Insiders can already test some Windows 11 features announced at Build 2023

For Developers

Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22621.1825 and 22631.1825

Hello Windows Insiders, today we are releasing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22621.1825 and Build 22631.1825 (KB 5026440) to the Beta Channel.

• Build 22631.1825 = New features rolling out.
• Build 22621.1825 = New features off by default.

UPDATED: Insiders who were previously on Build 22624 will automatically get moved to Build 22631 via an enablement package. The enablement package artificially increments the build number for the update with new features getting rolled out and turned on to make it easier to differentiate from devices with the update with features off by default. This approach is being used for the Beta Channel only and is not indicative of any changes or plans for final feature rollouts.

Insiders who landed in the group with new features turned off by default (Build 22621.xxxx) can check for updates and choose to install the update that will have features rolling out (Build 22631.xxxx).

Fixes for BOTH Build 22621.1825 & Build 22631.1825

• New! This update provides the full amount of storage capacity of all your OneDrive subscriptions. It also displays the total storage on the Accounts page in the Settings app.
• This update addresses an issue that affects dot sourcing. It fails files that contain class definition in Windows PowerShell.
• This update addresses an issue that affects exe. It stops working after you sign out. This issue occurs after you upgrade your machine to Windows 11 Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) and sign in to that machine.
• This update addresses an issue that affects Server Message Block (SMB). You cannot access the SMB shared folder. The errors are, “Not enough memory resources” or “Insufficient system resources.”
• This update addresses a memory leak. It occurs every time you print a rich text document.
• This update addresses an issue that affects audio playback. It fails on devices that have certain processors.
• This update addresses an issue that affects the Local Security Authority Subsystem Service (LSASS). It stops working. This occurs when you use Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD).
• This update addresses an issue that affects the touch keyboard. Sometimes, it does not show the correct layout based on the current input scope.
• This update addresses a multi-function label printer issue. It affects the installation of some of them.
• This update addresses an issue that might affect a large reparse point. You might get a stop error when you use NTFS to access it. This issue occurs after a canceled FSCTL Set operation changes the reparse tag.
• This update addresses an issue that affects Narrator. It now announces text attributes correctly for words, such as “misspelled,” “deletion change,” and “comment.”
• This update addresses an issue that affects a computer when it renders a halftone bitmap. The computer stops working.
• This update addresses an issue that affects devices that have multiple, discreet GPUs. You cannot choose the high-performance GPUs from the default graphics settings page.
• This update changes the international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI) ranges for certain mobile providers.
• This update addresses an Event Viewer issue. It affects the rendering of a forwarded event log.

• This update addresses an issue that affects the Chinese and Japanese Input Method Editor (IME). When you search within the Emoji Panel (Windows key + period (.)), search might fail for some of you.

• This update addresses an issue that affects the Chinese and Japanese Handwriting Panel. It does not show text prediction candidates or stops responding. This occurs when you select a word from the candidate list of the Handwriting Panel.
• This update addresses an issue that stops your device from working when it resumes from Modern Standby. The error is 0x13A KERNEL_MODE_HEAP_CORRUPTION.
• This update addresses an issue that affects the Windows Firewall. The firewall drops all connections to the IP address of a captive portal. This occurs when you choose the Captive Portal Addresses option.
• This update addresses an issue that affects devices that are joined to Azure Active Directory (Azure AD). The Windows Firewall cannot apply the correct domain and profile for them.
• This update addresses an issue that affects the runas It stops working. The device behaves as if you did not sign in to your account.
• This update changes the support phone number for Microsoft India for Windows activation.
• This update addresses an issue that affects applications that perform certain actions in a callback. The applications might stop working. These actions include closing a Window (WM_CLOSE).
• This update addresses an issue that affects the use of the Event Viewer. The issue limits the number of event sources that users who are not administrators can access.
• This update addresses an issue that affects the Storage Spaces Direct (S2D) cluster. It might not come online. This occurs after a periodic password rollover. The error code is 1326.
• This update addresses an issue that affects access to Tab settings for IE mode sites.
• The update addresses an issue that sends unexpected password expiration notices to users. This occurs when you set up an account to use “Smart Card is Required for Interactive Logon” and set “Enable rolling of expiring NTLM secrets.”
• This update addresses an issue that affects the touch keyboard. It shows the wrong layout for the French-Canadian language.

About the Beta Channel

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

Important Insider Links

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

Thanks,
Amanda & Brandon

Insiders can already test some Windows 11 features announced at Build 2023

You can get your hands on the latest Windows 11 features right now.

(Image credit: Future)

What you need to know

• Microsoft announced several new features for Windows 11 at Build 2023, including Dev Box and a cloud-powered backup and restore feature.
• Some of those features are already available in testing for Windows Insiders.
• Windows 11 Build 23466 is rolling out now to Insiders in the Dev Channel.

For the first time in years, Microsoft made multiple major Windows announcements at Build 2023. Now, smack dab in the middle of the conference, Windows Insiders can try out some of the features that were just announced.

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 23466 just shipped to Insiders in the Dev Channel. Insiders can update to the build through Windows Update or grab ISOs to perform a clean install.

A Microsoft blog post breaks down everything that’s new and fixed. Dev Drive is a new form of storage volume built with developers in mind. It relies on Resilient File System technology to help with management and security. Microsoft is also working on a cloud-powered backup and restore feature. “The goal of these changes is to land users on a desktop that feels familiar to them and get them back to productivity within minutes on their new PC,” said Microsoft.

You can also catch up on these features with our coverage of the conference. Our Senior Editor Zac Bowden covered Dev Drive, Windows 11 cloud-powered backup, and much more. He even has a collection of the biggest announcements from Build 2023, so if you see a feature below that you want to learn more about, make sure to check out all of our articles.

Here are the highlights and changes in the build, as outlined by Microsoft:

Windows 11 Build 23466: What’s new

• Dev Drive
• Backup and Restore improvements
• New text authoring experiences in voice access
• Narrator natural voices in Chinese

Windows 11 Build 23466: Changes and improvements

General

• To minimize distractions from notification toasts, we now detect if the user is interacting with toasts or not and provide a suggestion to turn the toast banners off for such apps. This will only stop the banners from appearing, and you can still find the toasts in the notification center. This feature is beginning to roll out, so not all Insiders in the Dev Channel will see it right away.

Start menu

• We are trying out a different model for ranking the most recently used files in the Start menu’s Recommended section that considers when the file was last used, the file extension, and more. This means you may not see files purely in reverse chronological order of when they were last used.

Taskbar & System Tray

• We’re excited to bring you an early version of one of our most requested features for Windows 11, never combined mode. In never combined mode, you’ll be able to see each window of your applications on the taskbar individually, as well as their corresponding labels. You can find this feature by navigating to Settings > Personalization > Taskbar > Taskbar behaviors. This feature is beginning to roll out, so not all Insiders in the Dev Channel will see it right away.

Search on the Taskbar

• We are beginning to re-roll out the exploration of a new hover behavior for the search box and search highlight gleam. This originally began rolling out with Build 23440 but was disabled to address a bug. The proposed interaction model aims to create a more engaging search experience by invoking the search flyout when you hover over the search box gleam. This behavior can be adjusted by right-clicking on the taskbar, choosing “Taskbar settings” and adjusting your preferred search box experience.

File Explorer

• The Windows App SDK version of File Explorer is now fully rolled out to Insiders in the Dev Channel and as a result, we are removing the “pizza” icon on the command bar.

Emoji

• We have seen your feedback and are updating a few emoji in our current set. Everything from making the eye more recognizable to changing our alien to be out of this world. We know there are a few bugs in this release which will be resolved in future flights.

Windows Security

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

Networking

• We have added links to advanced properties for network adapters and internet properties under Settings > Network & internet > Advanced network settings.
• Link to advanced properties for network adapters in Settings.
• Link to advanced properties for network adapters in Settings.
• We have added a way to view Wi-Fi passwords for your known networks via Settings > Network & internet > Wi-Fi and “Manage known networks”.
• View Wi-Fi passwords for known wireless networks in Settings.
• View Wi-Fi passwords for known wireless networks in Settings.
• We added the ability to join Bluetooth Personal Area networks under the Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Devices This option will appear for paired devices like Phones that are sharing internet over Bluetooth.
• Based on your feedback, we have added additional options to the Data Usage page that allows for daily and weekly data limits. The page will also now show how far a data limit has been exceeded.
• Updated the design of the lists displayed under Settings > Apps > Startup Apps and Settings > Apps > Advanced App Settings > App Execution Alias pages to be more consistent with other Settings pages.
• Updated Settings > Apps > Startup to make it easier to access more information about the apps listed.

For Developers

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

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80 percent of businesses are not ready for Windows 11

Support for Windows 10 ends on October 14 2025, just over two years away. But new research from Lansweeper shows that eight out of 10 businesses are still running it.

Windows 11 is gradually creeping into the enterprise but the process is slow. October 2022, data from Lansweeper shows just 2.61 percent of Windows 11 compatible devices were running Windows 11. Recently updated Windows 11 adoption rate figures show that this has now increased to 5.47 percent.

If that growth rate continues then less than 15 percent of enterprise systems will be running Windows 11 by the time Windows 10 reaches its end of support. As with any out of support operating system, continuing to run it will leave businesses open to heightened risks.

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The problem with Windows 11 of course is that it has stricter hardware requirements than the earlier OS. Lansweeper data based on Windows devices across 60,000 organizations shows only 57.26 percent of CPUs for workstations tested met the system requirements for upgrading to Windows 11, while 42.74 percent did not. The majority passed the RAM test (92.85 percent). However, only about 65 percent of the workstation TPMs tested met the requirements, while over 15 percent failed and 20 percent were not TPM compatible, or did not have it enabled.

Esben Dochy, senior technical product evangelist at Lansweeper says, “While Microsoft has changed its stance by allowing anyone to manually install Windows 11 regardless of the CPU, an automatic upgrade is only possible if three critical components of the computer meet the requirements necessary to execute the upgrade — the CPU, the RAM, and the TPM. Moreover, future Windows 11 updates are not guaranteed if you do not meet the system requirements.”