Another fresh preview build for Windows 10 has rolled out to fast ring, and while there are no massive changes, it includes some useful tweaks on security front, as well as to Narrator, screen reading tool built into operating system.Build 18309 (for update which will land in first half of this year, or 19H1 as it’s referred to) makes some adjustments to security, including pushing forward with concept of password-less PC.Remember in last build (18305) that Microsoft introduced ability to sign in to Windows 10 using your smartphone rather than having to type in a passwordThat works by linking your Microsoft account to your phone, then setting up a ‘password-less phone number account’, but ability to do this was only available to testers running Windows 10 Home.Now, testers using any version of Windows 10 will be able to benefit from password-less logins.

While we’re talking security, same is true of Windows Hello PIN reset process, which was tweaked and streamlined in last build, and is now also available across all versions of Windows 10 (and not just testers with Windows 10 Home).Nifty narrationMicrosoft has been working on new accessibility tricks for some time now, and Narrator has witnessed a raft of improvements in this build.That includes ability to add new voices in other languages without having to go through trouble of downloading language packs.

This is facilitated in Narrator Settings, using Add More Voices option.Narrator’s Home menu has also been tweaked so that main actions user can take aren’t list-view items now, but have been turned into buttons (which is more convenient, plus you get ability to tab between them).Various other tweaks include better table reading when in PowerPoint, improved reading of controls while you’re navigating around OS in general, and better interaction between Chrome and Narrator, both when it comes to navigating browser’s menu, and surfing web.Also on ease of access front, Microsoft has added 11 new mouse pointer sizes under Cursor and Pointers settings, to make for 15 choices in total.As ever, a number of other fixes have been applied to cure glitches and bugs, including a crashing issue which occurred when using an Xbox controller with PC.The new Windows Sandbox (another feature introduced in last build which allows you to quickly fire up an isolated environment to open a potentially suspect file) also got some tuning, with a compatibility issue fixed – a clash with update KB4483214 – and better support for high DPI displays.Also worth noting is fact that when installing Windows 10 Pro, Enterprise or Education editions, Cortana’s voiceover has been disabled by default, as requested by user feedback.

The voice assistant will still be present when setting up Windows 10 Home from scratch, though.Microsoft also took time to remind folks that this is an early build in development cycle of 19H1 update, and so those who aren’t comfortable with likely appearance of bugs might want to switch from fast ring to slow ring (which deploys builds further down line when they’ve been tested more).