New Windows 11 Build 22635.2841 – File Explorer Improvements, New Widgets Settings, and Fixes (Beta)

In this article, we will talk about the latest Windows 11 Insider Preview Build for the Beta Channel, which is Build 22635.2841.

Microsoft is making some changes to the Beta Channel:

• They will no longer release 2 different builds for the Beta Channel, and everyone will now be on the same build
• Insiders who want all the new features will need to toggle on the get the latest updates as they are available setting in Windows Update
• Features will be tested in 2 different ways: new features, improvements, and fixes that are being gradually rolled out for Insiders who have turned ON the toggle to get the latest updates as they are available and then new features, improvements, and fixes gradually rolling out to everyone in the Beta Channel. 

Moment 5 Update

Related to the next Moment Update in Windows 11 23H2, we now know that all the Features that require the Get the latest Updates as soon as they are available toggle to be on will be present in the Windows 11 Moment 5 Update, which could be released sometime in February.

Changes and Improvements for Users with the toggle on

General

• Steps Recorder will not receive further updates and is planned for removal in a future Windows release. Starting in this build, Steps Recorder (PSR.exe) will display a new banner notification to guide users towards alternative options. We encourage our users to explore other options in Windows 11 such as Snipping tool, Xbox Game bar or Microsoft Clipchamp. For more, see this article.

Nearby Sharing

• If you turn on nearby sharing via quick settings or directly in Settings and you have Wi-Fi and Bluetooth off, it will turn Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on so nearby sharing will work as expected. If you turn off Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, it will also turn off nearby sharing.

Fixes for Users with the toggle on

Task Manager

• Did some work to help improve the performance when expanding the navigation pane in Task Manager.
• Fixed an issue which was causing a Task Manager crash when changing Always on Top mode.
• Fixed an issue where the dropdowns in settings would float up the screen if you scrolled.

Changes and Improvements for all Users in the Beta Channel

New Widgets Board Settings

Microsoft updated the widget settings experience, providing more ways for users to customize their widgets board experience.  One of the new settings enables you to just show widgets on your widgets board and another makes it easier for you to discover how to personalize your feed content.

The new settings experience also allows you to select the account you want to use for your Microsoft Start powered widgets and feeds. This means you are no longer limited to using the account you used to sign into Windows to drive those experiences, just like your other app powered widgets. You can easily manage the account used by Microsoft Start by navigating to ‘Microsoft Start’ settings under the ‘Personalize your content’ section in your widgets board settings. This change allows you to further personalize the experience to your preferences. The new settings experience is not limited by region.

Settings

• Optional features previously listed under Settings > Apps has moved to its own page under Settings > System.

Fixes for everyone in the Beta Channel

• New! You can use Copilot in Windows with ALT + Tab. When you press ALT +Tab, the thumbnail preview for Copilot in Windows appears among other thumbnail previews of open windows. You can switch between them using the Tab keystroke.
• New! You can use Copilot in Windows across multiple displays. Press the Copilot in Windows taskbar button on the taskbar of the display where you want Copilot in Windows to appear. To show Copilot in Windows on the last display that it was on, press WIN + C. If you use a keyboard, press WIN + T to put the keyboard focus on the taskbar. Then go to the Copilot in Windows button to open it on any display.
• New! In the coming weeks, you might see Windows Spotlight set as the default background. This might occur when your background is set to an inbox Windows image.
• This update addresses an issue that might affect the cursor when you write in Japanese. The cursor might move to an unexpected place.
• This update addresses an issue that affects File Explorer. The options in the left pane show the wrong state.
• This update addresses an issue that affects Remote Desktop web authentication. This issue might stop you from connecting to sovereign cloud endpoints.
• This update addresses an issue that affects Settings. It stops responding after you turn off Device Encryption.
• This update addresses an issue that affects the cursor. Its movement lags in some screen capture scenarios.
• This update addresses an issue that affects File Explorer windows. When you do not expect them, they appear in the foreground.
• This update addresses an issue that affects Windows Sandbox. If the locale of your machine is not US English, File Explorer stops responding.
• This update addresses an issue that affects File Explorer. When you press Shift + F10, the shortcut (context) menu does not open.
• This update affects the shortcut (context) menu. Its performance is now better when you open it on the desktop and in File Explorer.
• This update addresses an issue that affects .RAR files. They display as if they are empty in File Explorer.
• This update addresses an issue that causes IE mode to stop responding. This occurs when you have multiple IE mode tabs open.
• This update addresses an issue that affects IE mode. A webpage stops working as expected when there is an open modal dialog.
• This update addresses an issue that causes IE mode to stop responding. This occurs if you press the left arrow key when an empty text box has the focus and caret (cursor) browsing is on.
• This update addresses an issue that affects 32-bit GDI based applications. They stop responding. This occurs when they run on 64-bit Windows OSs that use more than 2 GB of memory.
• This update addresses an issue that affects apps that you download from Microsoft Store. They stop responding and will not update.
• This update addresses an issue that affects hardware that uses the PresentAt feature. Power use grows when you play a video in full screen.
• This update addresses an issue that affects the Copilot in Windows icon on the taskbar. It does not show as active when Copilot in Windows is open.
• This update improves how fast Copilot in Windows opens from the taskbar.
• This update addresses an issue that affects the Trusted Sites Zone logon policy. You cannot manage it using mobile device management (MDM).
• This update affects Microsoft Defender for Endpoint (MDE). It enables Conditional Access (CA) scenarios.
• This update affects the Netherlands time zone. It adds the recent man-made landmass outside of Rotterdam to the shape files.
• This update addresses a leak in volatile notifications. This might stop you from signing in to your machine.
• This update addresses an issue that affects the Advanced Audio Coding (AAC) decoder. It does not work well on some websites that set the wrong input sampling rate.
• This update addresses an issue that affects remote direct memory access (RDMA) performance counters. They did not return networking data on VMs in the right way.
• This update addresses an issue that stops you from reconnecting to an existing Remote Desktop session. Instead, you get a new one.
• This update addresses an issue that affects Windows LAPS. Its PasswordExpirationProtectionEnabled policy fails to turn on the setting.
• This update addresses app cursor issues. The cursor changes from a hand to a cursor when it should not, or the cursor disappears. These issues occur when apps use the WebView2Standalone XAML control.
• This update addresses an issue that might affect Microsoft OneNote. When you use a pen right-click to open it, that might fail.
• This update affects Dynamic Lighting. It reduces the amount of power it uses on your device.
• This update addresses an issue that affects certain PCs. It stops them from downloading speech recognition packages.

For more information about this Build, you can check this article from the Microsoft Blog.

For a more in-depth presentation of the New Build, you can watch the video below from the YouTube channel.