Microsoft starts shipping new Windows 10 features to Insiders through the Windows Feature Experience Pack

Microsoft just announced what can be seen as a big change for the Windows Insider program. In a short blog post, the Windows Insider team explained that it now will start shipping new Windows 10 features to Insiders through the Windows Feature Experience Pack, instead of requiring users to install full builds.

Being tested first with Windows Feature Experience Pack 120.2212.1070.0 in the Beta Channel today, Microsoft says this move will benefit Windows 10 users in a few ways. First off, the company believes it can improve certain features and experiences that are now developed independently of Windows 10. This comes as a change, and Microsoft admits that a “limited number of features are being developed this way, so we are starting out very scoped.”

Additionally, the plan is to expand this out in the future to everyone else into the existing way Windows is updated, through Windows Update. But, for now, if you’re a Windows Insider, these are the new features you’ll be seeing once you install the latest Windows Feature Experience Pack.

• Based on Insider feedback, you can now use the built-in screen snipping experience in Windows (WIN + SHIFT + S) to create a snip of your screen and paste it directly into a folder of your choice in File Explorer to save the screenshot there. Try it out!
• Using the touch keyboard in a portrait posture on a 2-in-1 touch device now supports split keyboard mode.

Do note, though that you’ll only be seeing this Feature Experience pack if you’re running the Windows 10 20H2 update, build 19042.662 or higher. It’ll show up in Windows Update, and then you’ll still have to reboot your system to apply the changes.

As you may recall, we first saw the Windows Feature Experience Pack back in June of 2020 with the Windows 10 May 2020 Update. It was then mysterious, but speculation quickly spread that Microsoft could be using this to make Windows 10 more modular. This now confirms those rumors, and it looks as though Microsoft could be setting up for adding new features in Windows 10 in the year 2021.