Microsoft has released Windows 10 build 17004 for PCs enrolled in the Fast ring (Skip Ahead) of the Windows Insider Program. This new preview for testers is a minor update, but it includes at least one visual change and a slew of fixes and improvements that users will get as part of the Windows 10 Redstone 4 update (version 1803) due in 2018.
Windows 10 build 17004, according to the software giant, adds more Fluent Design changes to the Start menu, Microsoft Edge and input get a ton of fixes, and there are also a number of general changes.
What’s new on Windows 10 build 17004
Start menu
In this flight, the All apps list on Start now includes Reveal highlight, which is a feature of Microsoft’s new Fluent Design System.
Microsoft Edge
Windows 10 build 17004 brings a number of fixes for the Microsoft Edge web browser, including:
- Addressed an issue where “Open with previous pages” wouldn’t recover tabs after dragging a tab between two Edge windows.
- Fixed a problem from recent flights where Alt + D wouldn’t bring input focus to the address bar when certain keyboards were active.
- Addressed an issue where typing a web address into the address bar from the New Tab and Start Page and would sometimes clear the text and not result in any page navigation
- Fixed a problem resulting copy/paste and the print dialog not working for those using the updated Youtube.com website design.
- Addressed an issue where Ctrl + Click on a link in a PDF wouldn’t open the link in a new tab.
- Fixed a problem resulting in keyboard layout changes potentially not being applied when using Edge after setting focus to the address bar.
- Addressed an issue resulting in PDFs potentially rendering blank after panning down a few pages and back up.
- Fixed a problem where the tab previews for PDFs were black with a white bar on each side.
- Addressed an issue where the first time you pressed Ctrl + F to open Search, the search box doesn’t get focus. We also fixed an issue where you might be unable to type in the address bar after clicking on CTRL + F text field.
Input
This new update available through Skip Ahead addresses some input issues, including:
- Addressed problem resulting in the enter key not working properly in Facebook Messenger.
- Fixed an issue resulting in the Delete key on the full touch keyboard layout unexpectedly inserting a period in UWP apps.
- Addressed problem resulting in a stutter when selecting long strings in certain single line editable text boxes.
Additional improvements
This new build for testers also includes many of the same fixes that Microsoft has been making available for the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update previews.
There is a new color wheel on the Color & High Contrast settings page to help you get a feel for the effect of each of the different available color filters.
Mod Organizer should now load mods into Skyrim normally. You should no longer see a green screening with a SYSTEM_SERVICE_EXCEPTION in win32kfull.sys. And there is a fix to prevent Windows key + X menu sometimes unexpectedly missing the accelerator key underline hints.
Microsoft is listing the complete set of improvements for Windows 10 Insider build 7004 at the Windows Blog. In case you missed it, you can read all the changes for Windows 10 build 16362 in this article.
How to download Windows 10 build 17004
Although there are no ISO files for Windows 10 build 17004, the update is available immediately through the Fast ring for PCs using the Skip Ahead option. This preview build will download and install automatically on your device, but you can always force the update from Settings > Update & security > Windows Update and clicking the Check for updates button.
If you missed the opportunity to join the Fast ring with Skip Ahead, you can use this workaround to install Windows 10 build 17004.
You can also check out these resources:
Mauro Huculak is a Windows How-To Expert who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He has also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 15 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows and software, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 21 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me. Email him at [email protected].