20 great new features in the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update

All the new features you need to know about

Windows 10’s new Fall Creators Update brings a raft of tweaks and enhancements to Microsoft’s widely-used operating system, boosting the productivity and entertainment power of your PC, tablet, or even mixed-reality headset.

It’s available now, and these are the 20 best new features you’ll find within.

1. Mixed Reality arrives

Following in the footsteps of the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift, Microsoft’s Windows Mixed Reality platform enables virtual reality headsets, and is primed for augmented reality in the future.

Companies including Samsung, Dell, and Asus have headsets available now, and they’ll let you play VR games, experience 2D apps in a 3D space, and potentially much more.

2. OneDrive On Demand

Didn’t like how Windows 10 integrated OneDrive’s cloud storage? Well, the update makes things a bit easier.

Now any file you access online is automatically synced offline to your device, ensuring that the files you’re actually using remain locally accessible regardless of your connection status or quality. And a helpful new status icon helps avoid nasty surprises.

3. Paint in 3D

We all know the classic Microsoft Paint well, but that formative scribbling app has nothing on Paint 3D.

The new app lets you create your own 3D artwork with relative ease, and then see it in the real world on a tablet with the Mixed Reality Viewer app. And with the Remix 3D catalog, you can search around for assets to drop into the background or modify with ease.

4. The eyes have it

The Windows 10 Fall Creators Update makes a strong move towards accessibility with the addition of Eye Control.

You’ll need an additional device, such as the Tobii Eye Tracker 4C, which follows your eyes and lets you use them to interact with your PC.

You’ll be able to open up apps with a glance, or enter in letters via an on-screen keyboard.

5. Mobile in sync

The new Microsoft Launcher on Android syncs up with your Windows 10 settings, letting you access your favourite apps (like Office) on the go and read a feed of news stories and other bits.

Meanwhile, the mobile Edge browser app on both iOS and Android lets you fling webpages from your smartphone to your desktop with a couple of taps.

6. Pick your performance

If you’re plugged into a power source, then you probably want the best performance possible from your PC – but what if you’re on the go and relying on battery?

In that case, you can use the new performance slider, which lets you easily move between top-end performance and slightly diminished options designed to save energy consumption.

7. Boost your buddies

Got some folks that you usually keep in touch with on your PC? Thanks to the Fall Creators Update’s My People functionality, you’ll be able to put them front and center on your device.

You can pin your favourite contacts to the taskbar for easy access, so when you want to Skype or email them, you’ll be able to get to your mates in a hurry.

8. Pin those pals

You’ll also be able to share files with your pinned friends by dragging and dropping files to the taskbar, or by choosing them via the Share menu.

Furthermore, if you have a pinned contact, any emoji that they send your way will automatically appear in the taskbar – surely a happy surprise when you’re neck-deep in a dull spreadsheet task.

9. Get your game on

With the Fall Creators Update, you’ll be able to unleash the full power of your PC for games without digging around through settings menus.

Windows 10’s Game bar now has an easy Game Mode switch, which lets you turn off extraneous functions on your PC to ensure that every ounce of processing power goes into steady, stunning gaming bliss.

10. More gaming boosts

There’s another helpful feature in the mix for gamers in the Fall Creators Update: an Xbox Networking menu in settings that lets you check your connectivity for multiplayer gaming and voice chat.

Also, the Task Manager how has a GPU performance section with some handy stats included.

11. Give your photos flair

The new Photos app lets you bring in 3D effects and eventually also full 3D objects, although that’s just the start.

It’ll also automatically build galleries and videos from your photos, plus you can tap a "Remix" button to give it a new look and feel.

And if you’d rather tweak your photos yourself, you can add filters, effects, annotations, and more.

12. Voice your power

Now you can use Cortana to shut down, restart, lock, or sign out of your PC.

It’s as simple as saying, "Hey Cortana, turn off PC" (and so on and so forth), although you’ll have to confirm your command with everything but the locking request. You know, in case you accidentally ask Cortana to shut down – or you quickly change your mind.

13. It’s even more Fluent

The Fall Creators Update introduces Microsoft’s new Fluent Design philosophy, which brings a series of stylish tweaks to the interface.

They’re all pretty small: smoother transitions and scrolling, and a new emphasis on transparent windows, for example.

But it makes the experience pop a bit more, and it’s just the start of the aesthetic upgrades in store.

14. Dodge Ransomware

Windows 10 sees a series of security upgrades with the Fall Creators Update, most notably a Windows Defender Antivirus enhancement that keeps malicious apps and other threats at bay.

WannaCry and other kinds of ransomware attacks should have a harder time getting into your system – at least, that’s what Microsoft says (we’re not going to test it).

15. Pin sites to the taskbar

Got a few websites that you visit day in and day out – maybe Stuff, for example? Well, whatever your faves may be, you can access them even more easily with the update.

Now, Microsoft’s Edge browser lets you pin sites right to the Windows taskbar, ensuring the icon is always in view for a quick click.

16. Annotate in Edge

Here are a couple more potentially handy tweaks to the Edge browser.

You can also now annotate PDF files, which is great for filling out forms right in the browser, plus EPUB ebooks can be annotated and drawn on with a stylus. Need to take some notes on what you’re reading? Go ahead and do it inside the margins.

17. Never lose your pen again

If you misplace your stylus, meanwhile, Windows 10 might be able to help you track it down.

The Fall Creators Update adds a new Find My Pen feature that tells you the last time you used the stylus, which could help you narrow down where it might have been lost.

It’s not the most precise tracking option, but maybe it’ll refresh your memory.

18. It just makes cents

Sure, Google does the trick for quick currency conversions – but if you’re looking for something offline or native, now you can use Windows 10’s calculator.

You’ll be able to quickly figure out how one form of money translates in value to another, and it’ll even work offline in case you’re traveling internationally.

19. Mixer made better

Microsoft’s Mixer service is its alternative to video game streaming giant Twitch, but it’s still fairly new in the space. And now it’s better than before in Windows 10.

With this update, Microsoft claims that it starts up faster than ever, plus you can customise your stream by choosing which audio stream source you want to use.

20. Add a 3D punch to Office

Need something spicier than usual for your next work presentation? Bring a little 3D action into a PowerPoint presentation with the Fall Creators Update.

Create 3D objects in Paint or pull from the Remix 3D community, and you can easily drop the files into Word, Excel, and PowerPoint as needed. You can even add fun transitions for extra pop.