- Microsoft releases Windows 11 build 22523 as the last preview of 2021.
- The preview brings Snap groups to Task View and other tweaks.
- The “Programs & Features” and “Uninstall Updates” from Control Panel have been ported to Settings.
Build 22523 for Windows 11 is now rolling out for devices enrolled in the Dev Channel of the Windows Insider Program. This is the last preview build testers would be getting in 2021, and it’s a minor update with several fixes and improvements. (See also this hands-on video with all the improvements from this flight.)
Windows 11 build 22523, according to the official notes, brings Snap groups to the Task View (Alt + Tab) experience to all users. This was previously only available for a subset of testers.
As part of the File Explorer changes, on This PC, the add media server and (if appropriate) remove media server option is now available when you click the See more (three-dotted) menu in the command bar.
Build 22523 also includes an updated version of the Settings app that opens the Installed Apps page when clicking the “Programs & Features” links in the Control Panel, which means that the legacy “Programs & Features” has been removed from Windows 11. In addition, you can now uninstall updates from Settings > Windows Update > Update History since the Control Panel experience has been removed.
Windows 11 build 22523 fixes
As part of the fixes, this flight addresses a number of issues with Taskbar, File Explorer, Spotlight collection, Input, Widgets, Settings, and more.
Taskbar
- Fixed an issue related to text input initialization that could lead to the shell (for example, Start menu and search) becoming non-responsive on ARM64 PCs.
- The battery icon tooltip should no longer unexpectedly show a percent above 100.
- App icons should no longer overlap the date & time on secondary monitors when there are a lot of open apps.
File Explorer
- Addressed an issue that was leading to losing keyboard focus sometimes after pressing Enter when using F2 to rename OneDrive files.
Spotlight collection
- After enabling spotlight collection, your first image (after Whitehaven Beach) should arrive a little faster now.
- Added icons to the spotlight collection context menu entries.
Input
- Improved reliability of invoking voice typing.
- Fixed an issue where the border of our text input experiences (voice typing, emoji panel, etc.) wasn’t drawing correctly when a contrast theme was enabled.
- Mitigated an intermittent crash with the pen menu process if it was launched and then immediately closed before the launch happened.
Widgets
- Fixed the issue causing links to not open properly when opening the widgets board using hover.
Settings
- Settings content should no longer get truncated off the side of the window when making the Settings window small.
- Settings should no longer sporadically crash when opening combo boxes, which was impacting certain settings such as the ability to set custom click actions for the pen.
- Addressed an issue where the “Add a device” option in Bluetooth & Devices was silently crashing when trying to connect new Bluetooth devices.
- Added a number of keywords to make the Voice Access feature appear in settings search results.
General fixes
- Fixed an issue that was causing ARM64 PCs to experience bug checks citing a memory management error in the previous flight.
- Fixed an issue that was causing DWM to crash (causing the screen to flash repeatedly) when trying to use certain apps.
- Mitigated an issue leading to certain apps hanging when Narrator was running.
- Added some missing information when examining the details in the properties of narratorquickstart.exe.
- Addressed an issue where Narrator would not respond to UIA events such as notifications, live regions, or text events.
Finally, Microsoft also notes that this release has several known issues that everyone should know before upgrading regarding the Start menu, Taskbar, Search, Settings, Spotlight collection, Widgets, and Voice access.
Install Windows 11 build 22523
If you want to download and install the Windows 11 build 22523, you need to enroll your device in the Dev Channel using the “Windows Insider Program” settings from the “Update & Security” section.
Once you enroll the computer in the program, you can download build 22523 from the “Windows Update” settings by clicking the Check for Updates button. However, you will need a device that meets the minimum system requirements to receive the update if you are new to the Windows Insider Program.
You can also read this guide with all the new features Microsoft has been working on for the next version of Windows 11 (22H2).
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 14 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 20 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].