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On Thursday Microsoft launched Windows 10 Preview Build 18980 to Insiders in the Fast ring, a build that adds update on Cortana and improvements on Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL).

This Insider update also includes update on the Optional Features settings section as well as other features, improvements, and numerous fixes.

If you’re a Windows Insider in the Fast ring, you can update to the Preview Build 18980 by going to Settings -> Update & Security -> Windows Update and checking for the latest update.

What’s new in Build 18980

An update on Cortana

In response to your comments, Microsoft is implementing a plan to make it easier for all Windows clients to use Cortana. First, starting with today’s version, all insiders around the world will see the Cortana icon and the new application. In a future update of the Cortana application, customers will be able to use Cortana when they speak a supported language, regardless of the display language of their operating system. The new Cortana application currently supports English (USA) – since Cortana is supported by the services, we can and will add other languages beyond the limits of build OS updates in the coming months. We plan to support 20 of the same regions and languages we currently support in retail by the time of launch in the first half of this year. We will give you more details about our language introduction projects as they progress and we thank you for your patience during this transition period.

Improvements to the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL)

In this version, we have added WSL2 support for ARM64 devices! We also added the ability to define the default user for your distribution using the /etc/wsl.conf file. This version also contains several bug fixes, including a long-standing problem with older Windows symlinks (for example in the user profile directory).

For more details on the changes made to this new version of the Insider Preview Build, please refer to the WSL Release Notes.

More updates for insiders

Update on the Optional Features Settings section improvements

These changes are now available to all insiders in Fast! Many thanks to those who have already tried it and provided us with their comments. If the experience comes only to you, we look forward to hearing from you! To briefly summarize, among other things, we have added multi-select, search and generally done work to facilitate the use of this section easily:

General changes, improvements, and fixes for PC

• There was an upgrade block on the previous flight in order to ensure that Insiders with certain versions of Outlook weren’t impacted by an issue in the build, which resulted in some insiders not finding the build when they checked for updates last week. This has been removed with this flight.
• We fixed a deadlock in netprofmsvc.dll that was occurring in recent builds. Symptoms for those impacted potentially included upgrade to the build freezing at 98%, or (if you were able to upgrade,) various aspects of the system unexpectedly freezing and becoming unresponsive.
• We’ve done some work to help address an issue where Outlook wouldn’t launch if you clicked an incoming email notification.
• We fixed an issue impacting touch keyboard reliability in recent builds.
• We fixed an issue impacting WIN+(Period) reliability.
• We’ve made the decision to return to the retail build version of the Korean IME while we work on addressing feedback Insiders shared with us about the updated IME experience.
• We fixed an issue impacting screen snipping reliability in the last few flights.
• We fixed an issue that could result in the login screen acrylic on the previous flight sometimes unexpectedly showing squares around UI elements.
• We fixed an issue that could result in certain app thumbnails going unexpectedly blank when you right-clicked them in Task View.
• We fixed an issue where removable devices were erroneously labeled as HDD in Task Manager’s performance tab. They will now be labeled Removable.
• As some Insiders have noticed, to give you the option to save disk space if needed, we’ve converted MS Paint and WordPad into Optional Features. You can choose to uninstall them or reinstall them via Optional Features in Settings.
• We’ve made some adjustments to help improve performance of the Apps & Features page in Settings when searching.
• We fixed an issue that could result in Settings crashing when updating your account picture.
• Ease of Access settings are no longer participating in settings synchronization (roaming). Accordingly, we have now removed the Ease of Access toggle in Settings > Accounts > Sync your settings.
• Magnifier reading now works better in applications like Google Chrome and Firefox.
• Magnifier reading no longer clicks the application when using the “Read from here” button or the Ctrl + Alt + Left Mouse Click keyboard shortcut.
• We fixed an issue where the text cursor indicator would not display when switching between left-to-right and right-to-left languages.
• We fixed an issue where the text cursor indicator would sometimes appear on read-only areas of the screen.
• We fixed an issue where the text cursor indicator would appear over the Start menu instead of staying in the Search edit box after typing text in the Search edit box.
• Improved the ability of reading the title of the window with Narrator while reading messages in Outlook.
• Improved auto-reading in Outlook with Narrator to make it more reliable.
• Made changes to more reliably read the message headers using Narrator while reading when using the Shift + Tab command while in Scan Mode.
• Improved the verbosity of Narrator when reading lists at verbosity level one.
• We fixed an issue where an edit field on some webpages was not getting properly updated on a configured braille display when editing the contents with Narrator.
• We fixed an issue where certain Local Experience Packs (LXPs) may revert to English.
• We fixed an issue resulting in certain Wi-Fi adapters not being able to load (code 10 error) after upgrading from a previous release of Windows and needing to be disabled and re-enabled for it to work.

Known issues

• The Reset this PC cloud download option is not currently calculating the correct amount of space you need to free up if you do not have enough disk space to proceed. To work around this until the fix is available, free up an extra 5GB beyond what is prompted.
• The Reset this PC cloud download option is not currently working when specific optional features are installed. The process will begin, but an error will occur and roll back the changes. To work around this issue, remove the optional features before trying the cloud download option. We’ll let you know once this issue has been resolved. The optional features are: EMS and SAC Toolset for Windows 10, IrDA infrared, Print Management Console, RAS Connection Manager Administration Kit (CMAK), RIP Listener, all RSAT tools, Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP), Windows Fax and Scan, Windows Storage Management, Wireless Display, and WI SNMP Provider.
• There has been an issue with older versions of anti-cheat software used with games where after updating to the latest 19H1 Insider Preview builds may cause PCs to experience crashes. We are working with partners on getting their software updated with a fix, and most games have released patches to prevent PCs from experiencing this issue. To minimize the chance of running into this issue, please make sure you are running the latest version of your games before attempting to update the operating system. We are also working with anti-cheat and game developers to resolve similar issues that may arise with the 20H1 Insider Preview builds and will work to minimize the likelihood of these issues in the future.
• Some Realtek SD card readers are not functioning properly. We are investigating the issue.
• We are looking into an issue where, after updating to this build, adding a new Language Pack reports successful installation but is not installed.
• Certain 2D apps (like Feedback Hub, Microsoft Store, 3D Viewer) are incorrectly being treated as having protected content within Windows Mixed Reality. During video capture, these 2D apps block their content from being recorded.
• When capturing a repro video while filing a bug via Feedback Hub in Windows Mixed Reality, you won’t be able to select Stop video, due to the protected content issue noted above. If you want to submit a repro video, you will need to wait 5 minutes for the recording to time out. If you’d like to file the bug without a repro video, you can close the Feedback Hub window to end the recording and resume filing your bug when you reopen the app in Feedback > Drafts.

Click here to view the official Microsoft release page of this build.

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