Microsoft today pushed the 23521 version update to Windows 11 Dev preview members, which brought a number of improvements and optimizations. Summary updates are as follows:
Improve and Enhance
Windows 365
Windows Insiders in the Dev and Beta channels can participate in the public preview of Windows 365 Switch. Windows 365 Switch provides the ability to easily move between Windows 365 cloud PCs and local desktops using the same familiar keyboard commands, as well as mouse clicks or swipe gestures through Task View on the Windows 11 taskbar.
Windows Copilot AI Assistant
Windows Insiders logged in in the Dev channel and managed by AAD (soon to be Microsoft Entra ID) will see them enable Windows Copilot again without enabling it through the Group Policy Editor.Taskbar and System Tray
To make it easier to enable Never Merge mode on the taskbar, Microsoft has updated the Settings app. Just turn on "Never" merge mode by adjusting "Merge taskbar buttons and hide labels" to "Never". Microsoft provides a separate setting for turning on this option for other taskbars, such as multiple monitor scenarios.
Dynamic Lighting
Users can now instantly sync Windows accents with their surrounding devices by switching the Match my Windows accents toggle under Effects in Settings > Personalization > Dynamic Lighting.
Added the ability to choose a custom color to light up the device.Task Manager
Updated Task Manager settings page to match Windows 11 design principles. The design has a similar look to Settings in Windows 11 and offers a cleaner user interface that divides categories into distinct sections. Microsoft has also updated some dialogs in Task Manager.
Windows Spotlight
After an OS update, in some cases, such as using the default Windows 11 background or a solid color, Windows Spotlight wallpapers may be enabled for users. If you don't want to enable Windows Spotlight, you can manually turn it off, and you can manually turn it on in the future.Search on taskbar
Windows Search now uses the Microsoft Bing search application to return web content and search results. In the European Economic Area (EEA), users can enable installed Microsoft Store apps that enable web search providers to return web content and search results in Windows Search through settings.Set Up
The Final Missions feature under System > For Developers no longer requires developer mode to be enabled to work.
Under Settings > Personalization > Device Usage, Microsoft has added "Development" to the list, and opening it will launch the developer homepage.Other
In the European Economic Area (EEA), Windows now requires consent to share data between Windows and other signed-in Microsoft services. Users will see some Windows features start checking consent now, and more features will be added in future releases. Some features in Windows features may not be available if data is shared between Windows and other signed-in Microsoft services without consent, such as certain types of file recommendations under Recommendations on the Start menu.Repair
File Explorer
Fixed an issue where files could not be dragged out of an archive folder to extract using one of the newly supported archive formats.
Fixed an issue where when extracting one of the newly supported archive formats using the "Extract All" option in the context menu, it would not work unless Windows Explorer was set as the default for that file type.
When trying to extract one of the new archive formats, and the file is password-encrypted, it will now display a message that this feature is not currently supported.
Fixed a bug where Insider users could experience a File Explorer crash when dragging the scroll bar or trying to close the window while an extension file was loading.
Fixed an issue that caused the search box in File Explorer to not work properly with input methods.
Fixed pasting using the context menu in the address bar not working (or other context menu actions in the address bar).
Fixed an issue that could cause everything to be selected when attempting to touch scroll on the home page.
Fixed white flash in dark theme when switching between Home and Gallery.Taskbar and System Tray
Fixed removing the USB icon and its options from the systray.
Fixed an issue where titles were missing from the taskbar preview when tablet-optimized taskbars were turned on when using an uncombined taskbar.
Fixed an issue where application indicators for ungrouped taskbars would not display correctly after displaying downloading content.
Fixed an explorer.exe crash affecting system tray reliability.
Fixed an issue where the end task function would not work if you attempted to do so while the app had multiple windows open.
Fixed an issue where using "End Task" on some applications would cause other unrelated applications to close.HDR desktop wallpaper
Fixed an issue where wallpapers could lose the HDR effect despite HDR being enabled.
Fixed an issue where .JXL files could not be selected for wallpaper slideshows.other
If Get Help is not installed, when opening one of the troubleshooters in Settings, it will now prompt the user to install the program instead of displaying an error that there is no app associated with the action.Known Issues
Microsoft is investigating reports by some Insiders that the taskbar doesn't load when they log into their PCs after installing this build.
Microsoft is fixing an issue that caused explorer.exe to crash on the login screen when trying to enter Safe Mode.
Some applications under "All Apps" on the Start menu, such as PWA applications installed through Microsoft Edge, may be incorrectly labeled as system components.
Users can switch out of Windows Copilot with Alt+Tab, but cannot switch back to it. Windows+C will bring focus back to Windows Copillot.
The first time a user hits the "Ask me anything" box on first boot or after refreshing Copilot using voice access, the "Show grid" command is required.
Microsoft is investigating reports of incorrect typing using Japanese and Chinese input methods in the previous version.Fixed widget panel
Microsoft began rolling out widget updates for Windows Insiders in the Canary and Dev channels, and users can click the pin icon in the upper right corner of the widget.
Snipping Tool screenshot tool update
Microsoft has started rolling out updates for the Snipping Tool (11.2306.43.0 and later) to Windows Insiders in the Canary and Dev channels. This update introduces new buttons for editing screenshots in Paint and editing screen recordings in Clipchamp.
