If you run into a severe issue that prevents you or other users in your organization from  using a device or compromises security or personal data, you can use our online form to request assistance directly from Microsoft Support­—at no cost to you:

GET THE ONLINE SUPPORT REQUEST FORM

How to use the form to submit a support request for 19H2 builds.

1. Open the online form at the link above.
2. On the Product Selection page , hit “Next” as the dropdown options are pre-selected for you. (Under “Select the Product version”, Windows Client v1909 Release Preview – WIPfB applies to both the Release Preview and Slow rings.)
3. On the Issue Details page, under “Please enter issue title”, enter your company name in brackets followed by an issue title: i.e. [Company Name] New XXXX feature unusable after XXXX. Under “Provide a brief description”, provide the details of the problem and the steps taken to experience the problem.
4. On the Support Plan page, click “Next” as the plan is pre-selected.
5. On the Severity page, choose whether you prefer to use “Email” or “Phone” for communicating with Microsoft Support.
6. On the Contact Information page, update your contact card with the email or phone number you want Microsoft Support to use when contacting you.
7. On the Review page, review your support request summary, make changes as needed, and then submit.

This is just one more benefit of the Windows Insider Program for Business. You can find more details about the program at the link below.

THE WINDOWS INSIDER PROGRAM FOR BUSINESS

1. This is a pilot Microsoft Support program and is not covered under the standard Microsoft Customer Support Service Agreement. This Microsoft Support program only applies to the Windows 10 1909 Insider Preview Build in the Release Preview and Slow rings and does not apply to Windows 10 Insider Preview Builds in the Fast ring.

The post Microsoft Support now available for Windows 10 Insider Preview Builds appeared first on Windows Insider.

You can appear on the Leaderboard by giving feedback, garnering upvotes for your feedback, and completing quests—all done through the Feedback Hub.

See the details on how you can make the board!

Here is how you can be on the Leaderboard

Most Fixes. Submit the most pieces of feedback (either primaries or upvotes) that result in a code change to Windows. Provide as much detail as you can that can help with fixing the issue—repro steps, screenshots, and report the issue from the device where it was encountered so logs can be collected.

Most Bugs Submitted. Submit the most pieces of feedback (primary submissions) that are promoted to a bug for review by our engineers.

Most Repro Logs. Submit the most pieces of feedback (either primaries or upvotes) with repro logs, files, and screenshots attached—the more details we get, the better!

Most Bugs Upvoted. Upvote the most pieces of feedback that are promoted to a bug for review by our engineers.

 Most Quests Completed. Complete the most Quests in the Feedback Hub.

Most Feedback Integrated into a Collection. Submit the most high-quality feedback that is then grouped with similar feedback from other Insiders.

Most upvotes on a primary. Receive the most upvotes on primary pieces of feedback—before it is combined in a collection.

 Longest Build Streak. Install the most consecutive Windows 10 Insider Preview builds in the Fast Ring. Qualifying builds can be found on Flight Hub.

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT SUBMITTING FEEDBACK

The post Check out the latest Windows Insider Leaderboard—August 2019 appeared first on Windows Insider.

PowerToys is a set of utilities for power users to tune and streamline their Windows experience for greater productivity. Inspired by the Windows 95 era PowerToys project, this reboot provides power users with utilities to squeeze more efficiency out of the Windows 10 shell and customize it for individual workflows. Check out this great overview of the Windows 95 PowerToys.

The first preview release of PowerToys contains two utilities with all the code for the project on GitHub. The repo also contains the information and tools you need to understand how the PowerToys’ utilities work together and how to create your own utilities.

Getting started

To kick the tires on the first two utilities, download the installer here. The main PowerToys service runs when Windows starts and a user logs in. When the service is running, a PowerToys icon appears in the system tray. Selecting the icon launches the PowerToys settings UI. The settings UI lets you enable and disable individual utilities and provides settings for each utility. There is also a link to the help doc for each utility. You can right click the tray icon to quit the Power Toys service.

Note that some PowerToys functionality requires running in an elevated process. Elevation is required to interact with and manipulate windows from processes that have a higher set of rights than the current user. This is why the PowerToys.exe requests elevation when launched.

If you find bugs or have suggestions, please open an issue in the Power Toys GitHub repo. The backlog for creating new utilities is here. You can provide feedback on the backlog to suggest new ideas or a different priority order by joining the backlog discussion in this issue.

First two utilities

This first preview of PowerToys contains two utilities. The Windows key shortcut guide and a window manager called FancyZones.

Windows key shortcut guide

The Windows key shortcut guide is a full screen overlay utility that provides a dynamic set of Windows key shortcuts that are applicable for the given desktop and currently active window. When the Windows key is held down for one second, (this time can be tuned in settings,) an overlay appears on the desktop showing all available Windows key shortcuts and what action those shortcuts will take given the current state of the desktop and active window. If the Windows key continues to be held down after a shortcut is issued, the overlay will remain up and show the new state of the active window.

Find detailed information on the Windows key shortcut guide, the backlog for this utility, and the source code.

FancyZones

FancyZones is a window manager that is designed to make it easy to arrange and snap windows into efficient layouts for your workflow, and also to restore these layouts quickly. FancyZones allows the user to define a set of window locations for a desktop that are drag targets for windows. When the user drags a window into a zone, the window is resized and repositioned to fill that zone.

To get started with FancyZones, you need to enable the utility in the PowerToys settings, and then invoke the FancyZones setup UI. There’s a button in settings to open this UI, or you can press Win+~ to launch it. When first launched, the UI presents a list of zone layouts that can be quickly adjusted by how many windows are on the monitor. Choosing a layout shows a preview of that layout on the monitor. Pressing the save and close button sets that layout to the monitor.

The editor also supports creating and saving custom layouts. This functionality is in the Custom tab in the editor UI. There are two ways to create custom zone layouts, window layout and table layout. These can also be thought of as additive and subtractive models. The additive window layout model starts with a blank layout and supports adding zones that can be dragged and resized, similar to windows.

The subtractive table layout model starts with a table layout and allows zones to be created by splitting and merging zones and then resizing the gutter between zones.

Find more information on FancyZones, the backlog for the utility, and the source code.

Community led and developed in the open

Our goal for the PowerToys project is for it to be an extension of the Windows power user community and for it to provide the functionality these users find most valuable. Our backlog of utilities is on GitHub, and we encourage the community to provide feedback on the backlog in this issue. Each utility has its own feature backlog. You can also contribute to the Windows shortcut guide backlog and the FancyZones backlog. For new utility suggestions, please create a new issue to discuss the idea.

Creating your own PowerToys utilities

While opening bug reports, feature suggestions, and feedback on the backlog are all incredibly valuable for this project, if you’re one of the many power users that are also developers, you can contribute directly to the product.

When the PowerToys project was first announced this spring, we didn’t think the reception would be as enthusiastic as it has been. The project started with just an empty repo, with a roadmap and a place for power users to provide suggestions and ideas. However, over 4000 users starred the repo, showing a strong interest in the project. Given this enthusiasm, we’re anticipating many developers will want to contribute to PowerToys, and we’ve made sure that the documentation, project architecture, and tools are ready for the community to dive in.

Before getting started, it’s worthwhile to read the contribution guidelines for the project. After that, you should read the “Developer Guidance” section of the PowerToys readme, which has a link to the new PowerToys utility Visual Studio template. Each utility is a .dll, which is loaded by the PowerToys runtime and each utility can provide settings to the PowerToys settings framework with a JSON blob. The settings UI takes this JSON and automatically creates a settings UI for the utility. More information on the settings format can be found in the Settings spec.

If you’ve got questions or feedback on creating your own PowerToys, please create an issue. We’re looking forward to seeing the enthusiasm of the community and how it will guide PowerToys.

The post Announcing the first preview and code release of PowerToys appeared first on Windows Insider.

A hackathon is a mishmash of two terms: “hacking” (that is, coming up with innovative new ways of doing things) and “marathon.” Typically known as a coding competition for engineers, Microsoft’s Hackathon is a bit different. All employees, not just coders, are invited to four days of collaboration, creativity, and problem solving. Attendees bring an amazing variety of skills and ideas to the event, working together on an equally diverse set of projects.

This year, we took that idea of open and diverse collaboration even further. For the first time ever, we invited Windows Insiders to join us for our Hackathon. Insiders were selected through our Insiders2Campus contest based on their answers to one simple question: Tell us about your passion for solving challenges.

The responses we received were amazing—and inspiring. After some serious deliberation, the Windows Insider Team eventually selected ten winners. Our group came from all corners of the globe, from Argentina to Zimbabwe, with backgrounds in journalism, software development, and design, to name only a few. Congratulations to all our winners! You can see their winning entries here.

• Dan Flores – United States
• Robert de Graaff – France
• Mark Lunney – United Kingdom
• Stefan Malter – Germany
• Antonio de Marco Blanco – Spain
• James Mundy – United Kingdom
• Clint-Roy Muvirimi-Mukarakate – Zimbabwe
• Joshua Ndemenge – Kenya
• Mauro Petrini – Argentina
• Michelle Spaul – United Kingdom

Let the brainstorming, prototyping, and fun begin!

With over 27,000 participants at this year’s Microsoft Hackathon, joining the event for the first time can be a bit overwhelming at first. But it’s also incredibly exciting. “The moment we arrived at the Hackathon tents, I was surprised by such a large gathering,” said Antonio de Marco. “These people were working on truly mind-blowing projects.” In fact, this year, participants worked on over 6,000 such projects, including world-changing ideas for accessibility, environmental issues, healthcare, and productivity. Past winning projects have led to bleeding-edge innovations such as Seeing AI, Health Bots, the Xbox Adaptive Controller, and more.

To get started on their own projects, our Windows Insiders were divided into three groups. One worked on an app to help control illegal timber trading (by using Artificial Intelligence to recognize specific types of wood). Another group set out to design a universal Microsoft phone app. The third group came up with ideas for improving the channels for users to provide feedback on Windows.

Like all participants at the event, our Insiders dove into three days of intense conceptualizing and prototyping, fueled by an endless supply of snacks and beverages–not to mention the energy and enthusiasm of their teammates. The goal was to create a proof of concept to showcase their work to other participants on the final day of the event—something we call the ‘science fair’.

Along with contributing their own, unique talents, Insiders had an opportunity to pick up new skills. “As a designer and illustrator, I only concern myself with the look and feel of the design. The coding? Not so much,” said Dan Flores, an Atlanta based artist. “But this week, I jumped at the chance to demo our mobile app idea and learn Adobe XD. With the help of my team, I figured out how to incorporate my designs into a functioning demo. I’ll follow that same process with my other projects from now on.”

Another Insider, James Mundy, shared a similar story about venturing outside his area of expertise to learn new skills. “For our pitch video, I had to do some presenting to the camera. It’s not something I have much experience with—so it was a good skill to focus on and improve. We also improvised a way to use a Microsoft Surface as a teleprompter—another first for me!”

Our Insiders were equally excited about working alongside world-class researchers, highly skilled software engineers and other Microsoft employees who participated in this year’s event.  As Stefan described it, “Imagine strangers coming from all over the world. They don’t know each other, but they work together for four days and have a lot of fun. In a world with many cultural differences and lots of current challenges, this experience is my highlight!”

Insiders also had time for some great, extra-curricular activities. Highlights included a campus tour, with a visit to a cool, new office workspace we call the Treehouse (which is literally built in the trees). The group also enjoyed a Microsoft HoloLens demo at the visitors’ center, got the chance to meet with Microsoft executives, and even attend an internal Microsoft meeting.

In the end, though, our Insiders agreed that it was all about the people they met and ideas they shared. As Clint-Roy Muvirimi-Mukarakate said, “I was impressed at how open the Microsoft team was to our thoughts, inputs and suggestions. It felt like a meetup between equals. We were essentially a big group of superfans.” It’s that kind of collaborate spirit that makes the Microsoft Hackathon such a success, year after year. And judging from the work of our Windows Insiders, it sounds like they fit right in!

The Windows Insider Team would like to thank all our participating Insiders who participated in this year’s Microsoft Hackathon.  And for all you other Insiders—keep an eye out for an opportunity to participate in next year’s Hackathon event. We look forward to seeing you there!

SHAPE THE FUTURE OF WINDOWS — BECOME AN INSIDER

PREVIEW THE NEXT EVOLUTION OF WINDOWS

The post Insiders do great things at the Microsoft global Hackathon appeared first on Windows Insider.

You can appear on the Leaderboard by giving feedback, garnering upvotes for your feedback, and completing quests—all done through the Feedback Hub.

See the details on how you can make the board!

Here is how you can be on the Leaderboard

Most fixes. Submit the most pieces of feedback (either primaries or upvotes) that result in a code change to Windows. Provide as much detail as you can that can help with fixing the issue—repro steps, screenshots, and report the issue from the device where it was encountered so logs can be collected.

Most bugs submitted. Submit the most pieces of feedback (primary submissions) that are promoted to a bug for review by our engineers.

Most repro logs. Submit the most pieces of feedback (either primaries or upvotes) with repro logs, files, and screenshots attached—the more details we get, the better!

Most bugs upvoted. Upvote the most pieces of feedback that are promoted to a bug for review by our engineers.

Most quests completed. Complete the most Quests in the Feedback Hub.

Most feedback integrated into a collection. Submit the most high-quality feedback that is then grouped with similar feedback from other Insiders.

Most upvotes on a primary. Receive the most upvotes on primary pieces of feedback—before it is combined in a collection.

Longest build streak. Install the most consecutive Windows 10 Insider Preview builds in the Fast Ring. Qualifying builds can be found on Flight Hub.

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT SUBMITTING FEEDBACK

The post Check out the latest Windows Insider Leaderboard—July 2019 appeared first on Windows Insider.

Organized by Microsoft User Research, this voluntarily, online session is a unique opportunity to talk directly with the engineers who design and develop these technologies.

Our engineers are excited to hear from you! Tell them what you like about Microsoft Edge or OneNote (or both) and what you think could be improved—plus get the chance to talk about ideas for new features.

As we’ve seen with previous research sessions, the insights and suggestions you provide have an important impact on future development for Windows users around the world.

Here are the details:

Microsoft User Research session: Microsoft Edge and OneNote

Tuesday, July 30, 2019, 9:30–11:30 AM PDT

To join, simply click the link below at the time of the session. Or visit our landing page now for more details and to download the session directly to your calendar. We look forward to chatting with you!

FIND OUT MORE AND JOIN THE SESSION

The post Discuss Microsoft Edge and OneNote directly with Windows engineers appeared first on Windows Insider.

You can appear on the Leaderboard by giving feedback, garnering upvotes for your feedback, and completing quests—all done through the Feedback Hub.

See the details on how you can make the board!

Here is how you can be on the Leaderboard

Most fixes. Submit the most pieces of feedback (either primaries or upvotes) that result in a code change to Windows. Provide as much detail as you can that can help with fixing the issue—repro steps, screenshots, and report the issue from the device where it was encountered so logs can be collected.

Most bugs submitted. Submit the most pieces of feedback (primary submissions) that are promoted to a bug for review by our engineers.

Most repro logs. Submit the most pieces of feedback (either primaries or upvotes) with repro logs, files, and screenshots attached—the more details we get, the better!

Most bugs upvoted. Upvote the most pieces of feedback that are promoted to a bug for review by our engineers.

Most quests completed. Complete the most Quests in the Feedback Hub.

Most feedback integrated into a collection. Submit the most high-quality feedback that is then grouped with similar feedback from other Insiders.

Most upvotes on a primary. Receive the most upvotes on primary pieces of feedback—before it is combined in a collection.

Longest build streak. Install the most consecutive Windows 10 Insider Preview builds in the Fast Ring. Qualifying builds can be found on Flight Hub.

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT SUBMITTING FEEDBACK

The post Check out the latest Windows Insider Leaderboard—May 2019 appeared first on Windows Insider.

The engineering team is continuously improving the discoverability of taskbar settings and choosing better defaults based on how Insiders interact with the taskbar. That said, it can be challenging to strike the ideal balance of functionality for all types of users. As one engineer said, “it’s a bit like trying to make a pizza for the entire world. Everyone wants different toppings; some like it plain and others want it fully loaded.”

Insider feedback through channels like the Feedback Hub help us better understand the full spectrum of user needs. Customer research calls help us drill down even further. Organized by Microsoft User Research, these calls represent a new channel for us to engage with Insiders and incorporate even more of your feedback into Windows.

The response from Insiders to these recent taskbar calls was fantastic. We had an amazing number of Insiders participate and the conversations were lively and insightful. The whole team found the experience exhilarating and enjoyed speaking with you!

Responding to feedback

We learned a lot from our Insiders during these calls and our engineers took some valuable insights back to the lab. We’d also like to share a few tips and tricks related to one issue that often came up during the calls: Many Insiders were not aware of the options available to customize the taskbar.

One very popular option that we introduced with Windows 10 Insider Preview Builds (19H1) is the ability to extend the light theme to the taskbar. Simply go to Settings > Personalization and select Light in the Colors tab or Windows (light) in the Themes tab.

There are many more options for customizing the taskbar to your specific needs and interests.  You can also change the order of the icons, manage your calendar, move the taskbar to where you want it to display on your screen, and specify how taskbar buttons group together when you have more than one window open.

When it comes to pinning your favorite apps to the taskbar, several Insiders were interested to hear that this includes Progressive Web Apps (PWA). These apps act as a fast way to engage with your favorite apps. This is particularly beneficial for social media where you can tweet a post, upload a picture or check your DM’s quickly just by right-clicking on the app. Learn more about which apps currently use this feature.

To customize the taskbar and check out the full set of options, simply right click on any open area of your taskbar and select Taskbar settings. To learn more, go to How to use the taskbar in Windows 10.

Keep that feedback coming

Microsoft User Research will be planning more calls with Insiders and engineers in the future and we’ll be sure to give you a heads up on future opportunities. Keep an eye on the Windows Insider website,  Twitter feed @windowsinsider, and monthly e-newsletter for session updates.

And keep that feedback coming through the Feedback Hub. Every piece of feedback helps us build a better Windows for you and the rest of the world.

GO TO THE FEEDBACK HUB

The post Windows Insiders talk directly with engineers about the taskbar appeared first on Windows Insider.

We know that Microsoft Paint (MSPaint) is well-loved by customers and we’re pleased to announce new accessibility features coming to Microsoft Paint with the release of the Windows 10 May 2019 Update.

We’ve introduced the keyboard as a primary input mechanism. Microsoft Paint is already fully functional with mouse and multi-touch tablet input, but customers will now be able to use the app and draw with only their keyboard.

Along with full keyboard input support, we’ve made improvements to the way Paint interacts with Screen Readers, like Windows Narrator, which some users might find improves their overall experience with the app.

We look forward to hearing your feedback on these features and the app overall. Let us know what’s working and what else we can do to improve. Thank you!

The post New Microsoft Paint Accessibility Features appeared first on Windows Insider.

You can appear on the Leaderboard by giving feedback, garnering upvotes for your feedback, and completing quests—all done through the Feedback Hub.

See the details on how you can make the board!

Here is how you can be on the Leaderboard

Most Fixes. Submit the most pieces of feedback (either primaries or upvotes) that result in a code change to Windows. Provide as much detail as you can that can help with fixing the issue—repro steps, screenshots, and report the issue from the device where it was encountered so logs can be collected.

Most Bugs Submitted. Submit the most pieces of feedback (primary submissions) that are promoted to a bug for review by our engineers.

Most Repro Logs. Submit the most pieces of feedback (either primaries or upvotes) with repro logs, files, and screenshots attached—the more details we get, the better!

Most Bugs Upvoted. Upvote the most pieces of feedback that are promoted to a bug for review by our engineers.

Most Quests Completed. Complete the most Quests in the Feedback Hub.

Most Feedback Integrated into a Collection. Submit the most high-quality feedback that is then grouped with similar feedback from other Insiders.

Most upvotes on a primary. Receive the most upvotes on primary pieces of feedback—before it is combined in a collection.

Longest Build Streak. Install the most consecutive Windows 10 Insider Preview builds in the Fast Ring.  Qualifying builds can be found on Flight Hub.

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT SUBMITTING FEEDBACK

The post Check out the latest Windows Insider Leaderboard—April 2019 appeared first on Windows Insider.