UPDATED 12/3/2021: Windows 11 (version 22H2) is expected to become available during the fall of 2022. It’ll represent the first major update of the new generation of Windows, introducing a new set of features and enhancements to improve security, productivity, and the overall user experience.
Although we’re still months away from the release, the Microsoft team has already been showing pieces of what to expect with version 22H2.
It’s worth noting that improvements in the Dev Channel are not tied to any specific release of Windows. However, most of the new features and enhancements will ship in the next feature update. This guide highlights the improvements as they appear in previews through the Windows Insider Program and will be updated regularly to reflect the changes. Last updated on December 3, 2021, with the changes available on build 22509.
What’s new on Windows 11 22H2
These are the new Windows 11 21H2 features already available through the Windows Insider Program.
Start menu and Taskbar improvements
Windows 11 22H2 brings new settings to better customize the “Recommended” section in the Start menu. While it’s still not possible to disable and remove the feature, you can now choose from three different options in the Start settings page to show fewer recommended items and more pins, including “More pins,” “Default,” and “More recommendations”.
The “More pins” only shows a single row of items and allows you to show more pins. The “Default” option shows three rows of recommended items and three rows of pin items, and the “More Recommendations” option offers more recommended items and two rows of pins.
This version of Windows also adds a quick access button to the power menu that opens the “Sign-in options” page as part of the Start menu improvements.
The “Windows Easy of Access” folder has been renamed to “Accessibility” in the “All apps” list.
Also, this new version adds another entry in the right-click context menu for the “Recommended” and “More” buttons in the Start menu to refresh the items.
Taskbar
In the Taskbar, Windows 11 22H2 will also bring back the ability to show the clock on all monitors, removing the need to use third-party tools to get the same experience that existed in previous versions of Windows. You won’t find an option to control this feature, this will be the new default behavior.
Also, you can now scroll the mouse wheel in the Taskbar volume icon to change the volume level, and in the Taskbar settings page, you will now find the option to enable or disable the ability to share a window from a Taskbar on apps like Microsoft Teams.
Windows 11 22H2 brings some changes for the “Quick Settings” flyout, including a new option to open the “Bluetooth & Devices” setting page when right-clicking the “Bluetooth” button. In addition, there’s a new icon next to the volume slider to make the option more discoverable.
In the “Notification Center,” the experience improves the visibility of apps names from the notifications. In addition, the notification design has been updated to include an acrylic background. And the animation used in the Windows Hello notification when setting up the feature has been updated.
Microsoft is also updating the notification system. For example, apps that send notifications for calls, reminders, or alarms, the three high-priority notifications will now appear stacked simultaneously. This means that you may end up seeing up to four notifications at one time (three high-priority and one normal priority).
This feature update also introduces the ability to mute or unmute the microphone from the Taskbar when using Microsoft Teams.
The button will appear automatically in the system tray, at the bottom-right side of the Taskbar, when you are in a call. You can see the call audio status, the app accessing the mic, and you can quickly mute and unmute the call.
You can also use the Windows key + Alt + K keyboard shortcut to mute and unmute calls.
The company says that this new feature is not limited to Microsoft Teams. Developers will also be able to integrate this feature directly into their applications. Also, we won’t have to wait until the next version of Windows since it’ll be available in a future servicing update.
In the Taskbar, the Task View (Alt + Tab) experience now shows Snap groups to allow users to switch to different snap groups quickly. Also, when you open Task View on a system with multiple monitors, the background should now be acrylic on both monitors.
In addition, this version is making keyboard focus visuals more prominent in Task View to make them easier to see.
Windows 11 also adds the ability to share the content of an app window directly from the Taskbar to a Microsoft Teams meetings call.
When you are in a Teams meetings call, hover over an open app in the Taskbar and click the Share this window button. When you finish sharing the content, hover over the app button again and click Stop Sharing or choose another window and click Share this Window to switch the presentation to another app.
For example, if you are showing a PowerPoint presentation in full-screen mode, move your mouse to the bottom of the screen, and the Taskbar will pop up for you to share or stop sharing.
File Explorer and Desktop changes
Starting on Windows 11 22H2, you can use the Ctrl + Shift + C keyboard shortcut to copy the item path to the clipboard when selecting a file or folder.
As part of the context menu experience changes, this new version brings the modern right-context menu to the desktop Recycle Bin. The context menu for network shares includes an option to pin to “Quick Access” without switching to the legacy menu.
Also, in the legacy context menu (Show More Options), the items now include more padding and the highlight is light or dark, depending on the system color instead of blue. You will also see this in the File menu of the Task Manager experience.
Touch experience changes
Windows 11 now will launch apps maximized by default on table posture for small devices, 11-inch screen diagonal and under.
Settings app improvements
As usual, the next version of Windows 11 will include an updated version of the Settings app with various new features and improvements.
Display page
On the Display page, the pop-up design when the “Identify” experience now has rounded corners to match the modern design of Windows 11.
Sound page
On the Sound page, you will now see a warning when microphone access has been restricted in your privacy setting.
Focus Assist page
On the Focus Assist page, there’s a new option that allows you to choose whether the feature will enable automatically for the first hour after a Windows feature update.
Bluetooth
As part of the Bluetooth improvements, Windows 11 will now remember if you turn on Bluetooth or Wi-Fi while in airplane mode. Then the next time you use airplane mode, the radios will reflect your preference.
Printers & Scanners
The Printers & Scanners page has been updated to show more details about the printer and scanner.
Advanced sharing settings
The Advanced sharing settings page is new in the “Network & internet” section. The page ports several sharing settings previously available in Control Panel, including Network discovery, File and printer sharing, and public folder sharing.
In addition, some entry points for network and devices settings in Control Panel will now open in the Settings app.
Touch page
The Touch settings page available through the “Bluetooth & Devices” section adds a link to make it so that the press and hold visual is now always displayed regardless of the setting state.
Themes page
On the Themes page, the contrast theme colors based has been tweaked, and the links are now more distinct on hover when using the desert theme.
Taskbar page
On the Taskbar page, the system now adds a new option to disable the list of recent searches when hovering over the Search icon.
Touch Keyboard page
On the Touch Keyboard page, Windows now adds a new link to the touch keyboard personalization settings to help improve discoverability.
Installed apps page
The Apps & features page in the “Apps” section is now divided into two separate pages, including “Installed apps” and “Advanced apps” settings. The “Installed apps” page now only includes a view of all your installed applications.
In the top-right corner of the page, you will find three options to change the view of the listing. Furthermore, the “sort by” menu has been updated to sort from smallest to largest files, and you can even sort by “Name (Z to A)” and “Name (A to Z).”
Also, it’s now possible to launch the apps settings page using the ms-settings:appsfeatures Uniform Resource Identifier (URI).
Advanced app settings page
The Advanced app settings is also a new page in the Settings app that now includes the remaining settings of the “Apps & features,” which are no longer part of the “Installed apps” page.
Default apps page
On the Default apps page, Microsoft is bringing back the ability to quickly switch default browsers. Once you upgrade to this new version, you will find a new “Set default” button that will automatically configure Chrome, Firefox, or any other browser the system default.
When you use the option, the system makes the new browser the default for .htm, .html, HTTP, and HTTPS, which are the primary protocols to access the web. However, it’s not perfect since Microsoft Edge will continue to be the default for other protocols, including .pdf, .svg, .xhtml, and FTP.
Also, when searching, Windows 11 will now show a dropdown of options containing your current query without pressing the Enter key first.
Your Microsoft Account page
On Windows 11, the “You Microsoft Account” is new. The new page displays your account from Microsoft information, including details about your Microsoft 365 subscription, quick access to order history, payment details, and Microsoft Rewards.
Language & region page
On the Language & region page, in a continued effort to modernize the user interface, Windows 11 redesigns the page to add languages to align with the design style across the experience.
Date & time page
On the Date & time page, standard users (aka non-admins) should now be able to change the time zone if Location access is not granted, rather than the dropdown going blank.
Mouse pointer and touch page
On the Mouse pointer and touch page, the touch indicator option will now be disabled by default in new installations.
Ethernet and Wi-Fi
On the Ethernet and Wi-Fi page, Windows 11 22H2 adds support for “Discovery of Designated Resolvers” (DDR), allowing the system to discover encrypted DNS configurations from a DNS resolver known only by its IP address.
VPN page
On the VPN page, you can now see some VPN connection details when clicking the connection in the Settings app.
Find my device page
On the Find my device settings page, you will find new links to help you learn more about the privacy resources.
Input changes
On Windows 11 22H2, Microsoft is expanding the Touch Keyboard theming experience to other input features, including for the emoji panel, voice typing, and IMEs.
Narrator
Windows 11 is introducing several changes for the Narrator experience when browsing the web with Microsoft Edge. In this new version, Microsoft is making it easier to type in edit fields, such as the address bar, because the Narrator scan mode will now turn off faster. The Narrator will now read the character that the cursor position is at after a character has been deleted.
According to the company, you will also get more contextual information when navigating the web. For instance, required radio buttons and edit fields will now be read out as required, and more information about lists including list levels and accurate list indices will now be readout.
Finally, you will have a more consistent navigation experience with improvements in heading navigation, a more consistent scan mode navigation experience where scan mode is less likely to loop between items, and a more consistent hyperlink reading experience when navigating forwards and backward.
System changes
On Windows 11 22H2, Microsoft is also updating various aspects of the system. For example, the “TabletInputService” service has now been renamed to “TextInputManagementService.”
You can now use Windows Hello Facial Recognition from an external monitor with a camera and supports the feature when the laptop is closed.
The Emoji panel now has new emojis using Fluent design styles. The company is even shipping a Clippy emoji in this release.
Microsoft is also making the emojis more inclusive by adding the ability to edit the skin tone of group emojis (family members, couples with hearts, kissing, and people holding hands). In addition, the emojis search is now more flexible in Portuguese and Polish languages.
Also, this version will ship with an updated version of the Korean IME.
In the original release of Windows 11, Microsoft introduced SMB compression, a new feature that allows a user or application to request compression of files as they transfer over the network. The feature removes the need to compress a file manually with an application, copy it, then uncompress on the destination machine. When using compression, files will use less bandwidth, therefore taking less time to transfer, but at the cost of some additional processor usage during transfers.
Starting with version 22H2, Windows 11 includes new changes for the SMS compression algorithm so that if compression is requested, the file will always try to compress during a network transfer.
As part of the boot experience, the startup will now show a progressive ring animation instead of an animated circle of dots. (Microsoft also plans to adopt this new animation in other parts of the OS.
The Windows startup sound will no longer play after the computer reboots automatically to apply updates. Also, starting with build 22504, Windows 11 ships with .NET Framework .4.8.2 that brings ARM64 support for the runtime.