Windows 10 update will change the default user font

Windows 10
(Image credit: Shutterstock / Olesya Kuznetsova)

The upcoming Windows 10 Sun Valley update (also known as Windows 10 20H2) is going to be a big deal, having been rumored for some time. With all the hype surrounding its release, it's no wonder folk are digging for details on what changes we can expect.

Not only are updated designs coming to the File Explorer and the icons found in Shell32.DLL (which have remained mostly unchanged for nearly 25 years), but Windows Latest have also spotted in recent preview builds that the "Segoe UI" font used throughout the Windows 10 browser is being switched out when the Sun Valley update is released.

Windows 10

(Image credit: Microsoft)

The Segoe UI is currently used across all Windows 10 applications, such as the Control Explorer and Settings. It won't be getting replaced by a different typeface, but a refreshed look that includes an "optical axis".

This will supposedly improve the legibility at smaller sizes, given the default font size is set at 9pt, and additionally allows the UI to dynamically adjust so that regardless of how small or large you scale the font, you'll see an improvement on the outlines and style. These updates are currently only accessible for members of the Windows Insider program, but Microsoft will gradually implement the changes for all users of Windows 10 over time.

If you want to join the Windows Insider program, you will need to open Windows 10's Settings, go to the Update & Security section and navigate to the Windows Insider Program tab. From here, click ‘Get Started’, link your Microsoft account, select the Beta Channel Option, restart your system, then go back to the Update & Security section in Settings and have Windows Update check for updates.

Jess Weatherbed

Jess is a former TechRadar Computing writer, where she covered all aspects of Mac and PC hardware, including PC gaming and peripherals. She has been interviewed as an industry expert for the BBC, and while her educational background was in prosthetics and model-making, her true love is in tech and she has built numerous desktop computers over the last 10 years for gaming and content creation. Jess is now a journalist at The Verge.