Windows 10’s Login Screen Gets a Touch of Fluent Design

Yesterday, Microsoft released a new build of Windows 10 19H1 to Insiders in Skip Ahead…as soon as Apple’s big hardware event started. The new build came out while almost everyone was distracted by Apple’s new iPhones and Apple Watch.

But now that the Apple storm has quietened down, we can finally talk about the new 19H1 build, 18237. It brings only one new feature: acrylic in the sign-in screen. The wallpaper on the sign-in screen is now overlayed by an acrylic brush, which adds a background blur, improving the contrast. “The translucent texture of this transient surface helps you focus on the sign-in task by moving the actionable controls up in the visual hierarchy while maintaining their accessibility,” Microsoft said.

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With the addition of the acrylic layer, the Windows 10 login screen looks much like the one on ChromeOS. The blur is an interesting addition for sure, though I feel like it’s a bit too excessive. Microsoft says the effect will help improve accessibility, though I assume the contrast would vary depending on the colors of your wallpaper on the back. I really hope Microsoft doesn’t bring the same effect to the lock screen, though. The Windows Spotlight wallpapers look absolutely gorgeous on the Windows lock screen, and the addition of acrylic will essentially ruin that.

In other, related news, Microsoft has rebranded the Microsoft Apps app on Android as “Your Phone Companion” to help eliminate any confusion amongst users. As the app is used to connect your Android device to your PC for the Your Phone experience, it makes more sense for it to be called “Your Phone Companion” instead of “Microsoft Apps”. Pretty obvious.

If you are an Insider in Skip Ahead, you can get the new build right away. If you had issues installing the build when it first came out, that was because Microsoft mistakenly flighted an encrypted release, though managed to fix it shortly after.

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Conversation 52 comments

  • dnationsr

    Premium Member
    13 September, 2018 - 11:43 am

    <p>I had to install with a iso from wzor to get mine..my problem is my skip ahead won't stay on</p>

    • Darekmeridian

      13 September, 2018 - 2:21 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#322321">In reply to dnationsr:</a></em></blockquote><p><br></p><p>Not sure in your case but if you are running anything like WinOptimizer or CCleaner or tools like these they tend to remove registry entries that keep you out of Insider builds. Something you can check into. </p><p><br></p>

      • dnationsr

        Premium Member
        13 September, 2018 - 5:52 pm

        <blockquote><em><a href="#322443">In reply to Darekmeridian:</a></em></blockquote><p>don't run that crap</p>

        • jimchamplin

          Premium Member
          14 September, 2018 - 2:31 am

          <blockquote><em><a href="#322627">In reply to dnationsr:</a></em></blockquote><p>THEN IT’S THE BLACK MAGIC FOR SURE.</p>

      • navarac

        14 September, 2018 - 2:34 am

        <blockquote>No problem on Skip Ahead with CCleaner installed.</blockquote><p><br></p>

        • nerdile

          Premium Member
          14 September, 2018 - 8:17 pm

          <blockquote><em><a href="#322800">In reply to navarac:</a></em></blockquote><p>I've been running with scissors, no problems for me yet</p>

  • skane2600

    13 September, 2018 - 11:59 am

    <p>They could improve the contrast even more by simply removing the background image. I think the real purpose was just to show off fluent design.</p>

  • jumpingjackflash5

    13 September, 2018 - 11:59 am

    <p>The degree and color of acrylic blur should be changeable in Settings similarly as Windows 7/Vista Windows color could have been set in Control panel …</p>

    • jimchamplin

      Premium Member
      13 September, 2018 - 2:04 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#322332">In reply to jumpingjackflash5:</a></em></blockquote><p>Allowing for the most hideous possible options, of course!</p>

      • marsoups

        13 September, 2018 - 8:32 pm

        <blockquote><em><a href="#322430">In reply to jimchamplin:</a></em></blockquote><p><br></p><p>I want an option to make my Windows 10 look like a Geocities website.</p>

        • jumpingjackflash5

          14 September, 2018 - 3:09 am

          <blockquote><em><a href="#322682">In reply to marsoups:</a></em></blockquote><p>I meant slight customization of blur degree/intensity and color, not provide options for completely different appearance.</p>

        • sevenacids

          15 September, 2018 - 10:44 am

          <blockquote><em><a href="#322682">In reply to marsoups:</a></em></blockquote><p>Isn't Windows Spotlight just that? :D</p>

  • zorb56

    Premium Member
    13 September, 2018 - 2:07 pm

    <p>Looks like the blur is too pronounced. Less is more.</p>

  • waethorn

    13 September, 2018 - 5:42 pm

    <p>Looks like a direct copy of the Chrome OS login screen.</p>

  • dnationsr

    Premium Member
    13 September, 2018 - 5:51 pm

    <p>and this serves what purpose ????..lmao</p>

  • hrlngrv

    Premium Member
    13 September, 2018 - 5:52 pm

    <p>If there's no way to disable this (I hate blur; I can take off my glasses and get all I want), then it'll be time for single-color login screen backgrounds.</p>

  • Rob_Wade

    13 September, 2018 - 6:57 pm

    <p>Yeh, I try to disable all the fluent garbage. To me, it's ugly and annoying. I much prefer clean, easily read interfaces.</p>

    • jimchamplin

      Premium Member
      14 September, 2018 - 2:33 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#322639">In reply to Rob_Wade:</a></em></blockquote><p>Run FreeBSD and never install X11</p>

    • justme

      Premium Member
      14 September, 2018 - 11:07 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#322639">In reply to Rob_Wade:</a></em></blockquote><p>Right there with you. Clean and simple for me, regardless of which OS I am using. I know there are plenty of folks who really like this sort of thing. I just don't happen to be one of them.</p>

  • locust infested orchard inc

    13 September, 2018 - 7:10 pm

    <p><a href="https://twitter.com/windowsinsider/status/1040056546309230592&quot; target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 110, 206); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><strong>Quote by M</strong></a><strong style="color: rgb(0, 110, 206);">ehedi Hassan, "The new build came out while almost everyone was distracted by Apple's new iPhones and Apple Watch."</strong></p><p><br></p><p>I for one was not in the least interested in the next generation of iNotch, so the Acrylic layer addition on the login screen did not go unnoticed by me.</p><p><br></p><p>That said, the iNotches in all their feeble glory shall further feed my appetite to further the cause of putting to shame these horrendous monstrosities with equally supercilious price tag.</p>

    • jimchamplin

      Premium Member
      14 September, 2018 - 2:32 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#322649">In reply to locust infested orchard inc:</a></em></blockquote><p>STFU 🙂 =) =D</p><p><br></p><p>XD</p><p><br></p><p>HOMMMMMMMMMMMMMsplosion</p>

      • locust infested orchard inc

        14 September, 2018 - 10:24 am

        <blockquote><a href="#322798"><em>Quote by jimchamplin; "HOMMMMMMMMMMMMM-splosion"</em></a></blockquote><p>Surely that should have been iNotch-implosion.</p><p><br></p><p>The World would be a better place with the aforementioned implosion, not least because people would have more cash in their wallets/purses.</p><p><br></p>

  • colmob

    Premium Member
    14 September, 2018 - 12:55 am

    <p>What I'd -really- like to see is MS fixing the bloody keyboard focus; every time I log in with the keyboard, the actual password field -looks- selected, but isn't, so I have to click it. It's maddening and really feels low-quality compared to every other system who have this right years ago.</p>

  • wright_is

    Premium Member
    14 September, 2018 - 2:39 am

    <p>No blur! It screws with my eyes! Just looking at the image above for a few seconds makes my right eye go funny.</p><p>I can't watch the news, for example, where they blur out number plates or peoples faces, or TV shows where the logos on hats or t-shirts are blurred. If you can't show it on TV don't f'ing well film it in the first place!</p><p>As to this, please, give us a way of disabling Acrylic!</p>

    • Stocklone

      Premium Member
      14 September, 2018 - 8:12 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#322802">In reply to wright_is:</a></em></blockquote><p>Does a medical condition cause that reaction to blurred objects? I've never heard of anyone being affected like that. Not trying to be mean or anything. Just curious. If it is a medical condition, Microsoft should absolutely have a way to turn it off.</p>

      • wright_is

        Premium Member
        16 September, 2018 - 3:39 am

        <blockquote><em><a href="#323233">In reply to Stocklone:</a></em></blockquote><p>I have to wear glasses and my eyes are just very sensitive to anything that is out of focus, that the eye thinks should be in focus, my eyes then go into a sort of spasm, trying to make the image sharp.</p><p>I've had to walk out of cinemas due to poorly focused projectors before now.</p>

  • Winner

    14 September, 2018 - 12:57 pm

    <p>A touch of coherence might be next.</p>

  • sevenacids

    15 September, 2018 - 10:43 am

    <p>So – now simply setting a different brush on a XAML control is considered a new feature? Wow. :)</p>

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