Windows 10 Dev Channel build 20161 improves Start menu, taskbar layout, notifications, tablet experience, and more

Microsoft released a new Windows 10 preview build 20161 to the Windows Insiders in the Dev Channel, formerly known as Fast Ring, and the new build is from Active Development Branch and is not tied to any upcoming Windows 10 release.

Windows 10 insiders preview build 20161 includes a number of notable features, improvements, and fixes to Windows 10. To know more about the changes, continue reading further.

Microsoft includes Theme-aware tiles in Start

Microsoft is adding theme-aware tiles in the Windows 10 Start menu to provide a more streamlined design that removes the current solid color backplates behind the logos in the app list and applies a uniform, a partially transparent background to the tiles.

This refined Start design is compatible with both Dark and Light theme, but if you are looking for a splash of color, first make sure to turn on Windows dark theme and then toggle Show accent color on the following surfaces for Start, taskbar, and action center under Settings | Personalization | Color.

Microsoft added a more personalized Taskbar for new users

With the new build, Microsoft is offering new users a cleaner, more personalized, out-of-box experience for the taskbar. This programmable Taskbar feature won't alter the Taskbar layout on existing accounts.

Microsoft wants to evaluate the performance of individual default properties, monitoring diagnostic data, and user feedback to assess an audience’s reception. Using this information, the team will tune default layouts to minimize clutter and perceptions of bloatware.

Microsoft is improving the notification experience on Windows 10

With the Windows 10 insiders preview build 20161, Microsoft is making some changes to improve the notifications experience on Windows 10. The updated experience will allow users to select the close button (X) on the top right corner of notification to quickly dismiss it and move next.

Microsoft is also turning off the Focus Assist notification and summary toast by default so that the user won't see the notification saying Focus Assist has been turned on through an automatic rule via a notification. You can change it back to the previous behavior via the Windows 10 Settings page.

Microsoft is improving the Windows 10 tablet experience for 2-in-1 devices

Microsoft is updating the current experience of Windows 10 on 2-in-1 devices having detachable keyboards. With the new build, if the user detaches a keyboard from a 2-in-1 device, they won't get a notification toast telling them they are moving into tablet mode.

Instead, it will switch you directly into the new tablet experience, with some improvements for touch. You can change this setting by going to Settings | System | Tablet.

A new ALT + TAB experience for Microsoft Edge on Windows 10

With today's build, Microsoft also improving the Alt + TAB experience for the Chromium Edge browser, and list all open tabs instead of the active one in each browser window. But if you prefer fewer tabs or the classic Alt + TAB experience, you can change it under Settings | System | Multitasking.

Microsoft in its release note mentioned that this feature is currently rolling out to a subset of Insiders in the Dev Channel and requires a Canary or Dev build of Microsoft Edge (version 83.0.475.0 or higher).