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New Windows 10 build fixes lots of bugs

Windows 10 build 20H2 Build 19042.608, now in beta, also brings Meet Now to your taskbar for easier video call access.

Alison DeNisco Rayome Managing Editor
Managing Editor Alison DeNisco Rayome joined CNET in 2019, and is a member of the Home team. She is a co-lead of the CNET Tips and We Do the Math series, and manages the Home Tips series, testing out new hacks for cooking, cleaning and tinkering with all of the gadgets and appliances in your house. Alison was previously an editor at TechRepublic.
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Alison DeNisco Rayome
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Microsoft began rolling out the Windows 10 October 2020 update (version 20H2) this week and has already released a new build in beta that fixes several bugs and adds more new features. 

Windows 10 version 20H2 Build 19042.608 is available for those in the Windows Insider program in the Release Preview Channel, and the Beta Channel, according to a Thursday blog post from Microsoft. 

Read more: How to download Windows 10 for free

The biggest new feature in the beta build is the addition of Meet Now to the taskbar in the coming weeks. That means you'll be able to set up or answer a video-call just by clicking the Meet Now icon in the taskbar notification area -- no sign up or download needed. As many people are still spending more time working and socializing from home during the coronavirus pandemic, the move makes it easier to connect -- and perhaps to compete with other video chat services like Zoom and Google Meet.

The update also fixes more than 25 bugs in the operating system, including an issue using Group Policy Preferences to configure the home page in Internet Explorer , and an issue with untrusted URL navigations from Internet Explorer 11 (which will now open in Microsoft Defender Application Guard using Microsoft Edge ). Microsoft also issued a fix for a problem that displayed nothing on the screen for five minutes or more during a Remote Desktop Protocol session, and one that prevented some Windows Virtual Desktop users from searching for files with File Explorer. 

For more, you can check out how to download the Windows 10 October 2020 update, and how to use some of the best new Windows 10 features. We also have a roundup of the best Windows 10 tips and tricks, and six simple security changes all Windows 10 users need to make

Watch this: Windows 10 fall 2020 update: Here's what's new