- Windows 11 build 23486 is now rolling out in the Dev Channel.
- The update introduces passkey support for apps and websites through Windows Hello.
- Also this release also brings changes for File Explorer, Dynamic lighting, Date & time, and more.
Windows 11 build 23486 is now rolling out for devices in the Dev Channel of the Windows Insider Program. In this release, Microsoft is only making available changes, fixes, and improvements for existing features.
Build 23486 for Windows 11, according to the official changes, introduces improvements for the passwordless implementation that allows users to enroll and use passkeys to sign into apps and websites with the option to manage saved passkeys.
In the release, testers will also find a couple of improvements for the time zone settings, and the company is pushing various fixes and improvements for Dynamic lighting, input, network, Task Manager, and more.
Windows 11 build 23486 new features
Here are all the new features and improvements for the latest release of Windows 11 in the Dev Channel:
Passkey support
Starting with build 23486, Windows 11 improves the passkey experience by allowing users to create and use passkeys with the Windows Hello experience. Once a passkey is created, users can use Windows Hello (face, fingerprint, PIN) to sign in. In addition, users can use their phones to complete the application login process.
The enrollment process involves going to a website that has enabled passkeys on Windows 11. Create a passkey from your account settings. And sign out of your account and sign in using your passkey.
On your phone, you can load a website that has enabled passkeys. Create a passkey from your account settings. And then, go to the website on Windows 11 and sign in using your passkey saved on your phone.
In addition, the development team is adding a new “Passkeys” page on Settings > Accounts, which allows you to view, search, and delete your passkeys.
Currently, you can use the passkey experience in the Canary version of Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome.
File Explorer settings rollback
Microsoft is rolling back the legacy settings that were removed from File Explorer in the previous build.
Dynamic lighting new effects
As part of the “Dynamic lighting” experience to control RGB lighting accessories, starting on build 23486, the settings page is adding new effects, including Wave, Wheel, and Gradient.
Date & time time zone changes
In the “Date & time” settings, Windows 11 is improving changing time zones, including cases of low confidence in location data. It displays a non-dismissible notification for accepting or rejecting the change and prompts the user for confirmation before adjusting the time zone.
Also, if location settings are disabled, a warning is now shown to the user, urging them to enable location settings to ensure accurate time zone adjustments.
Fixes and improvements
This flight also ships with a bunch of fixes and improvements for Taskbar, Input, Settings, File Explorer, and more.
Dynamic lighting
- Fixed the issue where on first boot after installing recent builds and connecting a device, the “Use Dynamic Lighting on my devices” toggle is off in Settings and device LEDs may not turn on automatically.
Input
- Rolls back a fix for an issue where a blank window whose title is “Windows Input Experience” appears after resuming the device from the sleep.
Network
- Fixed an issue where the login screen was crashing in the last couple flights when trying to connect to certain types of networks.
Task Manager
- Fixed an issue causing Task Manager crashes for some people.
- Fixed an issue where focus wasn’t getting set correctly to search if the Task Manager window was small enough that search was collapsed to an icon.
- Fixed alignment of Task Manager icon and name in the title bar.
- Right clicking the empty space in the Details page (aka so no process is actually selected) will no longer
- show the option to create live kernel memory dumps.
- Fixed an issue where the live kernel memory dumps weren’t being cleaned up by Storage Sense.
This release also has known issues with the Dev Drive, File Explorer, Notifications, Dynamic Lighting, Windows Ink, and Taskbar.
Install build 23486
If you want to download and install the Windows 11 build 23486, enroll your device in the Dev Channel using the “Windows Insider Program” settings from the “Windows Update” section.
Once you enroll the computer in the program, you can download build 23486 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.
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].