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Microsoft Tests New Windows 10 Interface for Laptop Convertibles

The new 2-in-1 interface will automatically activate when the laptop convertible switches into a tablet posture. Overall, the new UI retains the same look as the standard desktop layout, but with a few tweaks relating to touch controls.

 & Michael Kan Principal Reporter

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Microsoft is testing a new interface for Windows 10 specifically designed for 2-in-1 laptop convertibles.

The new 2-in-1 interface will automatically activate when the laptop convertible switches into a tablet posture. As you can see below, the layout is pretty similar to the standard Windows 10 desktop mode, but with a few tweaks.

Windows 2-in-1

The changes include increasing the spacing between all the different application icons that appear on the taskbar, which sits at the bottom of the screen. This should make it easier to select the icons with the touch of a finger. To create the additional space, Microsoft has collapsed the long search box on the taskbar into a single icon.

Another change is when you access File Explorer; the UI will automatically bring up the touch-optimized version of the utility. Tapping text fields on the interface will also automatically trigger the touch keyboard.

The new interface represents an alternative to Windows 10's existing tablet mode, which 2-in-1 laptops can automatically switch into, but features tile-sized icons that fill up the screen.

"Instead of turning on Tablet Mode when you switch a 2-in-1 PC into a tablet posture, this just turns on key touch improvements, but keeps with the familiar desktop experience," said Microsoft program manager Brandon LeBlanc in a tweet.

Window 10's existing tablet mode will continue to stick around, he added. But 2-in-1 laptop owners will need to manually enable it.

Microsoft is making the new 2-in-1 interface available to beta users over the Windows 10 Insider program, which anyone can join. The update will be released in the Preview Build 18970 (20H1).

In addition to the new UI, the preview build will let test users reset and restore a Windows 10 PC from Microsoft's cloud service. "This new option allows you to re-download Windows when you need to reset your device which is handy for those times you can't find the USB stick that has the ISO of Windows on it that you lost a long, long, time ago," the company said.

About Our Expert

Michael Kan

Michael Kan

Principal Reporter

My Experience

I've been a journalist for over 15 years. I got my start as a schools and cities reporter in Kansas City and joined PCMag in 2017, where I cover satellite internet services, cybersecurity, PC hardware, and more. I'm currently based in San Francisco, but previously spent over five years in China, covering the country's technology sector.

Since 2020, I've covered the launch and explosive growth of SpaceX's Starlink satellite internet service, writing 600+ stories on availability and feature launches, but also the regulatory battles over the expansion of satellite constellations, fights with rival providers like AST SpaceMobile and Amazon, and the effort to expand into satellite-based mobile service. I've combed through FCC filings for the latest news and driven to remote corners of California to test Starlink's cellular service.

I also cover cyber threats, from ransomware gangs to the emergence of AI-based malware. In 2024 and 2025, the FTC forced Avast to pay consumers $16.5 million for secretly harvesting and selling their personal information to third-party clients, as revealed in my joint investigation with Motherboard.

I also cover the PC graphics card market. Pandemic-era shortages led me to camp out in front of a Best Buy to get an RTX 3000. I'm now following how the AI-driven memory shortage is impacting the entire consumer electronics market. I'm always eager to learn more, so please jump in the comments with feedback and send me tips.

The Best Tech I've Had:

  • My first video game console: a Nintendo Famicom
  • I loved my Sega Saturn despite PlayStation's popularity.
  • The iPod Video I received as a gift in college
  • Xbox 360 FTW
  • The Galaxy Nexus was the first smartphone I was proud to own.
  • The PC desktop I built in 2013, which still works to this day.

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