- Microsoft begins the Windows 11 Moment 3 update rollout on May 24.
- The update brings improvements to privacy, networking, and audio.
- This moment will also roll out various new features for organizations, including isolation for Win32 apps.
- You can install the update now to access some of the new features, but it’ll roll out automatically in June.
UPDATED 6/28/23: Microsoft officially announces the third feature drop update (Moment 3) for Windows 11 22H2. According to the software giant, the update brings several improvements, fixes, and new features focused on productivity and security for home users and organizations.
The rollout started on May 11 in the Release Preview Channel and on May 24 in the Stable Channel, and it continued during the Patch Tuesday update on June 13, 2023. On June 24, the company also made available the update the build 22621.1926 as the update KB5027303 that continues expanding the Moment 3 update in the Release Preview Channel. On June 27, the same non-security update was made available as build 22621.1928 to continue enabling the new features and changes for users in the Stable Channel. The third feature drop for Windows 11 is expected to be fully available with the Patch Tuesday update coming in July 2023.
The new Windows 11 update doesn’t have an official name since it’s not a feature update and doesn’t require reinstallation, but it’ll increase the version number to 22621.1928 and introduce new changes and features. For instance, the update brings new privacy settings to control devices that can detect your nearby presence. The network icon in the System Tray will include a new badge to let you know when you’re connected to a VPN. The Start menu will now show badge notifications when your account requires attention. And the Live Captions feature expands to more regions.
This release introduces Bluetooth Low Energy Audio support for high-quality audio at low power, delivering better experiences for your calls, videos, and music on compatible devices.
Also, as part of the organization improvements, Windows 11 now introduces features like Sign-In Session Token Protection Policy, Windows Autopatch, Windows Local Administrator Password Solution (LAPS), Microsoft Intune Suite Endpoint Privilege Management, Microsoft Edge Workspaces, and Windows 365 Boot. The operating system will now also include isolation capabilities for Win32 apps, better security for printing information with a barcode, and the ability for administrators to push desktop messages to users.
Windows 11 Moment 3 update for consumers and organizations
Here’s a breakdown of what’s new in the latest feature drop update for Windows 11 22H2.
Privacy
Starting with the Windows 11 Moment 3 update, the Settings app includes a new “Presence sensing” page that allows you to allow or block access to presence sensor information and easily enable and disable presence sensing features like wake on approach and lock on leave.
VPN connection badge
Users will see a new VPN shield status in the network icon to inform them that a VPN connection is active using a recognized profile.
Start menu badge
After installing this release, the Start menu will now show notification badging for Microsoft accounts-related information.
Live Captions expansion
Starting with the June 2023 feature drop update, the Live Captions experience expands to Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), French (France, Canada), German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese (Brazil, Portugal), Spanish, Danish, English (Ireland, other English dialects), and Korean. Live captions appear when audio is played, including in real-time video calls.
New Bluetooth audio
Microsoft is also introducing Bluetooth Low Energy Audio support on Windows 11 for high-quality audio at low power, delivering better experiences for your calls, videos, and music on compatible devices.
New Widgets layout
The Widgets feature is another way that people can use to stay on top of information in daily life. In this new update, Windows 11 will include a redesigned interface of the board with three columns that will make it easier for users to differentiate between the widgets and the news feed.
Sign-In Session Token Protection Policy
In this rollout, organizations can now try out a preview of token protection for sign-ins, a feature that allows apps and services to cryptographically bind security tokens to the device, restricting attackers’ ability to impersonate users on a different device after stealing tokens.
Windows 365 Boot
The “Windows 365 Boot” feature allows users to start physical devices directly into their Windows 365 Cloud PCs by default. After the user logs in, they’ll be directly connected to their Cloud PC with no additional steps in between.
Win32 apps isolation
On Windows 11, you will now have the ability to isolate Win32 applications. This new capability allows developers to reduce the risk of security breaches by using new isolation technologies. Running Win32 apps in isolation helps prevent apps from having unexpected or unauthorized access to critical internal subsystems.
Print security with barcode
For organizations that need more security to print documents, Universal Print delivers a reliable and secure cloud print solution designed to prevent leaks of confidential information. In the Moment 3 update, this feature will offer secure release with a barcode for Android, delivering step-by-step process authentication, including the ability to securely release a print job only to the employee for which it’s intended.
Desktop messaging
As part of the Windows 11 Enterprise subscription, administrators will be able to send company-branded messages from Microsoft Intune to users on various Windows surfaces, such as the notification panel, the area right above the taskbar, and the Get Started app.
Windows Autopatch
This feature is only available for enterprise subscriptions, and it’s a preview of a new capability to upgrade from Windows 10 to Windows 11 Enterprise automatically.
Windows Local Administrator Password Solution (LAPS)
The LAPS feature works with Microsoft Entra (Azure AD) to make it more difficult for attackers to access the local administrator account.
Microsoft Intune Suite Endpoint Privilege Management (EPM)
The new EPM is a new feature for Windows 11 that allows administrators to limit their attack surface by running everyone as standard users and elevating privileges only when needed, including for specific, approved applications.
The Moment 3 update for Windows 11 will gradually roll out starting on May 24 to some of these new features over the coming weeks, initially through the Controlled Feature Rollout (CFR) to consumers using Windows Update. These features will be enabled by default in the June 2023 optional non-security preview release for all editions of Windows 11 22H2.
If you want to get the update early, open Settings > Windows Update, turn on the “Get the latest updates as soon as they are available” option and click the “Check for updates” button. If the update isn’t available, you may try these instructions.
The changes outlined above are only the official improvements. The update also includes various other enhancements. You can check more details about this release in this guide.
Mauro Huculak is a Windows How-To Expert who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He has also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 15 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows and software, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 21 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me. Email him at [email protected].