The non-security preview release of Windows 11 for the 22H2 version is now available for the month of June 2023. Just like every monthly preview release, this Windows 11 22H2 update, KB5027303, brings a host of new features and improvements, which you will get to know below.
The latest monthly preview update for Windows 11 22H2 comes with the OS build 22621.1928. It’s worth noting that Microsoft releases preview release builds in the second half of each month, and this update is optional. Since it is a preview update, all its features and changes will be incorporated into the next monthly update, scheduled for release in the first half of July.
Coming to the changes and features, the new preview build is packed with major changes. The latest June 2023 preview release for Windows 11 version 22H2, expands the rollout of notification badging for Microsoft accounts on the Start menu, brings support for more languages in live captions, improves local file sharing, and many more.
Windows 11 OS Preview Build 22621.1928 Highlights
- New! This update expands the roll out of notification badging for Microsoft accounts on the Start menu. A Microsoft account is what connects Windows to your Microsoft apps. The account backs up all your data and helps you to manage your subscriptions. You can also add extra security steps to keep you from being locked out of your account. This feature gives you quick access to important account-related notifications.
- New! This update improves the sharing of a local file in File Explorer with Microsoft Outlook contacts. You now have the option to quickly email the file to yourself. In addition, loading your contacts from Outlook is better. This feature is not available for files stored in Microsoft OneDrive folders. OneDrive has its own sharing functionality.
- New! This update adds live captions for the following languages:
- Chinese (Simplified and Traditional)
- French (France, Canada)
- German
- Italian
- Japanese
- Portuguese (Brazil, Portugal)
- Spanish
- Danish
- English (Ireland, other English dialects)
- Korean
- New! This update redesigns the in-app voice access command help page.Every command now has a description and examples of its variations. The search bar allows you to quickly find commands. The new categories provide further guidance. You can access the command help page on the voice access bar from Help > View all commands or use the voice access command “what can I say?” Note that the help page might not include all commands. Also, the supplementary information might be inaccurate. We plan to update this in the future.
- New! This update adds voice access command support for the following English dialects:
- English (United Kingdom)
- English (India)
- English (New Zealand)
- English (Canada)
- English (Australia)
- New! This update adds new text selection and editing voice access commands.
- New! This update adds a VPN status icon, a small shield, to the system tray. It displays when you are connected to a recognized VPN profile. The VPN icon will be overlayed in your system’s accent color over the active network connection.
- New! You can now choose to display seconds in the clock on the system tray. To turn this on, go to the Taskbar behaviors section in Settings > Personalization > Taskbar. You can also right-click the taskbar to quickly get to taskbar settings.
- New! This update provides a copy button for you to quickly copy two-factor authentication (2FA) codes. These are in notification toasts you get from apps installed on your PC or from phones linked to your PC. Note that this feature only works for English.
- New! This update adds access key shortcuts to File Explorer’s context menu. An access key is a one keystroke shortcut. You can use it to quickly run a command in a context menu using your keyboard. Each access key corresponds to a letter in the display name of the menu item. To try this out, you can click on a file in File Explorer and press the menu key on your keyboard.
- New! This update adds multi-app kiosk mode, which is a lockdown feature. If you are an administrator, you can specify the apps that can run on a device. Other apps will not run. You can also block certain functionalities. You can configure distinct types of access and apps to run for different users on one device. Multi-app kiosk mode is ideal for scenarios in which multiple people use the same device. Some examples are frontline workers, retail, education, and test taking. Some lockdown customizations include:
- Limit access to Settings, except certain pages, such as Wi-Fi and screen brightness
- Show only the apps that are allowed on the Start menu
- Block certain toasts and pop-up windows
- New! This update introduces live kernel memory dump (LKD) collection from Task Manager. Using LKD, you can gather data to troubleshoot an issue while the OS continues to work. This reduces downtime when you must investigate an unresponsive program or high-impact failures.
- New! This update replaces the settings for Show the touch keyboard when there’s no keyboard attached. These are located at Settings > Time & language > Typing > Touch keyboard. A new dropdown menu gives you three options to control whether tapping an edit control should open the touch keyboard. The options are:
- Never. This suppresses the touch keyboard even when no hardware keyboard is attached.
- When no keyboard attached. This shows the touch keyboard only when you use the device as a tablet without the hardware keyboard.
- Always. This shows the touch keyboard even when the hardware keyboard is attached.
- New! This update enables Content Adaptive Brightness Control (CABC) to run on laptops and 2-in-1 devices. This feature dims or brightens areas of a display based on the content. It tries to strike a balance between saving battery life and providing a good visual experience. You can adjust the feature setting from Settings > System > Display > Brightness & color. Thedrop-down menu gives you three options: Off, Always, and On Battery Only. For battery powered devices, the default is On Battery Only. Because the device manufacturer must enable CABC, the feature might not be on all laptops or 2-in-1 devices.
- New! This update adds a USB4 hubs and devices Settings page. You can find it at Settings> Bluetooth & devices > USB > USB4 Hubs and Devices. This new page provides information about the system’s USB4 capabilities and the attached peripherals on a system that supports USB4. This information helps with troubleshooting when you need manufacturer or system administrator support. Some features include:
- You can view the tree of the connected USB4 hubs and devices.
- You can copy details to the clipboard to share them.
- New! This update adds a presence sensor privacy setting in Settings > Privacy & security > Presence sensing. If you have a device that has compatible presence sensors, you can now choose the apps that can access those sensors. You can also choose the apps that do not have access. Microsoft does not collect images or metadata. The device hardware processes your information locally to maximize privacy.
- New! This update improves the performance of search within Settings.
- New! This update changes the default print screen (prt scr) key behavior. Pressing the print screen key opens the Snipping Tool by default. You can turn off this setting from Settings > Accessibility > Keyboard. If you have previously changed this setting, Windows will preserve your preference.
- New! This update introduces a limit of 20 most recent tabs in Settings > Multitasking. This affects the number of tabs that appear when you use ALT + TAB and Snap Assist.
- New! This update improves the cloud suggestion and the integrated search suggestion. This helps you to easily type popular words in Simplified Chinese using the Input Method Editor (IME). The cloud suggestion adds the most relevant word from Microsoft Bing to the IME candidate window. The integrated search suggestion gives you additional suggestions that are like what you see on a Bing search page. You can insert a suggestion as text or search for it directly in Bing. To turn on these features, select a chevron button in the upper right of the IME candidate window. Then select the Turn on button.
- New! This update improves your computer’s performance when you use a mouse that has a high report rate for gaming.
- This update addresses an issue that affects the on-screen keyboard. The issue stops it from opening after you lock the machine.
- This update addresses an issue that might affect your computer when you are playing a game. Timeout Detection and Recovery (TDR) errors might occur.
- This update addresses an issue that affects certain apps. In some instances, video flickering occurs.
- This update addresses an issue that affects File Explorer (explorer.exe). It stops working.
- This update addresses an issue that affects some earbuds. They stop streaming music.
- This update addresses an issue that affects the Recommended section of the Start menu. When you right-click a local file, it does not behave as expected.
As you can see the changelog highlight is quite big. And this is not even complete. There are many improvements as well in the new preview release. You can see all of them on the official page.
If you already upgraded to Windows 11, version 22H2, you will have the option to install this build. Remember you should not be part of any insider channel. To check for the update go to Settings > Windows Update > Check for Updates.
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