Windows 10 October Update Launched With Redesigned Start Menu

Microsoft has launched its October 2020 update for Windows, which brings a number of improvements to the popular operating system and one of the more notable features of this update is a redesign of the Start menu.

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Microsoft said that it has streamlined the design of the Start Menu, including a uniform, partially transparent background. As part of this update, Microsoft has also redesigned the app icons of Calculator, Mail, and Calendar.

Users can add some colour to their Start menu by turning on the dark theme and navigating to Settings > Personalization > Colour and toggling “Show accent colour on the following surfaces” for “Start, taskbar, and action centre.”

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Other new features available in this update include:

• Smooth settings – You can manually change the refresh rate your display uses by navigating to Settings > System > Display > Advanced display settings.
• 2-in-1 toast elimination – 2-in-1 devices will automatically switch to the Windows tablet experience by default, rather than waiting until the user confirms this on the notification toast that would previously pop up.
• Noticeable notifications – There are new app logos at the top of notifications which make it significantly easier to identify who they are from.
• Simpler taskbar – New Windows users will get a “cleaner, more personalized, out-of-box experience featuring a taskbar specifically curated for you.” (This is limited to new account creation or first logon scenarios)

Microsoft Edge improvements

Included in this update is the latest version of Microsoft Edge, which has a number of new features.

Collections is a new tool coming to Edge which will allow users to save and share content they find online and shares your collections between your PC and mobile devices.

“It’s perfect for holiday shopping, school research and even planning next spring’s camping trip,” said Microsoft.

Complementing this feature is Price Comparison, which lets you find the best price for an item when you add it to one of your collections.

“We’re proud to say Microsoft Edge is the best browser for shopping this holiday,” Microsoft said.

Microsoft Edge will also allow you to use Alt + Tab to access your open tabs in Microsoft, and if you pin your favourite websites to your taskbar, you will be able to hover over the icon and see all open tabs of that website.