out on the taskbar then collapse them by Set. If I've chosen to put that stuff together into a single window (Set) to better manage things then I want the taskbar to reflect that. I used Groupy for however long the free trial lasted and that disconnect between the Group and the taskbar was annoying. </p>

    • starkover

      05 April, 2018 - 12:40 pm

      <blockquote><a href="#259919"><em>In reply to Chris_Kez:</em></a></blockquote><p>Could be wrong, but I think he is referring to tabs within the set window. I always assumed the set would be a single task bar tab. I could be wrong, as I haven't used it myself. Let you know in a couple of weeks.</p>

      • Chris_Kez

        Premium Member
        05 April, 2018 - 1:05 pm

        <blockquote><a href="#259931"><em>In reply to starkover:</em></a></blockquote><p>Yeah, I think in Paul's discussion of navigation above he is talking about tabs within a Set. I was veering a <em>tiny </em>bit off-topic in talking about how Sets would work with the taskbar. In the video I saw it definitely looked like there was no Set in the taskbar, just the discrete programs.</p>

  • Aaron Kulbe

    05 April, 2018 - 12:04 pm

    <p>So what's the deal with Skip Ahead? Is there only a 2-minute window where you can opt in? Every single time I try, it's closed. Am I missing the secret decoder ring? :)</p>

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