Newest Windows 11 22H2 Release Preview build brings many big features

Microsoft is kicking off the week with a big treat for Windows Insiders. Just released is a new Release Preview Channel build for those running Windows 11 22H2. This build is one of the biggest yet, porting over many of the features that have long been in testing in the other channels of the Windows Insider program.

Counting all the new features mentioned in this week's changelog, there are a whopping 13 new things that you'll be able to play with. The more notable ones include a new Windows Studio effects button in the quick settings, an improved search box, energy recommendations, and rounded focus icons in the system tray. We also can't forget the collapsed and touch-optimized taskbar that should show up when you switch a device to tablet mode after installing this build. You can see the full list below detailing all these changes.

New! This update provided access Windows Studio effects directly from quick settings on the taskbar for devices that had a supported neural processing unit (NPU). This made it quick and easy to turn on and configure camera effects. Those effects included Background blur, Eye contact, Automatic framing, and Audio effects (Voice focus). You can still access these effects in the Settings pages.
New! This update made it easier to get help if you were having PC issues. It added a link to the Quick Assist app at the bottom of Settings > System > Troubleshooters. You could also find Quick Assist in the Start menu’s All apps list.
New! This update improved the search box experience on the taskbar. As you typed in the search box, search results appeared in the search box. You could also change the search experience you wanted for your taskbar by going to Settings > Personalization > Taskbar. For commercial customers, this update added a new policy for IT administrators to manage how the search box on the taskbar appears in your organization. For more information, see Customizing search on the Windows 11 taskbar.
New! This update provided energy recommendations. If you used them, they could help to improve the energy efficiency of your PC and reduce your carbon footprint. Go to Settings > System > Power & Battery > Energy Recommendations.
New! This update enhanced the system tray (formerly called the notification area). All icons had a rounded focus and hover treatment in the lower right, including the “Show hidden icons” flyout menu. You could move icons to rearrange them in the “Show hidden icons” flyout menu or move icons to the taskbar.
New! This update introduced a touch-optimized taskbar for 2-in-1 devices that you could use as a tablet. There were two states of this taskbar: collapsed and expanded. To switch between the two states, swipe up and down on the bottom of your screen. When collapsed in tablet mode, the taskbar receded to give you more screen space and kept you from accidentally opening the taskbar. When expanded in tablet mode, the taskbar was optimized to be easier to use with touch. Your taskbar automatically changed to this optimized version when you disconnected or folded back the keyboard.
New! This update provided enhanced support for braille devices. They continued working while you switched between Microsoft Narrator and third-party screen readers. Narrator automatically changed braille drivers. For more information, see Chapter 8: Using Narrator with braille.
New! This update also added support for new braille displays and new braille input and output languages in Narrator. Some of the new braille displays included the APH Chameleon, the APH Mantis Q40, the NLS eReader, and many more. For more information, see Chapter 8: Using Narrator with braille.
New! This update made voice access more flexible and supported interaction with more user interface (UI) controls.
New! This update added voice access support for spin controls, thumb controls, and split buttons. You interact with these controls by using the “click” command or number overlays. This update also fixed issues that affected snapping commands that snapped a window left or right. Commands that moved the cursor in a text box ran instantly.
New! This update also provided voice scrolling enhancements. You could use voice to scroll to the extreme left and right on a page. You could also use continuous scrolling to the left or right like what is already present for vertical scrolling. For more information about the new voice access commands, see Voice access command list.
New! For devices that were joined to Azure Active Directory (AAD), this update provided AI-powered recommended content on your Start menu. On the Start menu, you found content to help you to prepare for meetings, quickly access files you were collaborating on, and more.
New! We added the new Tamil Anjal keyboard for the Tamil language. To add it, make sure Tamil (Singapore), Tamil (Malaysia), Tamil (Sri Lanka), or Tamil (India) appears in Settings > Time & Language > Language & Region. Select the ellipses (…) next to the language. Select Language Options. Add Tamil Anjal (QWERTY) to the list of keyboards.

Other than these simple changes, this build also fixes several issues with timezone issues, IR mode in Edge, compatibility issues with printers, and the Out-of-Box-Experience. There are also a few reliability fixes and performance tweaks. Check it out below.

We fixed an issue that affected the Color filters setting. When you selected Inverted, the system set it to Grayscale instead.
We improved the reliability of Windows after you installed an update.
We supported the United Mexican States’ daylight-saving time change order for 2023.
We fixed a date information issue. It affected the format of dates sent between Windows and some versions of the Heimdal Kerberos library.

We fixed an issue that affected IE mode. The text on the status bar was not always visible.
We fixed compatibility issues that affected some printers. Those printers used Windows Graphical Device Interface (GDI) printer drivers. Those drivers did not completely adhere to GDI specifications.
We fixed an issue that affected the software keyboard. It did not appear in the Out-of-Box Experience (OOBE) after a Push-button reset (factory reset). This type of reset required an external keyboard to be attached to provide credentials.
We fixed an issue that displayed a blue screen during video playback. This occurred after you set high dynamic range (HDR) on your display.
We fixed an issue that might have affected the touch keyboard and the PIN entry keyboard. You might not have been able to use them to enter text when you signed in to your device.

We fixed an issue that affected AppV. It stopped file names from having the correct letter case (uppercase or lowercase).
We fixed an issue that affected Microsoft Edge. The issue removed conflicting policies for Microsoft Edge. This occurred when you set the MDMWinsOverGPFlag in a Microsoft Intune tenant and Intune detected a policy conflict.
We fixed an issue that affected provisioning packages. They failed to apply in certain circumstances when elevation was required.
We fixed an issue that affected Azure Active Directory (Azure AD). Using a provisioning package for bulk provisioning failed.
We fixed an issue that affected Universal Print’s Configuration Service Provider (CSP). A command prompt window appeared when you installed a printer.

We fixed a reliability issue that occurred when you used Task View.
We fixed an issue that affected which folders appeared in the Browse for Folder picker.
We fixed an issue that affected File Explorer. When you used Shift +Tab or Shift+F6, the input focus did not move.
We fixed an issue that affected the user interface (UI). The volume up and volume down commands from a Bluetooth keyboard did not display.
We fixed an issue that affected Xbox subscribers. If you purchased an Xbox subscription using the “Redeem code” option, the Xbox subscription card did not appear on the Settings Accounts page. This occurred when recurring billing was off.

We fixed an issue that might have affected lsass.exe. It might have stopped responding. This occurred when it sent a Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) query to a domain controller that had a very large LDAP filter.
We fixed an issue that affected the Local Security Authority Subsystem Service (LSASS). LSASS might have stopped responding. This occurred after you ran Sysprep on a domain-joined machine.
We fixed an issue that affected copying from a network to a local drive. Copying was slower than expected for some users.
We fixed an issue that affected parity virtual disks. Using Server Manager to create them failed.

As always, you'll see this build waiting for you in Windows Update, though it might install automatically for you soon. This is quite the build this week, as usually, Release Preview Channel releases are quite small. We'll be looking ahead to see what Microsoft also can offer in the Dev Channel, which recently got a big jump in build numbers up to 25300 and delivered live captions in more languages.

Source: Microsoft