Unfortunately, some of these icons are still looking a bit strange on Windows 10 for now. Each sits fairly small in the middle of a blue tile, rather than having a transparent background. This means they aren’t quite as pretty as in Microsoft’s showcase and don’t have the same minimal readability of before. With hope, this will be addressed in future OS updates. Either way, it’s been a long time coming. Microsoft started work on its icon refresh in December 2018 but expanded its vision significantly to reach apps across the OS. This is likely due to the incoming release of Windows 10X, where the icons look really at home.
If you don’t have the icons already, you may be able to grab them by heading to the store, manually launching each of the apps, and waiting for them to update. For now, these icons are limited to Windows 10 1909, the latest version. The main principle of the icon redesign is to move away from the boring flat style we’re all used to while remaining recognizable. The new efforts feature far more depth and color variance and have a more modern, rounded style. We’re sure to see more of these roll out in the coming weeks, so keep your apps updated and your eye Microsoft’s showcase.
