Windows 11 build 22543 outs with new visual changes and features

Microsoft releases Windows 11 build 22543 in the Dev Channel.
Build 22543 adds a new design for media controls on the Lock screen and Storage Spaces settings.
Narrator gains new natural voices options.
Also, this flight includes a bunch of fixes and known issues.

Microsoft is making available the “Windows 11 build 22543” for PCs enrolled in the Dev Channel of the Windows Insider Program. This is another minor update introducing new features and several visual changes. (See also this video highlighting all the new features with this flight.)

Build 22543, according to the official notes, updates the media controls that appear on the Lock screen for supported apps using a design similar to the media controls available through the Quick Settings flyout. However, these controls will always use the dark color mode to match the Lock screen environment.

Lock screen media controls (Source: Microsoft)

This flight also tweaks the visual effect when resizing apps in the snap layouts by overlaying the relevant app “icon” on top of the acrylic background.

Snap layouts with app icons (Source: Microsoft)

Other improvements include a new confirmation flyout when muting the call using the Windows key + ALT + K keyboard shortcut.

Keyboard mute flyout (Source: Microsoft)

The design for the “Storage Spaces” and “Disks & Volume” settings have been updated to match the Settings design style.

This is the design available on the “Disks & Volumes” page.

Windows 11 build 22543 also introduces new natural voices for the Narrator feature. According to the company, these more “natural voices enable Narrator users to enjoy scenarios like browsing the web, reading, and authoring mail, and more.”

These new voices use modern, on-device text to speech, and, once downloaded, they are supported without an internet connection. Natural Narrator voices are available in English-U.S.

If you want to use the new Natural Voices, open Narrator and click the “Install now” button. Under the “Add natural voices” section, click the “Add” button. Choose either the “Jenny” or “Aria” voice, and click the “Install” button.

Furthermore, build 22543 also brings new Narrator commands to make it easier for users to switch voices, including:

Narrator + Alt + the Minus key – move to the previous voice settings combo box.
Narrator + Alt + the Plus key – move to the next voice settings combo box.

Updated keyboard commands include:

Narrator + Alt + the Left Bracket key – move to the previous punctuation reading mode.
Narrator + Alt + the Right Bracket key – move to the next punctuation reading mode.

Finally, when doing a full build upgrade of Windows 11, the progress ring animation has been updated, aligning with the new progressive ring animation instead of an animated circle of dots.

Windows 11 build 22543 fixes

As part of the fixes, this flight fixes a number of issues with File Explorer, Input, Taskbar, Settings, and windowing.

File Explorer

Fixed an issue that could lead to explorer.exe crashing when dragging and dropping a file out of a zipped folder in File Explorer.

The context menu in File Explorer now shows a CTRL + Shift + C keyboard shortcut next to Copy as Path.

Input

Fixed an issue that was leading to the cursor unexpectedly disappearing in certain apps.

Fixed a crash in Quick Settings when opening the input switcher from there.

Addressed an issue that was leading to the candidate window customization being unexpectedly missing from Personalization > Text Input for Chinese Simplified IME users sometimes.

Taskbar

Fixed the issue causing two arrows to appear for the hidden icon flyout and the Quick Settings icons, and the date and time were misaligned.

Settings

Mitigated an issue leading to Settings getting stuck in a suspended state and couldn’t be launched.

If you’ve opted to turn off the startup sound, that setting should persist upgrades going forward.

Fixed the icon in the notification that shows if you have chosen to postpone finishing setting up your device.

Tabbing through Quick Settings should no longer set focus to an invisible element.

Fixed an issue that was sometimes causing the media controls above Quick Settings to be off-screen.

Windowing

The underline indicating the active desktop in Task View will now follow your chosen accent color instead of being blue.

Mitigated a WER issue that was leading to DWM crashes in recent flights.

Other improvements

Task Manager shouldn’t crash when switching to the Performance tab.

The updated flyout for the hardware indicators for volume will now show the level.

Fixed an issue where certain characters (like characters with umlauts) weren’t allowed when naming your PC in OOBE, even though it was allowed in Settings after finishing OOBE.

Addressed an issue that was leading to OneNote crashing in recent builds when trying to open pages with inserted PDFs.

Mitigated an issue that was leading to unresponsive UI after enabling HDR.

Finally, Microsoft also notes that this release has several known issues that everyone should know before upgrading regarding Taskbar, Search, Input, Widgets, and Narrator.

Install Windows 11 build 22543

If you want to download and install the Windows 11 build 22543, 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 22543 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).