Windows 10 Insider build 20185 (Dev Channel) brings minor changes to DNS Settings and MDM policies

Microsoft has just released the Windows 10 Insider build 20185 for Insiders in the Dev Channel (previously Fast Ring). This new build is a minor update with a couple of improvements for DNS configuration in the Settings app, as well as new Mobile Device Management (MDM) policies for ADMX files to be configured with Intune Custom profile.

You can find all details about new features, bug fixes, and known issues in this build below:

What’s new in Build 20185

Improving DNS configuration in Settings

We’re making a few changes to the Network section in Settings:

1. Making DNS settings more easily accessible: Editing your DNS server assignment is now a top-level option when you go into your network’s properties page.
2. Encrypted DNS controls in the Settings app: Encrypted DNS (DNS over HTTPS, or DoH) can help increase privacy and security while browsing the web. You can now configure DoH directly in the Settings app to more easily take advantage of this feature:

• • For ethernet connections: Go to Settings > Network & Internet > Status. Click Properties, then select Edit IP assignment or Edit DNS server assignment and it will be available in the popup
  • For Wi-Fi connections: Go to Settings > Network & Internet > Wi-Fi. Click the adapter properties link, then select Edit IP assignment or Edit DNS server assignment and it will be available in the popup. Currently you will not see the encryption options if you go to the individual network’s property page

You can add any IP address listed here to unlock the DoH dropdown and choose to use encryption. Once encryption is enabled, you can confirm it’s working by looking at the applied DNS servers in the network properties and see them labeled as “(Encrypted)” servers. If you want to try a custom DoH server we don’t recognize yet, you can configure an IP address to be recognized as a DoH server by using the netsh command documented here at the end of the blog post.

As always, appreciate your feedback!

New ADMX Backed Policies for MDM

Starting with Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 20175, we have enabled 647 new MDM policies across 56 ADMX files to enable commercial customers to configure policies that are also supported through Group Policies. Contains ADMX based Policies such as App Compat, Event Forwarding, Servicing and Task Scheduler. These new policies can be configured using Intune custom profile. Intune UX is planned to be available later this year.

ADMX file name:

• AddRemovePrograms.admx
• AppCompat.admx
• AuditSettings.admx
• CipherSuiteOrder.admx
• COM.admx
• Cpls.admx
• CtrlAltDel.admx
• DigitalLocker.admx
• DnsClient.admx
• DWM.admx
• EncryptFilesonMove.admx
• EventForwarding.admx
• FileServerVSSProvider.admx
• FileSys.admx
• FolderRedirection.admx
• Help.admx
• HelpAndSupport.admx
• kdc.admx
• LanmanServer.admx
• LinkLayerTopologyDiscovery.admx
• MMC.admx
• MMCSnapins.admx
• MSAPolicy.admx
• nca.admx
• NCSI.admx
• Netlogon.admx
• OfflineFiles.admx
• PeerToPeerCaching.admx
• PerformanceDiagnostics.admx
• PreviousVersions.admx
• QOS.admx
• Reliability.admx
• Scripts.admx
• sdiageng.admx
• Securitycenter.admx
• Servicing.admx
• Setup.admx
• SharedFolders.admx
• Sharing.admx
• Shell-CommandPrompt-RegEditTools.admx
• Smartcard.admx
• Snmp.admx
• TaskScheduler.admxtcpip.admx
• Thumbnails.admx
• TPM.admx
• UserExperienceVirtualization.admx
• W32Time.admx
• WinCal.admx
• WindowsAnytimeUpgrade.admx
• WindowsConnectNow.admx
• WindowsMediaDRM.admx
• WindowsMediaPlayer.admx
• WindowsMessenger.admx
• WinInit.admx

Changes and Improvements

• We’re moving the 3D Viewer app into the Windows Accessories folder in the Start menu all apps list.

Fixes

• We fixed an issue where sometimes the “close all windows” action in the Taskbar wasn’t closing all of the open tabs for pinned sites.
• We fixed an issue that could result in the network icon in the Taskbar saying there was no internet although there was an active connection.
• We fixed an issue where dragging and dropping an app from Start’s all apps list over to the tile grid to pin it wasn’t working for certain apps.
• We fixed an issue where the letter headers in the Start menu’s all apps list had unnecessary left padding when the all apps list was set to hidden.
• In order to address an issue where the tiles were difficult to read against certain backgrounds when using full screen Start we’re adjusting the background to be slightly less transparent.
• We fixed an issue where when using a Start menu layout applied by MDM, tile groups may disappear after a few days of uptime without rebooting.
• We fixed an issue where if a notification included an inline image the app icon would be slightly out of line with it.
• We fixed an issue where launching an app from its taskbar jumplist wasn’t working for certain desktop bridge apps and instead would result in the app disappearing from the taskbar.
• We fixed an issue resulting in excessive network traffic when using the Open File dialog to navigate to shared network folders where previous versions where enabled.
• We fixed an issue that could result in a blank icon displaying instead of a plus button on the main Default Apps page in Settings after uninstalling the app set as default.
• We fixed an issue where opening Storage Settings then immediately going into one of the sub-pages and then back could result in the page not loading.
• We fixed an issue resulting in the new Microsoft Edge not being listed in the App History section of Task Manager.
• We fixed an issue resulting in
• We fixed an issue impacting touch keyboard launch reliability.
• We fixed an issue where TextInputHost.exe would enter an unresponsive state, leading to clipboard history, the Emoji Panel, and dictation not appearing when pressing their corresponding keyboard shortcuts.
• We fixed an issue that could result in not being able to paste the first entry in clipboard history.
• We fixed an issue that could result in ARM64 devices bug checking when resuming from hibernation.

Known issues

• We’re working on a fix for an issue where some Microsoft Store games protected with Easy Anti-Cheat may fail to launch.
• We’re looking into reports of the update process hanging for extended periods of time when attempting to install a new build.
• We’re working on a fix for an issue where the min/max/close buttons are stuck in their original positions after resizing a UWP app. If you move the app window the position should update.
• We’re investigating reports that the new taskbar experience for pinned sites isn’t working for some sites.
• We’re working on a fix to enable live preview for pinned site tabs.
• We’re working on enabling the new taskbar experience for existing pinned sites. In the meantime, you can unpin the site from the taskbar, remove it from the edge://apps page, and then re-pin the site.
• We’re working on a fix for an issue where pinned sites don’t show all open tabs for a domain. In the meantime, you can fix this by pinning the site’s homepage rather than a specific page (e.g. pin microsoft.com rather than microsoft.com/windows).
• We’re working on a fix for an issue where Alt + Tabbing to a browser tab sometimes moves the previously active browser tab to the front of the Alt + Tab list as well.
• Opening a WSL 1 distribution can result in the error: ‘The I/O operation has been aborted because of either a thread exit or an application request’. Please check out this

In addition to the release of this new build in the Dev Channel, the Windows Insider team also announced today that the next webcast will air on Twitch on August 18 at 10AM PDT. That’s the consequence of Microsoft closing its Mixer live streaming platform last month, but the Windows Insider team will also keep publishing videos on the official YouTube channel as well.

We’ve been getting new Dev channel builds at a regular pace in the past couple of weeks, but these builds are still not labeled “21H1.” Microsoft now uses the Dev channel to test new features that may or may not end up in the next feature update for Windows 10, but recent improvements for the Start Menu, the Settings app, Notifications, and Tablet mode have recently landed in 20H2 builds for the Beta channel.