Windows Feature Experience Pack

Windows Feature Experience Pack is a component of Microsoft Windows present in 10 versions 2004 and later.

History
Windows Feature Experience Pack was first seen around late December 2019 in Windows 10 Manganese builds as an additional Windows specification in Settings → System → About. At the time, it was not exactly known which was its purpose and barely added differences to the system, though it was then confirmed that it was a package that contained components that could be updated independently from the system. Then, it was backported to consumer releases with the May 2020 Update, still with no substancial differences.

Feature builds introduction
After nearly a year of silence, Microsoft made its first official announcement about Feature Experience Pack on late November 2020, in which they talked of a major improvement that allowed to release updates to experiences independently from the system through it. This plan started with Windows Insiders on the Beta Channel and the release of the first build to contain new features without having to install a new Windows build.

Traditional builds
Traditional Feature Experience Pack builds are installed along almost every new release for both consumer and Dev Channel versions, and the new build can always be verified on Settings. However, builds for the latter always have higher numbers than consumer ones. If the user wants to revert to a previous build, it can't be uninstalled individually, and it is needed to roll back to the previous Windows one.

Feature updates
Feature Experience Pack builds that contain new features are offered to targeted Insiders in a similar way to cumulative releases via Windows Update: When a user checks for updates, the new Experience build is automatically downloaded and installed alongside others on the queue (if available). Once the installation is complete, a restart is required to apply the changes to the system. These updates are visible in the Update History and can also be uninstalled if preferred, unlike traditional builds.

Included components
Windows Feature Experience Pack is currently confirmed to have the following components:


 * Snip & Sketch, including its shell-integrated snipping interface
 * A new input panel
 * An updated shell-suggestion UI
 * Windows 10X's Files app.