Microsoft brings muted tabs, quick sharing in new Windows 10 Insider Preview Build

The new Windows 10 Insider Preview Build brings a number of helpful fixes, including the ability to mute individual tabs in Microsoft Edge, as well as something called “Near Share.” As detailed in the official Windows Blog, Build 17035 also makes a long list of tweaks to things like settings, keyboards, and the Start menu.

With the rising profile of video content on the web, it’s more important than ever to have the ability to mute particular tabs in your browser. To perform the function, just right click on the problem tab (hint: it’s probably the one with a volume symbol next to the title). From there, just skip down to Mute tab and give it a click. It’s a feature that’s been in Safari and Chrome for a while, so it’s good to see Microsoft bring it to Edge.

The other (somewhat) significant update to Windows 10 is the aforementioned “Near Share.” This one is a bit more complicated — and will only work if both your computer and the computer your sharing with have Bluetooth support (of course, both computers will also need to have the newest build installed). Near Share is essentially a new “quick action” that lets you quickly share something on your screen with another person without having to exit out of the application.

To use it, you’ve got to first have the quick actions setting turned on — it can be found in Notifications & Actions in the Settings menu. From there, you’ll find the Share icon in a number of first-party Microsoft apps, including Edge, Photos, and File Explorer.

Other small tweaks worth mentioning include an update to typing in Japanese, the addition of text suggestion on hardware keyboards, and Sound setting getting moved from Control Panel to the new Settings menu.

Windows 10 gets two big updates each year: the Creators Update in the spring and Fall Creators Update in the fall. The Fall Creators Update from the this past fall included a shift in design called the “Fluent Design System,” as well as updates to how your smartphone relates to your Windows PC. But in between the big releases, we get sneak peeks into what Microsoft is doing in the form of Inside Preview Builds, such as the one described above. Although anyone can become an “Insider,” this is beta software that comes with its own risks at installation.