- Windows 11 22H2 receives build 22621.1037 and 22623.1037 (KB5021304) in the Beta Channel.
- This flight updates the search box style and brings Voice Access improvements.
- Also, it includes various fixes and improvements for Windows 11.
For machines in the Beta Channel, Microsoft releases Windows 11 build 22623.1037 (KB5021304) with new features enabled by default and the preview build 22621.1037 (KB5021304) with features disabled by default.
According to the published revisions, Windows 11 build 22623.1037 includes several updates for the Taskbar and Task Manager as well as more functionality for interaction with interface controls. Additionally, you will notice that the Taskbar now has a new search box with more rounded corners rather than a square form for both releases 22621.1037 and 22623.1037.
Windows 11 build 22623.1037
Voice Access is now more adaptable and allows interaction with interface controls that go by different names as of this flight:
- Names that contain numbers in them, for example, the Calculator app where you can now directly say Click 5 .
- Names without any whitespaces between them, for example, in Excel, under the Insert tab, you can interact with UI controls like PivotTable and PivotChart directly by saying click pivot table or click pivot chart.
- Names with special characters in them, for example, items like Bluetooth & devices or Dial up. You can now say, click Bluetooth and devices or click dial hyphen up and interact with these UI controls.
Furthermore, the experience now allows you to scroll continuously left and right as well as horizontally to the far left and right ends of a page.
Additionally, the firm included support for interface controls including split buttons, spin controls, and thumb controls. This allows you to interact with these controls via number overlays or a click command. This version also resolves problems with snapping instructions that snap a window left or right, and commands that move the cursor in a text box now execute quickly.
Among the new Voice Access commands are (action:say):
-
Close the voice access application:
Close voice access, Exit voice access, or Quit voice access. -
Open a new application:
Show [application name], for example, Show Edge. -
Close an application:
Exit/Quit [application name], for example, Exit Word, Quit Edge. -
Show grid overlay on your screen:
Show window grid. -
Pull up the command help list:
Show command list, or Show commands. -
Release a held-down key:
Release. -
Move cursor in a text box:
Move forward five characters, Go back two lines, Go to start of document, Move to beginning of line. -
Select the desired no. of characters/lines:
Select forward/backward [count] characters/lines, for example, Select forward five characters. -
Delete selected text or last dictated text:
Strike that. -
Paste text in a text box:
Paste here, paste that. -
Apply bold formatting to specific text:
Boldface [text], for example, boldface hello world. -
Capitalize selected text or last dictated text:
Cap that.
Search box style
As was first shown with build 25252, Microsoft is still experimenting with different appearances for the Taskbar’s search box. In the most recent flight, you’ll notice a search box with more rounded corners rather than a square shape.
According to the firm, Insiders who get this update can alter the look by going to the Taskbar Items settings on the Taskbar page.
Changes and fixes for build 22623.1037
The following are the build 22623.1037-specific fixes:
Taskbar
- Updated the Quick Settings icons in the taskbar when using a screen reader so if you set focus to each of the icons it no longer includes the words system state and instead just says what the icon is (for example instead of system volume state it just says volume ).
- Fixed a few more explorer.exe crashes relating to recent taskbar changes.
- Fixed the issue causing Task Manager to become unresponsive when using the search box at the top of Task Manager.
Changes and fixes for build 22623.1037 and 22621.1037
The fixes for builds 22623.1037 and 22621.1037 are as follows:
- Fixed a known issue that might have affected Task Manager. It might have displayed certain elements in the user interface (UI) in unexpected colors. Some parts of the UI might not have been readable. This issue might have occurred if you had Choose your mode set to Custom in the Personalization > Colors section of Settings.
- Fixed an issue that might have affected Data Protection Application Programming Interface (DPAPI) decryption. The decryption of a certificate private key might have failed. Because of that, virtual private network (VPN) and other 802.1 certificate-based authentication might have failed. This issue might have occurred when you encrypted the DPAPI master key with a wrong value.
As part of the known concerns, Microsoft is investigating issues with the Taskbar and Task Manager.
Install build 22623.1037
You must use the Windows Insider Program settings from the Update & Security section to enroll your device in the Beta Channel in order to download and install Windows 11 build 22623.1037.
You can get build 22623.1037 from the Windows Update settings by clicking the Check for Updates button after enrolling the machine in the program. If you are new to the Windows Insider Program, however, you will need a device that satisfies the minimal system requirements in order to receive the update. You can recheck for updates to download build 22623.1037 if the device receives build 22621.1037.