In Windows 10, Microsoft replaced the good old calculator with a new Modern app. Recently, the app got a revamped user interface with the Fluent Design bits applied. Microsoft also updated the app with a new feature: the Calculator got a built-in currency converter!
If you remember Calculator Plus which was a free download for Windows from the Microsoft Download Center, that classic Win32 app had a currency converter and could import exchange rates from the European Central Bank. But the built-in Calculator in Windows never had a currency converter until now. Finally, this has changed and now the UWP (Store) version of Calculator has one built-in.
Tip: You can launch Calculator directly as described in the following article: Run Calculator in Windows 10 directly.
The currency converter is included in version 10.1706.1862.0 of the UWP Calculator app. The updated app is now available in the stable/production branch. Here is how it looks.
This feature was one of the most requested ones by Windows 10 users. Calculator supports the majority of the world's currencies. It automatically obtains the latest exchange rates from the Internet. In my opinion, this is the first time that I see a UWP app with a useful improvement over a classic Win32 program. Of course, the other usability and user interface flaws with the modern Calculator app are not fixed yet.
The Metro version of Calculator has similar working modes as the classic Calculator:
It is a touch-friendly app and its UI is large by default - too large in fact for mouse users and even if it can be resized to make it smaller and can run inside a window, it doesn't feel as user-friendly as the classic app because it lacks a menu bar and does not have the friendly visual cues which made the user interface friendly in the classic app. The modern Calculator also has poor keyboard and mouse usability and low information density.
Thankfully, the classic Calculator can be restored easily in Windows 10. The classic Calculator is also part of Windows 10 LTSB edition.
You may find these other articles of interest related to the calculator app in Windows 10:
- Useful Calculator keyboard shortcuts in Windows 10
- Get Calculator from Windows 8 and Windows 7 in Windows 10
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I agree with you.
I still prefer classic calculator.
I think the idea of the classic calculator being more user-friendly for desktop users is mostly based on habit. This is a new calculator, so it’ll take some time to get used to it. Give it enough time and you’ll end up appreciating all the conversion tools that are integrated into it, among some other features.
Or put another way, get used to it, time and progress marches on…
Vista had a terrific currency converter gadget that stopped working after Windows 8 was introduced. This is just its replacement in a crappy UI. Nothing new. :)