Windows 10 October 2018 Update: Could build 17763 be the final release?

Microsoft is close to rolling out the Windows 10 October 2018 Update and has now given Insiders on the fast ring what could be the final release or, as Windows watchers call it, release to manufacturing (RTM).

Microsoft has been developing and previewing Redstone 5 builds since February, adding new features including more acrylic design touches, dark theme for File Explorer, the new Snip & Sketch screen capture tool, improvements to Storage Sense storage management app, SwiftKey keyboard support, and Microsoft Edge updates like Web Authentication password-less website sign-in, and autoplay-video-blocking.

The latest Windows 10 Insider Preview for version 1809 or Redstone 5 is build 17763, which doesn't include new features but does squish some remaining bugs.

The last few previews haven't included the build water mark but Microsoft stressed "this doesn't mean we're done...".

Microsoft hasn't specified the exact date for the release of Windows 10 version 1809, but it is officially called the October 2018 Update and is expected to be released to about 700 million users beginning next month.

SEE: 20 pro tips to make Windows 10 work the way you want (free PDF)

This preview includes fixes for bugs that caused Edge tabs to crash when touching certain elements with two or more fingers. Thumbnails and icons also sometimes didn't render if there were any video files saved to the desktop.

One fixed issue that could have annoyed users of the final release was that some Bluetooth audio devices wouldn't play sound in apps that also used the mic.

There was also a bug causing battery drain when certain apps like OneNote were being used, and it was displaying a full screen remote desktop incorrectly when a monitor had certain display scalings.

The two known issues remaining affect Task Manager, which is reporting inaccurate CPU usage, while the arrows to expand Background processes are "blinking constantly and weirdly".

Alongside bug fixes for Redstone 5 previews, Microsoft is rolling out many of the same bug fixes for its 19H1 branch received by Windows 10 Insiders on the Skip Ahead track.

That version, which is expected to be called 1903, should be released around April 2019.

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