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Windows 10 20H2: Here’s why you’ll need to upgrade:

October is here, and it’s time for the second 2020 release of Windows 10. As pioneered in 2019, this is a smaller release than the 2004 update, adding stability features and prioritising a longer support model than the consumer- and early adopter-focused update. With 30 months of servicing, the H2 builds have a closer fit with common enterprise support lifecycles.

It’s important to note that, if you are using PCs that are managed by companies that have opted-in to only accept updates from the annual H2 cycle, then you won’t have the 20H2 bits pre-installed, and any update will require a full OS update rather than the quicker process for existing 2004 users. However, you will still get the benefit of telemetry from those users, as it will have allowed Microsoft to keep issues to a minimum — especially hardware and driver problems that might otherwise prevent a successful install.

So what’s in the 20H2 release? The obvious changes are a new Start menu and the switch to the new Chromium-based Edge as the default browser.

Windows 10’s Start Menu has changed a lot since the initial release, and 20H2’s change is perhaps the biggest yet, as it’s intended to show off Microsoft’s new Fluent Design icons as well as improving support for Windows 10’s Dark and Light modes. Most of Microsoft’s own applications now have icons that support the new modes, and the resulting combination of translucent tiles and new icon designs works surprisingly well. The new Fluent icons are used in the taskbar and Start menu app list, for a more consistent look-and-feel.

There’s still an option to use your own colour scheme, but you’ll have to switch to dark mode first before working through the customisation features in the Settings app. In practice, it’s a lot easier to switch to one of the two default modes, as they’re where Microsoft will be concentrating its user experience work in future.

Microsoft has tweaked Notifications, removing the annoying notification that popped up when you switched into focus mode. The layout of the notification bar and notification pop-ups is improved, with icons to help you identify what application generated which notification. Similarly, the new desktop-focused tablet mode becomes the default, removing one of the last vestiges of Windows 8’s UI. You won’t find tablet mode on desktops or laptops without touch support, so you can’t get into it by accident on systems that don’t work with it.

If you prefer the older EdgeHTML-based version of Edge, you need to set the appropriate registry settings and group policies before any updates install, otherwise the new Edge will be installed with the old browser no longer accessible to users. There is a new first-use experience that handles account migration from older browsers, including non-Microsoft browsers, so users will need to be aware that this will happen and how to cancel account migrations if they prefer to stick with Chrome or Firefox as their default browsers.

The new Edge gets deeper integration into Windows 10 too, with support for viewing and navigating browser tabs in the Windows 10 Alt+Tab task switcher. You will see all current tabs by default or, if you prefer, you can tune the number of recent tabs shown in the Settings Multitasking section.

New installs get an improved set of default applications in the taskbar. If you’re logging in with a Microsoft account, Windows 10 uses your choice of services and devices to pin icons — if you’re using an Android phone and have linked it to your Windows account, it will automatically pin Your Phone, for example. If you’re updating an existing install, your taskbar icons won’t change.

If you’re planning a roll out, it’s worth installing the previews now as part of your test and certification programme. Any tests should investigate 20H2’s new IT pro tooling, which adds more classic Group Policy settings to Windows 10’s MDM support, making it easier to manage devices with a lighter touch via Intune.

Building on several months of general availability of 2004, this is a stable and effective build, and should work well as an upgrade over 1909 or any 2004 systems you may have running. The new features make sense, and the user experience update with new icons and Start menu tiles give Windows 10 a much-anticipated refresh.

It’s been 5 years and 10 updates since the debut of Windows 10, and this latest release looks to give enterprises a mix of new features and stability across all Windows platforms. With a major upgrade to WSL 2 in the current Dev channel, it looks like there’s a lot more to come in 2021, so starting a roll out of 20H2 as soon as possible makes a lot of sense.