Unplugged

Here are the Removed or Deprecated Features in Windows 10 1803

By Brian Burgess

Updated May 16, 2018

We get new and exciting new features with every new major update of Windows 10, but older ones are flushed out.

Microsoft this week started rolling out the next big feature update — Windows 10 version 1803. And while we have looked at the notable new features in the April 2018 Update, there are some things that are being removed or planned to be going away. Two more recognizable losses are Groove Music Pass and HomeGroup, but there are others that users might miss. Losing features isn’t anything new as Windows has lost various features throughout the years and replaced them with others. Here’s a look at what’s completely gone or no longer supported.

Removed Windows Features

Groove Music Pass is one that we knew was getting the ax in October of last year. If you were one of the few who did subscribe (yours truly included) should have already transferred Groove Music Pass playlists to Spotify. You can still use the Groove Music app to play you own locally stored music and that also includes any tunes stored on OneDrive, too.

HomeGroup which was introduced with Windows 7 is a Windows folder and printer sharing feature, however, it is no longer in this version of Windows. Now you can use built-in features in Windows 10 to share files and printers.

Here are some of the other lesser-known features removed from Windows 10 1803 and what to use instead:

• People: Suggestions will no longer include unsaved contacts for non-Microsoft accounts — Manually save the contact details for people you send mail to or get mail from.
• Language control in the Control Panel: Instead, use the Settings app to change your language settings.
• Connect to suggested open hotspots option in Wi-Fi settings: Now, you can manually connect to free wireless hotspots with Network & Internet settings, from the taskbar or Control Panel, or by using Wi-Fi Settings (for mobile devices).
• Conversations in the People app when you’re offline or if you’re using a non-Office 365 mail: “After you update to Windows 10, version 1803, in order to see new mail in the People app from these specific contacts, you need to be online, and you need to have signed in with either an Office 365 account or, for work or school organization accounts, through the Mail, People, or Calendar apps. Please be aware that you’ll only see mail for work and school organization accounts and some Office 365 accounts.”
• XPS Viewer: The company is changing the way you get it. If you already have it in version 1709 or earlier, and upgrade to 1803, you will still have XPS Viewer. But if you install 1803 on a new device, you need to install it through the Apps and Features section in Settings.

Deprecated Windows Features

This is the list of features Microsoft is no longer actively developing and may remove from a future update:

• Software Restriction Policies in Group Policy: Instead, you can use AppLocker or Windows Defender Application Control (WDAC) to manage code that can run in the kernel.
• Offline symbol packages: Microsoft has moved the Symbol server to the Azure-based store.
• Windows Help Viewer: The Help Viewer is gone, and all Windows help info is now available online – but make sure to subscribe to the gP Newsletter or join our Windows 10 Forums for the best help.
• Phone Companion: You can now use the Phone page in the Settings app. For more, read our article on how to use Windows 10 Phone Companion app.
• IPv4/6 Transition Technologies: “6to4 has been disabled by default since Windows 10, version 1607 (the Anniversary Update), ISATAP has been disabled by default since Windows 10, version 1703 (the Creators Update), and Direct Tunnels has always been disabled by default. Please use native IPv6 support instead.”

Are you going to miss any of the features listed above? You probably didn’t even know some of them existed. Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.