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Latest Windows 10 build improves Cortana, command prompt and battery life

Just days after Build 14328 was pushed to Windows 10 users on the Insider program, Microsoft has now made Build 14332 available. As usual, the latest update brings bug fixes and tweaks to known issues — but there’s also some new functionality on offer here that users won’t want to miss out on.

Perhaps the most useful feature added in the newest build gives Cortana the ability to search through Office 365 content. Files in OneDrive for Business, SharePoint, and your emails, contacts and calendar can all be included or excluded from your queries using filters added to the search UI.

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However, server-side issues are causing some interference with Cortana’s new tricks. This functionality might not work as desired just yet, but Microsoft is aware of the problem and hopes to have the situation resolved shortly, according to a report from WinBeta.

Changes have been made to the Command Prompt with a view to improving usability. Windows should scale better on PCs using a high DPI display, font selection and rendering has been improved for international characters, and there’s a bevy of slight refinements to things like cursor rendering and hiding and background painting.

Microsoft has also responded to issues reported by users working with Bash. Networking issues that interfered with sustaining an Internet connection have now been taken care of, and solutions have been found for problems encountered when moving files between mount points.

Finally, there are some improvements to battery life for Surface devices or other Connected Standby PCs. Using lessons learned in the development of the Battery Saver utility, the team has been able to implement a method of de-prioritizing less valuable activity while maintaining an Internet connection and associated processes.

Build 14332 of Windows 10 is available now to users in the fast ring of the Insider program. To get your hands on the newest build, head to the Settings app and navigate to the Update & Security section.

Brad Jones
Brad is an English-born writer currently splitting his time between Edinburgh and Pennsylvania. You can find him on Twitter…
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