Microsoft has just released a new Windows 11 test build to the Release Preview Channel, the final testing phase for preview builds, and it’s an exciting — or in some ways depressing — glimpse at what will ultimately be the future. 24H2 update for the operating system.
As you probably know, 24H2 will be the next major update for Windows 11, and potentially the last version of the operating system before the next generation comes out (whether that’s Windows 12or something completely different).
Microsoft has published the usual release notes for this new build, version 26100.1297 for the Windows 11 24H2 preview. Microsoft clarifies that not all features will be delivered to all testers right away – some will, but others will be rolled out gradually. So if you’re a tester in the Release Preview channel, you’ll have to be patient and wait for some functionality to arrive over time.
Let’s dive into some highlights of the documented changes. For the full list, check out Blog post from Microsoft – while keeping in mind that these are features we expect to see in the 24H2 update later this year. (Although that’s not guaranteed, as Microsoft can still drop things, even at this relatively late stage in development.)
To start, the Settings app is getting some changes, including a Xbox Game Pass ‘recommendation card’ on the homepage which has been in the works for a while and has not been very well received. It will also get a dedicated ‘Linked devices’ page – to manage all of your linked hardware, like your Xbox, for example – and the ability to add a recovery email address for your Microsoft account directly from the Settings app.
Windows Share is being overhauled to prevent accidental closing of the window (by clicking outside the window). Additional capabilities are also being added, such as the ability to quickly generate and share a QR code for a web link.
Windows Backup is also being expanded and will now back up your PC’s sound settings (including the sound scheme). Task Manager also benefits from some tweaks to make it more reliable, as well as numerous accessibility improvements (such as the addition of Tab key navigation).
File Explorer finally gets the long-awaited drag-and-drop functionality for the address bar, and the Windows 11 lock screen is getting new widgets. Currently there’s only a weather widget, but you’re now getting sports, traffic, and finance widgets as part of this update. Unfortunately, you can’t choose from any of the new widgets individually – you either get all of them, or none at all (though Microsoft is working on changing that, we’ve been promised in the past).
Windows 11’s Start menu has also been the subject of some controversy for similar reasons to the Settings app, recently adding more of Microsoft’s “recommendations” (which some consider to be ads). In this preview build, it’s getting a new Account Manager that shows you the benefits of your Microsoft account (or rather, reminds you what you’re missing out on and that you should subscribe to various Microsoft products), and also lets you manage account settings. As we’ve seen before, this Account Manager feature will apparently hide part of the Start menu which provides shortcuts to actions such as logging out or locking your PC.
Finally, it’s worth noting that the new version of 24H2 adds the PC Manager app to Windows 11 PCs in China – so will this eventually come to other regions? It’s a PC file and storage management tool with performance tuning capabilities, but it’s been a vehicle for more Microsoft advertising in the past – even hilariously suggesting that one viable system ‘fix’ was to change your default search engine back to Bing.
A tough time for Microsoft?
If many of these features and changes seem familiar, that’s because most of them have already been released and tested in previous preview channels. (Canary, Dev, and Beta all come before the Release Preview channel, the final testing phase before the finished version is deployed.)
There’s certainly good and bad here. However, Microsoft could be in for a particularly rough ride if people see that there are a few advertising-related features that are apparently marching through to 24H2 – which heading for release later this year (though maybe not as early as we thought) – because many people are already frustrated by the constant, persistent advertising that Microsoft inserts into key parts of Windows 11.
Frankly, I think there will need to be some serious performance and feature improvements elsewhere to help Windows 11 users look past Microsoft’s constant ad nagging. Microsoft seems pretty confident that it has enough goodwill with its customers, or perhaps that its ads won’t be particularly annoying or distracting, but I’m curious to see how the features delivered in this update – and the reception to the additional “recommendations” in particular – will be received.