Late yesterday afternoon, Microsoft released Windows 10 (19H1) Build 18323 to Windows Insiders in the Fast Ring.

I am calling this a milestone build because there are a few things of note relating to this build that show we are moving closer to the release of this seventh feature update for Windows 10 in the March/April 2019 time frame.

Release Branch Build

Desktop Watermark in Windows 10 (19H1) Build 18323

Last week when Build 18317 was released to Insiders, it came from what is known as the prerelease development branch. With the release of Build 18323, Microsoft has moved to the release branch which is the development branch where the final release of this feature update will come from once work is complete. You can see in the image above a screenshot of that desktop watermark showing the build string from the release branch.

In addition to the shift from prerelease to release you will also notice that the desktop watermark in Build 18323 is no longer labelled as an Insider Preview. Now it is just marked as Windows Pro (or Home) and as an evaluation copy. These are normal markings for builds in the release branch.

Windows Version 

About Windows Dialog Box

Another annotation that has occurred with the release of Build 18323 is the assignment of the expected version number for this feature update. As you can see in the dialog above, this build is now marked as Version 1903 which is the year and month the 19H1 feature update is expected to be completed and ready for general availability.

Release Notes

If you take a look at the release notes for Build 18323, you will see no new features mentioned but a couple of updates to existing capabilities. In Build 18323 these are related to improved RAW image format support and tweaks to the Windows Light Theme that was introduced this past November. Otherwise, you will see a long laundry list of general changes, improvements, and fixes plus the current known issues. As we move forward with new builds in the release branch we should continue to see the bug fixes for stability of the feature update and the known issues dealt with.

Build Observations

Starting with Build 18312, I have been keeping track of the Reserved Storage usage on all of my test devices. After the release of Build 18317 last week, I showed the delta between the first instance of Reserved Storage on Build 18312 and its second update on 18317. Following the installation of Build 18323 yesterday, I have noted the changes in Reserved Storage with this third build since the feature became available.

Here are those numbers together:

• HP EliteOne1K
  • Build 18312 – 2.50GB; Build 18317 – 7.05GB; 18323 – 7.41GB
• HP Spectre x360 (2015)
  • Build 18312 – 5.61GB; Build 18317 – 6.64GB; Build 18323 – 6.02GB
• Lenovo X1 Yoga
  • Build 18312 – 5.70GB; Build 18317 – 6.88GB; Build 18323 – 6.62GB
• Surface Book
  • Build 18312 – 7.09GB; Build 18317 – 6.75GB; Build 18323 – 7.11GB
• Virtual Machine
  • Build 18312 – 7.04GB; Build 18317 – 7.13GB; Build 18323 – 7.06GB

Final Notes

A couple of days ago Microsoft kicked off the Bug Bash for Windows 10 (19H1) by posting quests in the Feedback Hub for Windows Insiders to test various aspects of the upcoming feature update. Currently there are 56 quests posted ranging from testing aspects of the Microsoft Store, Privacy & Security, Settings & Personalization, and many others.

As a Windows Insider, you are asked to go work through the steps of these quests so telemetry about them can be collected and then indicate that you completed that quest and answer any feedback questions if posted. If you run into an issue while trying to complete one of these quests, then be sure to file feedback in the hub so it can be documented to the Windows engineering team.

At this point, with the shift to release branch, we should see the pace of builds start to pickup in a couple of weeks as more fixes are added. In addition, build feed trackers are showing that Microsoft is still pushing builds to its prerelease branch in preparation for the development of the second feature update of 2019 which is expected in the September/October time frame. At some point, Microsoft will begin to release these prerelease builds to the Skip Ahead Ring although most of those early builds for 19H2 will mirror fixes made to the 19H1 release branch builds.

Are you noting anything of significance in this first release branch build as you poke around in Build 18323?

Windows 10 (19H1) Build 18323 Screenshots Gallery