Microsoft's new Sets feature for Windows 10 was announced well over a year ago, yet we still don't know when exactly Microsoft is planning to ship it. Sets is a significant change in how the user interacts and manages windows on the desktop, so it's essential that Microsoft takes time to perfect the implementation of so that users aren't immediately turned off by the idea. As such, Microsoft hasn't committed to a release window for Sets, arguing that it's better if they ship it whenever they feel it's good and ready. And rightly so.

But, what exactly does Microsoft need to do to make sure Sets is as good as it can possibly be?

Unify Edge and Sets tabs

The first big issue with Sets that was apparent in the Insider Previews we've had so far is that Sets itself is separate from the tabs system available in Edge. While they look the same, they behave very differently. Now, this is likely because the Sets feature we've had a chance to play with was still pretty early in development, but I've asked a few people working on this feature what the plan is here, and no-one has been able to give me a confident answer.

Will Sets replace tabs in Edge? If not, there's an immediate disconnect in experience when launching a new tab from Edge and launching a new tab from Sets. This behavior needs to be the same everywhere. That also means Microsoft needs to figure out what it's going to do with "Set tabs aside" in Edge versus the "Tabs you've had opened" in Sets. They use the same icon, but functionally they're different. Microsoft needs to choose which system to go with.

A better new tab page

The new tab page for Sets was very rough in the preview builds released to Insiders. It was this weird combination of local apps and web pages. This experience needs to be better integrated with the system, highlighting not only apps and web pages but recent documents and photos too. It should act as a Start screen for the user rather than just a quick launcher to other apps on your system.

Perhaps integrating Timeline with the new tab page would help with this, as it would surface to the user different tasks that the user had been doing on their devices before. If you want to keep the user within Sets, and within Edge, then you don't want them hunting around the system for photos or documents that were open earlier.

Configurable new tab behavior

One thing I've seen testers ask about with Sets is the behavior of the new tab button itself. While many people are happy with it opening up into a new tab, some people would prefer the new tab button merely open a new instance of the same app they're running. Perhaps Microsoft should offer the option to the user to change how the behavior works to please both camps.

This would arguably remove the whole point of Sets; allowing the user to group together different apps and web pages under one window to better organize projects and stuff, but if someone doesn't like that behavior, they'll simply turn Sets off. So, it's better to give the user the option.

Pinnable Sets

On the subject of grouped projects, it would be awesome if users could pin Sets as a clickable live tile or taskbar shortcut, just like launching any normal app, but with multiple web pages and programs within it. For example, you could have a window with web pages, Word, PowerPoint, and Spotify grouped with Sets, and you could pin that specific grouping to the taskbar or Start menu as a single icon.

From there, you can name it, and even choose an icon for it, and when clicked on would open a window with all those programs already grouped together. That would be pretty neat and would help out with the whole "productivity" aspect Microsoft is going for with Sets.

Stabilize the feature

Finally, and this is the most important thing; Sets needs to be stable. It needs not to be buggy or laggy, and it needs to be a joy to use. If the user is getting frustrated with tabs not snapping correctly, or tabs being lost or moved around without their command, then that is a bad experience. In the preview builds, Sets had definitely improved in regards to stability, but there's also more room for improvement.

This is probably the biggest reason behind why Sets is not shipping yet: Microsoft wants to ensure the feature is stable enough for release. This is a good thing, even if it means we have to wait longer for it to show up.

Let's hear your thoughts!

What do you think Microsoft should do to improve Windows Sets? Let us know in the comments!

Back at Build 2018, Microsoft stated that its upcoming Sets feature for Windows 10 would be coming in a future update, but did not confirm it for the upcoming Redstone 5 release this fall. Sets is a big change in how users interact with Windows, so it's important that Microsoft gets its initial implementation right.

Today, the company has confirmed that Sets won't be coming with Redstone 5 later this year, and is removing the feature from Insider builds until a later date. Microsoft did the same back when it first started testing Sets with Redstone 4, pulling it before Redstone 4 was finalized and re-implementing it in the Redstone 5 builds later.

Microsoft is not committing to any scheduled feature update for Sets, instead saying it'll ship when it's ready. We'll see Sets return again in future Windows 10 builds, but that might not be for a while.

Sets not being ready in time for Redstone 5 should come as no surprise to anyone. Microsoft prefaced this at Build, and was very obvious in making sure it did not state that Sets would be coming in Redstone 5. Microsoft has been listening to feedback on Sets, and continues to retool and rework it to better fit into the workflow of users.

If anything, this is a good thing. Shipping a feature that isn't fully baked will just make users want to turn it off or not use it, just like what happened with the original launch of Microsoft Edge. What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments!

In the future, Microsoft plans to debut "Sets" for Windows 10, which is an all-new tabbing system for window management, similar to how tabs work in your web browser. Sets will be a unique way to manage your projects, allocating all the necessary windows you need into a single "set," able to be closed and recalled at will via the Timeline. For more information on Sets, head over here.

Not everybody will enjoy Sets, of course. Here's how to quickly turn them off for that "classic" Windows experience.

Note: To be clear, Sets is not yet widely available. It is currently in A/B testing for Windows Insiders. Microsoft has said that Sets will roll out to the public when it's ready, hopefully in the next big Windows 10 update, expected this coming fall.

How to disable Sets on Windows 10

1. To disable sets, first, open the Start Menu.
2. Click on the Settings cogwheel in the bottom left corner.

3. Once in settings, select System.

4. In the System settings menu, select Multitasking on the left list.
5. Scroll down to Sets, and disable Tabs in apps.

Once you complete these steps, windows will open as they used to, in separate containers rather than grouped into tabs.

More Windows 10 resources

For more helpful articles, coverage, and answers to common questions about Windows 10, visit the following resources:

• Windows 10 on Windows Central – All you need to know
• Windows 10 help, tips, and tricks
• Windows 10 forums on Windows Central

Microsoft recently rolled out a brand new Redstone 5 build for Insiders in the Skip Ahead ring that added several new improvements to the Windows "Sets" feature that has been in testing for a few weeks. When Sets was first introduced, it was incredibly rudimentary, missing features and functions that made it pretty difficult to use.

With build 17639, Microsoft improved Sets a fair bit, so it's actually usable now. It now has the ability to move tabs between windows, stability improvements when switching between tabs, and better behavior between File Explorer and Sets itself.

It's still not perfect, which is to be expected because Redstone 5 is still several months away from being finalized. There are a few other changes in build 17639, including additional settings in the Settings app, Bluetooth battery percentage, and more. We've got it all in our video walkthrough, so check it out!

Microsoft is rolling out a new Redstone 5 build of Windows 10 for Insiders in the Skip Ahead ring today, that brings with it a plethora of new features and enhancements for the Windows 'Sets' feature currently in testing.

In the previous builds, Sets was very barebones, missing lots of features and behaviors that hadn't yet been implemented. In today's build, several new behaviors and features you'd expect from a tabbed interface are now available for testing, including further tie-ins with Timeline.

What's new?

• Drag and drop app tabs within and between Sets windows is now supported: It works just like it sounds! You can now drag an app tab around within the Set or combine tabbed app windows into Sets.
• Tabs are now bubbled up in Alt + Tab: Have Photos, Microsoft Edge, and OneNote tabbed together? You can now use Alt + Tab to switch between them. Prefer to only show the primary window in Alt + Tab? There's a new setting
• Improved Settings for Sets: We've updated the Settings for Sets via Settings > System > Multitasking. To start with, Sets now has its own section on this page, and is searchable (try typing "Sets" or "tabs" and it will appear in the dropdown). We've also added a setting to control the Alt + Tab behavior mentioned above.
• File Explorer & Sets Improvements: We've heard your feedback – you'd like it to be easier to get two File Explorer windows grouped together, and we're working on it. To start with, you no longer need to hold CTRL on the new tab page to launch a File Explorer window in a tab (this was a temporary necessity with the last wave). We've also added a new keyboard shortcut to open a new tab when a File Explorer window is in focus: Ctrl + T. Remember, you can use Ctrl + N to open a new window, and Ctrl + W to close the window/tab.
• New context menu options for tabs in Sets: If you right-click on a Sets tab, you'll discover we've added several options for you to leverage, including "close other tabs", "move to new window", and "close tabs to the right".
• Improvements to Previous Tabs: We've done a few things to improve the experience in this space, including:
• n Bluetooth & other devices Settings, you can now check the battery level of your Bluetooth devices. For Bluetooth devices that support this feature, the battery percentage will update whenever your PC and the device are connected.
• Windows Calculator has been updated (version 10.1803.711.0) to now correctly calculates square roots for perfect squares (integers that are squares of other integers). Because of the arbitrary precision arithmetic library used by the Calculator app, the square root calculation is an approximation calculated using the Exponential Identity function.

As always, you can check out the full changelog at the Windows Blog!

Late last week, Microsoft released a new Insider Preview build of the next major Windows 10 update coming later this year that includes an early version of a new feature called "Sets". It essentially takes the tabbed browsing interface found in Microsoft Edge and bolts it on top of normal apps, allowing the user to group both apps and websites under a single tabbed window. This is an interesting play for an OS called "Windows," but that's because Sets isn't just about grouping apps together under one window; it's about Microsoft Edge and the future of Windows itself.

There are a lot of layers to Sets. For starters, it brings a new user interaction model to Windows that lets users sync entire groups of apps and web pages across devices. More importantly, however, it integrates Microsoft Edge into the workflow of millions of people without them necessarily noticing. This is important, because the majority of people today use Chrome, and refuse to even try and use other browsers, out of habit if nothing else.

That's a real problem for Microsoft and its Edge browser. The mindset of many is if it's not Chrome, it's not an option. If Microsoft wants to invest in things like Windows 10 S, and in the long run, Windows Core OS, it needs to shake people's dependency on Chrome, and simply building a good browser isn't enough. That's where Sets comes in.

Integrating Edge into your workflow

The beauty of Sets is that the tabbed interface hooks directly into Microsoft Edge. When you press the new tab button, just like you would in a normal browser, it takes you to a dedicated Start page, housed in Microsoft Edge. From here, you can launch not only apps but websites, too, just like in a normal browser. Microsoft is making this new tab page a portal to everything, locally or on the web, with shortcuts to recently opened apps, documents, and web pages.

Sets is an important gateway to a version of Windows 10 that's truly modern. If Microsoft can alleviate the need for Chrome, it can finally innovate and push forward a more modern version of Windows 10 build on Windows Core OS. Building a modern version of Windows is seriously important for Microsoft. If Windows is to remain relevant, it needs to modernize. It needs to shake the dependencies it has on 20-year-old legacy software and components, and build an OS that is flexible enough to run on the smallest or biggest of form factors, and even on form factors that don't yet exist.

With Windows Core OS, this project is already underway. Microsoft is testing the waters with a "streamlined" version of Windows 10 called Windows 10 S, which is locked to the Store and as such, doesn't have apps like Chrome available to the user. Windows Core OS is the next step in that idea, except this time the OS really does become streamlined. The biggest legacy app in use today is Chrome, by a wide margin. If you remove the need for Chrome, Microsoft is more able to move forward in its modernizing of Windows, and also take back some of that browser market share.

Infrastructure is important

And with Edge now being available on Android and iOS, users can still get the same syncing-across-device functionality that they already know and love in Chrome. If Microsoft were to try pushing Edge without having apps available on other platforms, it would fail spectacularly. A lot of people who use Chrome do so for the ability to sync between Chrome on other platforms with ease. So it was vital that Microsoft made Edge available on other platforms. So the infrastructure is there, and now all Microsoft has to do is get people to actually use Edge.

So that's why Sets is an important feature that is about way more than what's on the surface. It introduces a new way of using Windows and is also an important gateway toward Microsoft being able to move forward. It's designed to get people using Timeline and Edge, and slowly make people less dependant on Chrome.

Initial impressions are key

Microsoft needs to build Sets out and outline why it's a better way of working. Getting Sets right the first time is super important because if Microsoft doesn't, people will turn Sets off and never give it another try. That's what happened with the original version of Microsoft Edge, and you can bet it will happen again if Sets isn't amazing from the get-go.

My significant other, for example, is your average Joe ... or Jane. Not really that interested in technology, she uses Chrome, and her laptop for work and procrastinating. I recently told her that Sets was a feature that was coming soon, and explained it to her a bit. She was not too pleased with what she was hearing. I didn't mention Edge, only that they were bringing tabs to apps as well as web pages. Her immediate response to this was "but I don't want my apps and web pages grouped together." I'm sure there will be a lot of normal people out there who have the same mindset, so it's important for Microsoft to get the implementation of Sets right immediately out of the gate. So, no pressure then, Microsoft.

During the last 12 months, Microsoft made some significant advancements in positioning Windows 10 as a viable Chrome OS competitor. With Windows 10 coming to ARM, and the introduction of Windows 10 S, Microsoft is journeying towards turning Windows 10 into a real Chrome OS alternative.

The recent announcement of a "Sets" feature coming to Windows 10 is yet another step forward in that journey, essentially lifting the tabbed experience Chrome OS is known for and bolting it onto Windows.

Sets + Edge > Chrome?

The tabbed browsing experience is a popular one. People love tabs in their web browsers, so why not bring that same experience to apps? This is what Chrome OS already nails, putting everything in a tabbed environment, whether it be a website, app, or progressive web app. More and more people on Windows are using their web browsers exclusively to do pretty much everything on their PCs,

Microsoft needs a true "lite" version of Windows

The problem with that is even on Windows people are choosing Chrome over Edge. If more and more people are using Chrome to do everything, Windows itself is being used less as a result. So, Microsoft needs to somehow get people to start using Edge, and what better way to do that than to tie Edge with Sets, making Edge a more convenient choice when switching between websites and apps on a Windows 10 PC?

Sets and Edge will work together, just like the Chrome browser and tabs environment do on Chrome OS. With Sets on Windows 10, the user will be able to switch between the apps on their PC and websites they're browsing, without having to switch windows or environments. This scenario only really works if the user is using Edge, so the Sets function itself is almost going to have to trick people into using Edge.

With Sets, every window will have a tabbed UI above it, with a plus (+) button for opening a new tab. The new tab experience begins with the familiar Edge Start page, and from there you'll be able to launch not just websites but locally installed apps on your device, directly from within the Edge Start UI. This is Microsoft's attempt at keeping users within Windows and Edge, instead of switching to Chrome.

What sets Microsoft's approach apart?

Google Chrome on Windows is a serious problem for Microsoft. Windows 10 S is the perfect example of this. Many people will scoff at the idea of Windows 10 S because it doesn't have Chrome. But if Microsoft can minimize the want for Chrome by making Windows 10 perform and behave better when using its own tabbed experience, then perhaps Microsoft can eliminate people's need for Google's browser.

Why Microsoft's new tabbed "Sets" in Windows could be a genuine game changer

Microsoft is essentially trying to keep people within its own platform, which is important as users opt for a more web-orientated workflow. Microsoft is essentially webifying Windows 10 with Sets by bundling websites, apps and more under the same tabbed windows. It's all about the efficiency of the user's workflow, with Sets enabling the ability to resume entire windows across PCs and multitask with ease.

So, now we have the Chrome OS tabbed experience on Windows thanks to Sets, along with Windows 10 S and Windows 10 on ARM. Microsoft isn't done with trying to compete with Chrome OS, however. We understand that there are even more changes and features in the pipeline that will further help Windows 10 along, as more and more people flock to using their web browsers as their one-stop-shops for everything.

Earlier this week, Microsoft announced "Sets" – a new tabbed app experience coming to Windows 10. Borrowing from this idea that we live in and work in web browsers (and some fundamentals of Chrome OS from Google), I wrote about why I think this feature, while not super exciting, may be one of the most used for everyday users once it's released.

One controversy that sprung up, however, was the initial limited rollout of the feature for those on the Windows Insider Program Fast Ring.

From the original announcement via the head of Windows, Terry Myerson:

Today, I'll go into more detail about what that all means and why Microsoft is shifting how it develops and releases new significant features to Windows 10, so check it out!

Audience questions for Episode 33

• Why is Microsoft doing a limited rollout of the new Sets feature for Windows Insiders? – Michael W.

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The Windows 10 Fall Creators Update brought a lot of new changes and a few banner features, but as I noted earlier the update seemed to lack a killer, must-have feature – at least for my daily use case.

Microsoft's recently announced "Sets" (a placeholder name, for now) is something altogether different. I was able to see Microsoft's plans a few weeks back for the tabbed app experience in Windows, with the company's Corporate Vice President of Windows 10, Joe Belfiore, explaining its vision for the project.

Conceptually, Sets is where people are going with modern computing, and while it may not be sexy to talk about, productivity and streamlining the user experience are crucial for Microsoft to stay relevant.

Why Sets is important

During my demo and walkthrough of the Sets feature – including long-term ideas behind it – a few usage scenarios were given to make the argument for the experience.

One example, very common to people who use a PC daily for work or school, is starting any project like a research paper or presentation. Users will fire up Microsoft Word, open a few tabs in their web browser, maybe Microsoft OneNote for records, for example. The user then spends the next few hours jumping between apps – and if they're savvy, snapped apps for working between two documents.

With Sets, all of this becomes modernized. Having multiple browser tabs, a quick search for your PC (and web) with a new Start page, and other Universal Windows Platform (UWP) apps, all within a single project experience, is significantly more efficient. Being able to close that Word document and have all your tabs with research and references saved with it is outstanding.

And opening that document with all your tabs on any other Windows 10 PC lets you work anywhere, anytime.

Even simple things like using the Mail inbox app for Windows 10 can leverage Sets. When clicking a photo, address, or web link, instead of popping open a new app that shoots across the screen having it open in another tab is more controlled, familiar, and organized.

But here is why this is such a big deal. It's not just effectiveness, but the model that is important.

Webification of Windows

I recently wrote about the importance of Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) to the future of Google and Microsoft. Related to that is the web-browser model of user behavior.

Many modern PC users simply live in the web browser, whether it's Chrome (by far the most popular), Firefox, or Microsoft's Edge. They run services like Netflix, Spotify, increasingly Microsoft Office, email, and more all within the browser.

The web browser computing method is why Microsoft's UWP platform is not as robust on PC without a mobile counterpart. The fact is, people are just more comfortable using a web browser for computing compared to installing dedicated apps for everything. Google implicitly knows this, which is why it keeps pushing Chrome OS and Chromebooks as a consumer proposition. While it bucks the history of PC computing Chromebooks – and by extension, browser computing – are the future model for many average users.

Adding tabs to apps in Windows 10 is merely riding this wave. However, instead of making the web browser the centerpiece of computing, Microsoft is leveraging its entire OS and app model to put tabbed computing everywhere. It is putting the web into existing apps.

And that is super smart. Not only can this potentially outperform what Google is trying to achieve with Chrome OS, but the learning curve for users should also be extremely low. After all, the simple "+" icon to start a new tab is a very familiar concept to anyone who uses a web browser on a PC or phone. Having that launch a new Start page with quick links to universal apps, websites, and global search is like second nature for kids and adults.

Of course, being Windows, all of this is optional, too. Users will be able to turn off Sets for all apps, or just some of them through Settings, giving users control over the experience. I have a hunch though that most will keep it on because this method of user interaction and multitasking is so ingrained in our browsing habits already.

A more cautious approach to development

Interestingly, however, while I think Sets is a slam dunk for user productivity and the current trend in computing, Microsoft is more hesitant. The company is taking a unique approach to developing Sets for Windows 10.

First, it is doing more aggressive A/B testing, where some Windows Insiders will get the feature right away, while others will not. While this may aggravate some Insider devotees, Microsoft wants to collect real data to see if people are benefitting, using and enjoying Sets, versus just assuming they will. Microsoft is relying heavily on data analysis for the implementation of Sets.

From the original announcement via the head of Windows, Terry Myerson:

Additionally, Microsoft is not committing to a specific release cycle for the feature. While the Spring 2018 "Redstone 4" update is plausible for Sets, the feature could very well not ship until "Redstone 5" presumably in the fall of 2018. This cautious approach is for good reason, as Microsoft has been burned in the past by announcing features for a release only to have them slip into later OS builds, much to the dismay of Windows Insiders.

Finally, Sets will be rougher than previous features released through the Windows Insider program. In the past, features shipped to the Fast Ring were closer to 75 percent complete, but with Sets, the process of Insider testing is starting much earlier, resulting in a less polished experience. That change is because Microsoft is relying more on Insider testing and feedback for development of Sets than previous features that assumed certain design principals.

Sets, tabs and productivity

I think the Sets model for Windows 10 is potentially huge. While it's not particularly exciting to talk about – and even harder to convey without seeing it action – Sets could be one of those features like Start, search, and notifications that just becomes ingrained in our everyday computing habits going forward.

Personally, every time I write a lengthy product review or an editorial, I have Word open, Twitter, multiple websites (of which only some pertain to my current project), and more. Having Sets will significantly streamline and improve that process. Just as important, I think this is a feature that regular people can get behind.

Of course, trends in computing can be difficult to predict, so we'll have to wait and see how well Microsoft executes on delivering tabbed apps.

Still, I haven't been this excited about something related to productivity in a long time.

Microsoft is planning to extend the familiar tabbed browsing experience found in Edge to apps on Windows 10, giving users the ability to group together related apps and websites under one window.

Microsoft is temporarily calling this new feature "Sets," (so don't get too focused on its current Insider-only name) and it is the result of its internal "Tabbed Shell" project that we exclusively revealed earlier this year.

Sets is a tabbed-app experience in Windows

Sets is a unique take on the tabbed experience, as it allows users to group different apps and websites under one window. For example, a user can have Word, Bing, and Spotify tabbed under the same window, allowing for easy switching between each app or site. The idea is to enable users to easily and conveniently group web content with app content, and when paired with the new "Timeline," allow the user to resume these "Sets" across devices quickly.

Windows 10 'Timeline' is coming to Insiders in the next Fast ring build

Working on a research project, users can open Microsoft Word, then open tabs with Edge for quick access to Wikipedia, PowerPoint for making a slide presentation, and OneNote for collaboration. The whole project gets saved with the document. Reopening the document prompts the user with the previously closed apps (tabs) letting users re-open all the tabs or just some of them. That experience will even happen on your other PCs, as the information is saved to the cloud.

Even games like Minecraft will be able to run Sets. So, for example, a gamer could pause Minecraft, look up some recipes on YouTube, and have OneNote open to save notes on the game all while staying within the Minecraft app.

The value is clearly to address the web browser-centric view of computing, which is becoming increasingly popular as people "live" in their web browsers on PCs. While currently limited to only Windows 10 PCs, the Sets (and even Timeline) feature someday may come to iOS and Android devices, though that would be much further down the road.

Who gets Sets first? And when?

Insiders can expect to see Sets show up in Insider builds over the coming weeks, and it will first roll out as an A/B test.

At first, the Sets feature will be limited to just UWP-based apps, and will later expand to include Win32 programs, including apps like File Explorer and Microsoft Office in early 2018. For Microsoft Office, Windows Insiders will also need to be enrolled in the Office Insider program to participate.

The Sets feature can be turned off if it's something you aren't planning to use. At first, the ability to disable Sets will be global, but later Microsoft plans to add a more granular, app-by-app approach so you can leave Sets on for your Outlook email app, but disable it for Word, for example.

Sets and Timeline are two features that work well together, syncing Sets across devices for easy resuming whenever you switch between devices that are logged into your Microsoft account.

From Microsoft:

Microsoft tells us that it will conduct a "controlled study" on how Insiders use Sets, and over time it will roll out the feature for testing to more Insiders. The company will be keeping a close eye on feedback, as it is not committed to releasing this feature in time for Redstone 4 if feedback isn't good.

Sets will continue to evolve over time, with new features and capabilities. Today's announcement is just the beginning, and it, along with Timeline, Cloud Clipboard and more, should make Windows 10 Redstone 4 a more productive OS.

We've got a very special podcast for you this week, as we had the chance to interview Windows Insider lead Dona Sarkar! Not only that, but we talk new Windows 10 features, such as tabs coming to File Explorer, upcoming hardware events and more on this weeks episode.

Help us make this show the best Microsoft podcast in the world. Tell your friends, share it on social media using the hashtag #wcpodcast, and give us a five-star rating wherever you download your podcasts! Thank you so much for listening!

We've got two options for you, either the video podcast (which this week isn't video, sorry!) or the audio podcast, both featuring the same content.

Show Notes

• 1:25 Interview with Dona Sarkar
• 44:10 Microsoft Spring hardware event
• 55:00 Tabbed Shell

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If you're one of many Windows Insiders who have been constantly asking Microsoft to bring tabs to File Explorer, we may have some good news for you. According to sources familiar with the matter, Microsoft is currently experimenting internally with a new feature called "Tabbed Shell", which brings the familiar browser tabbing module to all app windows in Windows 10, including the File Explorer.

Per our sources, Tabbed Shell is a feature being worked on at an OS level, and doesn't require work from app developers to take advantage of it. By default, Tabbed Shell works with any app window, whether it be Photoshop, File Explorer, or Microsoft Word. Any UWP, Win32 or Centennial app will work. Much like in Edge, you'll find a tabbed interface at the top of a window where you can switch between instances of the same app.

This means that right away, any app can take advantage of the new tabbing experience without any developer work. If an app features a titlebar, it will be able to function with Tabbed Shell. Microsoft will also offer API's to developers if they wish to "integrate" their apps with Tabbed Shell, which will give the app more control over the tabbed experience.

For example, an app that isn't optimized for Tabbed Shell will likely display two window controls, titles and icons, as the app in question isn't integrated with Tabbed Shell. Based on internal designs, we've created a mock-up below in which you can see how this would work. In our example, we're using Word 2016 as an unoptimized Tabbed Shell app.

However, if an app developer does want to take advantage of Tabbed Shell, they can do just that. Developers will be able to adjust titles, tab colors, create custom New Tab experiences and more. In our second example, you can see that in this scenario Word 2016 is integrated with Tabbed Shell, making for a much more streamlined user-experience.

The goal for Tabbed Shell is to extend the popular and familiar browser tabbing experience to other app windows, which should help unify the user-experience and window management across the entire operating system.

Microsoft is still experimenting with the user-experience for this feature. As it currently stands, it's unclear whether the tabbed experience will show up by default, or if it'll only show up once you have two instances of the same program open. A lot of user-experience scenarios still need to be figured out, which isn't much of a surprise considering this feature is still pretty far out.

Speaking of, it's currently unclear when/if this feature will show up. Sources say it could be either Redstone 3 or Redstone 4 in 2018. That's assuming Microsoft doesn't end up killing the feature, like they do so often internally. Hopefully, if this feature is further along than we're expecting, we might see it at Microsoft's BUILD developer conference in May.

Redstone 3 development is now well under way internally, and there are several features in the works that are yet to be announced. Keep it locked to Windows Central for more news regarding Windows 10 Redstone 3.