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The Windows 11 Paint app gets dark mode and more in a new Dev and Canary Insider update by John Callaham Many Windows 11 users have been waiting patiently for the company's Paint app to add a dark mode. Some people were not so patient. Mod developers have been putting in a dark mode feature in Paint via third-party apps for a while now. Today, the long wait is over, at least if you are a member of the Windows Insider program. Microsoft revealed today that Insiders in the Dev and Canary channels can download the new version (11.2304.17.0) of the Paint app. Yes, it does finally include a dark mode. Microsoft stated: With this update, we are introducing support for dark mode in Paint. By default, Paint will adapt to your system theme preferences, but you can change this option yourself on the brand-new settings page. In addition to the new dark mode, the new Paint app for Dev and Canary Insiders includes some new features and improvements for its zoom mode: The classic presets are still available, but you can now also zoom in and out with finer granularity increments on the zoom slider or set a custom zoom value for even greater precision. We are also introducing a new fit to screen option to quickly optimize zoom to match your window size. Microsoft has also made changes to the Paint App's Image Properties dialogs: They now match the style of the new Windows 11 design and fit in with the new Paint app backdrop as well as many accessibility and usability improvements to dialogs throughout the app. We have also improved access key and keyboard shortcut support throughout the app for improved accessibility and productivity with keyboard. There's no word yet on when these features will be available for all Windows 11 users. Hopefully the rest of us won't have to wait too much longer to get the dark mode in the Paint app.

Windows 11 Beta Channel (KB5026443) adds WPA3 support to Phone Link instant hotspot by John Callaham Today, Microsoft has released builds 22621.1830 and 22631.1830 (KB5026443) to the Beta Channel for Windows 11 Insiders. The company writes in its blog post: Hello Windows Insiders, today we are releasing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22621.1830 and Build 22631.1830 (KB5026443) to the Beta Channel. Build 22631.1830 = New features rolling out. Build 22621.1830 = New features off by default. There's just one new feature in this release. It adds WPA3 support to the Phone Link instant hotspot feature: Changes and Improvements in Build 22631.1830 [Networking] We added WPA3 support to the Phone Link instant hotspot feature for more secure connections to a phone’s hotspot. Also made fixes to respect metered connection settings, reduce duplicate profiles, and show the phone’s display name in the network list. Microsoft also has a reminder for Beta Insider users: REMINDER: Insiders who were previously on Build 22624 will automatically get moved to Build 22631 via an enablement package. The enablement package artificially increments the build number for the update with new features getting rolled out and turned on to make it easier to differentiate from devices with the update with features off by default. This approach is being used for the Beta Channel only and is not indicative of any changes or plans for final feature rollouts. Insiders who landed in the group with new features turned off by default (Build 22621.xxxx) can check for updates and choose to install the update that will have features rolling out (Build 22631.xxxx). Here's some more info for Insiders: Important Insider Links Want to learn how we made Windows 11? Check out our Inside Windows 11 website to hear and meet our makers from Engineering, Design and Research to share their insights and unique perspectives throughout this journey. You can check out our Windows Insider Program documentation here. Check out Flight Hub for a complete look at what build is in which Insider channel. You can check out the full blog post here.

Windows 11 Insider Canary Preview Build 25352 released with new widget picker experience by John Callaham Microsoft has released a new Windows 11 Insider build for people who are in the Canary Channel. The new build number is 25352. It contains a new widget picker experience, and there's also an important change to the Canary Channel going forward. Here is the changelog: Starting with today’s build, Windows Insiders in the Canary Channel will notice that the name of the branch shown in the desktop watermark has changed to ZN_RELEASE. Just like we have done in the past, we can change which branch we flight builds from. As our engineers work in development cycles internally, we may prioritize work being done in a specific branch and may need to move Insiders between branches. We are treating these builds the same as we would treat builds from the RS_PRERELEASE branch. As a result of this change, Insiders will notice that some features have been removed temporarily. We look to bring these features back to Insiders in the future. And builds from the ZN_RELEASE branch should not be viewed as being matched to a specific Windows 11 release. Changes and Improvements [Widgets] We are beginning to roll out a new widget picker experience to Windows Insiders in the Canary and Dev Channels with an image that gives a visual preview of the widget before pinning, a deep linking ability that allows users to jump directly to the picker from the provider app/service as well as a link to the widgets Store collection page where users can discover more apps with widgets. Updated widgets picker You can check out the full blog post here.

Original Windows 11 Build 22000.1879 Release Preview is out but it's mostly bug fixes by John Callaham Microsoft is rolling out the Windows 11 Release Preview build 22000.1879 (KB5025298) for Insiders that have the original Windows 11 OS installed. It's mostly a collection of bug fixes, with a couple of new updates Here is the changelog: New! This update changes firewall settings. You can now configure application group rules. This update affects the Islamic Republic of Iran. The update supports the government’s daylight-saving time change order from 2022. This update addresses an issue that affects the Local Security Authority Subsystem Service (LSASS) process. It might stop responding. Because of this, the machine restarts. The error is 0xc0000005 (STATUS_ACCESS_VIOLATION). This update addresses an issue that affects Microsoft Edge IE mode. Pop-up windows open in the background instead of in the foreground. This update addresses an issue that affects Edge IE mode. The Tab Window Manager stops responding. This update addresses an issue that affects the Windows Remote Management (WinRM) client. The client returns an HTTP server error status (500). This error occurs when it runs a transfer job in the Storage Migration Service. This update addresses a rare issue that might cause an input destination to be null. This issue might occur when you attempt to convert a physical point to a logical point during hit testing. Because of this, the computer raises a stop error. This update addresses an issue that affects protected content. When you minimize a window that has protected content, the content displays when it should not. This occurs when you are using Taskbar Thumbnail Live Preview. This update addresses an issue that affects provisioning packages. They fail to apply in certain circumstances when elevation is required. This update addresses an issue that affects mobile device management (MDM) customers. The issue stops you from printing. This occurs because of an exception. This update changes the app icons for certain mobile providers. This update addresses an issue that affects signed Windows Defender Application Control (WDAC) policies. They are not applied to the Secure Kernel. This occurs when you enable Secure Boot. This update addresses an issue that affects the Windows Defender Application Control. The policy that blocks software using a hash rule might not stop the software from running. This update affects Xbox Elite users who have the Xbox Adaptive Controller. This update applies your controller remapping preferences on the desktop. This update addresses an issue that occurs when you use a PIN to sign in to Windows Hello for Business. Signing in to Remote Desktop Services might fail. The error message is, “The request is not supported”. This update makes improvements to the performance of the search box. This update addresses an issue that affects Administrator Account Lockout policies. GPResult and Resultant Set of Policy did not report them. This update addresses an issue that affects Active Directory Users & Computers. It stops responding. This occurs when you use TaskPad view to enable or disable many objects at the same time. This update addresses an issue that affects the Unified Write Filter (UWF). When you turn it off by using a call to Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI), your device might stop responding. This update addresses an issue that affects the Resilient File System (ReFS). A stop error prevents the OS from starting up correctly. This update addresses an issue that affects MySQL commands. The commands fail on Windows Xenon containers. This update addresses an issue that affects SMB Direct. Endpoints might not be available on systems that use multi-byte character sets. You can check out the full blog post for the update here, and you can download the build via Windows Update through the original Windows 11 OS as a Windows Insider in the Release Preview Channel.

Windows 11 Build 22621.1631 Release Preview adds animations to Widgets taskbars and more by John Callaham Microsoft has released a new Windows 11 Build 22621.1631 (KB5025305) for Windows Insiders in the Release Preview Channel that have Windows 11, version 22H2 installed. This new version includes some new features, along with a long lineup of bug fixes for various issues. Here is the full changelog: New! This update changes firewall settings. You can now configure application group rules. New! This update adds animations to a few icons on the Widgets taskbar button. These animations turn on when: A new announcement appears on the Widgets taskbar button. You hover over or click the Widgets taskbar button. This update affects the Islamic Republic of Iran. The update supports the government’s daylight-saving time change order from 2022. This update addresses an issue that affects the Local Security Authority Subsystem Service (LSASS) process. It might stop responding. Because of this, the machine restarts. The error is 0xc0000005 (STATUS_ACCESS_VIOLATION). This update addresses an issue that affects Microsoft Edge IE mode. The Tab Window Manager stops responding. This update addresses an issue that affects Microsoft Edge IE mode. Pop-up windows open in the background instead of in the foreground. This update addresses an issue that affects protected content. When you minimize a window that has protected content, the content displays when it should not. This occurs when you are using Taskbar Thumbnail Live Preview. This update addresses an issue that affects mobile device management (MDM) customers. The issue stops you from printing. This occurs because of an exception. This update changes the app icons for certain mobile providers. This update addresses an issue that affects signed Windows Defender Application Control (WDAC) policies. They are not applied to the Secure Kernel. This occurs when you enable Secure Boot. This update addresses an issue that displays Task View in the wrong area. This occurs when you close a full screen game by pressing Win+Tab. This update addresses an issue that affects the Chinese input method. You cannot see all of the first suggested item. This update addresses an issue that occurs when you use a PIN to sign in to Windows Hello for Business. Signing in to Remote Desktop Services might fail. The error message is, “The request is not supported”. This update addresses an issue that affects Administrator Account Lockout policies. GPResult and Resultant Set of Policy did not report them. This update addresses an issue that affects the Unified Write Filter (UWF). When you turn it off by using a call to Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI), your device might stop responding. This update addresses an issue that affects the Resilient File System (ReFS). A stop error occurs that stops the OS from starting up correctly. This update addresses an issue that affects MySQL commands. The commands fail on Windows Xenon containers. This update addresses an issue that affects SMB Direct. Endpoints might not be available on systems that use multi-byte character sets. You can view Microsoft's announcement blog post here, and you can download the build via Windows Update through Windows 11 22H2 as a Windows Insider in the Release Preview Channel

Windows 11 Canary Channel insider build 25336.1010 released to test servicing pipeline by John Callaham Microsoft has released a new update for Windows Insiders on the Canary Channel. However, don't get too excited as this is one of those updates that doesn't have any new features, improvements, or bug fixes. The new build number for the Canary Channel release is 25336.1010 (KB5026292). As noted in this Windows Insider Twitter post, this release is "designed to test our servicing pipeline." Cumulative Update Build 25336.1010 (KB5026292) is rolling out to #WindowsInsiders in the Canary Channel. This update does not include any new content and is designed to test our servicing pipeline. ^JH pic.twitter.com/WNFB9gCpuO — Windows Insider Program (@windowsinsider) April 11, 2023 Microsoft has previously stated that small updates like this on the Canary Channel would not get a big blog post like other Windows Insider releases. The last big Canary Channel release was made on April 7. Even that update was a pretty small one, with the build number 25336. It contained a few changes and improvements to settings, including one that allowed PC owners with two discrete GPUs and no integrated graphics chips to set up one of them as a default high-performance GPU.

Windows 11 Insider Canary build 25336 has a few small improvements by John Callaham Microsoft has released a new build for Windows 11 Canary Channel Insiders today. The new build 25336 includes a few small improvements. Unlike the last Canary release, this new build is available for Arm64 Windows devices as well as standard PCs. You can find the full changelog below: Changes and Improvements [Settings] Improved the performance of search within Settings. Customers with 2 or more discrete graphics adapters with no integrated graphics can now choose which of the discrete graphics adapters is considered high-performance. Navigate to Settings > System > Display > Graphics > Default graphics settings and select which of the discrete graphics adapters you would like to be designated as the Default high performance GPU. A limit of 20 most recent tabs has been introduced under Settings > Multitasking to show tabs in ALT + TAB and Snap Assist. This change rolled out with Build 25330 last week. You can find the official blog post here.

No Windows 11 Insider Dev or Canary Channel updates this week by John Callaham While Microsoft has released a new Windows 11 Insider Preview build for the Beta channel today, people who are on the Canary and Dev channels won't be getting new releases this week. That's according to a post on the official Windows Insiders Twitter page today as part of the Beta build reveal: No Canary or Dev Channel builds this week, but we do have a new Beta Channel build for #WindowsInsiders. Check the latest blog post for all the details on the .1465 LCU. ^JH https://t.co/gh9Hue70fV pic.twitter.com/6ARalJri5S — Windows Insider Program (@windowsinsider) March 16, 2023 The last Windows 11 Insider build for the Dev channel was released on March 8. Microsoft released the first build for Canary channel users on March 8 as well, and then released another build on March 10 that did not include any new features. It's likely that the Dev and Canary channels will both receive builds sometime next week. Microsoft also released its big Patch Tuesday update earlier this week for Windows 11 and Windows 10. Both contain a number of security updates including some that fixed holes that allowed ransomware to be distributed.

Microsoft gives Windows 11 Beta Channel Insiders an "off-ramp" until March 8 by John Callaham If you are a part of the Windows Insider program, and are a part of the Windows 11 Beta Channel to get new preview builds of the OS, you may decide you no longer want to participate in this program. Today, Microsoft announced an off-ramp for those users, which will allow them to no longer get new Windows 11 Beta builds. Today's blog post states this new off-ramp program is for users who have Windows 11 Insider Preview builds 22621.1325 or 22623.1325 installed. If you decide to update beyond .1325, the off-ramp will no longer be available. If you want to go through with it, just go to Settings > Windows Update > Windows Insider Program and then select "Stop getting preview builds”. The post stated: During this off-ramp, a troubleshooter will run that will unenroll the device from receiving new flights in the Beta Channel and uninstall the enablement package (EKB) if needed. Once the troubleshooter finishes – a reboot will be required to complete the process. After that, the device will no longer receive new Insider Preview builds from the Beta Channel. To see if this troubleshooter has been run on your device, go to Settings > Troubleshoot > Recommended troubleshooter history. Only a few Windows 11 Insiders will be selected immediately to get the troubleshooter but all will be added early next week. After the process is completed, users will get the upgrade to the stable Windows 11 build with March's "Patch Tuesday" release, which will give your PC Windows 11, version 22H2. This off-ramp window wil also close on March 8, after which time PCs still enrolled in the Beta Channel will continue to receive newer builds.

Windows 11 Release Preview Build 22000.1639 launched with new facial recognition feature by John Callaham Microsoft is now making its latest Windows 11 Release Preview build available for members of the Insider program. This build has the version number 22000.1639 (KB5022905): There's a bunch of bug fixes and one new feature in this version: New! We added an advanced auto-learning feature for facial recognition. We fixed an issue that stopped hyperlinks from working in Microsoft Excel. We fixed an issue that affected the Color filters setting. When you selected Inverted, the system set it to Grayscale instead. We fixed an issue that affected the Appx State Repository. When you removed a user profile, the cleanup was incomplete. Because of that, its database grew as time passes. This growth might have caused delays when users signed into multi-user environments like FSLogix. We provided support for the United Mexican States’ daylight-saving time change order for 2023. We fixed an issue that affected IE mode. The text on the status bar was not always visible. We fixed an issue that affected the Z-order of two maximized windows. A window that was behind another window might have appeared on top. We fixed an issue that affected AppV. It stopped file names from having the correct letter case (uppercase or lowercase). We fixed an issue that affected Microsoft Edge. The issue removed conflicting policies for Microsoft Edge. This occurred when you set the MDMWinsOverGPFlag in a Microsoft Intune tenant and Intune detected a policy conflict. We fixed an issue that affected Azure Active Directory (Azure AD). Using a provisioning package for bulk provisioning failed. We fixed an issue that affected a certain streaming app. The issue stopped video playback after an advertisement played in the app. We fixed an issue that affected the Local Security Authority Subsystem Service (LSASS). LSASS might have stopped responding after you ran Sysprep on a domain-joined machine. We fixed an issue that affected parity virtual disks. Using Server Manager to create them failed.

Microsoft confirms Visual Studio, .NET broken for Windows 11 Insiders, fix incoming by Sayan Sen For a few days now, Windows 11 Insiders who develop using Visual Studio 2022 have been complaining about severe performance issues. According to user reports, some of the recent Windows 11 Insider builds including the 22H2 RTM build 22621 are affected. The issues however are not exclusive to Visual Studio and all .NET-based applications like Blazor, JetBrains Rider, among others, are affected. Form the reports, it looks like there is high CPU usage in the range of 90-100% which is causing the whole system to slow down making the apps unusable. Microsoft though is aware of the issues and it has confirmed that the problem stems from the Windows 11 Beta Channel. We're aware of high CPU/severe slowdown of Visual Studio and other .NET apps on (what appears to be) Windows insider builds in past 24 hours. We're actively investigating: https://t.co/10k5kkcFIC — David Kean (@davkean) June 23, 2022 It affects all apps on the machine, particularly bad for .NET-based apps. We have fix for this - your machine should automatically pick up the fix soon. — David Kean (@davkean) June 23, 2022 The company provided a temporary workaround of switching over to the Release Preview Channel. However, that probably won't be necessary as a patch has been deployed and will be rolling out soon. Are you developer on the Windows 11 Insider channel affected by this issue? Let us know in the comments below if the performance patch works for you.

Windows 11 Insiders in Russia are apparently unable to download new builds by Sayan Sen Earlier this month, Microsoft announced that it is scaling down its operations in Russia, which adversely affected more than 400 of its employees who were laid off. This move was followed by an earlier announcement by the company back in March, where it said that it was suspending sales of its new products in the country, as a gesture protesting the Russian invasion of Ukraine. And perhaps in relation to the invasion, Microsoft also seems to have halted the ability to download Windows 11 and Windows 10 ISOs in Russia, though the company has not officially confirmed or unconfirmed anything. With that news not even more than a few days old at this point, new reports are coming in which suggest that Windows Insiders are unable to download new Insider Preview builds. And it is even possible that perhaps the entire Windows Update mechanism, whether you're an Insider or not, may be blocked off in Russia. I've seen one report that it is no longer possible to upgrade to the latest Insider build if the user is from Russia. I'm only aware of their inability to download ISOs from Microsoft's website. Can anyone confirm that it is no longer possible to update via WU? — Xeno (@XenoPanther) June 21, 2022 Yep, no longer possible. In the response from WU there is a parameter RU, but if you use VPN (Germany, for example), then WU says DE and update goes fine. (1/2) — Svyatoslav Demidov (@svyatoslavd_) June 22, 2022 However, it looks like the VPN trick still works in this case too like it did in the case of ISOs.

Microsoft Account and internet now mandatory to set up Windows 11 22H2 Insider builds by Sayan Sen In case you missed it, alongside the release of the most recent Windows 11 Insider build 22616 that brought in many changes, the Redmond giant also announced that having a Microsoft Account (MSA) and internet connectivity are now mandatory for Insiders during the initial setup (OOBE) of their Windows 11 Pro edition devices. It is compulsory only if your Windows 11 Pro system is for personal use. As expected, a device set up for Work or School does not require a MSA account or internet connection to be setup as that's something based on volume licensing. Here is the full statement from Microsoft regarding this: Previously, we shared new requirements for internet and MSA on the Windows 11 Pro edition. Today, Windows Insiders on Windows 11 Pro edition will now require MSA and internet connectivity during the initial device setup (OOBE) only when setting up for personal use. If you choose to setup device for Work or School, there is no change, and it will work the same way as before. The announcement is a follow-up to a previous development back in February with Build 22557 that expanded the need for MSA and internet for personal use on Windows 11 Pro users too, something that has always been the case for Home edition users as Microsoft apparently sees those running Windows 11 Pro for personal use as individual customers that can't be treated the same way as a group like School or Work PCs. Though, this is just an educated guess on our part as Microsoft itself hasn't really ever clarified as to why such a thing was made mandatory on Windows 11. Possible workaround: Sadly though, the "Network Connection Flow" workaround, which was discovered by one of our readers warwagon, doesn't appear to be working anymore, at least since build 22616. Here's what you get now: Network Connection flow workaround blocked However, the newer OOBE\BYPASSNRO workaround still works and readers should give it a shot in case you wanted to bypass creating a Microsoft Account and skipping internet connectivity when setting up OOBE. Via: Redmondmag

Microsoft releases all-new Auto HDR features for Game Bar in Windows 11 by Sayan Sen Microsoft has released new Auto HDR features today on Windows 11 where some of the new features will work with the the latest Xbox Game Bar from the Microsoft Store. The company actually introduced the Automatic High Dynamic Range or Auto HDR technology in Windows 10 preview builds back in 2021 but sadly the new features are available, as mentioned earlier, only on Windows 11. Some of the new features like multi-GPU support, which comprises Nvidia SLI and AMD CrossFire, are also available today but only on the Windows 11 Beta and Dev Insider channel builds. You can find the full changelog below: Game Bar Auto HDR Intensity Slider Available to all Windows 11 users today if you download latest Xbox Game Bar from the Microsoft Store. The Auto HDR intensity slider lets you control how vivid and bright you want the colors in your game to be with Auto HDR. In games with extremely bright or dim colors, you can adjust the slider to your liking so you can get the best Auto HDR experience. If you drag the slider all the way to the left, you have the minimum intensity, which is the equivalent of turning Auto HDR off, and if you drag the slider all the way to the right you have the full intensity of Auto HDR. To open Xbox Game Bar you can use the shortcut Win+G. To use the intensity slider, navigate to the Xbox Game Bar, then click the Settings button. Within Settings, click on the Gaming features section. Within that section you will see a button that says ‘Adjust HDR Intensity.’ When you click on that button a pop-up window with an intensity slider will appear. If you want it to stay in your Game Bar overlay, you can pin it down by pressing the pin button at the top right. This lets you control the intensity of the colors in your game. Note that this slider only applies to games with Auto HDR and not games with existing native HDR. The level of intensity is saved per game, meaning that you can set a certain level of intensity for AHDR for a particular game and it will not affect any Auto HDR settings in other games. The next time you play the same game, the Auto HDR slider will remember your previous setting. Below is an example in Minecraft Dungeons of adjusting the intensity of Auto HDR in the game. Notice how the red of the tarp changes in intensity. This is an SDR video simulating the Auto HDR effect. Game Bar Auto HDR Checkbox Available to all Windows 11 users today if you download latest Xbox Game Bar from the Microsoft Store. In addition to the Windows Settings app, you can also now turn on or off Auto HDR by just accessing the Xbox Game Bar within your game. Navigate to the Xbox Game Bar, then click the Settings button. Within Settings, click on the Gaming features section. Within that section you will see a checkbox that says Use Auto HDR with supported games. Make sure it is checked if you want to use Auto HDR and unchecked if you do not want to use Auto HDR. For your changes to take place, you will need to relaunch the game. To access these new Xbox Game Bar features, you need to have a version of Xbox Game Bar that is newer than 5.721. You can download the latest version of Xbox Game Bar through the Windows Store. Multi-GPU Compatibility Available to Windows Insiders In the last year, we’ve added Auto HDR support for multi-discrete-GPU setups such as Nvidia’s Scalable Link Interface (SLI) and AMD’s CrossFire in DirectX12 games. In other words, if you have a set-up that takes advantage of multiple GPUs, you can now use Auto HDR in more games. This feature is currently available in the latest Windows Insider Program build in the Dev and Beta channels. Click here to find out how you can join the Windows Insider Program. Customize Auto HDR Notifications Available to Windows Insiders Finally, we heard your feedback about excessive Auto HDR notifications. If you are finding the notifications for Auto HDR distracting to your game play, you can turn off these notifications in the settings. Open the Windows Settings app, then navigate to System, and then to Notifications. There you will see a list of Notifications from apps and other senders. Find the one for Auto HDR and switch the toggle to Off if you want the notifications off. We also provide the option to change the settings so that the notification remains on but does not play a sound or show notification banners. This feature is currently available in the latest Windows Insider Program build in the Dev and Beta channels. You can find the official announcement post here.

Ninjacat, Microsoft's beloved unofficial mascot may be no more by Sayan Sen Microsoft is apparently parting ways with ninjacat, a character like Clippy that came on to the scene back in 2015, according to a report by The Register. While the Redmond firm did not officially comment on this news, The Register says that sources who are familiar with the matter have confirmed this development. To be fair to Microsoft, ninjacat was never an official thing from the company management itself. Instead, the sticker - a cat riding on a unicorn holding a Microsoft flag in its paw - was actually made as a fun project by some Microsoft employees. But that didn't stop it from going viral and soon, some of these Microsoft Insiders and employees "embraced" ninjacat as the unofficial mascot of the company. Microsoft too seemed to soak in the publicity at the time, introducing more companions for ninjacat. Fast forward to today, Microsoft is moving on to a new official icon for Windows Insiders soon which it introduced during the announcement of the revamp of the Windows 11 Insider program recently. Amanda Langowski, who penned the blog post wrote: I am super excited to unveil the new icon of the Windows Insider Program, which represents the community of people who love and help shape the future of Windows, across all our 3 Insider Channels: Dev, Beta and Release Preview. New Windows Insider official icon If you want to read more tales about ninjacat, find them here. Source: The Register

Windows 11 22H2 is almost cooked suggests a leaked internal script for Insiders by Sayan Sen Back when Microsoft officially revealed Windows 11 to the world, the company also announced that the next-gen OS will be moving to an annual update cadence cycle. Hence the next feature update release will be called Windows 11 version 22H2. Windows 11 22H2 is apparently internally called Nickel and it looks like its Insider testing is on the verge of completion according to leaked scripts that seem to reveal some of these details. Below is a screenshot of the relevant portion highlighted: The highlighted portion reveals two deadlines, the first one being for "feature" completion scheduled on February 4, 2022, and the second one being for "config" completion, scheduled on March 4, 2022, which is on the same date but just a month later. This means Microsoft could be wrapping things up for Windows 11 22H2 Insider testing by March or soon after and moving on to the release of the next feature update revision for 23H2. Windows 11 23H2 is purportedly known as Copper similar to how 22H2 is called Nickel. However, searching for "cu_release" - as Cu is the symbol for copper - did not reveal anything in the leaked file. Source and image: Azure website via Deskmodder, @techosarusrex (Twitter)

Here's how you can get the new Media Player app for Windows 11 today by Steven Parker Last year, Microsoft inadvertently showed off a new media playing experience that it was working on. However, little was known about it due to the fact that only a screenshot of it had appeared online. Then back in November, Microsoft confirmed the existence of the new "Media Player" app for Windows 11, and started rolling it out to those in the Dev Channel. Fast forward to today, and there appear to be conflicting reports that the Media Player has started rolling out to non Insiders, however that report also does not share any Microsoft Store links for the download so either they don't know, or have not been able to confirm availability outside of the Insider channels. All we do know is that it was announced for Dev Channel Insiders back in November, and Microsoft has not made any further announcements regarding availability. Yesterday Microsoft did announce Beta channel availability for the updated Notepad, which is also a Windows 11 exclusive feature, that app has not left Preview status yet. However our friends over on Ghacks.net have found a way to fast track Media Player availability on the general release of Windows 11, so if you are not an Insider you can still install the new Media Player if you want. Do note that this will replace Groove Music on Windows, so you have to be cool with losing that for this. How to install Media Player Go to https://store.rg-adguard.net/, and paste the URL of the Groove Music app's Microsoft Store listing in the text box. Here's the link: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/p/groove-music/9wzdncrfj3pt Click the drop-down menu to the right-hand side, which says RP, and select the Fast. Proceed by clicking the checkmark button next to it, and a long list of links will appear. Look for the file name: Microsoft.ZuneMusic_11.2111.54.0_neutral_~_8wekyb3d8bbwe.msixbundle It is about 35 MB to download. Note: below the correct link, there's a similar file with the number 54.70, that weighs about 92 MB. Don't download this version, as it cannot be used to update the Media Player. Run the file that you downloaded, and the operating system will display a pop-up that asks whether you would like to update Media Player. Click the update button to confirm the action, and wait for it to finish the process. The Start Menu (All Apps) lists the app as Media Player, but Windows Search does not find the app, it will show the legacy Windows Media Player as the result. Ghacks further notes that oddly enough, searching for Groove Music lists the new Media Player in the results. We can only assume that the search indexing still points to the older version because the Store app uses the same listing. One thing that users might enjoy is that Media Player finally handles subtitles properly it seems from our limited testing. The above example was with an external .srt subtitle next to the media file. This workaround does not work on Windows 10 and it remains unclear whether the app will also be available for Windows 10 in a future update, but since the Groove app is being replaced, one can only assume that the Media Player will support the old operating system. As a reminder of what you're getting, below is a summary of the new features. Microsoft has noted that the new app has been designed with Windows 11 aesthetics in mind, so you'll get rounded corners and other design elements related to the OS. Other features that Microsoft has touted are album art and "rich artist imagery" that will be visible both in the full screen mode as well as the mini player. Keyboard shortcuts and accessibility-focused enhancements are in tow too. The legacy Windows Media Player will co-exist with the new Media Player app for now though, if you would rather use that. Microsoft noted back in November that it was aware of issues related to playing content stored in network locations, although we were able to play media over the network just fine, which may indicate a newer version fixed that. Microsoft has not committed to a general release date for Media Player on Windows 11 yet, and has not indicated that it will arrive on Windows 10. Source: Ghacks