14 DAY TRIAL // Windows 10 Redstone is very likely to bring improved new features and screenshots made in a recent preview build show that Microsoft will allow users to back up passwords, Start menu layouts, and accounts in the cloud.
Specifically, the feature was available in builds between 14257 and 14278 and was removed in the latest build, but similar options were already available in Windows 8.1, so it’s very clear that Microsoft wants to bring them back with the Redstone update.
As reported by Thurrott, the new OneDrive functionality is listed under the Update & Security menu option in Settings, and when clicking on Backup, users are provided with a new set of options that include “Back up to OneDrive.”
“Make it easier to get your preferred settings and apps on a new device,” the description of the new feature reads, adding that you can “back up settings like my Start screen layout, accounts, and passwords.” You can also schedule backups, enable automatic backups, or remove the ones you don’t need any more.
Placeholders also expected to return
While it’s good to see OneDrive integration getting better features in Windows 10, there’s one feature that everyone expects to see returning in the Redstone update, but which doesn’t get much attention from Microsoft at the moment.
Placeholders for OneDrive debuted with Windows 8.1, but were removed when Windows 10 was launched, with Microsoft offering instead standard sync options. Placeholders allowed users to browse contents of their OneDrive accounts without downloading anything straight from File Explorer. When opening a file, it was automatically downloaded, thus making browsing very fast without the need for any other application or client.
This functionality is expected to return in the Redstone update, but for the moment, Microsoft seems to be a little bit more focused on other options. Redstone is projected to debut in the summer of 2016, so more hints at the comeback of placeholders should emerge in the coming months.