Windows 10X Gallery: Apps (Updated)

In addition to Microsoft Edge, Windows 10X comes with a minimal set of Store apps. Some, like Voice Recorder, don’t work. And some key apps, like Mail and Calendar, are completely missing.

UPDATE: Thanks to an app update, Voice Recorder now works. So I added a shot of that. —Paul

Alarms & Clock
Calculator
Camera
Feedback Hub
Files
Files appears to offer access to only one local folder, Downloads
Get Help
Groove
Groove
Maps
Movies & TV
Movies & TV
News
People (note the empty taskbar icon)
People
Snip & Sketch
Microsoft Store
Microsoft Store – This app will not install in Windows 10X
Microsoft Store – This app will install
Microsoft Store – Installing an app
Installed app is now running
Tips (which currently only has content for mainstream Windows 10)
To Do
Voice Recorder
Weather
Windows Security

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Conversation 29 comments

  • crunchyfrog

    17 January, 2021 - 11:27 am

    <p>Paul, Have you tried connecting network drives and other LAN assets? I suspect it will be much the same as Win10 but just curious.</p>

    • Paul Thurrott

      Premium Member
      17 January, 2021 - 1:28 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#608032">In reply to crunchyfrog:</a></em></blockquote><p>There are no networking capabilities like that. </p>

      • tghallin

        Premium Member
        17 January, 2021 - 2:37 pm

        <blockquote><em><a href="#608045">In reply to paul-thurrott:</a></em></blockquote><p>Paul: Can you download the mycloud app to access your WD NAS?</p>

        • Paul Thurrott

          Premium Member
          18 January, 2021 - 9:49 am

          No, it won’t work on this device.

  • glassman1234

    Premium Member
    17 January, 2021 - 12:10 pm

    <p>I think the files app looks exactly like it does with OneDrive in a web browser. I too don't like the fact that you can't have floating windows. The calculator app looks awful as a full screen app. I think this is early days, but as you've shown this in pictures, I see this more as a tablet operating system with occasional keyboard use. </p>

    • hrlngrv

      Premium Member
      17 January, 2021 - 6:41 pm

      <p><a href="https://www.thurrott.com/windows/windows-10x/246331/windows-10x-gallery-apps#608035&quot; target="_blank"><em>In reply to Glassman1234:</em></a></p><p>The UWP Calculator has always looked like a POS on PCs because it was designed as a phone app and foisted on PCs to demonstrate the <em>value</em> of one app running unchanged on all device types. Instead, it stands as damning evidence that one essentially full screen/half screen app for 4-6 inch phone screens and 8-12 inch tablet screens and 12-up inch PC screens really sucks as a concept.</p><p>The Windows 8.x Calculator was the apex of that applet's design and function. It's been consigned to the outer darkness in Windows 10 all versions.</p><p>Indeed, the Windows 10 Calculator encapsulates everything wrong with MSFT's original vision for Windows 10 and UWP.</p>

  • anoldamigauser

    Premium Member
    17 January, 2021 - 2:28 pm

    <p>Since they have included Groove, can it play music saved in OneDrive, since there is no local Music folder?</p>

    • Paul Thurrott

      Premium Member
      18 January, 2021 - 9:48 am

      No.

      And there’s no option in Settings for choosing where to look for music.

  • micklevin

    17 January, 2021 - 2:50 pm

    <p>Curious, if the "Save As" dialog when invoked from Edge browser, is a legacy dialog? Can it allow browsing file system? Can you type in the full path in there to browse?</p><p><br></p><p>E.g. would the CMD trick work here? FYI: the most common trick to escape the Kiosk mode and open CMD is to type in C:WindowsSystem32cmd*.exe and the right-click the only file you see there and choose Open (not Select).</p>

    • codymesh

      17 January, 2021 - 4:44 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#608145">In reply to micklevin:</a></em></blockquote><p>the Save As dialog opens a UWP file picker similar to how Windows 8 did it </p>

      • lindhartsen

        Premium Member
        18 January, 2021 - 8:49 am

        <blockquote><em><a href="#608171">In reply to codymesh:</a></em></blockquote><p>So it looks like the Files app? In Windows 10 they blurred the line there, depending on which type of app you open a Open/Save dialog it included App Save locations or not (though OneDrive seemed like the only app to include this tie-in)</p>

    • Paul Thurrott

      Premium Member
      18 January, 2021 - 9:47 am

      You get a UWP File Picker. It only lets you access the Downloads folder locally: There are links to Documents, Music, Pictures, and Videos, but those are all OneDrive locations, not local folders.

  • hal9000

    Premium Member
    17 January, 2021 - 4:13 pm

    <p>I'm surprised the Groove app still exists. It still looks like it's going to be abandoned at some point, with that Spotify ad in there.</p><p>But yeah, they don't have any other media player so…</p>

    • PhilipVasta

      17 January, 2021 - 6:57 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#608167">In reply to Hal9000:</a></em></blockquote><p>Also, they need to get rid of the Groove branding. The Groove service doesn’t exist anymore, so there’s no reason for that branding to live on.</p>

      • Paul Thurrott

        Premium Member
        18 January, 2021 - 9:37 am

        This doesn’t even break the top 1000 of things that need to be fixed here. 🙂

  • hrlngrv

    Premium Member
    17 January, 2021 - 6:28 pm

    <p>Re Files, looks like MSFT is copying Chrome OS in supporting only Downloads. A bit annoying that it doesn't support local Documents too, but I suppose offline OneDrive handles that. Pity you didn't insert a thumb drive in a usb port to show whether Windows 10X's Files supports removable local media, and whether it applies drive letters.</p>

  • rbwatson0

    Premium Member
    17 January, 2021 - 10:26 pm

    <p>Paul, have you tried installing a third-party cloud storage app like Dropbox? Wonder if it will integrate with file explorer…</p>

    • Paul Thurrott

      Premium Member
      18 January, 2021 - 9:32 am

      You can’t install anything like that. Dropbox is a desktop application.

      • hrlngrv

        Premium Member
        18 January, 2021 - 5:28 pm

        <p><a href="https://www.thurrott.com/windows/windows-10x/246331/windows-10x-gallery-apps#608273&quot; target="_blank"><em>In reply to paul-thurrott:</em></a></p><p>FWIW, Chrome OS has something which provides for mounting DropBox as a remote file system, and when one does so, DropBox appears in Files. DropBox doesn't have to be a separate application. It could be a subservice which could be used by bundled apps as long as the bundled apps and the OS supported such things. This may be one place in which Chrome OS using Linux file system innards is able to do things Windows 10X may not be able to.</p>

        • Paul Thurrott

          Premium Member
          19 January, 2021 - 9:18 am

          Right. That’s a system capability built-in to Chrome OS (and it’s how SMB-type networking works). There’s nothing like that here, at least that we know about.

  • gregsedwards

    Premium Member
    18 January, 2021 - 11:07 am

    <p>Regarding the lack of local file system access except downloads, what do you actually need to access on the local file system these days? I mean, either you're using a cloud enabled storage provider like OneDrive (and you know support for others will come), or your managing local downloads. I'd argue that these days if you're creating folders for storing things locally amongst your programs and OS, then you're probably doing something wrong.</p>

    • Patrick3D

      18 January, 2021 - 4:48 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#608306">In reply to gregsedwards:</a></em></blockquote><p>Games and apps still store files outside of the user profile, it's a mess. If Windows 10X locks down the system to only running apps that stick to storing files in the profile it won't be a problem.</p>

    • Paul Thurrott

      Premium Member
      19 January, 2021 - 9:33 am

      Given the choice, I’d like to have file system access for a variety of reasons, including putting documents and other files at least temporarily on the desktop.

      But the point is, with mainstream Windows (or Mac), we can all work the way we want. With this thing, you literally have to work the one way it’s designed. It’s a very big limitation.

      • gregsedwards

        Premium Member
        19 January, 2021 - 10:27 am

        <blockquote><em><a href="#608502">In reply to paul-thurrott:</a></em></blockquote><p>I'm the same with respect to keeping my working files on the desktop. Without access to the filesystem folder, the desktop is relegated to just a place to display a pretty picture. But maybe that's the point. I mean, other modern platforms (iOS, Chrome OS) don't really support the idea of the desktop/home screen as a place to store files. Maybe it's more a function of just how we've evolved to work over the past several decades; meanwhile, millennials are like, "why would you ever put files on your desktop? Boomer." ?</p>

        • Paul Thurrott

          Premium Member
          21 January, 2021 - 10:15 am

          One of the strengths of Windows, or any true desktop platform, is its versatility. I can keep files wherever I want: The desktop, the root of C:, the local Documents folder, whatever. Mobile systems are, by nature, more restrictive. For hopefully good reasons. But still restrictive.

  • meauxx

    18 January, 2021 - 4:23 pm

    <p>You can login with your Work account and all your Business Store Apps are available to install in Windows X. Great news for those who stuck with the platform and designed to it. Powerful and inexpensive solution. UWP/WinUI is mature now and looks like Microsoft's App vision is finally ready to take off for the PC.</p>

    • Paul Thurrott

      Premium Member
      19 January, 2021 - 9:21 am

      lol yes. It’s going to be a huge success!

  • Aritting

    18 January, 2021 - 9:07 pm

    <p>does it have the terminal app?</p>

    • Paul Thurrott

      Premium Member
      19 January, 2021 - 9:16 am

      No. All of the included apps are shown here.

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