Insiders gain new features in Windows 10 build 10525

By Dave LeClair August 18, 2015

1206757 autosave v1 2 windows 10 home laptop — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Those running the Fast Ring of the Windows 10 Insider program are getting access to build 10525 today, and it features some pretty cool tweaks that should make everyone using the OS pretty happy. First, Microsoft is adding color options, a feature that many enjoyed from previous versions of the OS. Second, it’s making improvements to memory, which should help improve performance for some.

As for the color options, this works much like it did in Windows 8.1. Users can choose a color that works with their tastes. The color will change on the start menu and on the bars of open windows. It’s not a huge tweak, but it’s nice for people who felt like Windows 10 lacked individuality.

The bigger change comes to the Memory Manager. The new feature is called a compression store, which is an in-memory collection of compressed pages. When Memory Manger is being pushed, it will compress pages instead of writing them to disk.

This change allows processes to use less memory, and thus allows Windows to run more applications at a time. This should cause Windows 10 to run more smoothly during intense multitasking, which seems like a great thing for all users.

Those are the only changes Microsoft officially cited, though it’s likely that there are smaller bug fixes and tweaks, as those tend to come standard with any major OS update.

If you’re looking to get into the Preview Program so you can get first access to new builds, you can do so by going to Settings on your PC, then Update & Security, then Advanced Options. In there, you’ll see “Get Insider Builds.”

Keep in mind that this will cause you to get unfinished builds of Windows 10, and so you might want to consider that before opting in on your primary computer. Even in this build Microsoft has already acknowledged some known issues including mobile hotspot not working at all, an issue with the Movies & TV app, and others.

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Dave LeClair has been writing about tech and gaming since 2007. He's covered events, hosted podcasts, created videos, and…

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