Serious Discussion Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview builds [Mega-Thread]

[Bot]

Hello Windows Insiders, today we’re releasing Windows 11 Build 22621.1926 (KB5027303) to Insiders in the Release Preview Channel on Windows 11, version 22H2. This update includes the following features and improvements. As part of this update, we are enabling the new features and enhancements that began gradually rolling out last month.

• New! This update improves several simplified Chinese fonts and the Microsoft Pinyin Input Method Editor (IME) to support GB18030-2022. You can enter and display characters from conformance level 1 or 2 using the additions to Microsoft Yahei, Simsun, and Dengxian. This update now supports Unicode Extensions E and F in the Simsun Ext-B font. This meets the requirements for level 3.
• New! This update expands the roll out of notification badging for Microsoft accounts on the Start menu. A Microsoft account is what connects Windows to your Microsoft apps. The account backs up all your data and helps you to manage your subscriptions. You can also add extra security steps to keep you from being locked out of your account. This feature gives you quick access to important account-related notifications.
• New! This update improves the sharing of a local file in File Explorer with Microsoft Outlook contacts. You now have the option to quickly email the file to yourself. In addition, loading your contacts from Outlook is better. This feature is not available for files stored in Microsoft OneDrive folders. OneDrive has its own sharing functionality.
• New! This update adds many new features and improvements to Microsoft Defender for Endpoint. For more information, see Microsoft Defender for Endpoint.
• New! With this update, you can now authenticate across Microsoft clouds. This feature also satisfies Conditional Access checks if they are needed.
• New! This update adds live captions for the following languages:
  • Chinese (Simplified and Traditional)
  • French (France, Canada)
  • German
  • Italian
  • Japanese
  • Portuguese (Brazil, Portugal)
  • Spanish
  • Danish
  • English (Ireland, other English dialects)
  • Korean

To turn on live captions, use the WIN + Ctrl + L keyboard shortcut. You can also use the Quick Settings accessibility flyout menu. When you turn it on for the first time, Windows will ask you to download the required speech recognition support. Speech recognition support might not be available in your preferred language, or you might want support in other languages. You can download speech recognition support from Settings > Time & Language > Language & region. To learn more, see Use live captions to better understand audio.​

• New! This update redesigns the in-app voice access command help page. Every command now has a description and examples of its variations. The search bar allows you to quickly find commands. The new categories provide further guidance. You can access the command help page on the voice access bar from Help > View all commands or use the voice access command “what can I say?” Note that the help page might not include all commands. Also, the supplementary information might be inaccurate. We plan to update this in the future. For a list of all Voice Access commands, see Use voice access to control your PC & author text with your voice.
• New! This update adds voice access command support for the following English dialects:
  • English (United Kingdom)
  • English (India)
  • English (New Zealand)
  • English (Canada)
  • English (Australia)

When you turn on voice access for the first time, Windows will ask you to download a speech model. You might not find a speech model that matches your display language. You can still use voice access in English (US). You can always choose a different language from Settings > Language on the voice access bar.​

• New! This update adds new text selection and editing voice access commands. Some examples are in the table.

To do this	Say this
Select a range of text in the text box	“Select from [text 1] to [text 2]”, e.g., “Select from have to voice access”
Delete all the text in a text box	“Delete all”
Apply bold, underline, or italic formatting for the selected text or the last dictated text	“Bold that,” “Underline that,” “Italicize that”

• New! This update adds a VPN status icon, a small shield, to the system tray. It displays when you are connected to a recognized VPN profile. The VPN icon will be overlayed in your system’s accent color over the active network connection.
• New! You can now choose to display seconds in the clock on the system tray. To turn this on, go to the Taskbar behaviors section in Settings > Personalization > Taskbar. You can also right-click the taskbar to quickly get to taskbar settings.
• New! This update provides a copy button for you to quickly copy two-factor authentication (2FA) codes. These are in notification toasts you get from apps installed on your PC or from phones linked to your PC. Note that this feature only works for English.
• New! This update adds access key shortcuts to File Explorer’s context menu. An access key is a one keystroke shortcut. You can use it to quickly run a command in a context menu using your keyboard. Each access key corresponds to a letter in the display name of the menu item. To try this out, you can click on a file in File Explorer and press the menu key on your keyboard.
• New! This update adds multi-app kiosk mode, which is a lockdown feature. If you are an administrator, you can specify the apps that can run on a device. Other apps will not run. You can also block certain functionalities. You can configure distinct types of access and apps to run for different users on one device. Multi-app kiosk mode is ideal for scenarios in which multiple people use the same device. Some examples are frontline workers, retail, education, and test taking. Some lockdown customizations include:
  • Limit access to Settings, except certain pages, such as Wi-Fi and screen brightness
  • Show only the apps that are allowed on the Start menu
  • Block certain toasts and pop-up windows

Currently, you can enable multi-app kiosk mode using PowerShell and WMI Bridge. To learn more, see Use MDM Bridge WMI Provider to create a Windows client kiosk and Create the JSON file. Support for Microsoft Intune, mobile device management (MDM), and provisioning package configuration is coming soon.​

• New! This update introduces live kernel memory dump (LKD) collection from Task Manager. Using LKD, you can gather data to troubleshoot an issue while the OS continues to work. This reduces downtime when you must investigate an unresponsive program or high-impact failures. To learn more, see Task Manager live memory dump.

To capture an LKD, go to Task Manager > Details. Right-click the System process. Select Create live kernel memory dump file. This captures a Full live kernel or Kernel stack memory dump. The dump will be written to a fixed location: %LocalAppData%\Microsoft\Windows\TaskManager\LiveKernelDumps. You can also go to the Task Manager Settings page to view or edit the settings for live kernel memory dumps.​

• New! This update replaces the settings for Show the touch keyboard when there’s no keyboard attached. These are located at Settings > Time & language > Typing > Touch keyboard. A new dropdown menu gives you three options to control whether tapping an edit control should open the touch keyboard. The options are:
  • Never. This suppresses the touch keyboard even when no hardware keyboard is attached.
  • When no keyboard attached. This shows the touch keyboard only when you use the device as a tablet without the hardware keyboard.
  • Always. This shows the touch keyboard even when the hardware keyboard is attached.
• New! This update enables Content Adaptive Brightness Control (CABC) to run on laptops and 2-in-1 devices. This feature dims or brightens areas of a display based on the content. It tries to strike a balance between saving battery life and providing a good visual experience. You can adjust the feature setting from Settings > System > Display > Brightness & color. The drop-down menu gives you three options: Off, Always, and On Battery Only. For battery powered devices, the default is On Battery Only. Because the device manufacturer must enable CABC, the feature might not be on all laptops or 2-in-1 devices.
• New! This update adds a USB4 hubs and devices Settings page. You can find it at Settings > Bluetooth & devices > USB > USB4 Hubs and Devices. This new page provides information about the system’s USB4 capabilities and the attached peripherals on a system that supports USB4. This information helps with troubleshooting when you need manufacturer or system administrator support. Some features include:
  • You can view the tree of the connected USB4 hubs and devices.
  • You can copy details to the clipboard to share them.

If your system does not support USB4 with the Microsoft USB4 Connection Manager, this page will not appear. On systems that support USB4, you will see USB4 Host Router in Device Manager.​

• New! This update adds a presence sensor privacy setting in Settings > Privacy & security > Presence sensing. If you have a device that has compatible presence sensors, you can now choose the apps that can access those sensors. You can also choose the apps that do not have access. Microsoft does not collect images or metadata. The device hardware processes your information locally to maximize privacy.
• New! This update improves the performance of search within Settings.
• New! This update changes the default print screen (prt scr) key behavior. Pressing the print screen key opens the Snipping Tool by default. You can turn off this setting from Settings > Accessibility > Keyboard. If you have previously changed this setting, Windows will preserve your preference.
• New! This update introduces a limit of 20 most recent tabs in Settings > Multitasking. This affects the number of tabs that appear when you use ALT + TAB and Snap Assist.
• New! This update improves the cloud suggestion and the integrated search suggestion. This helps you to easily type popular words in Simplified Chinese using the Input Method Editor (IME). The cloud suggestion adds the most relevant word from Microsoft Bing to the IME candidate window. The integrated search suggestion gives you additional suggestions that are like what you see on a Bing search page. You can insert a suggestion as text or search for it directly in Bing. To turn on these features, select a chevron button in the upper right of the IME candidate window. Then select the Turn on button.
• New! This update improves your computer’s performance when you use a mouse that has a high report rate for gaming. To learn more, see “Reduced game stutter with high report rate mice” in Delivering Delightful Performance for More Than One Billion Users Worldwide.
• New! This update affects virtual memory ranges. They are now added to kernel-generated minidumps after a stop error. These ranges are marked by a KbCallbackTriageDumpData BugCheck Callback Routine.
• This update affects the reliability of Windows. It improves after you update the OS.
• This update addresses an issue that affects Microsoft Intune push notifications. The issue stops devices that have less than 3.5 GB of RAM from getting them.
• This update addresses an issue that affects certain apps. It stops working when it tries to scan a barcode.
• This update addresses an issue that affects Narrator. The issue stops Narrator from retaining your scan mode when you switch between browsers.
• This update addresses an issue that affects Narrator. It reads the wrong state when you cancel the selection of an option button you have selected.
• This update addresses an issue that affects Teams. The issue stops Teams from alerting you about missed calls or messages.
• This update addresses an issue that affects the on-screen keyboard. The issue stops it from opening after you lock the machine.
• This update addresses an issue that affects a scheduled monthly task. It might not run on time if the next occurrence happens when daylight savings time occurs.
• This update addresses an issue that affects certain applications that use IDBObjectStore. They do not work in Microsoft Edge and IE mode.
• This update addresses an issue that affects all the registry settings under the Policies paths. They might be deleted. This occurs when you do not rename the local temporary user policy file during Group Policy processing.
• This update gives user accounts the ability to open an elevated Windows Terminal. This only works if they use an admin account that has not signed in before.
• This update addresses an issue that might affect your computer when you are playing a game. Timeout Detection and Recovery (TDR) errors might occur.
• This update affects the Desktop Window Manager (DWM). It improves its reliability.
• This update addresses an issue that affects certain apps. In some instances, video flickering occurs.
• This update addresses an issue that affects .msi files. A minor update is not installed. This occurs when you use the EnterpriseDesktopAppManagement configuration service provider (CSP) to distribute the .msi file.
• This update addresses an issue that affects msftconnecttext.net. It gets excessive HTTP traffic.
• This update addresses an issue that affects the Spooler service. It stops working. This issue occurs when you print using a certain workspace.
• This update addresses an issue that affects devices that use the Network Protector for BitLocker. The device will not resume after it has been suspended.
• This update addresses an issue that affects a tib.sys driver. It does not load. This occurs when HyperVisor-protected Code Integrity (HVCI) is enabled.
• This update addresses an issue that affects TextInputHost.exe. It stops working.
• This update addresses an issue that affects File Explorer (explorer.exe). It stops working.
• This update addresses an issue that affects Azure Virtual Desktop and Windows 365 users. You might not see the right location for a Remote Desktop session in your virtual machine or Cloud PC.
• This update addresses an issue that affects HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders. You can now set and maintain the correct default permissions for this directory path. When the permissions are wrong, Start menu, search, and Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) authentication fails.
• This update addresses an issue that affects File Explorer windows. They unexpectedly appear in the foreground.
• This update addresses an issue that affects some earbuds. They stop streaming music.
• This update addresses an issue that affects the Recommended section of the Start menu. When you right-click a local file, it does not behave as expected.
• This update affects Active Directory event ID 1644 processing. It now accepts events of greater than 64 KB in length. This change truncates Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) queries contained within event 1644 to 20000 characters by default. You can configure the 20K value using the registry key "DEFAULT_DB_EXPENSIVE_SEARCH_FILTER_MAX_LOGGING_LENGTH_IN_CHARS."
• This update addresses an issue that affects those who enable the “Smart Card is Required for Interactive Logon” account option. When RC4 is disabled, you cannot authenticate to Remote Desktop Services farms. The error message is, "An authentication error has occurred. The requested encryption type is not supported by the KDC.”

Thanks, Windows Insider Program Team

Source: Releasing Windows 11 Build 22621.1926 to the Release Preview Channel

 

[Bot]

Hello Windows Insiders, today we are releasing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 23486 to the Dev Channel.

What’s new in Build 23486​

Passwordless Improvements​

Microsoft believes that the future is passwordless. Passkeys will allow you to replace passwords when you sign into a web site or application that supports them. Passkeys represent a future where bad actors will have a much harder time stealing and using your credentials when signing into a web site or application. Passkeys are phish-resistant, recoverable, and faster for users. Enroll and use passkey to sign into apps and websites: We are improving the passkey experience for Windows users. They can now go to any app or website that supports passkeys to create and sign in using passkeys with the Windows Hello native experience. Once a passkey is created, users can use Windows Hello (face, fingerprint, PIN) to sign in. In addition, users can use their phone to complete the application logon process. Create and Sign in using passkeys saved on your Windows device:

• Go to a website that has enabled passkeys on Windows (Example: bestbuy.com, ebay.com, google.com).
• Create a passkey from your account settings.
• Sign out of your account and sign-in using your passkey.

Sign in using passkeys saved on your phone:

• Go to a website that has enabled passkeys from your mobile device (Example: bestbuy.com, ebay.com, google.com).
• Create a passkey from your account settings.
• Go to the website on Windows and sign in using your passkey saved on your mobile device.

Manage passkeys saved to your Windows device: We are giving users a fundamental control over how they can manage the passkeys saved to their Windows device. They can now view and delete passkeys saved for their favorite apps/websites from Windows settings.

• Navigate to Settings > Accounts > Passkeys.
• You are presented with a list of all passkeys saved to your Windows device.
• You can now search and delete any passkey from the device.

Special Instructions:

• On Microsoft Edge or Google Chrome, if you see the browser’s passkey UI, choose "Windows Hello or external security key" to get the Windows native experience. Try Google Chrome Canary for the latest experience there. As Microsoft Edge is Chromium-based, experiences in Chrome Canary will roll up into Microsoft Edge as well over time.

FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Security and Privacy > Passkey.

Changes and Improvements​

[File Explorer]​

• Thank you to all the Windows Insiders who gave us feedback on the Folder Options changes in File Explorer that removed a handful of old settings in Build 23481. We’ve rolled back this change. As is normal for the Dev Channel, we will often try things out and get feedback and adjust based on the feedback we receive.

[Dynamic Lighting]​

• New Effects are now available for Dynamic Lighting via Settings > Personalization > Dynamic Lighting. Check out Wave, Wheel, and Gradient.

[Emoji]​

• Unicode Emoji 15, which began rolling out with Build 23475, is now available to all Windows Insiders in the Dev Channel.

[Settings]​

• We are improving the user experience when changing time zones, including cases of low confidence in location data. It displays a non-dismissible notification for accepting or rejecting the change and prompts the user for confirmation before adjusting the time zone.
• We are also improving the user experience while changing the time zone via Settings > Time & language > Date & time. If location settings are disabled, a warning is now shown to the user, urging them to enable location settings to ensure accurate time zone adjustments. This warning provides helpful information to the user, helping them understand why their time zone may not be correct and guiding them towards resolving the issue.

[caption id="attachment_176362" align="alignnone" width="707"]

Warning if location services are disabled on the Date and Time settings page.[/caption]

Fixes​

[Dynamic Lighting]​

• We fixed the issue where on first boot after installing recent builds and connecting a device, the “Use Dynamic Lighting on my devices” toggle is off in Settings and device LEDs may not turn on automatically.

[Input]​

• We’re rolling a fix for an issue where a blank window whose title is "Windows Input Experience" appears after resuming the device from the sleep.

[Network]​

• Fixed an issue where the login screen was crashing in the last couple flights when trying to connect to certain types of networks.

[Task Manager]​

• Fixed an issue causing Task Manager crashes for some people.
• Fixed an issue where focus wasn’t getting set correctly to search if the Task Manager window was small enough that search was collapsed to an icon.
• Fixed alignment of Task Manager icon and name in the title bar.
• Right clicking the empty space in the Details page (aka so no process is actually selected) will no longer show the option to create live kernel memory dumps.
• Fixed an issue where the live kernel memory dumps weren’t being cleaned up by Storage Sense.

NOTE: Some fixes noted here in Insider Preview builds from the Dev Channel may make their way into the servicing updates for the released version of Windows 11.

Known issues​

[Dev Drive]​

• There might be variable performance on different hardware. If you notice slower performance on your machine, please file feedback!

[Search on the Taskbar]​

• [NEW] After changing your Windows display language, the search box on the taskbar may continue to display in the previous language for a short time before changing to the new language you selected.
• Text scaling may not work in the search flyout.

[File Explorer]​

• [NEW] In some cases, the context menu background in File Explorer may appear transparent.
• Insiders may experience a File Explorer crash when dragging the scroll bar or attempting to close the window during an extended file-loading process.
• Thumbnail loading performance in Gallery for dehydrated cloud files and memory usage in large collections are known issues we are focused on improving. Please capture Performance traces in Feedback Hub for any performance-related issues. Rebuilding your Indexer can help if thumbnails are missing for cloud files; Search for “Indexing Options” and look in Advanced settings to find the rebuild tool.
• The count shown for selected files in the details pane may be extremely large.

Insiders who have the modernized File Explorer Home that began rolling out with Build 23475:

• File Type icons are displayed in place of file thumbnails for ‘Recommended’ section (applicable to Enterprise users).
• Insiders signed in with an AAD account and try to navigate the Recommended section on File Explorer Home with the tab key on the keyboard may experience an explorer.exe crash.
• When navigating from another group to the Recommended section using a keyboard, focus does not appear on the group header or files appropriately.
• Files display file extensions with the Show file extensions setting disabled.

Insiders who have the modernized File Explorer address bar that began rolling out with Build 23475:

• Windows Insiders may notice missing craftmanship polish with the modernized address bar and search box. The team greatly appreciates the use of Feedback Hub to help call out important details to address.
• Users might experience lost keyboard focus and missing keyboard shortcuts. The team implemented improved tabbing with keyboard shortcuts that will be available soon.
• If “…” shows in the address bar path, selecting it will crash explorer.exe.

Insiders will have issues with the following commands on recommended files in File Explorer that began rolling out with Build 23403:

• Clicking on the Share command will currently bring up the Windows share sheet (non-OneDrive).

[Notifications]​

• The copy button for quickly copying two-factor authentication (2FA) codes in notification toasts (first introduced in Build 23403) is currently not working in this build. A fix is coming in a future flight.

[Dynamic Lighting]​

• [NEW] Using Wave and Wheel effects can result in typing not working in certain apps.
• All-device settings changes are not propagating to per-device Settings.
• Device icons are missing from the device cards in Settings.
• Switching user accounts can turn off device LEDs.

[Windows Ink]​

• Users can’t use handwriting to erase text in Microsoft Edge.
• The address box in Microsoft Edge might not work correctly.
• Windows Ink does not convert handwriting to text into the main content (e.g., Word documents and Excel spreadsheets) in Microsoft 365 applications.
• Search boxes in Microsoft 365 applications (e.g., Microsoft Word) might not work correctly.
• Comment fields in Microsoft 365 applications (e.g., Microsoft Word) might not work correctly.

For developers​

You can download the latest Windows Insider SDK at aka.ms/windowsinsidersdk. SDK NuGet packages are now also flighting at NuGet Gallery | WindowsSDK which include:

• .NET TFM packages for use in .NET apps as described at ms/windowsinsidersdk
• C++ packages for Win32 headers and libs per architecture
• BuildTools package when you just need tools like MakeAppx.exe, MakePri.exe, and SignTool.exe

These NuGet packages provide more granular access to the SDK and better integration in CI/CD pipelines. SDK flights are now published for both the Canary and Dev Channels, so be sure to choose the right version for your Insider Channel. Remember to use adaptive code when targeting new APIs to make sure your app runs on all customer machines, particularly when building against the Dev Channel SDK. Feature detection is recommended over OS version checks, as OS version checks are unreliable and will not work as expected in all cases.

About the Dev Channel​

REMINDER: The Dev Channel has been rebooted. Windows Insiders who were in the Dev Channel on 25000 series builds are being moved to the new Canary Channel. Going forward, the Dev Channel will receive 23000 series builds. Insiders who were moved to the Canary Channel and want to move back to the Dev Channel can follow these instructions to do a clean installation of Windows 11 and then re-join the Dev Channel to receive 23000 series builds. The Dev Channel receives builds that represent long lead work from our engineers with features and experiences that may never get released as we try out different concepts and get feedback. It is important to remember that the builds we release to the Dev Channel should not be seen as matched to any specific release of Windows and the features included may change over time, be removed, or replaced in Insider builds or may never be released beyond Windows Insiders to general customers. For more information, please read this blog post about how we plan to use the Dev Channel to incubate new ideas, work on long lead items, and control the states of individual features. In some cases, features and experiences may go out to the Canary Channel first before going out to the Dev Channel however the Dev Channel will provide better platform stability. As we get closer to shipping, some features and experiences will also make their way to the Beta Channel when they are ready. The desktop watermark you see at the lower right corner of your desktop is normal for these pre-release builds.

Important Insider Links​

• You can check out our Windows Insider Program documentation here.
• Check out Flight Hub for a complete look at what build is in which Insider channel.

Thanks, Amanda & Brandon

Source: Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 23486

 

[Bot]

Hello Windows Insiders, today we are releasing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22621.1906 and Build 22631.1906 (KB5027311) to the Beta Channel.

• Build 22631.1906 = New features rolling out.
• Build 22621.1906 = New features off by default.

REMINDER: Insiders who were previously on Build 22624 will automatically get moved to Build 22631 via an enablement package. The enablement package artificially increments the build number for the update with new features getting rolled out and turned on to make it easier to differentiate from devices with the update with features off by default. This approach is being used for the Beta Channel only and is not indicative of any changes or plans for final feature rollouts. Insiders who landed in the group with new features turned off by default (Build 22621.xxxx) can check for updates and choose to install the update that will have features rolling out (Build 22631.xxxx).

Changes and Improvements in Build 22631.1906​

[Taskbar & System Tray]​

• You can now hide the time and date in the system tray. You can turn this on by right-clicking on the system tray clock and choosing “Adjust date and time”.
• When right-clicking on the network icon in the system tray, we’ve added the option to diagnose network problems.

[caption id="attachment_176214" align="alignnone" width="404"]

Option to diagnose network problems added when you right-click on network icon in the system tray.[/caption]

[Lock screen]​

• We have updated the network flyout on the Lock screen to align with Windows 11 design principles.

[caption id="attachment_176314" align="alignnone" width="327"]

Network flyout on Lock screen now aligns to the Windows 11 design principles.[/caption]

[Networking]​

• Added support for bridging adapters via command line via netsh.

[Windows Security]​

• We have updated the Windows Security (firewall) notification dialogs that match the Windows 11 visuals.

[caption id="attachment_175999" align="alignnone" width="482"]

Updated Windows Security notification dialogs.[/caption]

[Settings]​

• We have added links to advanced properties for network adapters and internet properties under Settings > Network & internet > Advanced network settings.

[caption id="attachment_176299" align="alignnone" width="690"]

Link to advanced properties for network adapters in Settings.[/caption]

• We have added a way to view Wi-Fi passwords for your known networks via Settings > Network & internet > Wi-Fi and “Manage known networks”.

[caption id="attachment_176300" align="alignnone" width="690"]

View Wi-Fi passwords for known wireless networks in Settings.[/caption]

• Based on your feedback, we have added additional options to the Data Usage page that allows for daily and weekly data limits. The page will also now show how far a data limit has been exceeded.
• We added the ability to join Bluetooth Personal Area networks under the Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Devices. This option will appear for paired devices like Phones that are sharing internet over Bluetooth.
• Right-clicking on a Win32 app in Start, or searching for the app, and choosing “Uninstall” will now take you to the Settings to uninstall the app.
• The settings page for wheel devices such as the Surface Dial has been updated to better match the Windows 11 design principles.

[caption id="attachment_176169" align="alignnone" width="690"]

Updated wheel devices settings page.[/caption]

Fixes for BOTH Build 22621.1906 & Build 22631.1906​

• This update addresses a compatibility issue. The issue occurs because of unsupported use of the registry.

Known issues​

[Taskbar & System Tray]​

• [ADDED] Currently toggling the option to "Hide date and time in the System tray" on will show the System Tray clock while toggling it off will hide it (it's backwards).

About the Beta Channel​

The Beta Channel is the place we preview experiences that are closer to what we will ship to our general customers. Because the Dev and Beta Channels represent parallel development paths from our engineers, there may be cases where features and experiences show up in the Beta Channel first. However, this does not mean every feature we try out in the Beta Channel will ship. We encourage Insiders to read this blog post that outlines the ways we’ll try things out with Insiders in both the Dev and Beta Channels.

Important Insider Links​

• Want to learn how we made Windows 11? Check out our Inside Windows 11 website to hear and meet our makers from Engineering, Design and Research to share their insights and unique perspectives throughout this journey.
• You can check out our Windows Insider Program documentation here.
• Check out Flight Hub for a complete look at what build is in which Insider channel.

Thanks, Amanda & Brandon

Source: Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22621.1906 and 22631.1906

 

[silversurfer]

Microsoft backtracks File Explorer options removal after poor Windows 11 community feedback

Dev channel build 23486 blog post, Microsoft said:

"Thank you to all the Windows Insiders who gave us feedback on the Folder Options changes in File Explorer that removed a handful of old settings in Build 23481. We’ve rolled back this change. As is normal for the Dev Channel, we will often try things out and get feedback and adjust based on the feedback we receive."

Microsoft backtracks File Explorer options removal after poor Windows 11 community feedback

Microsoft recently announced that it was removing several old File Explorer folder options in Windows 11 Insider build on the Dev channel. However, with the latest build, it has backtracked.

www.neowin.net

 

[Bot]

Hello Windows Insiders, today we are releasing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 23493 to the Dev Channel.
What’s new in Build 23493

Windows Copilot Preview

Back in May at the Build conference, we introduced Windows Copilot for Windows 11. In today’s flight we are offering an early look of Windows Copilot to Windows Insiders in the Dev Channel via a controlled feature rollout. This first preview focuses on our integrated UI experience, with additional functionality coming down the road in future previews. To use Copilot in this flight you must have Windows Build 23493 or higher in the Dev Channel, and Microsoft Edge version 115.0.1901.150 or higher. To get started, just click on the new button on the taskbar (or WIN + C) to launch Windows Copilot. Windows Copilot will use the same Microsoft account (MSA) or Azure Active Directory (AAD) account used to sign-in to Windows.

Windows Copilot will appear as a side bar docked to the right where it won’t overlap with your desktop content and will run unobstructed alongside your open app windows, allowing you to interact with Windows Copilot anytime you need.

In this first preview, you can ask Windows Copilot a range of questions or to take actions such as:

• “Change to dark mode.”
• “Turn on do not disturb.”
• “Take a screenshot”
• "Summarize this website" (Active tab in Microsoft Edge)
• “Write a story about a dog who lives on the moon.”
• “Make me a picture of a serene koi fishpond with lily pads.”

Just click the “…” icon at the top right of the side bar in Windows Copilot to submit feedback on any issues you run into. We’ll have more to come including expanding the preview to more Windows Insiders in other channels over time and adding policies to allow IT admins to manage this experience in their organizations. Windows Copilot with Bing Chat generates responses that are contextual and improves your experience in Windows. You may see inline recommendations we think are relevant through ads in Bing. We'll continue to learn and listen to customer feedback. Understand what Bing does with your data by visiting Microsoft Privacy Statement. Read more about our responsible AI journey, the ethical principles that guide us, and the tooling and capabilities we’ve created to assure that we develop AI technology responsibly at Microsoft’s commitment to responsible AI. Please note that not everything shown at Build for Windows Copilot is included in this first, early preview. For example, Windows Copilot has a basic set of Windows settings plugins but no third-party plugin support yet. Over time, features will be added as we refine the Windows Copilot experience with Windows Insiders. [We are beginning to roll this out, so the experience isn’t available to all Insiders in the Dev Channel just yet as we plan to monitor feedback and see how it lands before pushing it out to everyone.]
Introducing the new Settings homepage

We're introducing a new homepage in Settings that offers you a dynamic and personalized experience. It provides an overview of your device, quick access to key settings, and helps manage your Microsoft account.

We created interactive cards that represent various device and account related settings, grouped by commonly accessed functions. Each card is optimized to offer the most relevant information and controls at your fingertips. In this release, you'll see up to seven cards, with more coming soon. Here's an overview of each card:

1. Recommended settings: This card adapts to your specific usage patterns, providing timely and relevant settings options. It’s designed to streamline your settings management and save you time.
2. Cloud storage: Gives you an overview of your cloud storage use and lets you know when you’re nearing capacity.
3. Account recovery: Helps keep your Microsoft account more secure by helping you add additional recovery info so you never get locked out of your account, even if you forget your password.
4. Personalization: Brings customization to the forefront by offering one-click access to update your background theme or change your color mode.
5. Microsoft 365: Provides a quick glimpse of your subscription status and benefits, along with the ability to take some key actions right in Settings instead of going to the web.
6. Xbox: Similar to the Microsoft 365 card, you’ll be able to view your subscription status and manage the subscription from the Settings app.
7. Bluetooth Devices: To simplify your Bluetooth device management experience, we’ve brought this to the forefront so you can quickly access and connect to your favorite Bluetooth-enabled devices.

You can take swift actions directly from this page with just a click, making device and account management seamless and efficient. What sets the homepage apart even further is that it's more than just a landing page—it evolves and learns with you. As you use your device, it’ll adjust to provide the most relevant and useful information based on your usage and preferences. NOTE: This experience will only be available on Windows 11 Home and Pro editions and not on devices managed by organizations. [We are beginning to roll this out, so the experience isn’t available to all Insiders in the Dev Channel just yet as we plan to monitor feedback and see how it lands before pushing it out to everyone.] FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Settings > Settings Homepage.
Restore for more apps

Adding to the capabilities of the backup and restore improvements we announced in May, this build extends support to even more types of apps. Users will now see pins for their desktop app restored on the taskbar and Start Menu, including desktop apps that were not installed from the Microsoft Store. Desktop apps that are available in the Microsoft Store can be restored by clicking on the app pin to get started. For apps that aren’t available in the Microsoft Store, you’ll be directed to the web to download the installer.

To try out this experience, both the backup and restore devices need to be updated to this build. Once you’re backed up either via the new Windows Backup app or by visiting Accounts/Windows Backup in settings, you can try out the new restore during the out-of-box-experience (OOBE) when setting up a new PC or by resetting an existing PC (Settings > System > Recovery > Reset this PC) with this build. FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Install and Update > Backup and Restore.
Native support for reading additional archive file formats

As announced at the Build conference back in May, this build adds native support for reading additional archive file formats using the libarchive open-source project such as

• .tar
• .tar.gz
• .tar.bz2
• .tar.zst
• .tar.xz
• .tgz
• .tbz2
• .tzst
• .txz
• .rar
• .7z
• And more!

Please note we are aware of some performance issues with some archive file formats – see the known issues below. FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (Win + F) under Files, Folders, and Online Storage > File Explorer.
New volume mixer experience in Quick Settings

We’re introducing a new enhanced volume mixer into Quick Settings! The updated audio quick settings experience brings a modern volume mixer that allows for quick customization of audio on a per-app basis, with additional control to swap devices on the fly. We’ve also added a new keyboard shortcut (WIN + CTRL + V) to bring you directly to the volume mixer for faster control of the experience. With this change, you can now tailor your audio experience better with more control and fewer clicks to better manage your favorite apps.

In addition, we’ve made it easier for users to enable their Windows Sonic experience with a quick access list of installed spatial sound technology. You can visit the Microsoft Store to find additional spatial sound technology to choose from such as Dolby and DTS. FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Desktop Environment > Quick Settings.
Narrator natural voices in Japanese and English (Great British)

We are introducing new natural voices in Japanese and English (Great British) that allow Narrator users to comfortably browse the web, read, and write mail, and do more. Natural Narrator voices use modern, on-device text to speech and once downloaded are supported without an internet connection. To use one of the natural voices, add it to your PC by following these steps:

1. Open Narrator Settings by pressing the WIN + Ctrl + N hotkey.
2. Under Narrator’s voice, select the Add button next to Add natural voices.
3. Choose the language for which you want to install Natural Voices. List of available voices will be displayed.
4. Select the voice you want to install. You can install all voices, but you must install them separately.
   • The new Japanese voices are Microsoft Nanami (Female) and Microsoft Keita (Male)
   • The new English (Great British) voices are Microsoft Sonia (Female) and Microsoft Ryan (Male)
5. To start the download of the selected voice, select Install. The new voice will download and be ready for use in a few minutes, depending on your Internet download speed.
6. When the new voice has downloaded, in Narrator settings select your preferred voice from the drop-down menu in Narrator’s voice > Choose a voice.

Note: If your display language is not set to Japanese and English (Great British), then in step 3 you will first need to select “Choose a different language” and select the appropriate language followed by the specific voice. FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (Win + F) under Accessibility > Narrator.
Changes and Improvements

[General]

• New functionality for mitigating unrequested modifications for app defaults as mentioned in this blog post are included in this build.

[Taskbar & System Tray]

• The updated API for pinning as mentioned here in this blog post are now included in this build for preview.

[Snap Layouts]

• We are trying out suggestions in Snap Layouts that help you instantly snap multiple app windows together. When hovering over the Minimize or Maximize button on an app (or WIN + Z) to launch the layout box, you will see app icons displayed in various layout options to help recommend the best layout option that works best. This experience is beginning to roll out so not all Windows Insiders in the Dev Channel will see it right away.

[File Explorer]

• We’ve done some work to improve the performance of archive functionality during compression on Windows.

Fixes

[General]

• Fixed an underlying issue which was causing explorer.exe crashes when doing a variety of things in the last 2 builds, including when uninstalling apps.

[Dev Drive]

• Fixed an issue where symbolic links might not work correctly when using Dev Drive.

[File Explorer]

• Fixed an issue where the count shown for selected files in the details pane may have been extremely large.

We fixed the following issues for Insiders with the modernized details pane in File Explorer:

• Fixed an issue where the details pane was flashing white in dark mode when navigating or resizing the File Explorer window.

We fixed the following issues for Insiders with the modernized address bar in File Explorer:

• Fixed an issue where the delete key was sometimes not working in File Explorer (including when doing Shift + Delete).

We fixed the following issues for Insiders who have the modernized File Explorer Home:

• File Type icons were displayed in place of file thumbnails for ‘Recommended’ section (applicable to Enterprise users).
• Insiders signed in with an AAD account and try to navigate the Recommended section on File Explorer Home with the tab key on the keyboard may have experienced an explorer.exe crash.
• When navigating from another group to the Recommended section using a keyboard, focus did not appear on the group header or files appropriately.

[Taskbar & System Tray]

• Fixed multiple explorer.exe crashes that were impacting taskbar reliability.
• Fixed an issue when using uncombined taskbar that was causing focus to get lost when moving from the taskbar previews back to the taskbar icons.

[Search on the Taskbar]

• Fixed an issue impacting search reliability for some Insiders in the last 2 flights.

[Task Manager]

• Fixed an issue where it wasn’t possible to move the Task Manager window with touch or pen.

[Dynamic Lighting]

• Fixed an issue where device icons were missing from the device cards in Settings.

[Windows Ink]

• Fixed an issue where users were unable use handwriting to erase text in Microsoft Edge.

NOTE: Some fixes noted here in Insider Preview builds from the Dev Channel may make their way into the servicing updates for the released version of Windows 11.
Known issues

[Windows Copilot]

• You can use Alt + Tab to switch out of Windows Copilot, but not back into it. Windows + C will move focus back to Windows Copilot
• When first launching or after refreshing Copilot while using Voice Access you'll need to use "Show grid" commands to click in the "Ask me anything" box for the first time.

[Dev Drive]

• There might be variable performance on different hardware. If you notice slower performance on your machine, please file feedback!

[Search on the Taskbar]

• After changing your Windows display language, the search box on the taskbar may continue to display in the previous language for a short time before changing to the new language you selected.
• Text scaling may not work in the search flyout.

[File Explorer]

• [NEW] Copying files out of large archives or using “Extract All” might be slower than expected for “solid” .7Z or .rar archives.
• In some cases, the context menu background in File Explorer may appear transparent.
• Insiders may experience a File Explorer crash when dragging the scroll bar or attempting to close the window during an extended file-loading process.
• Thumbnail loading performance in Gallery for dehydrated cloud files and memory usage in large collections are known issues we are focused on improving. Please capture Performance traces in Feedback Hub for any performance-related issues. Rebuilding your Indexer can help if thumbnails are missing for cloud files; Search for “Indexing Options” and look in Advanced settings to find the rebuild tool.

Insiders who have the modernized File Explorer Home that began rolling out with Build 23475:

• File Type icons are displayed in place of file thumbnails for ‘Recommended’ section (applicable to Enterprise users).
• Insiders signed in with an AAD account and try to navigate the Recommended section on File Explorer Home with the tab key on the keyboard may experience an explorer.exe crash.
• When navigating from another group to the Recommended section using a keyboard, focus does not appear on the group header or files appropriately.
• Files display file extensions with the Show file extensions setting disabled.

Insiders who have the modernized File Explorer address bar that began rolling out with Build 23475:

• Windows Insiders may notice missing craftmanship polish with the modernized address bar and search box. The team greatly appreciates the use of Feedback Hub to help call out important details to address.
• Users might experience lost keyboard focus and missing keyboard shortcuts. The team implemented improved tabbing with keyboard shortcuts that will be available soon.
• If “…” shows in the address bar path, selecting it will crash explorer.exe.

Insiders will have issues with the following commands on recommended files in File Explorer that began rolling out with Build 23403:

• Clicking on the Share command will currently bring up the Windows share sheet (non-OneDrive).

[Notifications]

• The copy button for quickly copying two-factor authentication (2FA) codes in notification toasts (first introduced in Build 23403) is currently not working in this build. A fix is coming in a future flight.

[Dynamic Lighting]

• Using Wave and Wheel effects can result in typing not working in certain apps.
• All-device settings changes are not propagating to per-device Settings.
• Switching user accounts can turn off device LEDs.

[Windows Ink]

• The address box in Microsoft Edge might not work correctly.
• Windows Ink does not convert handwriting to text into the main content (e.g., Word documents and Excel spreadsheets) in Microsoft 365 applications.
• Search boxes in Microsoft 365 applications (e.g., Microsoft Word) might not work correctly.
• Comment fields in Microsoft 365 applications (e.g., Microsoft Word) might not work correctly.

For developers

You can download the latest Windows Insider SDK at aka.ms/windowsinsidersdk. SDK NuGet packages are now also flighting at NuGet Gallery | WindowsSDK which include:

• .NET TFM packages for use in .NET apps as described at aka.ms/windowsinsidersdk
• C++ packages for Win32 headers and libs per architecture
• BuildTools package when you just need tools like MakeAppx.exe, MakePri.exe, and SignTool.exe

These NuGet packages provide more granular access to the SDK and better integration in CI/CD pipelines. SDK flights are now published for both the Canary and Dev Channels, so be sure to choose the right version for your Insider Channel. Remember to use adaptive code when targeting new APIs to make sure your app runs on all customer machines, particularly when building against the Dev Channel SDK. Feature detection is recommended over OS version checks, as OS version checks are unreliable and will not work as expected in all cases.
About the Dev Channel

REMINDER: The Dev Channel has been rebooted. Windows Insiders who were in the Dev Channel on 25000 series builds are being moved to the new Canary Channel. Going forward, the Dev Channel will receive 23000 series builds. Insiders who were moved to the Canary Channel and want to move back to the Dev Channel can follow these instructions to do a clean installation of Windows 11 and then re-join the Dev Channel to receive 23000 series builds. The Dev Channel receives builds that represent long lead work from our engineers with features and experiences that may never get released as we try out different concepts and get feedback. It is important to remember that the builds we release to the Dev Channel should not be seen as matched to any specific release of Windows and the features included may change over time, be removed, or replaced in Insider builds or may never be released beyond Windows Insiders to general customers. For more information, please read this blog post about how we plan to use the Dev Channel to incubate new ideas, work on long lead items, and control the states of individual features. In some cases, features and experiences may go out to the Canary Channel first before going out to the Dev Channel however the Dev Channel will provide better platform stability. As we get closer to shipping, some features and experiences will also make their way to the Beta Channel when they are ready. The desktop watermark you see at the lower right corner of your desktop is normal for these pre-release builds.
Important Insider Links

• You can check out our Windows Insider Program documentation here.

• Check out Flight Hub for a complete look at what build is in which Insider channel.

Thanks, Amanda & Brandon

Source: Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 23493

 

[Bot]

Hello Windows Insiders, today we are releasing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22621.1972 and Build 22631.1972 (KB5027295) to the Beta Channel.

• Build 22631.1972 = New features rolling out.
• Build 22621.1972 = New features off by default.

REMINDER: Insiders who were previously on Build 22624 will automatically get moved to Build 22631 via an enablement package. The enablement package artificially increments the build number for the update with new features getting rolled out and turned on to make it easier to differentiate from devices with the update with features off by default. This approach is being used for the Beta Channel only and is not indicative of any changes or plans for final feature rollouts. Insiders who landed in the group with new features turned off by default (Build 22621.1972) can check for updates and choose to install the update that will have features rolling out (Build 22631.1972).
Changes and Improvements in Build 22631.1972

[File Explorer]

• Windows Insiders in the Beta Channel on Build 22631 are now previewing the Windows App SDK version of File Explorer. Functionality in File Explorer remains unchanged, it just switches from using WinUI 2 to using WinUI 3.

Fixes in Build 22631.1972

[Settings]

• The option to “Hide date and time in the System tray” from the last flight should no longer be backwards (on being off, off being on).

Fixes for BOTH Build 22621.1972 & Build 22631.1972

• New! This update improves several simplified Chinese fonts and the Microsoft Pinyin Input Method Editor (IME) to support GB18030-2022. You can enter and display characters from conformance level 1 or 2 using the additions to Microsoft Yahei, Simsun, and Dengxian. This update now supports Unicode Extensions E and F in the Simsun Ext-B font. This meets the requirements for level 3.
• New! With this update, you can now authenticate across Microsoft clouds. This feature also satisfies Conditional Access checks if they are needed.
• New! This update improves the sharing of a local file in File Explorer with Microsoft Outlook contacts. You now have the option to quickly email the file to yourself. In addition, loading your contacts from Outlook is better. This feature is not available for files stored in Microsoft OneDrive folders. OneDrive has its own sharing functionality.
• New! This update expands the roll out of notification badging for Microsoft accounts on the Start menu. A Microsoft account is what connects Windows to your Microsoft apps. The account backs up all your data and helps you to manage your subscriptions. You can also add extra security steps to keep you from being locked out of your account. This feature gives you quick access to important account-related notifications.
• New! This update adds many new features and improvements to Microsoft Defender for Endpoint. For more information, see Microsoft Defender for Endpoint.
• This update addresses an issue that affects TextInputHost.exe. It stops working.
• This update addresses an issue that affects HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders. You can now set and maintain the correct default permissions for this directory path. When the permissions are wrong, Start menu, search, and Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) authentication fails.
• This update addresses an issue that affects devices that use the Network Protector for BitLocker. The device will not resume after it has been suspended.
• This update addresses an issue that affects certain applications that use IDBObjectStore. They do not work in Microsoft Edge and IE mode.
• This update addresses an issue that affects a scheduled monthly task. It might not run on time if the next occurrence happens when daylight savings time occurs.
• This update addresses an issue that affects Narrator. It reads the wrong state when you cancel the selection of an option button you have selected.
• This update gives user accounts the ability to open an elevated Windows Terminal. This only works if they use an admin account that has not signed in before.
• This update addresses an issue that affects File Explorer (explorer.exe). It stops working.
• This update addresses an issue that affects Narrator. The issue stops Narrator from retaining your scan mode when you switch between browsers.
• This update addresses an issue that affects certain apps. It stops working when it tries to scan a barcode.
• This update addresses an issue that affects Microsoft Intune push notifications. The issue stops devices that have less than 3.5 GB of RAM from getting them.
• This update addresses an issue that affects Teams. The issue stops Teams from alerting you about missed calls or messages.
• This update addresses an issue that affects File Explorer windows. They unexpectedly appear in the foreground.
• This update affects Active Directory event ID 1644 processing. It now accepts events of greater than 64 KB in length. This change truncates Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) queries contained within event 1644 to 20000 characters by default. You can configure the 20K value using the registry key "DEFAULT_DB_EXPENSIVE_SEARCH_FILTER_MAX_LOGGING_LENGTH_IN_CHARS."
• This update addresses an issue that affects Azure Virtual Desktop and Windows 365 users. You might not see the right location for a Remote Desktop session in your virtual machine or Cloud PC.
• This update affects the reliability of Windows. It improves after you update the OS.
• This update addresses an issue that affects some earbuds. They stop streaming music.
• This update addresses an issue that affects .msi files. A minor update is not installed. This occurs when you use the EnterpriseDesktopAppManagement configuration service provider (CSP) to distribute the .msi file.
• This update addresses an issue that affects a tib.sys driver. It does not load. This occurs when HyperVisor-protected Code Integrity (HVCI) is enabled.
• This update addresses an issue that affects the on-screen keyboard. The issue stops it from opening after you lock the machine.
• This update addresses an issue that affects msftconnecttext.net. It gets excessive HTTP traffic.
• This update addresses an issue that might affect your computer when you are playing a game. Timeout Detection and Recovery (TDR) errors might occur.
• This update addresses an issue that affects those who enable the “Smart Card is Required for Interactive Logon” account option. When RC4 is disabled, you cannot authenticate to Remote Desktop Services farms. The error message is, "An authentication error has occurred. The requested encryption type is not supported by the KDC.”
• This update addresses an issue that affects the Recommended section of the Start menu. When you right-click a local file, it does not behave as expected.
• This update affects the Desktop Window Manager (DWM). It improves its reliability.
• This update addresses an issue that affects all the registry settings under the Policies paths. They might be deleted. This occurs when you do not rename the local temporary user policy file during Group Policy processing.
• This update addresses an issue that affects the Spooler service. It stops working. This issue occurs when you print using a certain workspace.
• This update addresses an issue that affects certain apps. In some instances, video flickering occurs.
• This update addresses an issue that affects File Explorer. It might stop responding indefinitely. This occurs after you try to view the effective access permissions for files in File Explorer.

About the Beta Channel

The Beta Channel is the place we preview experiences that are closer to what we will ship to our general customers. Because the Dev and Beta Channels represent parallel development paths from our engineers, there may be cases where features and experiences show up in the Beta Channel first. However, this does not mean every feature we try out in the Beta Channel will ship. We encourage Insiders to read this blog post that outlines the ways we’ll try things out with Insiders in both the Dev and Beta Channels.
Important Insider Links

• Want to learn how we made Windows 11? Check out our Inside Windows 11 website to hear and meet our makers from Engineering, Design and Research to share their insights and unique perspectives throughout this journey.
• You can check out our Windows Insider Program documentation here.
• Check out Flight Hub for a complete look at what build is in which Insider channel.

Thanks, Amanda & Brandon

Source: Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22621.1972 and 22631.1972

 

[Bot]

Hello Windows Insiders, today we are releasing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 25905 to the Canary Channel. We are releasing ISOs for this build – they can be downloaded here. Starting with today’s build, Windows Insiders in the Canary Channel will notice that the name of the branch shown in the desktop watermark has changed back to RS_PRERELEASE. As a result of this change, Insiders will notice that some features that were previously removed temporarily with the switch over to ZN_RELEASE have now returned – in addition to some new features mentioned below. REMINDER: As builds released to the Canary Channel are “hot off the presses,” we will offer limited documentation for builds flighted to the Canary Channel including documenting only the most significant and highly impactful known issues. Please note that we will not publish a blog post for every flight – only when new features are available in a build.

What’s new in Build 25905​

New features from the Dev Channel​

This build includes new features from the Dev Channel, such as Dev Drive, Backup and Restore improvements (Windows Backup), Dynamic Lighting, the Windows App SDK version of File Explorer and Gallery, and more.

Rust in the Windows Kernel​

Rust offers advantages in reliability and security over traditional programs written in C/C++. This preview shipped with an early implementation of critical kernel features in safe Rust. Specifically, win32kbase_rs.sys contains a new implementation of GDI region. While this is a small trial, we will continue to increase the usage of Rust in the kernel. Stay tuned! [We are beginning to roll this out, so the experience isn’t available to all Insiders in the Canary Channel just yet as we plan to monitor feedback and see how it lands before pushing it out to everyone.]

Arm32 UWP App deprecation​

Starting in this Insider Preview build in the Canary Channel, we have removed support for Arm32 UWP applications from Windows on Arm, as documented here: Windows 11 Specs and System Requirements. After the OS upgrade, any installed Arm32 applications will no longer launch on your device. Note that this does not affect Arm64 applications.

• During setup, you will see a message with a list of applications that are currently Arm32 installed on the system.
• In many cases, the list of impacted applications will be reduced by manually forcing the Microsoft Store to install any pending application updates prior to the OS upgrade. To do this, launch the Microsoft Store application, choose "library", then click on the "Get Updates" button.
• After the OS upgrade is complete, to fix any Arm32 applications, you will need to manually uninstall then reinstall those applications from the Microsoft Store. By doing so, you will install a compatible version that will run on your device.

New PostAuthenticationAction support for terminating individual processes in Windows LAPS​

Thank you everyone who gave us feedback on the new Windows Local Administrator Password Solution feature which we shipped a few months ago. Several customers pointed out that the new Post Authentication Actions feature (PAA) only handled termination of interactive logon sessions. This meant that PAA was not able to terminate specific individual processes that were launched in an OTS (over-the-shoulder) elevation scenario, for example using runas.exe. We are announcing an improvement with this build that addresses this feedback on that limitation. A new option has been added to the PostAuthenticationActions Group Policy in this Insider Preview build: [caption id="attachment_176389" align="alignnone" width="583"] Enable the new PostAuthenticationAction setting.[/caption] The new option is described as “Reset the password, logoff the managed account, and terminate any remaining processes”. This new option is basically a superset of the previous “Reset the password and logoff the managed account” option. When the new setting is configured, PAA will first notify and then terminate any interactive logon sessions, followed by enumerating and terminating any remaining processes that are still running under the Windows LAPS-managed local account identity. No notification precedes this termination. In addition, we’ve greatly expanded the event logging messages that are emitted during post-authentication-action execution, to give you deeper insights into exactly what was done during the operation. Note: “Reset the password and logoff the managed account” remains the default PAA action. Please try out this new feature and let us know what you think here on the Windows LAPS feedback page.

Changes and Improvements​

[Emoji]​

• With the update of our color font format to COLRv1, Windows is now able to display richer emoji with a 3D like appearance with support coming soon to some apps and browsers. These emoji use gradients to bring the design style that our customers have been asking for. The new emoji will bring more expression to your communications.

[caption id="attachment_176392" align="alignnone" width="690"]

Before and after of the updated color format for emoji.[/caption]

[Zune]​

• In celebration of Marvel Studio’s Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3, we temporarily re-launched Zune.net last month. We also took the opportunity to fix an issue that was causing some challenges in getting the original Zune drivers to install in Windows 11 with this build in the Canary Channel. So now it should be easier to use your (totally unsupported and still discontinued) Zune on Windows 11. Over time, the fix will make its way through the Insider Channels and eventually to all Windows 11 customers. For fun, check out how Scott Hanselman brought a few Zunes back to life.

Microsoft Store Update​

Windows Insiders in all channels running version 22306.1401.x.x of the Microsoft Store and higher will see the following improvements rolling out: More pricing information: To help you with your purchase decisions, you'll now see information about the lowest price products have dropped to in the past 30 days. Introducing AI Hub: Explore a new curated section in the Microsoft Store where we will promote the best AI experiences built by the developer community and Microsoft. This is a space where we will educate customers on how to start and expand their AI journey, inspiring them to use AI in everyday ways to boost productivity, spark creativity and so much more. [caption id="attachment_176391" align="alignnone" width="601"]

AI Hub in the Microsoft Store.[/caption] FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Microsoft Store.

Known issues​

• [NEW] This build will not be offered to ASUS devices or PCs with ASUS motherboards.
• [NEW] Ethernet-connected devices may lose network connectivity after updating to this build. Unplugging the ethernet cable and re-plugging the cable in should resolve the issue.

For developers​

You can download the latest Windows Insider SDK at aka.ms/windowsinsidersdk. SDK NuGet packages are now also flighting at NuGet Gallery | WindowsSDK which include:

• .NET TFM packages for use in .NET apps as described at ms/windowsinsidersdk
• C++ packages for Win32 headers and libs per architecture
• BuildTools package when you just need tools like MakeAppx.exe, MakePri.exe, and SignTool.exe

These NuGet packages provide more granular access to the SDK and better integration in CI/CD pipelines. SDK flights are now published for both the Canary and Dev Channels, so be sure to choose the right version for your Insider Channel. Remember to use adaptive code when targeting new APIs to make sure your app runs on all customer machines, particularly when building against the Dev Channel SDK. Feature detection is recommended over OS version checks, as OS version checks are unreliable and will not work as expected in all cases.

About the Canary Channel​

The Canary Channel is the place to preview platform changes that require longer-lead time before getting released to customers. Some examples of this include major changes to the Windows kernel, new APIs, etc. Builds that we release to the Canary Channel should not be seen as matched to any specific release of Windows and some of the changes we try out in the Canary Channel will never ship, and others could show up in future Windows releases when they’re ready. The builds that will be flighted to the Canary Channel are “hot off the presses,” flighting very soon after they are built, which means very little validation and documentation will be done before they are offered to Insiders. These builds could include major issues that could result in not being able to use your PC correctly or even in some rare cases require you to reinstall Windows. We will offer limited documentation for the Canary Channel, but we will not publish a blog post for every flight – only when new features are available in a build. Our Canary Channel won’t receive daily builds; however, we may ramp up releasing builds more frequently in the future. The desktop watermark you see at the lower right corner of your desktop is normal for these pre-release builds.

Important Insider Links​

• You can check out our Windows Insider Program documentation here.
• Check out Flight Hub for a complete look at what build is in which Insider channel.

Thanks, Amanda & Brandon

Source: Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 25905

 

[Bot]

Hello Windows Insiders, today we are releasing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22621.2048 and Build 22631.2048 (KB5028247) to the Beta Channel.

• Build 22631.2048 = New features rolling out.
• Build 22621.2048 = New features off by default.

REMINDER: Insiders who were previously on Build 22624 will automatically get moved to Build 22631 via an enablement package. The enablement package artificially increments the build number for the update with new features getting rolled out and turned on to make it easier to differentiate from devices with the update with features off by default. This approach is being used for the Beta Channel only and is not indicative of any changes or plans for final feature rollouts. Insiders who landed in the group with new features turned off by default (Build 22621.xxxx) can check for updates and choose to install the update that will have features rolling out (Build 22631.xxxx).

What’s new in Build 22631.2048​

Gallery in File Explorer​

We are introducing Gallery, a new feature in File Explorer designed to make it easy to access your photo collection. The set of content shown in Gallery is the same as what you’ll see in the All Photos view in the Photos app. [caption id="attachment_176205" align="alignnone" width="723"] Gallery in File Explorer.[/caption] Gallery is optimized for accessing your most recently taken photos. If you have OneDrive Camera Roll Backup set up on your phone, photos you take will show up automatically at the top of the view. You can choose which folders are shown in Gallery through the Collection dropdown. You can also add subfolders of existing sources to filter to a subset of your content, such as desktop backgrounds and SD card/camera imports. Gallery also works from the file picking dialog, bringing that same ease of use to situations such as inserting attachments, building a PowerPoint deck, or crafting social media posts. [caption id="attachment_176206" align="alignnone" width="723"] Gallery in the file picking dialog.[/caption] There is also a new button in the Command Bar titled “Add Phone Photos” that will help with setting up your PC to be ready to show these photos in Gallery. Clicking this button today will open a URL with a QR code that you can scan with your phone to get started. [caption id="attachment_176313" align="alignnone" width="801"] Add Phone Photos option on the command bar in File Explorer.[/caption] FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Files, Folders, and Online Storage > File Explorer.

Changes and Improvements in Build 22631.2048​

[General]​

• Windows Insiders on Build 22631 will see the versioning updated under Settings > System > About (and winver) to version 23H2. This denotes that Windows 11, version 23H2 will be this year’s annual feature update which will be delivered to customers similar to the most recent Windows 10 feature updates. As mentioned here, Windows 11 will have an annual feature update cadence that releases in the second half of the calendar year. For more information, see this blog post here.

[Taskbar & System Tray]​

• After updating to this build, the ability to end task when right-clicking an app on the taskbar may appear, however this feature currently does not work correctly and will be fixed in a future flight in the Beta Channel. The setting for it under Settings > System > For developers also currently does not show.

[File Explorer]​

• We have added the ability to tear out and merge tabs in File Explorer.

[For Developers]​

• We are moving the “For Developers” settings page from Settings > Privacy & security to now be under Settings > System.

Fixes in Build 22631.2048​

[Taskbar]​

• Fixed an issue which could cause the taskbar to hang during initialization and not complete loading.

[File Explorer]​

• Fixed an issue which could lead to explorer.exe crashes when opening a folder containing .WEBP files.
• Did some work to help address an issue where File Explorer might hang when browsing network shares.

[Notification]​

• Fixed an issue where you might unexpectedly see a suggestion to turn off notifications that you regularly interacted with.

Microsoft Store Update​

Windows Insiders in all channels running version 22306.1401.x.x of the Microsoft Store and higher will see the following improvements rolling out: More pricing information: To help you with your purchase decisions, you'll now see information about the lowest price products have dropped to in the past 30 days. Introducing AI Hub: Explore a new curated section in the Microsoft Store where we will promote the best AI experiences built by the developer community and Microsoft. This is a space where we will educate customers on how to start and expand their AI journey, inspiring them to use AI in everyday ways to boost productivity, spark creativity and so much more. [caption id="attachment_176391" align="alignnone" width="595"] AI Hub in the Microsoft Store.[/caption] FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Microsoft Store.

About the Beta Channel​

The Beta Channel is the place we preview experiences that are closer to what we will ship to our general customers. Because the Dev and Beta Channels represent parallel development paths from our engineers, there may be cases where features and experiences show up in the Beta Channel first. However, this does not mean every feature we try out in the Beta Channel will ship. We encourage Insiders to read this blog post that outlines the ways we’ll try things out with Insiders in both the Dev and Beta Channels.

Important Insider Links​

• Want to learn how we made Windows 11? Check out our Inside Windows 11 website to hear and meet our makers from Engineering, Design and Research to share their insights and unique perspectives throughout this journey.
• You can check out our Windows Insider Program documentation here.
• Check out Flight Hub for a complete look at what build is in which Insider channel.

Thanks, Amanda & Brandon

Source: Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22621.2048 and 22631.2048

 

[Bot]

Hello Windows Insiders, today we are releasing Windows 10 22H2 Build 19045.3269 (KB5028244) to the Release Preview Channel for those Insiders who are on Windows 10, version 22H2. This update includes the following improvements:

• This update addresses an issue that affects the Windows Notification Platform. It fails to send notifications from applications to you.
• This update addresses an issue that affects hybrid joined devices. You cannot sign in to them if they are not connected to the internet. This occurs when you use a Windows Hello for Business PIN or biometric credentials. This issue applies to a cloud trust deployment.
• This update affects Windows Autopilot profiles. The process to download the Windows Autopilot policy is more resilient. This helps when a network connection might not be fully initialized. This update increases the retry attempts when you try to download the Windows Autopilot profile.
• This update addresses an issue that might affect Win32 and Universal Windows Platform (UWP) apps. They might close when devices enter Modern Standby. Modern Standby is an expansion of the Connected Standby power model. This issue occurs if certain Bluetooth Phone Link features are turned on.
• This update addresses an issue that affects Event Forwarding Subscriptions. When you add an Event Channel to the subscription, it forwards events you do not need.
• This update addresses an issue that affects the Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) repository. This causes an installation error. The issue occurs when a device does not shut down properly.
• This update affects user mode printer drivers. They unload unexpectedly. This occurs when you print from multiple print queues to the same printer driver.
• This update enhances hinting for some of the letters of the Verdana Pro font family.
• This update addresses an issue that might affect your computer when you are playing a game. Timeout Detection and Recovery (TDR) errors might occur.
• This update affects text edit controls in XAML. You cannot edit the controls again after they become read only. This occurs when you use the new Microsoft Input Method Editor for Japanese, Chinese, and Korean.
• This update addresses an issue that affects a printing job. An unexpected Internet Printing Protocol (IPP) mode switch can cause the print job to abruptly stop. This occurs when there is an independent hardware vendor (IHV) driver.
• This update makes Country and Operator Settings Asset (COSA) profiles up to date.
• This update addresses an issue that affects certain display and audio devices. They are missing after your system resumes from sleep.
• This update addresses a deadlock in Internet Protocol Security (IPsec). When you configure servers with IPsec rules, they stop responding. This issue affects virtual and physical servers.
• This update addresses an issue that might affect some VPN clients. They might not establish a connection.
• This update affects the Windows Kernel Vulnerable Driver Blocklist, DriverSiPolicy.p7b. It adds drivers that are at risk for Bring Your Own Vulnerable Driver (BYOVD) attacks.
• This update addresses an issue that causes Windows to fail. This occurs when you use BitLocker on a storage medium that has a large sector size.
• This update addresses an issue that affects the Search app. It opens in full screen, blocks additional Start menu actions, and you cannot close it.
• This update addresses an issue that affects I/O over Server Message Block (SMB). It might fail when you use the LZ77+Huffman compression algorithm.

Thanks, The Windows Insider Program Team

Source: Releasing Windows 10 Build 19045.3269 to Release Preview Channel

 

[Bot]

Hello Windows Insiders, today we’re releasing Windows 11 Build 22000.2243 (KB5028245) to Insiders in the Release Preview Channel on Windows 11 (original release). This update includes the following improvements:

• New! This update affects the Handwriting Software Input Panel (SIP), the Handwriting Engine, and the Handwriting Embedded Inking Control. They now support GB18030-2022 conformance level 2. Because of this, they meet the level 3 requirements.
• [ADDED] This update addresses an issue that might affect Win32 and Universal Windows Platform (UWP) apps. They might close when devices enter Modern Standby. Modern Standby is an expansion of the Connected Standby power model. This issue occurs if certain Bluetooth Phone Link features are turned on.
• This update affects the Windows Push Notification Services (WNS). It makes the connection between the client and the WNS server more reliable.
• This update addresses an issue that affects UI Automation and caching mode.
• This update addresses an issue that affects the Windows Notification Platform. It fails to send notifications from applications to you.
• This update addresses an issue that affects hybrid joined devices. You cannot sign in to them if they are not connected to the internet. This occurs when you use a Windows Hello for Business PIN or biometric credentials. This issue applies to a cloud trust deployment.
• This update affects Windows Autopilot profiles. The process to download the Windows Autopilot policy is more resilient. This helps when a network connection might not be fully initialized. This update increases the retry attempts when you try to download the Windows Autopilot profile.
• This update addresses an issue that affects the Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) repository. This causes an installation error. The issue occurs when a device does not shut down properly.
• This update addresses an issue that affects certain CPUs. There is inconsistent reporting of the L2 cache.
• This update addresses an issue that affects Event Forwarding Subscriptions. When you add an Event Channel to the subscription, it forwards events you do not need.
• This update enhances hinting for some of the letters of the Verdana Pro font family.
• This update affects user mode printer drivers. They unload unexpectedly. This occurs when you print from multiple print queues to the same printer driver.
• This update addresses an issue that might affect your computer when you are playing a game. Timeout Detection and Recovery (TDR) errors might occur.
• This update affects text edit controls in XAML. You cannot edit the controls again after they become read only. This occurs when you use the new Microsoft Input Method Editor for Japanese, Chinese, and Korean.
• This update makes Narrator announce the “Change product key” label.
• This update addresses an issue that affects the Defender Firewall Profile. It fails to automatically switch from a LAN that is trusted to a public network.
• This update addresses an issue that affects some virtual private networks (VPN). The VPN connection is unreliable on some routers.
• This update makes Country and Operator Settings Asset (COSA) profiles up to date.
• This update addresses an issue that affects certain display and audio devices. They are missing after your system resumes from sleep.
• This update addresses a deadlock in Internet Protocol Security (IPsec). When you configure servers with IPsec rules, they stop responding. This issue affects virtual and physical servers.
• This update addresses an issue that affects the MPSSV service. The issues causes your system to restart repeatedly. The stop error code is 0xEF.
• This update addresses an issue that affects a Clustered Shared Volume (CSV). The CSV fails to come online. This occurs if you enable BitLocker and local CSV managed protectors, and the system recently rotated the BitLocker keys.
• This update addresses an issue that causes Windows to fail. This occurs when you use BitLocker on a storage medium that has a large sector size.
• This update affects the Windows Kernel Vulnerable Driver Blocklist, DriverSiPolicy.p7b. It adds drivers that are at risk for Bring Your Own Vulnerable Driver (BYOVD) attacks.
• This update addresses an issue that affects the fastfat file system driver. It stops responding because of a race condition.
• This update addresses an issue that affects refsutil.exe. Options, like salvage and leak, do not work properly on Resilient File System (ReFS) volumes.
• This update addresses an issue that affects I/O over Server Message Block (SMB). It might fail when you use the LZ77+Huffman compression algorithm.

Thanks, Windows Insider Program Team

Source: Releasing Windows 11 Build 22000.2243 to the Release Preview Channel

 

[Bot]

Hello Windows Insiders, today we’re releasing Windows 11 Build 22621.2066 (KB5028254) to Insiders in the Release Preview Channel on Windows 11, version 22H2. This update includes the following features and improvements:

• New! This update affects the Handwriting Software Input Panel (SIP), the Handwriting Engine, and the Handwriting Embedded Inking Control. They now support GB18030-2022 conformance level 2. Because of this, they meet the level 3 requirements.
• This update addresses an issue in the Windows Notification Platform. The issue affects how much power your device uses.
• This update affects the Windows Push Notification Services (WNS). It makes the connection between the client and the WNS server more reliable.
• This update addresses an issue that affects hybrid joined devices. You cannot sign in to them if they are not connected to the internet. This occurs when you use a Windows Hello for Business PIN or biometric credentials. This issue applies to a cloud trust deployment.
• This update affects Windows Autopilot profiles. The process to download the Windows Autopilot policy is more resilient. This helps when a network connection might not be fully initialized. This update increases the retry attempts when you try to download the Windows Autopilot profile.
• This update addresses an issue that affects Event Forwarding Subscriptions. When you add an Event Channel to the subscription, it forwards events you do not need.
• This update addresses an issue that affects the Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) repository. This causes an installation error. The issue occurs when a device does not shut down properly.
• This update addresses an issue that affects certain CPUs. There is inconsistent reporting of the L2 cache.
• This update makes brightness settings more accurate.
• This update enhances hinting for some of the letters of the Verdana Pro font family.
• This update affects user mode printer drivers. They unload unexpectedly. This occurs when you print from multiple print queues to the same printer driver.
• This update affects text edit controls in XAML. You cannot edit the controls again after they become read only. This occurs when you use the new Microsoft Input Method Editor for Japanese, Chinese, and Korean.
• This update makes Narrator announce the “Change product key” label.
• This update addresses an issue that affects the Defender Firewall Profile. It fails to automatically switch from a LAN that is trusted to a public network.
• This update makes Country and Operator Settings Asset (COSA) profiles up to date.
• This update addresses an issue that affects a printing job. An unexpected Internet Printing Protocol (IPP) mode switch can cause the print job to abruptly stop. This occurs when there is an independent hardware vendor (IHV) driver.
• This update addresses an issue that affects certain wireless wide area network (WWAN) devices. After every restart, a dialog reappears. It asks you to switch to embedded SIM (eSIM) even when you choose No.
• This update addresses an issue that affects certain display and audio devices. They are missing after your system resumes from sleep.
• This update addresses a deadlock in Internet Protocol Security (IPsec). When you configure servers with IPsec rules, they stop responding. This issue affects virtual and physical servers.
• This update addresses an issue that affects the MPSSV service. The issues causes your system to restart repeatedly. The stop error code is 0xEF.
• This update affects the Windows Kernel Vulnerable Driver Blocklist, DriverSiPolicy.p7b. It adds drivers that are at risk for Bring Your Own Vulnerable Driver (BYOVD) attacks.
• This update addresses an issue that affects Windows Defender Application Control (WDAC). The issue copies unsigned WDAC policies to the Extensible Firmware Interface (EFI) disk partition. This partition is reserved for signed policies.
• This update addresses an issue that affects WDAC. The “Disabled: Script Enforcement” option might create audit events you do not need.
• This update addresses an issue that affects Widgets. They unpin from the taskbar when you do not expect it.
• This update addresses an issue that affects the fastfat file system driver. It stops responding because of a race condition.
• This update addresses an issue that affects I/O over Server Message Block (SMB). It might fail when you use the LZ77+Huffman compression algorithm.

Thanks, Windows Insider Program Team

Source: Releasing Windows 11 Build 22621.2066 to the Release Preview Channel

 

[Gandalf_The_Grey]

Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 23506

What’s new in Build 23506​

Passwordless experience with Windows Hello for Business​

With Windows Hello for Business (WHFB), Windows provides organizations with a strong, phish-resistant credential, helping customers move to a passwordless future. Enterprise customers can now set the EnablePasswordlessExperience policy that promotes a user experience on AAD joined machines for core authentication scenarios without requiring a password. This new experience hides passwords from certain Windows authentication scenarios and leverages passwordless recovery mechanisms, such as WHFB PIN reset, if necessary.

Once the policy is set, it removes passwords from the user experience, both for device logon as well as in-session auth scenarios like password managers in a web browser, “Run as” admin or as a different user scenarios, and User Account Control (UAC). Users will navigate through their core authentication scenarios using WHFB in place of passwords. If the user fails to sign in, recovery mechanisms such as PIN reset or web sign-in can be used to help the user recover their credentials without IT helpdesk engagement.

FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Security and Privacy > Windows Hello PIN.

Unsafe password copy and paste warnings​

Starting in Windows 11, version 22H2, Enhanced Phishing Protection in Microsoft Defender SmartScreen helps protect Microsoft school or work passwords against phishing and unsafe usage on sites and apps. We are trying out a change starting with this build where users who have enabled warning options for Windows Security under App & browser control > Reputation-based protection > Phishing protection will see a UI warning on unsafe password copy and paste, just as they currently see when they type in their password.

Example warning dialog on unsafe password copy and paste.
FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Security and Privacy > Microsoft Defender SmartScreen.

Local File Sharing Improvements​

We have made some improvements to the built-in Windows share window and nearby sharing for sharing local files from your PC.

Updated Windows share window with new search box, more suggestion contacts, and Outlook share.
Those improvements include:

• We have redesigned the Windows share window to better match the Windows 11 design principles.
• Everyone will now be able to email their files through Outlook directly within the Windows share window. Just click on the Outlook icon under the “Share using” section of the Windows share window.
• The Windows share window now has a search box so you can now search for contacts across Outlook to share a file and the Windows share window will now display 8-10 suggested contacts to quickly share to – including emailing yourself a file.
• Instead of a dropdown, you will see a button to turn on nearby sharing.
• For nearby sharing, you will find your own PCs at the top of discovered devices under “Nearby Share”.
• Files will share faster from one PC to another using Wi-Fi Direct.
• And we’ve added “Share” to the context menu in File Explorer in addition to having the share icon at the top of the context menu.

As a reminder, these experiences will work for sharing local files from the desktop, File Explorer, Photos, Snipping Tool, Xbox, and other apps that use the built-in Windows share window.

FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Desktop Environment > Share for the Windows share window and under Desktop Environment > Nearby Sharing for nearby sharing.

The New Outlook for Windows is now an inbox app​

Starting with this build, the new Outlook for Windows Preview is now an inbox app. With the new Outlook for Windows, you can connect work and personal emails, calendars, and contacts in one secure place. Learn about the new Outlook for Windows here and the most recent set of updates for Insiders here. You can click here to learn more about the future of Mail and Calendar in Windows.

The new Outlook for Windows.

Post-OOBE Experiences​

We are trying out several new experiences for after completing OOBE (“out of box experience”) starting with this build. You may see one of these three experiences launched automatically on your device after completing OOBE.

• If you choose ‘Development Intent’ within the ‘Let’s Customize Your Experience’ page during OOBE, Dev Home will be automatically launched on your device after logging in and reaching the desktop for the first time after OOBE setup.
• If you choose ‘Development Intent’ within the ‘Let’s Customize Your Experience’ page during OOBE, the Get Started app will be automatically launched on your device after logging in and reaching the desktop for the first time after OOBE setup. The Get Started app will show you a personalized flow that will help you learn more about Dev Home and give you the opportunity to open Dev Home.
• If you choose to ‘Restore’ your device during OOBE, the Get Started app will be automatically launched on your device after you log into your device for the second time after completing OOBE. The Get Started app will show you a personalized flow that will help you learn about key apps and settings, tell you that Windows has restored on your device and show you how to access your restored apps on Start menu or taskbar.

These experiences will help you learn about new features in Windows 11 and help you complete your device setup. These experiences will only be available to a small subset of Insiders in the Dev Channel at first and you may see different variations of these experiences.

FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Install and Update > Initial out of box setup.

Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 23506

Hello Windows Insiders, today we are releasing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 23506 to the Dev Channel. We are releasing ISOs for this build – they can be downloaded here. What’s

blogs.windows.com

 

[Bot]

Hello Windows Insiders, today we are releasing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22621.2050 and Build 22631.2050 (KB5028256) to the Beta Channel.

• Build 22631.2050 = New features rolling out.
• Build 22621.2050 = New features off by default.

REMINDER: Insiders who were previously on Build 22624 will automatically get moved to Build 22631 via an enablement package. The enablement package artificially increments the build number for the update with new features getting rolled out and turned on to make it easier to differentiate from devices with the update with features off by default. This approach is being used for the Beta Channel only and is not indicative of any changes or plans for final feature rollouts. Insiders who landed in the group with new features turned off by default (Build 22621.xxxx) can check for updates and choose to install the update that will have features rolling out (Build 22631.xxxx).

What’s new in Build 22631.2050​

Modernized File Explorer Home, Address Bar, and Details Pane​

Now that File Explorer is powered by Windows App SDK, we are introducing a modernized File Explorer Home powered by WinUI. Recommended files for users signed into Windows with an Azure Active Directory (AAD) account will be displayed as a carousel and support file thumbnails which is coming soon. Quick Access folders (available by default for users signed into Windows with a Microsoft account), Favorites, and Recent also bring in an updated experience with WinUI. [caption id="attachment_176331" align="alignnone" width="731"] Modernized File Explorer Home.[/caption] We are also introducing a modernized address bar and search box to File Explorer. The new address bar intelligently recognizes local vs. cloud folders with built-in status. For OneDrive users, you’ll notice the address bar now contains your OneDrive sync status and quota flyout. [caption id="attachment_176336" align="alignnone" width="731"] Modernized address bar in File Explorer with OneDrive sync and quota flyout.[/caption] And we are introducing a modernized details pane in File Explorer (ALT + Shift + P) designed to help you easily access related content, stay up to date with file activity, and collaborate without even opening a file. [caption id="attachment_176419" align="alignnone" width="304"] New modernized details pane in File Explorer.[/caption] When a user selects a file in File Explorer and enables the pane, a modern pane will display contextual information about the file including file thumbnail, share status and button, file activity, related files and e-mails, and other information. To enable the pane, choose ‘Details pane’ in View menu and then toggle the pane with an easy-access button located on right side of the command bar. The View menu/toggle button in the command bar can similarly be used for accessing the preview pane. This modernized pane will replace the legacy details pane in File Explorer. FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Files, Folders, and Online Storage > File Explorer.

Dynamic Lighting​

Dynamic Lighting provides Windows users and developers with native control of Lighting Devices implementing the open HID LampArray standard. By adopting an open standard, and by working with our OEM and ODM partners, Microsoft seeks to improve the RGB device and software ecosystem for users by increasing interoperability of devices and apps. Included are APIs for Windows apps to control devices from the background and foreground, as well as a page in Windows Settings for users to customize how their devices behave. [caption id="attachment_176333" align="alignnone" width="731"] The new Dynamic Lighting settings page.[/caption] Several device manufacturers including Acer, ASUS, HP, HyperX, Logitech, Razer, and Twinkly have partnered with Microsoft on Dynamic Lighting. As of the publication of this post, a list of current, in-market compatible devices is below. Review the Dynamic Lighting Hardware MS Learn page for a more current list of compatible in-market devices. The latest firmware should be used with these devices. While all the devices below support wired connections, some devices don't support wireless (USB dongle and Bluetooth) connections. And check out the known issues below in this post for other issues that may impact this experience. Note: Many of the devices listed below have not yet been verified for compatibility by Microsoft. In case of issues, contact the device manufacturer. Keyboards:

• Coming soon: ASUS ROG Scope II Wireless 96 Gaming Keyboard
• Razer BlackWidow V3
• Razer BlackWidow V3 Pro
• Razer BlackWidow V3 Mini
• Razer BlackWidow V3 Tenkeyless
• Razer BlackWidow V4 Pro
• Razer DeathStalker V2
• Razer DeathStalker V2 Pro
• Razer DeathStalker V2 Pro TKL
• Razer Huntsman Mini
• Razer Huntsman Mini Analog
• Razer Huntsman Tournament Edition
• Razer Huntsman V2
• Razer Huntsman V2 Analog
• Razer Huntsman V2 Tenkeyless
• Razer Ornata V2
• Razer Ornata V3
• Razer Ornata V3 TKL
• Razer Turret Keyboard Xbox One Edition

Mice:

• Coming soon: ASUS ROG Harpe Ace AimLab Edition Gaming Mouse
• Microsoft Pro IntelliMouse
• Razer Turret Mouse Xbox One
• Razer DeathAdder V2
• Razer DeathAdder V2 Pro
• Razer Naga Left-Handed
• Razer Naga Pro

To control and configure a HID LampArray device at both the per-device and all-device level, navigate to the new Dynamic Lighting page in Settings > Personalization > Dynamic Lighting. FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Devices and Drivers > Lighting.

Improvements for Windows Ink​

Windows Ink is being modernized to allow users to enable inking directly onto edit fields. In addition, we are improving the accuracy from the recognition technology and a scratch out gesture for when users need to make edits. The goal with Windows Ink is to let users use their pen and handwrite anywhere they can type on their Windows device. [caption id="attachment_176350" align="alignnone" width="647"] Use your pen to handwrite anywhere you can type in Windows such as the search box in Settings.[/caption] Currently, these new Windows Ink improvements support English (U.S.) only but stay tuned for broader language support. This new experience can be managed via Settings > Bluetooth and devices > Pen and Windows Ink under “Shell Handwriting”. And please check out some of the known issues for Windows Ink below. FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Input and Language > Pen input.

New volume mixer experience in Quick Settings ​

We’re introducing a new enhanced volume mixer into Quick Settings! The updated audio quick settings experience brings a modern volume mixer that allows for quick customization of audio on a per-app basis, with additional control to swap devices on the fly. We’ve also added a new keyboard shortcut (WIN + CTRL + V) to bring you directly to the volume mixer for faster control of the experience. With this change, you can now tailor your audio experience better with more control and fewer clicks to better manage your favorite apps. [caption id="attachment_176094" align="alignnone" width="446"] New volume mixer experience in quick settings.[/caption] In addition, we’ve made it easier for users to enable their Windows Sonic experience with a quick access list of installed spatial sound technology. You can visit the Microsoft Store to find additional spatial sound technology to choose from such as Dolby and DTS. FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Desktop Environment > Quick Settings.

Improving Windows Spotlight​

We are rolling out improvements to the Windows Spotlight experience including preview images to , full screen, multiple opportunities to learn more about each image and a minimized experience. To open the Windows Spotlight experience, right-click on the Spotlight icon on the desktop. You can also double click on the icon to directly launch a Bing landing page for more info on each image. [caption id="attachment_176249" align="alignnone" width="731"] Windows Spotlight with richer UI showing in the full-screen experience. Clicking anyway on the desktop dismisses the full-screen experience.[/caption] To enable Windows Spotlight on your PC today, right-click on your desktop and choose “Personalize” and then choose the new Spotlight theme. Alternatively, you can directly enable Windows Spotlight by going to Settings > Personalization > Background and choosing the option under the “Personalize your background” dropdown. [We are beginning to roll this out, so the experience isn’t available to all Insiders in the Beta Channel just yet as we plan to monitor feedback and see how it lands before pushing it out to everyone.] FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Desktop Environment > Windows Spotlight.

Passwordless Improvements​

Microsoft believes that the future is passwordless. Passkeys are a simple and more secure replacement for passwords when you sign into a web site or application that supports them. Passkeys represent a future where bad actors will have a much harder time stealing and using your credentials when signing into a web site or application. Passkeys are phish-resistant, recoverable, and faster for users. Enroll and use passkey to sign into apps and websites: We are improving the passkey experience for Windows users. You can now go to any app or website that supports passkeys to create and sign in using passkeys with the Windows Hello native experience. Once a passkey is created, you can use Windows Hello (face, fingerprint, PIN) to sign in. In addition, you can use your phone or tablet to sign in. Create and sign in using passkeys saved on your Windows device:

• Go to a website that supports passkeys (Examples include bestbuy.com, google.com and GitHub.com).
• Create a passkey from your account settings.
• Sign out of your account and sign in using your passkey.

Sign in using passkeys saved on your phone:

• Go to a website that supports passkeys (Examples include bestbuy.com, google.com and GitHub.com).
• Create a passkey from your account settings.
• Go to the website on Windows and sign in using your passkey saved on your mobile device.

Manage passkeys saved to your Windows device: We are giving you control over how you can manage the passkeys saved to your Windows device. You can now view and delete passkeys saved for your favorite apps/websites from Windows settings.

• Navigate to Settings > Accounts > Passkeys.
• You are presented with a list of all passkeys saved to your Windows device.
• You can now search and delete any passkey from the device.

Special Instructions:

• On Microsoft Edge or Google Chrome, if you see the browser’s passkey UI, choose “Windows Hello or external security key” to get the Windows native experience. Try Microsoft Edge Canary or Google Chrome Canary for the latest experience there.

FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Security and Privacy > Passkey.

Unsafe password copy and paste warnings​

Starting in Windows 11, version 22H2, Enhanced Phishing Protection in Microsoft Defender SmartScreen helps protect Microsoft school or work passwords against phishing and unsafe usage on sites and apps. We are trying out a change starting with this build where users who have enabled warning options for Windows Security under App & browser control > Reputation-based protection > Phishing protection will see a UI warning on unsafe password copy and paste, just as they currently see when they type in their password. [caption id="attachment_176153" align="alignnone" width="466"] Example warning dialog on unsafe password copy and paste.[/caption] FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Security and Privacy > Microsoft.

Narrator Natural Voices​

We are introducing new natural voices in Chinese, Spanish (Spain and Mexico), Japanese and English (United Kingdom) that allow Narrator users to comfortably browse the web, read, and write mail, and do more. Natural Narrator voices use modern, on-device text to speech and once downloaded are supported without an internet connection. To use one of the natural voices, add it to your PC by following these steps:

1. Open Narrator Settings by pressing the WIN + Ctrl + N hotkey.
2. Under Narrator’s voice, select the Add button next to Add natural voices.
3. Select the voice you want to install. You can install all voices, but you must install them separately.
   • The new Chinese voices are Microsoft Xiaoxiao (Female) and Microsoft Yunxi (Male)
   • The new Spanish (Spain) voices are Microsoft Elvira (Female) and Microsoft Alvaro (Male)
   • The new Spanish (Mexico) voices are Microsoft Dalia (Female) and Microsoft Jorge (Male)
   • The new Japanese voices are Microsoft Nanami(Female) and Microsoft Keita (Male)
   • The new English (United Kingdom) voices are Microsoft Sonia(Female) and Microsoft Ryan (Male)
4. To start the download of the selected voice, select Install. The new voice will download and be ready for use in a few minutes, depending on your internet download speed.
5. When the new voice has downloaded, in Narrator settings select your preferred voice from the drop-down menu in Narrator’s voice > Choose a voice.

Note: If your display language is not set to any of the above languages, then in step 3 you will first need to select “Choose a different language” and then select the appropriate language followed by the specific voice. FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (Win + F) under Accessibility > Narrator.

Local File Sharing Improvements​

We have made some improvements to the built-in Windows share window and nearby sharing for sharing local files from your PC. [caption id="attachment_176408" align="alignnone" width="430"] Updated Windows share window with new search box, more suggestion contacts, and Outlook share.[/caption] Those improvements include:

• We have redesigned the Windows share window to better match the Windows 11 design principles.
• Everyone will now be able to email their files through Outlook directly within the Windows share window. Just click on the Outlook icon under the “Share using” section of the Windows share window.
• The Windows share window now has a search box so you can now search for contacts across Outlook to share a file and the Windows share window will now display 8-10 suggested contacts to quickly share to – including emailing yourself a file.
• Instead of a dropdown, you will see a button to turn on nearby sharing.
• For nearby sharing, you will find your own PCs at the top of discovered devices under “Nearby Share”.
• Files will share faster from one PC to another using Wi-Fi Direct.

As a reminder, these experiences will work for sharing local files from the desktop, File Explorer, Photos, Snipping Tool, Xbox, and other apps that use the built-in Windows share window. FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Desktop Environment > Share for the Windows share window and under Desktop Environment > Nearby Sharing for nearby sharing.

Changes and Improvements in Build 22631.2050​

[General]​

• If a camera streaming issue is detected such as a camera failing to start or a closed camera shutter, a pop-up dialog will appear with the recommendation to launch the automated Get Help troubleshooter to resolve the issue.

[caption id="attachment_176327" align="alignnone" width="441"] Pop-up dialog with the recommendation to launch the automated Get Help troubleshooter to resolve camera issues.[/caption]

• Urgent or important notifications that break through when do not disturb is turned on while using apps at full screen will now display a “view notification” button to view the content of the notification for privacy.

[caption id="attachment_176188" align="alignnone" width="467"] Urgent or important notifications now show display a view notification button to view the content of the notification when using an app in full screen.[/caption]

[Taskbar & System Tray]​

• The settings for never combined mode for the taskbar are showing up under Settings > Personalization > Taskbar > Taskbar behaviors in this build however they currently do not enable the experience. This will be fixed in a future Beta Channel flight soon.
• The ability to end task when right-clicking an app on the taskbar should be working correctly in this build and can be managed under Settings > System > For developers.

[Emoji]​

• The Unicode Emoji 15 is beginning to roll out to Windows Insiders in the Beta Channel. Users will now be able to see, search for and insert new emoji from the emoji panel. Here are a few of our Emoji 15 designs which include more hearts, animals and one new smiley face.

[caption id="attachment_176334" align="alignnone" width="817"] Examples of some of our Emoji 15 designs[/caption]

[Task View & Desktops]​

• When navigating between desktops in Task View (WIN + CTRL + left or right arrows), labels will be shown. New sliding animations will also show when you change your desktops using trackpad gestures, touch gestures, hotkeys and by clicking on the Task View flyout.

[caption id="attachment_176416" align="alignnone" width="548"] Labels will appear when switching between desktops.[/caption]

[Voice Access]​

• Voice access is now available via the accessibility flyout on the Lock screen.

[Settings]​

• We’ve added an additional energy recommendation under Settings > System > Power & battery > Energy recommendations for adjusting refresh rate to conserve energy.
• Updated the design of the lists displayed under Settings > Apps > Startup Apps and Settings > Apps > Advanced App Settings > App Execution Alias pages to be more consistent with other Settings pages.

Fixes in Build 22631.2050​

[File Explorer]​

• Fixed an issue which was causing the context menu (in file explorer or on the desktop) to draw in the wrong position (off screen or on the other monitor).

[Task Manager]​

• Right clicking the empty space in the Details page (aka so no process is actually selected) will no longer show the option to create live kernel memory dumps.

Known issues​

[Taskbar]​

• [NEW] We’re investigating reports that the safely remove hardware icon isn’t appearing when expected in the system tray.

[Narrator]​

• [NEW] You may see some of the strings are NOT localized to the selected language. This will be fixed in a future flight.

About the Beta Channel​

The Beta Channel is the place we preview experiences that are closer to what we will ship to our general customers. Because the Dev and Beta Channels represent parallel development paths from our engineers, there may be cases where features and experiences show up in the Beta Channel first. However, this does not mean every feature we try out in the Beta Channel will ship. We encourage Insiders to read this blog post that outlines the ways we’ll try things out with Insiders in both the Dev and Beta Channels.

Important Insider Links​

• Want to learn how we made Windows 11? Check out our Inside Windows 11 website to hear and meet our makers from Engineering, Design and Research to share their insights and unique perspectives throughout this journey.
• You can check out our Windows Insider Program documentation here.
• Check out Flight Hub for a complete look at what build is in which Insider channel.

Thanks, Amanda & Brandon

Source: Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22621.2050 and 22631.2050

 

[Bot]

Hello Windows Insiders, today we are releasing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22621.2115 and Build 22631.2115 (KB5028251) to the Beta Channel.

• Build 22631.2115 = New features rolling out.
• Build 22621.2115 = New features off by default.

REMINDER: Insiders who were previously on Build 22624 will automatically get moved to Build 22631 via an enablement package. The enablement package artificially increments the build number for the update with new features getting rolled out and turned on to make it easier to differentiate from devices with the update with features off by default. This approach is being used for the Beta Channel only and is not indicative of any changes or plans for final feature rollouts. Insiders who landed in the group with new features turned off by default (Build 22621.xxxx) can check for updates and choose to install the update that will have features rolling out (Build 22631.xxxx). August 2023 Bug Bash Coming Soon: Starting on August 2nd, we’ll be having our next bug bash! The bug bash will span the latest features available in preview builds across the Canary, Dev, and Beta Channels. Stay tuned for more details in next week’s flight blog posts.

Changes and Improvements in Build 22631.2115​

[Narrator]​

• Narrator users who interact with Traditional Chinese characters are now able to do this with confidence while using Narrator and the IME candidate window in Windows. This was accomplished by creating a Traditional Chinese dictionary for detail reading. Narrator now consumes the dictionary to disambiguate each Traditional Chinese word. Users should be aware that Narrator detailed reading is only supported for the Taiwan language pack. The Hong-Kong language pack is not supported with Narrator.

Fixes for BOTH Build 22621.2115 & Build 22631.2115​

• New! This update affects the Handwriting Software Input Panel (SIP), the Handwriting Engine, and the Handwriting Embedded Inking Control. They now support GB18030-2022 conformance level 2. Because of this, they meet the level 3 requirements.
• This update affects text edit controls in XAML. You cannot edit the controls again after they become read only. This occurs when you use the new Microsoft Input Method Editor for Japanese, Chinese, and Korean.
• This update affects the Windows Kernel Vulnerable Driver Blocklist, DriverSiPolicy.p7b. It adds drivers that are at risk for Bring Your Own Vulnerable Driver (BYOVD) attacks.
• This update addresses an issue that affects certain CPUs. There is inconsistent reporting of the L2 cache.
• This update addresses an issue that affects certain wireless wide area network (WWAN) devices. After every restart, a dialog reappears. It asks you to switch to embedded SIM (eSIM) even when you choose “No.”
• This update affects user mode printer drivers. They unload unexpectedly. This occurs when you print from multiple print queues to the same printer driver.
• This update addresses an issue that affects hybrid joined devices. You cannot sign in to them if they are not connected to the internet. This occurs when you use a Windows Hello for Business PIN or biometric credentials. This issue applies to a cloud trust deployment.
• This update addresses an issue that affects Windows Defender Application Control (WDAC). The issue copies unsigned WDAC policies to the Extensible Firmware Interface (EFI) disk partition. This partition is reserved for signed policies.
• This update addresses an issue that affects The “Disabled: Script Enforcement” option might create audit events you do not need.
• This update addresses an issue that affects a printing job. An unexpected Internet Printing Protocol (IPP) mode switch can cause the print job to abruptly stop. This occurs when there is an independent hardware vendor (IHV) driver.
• This update addresses an issue that affects certain display and audio devices. They are missing after your system resumes from sleep.
• This update enhances hinting for some of the letters of the Verdana Pro font family.
• This update addresses an issue that affects the MPSSV service. The issues causes your system to restart repeatedly. The stop error code is 0xEF.
• This update makes brightness settings more accurate.
• This update affects Windows Autopilot profiles. The process to download the Windows Autopilot policy is more resilient. This helps when a network connection might not be fully initialized. This update increases the retry attempts when you try to download the Windows Autopilot profile.
• This update addresses an issue that affects I/O over Server Message Block (SMB). It might fail when you use the LZ77+Huffman compression algorithm.
• This update makes Narrator announce the “Change product key” label.
• This update affects the Windows Push Notification Services (WNS). It makes the connection between the client and the WNS server more reliable.
• This update addresses an issue that affects the Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) repository. This causes an installation error. The issue occurs when a device does not shut down properly.
• This update addresses an issue in the Windows Notification Platform. The issue affects how much power your device uses.
• This update addresses an issue that affects the Defender Firewall Profile. It fails to automatically switch from a LAN that is trusted to a public network.
• This update addresses an issue that affects Widgets. They unpin from the taskbar when you do not expect it.
• This update addresses an issue that affects virtual private networks (VPN). There might be excessive Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) requests to the network gateway. This occurs when the VPN is on a wireless mesh network. Because of this, network performance is poor.
• This update addresses a deadlock in Internet Protocol Security (IPsec). When you configure servers with IPsec rules, they stop responding. This issue affects virtual and physical servers.
• This update addresses an issue that affects Event Forwarding Subscriptions. When you add an Event Channel to the subscription, it forwards events you do not need.
• This update makes Country and Operator Settings Asset (COSA) profiles up to date.
• This update addresses an issue that affects the fastfat file system driver. It stops responding because of a race condition.

Known issues​

[General]​

• [NEW] We’re investigating reports that explorer.exe is crashing on the login screen (with an error pop up) when attempting to enter safe mode.

[File Explorer]​

• [NEW] We’re working on the fix for an issue causing File Explorer to crash when going to Home. If you encounter this when opening File Explorer, you may need to use Search or the Run dialog to open File Explorer directly to a specific folder (for example, C.
• [NEW] In some cases, the context menu background in File Explorer may appear transparent.
• [NEW] In some cases, the icons on your desktop may all go blank. If this happens, using the refresh option in the desktop context menu should resolve it.

[Taskbar]​

• We’re investigating reports that the safely remove hardware icon isn’t appearing when expected in the system tray.
• [NEW] As a reminder, while the settings for never combined mode for the taskbarare showing up under Settings > Personalization > Taskbar > Taskbar behaviors in this build, they currently do not enable the experience. This will be fixed in a future Beta Channel flight soon.

[Input]​

• [NEW] We’re investigating reports that typing with the Japanese and Chinese IMEs is not working correctly after the last flight.

[Narrator]​

• You may see some of the strings are NOT localized to the selected language. This will be fixed in a future flight.

About the Beta Channel​

The Beta Channel is the place we preview experiences that are closer to what we will ship to our general customers. Because the Dev and Beta Channels represent parallel development paths from our engineers, there may be cases where features and experiences show up in the Beta Channel first. However, this does not mean every feature we try out in the Beta Channel will ship. We encourage Insiders to read this blog post that outlines the ways we’ll try things out with Insiders in both the Dev and Beta Channels.

Important Insider Links​

• Want to learn how we made Windows 11? Check out our Inside Windows 11 website to hear and meet our makers from Engineering, Design and Research to share their insights and unique perspectives throughout this journey.
• You can check out our Windows Insider Program documentation here.
• Check out Flight Hub for a complete look at what build is in which Insider channel.

Thanks, Amanda & Brandon

Source: Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22621.2115 and 22631.2115

 

[Bot]

Hello Windows Insiders, today we are releasing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 25915 to the Canary Channel. August 2023 Bug Bash Coming Soon: Starting on August 2nd, we’ll be having our next bug bash! The bug bash will span the latest features available in preview builds across the Canary, Dev, and Beta Channels. Stay tuned for more details in next week’s flight blog posts. REMINDER: As builds released to the Canary Channel are “hot off the presses,” we will offer limited documentation for builds flighted to the Canary Channel including documenting only the most significant and highly impactful known issues. Please note that we will not publish a blog post for every flight – only when new features are available in a build.

What’s new in Build 25915​

New features from the Dev Channel​

This build includes new features from the Dev Channel, such as modernized File Explorer Home, Address Bar, and Details Pane, passwordless improvements (passkey), never combined mode on the taskbar, and more.

The New Outlook for Windows is now an inbox app​

Starting with this build, the new Outlook for Windows Preview is now an inbox app. With the new Outlook for Windows, you can connect work and personal emails, calendars, and contacts in one secure place. Learn about the new Outlook for Windows here and the most recent set of updates for Insiders here. You can click here to learn more about the future of Mail and Calendar in Windows. [caption id="attachment_176409" align="alignnone" width="709"] The new Outlook for Windows.[/caption]

Changes and Improvements​

[Graphics]​

• We have improved refresh rate logic to allow different refresh rates on different monitors, depending on the refresh rate for each monitor and content shown on the screen. This will help most with refresh rate-dependent multitasking, like playing a game and watching a video at the same time.
• While a Dynamic Refresh Rate (DRR) is selected and Battery saver is also enabled, Windows will remain at the lower refresh rate and not switch to the higher rate until after Battery saver is disabled.

Fixes for known issues​

• The issue that resulted in some Windows Insiders in the Canary Channel on ASUS devices or PCs with ASUS motherboards has been resolved and these Insiders should receive this flight.
• Ethernet-connected devices will no longer lose network connectivity after updating to this build.

For developers​

You can download the latest Windows Insider SDK at aka.ms/windowsinsidersdk. SDK NuGet packages are now also flighting at NuGet Gallery | WindowsSDK which include:

• .NET TFM packages for use in .NET apps as described at ms/windowsinsidersdk
• C++ packages for Win32 headers and libs per architecture
• BuildTools package when you just need tools like MakeAppx.exe, MakePri.exe, and SignTool.exe

These NuGet packages provide more granular access to the SDK and better integration in CI/CD pipelines. SDK flights are now published for both the Canary and Dev Channels, so be sure to choose the right version for your Insider Channel. Remember to use adaptive code when targeting new APIs to make sure your app runs on all customer machines, particularly when building against the Dev Channel SDK. Feature detection is recommended over OS version checks, as OS version checks are unreliable and will not work as expected in all cases.

About the Canary Channel​

The Canary Channel is the place to preview platform changes that require longer-lead time before getting released to customers. Some examples of this include major changes to the Windows kernel, new APIs, etc. Builds that we release to the Canary Channel should not be seen as matched to any specific release of Windows and some of the changes we try out in the Canary Channel will never ship, and others could show up in future Windows releases when they’re ready. The builds that will be flighted to the Canary Channel are “hot off the presses,” flighting very soon after they are built, which means very little validation and documentation will be done before they are offered to Insiders. These builds could include major issues that could result in not being able to use your PC correctly or even in some rare cases require you to reinstall Windows. We will offer limited documentation for the Canary Channel, but we will not publish a blog post for every flight – only when new features are available in a build. Our Canary Channel won’t receive daily builds; however, we may ramp up releasing builds more frequently in the future. The desktop watermark you see at the lower right corner of your desktop is normal for these pre-release builds.

Important Insider Links​

• You can check out our Windows Insider Program documentation here.
• Check out Flight Hub for a complete look at what build is in which Insider channel.

Thanks, Amanda & Brandon

Source: Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 25915

 

[Bot]

Hello Windows Insiders, today we are releasing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 23511 to the Dev Channel. August 2023 Bug Bash Coming Soon: Starting on August 2nd, we’ll be having our next bug bash! The bug bash will span the latest features available in preview builds across the Canary, Dev, and Beta Channels. Stay tuned for more details in next week’s flight blog posts.

What’s new in Build 23511​

More improvements for Windows Spotlight​

After trying out different treatments for how Windows Spotlight looks, we’re now rolling out a single Windows Spotlight experience for Windows Insiders in the Dev Channel that includes previewing images at full screen, multiple opportunities to learn more about each image and a minimized experience. To open the Windows Spotlight experience, right-click on the Spotlight icon on the desktop. You can also double click on the icon to directly launch a Bing landing page for more info on each image. [caption id="attachment_176249" align="alignnone" width="702"] One of the multiple treatments for Windows Spotlight with richer UI showing in the full-screen experience. Clicking anyway on the desktop dismisses the full-screen experience.[/caption] To enable Windows Spotlight on your PC today, right-click on your desktop and choose “Personalize” and then choose the new Spotlight theme. Alternatively, you can directly enable Windows Spotlight by going to Settings > Personalization > Background and choosing the option under the “Personalize your background” dropdown. FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Desktop Environment > Windows Spotlight.

Changes and Improvements​

[General]​

• If a camera streaming issue is detected such as a camera failing to start or a closed camera shutter, a pop-up dialog will appear with the recommendation to launch the automated Get Help troubleshooter to resolve the issue.

[caption id="attachment_176327" align="alignnone" width="442"] Pop-up dialog with the recommendation to launch the automated Get Help troubleshooter to resolve camera issues.[/caption]

[Windows Copilot]​

• Windows Insiders in the Dev Channel who login and are managed by AAD (soon to be Microsoft Entra ID) will notice that the Windows Copilot Preview is no longer available in this build. This is just a temporary issue. You may enable it temporarily via this policy located here in Group Policy Editor: User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows Copilot. Please note that this policy name will change in an upcoming flight. The Windows Copilot Preview will be defaulted on in a future flight including support for Bing Chat for Enterprise.

[Start menu]​

• For people logged into an Windows 11 Pro or Enterprise editions with an AAD account (soon to be Microsoft Entra ID), we are providing a richer preview when hovering over files such as Word documents under Recommended on the Start menu. For this initial release, thumbnails will not be available for all files and a later update will enable the experience for more files and for MSA users. Additionally, when right-clicking on cloud file recommendations, there is now an option to quickly share these files.

[caption id="attachment_176428" align="alignnone" width="448"] Example of richer preview when hovering over files such as Word documents under Recommended on the Start menu.[/caption]

• Under All apps in the Start menu, Windows 11 system components will now show a “system” label. This change is beginning to roll out and so not all Insiders in the Dev Channel will see it right away.

[Taskbar & System Tray]​

• Notifications will now show as a bell in the system tray and when new notifications come through, the bell will colorize based on your system accent color. When there are no notifications and the clock is visible, the bell will be empty. Notification counts are no longer shown.

[caption id="attachment_176429" align="alignnone" width="605"] Notification bell in the system tray for new notifications and no notifications.[/caption]

[File Explorer]​

• Made some changes which should noticeably help improve the performance of the “calculating” phase when sending a large number of files at once in File Explorer to the recycle bin.

[Snap Layouts]​

• We have fixed the bugs that were causing some crashes that resulted in us turning off suggestions in Snap Layouts and are beginning to roll this out again to Windows Insiders in the Dev Channel. Suggestions in Snap Layoutsthat help you instantly snap multiple app windows together. When hovering over the Minimize or Maximize button on an app (or WIN + Z) to launch the layout box, you will see app icons displayed in various layout options to help recommend the best layout option that works best. This experience is beginning to roll out (again) so not all Windows Insiders in the Dev Channel will see it right away.

[caption id="attachment_176375" align="alignnone" width="357"] Suggestions in Snap Layouts.[/caption]

[Settings]​

• We have fixed the bug that could cause some instability which resulted in us disabling the new Settings homepage with Build 23506 last week. We have begun rolling the new Settings homepage out again to Insiders in the Dev Channel.
• We are beginning to roll out a new option under Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Phone Link to disable Phone Link all together in Windows 11. This setting will prevent Phone Link from communicating with your mobile devices.

Fixes​

[File Explorer]​

• Fixed an issue where copying files out of large archives or using “Extract All” might have been slower than expected for “solid” .7Z or .rar archives.
• Fixed an issue where when decompressing some of the newly supported archive format types, the folder names might become gibberish.
• Fixed an underlying issue where in some cases the context menu background in File Explorer was appearing transparent.

[Notifications]​

• Fixed an issue that was preventing apps from opening when you selected inside a notification popup for that app.
• Fixed an issue causing Insiders to unexpectedly see a notification suggesting you turn off notifications for an app named NotifyiconGeneratedAumid_*.

[Taskbar & System Tray]​

• Fixed multiple explorer.exe crashes that were impacting taskbar reliability.
• Fixed an issue that was causing quick settings not to open when selecting the network, volume, and battery icons in the system tray.

[Task View & Desktops]​

• Adjusted the desktops switching animation to ease into the animation a little more.

[Search on the Taskbar]​

• Fixed an issue where search was not actually hiding when set to hide in taskbar settings.

[Windows Ink]​

• Fixed an issue where writing in the address box in Microsoft Edge might not work correctly. Make sure Microsoft Edge is up to date with the latest version.

NOTE: Some fixes noted here in Insider Preview builds from the Dev Channel may make their way into the servicing updates for the released version of Windows 11.

Known issues​

[General]​

• [NEW] We’re investigating reports that explorer.exe is crashing on the login screen (with an error pop up) when attempting to enter safe mode.

[Start menu]​

• [NEW] Some apps under All apps on the Start menu, such as PWA apps installed via Microsoft Edge, may incorrectly be labeled as a system component.

[Windows Copilot]​

• You can use Alt + Tab to switch out of Windows Copilot, but not back into it. Windows + C will move focus back to Windows Copilot
• When first launching or after refreshing Copilot while using Voice Access you'll need to use "Show grid" commands to click in the "Ask me anything" box for the first time.

[File Explorer]​

• Insiders may experience a File Explorer crash when dragging the scroll bar or attempting to close the window during an extended file-loading process.
• [NEW] In some cases, the icons on your desktop may all go blank. If this happens, using the refresh option in the desktop context menu should resolve it.

[Dynamic Lighting]​

• Switching user accounts can turn off device LEDs.

[Windows Ink]​

• Windows Ink does not convert handwriting to text into the main content (e.g., Word documents and Excel spreadsheets) in Microsoft 365 applications.
• Search boxes in Microsoft 365 applications (e.g., Microsoft Word) might not work correctly.
• Comment fields in Microsoft 365 applications (e.g., Microsoft Word) might not work correctly.

For developers​

You can download the latest Windows Insider SDK at aka.ms/windowsinsidersdk. SDK NuGet packages are now also flighting at NuGet Gallery | WindowsSDK which include:

• .NET TFM packages for use in .NET apps as described at ms/windowsinsidersdk
• C++ packages for Win32 headers and libs per architecture
• BuildTools package when you just need tools like MakeAppx.exe, MakePri.exe, and SignTool.exe

These NuGet packages provide more granular access to the SDK and better integration in CI/CD pipelines. SDK flights are now published for both the Canary and Dev Channels, so be sure to choose the right version for your Insider Channel. Remember to use adaptive code when targeting new APIs to make sure your app runs on all customer machines, particularly when building against the Dev Channel SDK. Feature detection is recommended over OS version checks, as OS version checks are unreliable and will not work as expected in all cases.

About the Dev Channel​

REMINDER: The Dev Channel has been rebooted. Windows Insiders who were in the Dev Channel on 25000 series builds have been moved to the new Canary Channel. Going forward, the Dev Channel will receive 23000 series builds. Insiders who were moved to the Canary Channel and want to move back to the Dev Channel can follow these instructions to do a clean installation of Windows 11 and then re-join the Dev Channel to receive 23000 series builds. The Dev Channel receives builds that represent long lead work from our engineers with features and experiences that may never get released as we try out different concepts and get feedback. It is important to remember that the builds we release to the Dev Channel should not be seen as matched to any specific release of Windows and the features included may change over time, be removed, or replaced in Insider builds or may never be released beyond Windows Insiders to general customers. For more information, please read this blog post about how we plan to use the Dev Channel to incubate new ideas, work on long lead items, and control the states of individual features. In some cases, features and experiences may go out to the Canary Channel first before going out to the Dev Channel however the Dev Channel will provide better platform stability. As we get closer to shipping, some features and experiences will also make their way to the Beta Channel when they are ready. The desktop watermark you see at the lower right corner of your desktop is normal for these pre-release builds.

Important Insider Links​

• You can check out our Windows Insider Program documentation here.
• Check out Flight Hub for a complete look at what build is in which Insider channel.

Thanks, Amanda & Brandon

Source: Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 23511

 

[Bot]

Hello Windows Insiders, today we are releasing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 23516 to the Dev Channel. August 2023 Bug Bash: Starting today August 2nd, the bug bash begins and will run through Monday August 7th at 11:59pm PDT. The bug bash will span the latest features available in the currently available preview builds across the Canary, Dev, and Beta Channels. Check Feedback Hub for quests!

What’s new in Build 23516​

Improving the screen casting experience​

Casting from your Windows PC allows you to wirelessly extend your display to another nearby PC, TV or other external displays. We are making some improvements that focus on educating people about the Cast feature, improving its discoverability, and simplifying the overall experience in Windows 11. Those improvements include:

• When doing multitasking activities on your PC such as often switching between windows to complete a task or using Snap Assist to organize your screen space, we will provide the suggestion to Cast via a notification toast.
• We will now provide inline setup of a PC from within the Cast flyout in Quick Settings, with step-by-step guidance for users to enable:
  • Installation of the optional Wireless Display feature.
  • Discoverability of the PC to other devices, via the “Projecting to this PC” Settings page.

[caption id="attachment_176433" align="alignnone" width="350"] Inline setup of a PC from within the Cast flyout in Quick Settings.[/caption] FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Display and Graphics > Wireless Display and Casting.

HDR Background Support ​

You can now set JXR files to be your desktop background and if you have an HDR display, they will render in full HDR. First – make sure your device has an HDR display or is connected to a HDR display that supports HDR. You can check this by going to Settings > System > Display and checking the HDR toggle. Next, download an HDR .JXR file to your device. Then right-click on your desktop, choose “Personalize” and then “Background”, and under “Personalize your background” - go and select the .JXR file you downloaded to your device. [ADDED] You can download example .JXR files here to try this experience out on your HDR-capable device/display. The background should load on your display. If you have multiple displays attached to your device, the background will show as HDR or SDR depending on each display’s capabilities. When using external displays attached to your device, we recommend running the HDR Calibration app for best picture quality. Please note that for this build, there may be some issues with the HDR version of the desktop background not correctly display on some laptops with HDR. FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Desktop Environment > Background and Wallpaper.

Voice access is now available to use on more areas in Windows​

We have added support for voice access to work right when you start your PC. You can use voice access to login to your PC and access other areas on the Lock screen. You can turn on voice access from the accessibility flyout on Lock screen or have it on automatically every time by checking the setting to “Start voice access before you sign in to your PC” via Settings > Accessibility > Speech. [caption id="attachment_176434" align="alignnone" width="705"] You can use voice access to login to your PC and access other areas on the Lock screen.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_176435" align="alignnone" width="705"] New setting to start voice access before you sign in to your PC.[/caption] Note: If you have never tried voice access, we recommend you search for voice access in search on the taskbar and complete the initial setup before trying it first time on the lock screen. You can follow the instructions on the voice access bar to get your focus on the password field and use your voice to dictate your password or PIN. Alternatively, you can say “show keyboard” to bring up the touch keyboard with number labels on it. You can say the numbers on the keys to enter the letters associated with it. This will mask the actual password you are entering from being heard by anyone in your vicinity. [caption id="attachment_176436" align="alignnone" width="705"] The touch keyboard with number labels on it to use voice access to enter a password.[/caption] You can also use other commands such as “show numbers” or “click [element name]” to access other elements on lock screen or UAC prompt. And voice access now works for apps running with Microsoft Defender Application Guard. FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Accessibility > Voice Access.

Narrator Natural Voices in French, Portuguese, English (India) ,German and Korea​

We are introducing new natural voices in French, Portuguese, English (India) ,German and Korean that allow Narrator users to comfortably browse the web, read, and write mail, and do more. Natural Narrator voices use modern, on-device text to speech and once downloaded are supported without an internet connection. To use one of the natural voices, add it to your PC by following these steps:

1. Open Narrator Settings by pressing the WIN + Ctrl + N hotkey.
2. Under Narrator’s voice, select the Add button next to Add natural voices.
3. Select the voice you want to install. You can install all voices, but you must install them separately.
   • The new French voices are Microsoft Denise (Female) and Microsoft Henri (Male)
   • The new Portuguese voices are Microsoft Francisca (Female) and Microsoft Antonio (Male)
   • The new English (India) voices are Microsoft Neerja (Female) and Microsoft Prabhat (Male)
   • The new German voices are Microsoft Katja (Female) and Microsoft Conrad (Male)
   • The new Korean voices are Microsoft SunHi (Female) and Microsoft InJoon (Male)
4. To start the download of the selected voice, select Install. The new voice will download and be ready for use in a few minutes, depending on your internet download speed.
5. When the new voice has downloaded, in Narrator settings select your preferred voice from the drop-down menu in Narrator’s voice > Choose a voice.

Note: If your display language is not set to any of the above languages, then in step 3 you will first need to select “Choose a different language” and then select the appropriate language followed by the specific voice. FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (Win + F) under Accessibility > Narrator.

Presence Sensing Improvements ​

For PCs with presence sensors that support attention detection, we are introducing Adaptive Dimming. Now your device can intelligently dim your screen when you look away and undim when you look back. You will find these settings under Settings > Privacy & security > Presence sensing here if your device supports it. [caption id="attachment_176437" align="alignnone" width="598"] New Adaptive Dimming setting.[/caption] Wake on Approach, Lock on Leave, Adaptive Dimming are all powered by Presence Sensing in Windows and now can be enabled via the OOBE (“out of box experience”) setup process when choosing your privacy settings for your device. This will give more control of the presence sensing features and app access to presence information when setting up a new device with a compatible sensor. [caption id="attachment_176438" align="alignnone" width="610"] Enabling Presence Sensing in Windows via OOBE.[/caption] As a reminder, app developers with devices with compatible presence sensors can target apps to request and read user presence information after requesting a human presence capability. Learn more about the API here. FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Devices and Drivers > Sensors.

Changes and Improvements​

[Windows Copilot]​

• [REMINDER] As of Build 23511, Windows Insiders in the Dev Channel who login and are managed by AAD (soon to be Microsoft Entra ID) will notice that the Windows Copilot Preview is no longer available in this build. This is just a temporary issue. You may enable it temporarily via this policy located here in Group Policy Editor: User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows Copilot. Please note that this policy name will change in an upcoming flight. The Windows Copilot Preview will be defaulted on in a future flight including support for Bing Chat for Enterprise.

[Taskbar & System Tray]​

• As mentioned here with Build 23481, Microsoft Teams (free) is now pre-pinned to the taskbar in Windows 11. This change continues to roll out so not all Insiders will see it right away. Windows Insiders who click to launch Teams will discover a mini communications experience making it possible to chat, call, and meet with their people within just a click or two. Not only does its compact size make it easy to place the window anywhere on desktop, but you can passively keep tabs on your conversations with the ability to have it visible as they browse the web or connect with your communities. Phone Link integration is also coming soon to Microsoft Teams (free) as well.

[caption id="attachment_176439" align="alignnone" width="454"] New mini communications experience in Microsoft Teams (free).[/caption]

[File Explorer]​

• Added more fields to show in the Details pane, including image dimensions for pictures, number of pages for .docx, space used and free information for drives, and many others.

Fixes​

[General]​

• After updating to Build 23511, some Insiders may have seen the Photos app pinned to the taskbar. This issue only occurred with that build and should no longer occur. We apologize for the issue.

[File Explorer]​

• Fixed an issue where the icons displayed in the tabs in File Explorer could become out of sync with the current folder after navigating.
• Fixed a memory leak in File Explorer with the latest updates which could cause explorer.exe crashes and other issues over prolonged usage.
• Fixed an underlying issue causing desktop icons to all go blank in the last few flights.
• Fixed an issue which was causing File Explorer to show “Working on it” in an empty folder.
• Fixed an issue where the text box for naming newly created files or folders on the desktop was showing in the wrong position (far away or way too close) relative to the thumbnail.
• Fixed an issue where opening the context menu in the previous flight was crashing explorer.exe for some Insiders.
• Fixed an issue where right clicking items in the navigation pane wouldn’t open a context menu after you changed folders.
• Fixed an issue where ALT + P and Shift + Alt + P keyboard shortcuts weren’t working when focus was set to one of the images in Gallery.
• Fixed an issue where Home and Gallery could get stuck in the wrong colors if they were open when changing between light and dark mode.
• Fixed an issue where thumbnails in Gallery might not load after changing the view to a smaller icon size (for example, medium to small).
• Fixed an issue where after refreshing Home, actions to pin and unpin favorite files might not work.

We fixed the following issues for Insiders with the modernized details pane in File Explorer:

• Fixed an issue where the design of the details pane was displaying from left to right instead of right to left when using Hebrew or Arabic display languages.

We fixed the following issues for Insiders who have the modernized File Explorer address bar that began rolling out with Build 23475:

• The ALT + D, CTRL + L, and F4 keyboard shortcuts should work now to set focus to the address bar.
• Fixed an issue where typing drive letters, %localappdata%, and certain other things in the address bar wasn’t causing suggested paths to appear in a dropdown.

We fixed the following issues for Insiders who have the modernized File Explorer Home that began rolling out with Build 23475:

• Fixed an issue which could cause explorer.exe to crash when opening Home.
• Fixed an issue where the tooltip would get stuck on the screen when you scrolled Home with touch.
• Fixed an issue where collapsing and expanding the sections of Home didn’t always work.
• Made some small adjustments to the size of elements, including reducing the size of the text.
• Fixed an issue where mouse wheel scrolling wasn’t working if your mouse was hovered over the recommended section of Home.

[Taskbar & System Tray]​

• Fixed multiple explorer.exe crashes impacting taskbar reliability.

[Input]​

• Fixed an issue which was causing certain mouse actions (including resizing windows with mouse) to not work over remote desktop.

[Dynamic Lighting]​

• Fixed an issue where switching user accounts could turn off device LEDs.

NOTE: Some fixes noted here in Insider Preview builds from the Dev Channel may make their way into the servicing updates for the released version of Windows 11.

Known issues​

[General]​

• We’re working on the fix for an issue causing explorer.exe to crash on the login screen when attempting to enter safe mode.

[Start menu]​

• Some apps under All apps on the Start menu, such as PWA apps installed via Microsoft Edge, may incorrectly be labeled as a system component.

[Windows Copilot]​

• You can use Alt + Tab to switch out of Windows Copilot, but not back into it. Windows + C will move focus back to Windows Copilot
• When first launching or after refreshing Copilot while using voice access you'll need to use "Show grid" commands to click in the "Ask me anything" box for the first time.

[File Explorer]​

• Insiders may experience a File Explorer crash when dragging the scroll bar or attempting to close the window during an extended file-loading process.

[Windows Ink]​

• Windows Ink does not convert handwriting to text into the main content (e.g., Word documents and Excel spreadsheets) in Microsoft 365 applications.
• Search boxes in Microsoft 365 applications (e.g., Microsoft Word) might not work correctly.
• Comment fields in Microsoft 365 applications (e.g., Microsoft Word) might not work correctly.

[Input]​

• We’re investigating reports that typing with the Japanese and Chinese IMEs is not working correctly after the last flight.

For developers​

You can download the latest Windows Insider SDK at aka.ms/windowsinsidersdk. SDK NuGet packages are now also flighting at NuGet Gallery | WindowsSDK which include:

• .NET TFM packages for use in .NET apps as described at aka.ms/windowsinsidersdk
• C++ packages for Win32 headers and libs per architecture
• BuildTools package when you just need tools like MakeAppx.exe, MakePri.exe, and SignTool.exe

These NuGet packages provide more granular access to the SDK and better integration in CI/CD pipelines. SDK flights are now published for both the Canary and Dev Channels, so be sure to choose the right version for your Insider Channel. Remember to use adaptive code when targeting new APIs to make sure your app runs on all customer machines, particularly when building against the Dev Channel SDK. Feature detection is recommended over OS version checks, as OS version checks are unreliable and will not work as expected in all cases.

About the Dev Channel​

REMINDER: The Dev Channel has been rebooted. Windows Insiders who were in the Dev Channel on 25000 series builds have been moved to the new Canary Channel. Going forward, the Dev Channel will receive 23000 series builds. Insiders who were moved to the Canary Channel and want to move back to the Dev Channel can follow these instructions to do a clean installation of Windows 11 and then re-join the Dev Channel to receive 23000 series builds. The Dev Channel receives builds that represent long lead work from our engineers with features and experiences that may never get released as we try out different concepts and get feedback. It is important to remember that the builds we release to the Dev Channel should not be seen as matched to any specific release of Windows and the features included may change over time, be removed, or replaced in Insider builds or may never be released beyond Windows Insiders to general customers. For more information, please read this blog post about how we plan to use the Dev Channel to incubate new ideas, work on long lead items, and control the states of individual features. In some cases, features and experiences may go out to the Canary Channel first before going out to the Dev Channel however the Dev Channel will provide better platform stability. As we get closer to shipping, some features and experiences will also make their way to the Beta Channel when they are ready. The desktop watermark you see at the lower right corner of your desktop is normal for these pre-release builds.

Important Insider Links​

• You can check out our Windows Insider Program documentation here.
• Check out Flight Hub for a complete look at what build is in which Insider channel.

Thanks, Amanda & Brandon

Source: Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 23516

 

[Bot]

Hello Windows Insiders, today we are releasing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22621.2129 and Build 22631.2129 (KB5029359) to the Beta Channel.

• Build 22631.2129 = New features rolling out.
• Build 22621.2129 = New features off by default.

IMPORTANT NOTE: If you are a NEW Windows Insider joining the Beta Channel today, you will not be offered this update to prevent the possibility of your device getting into a bad state. A very small subset of EXISTING Windows Insiders may also not receive this update for the same reason. This issue will be fixed in a newer Beta Channel update soon. Thank you for your patience! REMINDER: Insiders who were previously on Build 22624 will automatically get moved to Build 22631 via an enablement package. The enablement package artificially increments the build number for the update with new features getting rolled out and turned on to make it easier to differentiate from devices with the update with features off by default. This approach is being used for the Beta Channel only and is not indicative of any changes or plans for final feature rollouts. Insiders who landed in the group with new features turned off by default (Build 22621.xxxx) can check for updates and choose to install the update that will have features rolling out (Build 22631.xxxx). August 2023 Bug Bash: Starting today August 2nd, the bug bash begins and will run through Monday August 7th at 11:59pm PDT. The bug bash will span the latest features available in the currently available preview builds across the Canary, Dev, and Beta Channels. Check Feedback Hub for quests!

What’s new in Build 22631.2129​

Windows Copilot Preview​

Back in May at the Build conference, we introduced Windows Copilot for Windows 11. At the end of June, we kicked off the first preview of Windows Copilot and today, we’re expanding the preview to Windows Insiders in the Beta Channel via a controlled feature rollout. This first preview focuses on our integrated UI experience, with additional functionality coming down the road in future previews. To use Copilot in this flight you must have Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22631.2129 or higher in the Beta Channel, and Microsoft Edge version 115.0.1901.150 or higher. To get started, just click on the new button on the taskbar (or WIN + C) to launch Windows Copilot. Windows Copilot will use the same Microsoft account (MSA) or Azure Active Directory (AAD) account used to sign-in to Windows. [caption id="attachment_176381" align="alignnone" width="751"] Click the new button on the taskbar to launch Windows Copilot.[/caption] Windows Copilot will appear as a side bar docked to the right where it won’t overlap with your desktop content and will run unobstructed alongside your open app windows, allowing you to interact with Windows Copilot anytime you need. [caption id="attachment_176380" align="alignnone" width="754"] Windows Copilot docked with Microsoft Edge in the foreground and showing a summary of a website.[/caption] In this first preview, you can ask Windows Copilot a range of questions or to take actions such as:

• “Change to dark mode.”
• “Turn on do not disturb.”
• “Take a screenshot”
• “Summarize this website” (Active tab in Microsoft Edge)
• “Write a story about a dog who lives on the moon.”
• “Make me a picture of a serene koi fishpond with lily pads.”

Just click the “…” icon at the top right of the side bar in Windows Copilot to submit feedback on any issues you run into. As we begin the rollout for the Windows Copilot Preview to Windows Insiders in the Beta Channel, please understand that not everyone in the Beta Channel will see it right away. We will continue to increase the rollout in the coming weeks. Windows insiders in the Beta Channel who log in and are managed by AAD (soon to be Microsoft Entra ID) will see Windows Copilot in a future flight. Windows Copilot with Bing Chat generates responses that are contextual and improves your experience in Windows. You may see inline recommendations we think are relevant through ads in Bing. We’ll continue to learn and listen to customer feedback. Understand what Bing does with your data by visiting Microsoft Privacy Statement. Read more about our responsible AI journey, the ethical principles that guide us, and the tooling and capabilities we’ve created to assure that we develop AI technology responsibly at Microsoft’s commitment to responsible AI. Please note that not everything shown at Build for Windows Copilot is included in this first, early preview. For example, Windows Copilot has a basic set of Windows settings plugins but no third-party plugin support yet. Over time, features will be added as we refine the Windows Copilot experience with Windows Insiders. [We are beginning to roll this out, so the experience isn’t available to all Insiders in the Beta Channel just yet as we plan to monitor feedback and see how it lands before pushing it out to everyone.]

Dev Drive​

Dev Drive is a new form of storage volume available to improve performance for key developer workloads. Dev Drive is built upon Resilient File System (ReFS) technology and includes file system optimizations and features that enable developers to better manage their performance and security profile. It has been designed to meet a developer’s needs to host project source code, working folders, and package caches. It is not designed for general consumer workloads such as document libraries, installing packaged applications or non-developer tools. To setup a Dev Drive, you can create one in free space on an existing drive or create a VHD/VHDX. This is done via Settings > System > For developers, or via the command-line. A Dev Drive must be at least 50GB or higher in size and we recommend having 8GB or higher RAM on your device. Performance mode, a new capability of Microsoft Defender Antivirus, is designed for Dev Drive to minimize impact on developer workloads. More details on Dev Drive, see this documentation on MS Learn. FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Developer Platform > Dev Drive.

Narrator enhances interaction with Excel​

Narrator now provides a more succinct and efficient reading experience while working in Microsoft Excel. Announcements are prioritized based on the information you need to skim a workbook and are customizable using convenient keyboard shortcuts. Review the Enhanced Narrator support in Excel documentation for further information. To enable the enhanced announcements, you need to be on the latest Windows Insider and Microsoft 365 Insiders builds and start Narrator using the keyboard shortcut Control + Windows + Enter. The updated experience will be available through the Microsoft Store, so it may take a few minutes to be available on your PC. We look forward to you trying out our new changes and would love to hear your feedback and suggestions. FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (Win + F) under Accessibility > Narrator.

New text authoring experiences in voice access ​

We have added two new experiences to make text authoring easy with voice access. Users can now use “correction” commands to correct words that are misrecognized by voice access. You can say “correct [text]” or “correct that” to correct a specific piece of text or last dictated text. The correction window appears with a list of options labelled with numbers. You can say “click [number]” to select any option from the list. If you choose an alternate word from the window , the selected text will be replaced by the word. You can also say “spell that” to dictate the correct spelling of the text. [caption id="attachment_176292" align="alignnone" width="713"] A word document showing corrections window with candidates for the text “cereals”.[/caption] Users can directly use the “spell that” or “spell out” command to dictate the right spelling of non-standard words such as usernames, topics, etc. A spelling window appears where you can dictate letters, numbers, symbols, phonetic alphabet, etc. You get suggestions as you spell out the text. You can say “click 1” to enter the text you spelled out or say “click [number]” to pick a suggestion (if any). All words and phrases dictated using spelling experience are added to Windows dictionary and show up as suggestions when you try to spell the text next time. [caption id="attachment_176293" align="alignnone" width="713"] Spelling window is floating on top of the Word application.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_176294" align="alignnone" width="713"] Spelling window showing suggestions as few characters are dictated.[/caption]

To do this	Say this
Correct a specific word or text	“correct [text]”, e.g., “correct site”
Correct selected text or last dictated text	“correct that”
Spell a word letter by letter.	, “spell that”

FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Accessibility > Voice Access.

Voice access is now available to use on more areas in Windows​

We have added support for voice access to work right when you start your PC. You can use voice access to login to your PC and access other areas on the Lock screen. You can turn on voice access from the accessibility flyout on Lock screen or have it on automatically every time by checking the setting to “Start voice access before you sign in to your PC” via Settings > Accessibility > Speech. [caption id="attachment_176434" align="alignnone" width="704"] You can use voice access to login to your PC and access other areas on the Lock screen.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_176435" align="alignnone" width="704"] New setting to start voice access before you sign in to your PC.[/caption] Note: If you have never tried voice access, we recommend you search for voice access in search on the taskbar and complete the initial setup before trying it first time on the lock screen. You can follow the instructions on the voice access bar to get your focus on the password field and use your voice to dictate your password or PIN. Alternatively, you can say “show keyboard” to bring up the touch keyboard with number labels on it. You can say the numbers on the keys to enter the letters associated with it. This will mask the actual password you are entering from being heard by anyone in your vicinity. [caption id="attachment_176436" align="alignnone" width="704"] The touch keyboard with number labels on it to use voice access to enter a password.[/caption] You can also use other commands such as “show numbers” or “click [element name]” to access other elements on t. And voice access now works for apps running with Microsoft Defender Application Guard. FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Accessibility > Voice Access.

Passwordless experience with Windows Hello for Business​

With Windows Hello for Business (WHFB), Windows provides organizations with a strong, phish-resistant credential, helping customers move to a passwordless future. Enterprise customers can now set the EnablePasswordlessExperience policy that promotes a user experience on AAD joined machines for core authentication scenarios without requiring a password. This new experience hides passwords from certain Windows authentication scenarios and leverages passwordless recovery mechanisms, such as WHFB PIN reset, if necessary. Once the policy is set, it removes passwords from the user experience, both for device logon as well as in-session auth scenarios like password managers in a web browser or “Run as” admin scenarios, and User Account Control (UAC). Users will navigate through their core authentication scenarios using WHFB in place of passwords. If the user fails to sign in, recovery mechanisms such as PIN reset or web sign-in can be used to help the user recover their credentials without IT helpdesk engagement. FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Security and Privacy > Windows Hello PIN.

Improving the screen casting experience​

Casting from your Windows PC allows you to wirelessly extend your display to another nearby PC, TV or other external displays. We are making some improvements that focus on educating people about the Cast feature, improving its discoverability, and simplifying the overall experience in Windows 11. Those improvements include:

• When doing multitasking activities on your PC such as often switching between windows to complete a task or using Snap Assist to organise your screen space, we will provide the suggestion to Cast via a notification toast.
• We will now provide inline setup of a PC from within the Cast flyout in Quick Settings, with step-by-step guidance for users to enable:
  • Installation of the optional Wireless Display feature.
  • Discoverability of the PC to other devices, via the “Projecting to this PC” Settings page.

[caption id="attachment_176433" align="alignnone" width="384"] Inline setup of a PC from within the Cast flyout in Quick Settings.[/caption] FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Display and Graphics > Wireless Display and Casting.

Presence Sensing Improvements ​

For PCs with presence sensors that support attention detection, we are introducing Adaptive Dimming. Now your device can intelligently dim your screen when you look away and undim when you look back. You will find these settings under Settings > Privacy & security > Presence sensing here if your device supports it. [caption id="attachment_176437" align="alignnone" width="708"] New Adaptive Dimming setting.[/caption] Wake on Approach, Lock on Leave, Adaptive Dimming are all powered by Presence Sensing in Windows and now can be enabled via the OOBE (“out of box experience”) setup process when choosing your privacy settings for your device. This will give more control of the presence sensing features and app access to presence information when setting up a new device with a compatible sensor. [caption id="attachment_176438" align="alignnone" width="709"] Enabling Presence Sensing in Windows via OOBE.[/caption] As a reminder, app developers with devices with compatible presence sensors can target apps to request and read user presence information after requesting a human presence capability. Learn more about the API here. FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Devices and Drivers > Sensors.

Changes and Improvements in Build 22631.2129​

[Start menu]​

• For people logged into a Windows 11 Pro or Enterprise editions with an AAD account (soon to be Microsoft Entra ID), we are providing a richer preview when hovering over files such as Word documents under Recommended on the Start menu. For this initial release, thumbnails will not be available for all files and a later update will enable the experience for more files and for MSA users. Additionally, when right-clicking on cloud file recommendations, there is now an option to quickly share these files.

[caption id="attachment_176428" align="alignnone" width="336"] Example of richer preview when hovering over files such as Word documents under Recommended on the Start menu.[/caption]

[Taskbar & System Tray]​

• Notifications will now show as a bell in the system tray and when new notifications come through, the bell will colorize based on your system accent color. When there are no notifications and the clock is visible, the bell will be empty. Notification counts are no longer shown.

• The updated API for pinning as mentioned here in this blog post are now included in this build for preview.

[caption id="attachment_176376" align="alignnone" width="468"] Example of new dialog that is displayed based on the updated API for pinning apps to the taskbar.[/caption]

• [ADDED] As noted in our Beta Channel flight here, the settings for never combined mode for the taskbar were showing up under Settings > Personalization > Taskbar > Taskbar behaviors but do not enable the experience. We have temporarily removed the settings for this to fix the issue. The feature will be coming to a Beta Channel flight soon.

[Task Manager]​

• We've updated the Task Manager settings page to match the design principles of Windows 11. The design has a similar look and feel to the Settings in Windows 11 and provides a cleaner UI separating categories into different sections. We will also be enabling this in the Dev Channel soon.

[caption id="attachment_176442" align="alignnone" width="702"] Redesigned Task Manager settings.[/caption]

[Settings]​

• We are improving the user experience when changing time zones, including cases of low confidence in location data. It displays a non-dismissible notification for accepting or rejecting the change and prompts the user for confirmation before adjusting the time zone.
• We are also improving the user experience while changing the time zone via Settings > Time & language > Date & time. If location settings are disabled, a warning is now shown to the user, urging them to enable location settings to ensure accurate time zone adjustments. This warning provides helpful information to the user, helping them understand why their time zone may not be correct and guiding them towards resolving the issue.

[caption id="attachment_176362" align="alignnone" width="719"] Warning if location services are disabled on the Date and Time settings page.[/caption]

Fixes in Build 22631.2129​

[File Explorer]​

• The keyboard shortcuts to set focus to the search box (CTRL + F, CTRL + E, F3) should work now.
• Fixed an issue where the dropdown in the address bar could appear totally blank.

[Taskbar & System Tray]​

• Fixed an issue that was causing quick settings not to open when selecting the network, volume, and battery icons in the system tray.
• Fixed a few issues causing explorer.exe crashes and leading to taskbar reliability issues.

[Notifications]​

• Fixed an issue causing Insiders to unexpectedly see a notification suggesting you turn off notifications for an app named NotifyiconGeneratedAumid_*.

[Input]​

• Fixed a high hitting ctfmon.exe crash in the last two flights, which could impact the ability to type.

[Task View & Desktops]​

• Adjusted the desktops switching animation to ease into the animation a little more.

[Task Manager]​

• Fixed an issue where some of the app icons in the Startup Apps section of Task Manager were very tiny.
• Fixed an issue where the selection color wasn’t displaying correctly if you were using a contrast theme.
• Fixed an issue where focus wasn’t getting set correctly to search if the Task Manager window was small enough that search was collapsed to an icon.
• Fixed alignment of Task Manager icon and name in the title bar.

Known issues​

[General]​

• We’re working on the fix for an issue causing explorer.exe to crash on the login screen when attempting to enter safe mode.

[File Explorer]​

• We’re working on the fix for an issue causing File Explorer to crash when going to Home. If you encounter this when opening File Explorer, you may need to use Search or the Run dialog to open File Explorer directly to a specific folder (for example, C.
• In some cases, the context menu background in File Explorer may appear transparent.
• In some cases, the icons on your desktop may all go blank. If this happens, using the refresh option in the desktop context menu should resolve it.

[Taskbar]​

• We’re working on a fix for an issue causing the safely remove hardware icon to not appear when expected in the system tray.

[Input]​

• We’re investigating reports that typing with the Japanese and Chinese IMEs is not working correctly after the last flight.

[Narrator]​

• You may see some of the strings are NOT localized to the selected language. This will be fixed in a future flight.

About the Beta Channel​

The Beta Channel is the place we preview experiences that are closer to what we will ship to our general customers. Because the Dev and Beta Channels represent parallel development paths from our engineers, there may be cases where features and experiences show up in the Beta Channel first. However, this does not mean every feature we try out in the Beta Channel will ship. We encourage Insiders to read this blog post that outlines the ways we’ll try things out with Insiders in both the Dev and Beta Channels.

Important Insider Links​

• Want to learn how we made Windows 11? Check out our Inside Windows 11 website to hear and meet our makers from Engineering, Design and Research to share their insights and unique perspectives throughout this journey.
• You can check out our Windows Insider Program documentation here.
• Check out Flight Hub for a complete look at what build is in which Insider channel.

Thanks, Amanda & Brandon

Source: Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22621.2129 and 22631.2129

 

[Bot]

Hello Windows Insiders, today we are releasing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 25921 to the Canary Channel. August 2023 Bug Bash: The August 2023 bug bash continues and runs through Monday August 7th at 11:59pm PDT. The bug bash will span the latest features available in the currently available preview builds across the Canary, Dev, and Beta Channels. Check Feedback Hub for quests! REMINDER: As builds released to the Canary Channel are “hot off the presses,” we will offer limited documentation for builds flighted to the Canary Channel including documenting only the most significant and highly impactful known issues. Please note that we will not publish a blog post for every flight – only when new features are available in a build.

What’s new in Build 25921​

HDR Background Support ​

You can now set JXR files to be your desktop background and if you have an HDR display, they will render in full HDR. First – make sure your device has an HDR display or is connected to a HDR display that supports HDR. You can check this by going to Settings > System > Display and checking the HDR toggle. Next, download an HDR .JXR file to your device. Then right-click on your desktop, choose “Personalize” and then “Background”, and under “Personalize your background” – go and select the .JXR file you downloaded to your device. You can download example .JXR files here to try this experience out on your HDR-capable device/display. The background should load on your display. If you have multiple displays attached to your device, the background will show as HDR or SDR depending on each display’s capabilities. When using external displays attached to your device, we recommend running the HDR Calibration app for best picture quality. Please note that for this build, there may be some issues with the HDR version of the desktop background not correctly display on some laptops with HDR. FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Desktop Environment > Background and Wallpaper.

Rich thumbnail previews (tooltips) for cloud files on Start​

For people logged into a Windows 11 Pro or Enterprise editions with an AAD account (soon to be Microsoft Entra ID), we are providing a richer thumbnail preview (tooltips) when hovering over cloud files such as Word documents under Recommended on the Start menu. For this initial release, richer thumbnail previews will not be available for all files and a later update will enable the experience for more files and for MSA users. Additionally, when right-clicking on cloud file recommendations, there is now an option to quickly share these files. What will appear only for people logged with an AAD account currently are the richer thumbnail previews for cloud files if available such as Word documents. People who are logged in with an AAD account will see richer thumbnail previews for cloud files that look like this: [caption id="attachment_176445" align="alignnone" width="403"] Example of richer thumbnail preview when hovering over files such as Word documents under Recommended on the Start menu.[/caption] People who are logged in with a local account or MSA will see this experience when hovering over files (cloud files and local files) under Recommended on the Start menu: [caption id="attachment_176446" align="alignnone" width="378"] Example updated tooltip when hovering over files without a rich thumbnail preview.[/caption] However, what is currently a bug is that for files that do not have rich thumbnail previews that can be provided, it should not be showing the preview area (where the thumbnail preview would be) with the file format icon like this: [caption id="attachment_176428" align="alignnone" width="342"] Example of a bug when hovering over files under Recommended on Start without rich thumbnail previews to provide.[/caption] NOTE: This feature previously rolled out to the Dev Channel with this flight and to the Beta Channel with this flight. We adjusted the text in both those blog posts based on feedback from Insiders. FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Desktop Environment > Start menu.

Changes and Improvements​

[General]​

• Cortana can be uninstalled in this build. For more on the end of support for Cortana, click here.

[Taskbar & System Tray]​

• Beginning to roll out with this build, Chat is now Microsoft Teams – Free. Microsoft Teams – Free is pinned by default to the taskbar and can be unpinned like other apps on the taskbar. Windows Insiders who click to launch Teams will discover a mini communications experience making it possible to chat, call, and meet with their people within just a click or two. Not only does its compact size make it easy to place the window anywhere on desktop, but you can passively keep tabs on your conversations with the ability to have it visible as they browse the web or connect with your communities. Phone Link integration is coming soon to Microsoft Teams (free) as well.

[caption id="attachment_176439" align="alignnone" width="366"] New mini communications experience in Microsoft Teams (free).[/caption]

[Task View & Desktops]​

• When navigating between desktops in Task View (WIN + CTRL + left or right arrows), labels will be shown. New sliding animations will also show when you change your desktops using trackpad gestures, touch gestures, hotkeys and by clicking on the Task View flyout.

[caption id="attachment_176416" align="alignnone" width="516"] Labels will appear when switching between desktops.[/caption]

[Networking]​

• A new asynchronous error-handling feature in the DHCP client service will allow for faster response time for some runs of ipconfig /renew on the Windows command line. Improvements will vary depending on system and network conditions, but ideal cases will improve from ~4.1 seconds to ~0.1 seconds per run.

Known issues​

• After updating to this build, devices with mobile broadband connectivity may not be able connect to a wireless network due to an issue in which the APN configuration may get lost on upgrade. You can either add in the APN configuration manually as a workaround or hold off taking this build as we expect to have the issue fixed in the next flight.

For developers​

You can download the latest Windows Insider SDK at aka.ms/windowsinsidersdk. SDK NuGet packages are now also flighting at NuGet Gallery | WindowsSDK which include:

• .NET TFM packages for use in .NET apps as described at aka.ms/windowsinsidersdk
• C++ packages for Win32 headers and libs per architecture
• BuildTools package when you just need tools like MakeAppx.exe, MakePri.exe, and SignTool.exe

These NuGet packages provide more granular access to the SDK and better integration in CI/CD pipelines. SDK flights are now published for both the Canary and Dev Channels, so be sure to choose the right version for your Insider Channel. Remember to use adaptive code when targeting new APIs to make sure your app runs on all customer machines, particularly when building against the Dev Channel SDK. Feature detection is recommended over OS version checks, as OS version checks are unreliable and will not work as expected in all cases.

About the Canary Channel​

The Canary Channel is the place to preview platform changes that require longer-lead time before getting released to customers. Some examples of this include major changes to the Windows kernel, new APIs, etc. Builds that we release to the Canary Channel should not be seen as matched to any specific release of Windows and some of the changes we try out in the Canary Channel will never ship, and others could show up in future Windows releases when they’re ready. The builds that will be flighted to the Canary Channel are “hot off the presses,” flighting very soon after they are built, which means very little validation and documentation will be done before they are offered to Insiders. These builds could include major issues that could result in not being able to use your PC correctly or even in some rare cases require you to reinstall Windows. We will offer limited documentation for the Canary Channel, but we will not publish a blog post for every flight – only when new features are available in a build. Our Canary Channel won’t receive daily builds; however, we may ramp up releasing builds more frequently in the future. The desktop watermark you see at the lower right corner of your desktop is normal for these pre-release builds.

Important Insider Links​

• You can check out our Windows Insider Program documentation here.
• Check out Flight Hub for a complete look at what build is in which Insider channel.

Thanks, Amanda & Brandon

Source: Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 25921

 

[Bot]

Hello Windows Insiders, today we are releasing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 25926 to the Canary Channel. REMINDER: As builds released to the Canary Channel are “hot off the presses,” we will offer limited documentation for builds flighted to the Canary Channel including documenting only the most significant and highly impactful known issues. Please note that we will not publish a blog post for every flight – only when new features are available in a build.

What’s new in Build 25926​

New features from the Dev Channel​

This build includes new features from the Dev Channel, such improvements for Windows Ink, improved screen casting experience, local file sharing improvements (was available in last week’s Canary Channel flight), and more.

Changes and Improvements​

[Taskbar & System Tray]​

• Notifications will now show as a bell in the system tray and when new notifications come through, the bell will colorize based on your system accent color. When there are no notifications and the clock is visible, the bell will be empty. Notification counts are no longer shown.

[caption id="attachment_176429" align="alignnone" width="602"] Notification bell in the system tray for new notifications and no notifications.[/caption]

[Graphics]​

• Starting with Build 25921, we have added options for tuning intensity and color boost to the color filters via Settings > Accessibility > Color Filters. Please note there is an issue in which the labels for the sliders are missing. The first slider is for “Intensity” and the second slider is for “Color Boost”. The labels will appear as expected in a future flight.

Fixes for known issues​

• We fixed the issue causing devices with mobile broadband connectivity to not be able connect to a wireless network due to an issue in which the APN configuration may get lost on upgrade with Build 25921.

Snipping Tool Update​

We are beginning to roll out an update to Snipping Tool (version 11.2306.43.0 and higher) to Windows Insiders in the Canary and Dev Channels. This update introduces new buttons to edit in Paint for screenshots and edit in Clipchamp for screen recordings. [caption id="attachment_176454" align="alignnone" width="687"] New buttons in Snipping Tool for editing screen clips in Paint and screen recordings in Clipchamp.[/caption] FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub by clicking here.

For developers​

You can download the latest Windows Insider SDK at aka.ms/windowsinsidersdk. SDK NuGet packages are now also flighting at NuGet Gallery | WindowsSDK which include:

• .NET TFM packages for use in .NET apps as described at aka.ms/windowsinsidersdk
• C++ packages for Win32 headers and libs per architecture
• BuildTools package when you just need tools like MakeAppx.exe, MakePri.exe, and SignTool.exe

These NuGet packages provide more granular access to the SDK and better integration in CI/CD pipelines. SDK flights are now published for both the Canary and Dev Channels, so be sure to choose the right version for your Insider Channel. Remember to use adaptive code when targeting new APIs to make sure your app runs on all customer machines, particularly when building against the Dev Channel SDK. Feature detection is recommended over OS version checks, as OS version checks are unreliable and will not work as expected in all cases.

About the Canary Channel​

The Canary Channel is the place to preview platform changes that require longer-lead time before getting released to customers. Some examples of this include major changes to the Windows kernel, new APIs, etc. Builds that we release to the Canary Channel should not be seen as matched to any specific release of Windows and some of the changes we try out in the Canary Channel will never ship, and others could show up in future Windows releases when they’re ready. The builds that will be flighted to the Canary Channel are “hot off the presses,” flighting very soon after they are built, which means very little validation and documentation will be done before they are offered to Insiders. These builds could include major issues that could result in not being able to use your PC correctly or even in some rare cases require you to reinstall Windows. We will offer limited documentation for the Canary Channel, but we will not publish a blog post for every flight – only when new features are available in a build. Our Canary Channel won’t receive daily builds; however, we may ramp up releasing builds more frequently in the future. The desktop watermark you see at the lower right corner of your desktop is normal for these pre-release builds.

Important Insider Links​

• You can check out our Windows Insider Program documentation here.
• Check out Flight Hub for a complete look at what build is in which Insider channel.

Thanks, Amanda & Brandon

Source: Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 25926