Windows 11 Insider DEV Channel

Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 25236

Changes and Improvements

[General]
  • To improve the value of Search shortcuts and reduce friction in the broader Windows Search experience, we are trying out different ways to provide tips on how to use Windows Search via the taskbar. Only some English-speaking Windows Insiders in the U.S. will see this. If you do, be sure to give us feedback on what you think in Feedback Hub.
Fixes

[Narrator]
  • We fixed the issue causing natural voices such as Microsoft David or Mark to not speak in Narrator.
[Taskbar & System Tray]
  • Fixed an issue where if you opened the hidden icons flyout, it caused a File Explorer entry for it to appear in the taskbar.
  • Fixed an issue that was causing the taskbar previews to freeze or show as blank and not open when using Windows key + (#) key commands to try and switch between windows.
  • The show hidden icons flyout in the system tray should now responsively resize with changes again to prevent empty spaces and columns.
  • Fixed multiple issues related to the taskbar which were impacting explorer.exe reliability.
  • Fixed an issue that was causing the volume icon in the system tray to incorrectly show as muted.
  • Fixed a GDI handle leak related to updating the notification center icon in the taskbar, which would eventually lead to an explorer.exe crash for people who received a large number of notifications.
  • Narrator will now announce the pinned and unpinned status of apps in the taskbar.
[File Explorer]
  • Fixed an issue which was making File Explorer crash when closing tabs for some people.
  • Made another fix for an issue which could cause errant divider lines in File Explorer’s navigation pane.
[Settings]
  • Made a change to hide the battery graph on the Power & Battery page if a UPS is connected, as the capacity information it displayed in that case wasn’t correct.
  • If you don’t have a kiosk set up, we’ve now updated the text on Accounts > Other Users > Kiosk to make it clearer you need to do that, so it doesn’t appear to be a dead end.
  • Fixed an issue where if you went into the properties for an audio device, this could make it unexpectedly show in the output devices list on System > Sound although it was actually an input device.
  • In the accessibility settings for color filters, the inverted option should work correctly again now and not just set your PC to grayscale colors.
[Other]
  • Fixed an issue causing some Insiders to see a bugcheck with error SYSTEM_THREAD_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED in recent builds.
 
Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 25247

  • We are releasing ISOs for this build – they can be downloaded here.
  • This build includes some new features including Energy Recommendations, some improvements for Task Manager, and changes to the Account settings page.
  • This build also introduces some changes and improvements for the Start menu, taskbar and system tray, and more.
  • With some of the new features and changes introduced with this build, we have also added some new known issues. Be sure to check these known issues out!
  • We're rolling out a new feature for the Microsoft Store – jump list support on the taskbar! See details below.
  • Insider Windows 11 Season 2 continues with episode 3 featuring touch improvements in the Windows 11 2022 Update.
  • We will not be releasing new builds next week to Windows Insiders as the team enjoys some downtime for the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday.
What's new

Access Windows Studio Effects from Quick Settings
Windows Studio effects can now be accessed directly from Quick Settings on the taskbar, for devices that have a supported Neural Processing Unit (NPU). This makes it quick and easy to enable and configure camera effects (Background Blur, Eye Contact, and automatic framing) and audio effects (Voice Focus). You can still access these effects in the Settings pages if desired.

FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Desktop Environment > Quick Settings.

Energy Recommendations
We are beginning to roll out Energy Recommendations under Settings > System > Power & Battery > Energy Recommendations. Review and apply these recommendations to improve the energy efficiency of your PC and reduce your carbon footprint.

FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Power and Battery > Energy Recommendations.

Task Manager Improvements
We have a set of Task Manager improvements rolling out with this build.

Filter processes:
We are bringing process filtering to Task Manager. This is the top feature request from our users to filter/search for processes. You can filter either using the binary name, PID or publisher name. The filter algorithm matches the context keyword with all possible matches and displays them on the current page. The filter is also applied as you switch between pages. You can also use the keyboard shortcut ALT + F to focus on the filter box. This is a helpful feature if you want to single out a process or a group of processes and want to take action or just monitor the performance of the filtered processes.

The new search box at the top of Task Manager allows you to filter Binary name, PID or Publisher name.

Better theme support:
We have added the ability to use your preferred theme in Task Manager regardless of the active theme in Windows. You can set it in the setting page in Task Manager.

You can set your preferred theme specifically for Task Manager regardless of your chosen Windows theme.
Task Manager now also supports themes for in-app dialogs. All dialog except for "Run new task" and Properties dialog now support themes and will adhere to either app specific theme or Windows theme.

In-app dialogs such as selecting columns on the Details page will show in the selected theme for Task Manager.

Improved Efficiency mode dialog:
We are making it easy for you to apply Efficiency mode and offering the ability to opt-out of the confirmation dialog. You can make changes on the Efficiency mode dialog box by unchecking "Don't ask me again" or you can enable/disable it the settings for Task Manager.

You can now opt out of seeing future confirmation dialogs when turning on Efficiency mode. FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Desktop Environment > Task Manager.

New Suggested Action
On copying text with search potential, Windows will pop up an inline light dismissible UI that suggests searching this text in Microsoft Edge. Upon user selection of the search action, a new Edge tab is launched to search the copied text. This will initially be available for Insiders in the U.S. only.

When copying text, a light dismissible UI will appear that suggests searching the text in Microsoft Edge.
[We are beginning to roll this feature out, so it isn't available to all Insiders 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 > Suggested actions on copy.

Updates to your cloud storage in settings for Windows 11
With today's build, the Settings app supports new visuals on your Accounts page to provide a visual overview of your cloud storage usage across Microsoft products. The new visuals include a consolidated cloud storage bar that shows your storage usage for each product and notifies you if you're running low on storage. We removed the quota bar from our subscriptions card to eliminate duplication on these visuals.

In the months to come, you will also see updates to what Microsoft 365 apps and services data is included in your cloud storage. These updates may impact your storage amount starting February 1st, 2023. Learn more about cloud storage here.

A consolidated storage quota bar shown on Accounts page in Settings app with a banner that will alert you if you're running low on storage.
[We are beginning to roll this feature out, so it isn't available to all Insiders 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 > User Profile Account Settings.

Changes and Improvements

[General]
  • Earlier this week, we released an optional .NET update (2022-11 Cumulative Update Preview for .NET Framework 3.5 and 4.8.1 for Windows Version Next for x64 (KB5020992)) to Windows Insiders in the Dev Channel designed to test delivery of .NET improvements in the future. This .NET update does not include anything new and will be available under Settings > Windows Update > Advanced Options > Optional Updates If you run into any issues finding or installing this update, please submit feedback via Feedback Hub.
[Start menu]
  • We've been working on adding more valuable content to the Recommended section in Start and are excited to introduce a new content type: websites. For the first phase, we will recommend common websites based on your region or browsing history to help you easily get back to the websites you care about. This can be controlled by right-clicking on a website and choosing to remove that website individually or to stop showing all recommended websites entirely. Only some Insiders will see this experience and, if you do, please share your feedback.
[Taskbar & System Tray]
  • In response to user feedback, we are introducing the capability to show seconds in the clock on the system tray. This feature can be enabled by toggling the option listed under Settings > Personalization > Taskbar in the Taskbar behavior section. You can also right-click on taskbar to quickly get to taskbar settings. We are beginning to roll this change out so not all Windows Insiders will see this change right away, but we hope to make it available to everyone soon.
We're adding the ability to show seconds in the system tray clock under Settings > Personalization > Taskbar under the Taskbar behavior section.
[Search on the Taskbar]
  • We made performance improvements that will allow more files and content on your PC to show up as results in the Windows search box. We look forward to hearing your feedback on whether you notice an improvement with your file results within Windows.
[Input]
  • Switched the touch keyboard icon option under Settings > Personalization > Taskbar from being a toggle to now being a dropdown where you can select Never, Always, or When no keyboard attached.
  • We are including two new keyboard layouts in this flight. These keyboards implement the two new French keyboard layout standards (AZERTY and BÉPO). The new layouts are designed to allow the user to type all the required characters of the French language. They also include support for all the Latin-based languages of the European Union as well as Greek letters and a large variety of scientific, mathematical, and financial symbols. To enable one of these layouts, go to Settings > Time & language > Language & region and select Language options under the ellipsis for the language you would like to use this keyboard with. On the Options page, select "Add a keyboard" and look for the new keyboard layouts "French (Standard, AZERTY)" or "French (Standard, BÉPO)". The previous AZERTY layout now displays as (Legacy, AZERTY).
  • We have made improvements to Emoji search for Japanese and Simplified Chinese by handling Kana/Kanji and Pinyin properly in the emoji panel.
Fixes

[General]
  • Fixed a bug causing some users to receive a SYSTEM_SERVICE_EXCEPTION bugcheck citing an error with win32kfull.sys when installing via the Build 25227 Dev Channel ISO. Today's release of the Build 25247 ISO should not exhibit this bug.
  • We fixed the issue causing pseudolocalized text to unexpectedly appear across the system for Insiders, leading to (amongst other things) what appeared to be garbled text in the navigation headings of Start's all apps list for Chinese users.
[Taskbar & System Tray]
  • When using the bottom right edge gesture to see Quick Settings, the tablet-optimized taskbar will no longer be stuck in the expanded state, instead of dismissing to collapsed state.
  • Fixed multiple explorer.exe crashes impacting taskbar performance.
  • Fixed the issue where certain chat apps (that supported it) weren't flashing with new messages or opening a preview on hover in the system tray.
  • The new show hidden icons flyout's animation should now be consistent with other taskbar flyouts and the arrow will now rotate when open versus closed.
  • Fixed an issue causing the do not disturb icon to disappear while in do not disturb mode.
  • Fixed an issue where invoking the context menu for items in the system tray might not put the context menu in the foreground and it would get stuck behind the taskbar.
  • The pin/unpin visual will now display when dragging system tray icons to any position along the system tray, and not only when hovering over the show hidden icons button.
  • The show hidden icons flyout background color should now align with your accent color if "Show accent color on Start and taskbar" is enabled in Settings > Personalization > Colors.
  • Fixed an issue where the taskbar was sometimes flashing when transitioning between desktop posture and tablet posture.
  • Fixed an issue which was causing certain third-party app icons in the system tray to be unresponsive after the latest system tray changes.
  • The Windows Update icon in the system tray should no longer look pixelated after changing between light and dark mode.
  • Fixed an issue that was causing the NVIDIA icon in the system tray to show empty notifications.
  • Fixed an issue where the weak charger warning (a warning icon on the battery icon) in some cases was not displaying when it should have been.
[Input]
  • Fixed a bug that caused the text cursor to become white on white when hovering over text fields, making it difficult to see.
  • Fixed an issue which could result in the touch keyboard / PIN entry keyboard being unable to input text on the login screen.
  • Fixed a recent issue where the Japanese IME candidate window might fail to display proper candidates when using reconversion in certain edit controls.
  • We're rolling out changes to improve the reliability of the touch keyboard, IME candidate window, and IME toolbar. It includes fixes for an issue where the IME candidate window and IME toolbar weren't shown or cropped sometimes and an issue where a blank window titled "Windows Input Experience" appeared sometimes after resuming from the sleep.
  • We addressed a rare issue which could lead to certain apps crashing after interacting with incorrectly spelled words that were flagged by the spellchecker.
[File Explorer]
  • Fixed a GDI handle leak when opening Show More Options in the context menu, which could lead to graphical issues and an explorer.exe crash over time if you used this a lot.
  • Fixed an issue for Insiders using the Arabic or Hebrew display language which was leading to text not displaying in the context menu when selecting Show More Options.
  • Fixes a bug that was preventing certain phones from showing up in File Explorer when connected via USB in the last 2 Dev Channel flights.
  • When connecting an iPhone via USB, iPhone photos will now be transferred in HEIF format instead of JPEG if the HEVC extension is installed.
  • Fixed an issue which was causing .dotx Word templates to open as new documents instead of a template when you right clicked them and selected Open in File Explorer.
[Settings]
  • Fixed an issue which was causing Settings to crash sometimes when connecting and disconnecting Bluetooth devices.
[Windowing]
  • Fixed an issue where if you maximized a window and then dragged it along the top of the screen into the corner could result in the app getting stuck not being able to resize.
  • Apps like Microsoft Edge should no longer unexpectedly show thick lines on the side of the windows.
  • Fixed a DWM crash which was introduced in the latest Dev Channel flights.
  • If you have two monitors on top of each other, the Desktops list in Task View should no longer appear to be floating in the middle of Task View.
[Other]
  • Switching projection modes using WIN + P / the Project section of Quick Settings should work again now.
  • Fixed a high hitting displayswitch.exe crash in recent Dev Channel builds.
  • If memory integrity in the Windows Security app cannot be enabled due to incompatible drivers, the information about which drivers are incompatible is now selectable so you can copy it if needed.
  • Fixed an issue where the dismiss button for alerts in the Windows Security app might not work.
  • Fixed a rare issue which could lead to a DWM.exe crash when taking screenshots using the Xbox Game Bar.
  • Fixed an issue where if you booted from an ISO to install Windows, the Windows Setup dialog would just show the text "Status" rather than actually displaying helpful text about the current status.
  • Addressed a few issues when booting from an ISO to install Windows, where various items in the Windows Setup dialog weren't being read out correctly by Narrator.
  • Fixed issue where users sometimes could not use FIDO keys to log onto your PC when a full-screen logon message was displayed.
  • Fixed a background crash for Windows Hello which was impacting setup and usage.
  • Improved the experience on logon after booting up by reducing the performance impact of startup apps.
  • Made a change to address a date formatting interoperability issue which was leading to domain login issues on some network shares.
  • Did some work to fix an issue causing VmmemWSL to sometimes use an unexpectedly large amount of CPU and lead to freezing on ARM64 PCs over time.
  • We fixed a bug which could cause your wallpaper to render only a partial section at the top sometimes.
  • Fixed an issue what could lead MSTSC to stop responding when connecting to a RemoteApp or remote desktop.
  • Fixed an issue which was causing https://learn.microsoft.com/previous-versions/windows/it-pro/windows-server-2012-R2-and-2012/cc771525(v=ws.11)[therunascommand to unexpectedly fail in certain cases with error 87 saying the parameter was incorrect (when it wasn't).
  • Fixed the Windows version name written in Microsoft Management Console's help section.
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.
 
Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 25252

Changes and Improvements

[Taskbar & System Tray]
  • We have added a glanceable VPN status into the system tray when connected to a recognized VPN profile. The VPN icon, a small shield, will be overlayed in your system accent color over the active network connection.
[Search on the Taskbar]
  • In this build, we are continuing to try out different treatments for how search looks on the taskbar. We are excited to learn from your feedback on this, so please let us know what you think via Feedback Hub if you see the different treatments on your PC. Insiders who get this experience will have the ability to change the treatment of search on taskbar in settings under Settings > Personalization > Taskbar > Taskbar Items.

Fixes

[Taskbar & System Tray]
  • Fixed an explorer.exe crash when using Alt+F4 with the show hidden icons flyout in the system tray open.
  • Fixed multiple explorer.exe crashes impacting system tray performance.
  • Updated the battery icon’s tooltip to let you know if your device is charging slowly.
  • Made a small refinement for tablet-optimized taskbar users to make it a bit easier to expand the taskbar without invoking the Start menu.
  • Fixed an issue which could lead to the taskbar jump lists and preview thumbnails not appearing in the correct position for Insiders with 2 in 1 PCs.
[Start menu]
  • We fixed an issue causing folders in Start menu to not open on the first try.
[Other]
  • Fixed an issue causing some Insiders to see a bugcheck with the error SYSTEM_SERVICE_EXCEPTION after upgrading to the previous flight.
  • Fixed an issue which was causing certain apps (including Media Player) to crash when playing media in the background in recent flights.
  • Fixed an issue which could lead to your PC going to sleep although it was configured to not sleep.
  • Fixed an issue where network-to-local copying (for example, when copying a file from a network share) was slower than expected from some users.
 
Screen recording in Snipping Tool begins rolling out to Windows Insiders

Hello Windows Insiders, today we are beginning to roll out an update to the Snipping Tool app (version 11.2211.35.0) for Windows 11 to Windows Insiders in the Dev Channel.

We know that Snipping Tool is a favorite among the Insider community, so we are very excited to introduce a built-in screen recorder with this update! Snipping Tool has always made it quick and easy to capture and share content from your PC, and with screen recording built-in, we are expanding these capabilities to even more types of content.

To get started, open the Snipping Tool app and select the new record option. You will then be able to select and refine the part of your screen that you want to record before starting your screen recording session. When you are finished, you can preview your recording before saving or sharing it with others.

We are aware of a couple issues that may impact your experience with this preview. Some users might notice a slight delay between when you click "Start" and when the recording begins. There is also a known issue where the Snipping Tool app window does not restore when initiating a new snip from within the app.

FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Apps > Snipping Tool.
 
Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 25262

The December Bug Bash is running in the Feedback Hub for Insiders in the Dev and Beta Channels from now through to 11:59pm PST December 12th. Insiders who participate (by filing feedback or completing quests on the latest builds for their channel) will receive a badge in the Feedback Hub once the Bug Bash is over.

Changes and Improvements

[Widgets]
  • In the most recent update for Widgets, we are removing the sign-in requirement for the widgets board and making it available for all users. Now, you can now get weather updates on the taskbar, pin widgets from your favorite apps or access personalized dynamic feed without an account.
[Settings]
  • Added a link to Quick Assist at the bottom of Settings > System > Troubleshooters, to help if you're having issues with your PC.

Fixes

[General]
  • Fixed an issue where if the Widgets app package was missing on your PC, explorer.exe would crash in a loop after upgrading to Build 25252. This issue is also believed to be the cause of Windows Sandbox not working in this build.
  • Fixed an issue that caused secondary drives or other PCI devices to not be viewable for certain Insiders.
[Taskbar & System Tray]
  • Fixed an issue where, with the system tray design updates, auto-hiding the taskbar would stop working after you had interacted with the hidden icons flyout.
  • Fixed an issue that was causing a gap between full screen windows and the taskbar on secondary monitors.
  • The system tray area should no longer shift as the numbers change in the clock.
  • Fixed an issue causing the top half of the media controls in Quick Settings to be missing sometimes.
[Search on the Taskbar]
  • We fixed the issue where you needed to press backspace after typing before you will see results for certain files ending with .cmd, .exe or .bat.
  • Improved the performance of launching the search window in certain cases.

The fixes only apply for Windows Insiders who received one of the different treatments for how search looks on the taskbar that began rolling out to Insiders with Build 25252:
  • Fixed an issue where the search box would not show up on multiple monitors as expected when clicking on either one.
  • Fixed an issue when clicking the search box on taskbar, the search box would momentarily flash before the Search flyout displayed.
[Input]
  • Fixed an issue where when dragging a window to a monitor with lower DPI your mouse might appear to jump away from the window it was holding.
[File Explorer]
  • Fixed an issue causing explorer.exe to crash when opening certain items from the Recent section in File Explorer.
[Settings]
  • The Wi-Fi section of Quick Settings should no longer unexpectedly sometimes say network venue on certain entries.
[Task Mananager
  • Fixed an issue where the graphs on the performance page in Task Manager might not update (even though the real time update speed setting wasn't paused).
[Other]
  • The Microsoft Account sign in window should no longer unexpectedly sometimes have a black title bar when using light mode.
  • Adjusted the text when using the Wireless Display feature if you haven't enabled input yet, so it guides you to the correct place to do that.
 
Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 25267

ISOs for this build are coming soon. Also:
  • This build includes another good set of improvements and fixes for Insiders.
  • Insider Windows 11 Season 2 continues with episode 4 featuring Focus and the tabs in File Explorer in the Windows 11 2022 Update.
  • This will be our last Dev Channel flight for the holidays. We'll be back with new builds in January 2023!
Changes and Improvements

[Search on the Taskbar]
  • We are continuing to try out different treatments for how search looks on the taskbar that began with Build 25252. Insiders in the Dev Channel will begin seeing an updated treatment with more rounded corners starting with this build. If you see the new treatment, you can right-click on the taskbar to open taskbar settings and adjust the experience.
Fixes

[General]
  • Fixed an issue which caused some Insiders to have issues casting (with WIN + K) in the previous flight.
[Taskbar & System Tray]
  • Fixed an issue causing the Bluetooth section of Quick Settings to crash for some people.
  • Updated the Quick Settings icons in the taskbar when using a screen reader so if you set focus to each of the icons it no longer includes the words system state and instead just says what the icon is (for example instead of "system volume state" it just says "volume").
  • If focus is set to an app icon on the taskbar and you use ALT + Shift + Left/Right to move it, Narrator will now say that it has been moved.
  • Fixed a high hitting explorer.exe crash which was impacting some Insiders in the last two flights.
[Search on the Taskbar] -- The fixes only apply for Windows Insiders who received one of the different treatments for how search looks on the taskbar that began rolling out to Insiders with Build 25252:
  • We fixed the issue causing a search box which appeared to be floating on the desktop when you changed your primary monitor or plugged in an external display.
  • Text in the search box should no longer be clipped on the bottom when using increased text scaling.
[Input]
  • Clicking the notification received the first time you press ALT + Shift should open the customize option now, rather than unexpectedly opening a Command Prompt window.
  • We fixed an issue which was causing the first candidate item to be invisible or clipped sometimes in the Simplified Chinese IME candidate window.
[File Explorer]
  • Fixed an issue where using "Browse for Folder" from an app was only showing Desktop (and no other folders) for some people.
[Settings]
  • If a Windows Update failed to install, the error code in Windows Update history can now be selected if you want to copy it out.
[Other]
  • Fixed an issue where restartable copies of a file (for example using robocopy) with alternate data streams were hanging frequently in the latest Dev Channel builds.
 
Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 25272

The first Dev Channel flight for 2023, has a nice set of improvements and fixes for Insiders.

[Changes and Improvements]

[General]
  • Moved Quick Assist out of Windows Tools so it displays directly in the Start menu's All apps list and is easier to find.
  • We are removing the suggestion action for searching copied text in Microsoft Edge and showing recommend common websites on the Recommended section in Start – both of which began rolling out with Build 25247. Thanks to all the Insiders who gave us feedback on these two experiences. As a reminder, features and experiences we try out in the Dev Channel may get removed and never released beyond the Dev Channel as we incubate new ideas and get feedback from Insiders.
[WSL]
  • Starting with Build 25267, the inbox version of Windows Subsystem for Linux has been removed. When you install a build with this change if you're a WSL user you will need to update to the latest WSL version outlined here in this GitHub post to ensure WSL continues working on your PC. Once you have done that, WSL will continue working on subsequent build updates. In future builds we're looking to have this done automatically.
[Printing]
  • Added a refresh button to the Windows print queue.

Fixes

[General]
  • Fixed an issue where some Arm64 devices experienced a black screen while resuming from sleep or hibernate.
  • Fixed an issue causing various UI elements in apps to disappear and reappear sometimes in recent builds.
[Search on the Taskbar]
The fixes only apply for Windows Insiders who received one of the different treatments for how search looks on the taskbar that began rolling out to Insiders with Build 25252:
  • We fixed the issue causing the search box on taskbar to not render correctly and display visual artifacts.
  • Japanese IME candidate items should display correctly now inside the search box on the taskbar.
[Task Manager]
  • Fixed an issue causing filtering by publisher name to not match correctly on the Processes page.
  • Fixed an issue causing some services to not show in the Services page after filtering is applied.
  • Fixed an issue which resulted in new processes appearing in a filtered list if launched while a filter is set.
  • Fixed an issue where Task Manager did not display light and dark content correctly, rendering potentially unreadable text.
  • Fixed an issue causing the Startup apps page in Task manager to not list any apps for some Insiders.
  • If there are no matching search results, Task Manager will now explicitly say that.
  • Fixed a Task Manager crash that could happen when attempting to end certain processes.
  • You can now set focus to the search box by pressing CTRL + F.
[Narrator]
  • Fixed an issue that was causing Settings to crash after turning Narrator on or off in Lithuanian and Hungarian builds.
  • Narrator should now be working correctly with Windows Defender Application Guard for Edge.
[Live Captions]
  • We fixed the issue that was causing Live Captions to not work in the latest Insider Preview builds in the Dev Channel.
[Input]
  • When using the Japanese IME with Narrator, Narrator will no longer read out the entire composition string each time you press a key.
  • The message displayed the first time you use ALT + Shift should no longer display if you only have one input language installed.
  • Fixed an issue where the Surface Pen could no longer advance PowerPoint slides in recent builds.
  • Made a change to help improve performance when using a high report rate mouse while gaming.
  • Fixed an issue where if you used the touch gesture for opening the Start menu, it could get stuck halfway.
  • Fixed an issue which could cause Excel to stop responding on certain mouse drag events when using the Japanese or Chinese IMEs.
[Settings]
  • Fixed an issue which could cause a hang if you cancelled out of certification authentication when connecting to VPN.
  • Fixed an issue which was causing Settings to crash when opening Power and Battery sometimes.
  • Fixed an issue causing Quick Settings crashes sometimes when navigating to the Bluetooth section.
  • Fixed an issue where the app icons under Settings > Apps > Default apps might be blurry.
[Windowing]
  • Fixed an issue causing a black screen when ALT + Tabbing out of certain games in recent builds.
  • The maximize button should no longer be slightly smaller than the close and minimize buttons when you highlight it in File Explorer and certain other apps while using dark mode.
  • Fixed a couple DWM crashes that were introduced in recent builds.
[Other]
  • Fixed an issue which was causing some Windows Security app crashes.
  • Fixed an issue where the print queue was showing stale job information for printer connection printers.
  • Fixed an issue where when creating a FIDO2 credential for a website in a browser, you might see the dialog twice in a row in certain cases.
  • This build contains the fix for an issue impacting Windows Hello on certain PCs. We are continuing to investigate an issue specific to Arm64 PCs (see known issues).
  • Fixed an issue which could lead to the Camera app showing that something went wrong if you pressed Pause while recording video.
 
Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 25276

  • We are releasing ISOs for this build – they can be downloaded here.
  • The build includes a change for Task Manager, improvements to the Settings account page, and a good set of improvements and fixes for Windows Insiders.
  • Previews of the Apple Music, Apple TV and Apple Devices apps are available in the Microsoft Store on Windows 11, limited to the U.S. We look forward to hearing your feedback.
  • We are replacing the Network Troubleshooter in the OS with a new network connectivity troubleshooting experience through the Get Help app – details below.

What's new

Create live kernel memory dumps in Task Manager

We are introducing a set of new developer-focused features in Task Manager to aid the collection of live kernel memory dumps (LKDs). This is in addition to the existing "Memory dump" for user mode processes. The goal of kernel live dump is to gather data to troubleshoot an abnormal situation but allow the OS to continue operation. This reduces downtime when compared to a bug check for "non-fatal" but high-impact failures and hangs. Click here for more info on live kernel dumps.

To capture a live kernel memory dump (LKD), go to the Details page in Task Manager, right-click on the System process and the context menu should light up to show "Create live kernel memory dump file" to capture a Full live kernel or Kernel stack memory dumps.

The dumps will be written to a fixed location: %LocalAppData%\Microsoft\Windows\TaskManager\LiveKernelDumps

Choose the new "Create live kernel memory dump file" option when right-clicking on a process on the details page in Task Manager. You can also go to the Task Manager Settings page to view/edit the settings for live kernel memory dumps. Configure live kernel dumps options in Task Manager settings.

[We are beginning to roll this feature out, so it 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 Desktop Environment > Task Manager.

Updates to your cloud storage in settings for Windows 11

In November, we introduced a visual overview of your cloud storage usage in Settings app. As we mentioned here, you will see updates to the Microsoft 365 apps and service data included in your cloud storage. Outlook attachment data will be included in your cloud storage as displayed on the visual with today's build. This change will gradually roll out starting with a small number of insiders, so not everyone will see it right away. You may see an alert regarding your storage usage; however, it does not impact your storage amount as early as February 1st, 2023. Learn more about cloud storage here.

A consolidated storage quota bar shown on Accounts page in Settings app with a banner that will alert you if you're running low on storage.

FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Settings > User Profile Account Settings.

Changes and Improvements

[General]
  • We have updated the dialog that shows when an app has a known compatibility issue to use the new Windows 11 design.
[Windows Security]
  • We are temporarily disabling the updated the Windows Security (firewall) notification dialogs that match the Windows 11 visuals that we introduced with Build 25267. We plan to re-introduce this change in a future flight after addressing some bugs.
  • Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 25267 and later Pro editions no longer allow a user to connect to a remote share by using guest credentials by default, even if the remote server requests guest credentials. This matches the stronger security of the Enterprise and Education editions that's been in place since Windows 10, to further improve Windows 11 default security. For more information on this behavior and to configure insecure guest authentication to a third party SMB server device that only supports guest authentication, review this documentation.
Fixes

[Taskbar & System Tray]
  • Fixed an issue where switching windows through taskbar previews wasn't working.
  • Fixed multiple explorer.exe crashes affecting the system tray.
  • When opening a flyout from the taskbar, pressing the Esc key to close the flyout should now return keyboard focus to the button it was invoked from.
[Search on the Taskbar]
The fixes only apply for Windows Insiders who received one of the different treatments for how search looks on the taskbar that began rolling out to Insiders with Build 25252:
  • We fixed the layout issues with the text in the search box on taskbar when using right-to-left display languages like Arabic.
  • Fixed an issue where the selected search style in Taskbar Settings wasn't persisting across updates. This setting should persist now on subsequent Insider Preview build upgrades.
[File Explorer]
  • Fixed an explorer.exe crash which could happen when opening File Explorer, related to loading your recent files.
[Voice access]
  • Voice access will now work correctly for entering numbers in the Calculator app.
  • Fixed a crash when giving move left and right commands with voice access.
[Input]
  • Fixed an issue where the "insert text" button wasn't working when using the Pinyin IME in double pinyin mode.
[Widgets]
  • Fixed an issue where the widgets board will get stuck open in an invisible state for Insiders in China (and potentially others), causing clicks on the left side of the screen to not work. If you're continuing to experience this, please make sure to check the Microsoft Store for the latest app updates.
[Other]
  • To improve clarity, when Windows Defender Credential Guard is enabled, when attempting to use remote desktop with default credentials, it will now explicitly say "Windows Defender Credential Guard does not allow using Windows logon credentials. Please enter your credentials".
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.
 
Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 25284

  • This build will not be available for Arm64 devices due to a known issue (listed below) that is resulting in devices getting stuck at the OS boot logo.
  • We have a new widget for Insiders in the Dev Channel to try!
  • This build includes a small set of fixes.

What's new

New Widget
With the release of Windows App SDK 1.2 developers are now able to create widgets for their apps. Users can access these experiences on their Windows 11 widgets board in current Dev Channel Insider Preview builds.

Ready to try out a new widget? The Messenger app now has a preview version of its widget available. To give it a try, go to the Microsoft Store and update to the latest version of Messenger. Then open the widgets board and navigate to the widgets picker by clicking the "+" button at the top-right of the board to pin your widget.

As you give this widget a try, please let us know what you think through the Widgets feedback link in the widgets picker. You should expect to see additional new widgets as more developers create and release widgets for their apps.

Fixes

[Taskbar & System Tray]
  • Fixed an issue where right clicking on certain icons in the hidden icons flyout would make the flyout dismiss rather than bringing up the context menu for that icon.
[Search on the Taskbar]
The fixes only apply for Windows Insiders who received one of the different treatments for how search looks on the taskbar that began rolling out to Insiders with Build 25252:
  • Fixed an explorer.exe crash which was impacting some Insiders, related to the search box in the taskbar.
[Input]
  • When search suggestions are triggered while using the Pinyin IME, keyboard focus will now stay on the current candidate. To move focus to the search suggestions, press Tab.
[Windowing]
  • Fixed an issue for PCs with touch, where when using certain apps in full screen mode it wasn't possible to swipe down from the top of the screen to make the title bar appear.
[Other]
  • Fixed an issue which was causing certain apps to hang or crash when saving files as PDF in the last few builds.
  • Fixed an issue where using the cast option in an app may unexpectedly not show any devices in recent builds.
 
Last edited:
Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 25284

  • This build will not be available for Arm64 devices due to a known issue (listed below) that is resulting in devices getting stuck at the OS boot logo.
  • We have a new widget for Insiders in the Dev Channel to try!
  • This build includes a small set of fixes.

What's new

New Widget
With the release of Windows App SDK 1.2 developers are now able to create widgets for their apps. Users can access these experiences on their Windows 11 widgets board in current Dev Channel Insider Preview builds.

Ready to try out a new widget? The Messenger app now has a preview version of its widget available. To give it a try, go to the Microsoft Store and update to the latest version of Messenger. Then open the widgets board and navigate to the widgets picker by clicking the "+" button at the top-right of the board to pin your widget.

As you give this widget a try, please let us know what you think through the Widgets feedback link in the widgets picker. You should expect to see additional new widgets as more developers create and release widgets for their apps.

Fixes

[Taskbar & System Tray]
  • Fixed an issue where right clicking on certain icons in the hidden icons flyout would make the flyout dismiss rather than bringing up the context menu for that icon.
[Search on the Taskbar]
The fixes only apply for Windows Insiders who received one of the different treatments for how search looks on the taskbar that began rolling out to Insiders with Build 25252:
  • Fixed an explorer.exe crash which was impacting some Insiders, related to the search box in the taskbar.
[Input]
  • When search suggestions are triggered while using the Pinyin IME, keyboard focus will now stay on the current candidate. To move focus to the search suggestions, press Tab.
[Windowing]
  • Fixed an issue for PCs with touch, where when using certain apps in full screen mode it wasn't possible to swipe down from the top of the screen to make the title bar appear.
[Other]
  • Fixed an issue which was causing certain apps to hang or crash when saving files as PDF in the last few builds.
  • Fixed an issue where using the cast option in an app may unexpectedly not show any devices in recent builds.
 
Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 25290

  • This build is available for Arm64 devices as the known issue that resulted in not releasing Build 25284 to Arm64 last week has been fixed.
  • We have more new widgets for Insiders in the Dev Channel to try!
  • This build includes a set of general improvements and fixes.

What's new

New Widgets: Spotify and Phone Link
Last week, we promoted a preview of the widget for the Messenger app. Spotify and Phone Link are now rolling out preview versions of their widgets as well. To give them a try, go to the widgets collection in the Microsoft Store and update to the latest version of the apps. Then open the widgets board and navigate to the widgets picker by clicking the "+" button at the top-right of the board to pin your widgets.

As you give these and other new widgets a try, please let us know what you think through the Widgets feedback link in the widgets picker. You should expect to see additional new widgets as more developers create and release widgets for their apps.

With the release of Windows App SDK 1.2 developers are now able to create widgets for their apps. Users can access these experiences on their Windows 11 widgets board in current Dev Channel Insider Preview builds. If you're interested in developing a widget, watch our latest tutorial video:

Changes and Improvements

[Start menu]
  • Back in October with Build 25227, we started trying out a small change to the Start menu where some Insiders saw badging on their user profile notifying them that certain actions need to be taken. We concluded that initial exploration in November. Starting today, we are starting a new exploration of badging on the Start menu with two new treatments that some Insiders in the Dev Channel will see. If you see one of these treatments, give us feedback on what you think. As a reminder, it is normal for us to try out different concepts in the Dev Channel to get feedback.

Fixes

[General]
  • We fixed the issue causing Arm64 devices to fail to resume from sleep/hibernate when running Build 25281 and getting stuck at the OS boot logo.
  • Fixed an issue where some Insiders may have issues accessing websites and other resources via VPN connections. If you used the workaround documented in this forum post, please reverse those changes once you have this new build installed.
  • Fixed an issue causing some Insiders to experience freezes when using the browser and certain other apps in recent Dev Channel builds.
[Taskbar & System Tray]
  • Fixed an explorer.exe crash which could cause the taskbar not to load for some Insiders.
[Search on the Taskbar]
The fixes only apply for Windows Insiders who received one of the different treatments for how search looks on the taskbar that began rolling out to Insiders with Build 25252:
  • Fixed an issue where the search box would randomly disappear sometimes when you clicked it (leaving a blank space on the taskbar).
  • Fixed an issue where the search box was shifting to the side slightly when you clicked it.
[Task Manager]
  • Fixed an issue where the data content area of the Processes page might flash once when theme changes were applied in the Task Manager Settings page.
  • Fixed an issue where some dialogs did not render in the correct theme when applied from Task Manager Settings page.
  • Fixed an issue where properties in the Memory section of the Performance page were getting truncated even though there was space to display them.
  • Reduced the transparency of graph colors in the Performance page, and adjusted the borders, to help make them stand out more.
  • Fixed a few issues causing Task Manager crashes.
  • Typing F in the search box should work again now.
  • You now shouldn't have to make Task Manager be as wide before the navigation pane appears.
  • If text scaling has been increased, the search box shouldn't overlap with the title bar text anymore.
  • Made some tweaks to address cases where text in dialogs was getting cut off when text scaling was increased.
  • Fixes an issue where certain parts of the title bar couldn't be used to drag the window.
[Windows Spotlight]
The following fixes only apply for Windows Insiders who received one of the different treatments of Windows Spotlight that began rolling out to Insiders with Build 25281:
  • We fixed the issue causing some people to not get a consistent refresh of images on a daily basis.
[Settings]
  • Fixed an issue where the preview for Sans Serif Collection in Personalization > Fonts was displaying broken glyphs.
[Other]
  • Fixed an issue that was preventing Narrator from announcing dropdown lists in Excel.
  • Fixed an underlying issue which could cause Snipping Tool screenshots to become stretched out and distorted in the last few builds if you had multiple monitors.
  • Fixed an issue which could cause a bugcheck with SYSTEM_SERVICE_EXCEPTION.
  • Fixed an issue which could make the Open With dialog crash on launch.
  • Fixed an issue where the Open File dialog would hang if you clicked it while using an IME after having selected "Choose an app on your PC" from the Open With dialog.
  • Fixed an issue which could cause Group Policy Editor to unexpectedly show "An error has occurred in the script on this page" with an invalid character error when editing a group policy.
  • If you have OpenSSH Server set to start at boot (instead of manual), that preference should be remembered across OS upgrades now. Please note, you need to be on a build with this fix before it will take effect with your next upgrade.
 
Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 25295

What’s new

New commercial policy: Enable features introduced via servicing that are off by default
This new policy enables commercial customers to enable features introduced via servicing (outside of the annual feature update) that are off by default for devices that have their Windows updates managed. Windows update managed devices are those that have their Windows updates managed via policy; whether via the cloud using Windows Update for Business or on-premises with Windows Server Update Services (WSUS). While this policy is available for Insider Preview builds in the Dev Channel, there aren’t any features currently in Dev Channel behind the policy. However, we expect to make this policy available in the Beta Channel shortly where there are features behind the policy. Learn more about this new policy here.

Changes and Improvements

[General]
  • Users will now see a copy button for quickly copying two-factor authentication (2FA) codes in notification toasts from apps installed on the PC or from phones linked to the PC. We make a best effort to determine if a notification toast has an authentication code but please send us feedback if we got it wrong or if we failed to detect the code in a notification toast.
[Search on the Taskbar]
  • The new search on the taskbar experience that began rolling out with Build 25252 is now available for all Windows Insiders in the Dev Channel. Insiders can change the treatment of search on taskbar in settings under Settings > Personalization > Taskbar > Taskbar Items.

Fixes

[General]
  • The issue causing repeated bugchecks for some Insiders after upgrading to Build 25284+ should be fixed now.
  • Made another fix for an issue causing Insiders to experience freezes in recent flights (specifically in this case where apps might freeze if you tried to use them while also trying to play games).
  • Fixed an issue where the Update history page under Settings > Windows Update > Update history was blank for some users after installing Build 25290.
  • Fixed an issue where some users experienced longer than expected update times installing recent builds. If you experience this issue again, please submit a new feedback item with logs in Feedback Hub.
[File Explorer]
  • Fixed an issue where the add and close tab buttons weren’t working in File Explorer if File Explorer was maximized, and you were using an Arabic or Hebrew display language.
[Input]
  • Fixed an issue which could lead to app windows becoming unresponsive after using multi-finger on screen touch gestures.
  • Fixed an underlying issue which was causing your mouse to appear like pointer trails was enabled when sharing your screen.
[Settings]
  • The Add a Device dialog should no longer have an unexpectedly big border.
[Windowing]
  • Fixed an issue which could cause certain apps to move very slowly when you dragged it across the screen.
  • Fixed a DWM crash in recent flights which could cause your screen to flash black.
  • Fixed an issue where snapped windows might not remember their positions if you disconnected and reconnected your monitor.
[Other]
  • Fixed an underlying crash impacting the ability the ability for apps using Graphics.Capture to take screen captures in recent flights.
  • Fixed an underlying issue causing crashes in certain apps when trying to print to PDFs in recent flights.
 
Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 25300

  • We are releasing ISOs for this build – they can be downloaded here.
  • We’re introducing live captions in more languages with this build.
  • This build includes a set of general changes and improvements as well as some good fixes for some known issues.

What’s new

Introducing live captions in more languages
Live captions helps everyone and people who are deaf or hard of hearing read live captions in their native language. The first release of live captions in the Windows 11 2022 Update provided captions in English, with a focus on English (United States). In this build, live captions gains the ability to also provide captions in Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese (Brazil), Spanish and other English dialects. We will add more languages as they become available.

To get started, live captions can be turned on with the WIN + Ctrl + L keyboard shortcut, or from the quick settings accessibility flyout via Quick Settings. When turned on for the first time, live captions will prompt for download of the required speech recognition support to enable on-device captioning. If speech recognition support is not available in your preferred Windows language or you want support in other languages, you will be able to download speech recognition support for live captions under Settings > Time & Language > Language & region.

We look forward to you trying out live captions in more languages and would love to hear your feedback.

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

Changes and Improvements

[Snap layouts]
  • We are trying out different treatments for snap layouts with Windows Insiders in the Dev Channel. We are investigating ways to improve the discoverability and usage of the snap layouts such as decreasing the hover time required to invoke the flyout when you mouse over the maximum/restore button in an app’s title bar. In addition to a few other tweaks, you’ll notice some treatments will also pull in the icon of the app window you are working in and adding a descriptive title. If you see one of these treatments, give us feedback on what you think. As a reminder, it is normal for us to try out different concepts in the Dev Channel to get feedback.
[Voice typing]
  • The change to sync voice typing settings, Automatic punctuation and Voice typing launcher, across all devices signed in using the same Microsoft account that began rolling out with Build 25227 is now available to all Windows Insiders in the Dev Channel. You can toggle this feature via Settings > Accounts > Windows backup > Remember my preferences > Accessibility This currently only works with Microsoft accounts today with AAD support coming later.
[Settings]
  • Updated Settings > Apps > Startup to make it easier to access more information about the apps listed.
  • 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.
[WSL]
  • Improved the upgrade experience to the new Windows Subsystem for Linux Store app (mentioned in Build 25272), so it now prompts for installation if wsl.exe is invoked.

Fixes

[General]
  • We fixed the underlying issue related to combase.dll, causing crashes with multiple apps using GetKnownFolder APIs after upgrading to Build 25290, including Notepad and Windows Terminal for IME users. This issue is also believed to be the root cause of some Insiders finding that certain actions in File Explorer were taking minutes to complete in these builds.
  • We fixed the issue causing rendering issues and difficulty using Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE).
  • Fixed an issue where some users experienced issues authenticating into enterprise websites that require windows integrated authentication.
[Taskbar & System Tray]
  • The ability to show seconds in the clock on the system tray, first introduced with Build 25247, should return after updating to Build 25300 if it had disappeared for you after updating to Build 25295 last week.
  • Fixed an issue that was causing taskbar to be cut off after resolution changes.
  • We fixed an issue where when hovering over app icons on the taskbar could switch window focus unexpectedly.
[Widgets]
  • As a result of fixing the issue causing third-party widgets to get unpinned when signed in with a Microsoft account across multiple Windows 11 devices, the most recent Widgets update in the Dev Channel will unpin third-party widgets. Insiders will need to go back to their widgets board and re-pin these widgets again. If you still see issues where widgets are being unpinned unexpectedly – please file feedback.
  • The link for “Find more widgets” in the widgets picker currently is no longer broke and will point to the Store collection here.
[Input]
  • We are beginning to roll out a fix for an issue where the IME candidate window and IME toolbar weren’t shown or cropped sometimes.
[File Explorer]
  • Drag and dropping files and folders across tabs should work again.
[Task Manager]
  • Process names typed into the search box should no longer unexpectedly get spellchecked.
  • Fixed a couple of issues with how Narrator was reading out content in Task Manager.
  • Fixed an issue where the dropdowns in settings might not match your currently selected theme.
  • When using search on the App History page, results should no longer suddenly disappear.
  • If you open the Default Start Page dropdown in settings, clicking the Task Manager window should make the dropdown disappear now.
  • Dragging the window using the search box area should work now (like other areas of the title bar).
  • Fixed an issue where ending processes in the Details tab wasn’t showing a confirmation dialog.
  • Increasing the text scaling should no longer result in a “see more” button appearing with no contents.
  • If you do a search and then press the down arrow, keyboard focus should now move from the search box into the results.
  • If you have a contrast theme enabled and select one of the rows in the Processes page, that row should now show that it’s selected.
  • Fixed an issue where focus might not get set properly to search, leading to Narrator not saying that focus was on the search box.
[Other]
  • Fixed an issue where Narrator’s focus wasn’t going back to the Quick Settings’ window correctly when using the back button in the Cast page.
 
Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 25309

  • With this build, we’re beginning to roll out a new enhanced volume mixer in Quick Settings. We’re also re-introducing an update for the touch keyboard settings, some changes to File Explorer, graphics, and input. And we have some voice access improvements.
  • As always, this build also includes a good set of fixes too.

What’s new

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.

[We are beginning to roll this feature out, so it 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 Desktop Environment > Quick Settings.

Updated Touch Keyboard Settings
After making some fixes, we are re-introducing the new touch keyboard setting we originally introduced with Build 25188 (and disabled with Build 25217) that replaces the “Show the touch keyboard when there’s no keyboard attached” checkbox under Settings > Time & language > Typing > Touch keyboard with a new dropdown menu with 3 options to control whether tapping an edit control should launch the touch keyboard:

  • “Never” suppresses the touch keyboard even when no hardware keyboard is attached.
  • “When no keyboard attached” will show the touch keyboard only when the device is used as a tablet without the hardware keyboard.
  • “Always” will show the touch keyboard even when the hardware keyboard is attached.

[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 Input and Language > Touch keyboard.

Auto Color Management (ACM) Expansion
Back in October, we launched Auto Color Management (hardware accelerated system level color management) on select qualifying and specially provisioned SDR displays. Now, Insiders in the Dev Channel will be able to turn ACM on for their SDR displays and have all colors across all Windows apps, whether or not they are color-managed, appear accurately and consistently on every supported display.

To turn ACM on, go to Settings > Display > Advanced display, select correct display and turn on Automatically manage color for apps.

Note: ACM enablement has the following requirements:

  • WDDM driver version 3.0 or greater
  • Supported GPU:
    • AMD:
      • AMD RX 400 Series or later
      • AMD Ryzen processors with Radeon Graphics
    • Intel
      • Integrated: Intel 12th Gen (Alder Lake) or later
      • Discrete: Intel DG1 or later
    • NVIDIA:
      • NVIDIA GTX 10xx or later (Pascal+)
    • There are no hard requirements on the display or connection – ACM can provide benefits even on 8-bit sRGB panels. However, we strongly recommend ACM devices to have panels with a wider-than-sRGB gamut, and optionally 10-bits per color channel or greater.
[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 Display and Graphics > Windows HD Color.

Voice access improvements
Redesigned in-app command help page: We have completely renovated the in-app command help page in voice access to make it simpler to use and comprehend. The search bar allows users to quickly find commands and the different categories provide further guidance. Every command now has a description and examples of its variations, making it easier to understand and use.

You can access the command help page from Help > View all commands on the voice access bar or use the voice command “what can I say”.

Please note that the redesigned in-app help page in voice access may not include all commands and the supplementary information may be inaccurate. We plan to update this in future builds. If you want an exhaustive list of Voice Access commands and extra information about them, we recommend you refer Use voice access to control your PC & author text with your voice – Microsoft Support.

Voice access is available in English dialects: We have extended voice access to support other English dialects such as English -UK, English – India, English – New Zealand, English – Canada, English – Australia.

When voice access is turned on for the first time, you will be prompted to download a speech model to enable on-device recognition of voice data. In case voice access does not find a speech model matching your display language, you can still choose to proceed ahead to use voice access in English – US.

You can always switch to a different language by navigating to Settings > Language on the voice access bar.

New text selection & editing commands: See the Release Notes for added useful commands to make text selection and editing easier with voice access.

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

Changes and Improvements

[General][/B]
  • Starting with Build 25290, we started a new exploration of badging on the Start menu with two new treatments that some Insiders in the Dev Channel will see. Starting today, we’re trying out different text variants within these treatments. If you see one of these treatments, give us feedback on what you think. As a reminder, it is normal for us to try out different concepts in the Dev Channel to get feedback.
  • We’re trying out a more personalized second-chance out of box experience (SCOOBE) with a small subset of Windows Insiders in the Dev Channel.
[Search on the Taskbar]
  • The search box on taskbar will be lighter when Windows is set to a custom color mode. Specifically, when the Windows 11 mode is set to dark, and the app mode is set to light under Settings > Personalization > Colors you will see a lighter search box on taskbar.
[File Explorer]
  • Windows Insiders will begin noticing a “pizza” icon on the command bar in File Explorer. This icon denotes that an Insider is 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.
[Snap layouts]
  • After pausing this with Build 25300, we are un-pausing this with this build – we are trying out different treatments for snap layouts with Windows Insiders in the Dev Channel. We are investigating ways to improve the discoverability and usage of the snap layouts such as decreasing the hover time required to invoke the flyout when you mouse over the maximum/restore button in an app’s title bar. In addition to a few other tweaks, you’ll notice some treatments will also pull in the icon of the app window you are working in and adding a descriptive title. If you see one of these treatments, give us feedback on what you think. As a reminder, it is normal for us to try out different concepts in the Dev Channel to get feedback.
[Windows Spotlight]
  • Starting today, we are disabling the different treatments we’ve been trying out for Windows Spotlight that began with Build 25281 due to an issue impacting the experience Insiders will have on these treatments. We plan to re-introduce an updated Windows Spotlight experience for Insiders in a future flight based on the feedback from Insiders from using these different treatments. As part of disabling these treatments, Insiders may need to go to Settings > Personalization and re-enable Windows Spotlight.
[Input]
  • We have updated the Simplified Chinese handwriting recognition engine to be faster and more accurate as well as supported characters defined in GB18030-2022. Currently you can write characters in GB18030-2022 Level 2 and some of characters in GB18030-2022 Level 1 in the handwriting panel or directly into the text field when it’s supported. Please try it and let us know what you think.
The Simplified Chinese handwriting recognition engine is faster and more accurate and now supports characters defined in GB18030-202.
[Widgets]
  • We are beginning to roll out theme-aware icons for Widgets on the taskbar so that based on the user’s Windows theme (dark or light), the Widgets icons will display a theme-aware icon that will have a higher contrast ratio which will make information on the taskbar clearer for users, particularly for those with low-sight.
[Settings]
  • Settings > Power & Battery has been updated to include settings for choosing what happens when interacting with your PC’s physical power controls.

Fixes

[General]
  • Fixed an issue causing USB devices (including keyboard and mouse) to not work for some Insiders after upgrading to Build 25295+.
  • Fixed an issue for some Insiders where if you’d uninstalled the previous flight, it would cause your Start menu and taskbar to cyclically crash.
  • Fixed an issue where when using Windows Hello to sign in with facial recognition, it may not have worked on Arm64 PCs.
  • Fixed an issue with the Windows Insider Program settings page showing a newer build was available in Windows Update even though you were on the latest available build in the Dev Channel.
[Taskbar & System Tray]
  • Fixed multiple Explorer.exe crashes impacting taskbar and system tray.
  • Fixed a display issue that could result in the taskbar appearing duplicated when making resolution changes.
  • Fixed an issue which was causing app icons on the taskbar to appear on the wrong monitor for some Insiders with multiple monitors.
[Widgets]
  • We fixed an issue where under certain circumstances third-party widgets were not loading as expected.
[Search on the Taskbar]
  • Fixed rendering issues when using the touch keyboard with the search box on taskbar.
  • Fixed an issue when double clicking the search highlight glyph in the search box makes it disappear.
  • Fixed an issue where the search box would randomly disappear.
  • Fixed an issue where the search icon flips incorrectly for right-to-left (RTL) languages.
  • Fixed on issue where you might have seen some text flicker in the search box when you click into it.
  • Fixed an issue where the search box might disappear on one monitor if you are using multiple monitors.
  • Made some accessibility fixes to the settings for search under Settings > Personalization > Taskbar.
[File Explorer]
  • Fixed an issue which caused Insiders with custom desktop icon arrangements / sizes to get set back to default in the previous build.
  • Fixed an underlying issue believed to be the cause of File Explorer unexpectedly jumping into the foreground sometimes.
  • The “Open in new tab” context menu option and middle clicking folders will now open the tab in the background rather than switching focus.
  • Fixed an issue where the close button could get stuck in a highlighted state when you moved your mouse across it.
[Input]
  • Fix an issue where when using the French-Canadian layout for the touch keyboard, the letters output when typing didn’t always match what was displayed on the keys.
  • When using the Korean IME, CTRL + F10 should no longer open the IME context menu.
[Settings]
  • Fixed an underlying issue believed to be the root cause of why some Insiders saw their startup app settings get reset with the previous build.
  • Going to Privacy & Security > Phone Calls should no longer crash Settings.
[Windowing]
  • Fixed a high hitting DWM.exe crash in the last couple flights.
[Other]
  • Fixed multiple issues that were preventing some of the new live captions language models from downloading correctly.
  • Fixed an underlying issue causing Insiders on Arm64 PCs to not be able to activate M365, with it citing a network issue.
  • Fixed a search indexer crash.
  • Fixed an underlying issue that could cause UWP apps to appear in English after upgrading although that wasn’t your display language.
  • Fixed an issue which was causing .appinstaller packages to fail to install with an error message that says “The parameter is incorrect” (even though it wasn’t).
  • Fixed an underlying issue causing certain cameras to not work in apps with the last flight.
  • Fixed an underlying issue which was leading to Microsoft Edge crashes for some Insiders in the last few flights.
 
Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 23403

As a reminder, we have rebooted the Dev Channel to begin flighting 23000 series builds as announced earlier this week

Note: Windows Insiders who were previously in the Dev Channel on 25000 series builds are being moved to the new Canary Channel. If you are on Build 25309 and haven't been moved to the Canary Channel yet, you will not receive this build as it has a lower build number than the build you are already on. However, the migration continues to happen in the background and once complete you will receive the latest build available. Can't wait? If you want the latest builds immediately, you can move yourself to the Canary Channel on your own via Settings > Windows Update > Windows Insider Program. Or follow these instructions to do a clean installation of Windows 11 and then re-join the Dev Channel to receive 23000 series builds going forward.

Insiders in the Beta Channel can move to Dev Channel via the settings as well and receive this build without additional steps.

Since we have rebooted the Dev Channel for flighting 23000 series builds, we're also rebooting the content in the blog posts for Dev Channel flights – including known issues below.

What's new in Build 23403

Introducing live captions in more languages
Live captions help everyone and people who are deaf or hard of hearing read live captions in their native language. The first release of live captions in the Windows 11 2022 Update provided captions in English, with a focus on English (United States). In this build, live captions gains the ability to also provide captions in Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese (Brazil), Spanish and other English dialects. We will add more languages as they become available.

To get started, live captions can be turned on with the WIN + Ctrl + L keyboard shortcut, or from the quick settings accessibility flyout via Quick Settings. When turned on for the first time, live captions will prompt for download of the required speech recognition support to enable on-device captioning. If speech recognition support is not available in your preferred Windows language or you want support in other languages, you will be able to download speech recognition support for live captions under Settings > Time & Language > Language & region.

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

Access Keys in File Explorer
We are adding access key shortcuts into the XAML context menu in File Explorer. An access key is a one keystroke shortcut that allows a keyboard user to quickly execute a command in context menu. Each access key will correspond with a letter in the display name. It's part of our effort to make File Explorer more accessible. To try this out, you can click on a file in File Explorer and press the menu key on your keyboard.

[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 Files, Folders, and Online Storage > File Explorer.

File Recommendations in File Explorer
File Recommendations are coming to File Explorer Home to bring users the most relevant file content right to their fingertips. This feature (as pictured below) will be available to users signed into Windows with an Azure Active Directory (AAD) account. Files that are recommended will be cloud files associated with that account, either owned by the user, or shared with the user.

[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 Files, Folders, and Online Storage > File Explorer.

Voice access improvements
Redesigned in-app command help page: We have completely renovated the in-app command help page in voice access to make it simpler to use and comprehend. The search bar allows users to quickly find commands and the various categories provide further guidance. Every command now has a description and examples of its variations, making it easier to understand and use.

You can access the command help page from Help > View all commands on the voice access bar or use the voice command "what can I say".

Please note that the redesigned in-app help page in voice access may not include all commands and the supplementary information may be inaccurate. We plan to update this in future builds. If you want an exhaustive list of Voice Access commands and extra information about them, we recommend you refer Use voice access to control your PC & author text with your voice – Microsoft Support.

Voice access is available in English dialects: We have extended voice access to support other English dialects such as English -UK, English – India, English – New Zealand, English – Canada, English – Australia.

When voice access is turned on for the first time, you will be prompted to download a speech model to enable on-device recognition of voice data. In case voice access does not find a speech model matching your display language, you can still choose to proceed ahead to use voice access in English – US.

You can always switch to a different language by navigating to Settings > Language on the voice access bar.

New text selection & editing commands: See the Release Notes for the table of added useful commands to make text selection and editing easier with voice access.

Narrator Outlook Support
Narrator will now retrieve updates to its Outlook support when Narrator is started. You can learn more about the work we did for Outlook in Chapter 5 of the Narrator User Guide. We have not added any additional functionality to our Outlook support, but this work will allow updates to the Outlook experience to be made through the Microsoft Store. You will receive a notification after the download is completed to inform you that the update has been retrieved. With this change, Narrator's Outlook support is limited to U.S. English only. Other languages will be supported in a future flight.

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

Multi-App Kiosk Mode
Multi-app kiosk mode is a lockdown feature for Windows 11 that allows an IT administrator to select a set of allowable apps to run on the device, while all other functionalities are blocked. This enables you to create multiple different apps and access configurations for different user types, all on a single device.

Some lockdown customizations include:

  • Limiting access to Settings, except selected pages (e.g., Wi-Fi and screen brightness)
  • Lock down the Start menu to show only allowed apps.
  • Block toasts and pop-ups that lead to unwanted UI.

Multi-app kiosk mode is ideal for scenarios in which multiple people need to use the same device. This can include frontline workers and retail scenarios, education and test taking.

Currently, multi-app kiosk mode can be enabled using PowerShell and WMI Bridge, with support for Intune/MDM and provisioning package configuration coming soon.

To configure using WMI, follow these instructions. Using the Windows 10 sample XML will enable the feature, but will result in an empty Start menu. To populate the Start menu with your apps, follow these instructions to generate the list of pinned apps, then add it to your XML file after closing the StartLayout section, like the below:

<win11:StartPins><![CDATA[ Your JSON here ]]></win11:StartPins>

Don't forget to update the namespace by replacing the AssignedAccessConfiguration tag with the below:

<AssignedAccessConfiguration xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/AssignedAccess/2017/config" xmlns:win11="http://schemas.microsoft.com/AssignedAccess/2022/config">

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

Changes and Improvements

[General]
  • Users will now see a copy button for quickly copying two-factor authentication (2FA) codes in notification toasts from apps installed on the PC or from phones linked to the PC. We make a best effort to determine if a notification toast has an authentication code but please send us feedback if we got it wrong or if we failed to detect the code in a notification toast. This change is beginning to roll out, so not all Insiders in the Dev Channel will see it right away.
[Taskbar & System Tray]
  • We have added a glanceable VPN status into the system tray when connected to a recognized VPN profile. The VPN icon, a small shield, will be overlayed in over the active network connection. Currently, the overlayed VPN icon does not use your system accent color but will do so in a future build.
[Search on the Taskbar]
  • The search box on taskbar will be lighter when Windows is set to a custom color mode. Specifically, when the Windows 11 mode is set to dark, and the app mode is set to light under Settings > Personalization > Colors you will see a lighter search box on taskbar.
[Input]
  • We have updated the Simplified Chinese handwriting recognition engine to be faster and more accurate as well as supported characters defined in GB18030-2022. Currently you can write characters in GB18030-2022 Level 2 and some of characters in GB18030-2022 Level 1 in the handwriting panel or directly into the text field when it's supported. Please try it and
[Settings]
  • 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.

Fixes

[Search on the Taskbar]
  • Fixed rendering issues when using the touch keyboard with the search box on taskbar.
  • Fixed an issue when double clicking the search highlight glyph in the search box makes it disappear.
  • Fixed an issue where the search box would randomly disappear.
  • Fixed an issue where the search icon flips incorrectly for right-to-left (RTL) languages.
  • Fixed on issue where you might have seen some text flicker in the search box when you click into it.
  • Fixed an issue where the search box might disappear on one monitor if you are using multiple monitors.
  • Made some accessibility fixes to the settings for search under Settings > Personalization > Taskbar.
[File Explorer]
  • Fixed an underlying issue believed to be the cause of File Explorer unexpectedly jumping into the foreground sometimes.
 
Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 23419

ISOs for this build are available here.

What's new in Build 23419

Create live kernel memory dumps in Task Manager
We are introducing a set of new developer-focused features in Task Manager to aid the collection of live kernel memory dumps (LKDs). This is in addition to the existing "Memory dump" for user mode processes. The goal of kernel live dump is to gather data to troubleshoot an abnormal situation but allow the OS to continue operation. This reduces downtime when compared to a bug check for "non-fatal" but high-impact failures and hangs. Click here for more info on live kernel dumps.

To capture a live kernel memory dump (LKD), go to the Details page in Task Manager, right-click on the System process and the context menu should light up to show "Create live kernel memory dump file" to capture a Full live kernel or Kernel stack memory dumps.

The dumps will be written to a fixed location:

%LocalAppData%\Microsoft\Windows\TaskManager\LiveKernelDumps

You can also go to the Task Manager Settings page to view/edit the settings for live kernel memory dumps.

FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Desktop Environment > Task Manager.

USB4 Settings Page
We are adding a USB4 hubs and devices Settings page for users under Settings > Bluetooth & devices > USB > USB4 Hubs and Devices. USB4 enables new productivity scenarios for docking, high performance peripherals, displays and charging. The USB4 settings page provides information about the system's USB4 capabilities and attached peripherals on a USB4 capable system. These insights are meant to assist with troubleshooting in case users need support from their device manufacturer (OEM) or system administrator. The features provided by this page are:
  • View the tree of connected USB4 hubs and devices.
  • View attributes and capabilities associated with the USB4 domain.
  • Copy the details into the clipboard so it can be shared with customer support or system administrators for troubleshooting.

If the system does not support USB4 with the Microsoft USB4 Connection Manager, this page will not be displayed.

To confirm whether your system is USB4 capable or not, check for "USB4 Host Router" populating in the Device Manager.

FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Devices and Drivers > Buses.

Cloud Suggestion in Simplified Chinese IME
We are trying out some changes that will allow you to easily type popular words in Simplified Chinese. The changes include an improved cloud suggestion and integrated search suggestion. The cloud suggestion adds the most relevant word from Bing to the IME candidate window. We've updated the back-end logic so that we can provide better, fresh suggestions.

The integrated search suggestion gives you additional suggestions that are similar to what you see in Bing search page. You can either insert a suggestion as text or search it directly in Bing. To turn on these features, select a chevron button at the right end of the IME candidate window. You'll find Turn on button.

FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Input and Language > Text Input.

Changes and Improvements

[General]
  • The new features for app defaults in Windows 11 as mentioned here in this blog post are included in this build. The features for app pinning are coming in a future flight.
[Start menu]
  • We are trying out a small change with some Windows Insiders where the "Recommended" section of the Start menu is changed to "For you". Let us know what you think in Feedback Hub if you see this change.
[Taskbar & System Tray]
  • The glanceable VPN status show overlayed over an active network connection into the system tray when connected to a recognized VPN profile now displays in your system accent color.
  • In response to user feedback, we are introducing the capability to show seconds in the clock on the system tray. This feature can be enabled by toggling the option listed under Settings > Personalization > Taskbar in the Taskbar behavior section. You can also right-click on taskbar to quickly get to taskbar settings. We are beginning to roll this change out so not all Windows Insiders will see this change right away, but we hope to make it available to everyone soon.
[Search on the Taskbar]
  • Once you have access to the new Bing, the search box on the taskbar will include a button that opens the Bing chat experience in Edge. If you don't have access to the new Bing, the search box on the taskbar will feature a dynamic search highlight button. We're beginning to roll this out to Insiders, not everyone will see it right away.
[Voice access]
  • The redesigned in-app help page in voice access introduced with Build 23403 now includes all commands and the supplementary information accurately.
[Settings]
  • As part of the deprecation of Microsoft Support Diagnostic Tool (MSDT) and MSDT Troubleshooters, we have begun redirecting some of the troubleshooters found under Settings > System > Troubleshoot and in other areas of the OS to the new Get Help troubleshooting platform.
  • Pressing the print screen key will now open Snipping Tool by default. This setting can be turned off via Settings > Accessibility > Keyboard. If you have previously modified this setting yourself, your preference will be preserved.
[Developer]

Fixes

[General]
  • Improved the experience on logon after booting up by reducing the performance impact of startup apps.
[Taskbar & System Tray]
  • Fixed an issue that was causing Narrator to read the position before the name on system tray icons.
  • Fixed an issue causing the show hidden icons flyout to open behind things like OneNote flyout and live captions.
  • Fixed an issue which could cause explorer.exe crashes related to drag and drop.
[Search on the Taskbar]
  • Fixed a search crash from the last flight.
[File Explorer]
  • Fixed an issue which could cause explorer.exe to crash when opening Home if certain content was visible in the Recent section.
  • Made some improvements to the performance of loading File Explorer in the case where there's a disconnected network drive visible in the navigation pane.
[Start menu]
  • Fixed an issue where dragging content across an open Start menu folder could cause a crash.
[Input]
  • Fixed an issue where after using voice typing your PC might not enter modern standby.
[Live captions]
  • We fixed the issue causing live captions to not work for Chinese Traditional on Arm64 devices.
[Task Manager]
  • Fixed an issue where some of the details in the Performance page wouldn't display properly until you resized the window or changed pages back and forth.

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.
 
Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 23424

What’s new in Build 23424

Evolved Widgets Board
We are beginning to preview a revamp of the widgets board experience with a larger canvas (3-columns if supported by the device) and new zones to provide users quick access to glanceable widgets from their apps and services as well as enable users to take a high-value break with their personalized feed.

[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 Desktop Environment > Widgets.

Content Adaptive Brightness Control (CABC) on plugged in devices including desktop PCs
This feature in Windows 11 will dim or brighten areas of a display or monitor based on the content being displayed with the goal of striking a balance between reduced power consumption with visual experience to save battery life. Starting with this build, we are allowing this feature to run on devices such as laptops and 2-in-1’s that are plugged into a charger, as well as on desktop PCs. For most users, this change won’t be noticeable and should reduce energy consumption.

This feature can be adjusted via Settings > System > Display under “Brightness & color” and through a drop-down menu with 3 options: Off, Always, and “On Battery Only”. For battery powered devices such as laptops and 2-in-1’s, the default is “On Battery Only”. On desktop PCs, this is off by default. We encourage Insiders across laptops, 2-in1’s, and desktop PCs to try the “Always” option and give us feedback on the visual quality of CABC so we can ensure it is properly tuned.

FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Display and Graphics > Adaptive Brightness.

Changes and Improvements

[Input]
  • Made a change to help improve performance when using a high polling mouse while gaming.
[Settings]
  • Windows Insiders can help us preview a new experience we’re working on. Insiders will begin to see a new toggle under Settings > Windows Update for “getting the latest updates as soon as they are available”. This new toggle is meant to be used in the Beta Channel to allow Insiders to switch more seamlessly to the enablement package. But because the Dev Channel does not use an enablement package, turning this toggle on will not do anything for Insiders in the Dev Channel. However, by turning it on, a “Windows configuration update” will be offered via Windows Update that is designed to help us make sure it this new toggle is connected to our backend services correctly before making it available in the Beta Channel. This update introduces nothing new for Insiders.
  • Improved the performance of search within Settings.
  • The settings page for wheel devices such as the Surface Dial has been updated to better match the Windows 11 design principles.

Fixes

[General]
  • Fixed an issue that was causing voice access to take some time to turn on after using the wake-up command.
[File Explorer]
We fixed the following issues for Insiders with recommended files in File Explorer:
  • We fixed the issue causing an error dialog to pop up when clicking on the “Open File Location” command.
  • We fixed the issue causing no action to occur when clicking on the ‘Remove from list’ command.
[Input]
  • Made a change to help improve performance when using a high report rate mouse while gaming. As a reminder, if you have gaming performance feedback, please follow these steps to file actionable feedback.
[Settings]
  • Improved the performance of search within Settings.
[Windowing]
  • Fixed an issue from the last flight where Microsoft Edge tabs would show when doing ALT + Tab even if Settings > System > Multitasking was set to “Don’t show tabs”.
[Task Manager]
  • Fixed an issue where the search icon could end up overlapping the Task Manager icon in the title bar.
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.
 
Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 23430

Changes and Improvements

[General]
  • 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.
  • In the previous flight, we documented that Content Adaptive Brightness Control (CABC) works on desktop PCs – however, it does not. We have updated that blog post. Content Adaptive Brightness Control (CABC) also needs to be enabled by the OEM (the manufacturer of the device). As a result, this feature is not available on all laptop or 2-in-1 devices.
[Settings]
  • A limit of 20 most recent tabs has been introduced under Settings > Multitasking to show tabs in ALT + TAB and Snap Assist.
[Developer]
  • We are introducing a new setting under Settings > Privacy & security > For developers to enable end task when right-clicking an app on the taskbar. This setting is in Build 23430 but does not currently work when the feature is toggled on. It will be fixed in a future flight.

Fixes

[General]
  • Fixed an underlying issue causing some Insiders to see an increase in explorer.exe crashes in the last 2 flights.
[Input]
  • Fixed an issue where text input features like touch keyboard, voice typing, and emoji panel might not launch.
  • Fixed an issue where the buttons in the Pinyin IME’s settings flyout were hard to see when they had focus if a contrast theme was enabled.
[Task Manager]
  • Fixed an issue impacting Task Manager reliability.
  • The search box should no longer be cropped at the top when the window is maximized.
[Accessibility]
  • Fixed an issue where in Quick Settings, Narrator was reading out the previous page’s title instead of the active page’s.
  • After downloading voice access, information to help you get started with it should correctly open again now.
  • Fixed an issue where popups for voice access weren’t translated correctly.
 
Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 23435

What’s new in Build 23435

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.

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.

[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 Files, Folders, and Online Storage > File Explorer.

Changes and Improvements

[General]
  • We are continuing the exploration of badging on the Start menu with several new treatments for users logging in with local user accounts to highlight the benefits of signing in with a Microsoft account (MSA). If you see one of these treatments, give us feedback on what you think. As a reminder, it is normal for us to try out different concepts in the Dev Channel to get feedback.
[File Explorer]
  • Windows Insiders will begin noticing a “pizza” icon on the command bar in File Explorer. This icon denotes that an Insider is 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.
[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.
[Settings]
  • We are introducing new presence sensor privacy settings and APIs. If you have a device with compatible presence sensors, you can now manage your privacy and block/allow certain apps from accessing these sensors. No images or metadata is collected by Microsoft and all processing is done locally on the device hardware to maximize privacy. You will find these settings under Settings > Privacy & security > Presence sensing here if your device supports it. 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.

Fixes

[Taskbar & System Tray]
  • Fixed a few explorer.exe crashes that were impacting taskbar reliability.
[Input]
  • Updated the TextInput/EnableTouchKeyboardAutoInvokeInDesktopMode MDM policy to allow “2” as a valid value to enforce showing the touch keyboard on tapping an edit control even when the hardware keyboard is attached.
[Settings]
  • Fixed an issue which was causing Settings crashes when navigating to various Windows Update related pages in the last couple flights.
[Live captions]
  • Fixed the issue that caused enhanced speech recognition support installed through the Language & Region settings page to require restarting live captions if you switch languages in the live captions Caption language menu on Arm64 devices.
  • Fixed the issue where you may not see install completion of “Enhanced speech recognition” (required by Live Captions) when adding a language through the Language & Region settings page, and language feature installation progress may become hidden.
[Task Manager]
  • Improved the performance of the expand all / collapse all View options on the Processes page.
[Accessibility]
  • Updated Narrator’s default for “Context level for buttons and controls” to “3 – Immediate content name and type.”
 

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