Microsoft released a preview update for Windows 11 Build 26241 today for Insiders in the Canary channel. This update focuses on improvements and bug fixes designed to enhance the overall desktop experience.

Microsoft is also aiming to prevent unnecessary notification clutter with the new update

The update delivers a range of improvements and fixes to address various issues that Insiders might have encountered. While the specific details aren’t available, Microsoft aims to improve the overall stability and performance of Windows 11.

• Drag-and-Drop to Address Bar: Users can now use the File Explorer address bar for a more streamlined workflow. Simply drag and drop files directly onto the path displayed in the address bar for quicker navigation.
• Enhanced File Selection: A thin border now surrounds the selected area in File Explorer, providing a clearer visual indication of the chosen files or folders.
• Crash Fix: An issue that caused File Explorer to crash when entering the Home directory in previous updates has been addressed.

Taskbar and Notifications

• App Icon Flickering Resolved: A bug that caused app icons to flicker on the taskbar has been squashed, ensuring a smoother visual experience.
• Smarter Notification Recommendations: Microsoft has refined the logic behind notification recommendations. Now, the system will only suggest turning off notifications for apps that haven’t been interacted with by the user for an extended period. This should help prevent unnecessary notification clutter.

(Via)

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Windows Insiders have even more reason to rejoice now! Microsoft is rolling out a feature that lets users transform their Android phone or tablet into a webcam for any video application on a Windows 11 PC. We previously talked about the speculation that this feature might be on its way. This means users can now ditch bulky webcams and enjoy the high quality of a phone’s camera on their computer, all wirelessly and with added flexibility.

Using smartphones also lets users switch between front and back cameras as needed

Imagine using your phone’s camera for video calls, conferences, or even streaming, with the freedom to switch between the front and back cameras for the perfect shot. Need a quick break during a call? Simply pause the video stream from your PC and resume when you’re ready. Plus, you can even leverage the special effects offered by your phone’s camera, adding a touch of fun to your video interactions.

To get started, ensure your Android phone or tablet runs Android 9.0 or later and has the Link to Windows app version 1.24012 or higher installed. Connecting your phone as a webcam is easy: head to Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Mobile devices, choose “Manage devices” and grant your PC access to your phone. Your PC will then receive a necessary update from the Microsoft Store.

Microsoft is also encouraging users to share their feedback! Head over to the Feedback Hub (WIN + F) and share them under Devices and Drivers > Linked devices. Although there are third-party apps such as DroidCam that achieve the same end result (and have been around for years now), getting this feature integrated into Windows is a game-changer when it comes to convenience and speed. Get ready to experience the quality of using your phone’s camera for all your video needs on Windows 11!

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Microsoft has released the recent build of Windows 11 for 2023 in the Beta Channel. Although voice access has undergone several adjustments and modifications, Windows 11 Build 22635.2915 is a rather minor upgrade.

Numerous changes have been made available to Insiders over the past few weeks, as this is a Beta Build. Should you have been paying attention, you have already noticed several changes, such as the addition of a character counter to Notepad in Windows 11.

Earlier this month, Microsoft declared that Windows Speech Recognition will no longer be supported, making voice access an increasingly crucial capability.

It is past due that Microsoft discontinued Windows Speech Recognition, a feature that was initially introduced with Windows Vista. Much more powerful, voice access is updated frequently with new capabilities.

The final Beta Channel trip for Windows 11 Insider will take place in January 2024. Scroll down to see the full details of the update:

Windows 11 Beta Build — New features

1. Extended languages, multi-display support, and custom commands for voice access

Extended language support: Windows has expanded speech capability for additional languages, including German, French (France), Spanish (Spain), and Spanish (Mexico).

Multi-display support: Now, you may utilize all of the voice access capabilities across displays, including the number and grid overlays that were only accessible on the primary display.

Voice shortcuts: Microsoft is going to start offering voice shortcuts and custom commands so you may make your instructions. If you utilize voice access in English, you can now get this.

2. Improved discoverability of screencasting

You may wirelessly expand your display to a nearby PC, TV, or other external displays by using Casting on your Windows PC. They are rolling out updates that emphasize Cast’s discoverability in Windows 11 and educating people about it. It includes:

• Windows will provide the option to Cast via a notification toast while you are multitasking on your PC, such as often navigating between windows to finish a job or using Snap Assist to arrange your screen real estate.
• Added more support to the Cast flyout in Quick Settings so you won’t have to worry about connecting issues, finding adjacent displays, or anything else.

3. Windows 365 Boot New Features and Improvements

Dedicated mode for Windows 365 Boot: Windows is now introducing dedicated mode, a new option for Windows 365 Boot.

You may now use your assigned company-owned device to boot up to your Windows 365 Cloud PC. With password-less authentication techniques like Windows Hello for Business, you may easily log in to your Windows 365 Cloud PC from the Windows 11 login screen.

The new dedicated mode also includes features like remembering your username, displaying a photo on the lock and login screens, and a quick account switcher experience that lets you swap accounts to log in with ease.

Early in 2024, a private preview of the functionality will be made available to Windows 365 users.

Customized company logo and name for Windows 365 Boot: Organizations may now personalize the login page in shared mode to include their Intune business logo. Early in 2024, Windows 365 users will be able to access the functionality in a private preview.

Fail fast mechanism for Windows 365 Boot: You no longer have to wait for the Cloud PC sign-in procedure to finish before discovering that Windows 365 Boot failed because of a network problem or an unfinished setup.

To ensure a seamless login experience for users to their Cloud PC, the intelligent logic alerts users in advance to fix network problems or finish app setup.

Manage local PC settings through Windows 365 Boot: You may now more easily view and control the sound, display, and other device-specific settings of your local PC from your cloud PC when using Windows 365 Boot.

4. Windows 365 Switch New features and enhancements

Improved disconnect experience for Windows 365 Switch: You may disconnect straight from your local PC to their Cloud PC.

To disconnect, navigate to Local PC > Task view > Right-click the Cloud PC button. To help you distinguish between these features, they have also included tooltips for the Cloud PC Start menu’s disconnect and sign-out choices.

Desktop indicators to differentiate between Cloud PC and local PC for Windows 365 Switch: Now, when you move between your own PCs, the terms “Cloud PC” and “Local PC” will appear on the desktop indication.

Windows 365 Switch to Frontline Cloud PC: While you wait on the connection page, you will now get updates on the Cloud PC connection status and the connection timeout indicator.

If there is a mistake, you can now quickly fix it by copying the correlation ID from the error screen by utilizing the newly included copy button.

5. General

• Windows Speech Recognition (WSR) replaced with voice access: WSR is no longer supported. When you launch WSR, a dialog box will appear encouraging you to test voice access.

Additionally, we’ve put a banner under Settings > Accessibility > Speech. With Windows 11, we’ve added voice access—a new assistive technology that employs on-device speech recognition to let you create text and manage your computer—without requiring an internet connection.

In a later version, it will allow various languages and custom commands (as previously mentioned, Windows Insiders may now test these capabilities in the Beta Channel). Windows advises WSR users to give voice access a try right now.

• Nearby Sharing: Added nearby sharing, navigate under Settings > System > Nearby sharing. This feature allows you to rapidly give your device a more amiable name to distinguish sharing to and from.

• Narrator: Narrator users may now dictate text, utilize voice interaction with screen components, and utilize voice access to launch programs. Users of Narrator can provide voice instructions to Narrator by utilizing voice access.

Take “read next line,” “speak faster,” etc. as examples. Start by typing “voice access” into Windows search and configuring it.

• Task Manager: You will now be able to choose the dump file location when generating one for a process, allowing you to transfer it out.
• Desktops: A bug where the backdrop would bounce when a user switched between desktops was fixed with a few changes.

6. Notepad Update

Windows is now distributing a Notepad update (version 11.2311.33.0) via the Beta Channel to Windows Insiders, bringing with it the following enhancements:

• Edit with Notepad: You may quickly open Notepad from File Explorer and make changes to files. To open and edit files in Notepad quickly and efficiently, simply right-click on any file or many files in File Explorer to bring up the [Edit with Notepad] option in the context menu.

• Character Count: The new character count display in the status bar allows you to keep track of how long your document is. When a text selection is made, the character count for the selected text and the full document are displayed in the status bar. You can always clearly see how long your document is if you know how many characters it is without having to choose any content.

Note: Through an enablement package, every Windows Insider in the Beta Channel will now be running the same build, 22635.xxxx.

If you’re a Windows Insider in the Beta Channel and would want to be the first to receive features gradually, you can switch on the option to receive the most recent updates as soon as they become available by going to Settings > Windows Update.

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The Windows Insider team has just dropped another exciting update for Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 23435 on the Dev Channel, and we’re here to give you the rundown on what’s new and improved.

One of the major highlights of this update is the introduction of Gallery, a new feature in File Explorer that’s designed to give users easy access to their photo collection. With Gallery, they can view the same set of content that you see in the All Photos view in the Photos app, and it’s optimized for the most recently taken photos. If users have OneDrive Camera Roll Backup set up on their phones, their photos will automatically appear at the top of the view. They can also choose which folders are shown in Gallery through the Collection dropdown, as well as add subfolders of existing sources to filter to a subset of their content.

Gallery isn’t just limited to File Explorer either. Users can use it from the file-picking dialog, which means they can easily access their photos when they are inserting attachments, building a PowerPoint deck, or crafting social media posts. This makes the process of finding and using photos a lot smoother and more streamlined.

Apart from the introduction of Gallery, there are several other changes and improvements in this update. For instance, there are new steps for users logging in with local user accounts on the Start menu, which are aimed at highlighting the benefits of signing in with a Microsoft account (MSA). There are also new presence sensor privacy settings and APIs, which allow you to manage your privacy and block/allow certain apps from accessing these sensors.

Of course, no update is complete without some fixes, and this one is no exception. There are fixes for various issues, such as crashes in explorer.exe, issues with Settings crashing when navigating to various Windows Update-related pages, and improvements to the performance of the expand all / collapse all View options on the Processes page, among others.

As with any update, there are also some known issues that Microsoft is working on fixing. These include issues with the search box on the taskbar and issues with Gallery in File Explorer, such as live updates being disabled and some file types not being rendered correctly. All in all, the Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 23435 brings a lot of exciting new features and improvements that will definitely make using your PC even more convenient and user-friendly.

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Microsoft has unveiled a new feature for Windows 11 that will let iPhone users link their phones to their Windows PCs and access various features from their devices. The feature, let’s call it Phone Link for iPhones, is currently only available for preview under the Windows Insiders program.

According to Microsoft, Phone Link works by installing a companion app on the iPhone that connects to the PC via Bluetooth. Once paired, users can see their phone’s notifications on their PC’s Action Center and manage them from there. They can also reply to text messages using the Phone Link app on their PC, which syncs with the Messages app on their iPhone. But it should be noted that Phone Link for iPhones does not support replying to group messages or sending media in messages.

However, it is not clear when Phone Link for iPhones will be available for all Windows 11 users or what other features it will offer. Microsoft says it is working on adding more functionality to Phone Link over time. For example, in Phone Link for Android phones, users can drag and drop photos from their phone to their PC using File Explorer or other apps.

Phone Link is one of the many new features that Microsoft has introduced with Windows 11, which launched in October 2021. The new operating system also features a redesigned Start menu that centers icons and shows recommended files and apps; a new Microsoft Store that offers more apps and games, including Android apps via the Amazon App Store; support for widgets that display personalized information; improved performance and security; and more.

Windows Insiders can try out Phone Link for iPhones by updating the Phone Link app to version 1.23012.169.0 or higher. To join Windows Insiders, users need to sign up with a Microsoft account and opt-in for preview builds in Settings > Windows Update > Windows Insider Program. Users should be aware that preview builds may have bugs or issues that affect their devices.

Phone Link is similar to Apple’s Continuity system, which lets users seamlessly switch between their Macs and iPhones. Continuity supports features like making phone calls, sending SMS messages, using apps like Safari or Notes, copying and pasting content, unlocking devices with Apple Watch, and more. However, Phone Link for iPhones does not support these features yet.

Phone Link is aimed at making it easier for both Android and iPhone users to work across their devices without having to switch back and forth between them. It also shows Microsoft’s efforts to make Windows 11 more compatible with different platforms and ecosystems. Whether Phone Link will be useful or popular among iPhone users remains to be seen.

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