Microsoft has once again graced us with a fresh update, rolling out the Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22635.3930 (KB5040550) to the Beta Channel.

As always, these updates are pivotal in shaping the final versions that reach your devices, offering a glimpse into the future of Windows.

Let’s dive deep into what this build brings and how it can enhance your computing experience.

The Evolution of Windows 11: Beta Channel Updates

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Microsoft continues to refine and enhance the Windows 11 experience for those in the Beta Channel.

The latest update follows the trend of version 23H2, introduced via an enablement package (Build 22635. xx). Insiders can toggle settings to receive features as soon as they are available. This progressive rollout ensures that early adopters can test and provide feedback while others receive these enhancements gradually.

New Features Gradually Rolling Out

Shared Content in File Explorer Home

File Explorer is evolving to become more intuitive and connected. The new feature allows users to access files shared with them quickly. Whether you’re signed in with a personal Microsoft account or a Microsoft Entra ID for commercial users, you can now see shared files directly from the File Explorer Home under the ‘Shared’ tab. This includes files from email, Teams chats, and other Microsoft services, making collaboration seamless.

Additionally, File Explorer now supports various file types in the Recent, Favorites, and Shared sections. This means that files from Designer, Loop, Power BI, and Forms, among others, will be more accessible, enhancing productivity.

Taskbar & System Tray Enhancements

The taskbar and system tray receive a notable upgrade with a simplified system tray highlighting the date/time in a shortened form and showcasing the notification bell icon based on your Do Not Disturb (DND) status. This minimalist approach reduces clutter, though you can revert to the traditional view through settings if preferred.

Moreover, Microsoft has refined the previews that appear when you hover over taskbar apps, enhancing the animations based on user feedback. First-letter navigation on the taskbar is another nifty feature, allowing users to quickly jump to apps by pressing the corresponding letter key. This is especially useful for power users who rely heavily on keyboard shortcuts.

Windows Studio Effects

Windows Studio Effects is pushing the boundaries of what AI can do for your camera and audio. Available on devices with a Neural Processing Unit (NPU), these effects can now be accessed more conveniently via a new icon in the system tray.

Clicking this icon launches the Studio Effects page in Quick Settings, streamlining access and usability. This enhancement ensures that users can quickly adjust settings during video calls or recordings, improving overall user experience.

Windows Share

Sharing content with Android devices has never been easier. The Windows share window’s UI has been updated, moving the option to share with Android devices under “Nearby Share.” This feature requires pairing your Android device with your Windows PC using the Link to Windows app, facilitating seamless content transfer between your devices.

Narrator Performance Improvements

For users relying on Narrator, Microsoft has significantly improved scan mode, particularly enhancing its performance in Microsoft Edge and large documents. These changes ensure that the Narrator is more responsive, making it a valuable tool for users who depend on it for navigation and reading.

System Info (msinfo32) Update

To make Windows more accessible, System Info (msinfo32) now adheres to your text size preferences set under Settings > Accessibility > Text Size. This change ensures that vital system information is easier to read for users with visual impairments.

Fixes Gradually Rolling Out

Start Menu Fixes

The start menu sees improvements, particularly addressing issues where screen readers didn’t read the All apps list correctly and some apps were not sorted properly under certain display languages.

Taskbar & System Tray Fixes

Issues where keyboard focus might get lost while navigating the taskbar with Shift + Tab have been resolved. This fix enhances the overall usability for keyboard-centric users.

Fixes for Everyone in the Beta Channel

A critical fix addresses an issue where users couldn’t view or interact with the taskbar after installing KB5039302 on Windows N editions. This problem, specific to editions lacking most media-related tools, has been rectified, ensuring smoother operations post-update.

Known Issues to Be Aware Of

As with any new build, some known issues persist. For the simplified system tray, if the “Show notification icon” setting is greyed out, toggling “Notifications” off and on again should resolve it.

Certain issues with shared file visibility, keyboard focus, and Narrator functionality have been identified in File Explorer. The team is actively working on fixes for these areas.

Reminders for Windows Insiders in the Beta Channel

It’s crucial to remember that updates in the Beta Channel are experimental. Features and experiences may change, evolve, or be removed based on feedback and testing outcomes. This iterative process helps Microsoft fine-tune the user experience before a broader release.

Additionally, many features start in the Beta Channel but may not be fully localized initially. Localization issues can be reported via Feedback Hub, contributing to a more polished final product.

Conclusion

The Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22635.3930 represents Microsoft’s commitment to continuous improvement and user-centric design. By gradually rolling out new features and improvements, Microsoft ensures that Insiders can test and provide valuable feedback, shaping the future of Windows 11.

As always, your feedback is invaluable. Whether through the Feedback Hub or community forums, every piece of input helps refine and perfect the Windows experience.

Stay tuned for more updates and happy testing, Insiders!

And while Microsoft has made a number of welcome changes to the Start Menu over the past few months, the company now seems to be focused on the taskbar. Over in the right corner, we have the system tray area, and it is seeing some action.

Long overdue action, at that, as this side of the OS still makes do with old legacy components.

Redmond has been trying to modernize the tray area of the taskbar in Windows 11 for some time now.

In fact, the early builds of version 22H2 carried a couple of changes in this regard, but the company decided not to proceed with them as doing so would have meant sacrificing certain features.

As you may recall, build 22581 introduced some of these changes to the system tray. However, they were soon reverted after users complained about the lack of functionality in moving and changing the position of the icons.

In the latest preview builds, Microsoft has once again started working on a cleaner and more modern look for the system tray area.

The idea here is to overhaul the underlying components of the system tray so that they benefit tablet users while allowing users greater control over notifications.

For this reason, the system tray area of the taskbar now uses modern flyouts when a user hovers over the icons.

This GIF shows the work being done:

To make the UI more suitable for tablet users, Microsoft now provides the ability to entirely disable the tray menu and its icons. This can be done by locating the new option added in Settings > Personalization > Taskbar > Other system tray icons and toggling the “Hide icon menu.”

Doing so will disable all the icons, leaving only indicators like network/WiFi, volume, battery, and input language visible on the taskbar.

Of course, this change, once again, removes the ability to rearrange the order of the taskbar icons via drag and drop. However, since Microsoft still appears to be working on this idea, there is a chance that this functionality will be restored before the wider rollout.

Since Windows 11 does not have a dedicated tablet mode, these are the best options we have for owners of Windows-powered slates.

The Microsoft of yesteryear rarely changed things up to this extent — particularly when it came to the user interface and defining features like the Start Menu and Taskbar. Those kinds of trickeries were left to third-party customization programs.

However, in Windows 11 the Taskbar is evolving alongside the Start Menu.

Redmond has moved both to the center of the screen, with icons resonant with the MacOS feel. This has been done to boost productivity in the upcoming operating system, as Microsoft says this change is intentional, putting you in control and bringing a sense of calm and ease.

If calm and ease is not your cup of tea, then you might want to take a look this concept created by Ehsan Vaeghi that redefines the Taskbar with a new and more modern approach.

See for yourself:

The floating Taskbar has been divided into multiple parts, and the System Tray itself has space for its own. The Start Menu is also in another pane that is aligned to the left of the screen. The clean styling ensures that this is about as modern a look as you can get these days.

And while some may say that the space between the icons and separators is a bit too big, overall, this is a design that is both stylish and workable.

In fact, something like this makes much more sense on touch devices like tablets and 2-in-1 machines that could use a little separation of each individual element.

It’s hard to see Microsoft making such a dramatic change, even with its recent tendency to make bold changes to the UI.

But this is a uniquely neat design, all things considered.

What do you think?

And unlike the last one this is a bug, not a feature.

It’s related to the System Tray icons, whereby the issue causes some of them to move about in a weird manner, left and right. Dancing, basically. And as noted, funny as this error is, it does get annoying pretty quick.

The whole thing is caused by touch screen drivers, and it is affecting devices where a touch screen is available as Windows 10 tries to switch to the Tablet Mode.

Seeing as there is nothing from Microsoft in this regard, and this bug happens only occasionally, your only option is to try something yourself for a fix. Luckily, there are two ways to go about this, and both are worth a try if you encounter this problem.

First of all, you need to update your touchscreen drivers and see whether that fixes the problem. That is, of course, if your manufacturer has made new ones available for download.

If not, then the only workaround is to actually disable the touchscreen completely. This can be done via the Device Manager. And while this certainly is not the most convenient of routes, it seems to be the only way to get rid of these dancing icons.

Some users also found success by toggling the Tablet Mode options on and off, but this only seems to be a temporary resolution.

Hopefully, Microsoft is here with a permanent one soon.