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Windows 10 19H1 build 18317 is out, splits up Windows Search and Cortana, adds better Start reliability

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Published onJanuary 16, 2019

published onJanuary 16, 2019

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Microsoft is rolling out today theWindows 10 19H1 build 18317to Windows Insiders in the Fast Ring. After some testing with select Insiders in recent weeks, this new build finally separates Cortana from Windows Search in the task bar. “This will enable each experience to innovate independently to best serve their target audiences and use cases,” the Windows Insider team explained today.

This new build brings other significant updates, including some background changes to make the Start Menu more reliable than before. The Windows 10 Settings app has also been updated with A Better Font management experience and a revamped Windows Insider Settings page. You can find more details about all these changes below:

Separating Search and Cortana

Going forward, we’ll be decoupling Search and Cortana in the taskbar. This will enable each experience to innovate independently to best serve their target audiences and use cases. Some Insiders have had this update for a few weeks now, and we appreciate all the feedback we’ve received about it so far! For those new to this update, when it rolls out to you, you’ll find clicking the search box in the taskbar now launches our experience focused on giving you the best in house search experience and clicking the Cortana icon will launch you straight into our voice-first digital assistant experience.

Other available Search and Cortana settings have also now been split between the two, along with the familiar group policies.

This change is one of several we’ve made throughout this release to improve your experience in this space, includingupdating the search landing page design, enhancingyour search results, andintegrating Microsoft To-Do with Cortana. If you have any further feedback, please don’t hesitate to share it with us here.

Note: Cortana is currently only available in supported markets.

The next step in improving Start reliability

As some of you may already know, up until now Start in Windows 10 has been hosted by something called ShellExperienceHost.exe. In order to provide you the best possible Start experience, we’re separating it into its own process, called StartMenuExperienceHost.exe. This has a number of benefits, including simplifying debugging and insulating Start from potential issues impacting other surfaces. This has been running as an experiment for a few weeks now and we’ve seen measurable improvements in the reliability amongst those that have the change, so we’re rolling it out to everyone.

We’re also making a change so that Start no longer suspends, which improves launch time.

A Better Font management experience in Settings

Insiders today can now drag and drop font files from File Explorer into the modern Settings > Fonts page to install them. After installation, click on the font in the Font page, to view the different font faces associated with the font and all the details of the font. You can also uninstall the font from this font details page. Drag and drop font installation by default is installed as a per-user font which does not require elevation, hence it will not be available for other users. To install the font for all users in the device, use the “Install for all Users” option by right clicking the font on file explorer.

A simpler Windows Insider Program Settings page

We are introducing a simplified Windows Insider Program Settings page via Settings > Update & Security > Windows Insider Program with Build 18317. The goal is to make the end-to-end experience of signing up for the Windows Insider Program and setting up your PC to take new builds much easier by simplifying the experience and removing some of the clutter. You’ll find that all the same functionality is still there.

Under “Pick your Insider settings” is where you can change your Insider ring on your PC.

Windows Console Updates

We’ve made several fixes & improvements in Windows Console in and leading up to build 18317, including:

Overall, Cortana being separated from Windows Search is pretty big news, and this should give more room to other digital assistants like Alexa (now available as a Microsoft Store app). Cortana has been a part of Windows Search since the launch of Windows 10, but the company seems to have come to the conclusion that this wasn’t such a good idea. In the preview build 18309 released earlier this month, Microsoft alsoremoved the Cortana voice-overwhen you clean install Pro, Enterprise, or Education editions of Windows. Cortana will still have its place in the Windows 10 task bar going forward, but it no longer seems to be a core functionality of Windows 10.

As usual, the preview build 18317 also fixes a long list of bugs, and it also includes the three issues that were fixed in thecumulative update build 18312.1007released yesterday. You can learn more about the general fixes and known issues in the build 18317 in ourseparate post.

Radu Tyrsina

Radu Tyrsina has been a Windows fan ever since he got his first PC, a Pentium III (a monster at that time).

For most of the kids of his age, the Internet was an amazing way to play and communicate with others, but he was deeply impressed by the flow of information and how easily you can find anything on the web.

Prior to founding Windows Report, this particular curiosity about digital content enabled him to grow a number of sites that helped hundreds of millions reach faster the answer they’re looking for.

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Radu Tyrsina

With KB5043178 to Release Preview Channel, Microsoft advises Windows 11 users to plug in when the battery is low#

Copilot in Outlook will generate personalized themes for you to customize the app#

Microsoft will raise the price of its 365 Suite to include AI capabilities#

Death Stranding Director’s Cut is now Xbox X|S at a huge discount#

Outlook will let users create custom account icons so they can tell their accounts apart easier#

Windows 10 19H1 build 18317 is out, splits up Windows Search and Cortana, adds better Start reliability#

Separating Search and Cortana#

The next step in improving Start reliability#

A Better Font management experience in Settings#

A simpler Windows Insider Program Settings page#

Windows Console Updates#