Skip to main content

One of Windows 10’s best canceled features might be making a comeback

Sets in Windows 10

Microsoft is always working to improve Windows 10 based on feedback from its Windows Insiders, and sometimes features come and go accordingly. One of those was Windows Sets.

Recommended Videos

For a brief testing period, the feature had allowed Windows users to group certain tasks or programs and open new instances of them in new tabs in any given window. The Sets feature never quite made it to the final version of the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update, but it might soon make a comeback. That’s all according to a new tweet from famed Microsoft leaker WalkingCat.

oh ? "Sets" is back in 19481 ? 🧐

— WalkingCat (@h0x0d) September 20, 2019

While hard to verify, WalkingCat claims that the Sets feature could be returning in one of the preview versions (known as “builds”) of the first major 2021 update to Windows 10, which could be code-named 21H1. This specific build number WalkingCat is referring to for the feature is 19841, which seems to be quite a whiles away. Currently, the newest build available for public testing with Windows Insiders is at 18985.

Windows 10 build numbers typically only see big increases when major features (and new versions of Windows) are introduced. Presumably, this means Sets could a return in a few months at the least. The Italian Blog Aggiornamenti Lumia also confirms this comeback of Sets, finding mentions of it — and the 21H1 update — in the code in most recent Windows Insider builds.

Other, more technical Windows Insiders, have also noticed weblog mentions, coding changes to window captioning, and handling in recent builds. This suggests that Microsoft is in the process of working out the issues that cut out the Windows Sets feature, and has already complied 21H1 builds internally.

While the 21H1 update presumably won’t be coming for another year and a half, Windows Insiders might soon be able to test it, and both the Sets feature.

That’s because Microsft has shifted the way it develops Windows 10. There’s now only one “major” update a year with new features. A release in the spring with major features, and then, a release in the fall with minor tweaks.

Currently, only Fast Ring and Skip Ahead Windows insiders are testing the 20H1 update — the first Windows 10 update scheduled for a release in early spring 2020. Slow Ring insiders are still behind and are testing the 19H2 update — the second, but current Windows 10 update for 2019, which is set for release this year.

Once both 19H2 and 20H1 released, Skip Ahead insiders might get in to test 21H1 — which is the first update for Windows 10 in 2021 that might feature Sets. Then Fast Ring insiders will be able to test 20H2, the second update for Windows 10 next year in 2020.

Arif Bacchus
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Arif Bacchus is a native New Yorker and a fan of all things technology. Arif works as a freelance writer at Digital Trends…
Windows 11 can now run on unsupported systems, but there’s a catch
A laptop sits on a desk with a Windows 11 wallpaper.

Microsoft is now allowing users to update to Windows 11 on older, unsupported hardware, including systems that don’t meet the operating system’s strict hardware requirements.

While the company initially set these requirements — including the need for a TPM 2.0 chip and specific processor models — to ensure performance, reliability, and security, it has now provided a manual installation option for those who want to use Windows 11 on unsupported machines.

Read more
Is Windows 11 acting up for you? This might be why
The Surface Pro 11 on a white table in front of a window.

This year's big Windows 11 update, 24H2, started a phased rollout in October and just became available to more PCs yesterday, December 4, as spotted by Windows Latest. To check if your PC is ready for it, just head to the settings page and check for updates -- if an update is not there for download yet, you'll have to wait until later in the rollout process.

Getting new things first isn't always a good thing when it comes to software, however. It can take quite a while for a new Windows build to be announced as "stable," and 24H2 is far from earning that title at the moment.

Read more
Microsoft won’t back down on Windows 11’s biggest hurdle
The Surface Pro 11 on a white table in front of a window.

Microsoft has reaffirmed that it will not lower the minimum hardware requirements for Windows 11, solidifying the need for a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 2.0 and a compatible CPU. This decision leaves many older PCs ineligible for the upgrade. Microsoft emphasizes that these standards are vital for improved security and performance.

As per a recent blog post titled “TPM 2.0 – a necessity for a secure and future-proof Windows 11,” Microsoft reaffirmed its decision not to relax Windows 11’s strict hardware requirements. TPM 2.0 is a hardware-based security feature that protects sensitive data and ensures secure boot processes. Microsoft argues that such measures are nonnegotiable as the company continues to address rising cybersecurity threats. The minimum requirements include a list of approved CPUs, starting from AMD Ryzen 2000 and Intel 8th Gen processors, that offer advanced security features and better performance efficiency.

Read more