Windows Insiders are being treated to a couple of new Windows 11 builds today, one for the Canary channel and one for the Dev channel. While there's no changelog for build 25387 in the Canary channel, Dev channel Insiders can look forward to the new File Explorer redesign, which had been reported on earlier this year and teased officially during the Build developer event. Microsoft is also adding a Dynamic lighting page to the Settings app.
Microsoft modernizes the Windows 11 File Explorer... again
The original release of Windows 11 had already brought a pretty big redesign of the File Explorer, but with this build, Microsoft is going a step further to make its file manager feel even more fresh and streamlined. With build 23475, we have a new look that brings the address bar to the top of the window, close to the tab row, and moves file and folder actions down closer to the view pane. This new look also has a more streamlined integration with OneDrive, as you can now see your storage quota by clicking the OneDrive icon in the address bar.
For users signed in with an Azure Active Directory account, the Home page in File Explorer also now shows Recommended files in a carousel, and it will soon be able to show file thumbnails.
Unfortunately, this experience is rolling out gradually, so not everyone will see it right away.
Control your RGB lighting in the Settings app
Another big addition with this build is the Dynamic lighting page in the Settings app, which Microsoft also announced during Build. This new page lets you customize lighting settings for supported peripherals using the Settings app, meaning you no longer need dedicated software for it. Of course, accessory makers need to build support for it, and Razer seems to be one of the first major adopters. Multiple Razer keyboards from the BlackWidow, DeathStalker, Huntsman, Ornata, and Turret lines support dynamic lighting through this page. Thje Asus ROG Scope II Wireless 96 keyboard will also add support soon.
Additionally, a few mice, including Razer's Naga, DeathAdder V2, and Turret series, as well as the Microsoft Pro IntelliMouse are supported. Support for the Asus ROG Harpe Ace AimLab Edition is also coming soon.
New emoji
Microsoft is starting to roll out support for the latest version of the Unicode Emoji standard, which is version 15. This comes with a few new emoji, including new colors for hearts, new animals, and more.
Microsoft Store update
While it's not part of the build itself, Microsoft is also rolling out an update to the Microsoft Store for Insiders in the Dev and Canary channels. This update brings the ability to install free apps from search results to more Insiders, as it was previously available only to a smaller group of users. Additionally, this update redesigns the cards for movies and games in the Store, giving the artwork more room to shine.
Fixes and known issues
Aside from the major additions above, Windows 11 build 23475 also makes a previously announced feature fully available. This feature detects whether you haven't interacted with toast notifications from an app and prompts you to turn off notifications for that app. This was only available to select Insiders before.
Otherwise, it has the usual array of fixes and known issues. Here are the fixes in this release:
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Fixed an issue where the taskbar may not have shown the correct apps when using multiple desktops.
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Fixed the issue where Narrator customers were unable to navigate down the left side panel of the search flyout.
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Fixed an issue where when using a Japanese display language, sometimes apps with names written in kanji would all show at the bottom of the all apps list, rather than displayed alongside hiragana and katakana app names.
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Fixed an issue where certain notifications were leading to an explorer.exe crash.
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We’re rolling out the fix for an issue where Korean touch keyboard sometimes finalizes characters unexpectedly in the search flyout on the taskbar.
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Backups of a PC that was set up using a restore will now show up in subsequent restores.
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Restore of solid color desktop backgrounds are now supported.
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Fixed issues that were causing voice access commands for moving settings sliders and selecting things on the taskbar to fail.
On the other hand, this build also comes with a few known issues. Many of these are related to the new modernized File Explorer, which makes sense for something early in testing. Here's what you should be aware of:
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On a reboot, additional filters beyond AV might be attached to your Dev Drive. To check what filters are attached, please run ‘fsutil devdrv query :’ in Windows Terminal. If you are seeing more than your AV filters, you can run ‘fsutil volume dismount :’ and then ‘fsutil devdrv query :’. After those steps, you should only see your AV filters.
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There might be variable performance on different hardware. If you notice slower performance on your machine, please file feedback!
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Navigating the search flyout on the taskbar with the keyboard arrow keys will not work as expected.
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Text scaling may not work in the search flyout.
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Insiders may experience a File Explorer crash when dragging the scroll bar or attempting to close the window during an extended file-loading process.
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Thumbnail loading performance in Gallery for dehydrated cloud files and memory usage in large collections are known issues we are focused on improving. Please capture Performance traces in Feedback Hub for any performance-related issues. Rebuilding your Indexer can help if thumbnails are missing for cloud files; Search for “Indexing Options” and look in Advanced settings to find the rebuild tool.
Insiders who have the modernized File Explorer Home that began rolling out with Build 23475:
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[NEW] File Type icons are displayed in place of file thumbnails for ‘Recommended’ section (applicable to Enterprise users).
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[NEW] When navigating from another group to the Recommended section using a keyboard, focus does not appear on the group header or files appropriately.
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[NEW] Files display file extensions with the Show file extensions setting disabled.
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[NEW] Sync status icons for files backing up to a storage provider are not reliably displayed.
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[NEW] In case of an authentication error on File Explorer Home, the ‘Please Sign-in’ button appears but clicking on it does not pop-up the authentication dialog.
Insiders who have the modernized File Explorer address bar that began rolling out with Build 23475:
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[NEW] Windows Insiders may notice missing craftmanship polish with the modernized address bar and search box. The team greatly appreciates the use of Feedback Hub to help call out important details to address.
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[NEW] Users might experience lost keyboard focus and missing keyboard shortcuts. The team implemented improved tabbing with keyboard shortcuts that will be available soon.
Insiders will have issues with the following commands on recommended files in File Explorer that began rolling out with Build 23403:
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Clicking on the Share command will currently bring up the Windows share sheet (non-OneDrive).
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The copy button for quickly copying two-factor authentication (2FA) codes in notification toasts (first introduced in Build 23403) is currently not working in this build. A fix is coming in a future flight.
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[NEW] On first boot after installing this build and connecting a device, the “Use Dynamic Lighting on my devices” toggle is off in Settings. Device LEDs may not turn on automatically. Turning this toggle on in the all-device Settings page and in the per-device page(s) should turn on your device’s LEDs. If this doesn’t work, try restarting your Windows PC again.
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[NEW] All-device settings changes are not propagating to per-device Settings.
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[NEW] Device icons are missing from the device cards in Settings.
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[NEW] Switching user accounts can turn off device LEDs.
As per usual, you can download the latest build if you're enrolled in the Dev channel by simply going to the Windows Update section of the Settings app and checking for updates.
