The Next Version of Windows 10: Version 1909 (November 2019 Update)

The Next Version of Windows 10: Version 1909 (November 2019 Update)

The next feature update for Windows 10, known officially as the November 2019 Update (version 1909 ) will be delivered to those currently running version 1903 (May 2019 Update)  in “a less disruptive fashion” than previous version updates. Microsoft says they will deliver the November 2019 (version 1909) update in a way very similar to a normal monthly update. 

Microsoft summarizes: 

“In other words, anyone running the May 2019 Update and updating to the new release will have a far faster update experience because the update will install like a monthly update.”

However, for Windows 10 users who are currently running older versions of Windows 10, the November 2019 Update (version 1909) will be delivered as past feature updates were delivered. Which means, I guess, using the words of Microsoft and twisting them a bit, it will be delivered in the same “disruptive fashion” as previous Windows 10 version updates.

For Windows 10 version 1903 users, version 1909 (November 2019 Update) will very similar to the old Windows Service Packs released for previous versions of Windows.

There’s not much new in Windows 10 version 1909.  The November 2019 update consists mainly of operating fixes with very few new features. 

Here are some of the new features coming in Windows 10 version 1909… according to Microsoft:

• You can now quickly create an event straight from the Calendar flyout on the Taskbar. Just select the date and time at the lower right corner of the Taskbar to open the Calendar flyout and pick your desired date and start typing in the text box–you’ll now see inline options to set a time and location.
• The navigation pane on the Start menu now expands when you hover over it with your mouse to better inform where clicking goes.
• We have added friendly images to show what is meant by “banner” and “Action Center” when adjusting the notifications on apps in order to make these settings more approachable and understandable.
• Notifications settings under Settings > System > Notifications will now default to sorting notification senders by most recently shown notification, rather than sender name. This makes it easier to find and configure frequent and recent senders. We have also added a setting to turn off playing sound when notifications appear.
• We now show the options to configure and turn off notifications from an app/website right on the notification, both as a banner and in Action Center.
• We have added a “Manage notifications” button to the top of Action Center that launches the main “Notifications & actions” Settings page.
• We have made general battery life and power efficiency improvements for PCs with certain processors.
• We’re updating the search box in File Explorer to now be powered by Windows Search. This change will help integrate your OneDrive content online with the traditional indexed results. More details here.
• We have added the ability for Narrator and other assistive technologies to read and learn where the FN key is located on keyboards and what state it is in (locked versus unlocked).
• Read the complete list here.

To sum it up…

Those of you who are currently using Windows 10 version 1903 (May 2019 Update) will get the November 2019 Update (version 1909) in the same way as you currently get normal monthly updates and not like the version updates you received in the past.

Those of you using versions of Windows 10 older than version 1903, will get version 1909 (November 2019 Update) in the same way as you’ve gotten version updates in the past.

Version 1909 is scheduled to be released in early November 2019, barring any unforeseen delays.