Windows 11 gets new account manager for Start menu (build 22635.3500)

• The Start menu in the Beta Channel gets a new account manager to view your account benefits and alerts.
• The Settings Home page adds a new Game Pass promotion card besides the Microsoft 365 and Copilot Pro cards.
• Windows 11 build 26200 rolls out in the Canary Channel with minor improvements.

UPDATED 4/22/2024: On April 19, 2024, Microsoft began the rollout of two new previews for Windows 11, including build 22635.3500 (KB5036985) in the Beta Channel and build 26200 in the Canary Channel. The update in the Beta Channel is the flight with more changes, including a new account manager in the Start menu, while the one in the Canary Channel includes some minor improvements and fixes.

According to the official changes, Windows 11 build 22635.3500 brings visual changes to the Start menu, Share interface, and the Home page for the Settings app. In addition, the company is also rolling out a new design for the Widgets board with a new left navigation pane.

Windows 11 build 22635.3500 changes

These are the changes and improvements rolling out in the Beta Channel.

Start menu new account manager

In this flight, the Start menu gets a new account manager for a quick overview of your account benefits and alerts you for any missing information and other actions you have to take to maintain your account security.

In addition, you will be able to see at a glance your cloud storage usage and which services are active and expiring soon.

The new design replaces the previously available account-related notifications interface. This is another variant for users without a Microsoft 365 subscription.

As a result of these changes, some of the option from the profile menu are now in different places. For example, from the account manager menu, you now have to click the three dots menu on the top-right to access “Sign out” and “Switch user” options. (You will also notice that this menu no longer lists the other users configured in the computer.)

If you want to lock your account, you will now find the option in the Power menu.

In addition, the development team is also introducing a new “All Apps” menu for Start. The new design groups the apps alphabetically in a horizontal grid view instead of a list view, making the most out of space.

Although the design is new to this flight, a preview of the new visuals was previously hidden in build 22635.3420.

Settings app changes

In the Settings app, you will find at least two changes in the KB5036985 update. For example, on the “Accounts” page, Microsoft adds a new “Add now” button to add a recovery email to your Microsoft account if it doesn’t have one.

In addition to the cards to advertise the Microsoft 365 and Copilot Pro services, the Home page of the Settings app now features a new “Game Pass” recommendation card that will appear if the system detects that you play games on your computer. (You can use these instructions to disable the Home page in the Settings app.)

Widgets dashboard

Microsoft is also rolling out the new redesigned version of the Widgets dashboard, which was previously available on build 26090. The design includes a new navigation bar on the left that allows you to switch between your widgets and the news feeds (Discover).

Furthermore, the company is also opening the Widgets icon in the Taskbar to allow developers to push notifications in the icon since it was previously reserved for Microsoft’s widgets only.

Windows Share with Gmail

The Share interface also receives a minor improvement, which allows you to send emails to yourself from a Gmail account.

Windows 11 build 26200 changes

As part of build 26200 in the Canary Channel, Microsoft is only making available some minor improvements for the Widgets board, including the same changes available on 22635.3500 for the Widgets icon.

Also, this release updates the Energy Saver icon in the System Tray to the previous design with a leaf when the computer doesn’t have a battery.

Furthermore, it’s been discovered that the “Passkeys” page hides a new “Advanced options” page, allowing you to manage sync and credential manager settings across devices.

Inside the page, you will find two sections, including “Sync passkey from Microsoft account to these devices” and “Microsoft account encryption passkey.”

These flights also include fixes Widgets, Taskbar, Windowing, and Desktops, as well as several known issues.

Microsoft also notes that the release of build 26200 marks the split of the Dev and Canary Channels. Moving forward, you won’t be able to switch channels without a clean install of Windows 11, as the Canary Channel will have a higher build number than the previews in the Dev Channel. The Dev Channel now includes the latest preview of the new features and changes coming to version 24H2 later in the year.

Installing these preview builds

To download and install the Windows 11 build 22635.3500 (KB5036985), enroll your device in the Beta Channel through the “Windows Insider Program” settings from the “Update & Security” section. Once you enroll the computer in the program, you can download the build from the “Windows Update” settings by turning on the “Get the latest updates as soon as they’re available” option and clicking the “Check for Updates” button.

If you want to install the Windows 11 build 26200, enroll your computer in the Canary Channel and check for updates on the “Windows Update” settings page.

Update April 22, 2024: This guide has been updated with additional information about build 26200.