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Latest Windows Insider build bids farewell to an old friend, the Command Prompt

Jayce Wagner
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Image used with permission by copyright holder
It’s time again for a new Windows Insider build (Build 14971) blossoming with usability changes and minor bug fixes. But first, a moment of silence for the Microsoft Command Prompt, known to its friends and users as simply “cmd.” That’s right, this latest Windows Insider build kicks the old-fashioned Command Prompt to the curb, but doesn’t kill it outright. It’s been replaced with the snazzy, not-so-new Windows PowerShell.

What’s new

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As Microsoft’s Dona Sarkar points out in Thursday’s Windows Insider update, this week will mark the 10th birthday of PowerShell as a Windows utility – and the beginning of a new era for Windows command line users. The venerable Command Prompt will no longer be the app that launches when you type “cmd” into your File Explorer’s address bar — instead, you’ll be treated to the somewhat alarming deep blue and white text of Windows PowerShell, a more robust and fully featured version of the Command Prompt.

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Ignoring the fact that it looks an awful lot like the blue screen of death, PowerShell will reportedly allow users to leverage a more potent feature set than the old Command Prompt allowed – including rapid automation of administration tasks across multiple operating systems (Linux, OSX, Unix, and Windows).

To be fair, Command Prompt will still be a part of Windows, and you can access it directly by navigating to your Windows Utilities folder, but it will – by default – be replaced by PowerShell when you type “cmd” into your File Explorer, or when you open it up with the keyboard shortcut Windows Key + X.

Also included in the latest Windows Insider update is a preview of Paint 3D, and the ability to open EPUB files in Microsoft Edge. There are a few other, minor updates that you can read more about here.

Known bugs

Like every Windows Insider build, this one has a few quirks. Navigating to Settings and opening the Battery app will reportedly crash the Settings app, and adjusting your monitor’s brightness from the keyboard will no longer work as expected. Microsoft advises users to adjust brightness settings directly from the Settings menu.

Where can you get it

As always, in order to get your hands on the latest Windows Preview Build, you’ll have to join the Windows Insider program, which you can do here.

If you’re already a member, just open up your Windows Update and check if the latest update is available.

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Jayce Wagner
Jayce Wagner
Former Digital Trends Contributor
A staff writer for the Computing section, Jayce covers a little bit of everything -- hardware, gaming, and occasionally VR.
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