- Microsoft releases Windows 11 build 22523 as the last preview of 2021.
- The preview brings Snap groups to Task View and other tweaks.
- The Programs & Features and Uninstall Updates from Control Panel have been ported to Settings.
Devices participating in the Windows Insider Program’s Dev Channel are currently receiving Build 22523 for Windows 11. This modest update, which includes a number of repairs and enhancements, is the final preview build that testers will receive in 2021. (Watch this hands-on video as well to see all the changes made during this flight.)
According to the official notes, Snap groups are now available to all users in Task View (Alt + Tab) in Windows 11 build 22523. Previously, only a select group of testers had access to this.
When you click the See more (three-dotted) menu in the command bar, the add media server and (if applicable) uninstall media server options are now accessible on this PC as part of the File Explorer improvements.
The historical Programs & Features feature has been eliminated from Windows 11 since Build 22523 also includes an upgraded version of the Settings app that, when clicked on the Programs & Features links in the Control Panel, accesses the Installed Apps page. Additionally, because the Control Panel interface has been eliminated, you may now uninstall updates via Settings>Windows Update>Update History.
Windows 11 build 22523 fixes
This flight fixes several issues with the Taskbar, File Explorer, Input, Widgets, Settings, Spotlight collection, and more.
Taskbar
- Fixed an issue related to text input initialization that could lead to the shell (for example, Start menu and search) becoming non-responsive on ARM64 PCs.
- The battery icon tooltip should no longer unexpectedly show a percent above 100.
- App icons should no longer overlap the date & time on secondary monitors when there are a lot of open apps.
File Explorer
- Addressed an issue that was leading to losing keyboard focus sometimes after pressing Enter when using F2 to rename OneDrive files.
Spotlight collection
- After enabling spotlight collection, your first image (after Whitehaven Beach) should arrive a little faster now.
- Added icons to the spotlight collection context menu entries.
Input
- Improved reliability of invoking voice typing.
- Fixed an issue where the border of our text input experiences (voice typing, emoji panel, etc.) wasn t drawing correctly when a contrast theme was enabled.
- Mitigated an intermittent crash with the pen menu process if it was launched and then immediately closed before the launch happened.
Widgets
- Fixed the issue causing links to not open properly when opening the widgets board using hover.
Settings
- Settings content should no longer get truncated off the side of the window when making the Settings window small.
- Settings should no longer sporadically crash when opening combo boxes, which was impacting certain settings such as the ability to set custom click actions for the pen.
- Addressed an issue where the Add a device option in Bluetooth & Devices was silently crashing when trying to connect new Bluetooth devices.
- Added a number of keywords to make the Voice Access feature appear in settings search results.
General fixes
- Fixed an issue that was causing ARM64 PCs to experience bug checks citing a memory management error in the previous flight.
- Fixed an issue that was causing DWM to crash (causing the screen to flash repeatedly) when trying to use certain apps.
- Mitigated an issue leading to certain apps hanging when Narrator was running.
- Added some missing information when examining the details in the properties of narratorquickstart.exe.
- Addressed an issue where Narrator would not respond to UIA events such as notifications, live regions, or text events.
Microsoft concludes by pointing out that there are a number of documented problems with this release that everyone should be aware of before updating. These problems include issues with the Start menu, Taskbar, Search, Settings, Spotlight collection, Widgets, and Voice access.
Install Windows 11 build 22523
You must use the Windows Insider Program settings from the Update & Security section to enroll your device in the Dev Channel in order to download and install Windows 11 build 22523.
After enrolling the computer in the program, click the Check for Updates button in the Windows Update settings to download build 22523. If you are new to the Windows Insider Program, however, you will need a device that satisfies the minimal system requirements in order to receive the update.
With all the new features Microsoft has been working on for the upcoming version of Windows 11 (22H2), you may also read this tutorial.
