Windows 10 October 2018 Update (1809) Release Date And New Features

Yet again, Microsoft is on the verge of releasing another major update to Windows 10. The current update of Windows 10 is April 2018 Update Version 1803. Microsoft has also announced the name of next update which is Windows 10 October 2018 Update Version 1809. If you are a Windows Insider with fast track updates, you are already using Windows 10 Version 1809.

Update:  Windows 10 Version 1809 October 2018 Update direct download links

To check the version and build of your installed Operating System, just go to Run –> winver. This will show you the summary about your installed OS.

Let’s first list down the most recent versions of Windows 10 supported by Microsoft.

1. Windows 10 Creators Update version 1703
2. Windows 10 Fall Creators Update version 1709
3. Windows 10 April 2018 Update version 1803

Windows 10 October 2018 Update release date speculation

The fifth major feature update of Windows 10 is almost around the corner and is scheduled to be released at the start of October 2018. The codename for version 1809 is Redstone 5 and the kernel is the same WinNT 10.0.

Windows 10 October 2018 Update is expected to be released in around 38 languages.

Please keep following itechtics.com and we will share the ISOs download links for all available languages like we have been doing in the past.

Normally the feature updates are supported by Microsoft for up to 18 months. This means that Windows 10 October 2018 Update will be supported through April 2020.

The current build number which is available for Windows Insiders is 10.0.17758.1.

Features included in Windows 10 October 2018 Update

Cloud Clipboard and Clipboard history

If you are using multiple Microsoft devices, this feature is for you. Windows 10 Version 1809 will come with cloud clipboard option. This means that your clipboard contents will be saved to your Microsoft account and will appear wherever you sign into your account. Sync across devices feature is not enabled until you sign in to a Microsoft account. You can do so by following the steps below:

1. Go to Settings
2. Go to System
3. Go to Clipboard
4. Under Sync across devices, Click Sign in.

Clipboard history has also been introduced. You will be able to see your clipboard history using a keyboard shortcut. This feature is turned off by default. You can enable is by following the steps below:

1. Go to Settings
2. Go to System
3. Go to Clipboard
4. Toggle Clipboard history to On.

After you have enabled clipboard history, you can see the history any time by pressing Windows Key + V.

Dark mode for Microsoft Apps

Dark mode is all the rage now a days. All applications and Operating Systems including popular browsers are introducing dark mode in their feature set. Dark mode is the inverted mode where foreground color become lighter and background color becomes darker. This helps in saving eyes from damage especially when working at night.

Microsoft has introduced dark mode for Windows apps especially File Explorer. To enable dark mode, follow the steps below:

1. Go to Settings
2. Go to Personalization
3. Go to Colors
4. Under ‘Choose your default app mode‘, select Dark.

SwiftKey keyboard

Microsoft has improved on its virtual keyboard which is an accessibility feature in Windows. SwiftKey keyboard is like real keyboard and it can be used on touch enabled devices. After this improvement, people may find it easier to take tablets without a physical keyboard instead of laptops which have a physical keyboard, especially useful when you are travelling.

To enable SwiftKey keyboard, follow the steps below:

1. Go to Settings
2. Go to Ease of Access
3. Go to Keyboard under Interaction
4. Under Use your device without a physical keyboard, turn on the toggle for on-screen keyboard.

Updated game bar and game mode

The game bar has been greatly improved in Windows 10 October 2018 Update. Earlier, the game bar was just a small bar with basic settings about game mode. Now if you press Windows Key + G to open the game bar, you will be amazed by the amount of features included in it.

Now you can capture screenshots from inside the game, record the game, record game audio etc.

Your Phone app

Windows 10 Version 1809 comes with a much better smartphone integration. Now you can integrate your Windows 10 Phone or even Android phone. You will be able to access your photos and send SMS using your PC instead of the phone.

Google also introduced an app for sending SMS from the computer instead of the Android phone but this requires active Internet connection to work.

Windows Sets

Windows Sets was a planned part of this update but it has been delayed and may be introduced in the next feature release of Windows 10. Using Windows Sets, users will be able to group apps inside a single window. This feature is like tabs in a browser. We will discuss about this when this feature is released.

If we have missed any features of Windows 10 October 2018 Update, please let us know in the comments below and we will add those features in this list.

Downloading and installing Windows 10 October 2018 Update

If you want to try Windows 10 Version 1809 now, you can do so by becoming an Insider. To activate Windows Insider Program on your computer, go to Settings –> Update & Security –> Windows Insider Program and sign up for downloading Insider builds.

This is not recommended on a production PC. For now, make sure you are running Windows 10 Version 1803 which is the latest stable version at this time.

When the new feature update is released, Microsoft will automatically push it on your computer with Windows Updates enabled. For new installations, we will provide the offline ISOs for Windows 10 October 2018 Update. Just stay tuned and keep subscribed to itechtics :).