Windows 11 Insider Beta Channel

Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22635.3500 (Beta Channel)

Changes and Improvements gradually being rolled out to the Beta Channel with toggle on*

[Start menu]
  • This update starts the roll out of the new account manager on Start menu. When you sign in with a Microsoft account, the new design gives you a quick glanceable view of your account benefits and makes it easy to manage account settings.
[Windows Share]
  • If your Microsoft account uses a Gmail address, you can now send email to yourself from Windows share window and receive it in your Gmail account.
[Settings]
  • To ensure you don’t lose access to your Microsoft account, we’re beginning to roll out a new banner with a “Add now” button under Settings > Account for adding a recovery email address if you haven’t added one for your Microsoft account yet. This will only show if you are signed in with a Microsoft account.
  • We are introducing a new Game Pass recommendation card on the Settings homepage. The Game Pass recommendation card on Settings Homepage will be shown to you if you actively play games on your PC. As a reminder – the Settings homepage will be shown only on the Home and Pro editions of Windows 11 and if you’re signed into Windows with your Microsoft account.

New features rolling out for everyone in the Beta Channel

Widgets Board Improvements
We are introducing a new navigation bar on the left allowing you to switch between a dedicated widgets dashboard and other integrated dashboards like Discover. As part of this change, we are introducing the ability for developers to send notifications to the taskbar button with their custom dashboards for the Widgets board. Developers can check out this documentation on how to implement this capability with their Widgets dashboards. To manage notifications from multiple dashboards, Widgets is also providing more granular control over what content shows on the Widgets button on the taskbar. You can go to Widgets Settings > Notifications and enable or disable taskbar notifications from individual dashboards. NOTE: These changes are only initially available to Windows Insiders in the European Economic Area (EEA).

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

Changes and Improvements gradually being rolled out to everyone in the Beta Channel

[Widgets]
  • We are making some improvements to the Widgets button on the taskbar so that the icons on the taskbar are clearer and we are rolling out a larger set of animated icons too.
 
Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22635.3566 (Beta Channel)

Changes and Improvements gradually being rolled out to the Beta Channel with toggle on

[Taskbar & System Tray]
  • In response to feedback, we are now showing the “show desktop” button by default and users can still manage this by right-clicking on the taskbar and choosing “Taskbar settings” (which opens Settings > Personalization > Taskbar directly).
[File Explorer]
  • Dragging-and-dropping files with your mouse between breadcrumbs in the File Explorer Address Bar that began rolling out with Build 22635.3420 is now available to all Insiders in the Beta Channel.

Fixes and Improvements for everyone in the Beta Channel
  • New! This update improves the Widgets icons on the taskbar. They are no longer pixelated or fuzzy. This update also starts the rollout of a larger set of animated icons.
  • New! This update affects Widgets on the lock screen. They are more reliable and have improved quality. This update also supports more visuals and a more customized experience for you.
  • This update fixes an issue which was causing Settings to crash when copying out text in the last few flights.
  • This update addresses an issue that affects universal printers. The system creates duplicate print queues for them.
  • This update adds support for Arm64 .msi files using a Group Policy Object (GPO). You can now use the Group Policy Management Console (GPMC) to add Arm64 .msi files. You can also use a GPO to install these files on Arm64 machines.
  • This update affects hypervisor-protected code integrity (HVCI). It accepts drivers that are now compatible.
  • This update addresses an issue that occurs when you elevate from a normal user to an Administrator to run an application. When you use a PIN to sign in, the app will not run.
  • This update affects Windows Subsystem for Linux 2 (WSL2). Intermittent name resolution fails in a split DNS setup.
  • This update addresses an issue that affects the netstat -c It fails to perform effective port exhaustion troubleshooting.
  • This update addresses an issue that affects a low latency network. The speed of data on the network degrades significantly. This occurs when you turn on timestamps for a Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) connection.
  • This update addresses an issue that affects the Distributed Transaction Coordinator (DTC). A memory leak occurs when it retrieves mappings.
  • This update includes quarterly changes to the Windows Kernel Vulnerable Driver Blocklist file, p7b. It adds to the list of drivers that are at risk for Bring Your Own Vulnerable Driver (BYOVD) attacks.
  • This update affects the touch keyboard. It makes the Japanese 106 keyboard layout appear as expected when you sign in.
  • This update adds a new mobile device management (MDM) policy called “AllowScreenRecorder.” It affects the Snipping Tool. IT admins can use this policy to turn off screen recording in the app.
  • This update addresses an issue that affects Bluetooth Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP) hardware offload. A stop error occurs on PCs that support it.
  • This update addresses a memory allocation issue in the Host Networking Service (HNS). The issue causes high memory consumption. It also affects service and pod deployment and scaling.
  • This update addresses an issue that affects the container networking Address Resolution Protocol (ARP). It returns the wrong Virtual Subnet ID (VSID) for external ports.
  • This update affects media allocations. It improves their memory granularity for some hardware setups. This lowers overcommitment. Also, performance is more efficient.
  • This update addresses an issue that affects an accelerator backing store management path. A memory leak occurs that affects some devices.
  • This update addresses an issue that affects Windows Local Administrator Password Solution (LAPS). Its Post Authentication Actions (PAA) do not occur at the end of the grace period. Instead, they occur at restart.
  • This update addresses a race condition that might stop a machine from starting up. This occurs when you set up a bootloader to start up multiple OSes.
  • This update makes Country and Operator Settings Asset (COSA) profiles up to date for some mobile operators.
  • This update addresses an issue that affects the Resilient File System (ReFS). A high load might make the system unresponsive. Also, signing in might be slow.
  • This update addresses an issue that affects Settings. It stops responding when you dismiss a flyout menu.
  • This update addresses an issue that affects Protected Process Light (PPL) protections. You can bypass them.
 
Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22635.3570 (Beta Channel)

Changes and Improvements gradually being rolled out to the Beta Channel with toggle on*

[File Explorer]
  • We’re rolling out the ability to duplicate a tab by right-clicking on a tab in File Explorer.

Fixes gradually being rolled out to the Beta Channel with toggle on

[File Explorer]
  • Fixed a memory leak when interacting with archive folders in File Explorer.
  • Fixed a few issues impacting File Explorer reliability.
  • Made a change to help fix an issue which could cause the spacing between your desktop icons to become extremely wide.
  • Fixed a timing issue where if you start a search from Home in File Explorer, it may unexpectedly show no results the first time you tried.
  • Did some work to help address an issue where the address bar dropdown might appear unexpectedly while you were using File Explorer.
[Task Manager]
  • Updated the units (from MHz to MT/s) for DDR speed.
  • Fixed an issue where the Safely Remove Hardware option for ejecting USB devices wouldn’t work if Task Manager was open.
  • Did some work to ensure Task Manager releases process handles quickly when terminating processes.
  • Made some more improvements to help with Task Manager reliability.
  • We have improved the performance when changing the sort order.
  • Made multiple improvements to overall accessibility of Task Manager, including improving keyboard focus, tab navigation, text scaling, names of items read out by screen readers, and more.
  • We made it a little easier to resize Task Manager when trying to resize by grabbing the top of the window.

Changes and Improvements gradually being rolled out to everyone in the Beta Channel

[Copilot in Windows**]
  • Over the last few months, we’ve been trying out different experiences for Copilot in Windows (Preview) with Windows Insiders across the Canary, Dev, and Beta Channels. Some of these experiences include the ability for Copilot in Windows to act like a normal application window and the taskbar icon animating to indicate that Copilot can help when you copy text or images. We have decided to pause the rollouts of these experiences to further refine them based on user feedback. Copilot in Windows will continue to work as expected while we continue to evolve new ideas with Windows Insiders.

Fixes for everyone in the Beta Channel

[Start menu]
  • We fixed the issue causing a component related to upgrading and restoring data from Windows Backup called “Global.WindowsMigration” to incorrectly show under the Start menu > All apps.
[Copilot in Windows**]
  • We are rolling out a fix for the issue causing Copilot to auto-launch unexpectedly for Windows Insiders in the Canary, Dev, and Beta Channels after restarting their PCs. This issue was unrelated to the auto-launching experience we tried out with Insiders in the Canary and Dev Channels in early February which we stopped rolling out in March.
 
Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22635.3575 (Beta Channel)

Changes and Improvements gradually being rolled out to the Beta Channel with toggle on*

[Windows Share]
  • We are rolling out the ability to copy files from the Windows share window. Just click the new copy button.

Fixes gradually being rolled out to the Beta Channel with toggle on*

[General]
  • We believe we have fixed the issue causing the sign-in dialog to persistently show in Microsoft Family Safety when trying to sign-in for customers in Europe.
[Taskbar & System Tray]
  • We are beginning to roll out a fix where you will see search box if the taskbar auto-hides when the setting for search on the taskbar is set to “Search box”.
[File Explorer]
  • Made a fix to help address an issue where the address bar dropdown would appear unexpectedly on its own, because focus moved unexpectedly to the address bar.
 
Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22635.3640 (Beta Channel)

Changes and Improvements gradually being rolled out to the Beta Channel with toggle on

[File Explorer]
  • We’ve added support for creating 7-zip and TAR archives in addition to ZIP via the context menu in File Explorer. We have also added a new compression wizard that lets you choose even more formats and specify even more details. You can compress individual files with gzip/bzip2 (and more,) or add multiple files to archives in different tar formats with different types of compression. You can also change the compression level and what types of data are stored in each archive.
[Emoji]
  • We’re adding support for Emoji 15.1 which introduces a small number of brand-new emoji such as head shaking horizontally and vertically, phoenix, lime, brown mushroom and broken chain. Other changes for Emoji 15.1 include Unicode’s decision to revert family combinations to symbol-like shapes. Windows has chosen to stay with our existing style that use people in family combinations. We are also supporting the new directionality updates for person/man/woman walking, kneeling, with cane, running, manual wheelchair and motorized wheelchair. You can now select right facing or the original left facing orientation for these emoji.

Fixes gradually being rolled out to the Beta Channel with toggle on

[File Explorer]
  • Fixed a few accessibility issues in the Common File Dialog.
[Input]
  • Fixed an underlying ctfmon.exe crash which could impact the ability to input text.
[Windowing]
  • Fixed an issue related to showing tabs in Alt + Tab, which could lead to frequent explorer.exe crashes if you had a very large number of tabs.

Fixes for everyone in the Beta Channel

[Start menu]
  • We fixed an issue believed to be the underlying cause for Start menu crashing on launch or the All apps list not displaying in the previous Beta Channel flight.
[Other]
  • This update addresses an issue that might affect domain controllers (DC). NTLM authentication traffic might increase.
  • This update addresses an issue that might affect Virtual Secure Mode (VSM) scenarios. They might fail. These scenarios include VPN, Windows Hello, Credential Guard, and Key Guard.
 
Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22635.3646 (Beta Channel)

Changes and Improvements gradually being rolled out to the Beta Channel with toggle on

[General]
  • This update includes a small set of general improvements and fixes that improve the overall experience for Insiders running this build on their PCs.

Fixes for everyone in the Beta Channel

[Other]
  • New! This update adds PC Manager to devices in China.
  • This update addresses an issue that affects File Explorer. It takes up to two minutes to start when you pin a folder that is on a network share to Quick Access. This occurs when you upgrade from Windows 11, version 21H2 to Windows 11, version 22H2.
  • This update addresses an issue that affects TWAIN drivers. They might stop responding when you use them in a virtual environment.
  • This update addresses an issue that affects File Explorer. It stops responding when you swipe from a screen edge. This issue occurs after you turn off edge swiping.
  • This update addresses an issue that affects the display of a smart card icon. It does not appear when you sign in. This occurs when there are multiple certificates on the smart card.
  • This update addresses an issue that affects a folder context menu. When you choose the command that removes items, the command adds items instead. This occurs when a third-party service implements a sync feature.
  • This update addresses an issue that affects a server after you remove it from a domain. The Get-LocalGroupMember cmdlet returns an exception. This occurs if the local groups contain domain members.
  • This update affects the Antimalware Scan Interface (AMSI) AmsiUtil It helps to detect the bypass of the AMSI scan. This update also addresses some long-term issues that expose your device to threats.
  • This update addresses an issue that affects printers. They do not work as you expect when you use AppContainer or use them in a restricted environment.
  • This update addresses an issue that affects the out-of-box experience (OOBE). It fails to complete. This occurs when you turn on the “Prevent the use of security questions for local accounts” policy.
  • This update addresses an issue that affects the Host Networking Service (HNS). When the service restarts, load balancer policies are not brought back in the right way.
  • This update addresses an issue that affects Enhanced Fast Reconnect. It fails. This occurs when you use it with third-party remote desktop protocol (RDP) providers.
  • This update addresses an issue that affects Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) Audio They do not show the option to connect or disconnect.
  • This update addresses an issue that affects an IPP-over-USB printer. After you delete it, it still appears as not available in Control Panel.
  • This update addresses an issue that affects Unified Write Filter (UWF) Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) API calls. Calls to shut down or restart the system throw an access denied exception.
  • This update addresses an issue that distorts parts of the screen. This occurs when you use a Chromium-based browser to play a video.
  • This update brings Country and Operator Settings Asset (COSA) profiles up to date for certain mobile operators.
  • This update addresses an issue that affects the Share button on USB controllers. It might not work with Game Bar.
  • This update addresses an issue that displays a hidden window. Its title bar has no content and no client area. This occurs when you share your screen using certain apps.
  • This update addresses an issue that affects handwriting panels and touch keyboards. They do not appear when you use a pen.
  • This update addresses an issue that affects an app that supports encrypted email. The app asks you to enter your credentials each time you open an encrypted email. This occurs even after you have entered your PIN at least once.
 
Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22635.3720 (Beta Channel)

New features gradually being rolled out to the Beta Channel with toggle on

Narrator users can now use voice access to dictate text hands-free
Narrator users can start using voice access in Windows 11 to dictate text with voice and hear what is dictated. In addition, you can also use voice access to give Narrator commands. For example, “Turn on Narrator,” “speak faster,” “read selection,” “read next line,” etc.

To know the entire list of Narrator commands supported with voice access, click help icon (?) on the voice access bar, select “View all commands” and choose “Narrator commands.”

What will work:
  • Start and set up voice access which includes downloading a speech model.
  • Read a list of voice access commands and Narrator commands from voice access help menu.
  • Changing voice access microphone state.
  • Dictating text with voice and hearing back what was dictated.
Tips:
  • If you don’t use headphones for listening to the screen reader, the audio output from the screen reader may get picked up by voice access microphone, leading to unwanted behavior.
FEEDBACK: Send us feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Accessibility > Narrator.

Auto Restart for Voice Access & New Voice Access Command for Windows Search
We are introducing auto restart for voice access in Windows 11. This feature ensures that voice access will automatically restart if it encounters any issues so that individuals with limited mobility can get back to using voice access as quickly as possible. Customers will no longer need to rely on alternative assistive technologies or assistance from others to reactivate voice access. Should voice access automatically restart due to a crash, we are making it easier to report those crashes once voice access restarts so the team can investigate and work on fixes.

We are introducing a new command for searching directly with Windows search. Users can now say the command Search “Entity”; Search Windows for “Entity”; or Search for “Entity” to search for their desired application or file in Windows (“Entity” is replaced with whatever application or file you want to search.)

FEEDBACK: Send us feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Accessibility > Voice access.

Changes and Improvements gradually being rolled out to the Beta Channel with toggle on*

[Search on the Taskbar]
  • We are beginning to roll out the ability to share local files directly from within the search results shown in the search box on the taskbar.
[Windows Share]
  • If you are in China and turn on nearby sharing, you will receive a notification asking to allow turning on Wi-Fi and or Bluetooth should these settings be off as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are required to be enabled for nearby sharing to work.

Fixes gradually being rolled out to the Beta Channel with toggle on

[File Explorer]
  • Fixed an issue where when pressing WIN + E, a screen reader might unexpectedly say a pane had focus, or focus may not be set within File Explorer at all.
  • Fixed an issue which was causing CTRL + F to sometimes not start a search in File Explorer.
  • Fixed an issue where keyboard focus might get lost sometimes when doing Shift + Tab in File Explorer.
 
Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22635.3785 (Beta Channel)

Changes and Improvements gradually being rolled out to the Beta Channel with toggle on*

[Start menu]
  • When right-clicking on apps pinned to the Start menu, jump lists will be shown for apps that have them such as PowerPoint.
[Desktop Spotlight]
  • We are trying out some new adjustments to the Windows Spotlight experience on the desktop to make it easier for Spotlight users to engage with this feature to change images, like or not like an image etc. There will be several changes that Insiders will notice including the following:

    Treatment 1: Spotlight experience in full screen mode, while double-clicking will open the Bing landing page for the image on desktop.
    Treatment 2: if a user right-clicks on the Windows Spotlight icon it will launch the Spotlight experience, while double-clicking will open Windows Spotlight experience in full screen mode. A single click on the Spotlight icon will open the Bing landing page for the image on desktop.
[Windows Share]
  • We are rolling out the ability to easily share content to an Android device from Windows share window. The feature requires you to pair your Android device to your Windows PC using the Link to Windows app on Android and Phone Link on your PC.
Fixes gradually being rolled out to the Beta Channel with toggle on

[Taskbar & System Tray]
  • Fixed an issue causing the taskbar to not appear for a small number of Insiders in the last couple flights.
[File Explorer]
  • Fixed an issue causing screen readers to not announce when you were opening or navigating items in the breadcrumb flyouts of the open or save dialog.
  • Fixed an issue causing screen readers to not announce anything when opening or navigating items in the column header flyout in File Explorer.
[Start menu]
  • Fixed the issue from the last flight where if you clicked your profile icon on the Start menu and chose “Change account settings”, it would not open account settings

Fixes for everyone in the Beta Channel

[Other]
  • This update addresses an issue that might stop your system from resuming from hibernate. This occurs after you turn on BitLocker.
  • This update addresses an issue that affects exe. It leaks memory. This occurs during a Local Security Authority (Domain Policy) Remote Protocol (LSARPC) call.
  • This update addresses an issue that affects exe. It stops responding. This occurs after you install the April 2024 security updates on Windows servers.
 
Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22635.3790 (Beta Channel)

New features gradually being rolled out to the Beta Channel with toggle on

Changes and Improvements gradually being rolled out to the Beta Channel with toggle on
[Phone Link]
  • We are gradually rolling out a new feature, which allows you to use your mobile device directly from the Start menu on your Windows 11 PCs, to Windows Insiders in the Beta Channel. With this feature, you can stay connected and effortlessly access your mobile device’s functionalities right from the Start menu. See this blog post for more details.
[Copilot in Windows*]

Fixes gradually being rolled out to the Beta Channel with toggle on
[File Explorer]
  • Addressed contrast issues of certain elements in File Explorer (left navigation pane, view pane/folder view, status bar buttons on the bottom right) in light, dark, and high contrast themes. E.g., adjustments to make it easier to see when a file or folder is selected.

Fixes for everyone in the Beta Channel
[General]
  • We fixed the issue where Settings was crashing when trying to look at wi-fi properties.
[Settings]
  • Fixed an issue where when attempting to install an optional feature via Settings > System > Option features, it might crash Settings in the latest Windows 11 Insider Preview build in the Beta Channel.

*Copilot in Windows is being rolled out gradually to Windows Insiders across our global markets. Customers in the European Economic Area will be able to download the Copilot in Windows experience as an app from the Microsoft Store.
 
Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22635.3858 (Beta Channel)

Changes and Improvements gradually being rolled out to the Beta Channel with toggle on

[File Explorer]
  • The preview thumbnail title in the taskbar, ALT + Tab and Task View for File Explorer windows will now indicate if that window includes multiple tabs.
[Windows Share]
  • We’re rolling out some minor UI changes to simplify the Windows share window which removes the search box.
[For Developers]
  • Updated the logic for the “End Task” option in the taskbar so that it no longer shows a Not Responding dialog to give confirmation before ending the task.
[Other]
  • Updated the Run dialog to now follow text scaling (Settings > Accessibility > Text size).

Fixes gradually being rolled out to the Beta Channel with toggle on

[File Explorer]
  • Addressed several accessibility issues where File Explorer, Common File Dialog (CFD), and Browse/Shortcuts Dialogs did not respond appropriately to your text size / scaling preferences. Including, but not limited to, fixed an issue where file name was getting clipped in the CFD and the Browse/ Shortcuts dialog.
  • Addressed several accessibility issues in File Explorer impacting screen reader users, related to content being read out correctly, and also keyboard focus not going to the correct place. Some examples include, keyboard focus getting lost sometimes when using Shift + Tab, and Narrator stuttering during the search process
  • Fixed an issue causing some people to see a thin line between the tab and address bar in File Explorer.
  • Fixed an issue impacting File Explorer reliability for a small number of people.
  • Fixed an issue where the OneDrive icon in the address bar was blurry sometimes for some people.

Fixes for everyone in the Beta Channel

[Voice Typing]
  • Fixed an issue believed to be the underlying cause of some Insiders seeing errors when attempting to use Voice Typing in certain languages such as Chinese with recent flights.
[Taskbar]
  • Updated the app icon flashing in the taskbar to be a bit easier to see.
[Other]
  • You can now use OneDrive as a RemoteApp in Azure Virtual Desktop.
  • This update improves the Virtual Filtering Platform (VFP) within Windows nodes. Now, VFP has more support for packet drop collection. This will make it easier to troubleshoot issues.
  • Fixed an issue where Group Policy would fail to detect when a network’s speed is slow. Instead, it assumed that a fast link was present.
  • Fixed an issue causing a deadlock which could stop you from signing in to Azure Virtual Desktop sessions.
  • Fixed an issue occurring when using Storage Spaces Direct (S2D) and Remote Direct Memory Access (RDMA). When you used them with SMBdirect in your networks, the networks would fail, and you would lose the ability to manage clusters.
  • Fixed and issue where a firewall profile might drop from domain to public. This would occur when multiple interfaces existed, and you added or removed an interface.
  • Fixed an issue where GPUs did not enter the idle state that stops them from consuming power.
  • Fixed an issue where when using Snipping Tool to record videos on some PCs, the audio would have distortions.
  • This update adds the registry key HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\DWM ForceDisableModeChangeAnimation (REG_DWORD). When you set its value to 1 (or a non-zero number), it turns off the display mode change animation. If the value is 0 or the key does not exist, the animation is set to on.
  • This update brings Country and Operator Settings Asset (COSA) profiles up to date for certain mobile operators.
  • Fixed an issue occurring in the Windows Filtering Platform (WFP) driver. This issue could lead to high system CPU usage. It also reduced throughput under a heavy load. This update boosts network packet processing in WFP. This helps to stop performance from degrading. This update also adds batch processing to reduce CPU load.
  • Fixed an issue where the Input Method Editor (IME) candidate list might fail to show or showed in the wrong position.
 
Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22635.3930 (Beta Channel)

New features gradually being rolled out to the Beta Channel with toggle on

Shared Content in File Explorer Home
File Explorer will now provide you with quick access to files that have been shared with you. If you are signed into Windows with your Microsoft account, you will be able to view files that have been shared with your account, such as email, Teams chat, etc. If you are a commercial customer who is signed-in with your Microsoft Entra ID account, you will additionally be able to view files that they have shared with others. You can access this feature by launching File Explorer Home and clicking on the 'Shared' tab item.

You will also be able to view a broader set of file types in their Recent, Favorites, and Shared sections on the homepage. For example, if you've recently opened/edited files in Designer, Loop, Power BI, Forms, etc. these files will now be available in your Recent list.

FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Files Folders and Online Storage > File Explorer.

Changes and Improvements gradually being rolled out to the Beta Channel with toggle on

[Taskbar & System Tray]
  • We are trying out a more simplified system tray to highlight the date/time in a shortened form and to show the notifications bell icon based on DND status. Without the notification bell icon, you can get to your notifications by clicking the date and time to Notification Center. You can revert to the long form of the date/time and bell icon visuals by toggling the values in the Settings via Settings > Date and Time under "Show time and day in the system tray" and Settings > System > Notifications under "Notifications". These settings are also accessible through the context menu shown by right clicking the system tray clock/bell icon button.
  • We've updated the previews that show when you mouse-over/hover over apps on the taskbar. We have also improved the animations for when these previews show on the taskbar based on Insider feedback.
  • Updated the taskbar to now support first letter navigation, so when keyboard focus is set to the taskbar (WIN + T), you can press a letter, and it will jump to the open or pinned app whose name starts with that letter. Pressing the letter multiple times will jump to the subsequent app which starts with that letter, if there are multiple apps for that letter. For those using uncombined taskbar, rather than app name, the first letter navigation will use window name. Along with this, pressing Home and End will now move keyboard focus to the first and last (respectively) items in the taskbar.
[Windows Studio Effects]
  • Windows Studio Effects delivers AI-based camera and audio enhancements on devices equipped with a Neural Processing Unit (NPU). Today, you can access Studio Effects in Quick Settings from the system tray of the taskbar. To further streamline your experience, an icon will now appear in the system tray when using any application with a Studio Effects-enabled camera. Simply click on this icon to launch the Studio Effects page in Quick Settings. Additionally, hovering over the icon will display a tooltip indicating which application is utilizing the camera.
[Windows Share]
  • We are updating the UI in the Windows share window for sharing content to an Android device that began rolling out with Build 22635.3785. The option is also move to be under "Nearby Share" in the Windows share window. The feature requires you to pair your Android device to your Windows PC using the Link to Windows app on Android and Phone Link on your PC.
[Narrator]
  • We have made several changes to improve the performance of Narrator scan mode. This is expected to make scan mode responses much quicker, especially while using Microsoft Edge, and reading through large documents. To try out scan mode, turn on Narrator first (Win key + Ctrl + Enter), and then turn scan mode ON by pressing Caps Lock + Spacebar during a Narrator session.
[Other]
  • Updated System Info (msinfo32) to now follow your text size preference under Settings > Accessibility > Text Size.

Fixes gradually being rolled out to the Beta Channel with toggle on

[Start menu]
  • Fixed an issue where the All apps list wasn't being read out by screen readers in recent flights.
  • Fixed an issue causing some apps to not be sorted correctly in the All apps list when using certain display languages.
[Taskbar & System Tray]
  • Fixed an issue where keyboard focus might get lost when using Shift + Tab to move through the taskbar.

Fixes for everyone in the Beta Channel

[Taskbar & System Tray]
  • We fixed the issue causing you not to be able to view or interact with the taskbar after you install KB5039302. This issue occurs on devices that run the Windows N edition. This edition is like other editions but lacks most media-related tools. The issue also occurs if you turn off "Media Features" from the Control Panel.
 
Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22635.3936 (Beta Channel)

Changes and Improvements gradually being rolled out to the Beta Channel with toggle on

[General]
  • We are trying out updated designs for the “Open with” dialog where the group headers are removed, among a few other changes.
[Taskbar & System Tray]
  • We have temporarily disabled the more simplified system tray with shortened date/time change that began rolling out with Build 22635.3930 to address several issues. We will begin re-enabling this on a future flight. If you saw this change previously, it will likely disappear after updating to this build today.

Fixes gradually being rolled out to the Beta Channel with toggle on

[Input]
  • Fixed an issue causing text suggestions for the hardware keyboard to not work properly in recent builds (selecting one unexpectedly concatenated).
  • Fixed a few high hitting ctfmon.exe crashes, which could impact the ability to input text.
  • Fixed an issue which could cause certain mice and keyboards to not work in safe mode.
 
Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22635.4000 (Beta Channel)

Changes and Improvements gradually being rolled out to the Beta Channel with toggle on

[General]
  • This update includes a small set of general improvements and fixes that improve the overall experience for Insiders running this build on their PCs.
[Taskbar & System Tray]
  • We’re beginning to try out showing jump lists when you hover your mouse cursor over apps on the taskbar that have jump lists and are inactive. Should you see this experience, let us know what you think via Feedback Hub.
[Voice Access]
  • We are making improvements for the spelling and corrections experience in voice access. You will now be able to use the experience for the entirety of voice access session. The spelling experience will now enable you to dictate the characters at a faster speed and offer more editing flexibility inside the experience with dictation commands, namely selection, deletion and text navigation commands.
[Widgets]
  • We are rolling out an update to the Widgets Board to improve security and the APIs for creating widgets and feeds for users in EEA regions. As part of this update, the Microsoft Start Experiences app will power the Microsoft Start widget and feed experiences. Also, as part of this update, some existing widgets will be removed and others will be modified, temporarily affecting their functionality. This update sets the foundation for new widgets and other features in development, set to roll out soon.
Fixes gradually being rolled out to the Beta Channel with toggle on

[General]
  • Fix and underlying issue causing the Notification Center to get stuck and not open sometimes for some Insiders with the latest builds. This is also believed to be the same underlying cause as some Insiders finding that the Add a Device dialog didn’t appear when trying to add Bluetooth devices in Settings.


Changes and Improvements gradually being rolled out to everyone in the Beta Channel

[File Explorer]
  • Fixed some issues causing Narrator to not work as expected when navigating through the Recent, Favorites, and Shared tab items for Insiders with the recent updates to Home in File Explorer.
  • Fixed an issue causing the context menu in Home or Gallery to open in the wrong position when using Arabic or Hebrew display languages.
 
Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22635.4005 (Beta Channel)

Changes and Improvements gradually being rolled out to the Beta Channel with toggle on

[General]
  • This update includes a small set of general improvements and fixes that improve the overall experience for Insiders running this build on their PCs.

Fixes gradually being rolled out to the Beta Channel with toggle on

[General]
  • Fixed an issue which was causing sporadic explorer.exe for some Insiders while using your PC in the latest flights.

Reminders for Windows Insiders in the Beta Channel

  • Updates released to the Beta Channel are based off Windows 11, version 23H2.
  • Features and experiences included in these builds may never get released as we try out different concepts and get feedback. Features may change over time, be removed, or replaced and never get released beyond Windows Insiders. Some of these features and experiences could show up in future Windows releases when they’re ready.
  • Many features in the Beta Channel are rolled out using Control Feature Rollout technology, starting with a subset of Insiders and ramping up over time as we monitor feedback to see how they land before pushing them out to everyone in this channel.
  • Some features in active development we preview with Windows Insiders may not be fully localized and localization will happen over time as features are finalized. As you see issues with localization in your language, please report those issues to us via Feedback Hub.
  • Windows Insiders in the Beta Channel who want to be the first to get features gradually rolled out to you, you can turn ON the toggle to get the latest updates as they are available via Settings > Windows Update. Over time, we will increase the rollouts of features to everyone with the toggle turned on. Should you keep this toggle off, new features will gradually be rolled out to your device over time once they are ready.
  • 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.
  • Check out Flight Hub for a complete look at what build is in which Insider channel.
  • Copilot in Windows is being rolled out gradually to Windows Insiders across our global markets. Customers in the European Economic Area will be able to download the Copilot in Windows experience as an app from the Microsoft Store.
 
Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22635.4010 (Beta Channel)

Changes and Improvements gradually being rolled out to the Beta Channel with toggle on

[Taskbar & System Tray]
  • The more simplified system tray with shortened date/time change that began rolling out with Build 22635.3930 is now beginning to roll out again to Windows Insiders in the Beta Channel after temporarily disabling the experience to address some issues.
  • For Insiders in the Beta Channel who have the experience where we show jump lists when you hover your mouse cursor over apps on the taskbar that have jump lists that began rolling out with Build 22635.4000, there is a setting to turn this off should you want to via Settings > Personalization > Taskbar under "Taskbar behaviors".

Fixes gradually being rolled out to the Beta Channel with toggle on

[Taskbar]
  • Fixed a recent issue where if you pressed the Shift key when you right clicked on an app icon on the taskbar, it was opening another instance of the app rather than opening the expected menu. As part of this fix, we also fixed an issue where if you pressed the Shift key when right-clicking on an app icon on the taskbar would sometimes crash explorer.exe.
[Task Manager]
  • Fixed an issue where the dropdown at the top of the GPU section of Performance wasn't showing in dark mode when dark mode was enabled.
 
Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22635.4076 (Beta Channel)

Changes and Improvements gradually being rolled out to the Beta Channel with toggle on

[Windows Studio Effects]
  • The improvement introduced with Build 22635.3930 that introduces a Studio Effects icon in the system tray when using any application with a Studio Effects-enabled camera has temporarily been disabled with this build. We plan to re-enable this feature in a future flight.

Fixes gradually being rolled out to the Beta Channel with toggle on

[File Explorer]
  • Fixed an issue where keyboard focus might get lost on selection of an unselected tab item.
[Voice Access]
[Input]
  • Fixed an issue causing the emoji panel to close when trying to switch to the kaomoji and symbols sections, or after selecting an emoji.
[Other]
  • Fixed an issue in Registry Editor where when editing a DWORD or QWORD if you pasted in a HEX value into the text box and saved it, the value saved might not be the one you had entered (for example, pasting 0x1 would become 0x411).

Fixes for everyone in the Beta Channel
  • [NetAdapterCx module] A system stops responding when large amounts of data travel over Wi-Fi. This issue occurs on devices that have certain wireless network cards.
  • [Windows Kernel Vulnerable Driver Blocklist file (DriverSiPolicy.p7b)] This update adds to the list of drivers that are at risk for Bring Your Own Vulnerable Driver (BYOVD) attacks.
  • [Windows Defender Application Control (WDAC)]
    • When you apply WDAC Application ID policies, some apps might fail.
    • A memory leak occurs that might exhaust system memory as time goes by. This issue occurs when you provision a device.
  • [Group Policy Preferences Item Level Targeting (ILT) and Local Users and Groups] You cannot choose a group from the target domain for ILT. Also, you cannot choose an account from Local Users and Groups. The forest does not appear. This issue occurs when you deploy multiple forests, and the target domain has a one-way trust with the domain of the admin. This issue affects Enhanced Security Admin Environment (ESAE), Hardened Forests (HF), or Privileged Access Management (PAM) deployments.
  • [Autopilot] Using it to provision Surface Laptop SE devices fails.
  • [FrameShutdownDelay] The browser ignores its value in the “HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main” registry key.
  • [Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCPIP)] The issue causes high CPU usage and loss of packets. It also affects TCP connection success rates.
  • [Cache manager] It might stop responding. This occurs when you use Hyperthreading on Windows Server 2022.
  • [Print Support App] When you use the app with a USB device, the app stops responding and does not print. This issue also limits the functions of the user interface.
  • [Universal Print clients] They fail to communicate with the Universal Print service. This affects printing functions. This issue occurs when you turn on Web Proxy Auto Discovery (WPAD).
  • [NetJoinLegacyAccountReuse] This update removes this registry key. For more information refer to KB5020276—Netjoin: Domain join hardening changes.
  • [Windows Backup] Backup sometimes fails. This occurs when a device has an Extensible Firmware Interface (EFI) system partition (ESP).
  • [PowerShell and VBScript] The issue stops you from using Windows Update Agent (WUA) APIs in your scripts.
 
Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22635.4082 (Beta Channel)

Changes and Improvements gradually being rolled out to the Beta Channel with toggle on

[Notifications]
  • If desired, there’s now an option to turn off the suggestions to disable notifications from certain apps. You can now press the “…” within the notification to disable the notification, as you can with other notifications, or you can go to the list of notification senders in Settings > System > Notifications and turn it off from there (called “Notification Suggestions” in the list). Note – this entry will only appear in the senders list after you have received one.
[Lock screen]
  • We have updated the Lock screen so that the media controls will now show at the lower bottom center of the Lock screen now when media is being played.
[Settings]
  • We’ve designed the settings page for Delivery Optimization under Settings > Windows Update > Advanced options > Delivery Optimization to match the Windows 11 design principles.
Fixes gradually being rolled out to the Beta Channel with toggle on

[Taskbar & System Tray]
  • Fixed an issue causing explorer.exe to crash for some Insiders when closing apps from the taskbar in the latest flights.
[Start menu]
  • Fixed an issue causing the Start menu to crash on launch in the last few flights for some Insiders.
[Other]
  • Fixed an issue causing a memory leak after receiving certain notifications.

Fixes for everyone in the Beta Channel

[Other]
 
Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22635.4145 (Beta Channel)

Changes and Improvements gradually being rolled out to the Beta Channel with toggle on

[General]
  • For new PCs or new user accounts on managed commercial devices (PCs running Windows 11 Enterprise, Education, or Pro logged in with an Entra ID (or domain), the Microsoft 365 app will be pinned to the taskbar for quick access to Copilot for Microsoft 365.
[Input]
  • We have updated Settings > Bluetooth & Devices > Mouse to now include the option to turn off enhanced mouse pointer precision for those that would prefer to not use it and have added a new option for changing mouse scrolling direction.
  • We have updated Settings > Bluetooth & Devices > Touch to have a new section for touch screen edge gestures, where you can choose if you would like to disable the left or right screen edge touch gesture.
[Desktop Spotlight]
We are trying out some adjustments to the Windows Spotlight experience on the desktop to include hotspots when users right-click on the Windows Spotlight icon. In addition, these changes will include two different UX treatments that Insiders will notice.

There is no change to the interaction model where right click opens the experience in full screen and double clicking launches the Bing landing page. When in full screen, you will now see two hotspots which will be animated to aid discovery, and which will reveal additional information on hover. Clicking on a hotspot will close the full screen experience and launch the Bing landing page.

[Windows Share]
  • We're adding the ability to share content to Notepad and Clipchamp directly from the Windows share window.

Fixes gradually being rolled out to the Beta Channel with toggle on

[File Explorer]
  • Fixed an issue causing File Explorer to crash when navigating to Home for some Insiders with the two flights. This also led File Explorer to crash on launch if it opened directly to Home.
  • Fixed an issue causing explorer.exe to crash when interacting with archive files in the last few flights.
[Start menu]
Fixes for everyone in the Beta Channel

[Other]
This update includes fixes for the following issues:
  • [File Explorer] The navigation pane does not update when you browse folders that are in a shell namespace extension.
  • [Hibernate stop error] Your laptop stops responding after you resume it from hibernate. This occurs if you have closed and opened the lid many times.
  • [Windows Hello for Business] PIN reset does not work when you select the "I forgot my PIN' link on the credentials screen.
  • Your system might stop responding when it accesses symbolic links.
  • [Bluetooth] External devices lose their connection when you deploy certain Bluetooth policies.
  • [Microsoft Entra single sign-on (SSO)] The SSO notice that the European Digital Markets Act (DMA) requires prompts too often. This occurs when you authenticate using a certificate. To learn more, see Upcoming changes to Windows single sign-on.
  • [Unified Write Filter (UWF) and Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM)] An SCCM task to re-enable UWF fails because of a deadlock in UWF. This stops the device from restarting when you expect it.
  • [Country and Operator Settings Asset] This update brings COSA profiles up to date for certain mobile operators.
  • [Input Method Editor (IME)] When a combo box has input focus, a memory leak might occur when you close that window.
  • You might not be able to decrypt a BitLocker data drive. This occurs when you move that drive from a newer version of Windows to an older version.
 
Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22635.4145 (Beta Channel) Update

Changes and Improvements gradually being rolled out to the Beta Channel with toggle on

[Start menu]
  • [ADDED 9/3] Based on feedback, we’ve made some updates to the new account manager on the Start menu making the sign out option directly visible, and adding a list of signed in users under “…” so it’s faster to switch accounts.
[Input]
  • [ADDED 9/3] We’re beginning to roll out a new Gamepad keyboard layout for the on-screen keyboard in Windows 11 that supports the ability to use your Xbox controller to navigate and type. This includes button accelerators (example: X button for backspace, Y button for spacebar) additionally the keyboard keys have been vertically aligned for better controller navigation patterns.
 
Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22635.4225 (Beta Channel)

Changes and Improvements gradually being rolled out to the Beta Channel with toggle on

[File Explorer]
  • We are adding the ability to share content to an Android device from the context menu in File Explorer and on the desktop. To use this feature, the Phone Link must be installed and configured on your PC.

Fixes gradually being rolled out to the Beta Channel with toggle on

[Input]
  • Fixed an issue causing some Insiders to see the emoji panel not working properly again in the previous flight (closing after selecting one emoji, and not able to switch categories).

Changes and Improvements gradually being rolled out to everyone in the Beta Channel

[Settings]
  • We are adding the ability to configure the Copilot key. You can choose to have the Copilot key launch an app that is MSIX packaged and signed, thus indicating the app meets security and privacy requirements to keep customers safe. The key will continue to launch Copilot on devices that have the Copilot app installed until a customer selects a different experience. This setting can be found via Settings > Personalization > Text input. If the keyboard connected to your PC does not have a Copilot key, adjusting this setting will not do anything.

Fixes for everyone in the Beta Channel

[General]
  • Fixed an issue which was causing some Insiders to experience a bugcheck when closing Notepad in the previous flight.

[Other]
This update includes fixes for the following issues:

  • [Windows Installer] When it repairs an application, the User Account Control (UAC) does not prompt for your credentials. After you install this update, the UAC will prompt for them. Because of this, you must update your automation scripts. Application owners must add the Shield icon. It indicates that the process requires full administrator access. To turn off the UAC prompt, set the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Installer\DisableLUAInRepair registry value to 1. The changes in this update might affect automatic Windows Installer repairs; see Application Resiliency: Unlock the Hidden Features of Windows Installer.
  • [Group Policy Preferences Item Level Targeting (ILT) and Local Users and Groups] You cannot choose a group from the target domain for ILT. Also, you cannot choose an account from Local Users and Groups. The forest does not appear. This issue occurs when you deploy multiple forests, and the target domain has a one-way trust with the domain of the admin. This issue affects Enhanced Security Admin Environment (ESAE), Hardened Forests (HF), or Privileged Access Management (PAM) deployments.
  • [Task Manager] It stops responding when you switch from a high contrast theme to a normal theme.
 
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