BenjMathis1

2 new episodes, 'Ghostbasket' and the 28 minute special, 'The Sign' will premiere on ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation), Disney+, and Disney Junior this April.

Windows 11 may soon no longer require a reboot when installing security updates every month.

This update is beginning to roll out to Windows Insiders in all channels today (including Windows Insiders on Windows 10 in the Release Preview Channel). Make sure to update your app to version number 2024.11020.21001.0 or higher.

Generative Erase

Our well-known Spot fix tool has received a boost with the help of AI and is now known as Generative erase in the app. This feature allows you to fix and remove distractions from your photos, like background objects or miscellaneous visual clutter. Compared to Spot fix, Generative erase creates a more seamless and realistic result after objects are erased from the photo, even when erasing large areas.

Before and after using generative erase to remove unwanted objects from the photo.

To use Generative erase, go to Edit Image and select the Erase option. Brush over the objects or areas you want to remove. Adjust the brush size to get the right level of precision you need.

Select the areas you want removed and watch unwanted objects disappear.

For even finer control or removing multiple objects at once, you can disable Auto Apply to add or remove masks, where each mask represents an area that will be erased.

Add masks to remove multiple objects at once.

Other fixes and improvements

• All of the current Photos app AI edit features, including Blur background, Remove and Replace background, and Generative erase are now available in the Photos app for Windows 11 for Arm64 devices.
• For the first time, Windows 10 will be receiving all of the AI editing features that were previously available only on Windows 11, including Blur background, Remove and Replace background, and Generative erase.
• Various stability fixes and improvements.

FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Apps > Photos.

Checklists in Word are a simple yet powerful tool that can help you stay organized, focused, and productive.

Today Microsoft is releasing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26063 to Insiders in the Canary Channel. Details as follows:

Windows Insiders in the Dev Channel will not receive this build. Instead, we are releasing servicing updates to Insiders in the Dev Channel on Build 26058 to test our servicing pipeline for Windows 11, version 24H2.

Please read the known issues below. This build still has the issue impacting Dev Drive users.

What’s new in Build 26063

Wi-Fi 7

Following the announcement by the Wi-Fi Alliance, Windows is adding support for Wi-Fi 7 for consumer access points with the current Insider Preview builds in the Canary and Dev Channels. Wi-Fi 7, also known as IEEE 802.11be Extremely High Throughput (EHT), is a revolutionary technology that offers unprecedented speed, reliability, and efficiency for your wireless devices.

Next Generation Wi-Fi 7 builds on the innovations of Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E to provide enhanced user experiences through upgrades in all aspects of wireless connectivity – throughput, latency, efficiency, reliability, power, etc.

Highlighting some of Wi-Fi 7 new features:

• Multi-Link operation (MLO) allows devices to use multiple bands (2.4 GHz, 5GHz, and/or 6GHz) simultaneously to avoid network congestion and maintain connectivity.
• 320 MHz ultra-wide bandwidth in 6GHz doubles the speed to your devices and enables new possibilities for high bandwidth applications – and scenarios using such as AR/VR.
• 4096-QAM modulation increases the data transmission by 20% and improves the quality of video streaming, video conferencing, and more.

With Wi-Fi 7, you can enjoy multi-gigabit speeds on your Windows PC and experience up to 4x faster speeds than Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E, and close to 6x faster than Wi-Fi 5. You can also enjoy significantly lower latency, which improves the responsiveness and performance of real-time activities like gaming and video conferencing. Please note that performance may vary by manufacturer and hardware device capabilities.

To take advantage of Wi-Fi 7, you will need a Wi-Fi 7 capable consumer access point and PC, which many of our ecosystem partners have launched on the market.

Below is a screenshot from your Windows PC with this build when connected to the Wi-Fi 7 consumer access point.

Wi-Fi settings showing a Windows PC connected to the Wi-Fi 7 access point.

FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Network and Internet > Connecting to a Wi-Fi network.

Changes and Improvements

[Copilot in Windows]

• You can now ask Copilot in Windows to do 16 new actions, adding to the 13 already live. With Power Automate Desktop, you can also automate tasks. We began rolling these improvements out for Copilot in Windows to Windows Insiders in the Canary Channel earlier this week and added the details into last week’s blog post.
• The new Copilot in Windows experience we began trying out with Build 26052 where the Copilot icon will change appearance and animate to indicate that Copilot can help when you copy text has temporarily been disabled. We will bring this back in the future after fixing some bugs. Thank you for all the feedback!

[Widgets]

• The widgets board improvements documented with Build 26058 have temporarily been disabled. We will bring this back in the future after fixing some bugs. Thank you for all the feedback.

Fixes for known issues

• Fixed an issue causing some Insiders to experience an issue where the network icon in the system tray showed they didn’t have an internet connection when connected to some VPNs even though the internet connection was working. Those impact may have also seen some apps think there wasn’t an internet connection when there really was.
• The fix for the issue causing Build 26058 to not be listed under Settings > Windows Update > Update history like it should is making its way out. It may take another flight or two for builds to properly show up under Update History.
• Fixed a high hitting DWM crash in the last couple flights.
• Fixed an underlying issue with plug and play which may have impacted audio device setup in the last 2 builds. If you’re continuing to experience issues with audio not playing after this build, please file feedback under Devices and Drivers > Audio and sound in the Feedback Hub.
• Fixed an issue where typing too quickly in the Settings search box could result in the results not loading completely.
• Fixed an issue causing the three-finger touchpad gesture for middle mouse click (if you had enabled this in touchpad settings) to not work in some apps.
• Fixed an issue where attempted to use the Move option when you pressed ALT + Space was causing a window to resize instead of move.
• Fixed an issue for Insiders with multiple monitors, where opening a minimized window might result in the window appearing on the wrong monitor.
• Fixed an issue which could cause the clock in the taskbar to stop updating.
• Fixed an issue which could cause the taskbar icons to shift around under your mouse as you moved your mouse across the taskbar.
• Fixed an issue where the “Notify when apps request location” option in Settings under Privacy & Security > Location was reset after reboot.
• Fixed an issue that was causing the Windows Update page in Settings to unexpectedly flash messages sometimes (too quickly to read) in the previous flight.

Known issues

[General]

• [IMPORTANT NOTE FOR GAMERS – UPDATED!] Some popular games may not work correctly and cause a bugcheck (green screen) when launched on the most recent Insider Preview builds in the Canary Channel. Please be sure to submit feedback in Feedback Hub on any issues you see with playing games on these builds.
• IMPORTANT NOTE FOR DEV DRIVE USERS: Insiders on Build 26052+ who have Dev Drives and might need to rollback will need to back up their Dev Drives BEFORE rolling back as rolling back will cause Dev Drives to break and data on them to be lost.
• A Display Connection section is incorrectly showing up under Settings > System > Display > Graphics that when clicked, will crash Settings. This section will be removed in a future flight.
• Using the ISOs for Build 26058 to upgrade instead of doing a clean install may not work if you choose “Keep nothing” in the Windows Setup experience. To upgrade to the latest build in the Canary and Dev Channels, please use Windows Update.
• [UPDATED] We’ve made a change to help reduce the number of rollbacks (with error code 0xC1900101) when installing the latest builds and are continuing to investigate reports.
• We’re working on the fix for an issue causing the input switcher (WIN + Space) design to revert back to an older style and draw in the wrong location.
• In some cases, the File Explorer context menu no longer has the acrylic effect. This will be fixed in a future flight.
• [NEW] We’re investigating reports of mouse cursor issues after installing Build 26058, including that the cursor is disappearing in some apps. If you’re experiencing issues, please file feedback describing exactly what you’re seeing under Input and Language > Mouse in the Feedback Hub.
• [NEW] When opening the context menu in File Explorer, the icons may appear out of place and overlapping text.

Get ready for a big cloud gaming expansion.

Take an early look at the new Sticky Notes app on Windows, focused on creating and recalling notes more seamlessly than ever.

Today Microsoft is releasing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22635.3209 (KB5034855) to Insiders in the Beta Channel. Details as follows:

New features for everyone in the Beta Channel

Instantly access new photos and screenshots from your mobile device

We are also beginning to gradually roll out the ability to effortlessly access and edit your most recent photos and screenshots from your Android mobile device in Snipping Tool on your PC. With this feature, you’ll receive instant notifications on your PC whenever a new photo or screenshot is captured on your Android device.

Windows notification prompting to open capture in Snipping Tool for markup.

To enable this experience, go to Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Mobile devices and choose “Manage devices” and allow your PC to access your Android phone.

New settings window for managing mobile devices that are allowed to connect to your PC.

Please note that as part of this change, we have renamed the Phone Link settings page under Settings > Bluetooth & devices to Mobile devices.

Your PC will get a Cross Device Experience Host update in the Microsoft Store that is required for this experience to work. This new experience replaces the remote capture with Phone Link experience that was announced back in September.

FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Devices and Drivers > Linked devices.

Fixes for everyone in the Beta Channel

• This update addresses an issue that affects the CrashOnAuditFail registry value. When you set it to one (1), only admins can sign in to a machine that has stopped working. After you install this update, standard users can sign in to the machine.
• This update addresses an issue that affects an embedded SIM (eSIM) When you delete it, you do not get a notification.
• This update addresses an issue that affects Azure Virtual Desktop virtual machines. At random, they restart. This occurs because of an access violation in lsass.exe.
• This update addresses an issue that affects Microsoft Edge. The UI is wrong for Internet Options Data Settings.
• This update addresses an issue that affects long-edge fed printers. The alignment of stapling or hole punch locations is wrong.
• This update addresses an issue that affects a machine that is used as a remote desktop session host. You get stop error RDR_FILE_SYSTEM (0x27). This occurs when you start up all users from the machine.
• This update addresses an issue that makes the troubleshooting process fail. This occurs when you use the Get Help app.
• This update addresses an issue that affects the Windows Settings Home page. It randomly stops responding when you go to the page.
• This update addresses an issue that affects Remote Desktop Web Authentication. You might not be able to connect to sovereign cloud endpoints.
• This update addresses an issue that affects Steps Recorder. Some of the UI and steps are not localized to Chinese.
• This update addresses an issue that affects Notepad. It does not open for the standard user account. This occurs when you use Command Prompt to open it based on file type association.
• This update addresses an issue that affects 8 Zip archives. It stops you from opening them by double-clicking them in File Explorer.
• This update affects games you install on a secondary drive. Now, they remain installed on the drive.
• This update addresses an issue that affects the Certificate Authority snap-in. You cannot select the “Delta CRL” option. This stops you from using the GUI to publish Delta CRLs.
• This update addresses an issue that stops a system from going to sleep. This occurs when you connect an external device to the system.
• This update addresses an issue that affects the download of device metadata. Downloads from the Windows Metadata and Internet Services (WMIS) over HTTPS are now more secure.
• This update addresses an issue that affects networking. A device fails to make the automatic switch from cellular to Wi-Fi when it can use Wi-Fi.
• This update addresses an issue that affects Narrator announcements. They are slow when you use Natural Voices.
• This update addresses an issue that affects explorer.exe. It might stop responding. This occurs when you restart or shut down a PC that has a controller accessory attached to it.

Windows 11's next feature drop will be made available for both 22H2 and 23H2 users. Here's what's new!

Today Microsoft is releasing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26058 to Insiders in the Canary and Dev Channel. ISOs are availlable for this build. Details as follows:

Insiders in the Canary Channel will receive Build 26058.1000 while Insiders in the Dev Channel will receive Build 26058.1100 (KB5036078) as we test delivery of a full build and a servicing update at the same time. There is no difference between the two of these as Build 26058.1100 does not include any additional code.

Please read the known issues below. This build still has the issue impacting Dev Drive users. We have also added a few issues based on feedback from last week’s flight and an issue with using the ISOs being released today to do an upgrade.

The Canary and Dev Channels receiving the same builds is only temporary. During the times in which the Canary and Dev Channels are on the same builds (e.g. Build 26058), the window is open for Insiders in the Canary Channel to switch to the Dev Channel. At some point in the future, the Canary Channel will jump to higher build numbers and the window will be closed.

NOTE: Some features may begin rolling out to the Canary Channel first before the Dev Channel even if the two channels have the same build.

What’s new in Build 26058

Pointer Indicator: New accessibility setting for low vision Windows users

Low vision users on Windows can now easily locate and use their cursor. This will allow these users to be more productive and efficient when using a Windows device.

Mouse pointer indicator shown over Settings in Windows 11.

To enable this experience, go to Settings > Accessibility > Mouse pointer and touch and enable the Pointer indicator setting. You can also search for the setting by name. When the setting is enabled, you can toggle it on/off with the keyboard shortcut, Win + Ctrl + X.

Settings shown for turning on the mouse pointer indicator.

FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Accessibility > Accessibility Settings.

Widgets board improvements

We’re continuing to evolve the widgets board experience and you can now have more space for your favorite widgets and stay on top of current events with a feed that helps you discover the world around you. With the introduction of the new navigation bar on the left, you can switch between a dedicated widgets dashboard and other integrated dashboards like Discover. Give it a try and let us know what you think using the feedback button at the top of the board.

We’ve added a new Navigation Pane on the left that allows you to switch to My Widgets dashboard.

A full widgets only experience from your favorite apps and services.

[We are beginning to roll this out to Windows Insiders in the Canary and Dev Channels today, so the experience isn’t available to all Insiders just yet.]

FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Desktop Environment > Widgets.

New notification badging for Widgets

We’re beginning to roll out a new badging experience for Widgets. Widgets badges will notify you when you miss an important notification on your taskbar. Below is an example of a notification badge for Widgets that shows that there are three missed notifications.

Widget badging on the taskbar showing three missed notifications.

When you open the Widgets board you can see details for the notifications you missed in the top left corner of the board.

Missed notifications at the top left of the widgets board.

[We are beginning to roll this out to Windows Insiders in the Canary and Dev Channels today, so the experience isn’t available to all Insiders just yet.]

FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Desktop Environment > Widgets.

Richer weather experience on the lock screen

If you are in the Canary Channel, you should start to see the richer weather experience on your lock screen. This includes dynamic, interactive weather updates. So, as you hover over the weather experience on your lock screen, you will see more information. When you tap or click on the weather card and sign in, Microsoft Edge opens with the full forecast in MSN Weather. If you already use Weather under Settings > Personalization > Lock screen > Lock screen status, there is nothing for you to do. Also, this new experience will be on by default. Should you not want to see this experience, you can change your lock screen status to “None.” This rich weather experience is available when you lock your screen no matter which personalization option you select (Windows spotlight, Picture, or Slideshow).

Richer weather experience on the lock screen.

[We are currently rolling this out starting with EN-US only, so the experience isn’t available to all Insiders in the Canary or Dev Channels just yet as we plan to monitor feedback and see how it lands before pushing it out to everyone.]

FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Desktop Environment > Lock screen.

Changes and Improvements

[General]

• WIN + CTRL + S will now open voice access instead of Windows Speech Recognition (WSR). Windows 11 is transitioning from WSR to voice access. WSR is being deprecated.

[File Explorer]

• To make it easier to use the File Explorer context menu, labels have been added to previously unlabeled actions such as cut, copy, paste, rename, share, and delete.

Labels added to previously unlabeled actions in the File Explorer context menu.

[Command Prompt]

• If you run winget, or any other package manager configured to do so, Command Prompt (CMD) will now look for changes to the PATH and update your current session. To enable a package manager to have this logic in CMD, simply add the package manager .exe name to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Command Processor\KnownPackageManagers.

Fixes for known issues

• Fixed an issue causing an increase in Insiders to experience black screens after Build 26040 (particularly when waking a device from sleep). Please file feedback if you continue experiencing issues after installing this build.
• Fixed an issue where all the added features under Settings > System > Optional Features were showing 0 bytes in the previous flight.
• Fixed an issue where focus sessions continued to show as running in the notification center after they had ended.
• Fixed an issue causing Windows Sandbox to unexpectedly show Windows Sandbox could not be initialized. (0x800736b3) for some Insiders in the previous flight.
• Fixed an issue where the last checked time showing for Windows Update in Settings was wrong.

Known issues

[General]

• [IMPORTANT NOTE FOR GAMERS – UPDATED!] Some popular games may not work correctly and cause a bugcheck (green screen) when launched on the most recent Insider Preview builds in the Canary Channel. Please be sure to submit feedback in Feedback Hub on any issues you see with playing games on these builds.
• IMPORTANT NOTE FOR DEV DRIVE USERS: Insiders on Build 26052+ who have Dev Drives and might need to rollback will need to back up their Dev Drives BEFORE rolling back as rolling back will cause Dev Drives to break and data on them to be lost.
• A Display Connection section is incorrectly showing up under Settings > System > Display > Graphics that when clicked, will crash Settings. This section will be removed in a future flight.
• [NEW] Using the ISOs released today for this build to upgrade instead of doing a clean install may not work if you choose “Keep nothing” in the Windows Setup experience. To upgrade to the latest build in the Canary and Dev Channels, please use Windows Update.
• [NEW] We are investigating an increase of reports of insiders rolling back when attempting to install the latest build (with error code 0xC1900101).
• [NEW] Some Insiders may experience an issue where the network icon in the system tray shows they do not have an internet connection when connected to some VPNs even though the internet connection is working. Some apps might also think there isn’t an internet connection when there really is.
• [NEW] We’re investigating an issue causing the input switcher (WIN + Space) design to revert back to an older style and draw in the wrong location.
• [NEW] After this build is installed, there is an issue where the build will not be listed under Settings > Windows Update > Update history like it should.

[Widgets]

• [NEW] You may at times experience your widgets-only dashboard not rendering any content.

The Windows 11 2024 Update will bring new AI features and quality of life improvements.

The February 2024 security update is now available for Windows 11.

Windows 11 release notes:

• Version 22H2 & 23H2 (KB5034765): https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/5034765
• Version 21H2 (KB5034766): https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/5034766

Highlights for Windows 11, versions 22H2 & 23H2:

• Addresses security issues for your Windows operating system
• Addresses an issue that affects Narrator announcements. They are slow when you use Natural Voices.
• Addresses an issue that affects explorer.exe. It might stop responding when you restart or shut down a PC that has a controller accessory attached to it.
• The Copilot in Windows icon will appear on the right side of the system tray on the taskbar. Also, the display of Show desktop at the rightmost corner of the taskbar will be off by default.

The update includes improvements that were part of KB5034204 (released on January 23) https://prod.support.services.microsoft.com/en-us/help/5034204

Highlights for Windows 11, version 21H2

• This update addresses an issue that affects remote direct memory access (RDMA) performance counters. They do not return networking data on VMs in the right way.
• This update addresses an issue that affects fontdrvhost.exe. It stops responding when you use Compact Font Format version 2 (CFF2) fonts.

Reminders:

• After February 2024, there are no more optional, non-security preview releases for Windows 11, version 22H2