Microsoft’s latest OS update, 20H2, offers a handful of welcome tweaks, and the more-compatible Chromium Edge browser replaces the legacy version. Here’s what’s worth checking out.
Recent Windows 10 updates have been notably lacking in big, splashy new features, perhaps because several previous attempts, such as My People—remember that?—never saw much usage. And other would-be flagship features, like the multi-app Sets, never even saw the light of day. Indeed, only diehard Windows watchers likely know of the existence of these once-touted initiatives. No October Surprises, Please That’s just fine with many Windows users, who tend to shun glitzy new changes to their OS and actually gripe about any major changes. In fact, I find some of the more-recent features like Clipboard History and the excellent new screenshot tool indispensable. It’s also important to realize that new capabilities occasionally roll into Windows 10 in between these major feature updates—usually things like redesigned icons and updated default apps. In any case, a new Windows update is upon us, such as it is. This time Microsoft is calling it the October 2020 Update. Most Microsoft pundits and Windows Insider beta testers know it as version 20H2, to signify that it’s the second update for 2020, and in fact that’s how it appears in the System Info page of Settings. The update has started rolling out to Windows PCs already, but there’s a thorough vetting process for PC hardware to pass in order to receive it. These Windows Updates can take months to propagate automatically to every PC, but you can always open Settings > Update & Security and tap the Check for Updates button to see whether the October 2020 update is available to your machine. Aside from a few design tweaks, the biggest change is that the new, more compatible Google-powered Chromium version of the Edge web browser is now built into Windows. It replaces Microsoft’s own previous homespun Edge to power not only the default browser, but Windows store apps that need access to web content.
