Microsoft Pulls Sets From Windows Insider Builds

An example of Sets in Windows 10. (Image credit: Microsoft)

Microsoft is pulling its feature for tabbed applications, Sets, from its latest Windows 10 Insider Program build, 11704. Windows Insider head Dona Sarkar announced the move in a blog post revealing the new preview build.

"We continue to receive valuable feedback from you as we develop this feature helping to ensure we deliver the best possible experience once it’s ready for release," Sarkar wrote this week. "Starting with this build, we’re taking Sets offline to continue making it great. Based on your feedback, some of the things we’re focusing on include improvements to the visual design and continuing to better integrate Office and Microsoft Edge into Sets to enhance workflow. If you have been testing Sets, you will no longer see it as of today’s build, however, Sets will return in a future WIP flight. Thanks again for your feedback."

The tabbed apps had been available in test builds for some Windows Insiders previously, and Microsoft showed off the feature to developers at its Microsoft Build conference in Seattle earlier this year.

Sources told The Verge that Sets won't ship with the next big Windows 10 update, Redstone 5, later this year. At Build, Microsoft was careful not to drop a release date, simply saying instead that the feature will be available when it's ready.

Beyond the removal of Sets, build 17704 goes big on the Edge browser, adding some Fluent Design tweaks and controls for autoplaying media. There are also updates to Skype and a new "diagnostic data viewer" to see what information is available to Microsoft from your Windows device. You can read the full feature list on the Windows Blog

Andrew E. Freedman is a senior editor at Tom's Hardware focusing on laptops, desktops and gaming. He also keeps up with the latest news. A lover of all things gaming and tech, his previous work has shown up in Tom's Guide, Laptop Mag, Kotaku, PCMag and Complex, among others. Follow him on Threads @FreedmanAE and Mastodon @FreedmanAE.mastodon.social.

  • ehmkec
    What are 'Sets'?
    Reply
  • AndrewFreedman
    21096852 said:
    What are 'Sets'?

    "Microsoft is pulling its feature for tabbed applications, Sets, from its latest Windows 10 Insider Program build, 11704."

    It let applications have tabs so that you can switch between them as you do in a browser.

    Reply
  • stdragon
    Guess we're not ready for general tabbed computing yet.
    Reply
  • crawford132
    And here I thought we were done having useless windows features that nobody wants or asked for forced upon us by microsoft. I thought thats what THEY said.
    Reply
  • ehmkec
    I guess alt-tab is too complicated?
    Reply
  • sykozis
    21097170 said:
    And here I thought we were done having useless windows features that nobody wants or asked for forced upon us by microsoft. I thought thats what THEY said.

    MS will always force new "features" on us whether we want them or not. I don't want telemetry so MS forced it on me. That's how MS works.
    Reply
  • bigpinkdragon286
    Microsoft could always try cramming down features like being able to properly customize a Windows theme in ways other than accent color, the freedom to change Window border thickness, and perhaps make the built-in calculator as useful as the one they forcibly removed! People might actually be glad for the change, and those that aren't on the Windows 10 bandwagon might begin to change their minds just a little.
    Reply
  • jasonkaler
    21097006 said:
    Guess we're not ready for general tabbed computing yet.

    No, not at all. But at least it's for our own safety, so we're all better off without them.
    Reply