As we move out of summer, Windows 10 users will be bracing themselves for the second feature update of the year. If all goes to plan, this should be along in the next month or two.
So, what new features should we be expecting to roll out in this update?
Clipboard History + Sync
It has pretty much always been the case that Control+C and Control+V has copied and pasted something in Windows. If you copy something new, whatever was previously in the clipboard is overwritten.
A new feature coming in the autumn update will allow you to switch on a clipboard history. This will mean you can store multiple items in your clipboard memory at once, then hit the Windows key and V to choose which one you want to retrieve.
It will also be possible to sync this history across multiple Windows 10 devices. This means you can store something in your clipboard on one device and then log into another one and access whatever you've just copied.
Better integration with your mobile phone
A "Your Phone" app will be introduced to make it easier to share data between your mobile and your PC. Android users will be able to instantly make all the photos on their phone available on the PC too. This is in addition to the syncing of notifications and text messages.
iPhone users don't get these options as Apple lock down their devices much more. However, it will still be possible to send websites you're browsing on your phone straight to the PC to continue browsing there.
New clipping tool
Microsoft will be replacing the "Snipping Tool" with a more powerful method to create screenshots. When you launch the tool now from the menu (or using Windows Key+Shift+S), you will see 4 buttons at the top of the screen that allow you to choose the most appropriate shape for the bit of the screen you want to capture. This will store the screenshot in your clipboard, ready to paste into a document or email. And, of course, in combination with the new clipboard history, this means that it will be possible to store multiple screenshots at once.
Better prediction of appropriate times to update
While you can explicitly tell Windows 10 when it's allowed to run its updates, those that don't do this will find that their machine may decide to do this when they've just walked off for a minute to get a cup of tea. Microsoft are now trying to reduce the chance of this happening by logging how you usually use your PC on a daily basis and working out from that when the best time for it to update will be.
Other changes and features:
- Windows Defender is being rebranded as "Windows Security".
- Notepad is being overhauled for the first time in... forever! There will be many new options introduced in this update
- Edge Browser improvements. As usual, this update will introduce several features and stability improvements to Microsoft's Edge internet browser.
- Search Previews in the Start Menu. When you use the search bar to search the internet, you will now see previews related to your search within the start menu.
There's a fair few more changes coming, although most of them are fairly technical (many relating to Linux integration within Windows 10). Additionally, the above list is still subject to change until the update is finalised in the coming weeks. However, at this late stage, it's highly likely that you will see all of the above coming to a desktop near you in the near future!