Windows 11 build 23590 improves Narrator, Share, and deprecates Steps Recorder

You can now download the latest preview of Windows 11 in the Dev Channel with improvements for Narrator, Sharing, File Explorer, and more.

Windows 11 build 23590 download
Windows 11 build 23590 download
  • Windows 11 build 23590 is now available in the Dev Channel.
  • This update adds previews before downloading voices in Narrator.
  • It improves the sharing experience and addresses a bunch of problems.

Windows 11 build 23590 is now available for participants of the Windows Insider Program in the Dev Channel starting on November 15, 2023. The update rolls out a few new features, changes, and improvements.

According to the official changes, build 23590 for Windows 11 introduces previews for natural voices for Windows Narrator in Chinese, Spanish (Spain), Spanish (Mexico), Japanese, English (UK), French, Portuguese, English (India), German, and Korean. The new feature allows users to listen to the voices before downloading it on the device.

In addition, this flight brings improvements to the image consumption experience for the Windows Narrator feature, including new keyboard commands for navigating images, such as “G” or “Shift + G” to navigate forward or backward between images in Scan mode (Narrator key + spacebar). Also, this update improves the detection of text on images.

Finally, in Microsoft Word, the Windows Narrator will now announce the presence of a draft comment, a resolved comment, a bookmark, or the availability of accessibility suggestions when reading text in the document.

Microsoft notes that starting with build 23590, the Steps Recorder has been deprecated and will be removed in future updates.

As part of the Share experience, the interface will now only show apps that you’re signed in with the Microsoft Account or Microsoft Entra ID instead of showing the compatible apps. In addition, when using a Microsoft Entra ID, your Microsoft Teams contact will appear in the Share interface.

Furthermore, when enabling Nearby Sharing from the Quick Settings or Settings app, the feature will also turn on Wi-Fi and Bluetooth if these features are turned off to ensure the sharing feature works as expected.

Windows 11 build 23590 fixes

The company also notes various fixes rolling out with build 23590:

File Explorer 

  • Fixed an issue causing File Explorer to crash on launch for some users in the last few builds if you were using a non-default regional sorting option.
  • Fixed an issue that was causing opening the context menu on the desktop to crash explorer.exe in the last couple of flights for some Insiders.
  • Fixed an issue causing explorer.exe to crash sometimes when entering paths into the address bar.

Windows Narrator

  • Fixed an issue where the Narrator was not correctly announcing the selected item in combo boxes when users tried to change the combo box value using the key combination Control + up or down arrow.Fixed an issue where the Narrator was announcing old dialog names even after users navigated to new dialog on a few web pages.
  • Fixed an issue where the Narrator was not reading the Role of control in tables on the web while using table navigation commands CTRL + ALT + Arrow keys.
  • Addressed an issue where the Narrator was not announcing the selected state of menu items in a few applications, such as device manager.
  • Fixed an issue where the Narrator was announcing both the unselected value and the newly selected value in elements such as date fields or any elements that are formatted as tables.

Magnifier

  • Fixed an issue on the Magnifier settings page where the text below the “voice speed” slider was not following the color contrast guidelines.

Settings 

  • Fixed an issue where the Experimental Features section of Narrator Settings didn’t have text.

Windows Share

  • Fixed an issue that was causing the share window to crash in the last couple of builds.

Finally, in this update, Windows 1 still has the problem where you need to use the “Show grid” commands to use the prompt box in Copilot.

Install build 23590

If you want to download and install the Windows 11 build 23590, 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 23590 from the “Windows Update” settings by clicking the “Check for Updates” button. However, if you are new to the Windows Insider Program, you will need a device that meets the minimum system requirements to receive the update.

Microsoft is also making the ISO file available to perform an in-place upgrade or clean installation of this release.

About the author

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].