Microsoft has issued a new Windows 11 Release Preview build which gives us our first look at the next feature drop that the company is expected to begin rolling out in the next handful of weeks. This next wave of features is all about quality of life improvements, with Taskbar updates and new Emoji headlining the release.
Windows 11 receives new feature drops on a monthly cadence as part of Microsoft’s “Continuous Innovation” update strategy, which see’s new features ship when they’re ready instead of annually as part of a larger Windows version update.
Also new in this next feature drop are improvements to the Taskbar. Microsoft is adding a built-in network speed test shortcut to the Taskbar, which can be accessed by right-clicking the network icon in the system tray. This release also brings in-box Sysmon support, though the feature is disabled by default.
Here’s a complete rundown of the new features Microsoft is now testing with today’s Release Preview build, which are expected to begin rolling out to production PCs in the next few weeks:
- [Emoji] New! The Emoji 16.0 release introduces a small thoughtfully curated set of new emojis, one from each major category. These new emojis now appear in the emoji panel.
- [Backup & Restore] New! The first sign-in restore experience is now part of Windows Backup for Organizations, bringing this restore capability to more device types. This experience restores user settings and Microsoft Store apps automatically at first sign-in on Microsoft Entra hybrid joined devices, Cloud PCs, and multi‑user environments. This capability helps create a consistent setup process during device refreshes, upgrades, or migrations.
- [Quick Machine Recovery] New! Quick Machine Recovery (QMR) now turns on automatically for Windows Professional devices that are not domain‑joined and not enrolled in enterprise endpoint management. These devices receive the same recovery features available to Windows Home users. For domain‑joined or enterprise managed devices, QMR stays off unless it is enabled by the organization.
- [Taskbar & System Tray]
- New! A built‑in network speed test is now available from the taskbar. Open it from the Wi‑Fi or Cellular Quick Settings, or by right-clicking the network icon in the system tray. The speed test opens in the default browser and measures Ethernet, Wi‑Fi, and Cellular connections. This feature helps check network performance and troubleshoot issues.
- Improved: When your taskbar is set to uncombined, if you have an app open with many windows, they will no longer all move as a set to the overflow area when there is not enough space on the taskbar, and instead only the ones specifically within the set that don’t have space. With this change, the overflow area should no longer appear to display with lots of available space.
- [Accounts] New! A new entry point in the account menu on the Start menu now directs you to the benefits page (https://account.microsoft.com/). This update makes it easier to explore and manage the benefits associated with your Microsoft account.
- [Identity & Access Management] New! Windows now supports Microsoft Entra ID group and role SID resolution. This update enables Windows to translate Entra cloud group and role security identifiers (SIDs) to readable names, allowing Entra-only groups to be used and displayed correctly in file permissions, local group membership, and access control scenarios without relying on on‑premises or hybrid Active Directory identities.
- [Camera Settings] New! You can now control pan and tilt for supported cameras in the Settings app. The controls appear under Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Cameras, in the “Basic settings” section for your selected camera.
- [Built-in Sysmon] New! Windows now brings Sysmon functionality natively to Windows. Sysmon functionality allows you to capture system events that can help with threat detection, and you can use custom configuration files to filter the events you want to monitor. The captured events are written on the Windows event log, enabling them to be used with security applications and a wide range of use cases.
- Built-in Sysmon is disabled by default and must be explicitly enabled.
- Go to Settings > System > Optional features > More Windows features > checking Sysmon or in PowerShell or command prompt:Dism /Online /Enable-Feature /FeatureName:Sysmon
- To complete the installation, from PowerShell or command prompt run:sysmon -i
- Note: If you’ve already installed Sysmon from the website, it must be uninstalled before enabling the built-in Sysmon.
- [Widgets] New! Widget Settings now opens as a full‑page experience in the Widgets app instead of opening in a dialog.
- [Desktop Background] New! You can now set .webp image files as your desktop background in Settings > Personalization > Background, as well as when right clicking the image in File Explorer.
- [Search] Improved: Updated icon for the search process in Task Manager to now show a magnifying glass.
- [Storage Settings]
- Improved: Updated some of the dialogs in Storage Settings to have a more modern design.
- Improved Performance of scanning for temporary files.
- [Windows Update Settings] Improves the responsiveness of the settings page.
- [Login and lock screens] Improves the login screen reliability.
- [Nearby Sharing] Improves the reliability of sending larger files.
- [Projecting] Improves the reliability of displaying the project pane after pressing the Windows key plus P.
- [Printing] Improves the Windows print service (spoolsv.exe) to ensure smoother performance and prevent slowdowns during high‑volume printing.
- [File Explorer]
- Improved: Added the extract all option to the File Explorer command bar when browsing non-ZIP archive folders.
- Fixed: Holding Shift and clicking the File Explorer in the taskbar, or middle clicking, might open the current instance of File Explorer rather than another instance.
- Improved reliability of displaying devices on the Network page of File Explorer.
- [Display]
- Improved: Made display related performance improvements to help reduce PC resume-from-sleep time on heavily loaded systems and other scenarios.
- Improved: For laptops used with a docking station while the lid is closed, improved reliability of resuming from sleep when connecting to AC power, without needing to open the laptop lid.
- [Other] Addressed a few small visual issues, including when the taskbar was set to autohide, with the Windows Security pop up credentials fields, and with the print dialog.
All of these new features are now rolling out for Windows Insiders in the Release Preview Channel, and are expected to begin rolling out to everyone running Windows 11 in the next handful of weeks, starting with the non-preview security update for February which is expected to be released before the end of the month.
Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.
First Appeared on
Source link
Leave feedback about this