Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22621.1020 and 22623.1020 (Beta Channel)

Good morning friends! Microsoft has released new preview builds of Windows 11 (version 22H2) numbered 22621.1020 and 22623.1020 (KB5020035) for members of the Windows Insider Beta Program.

• Assembly 22623.1020 – testing of new functions is available.
• Assembly 22621.1020 – new features are disabled by default.

Reminder. Insiders who were previously on Build 22622 will be automatically upgraded to Build 22623 via the Service Pack. This package artificially increments the build number to make it easier for Microsoft engineers to distinguish between enabled and disabled devices by default.

If you are in a group with features disabled by default (build 22621.xxx), then check for updates and agree to install an optional update that will make these features available (build 22623.xxx).

Full build numbers:

• 10.0.22621.1020.ni_release_svc_prod2.221111-1148
• 10.0.22623.1020.ni_release_svc_prod2.221111-1148

Innovations in assembly 22623.1020

Support for new Braille displays

Microsoft announced support for new Braille displays and new Braille input and output languages ​​in Narrator. In particular, displays such as APH Chameleon, APH Mantis Q40, NLS eReader and many others are supported. Detailed information about this can be found in the documentation on the Microsoft website.

The necessary conditions:

You must remove the current braille support for Narrator if it is already installed by doing the following:

1. Open Options.
2. Go to Applications -> Optional Components -> Installed Components.
3. Find “Accessibility” -> “Braille Support”.
4. Expand “Accessibility” -> “Braille Support” and remove the feature.

Install the new version of Braille support:

1. Go to Settings -> Accessibility -> Narrator -> Braille.
2. Click on the “Details” button.
3. Download Braille from this window by clicking on the Download and Install button.
4. Once installed, go back to Settings -> Accessibility -> Narrator -> Braille.
5. To ensure that your braille display continues to function properly when you switch between Narrator and third-party screen readers, use the Braille Display Driver option to select the braille display driver used by your third-party screen reader. If you are using JAWS for Windows, please read the warning below. The setting only needs to be done once. For detailed information, you can contact documentation.

Note: If you have Freedom Scientific’s JAWS for Windows screen reader installed and are using a version released April 2022 or later and a Focus braille display, you do not need to select a braille display driver as noted above.

Fixes in build 22623.1020

• General:
  • The spelling dictionary now uses a language-independent word list, which should also sync with all devices using the same Windows account (Microsoft or AAD account). Users can enable this feature under “Settings” -> “Accounts” -> “Windows Backup” -> “Remember my settings” -> “Language settings”. From now on, this feature is available to all insiders on the Beta channel.
• Taskbar and system tray:
  • Fixed an explorer.exe crash that occurred in a previous build and was related to the system tray. It is considered to be the reason why some insiders have experienced explorer.exe looping in safe mode.
  • We fixed an issue resulting in some third-party app icons on the taskbar not working after recent taskbar changes.
  • The Windows Update icon in the system tray no longer looks pixelated after switching between light and dark skins.
• Window:
  • If two monitors are stacked on top of each other, then the Desktops list in Task View should no longer appear in the middle of Task View.
• Task Manager:
  • The button to open the navigation bar has been moved below the title bar if the Task Manager window is wide enough to expand the bar. We also fixed an issue where you could not drag the Task Manager window using the title bar above the navigation bar when the navigation bar was open.
  • The Delete key should now work correctly in the search box.

Fixes in both builds

• New! Added a Windows Spotlight theme under Personalization to make it easier to find and enable the feature.
• New! The Accounts page in the Settings app now displays the total amount of cloud storage for all your OneDrive subscriptions.
• New! Microsoft OneDrive subscribers will now receive cloud storage status alerts in the System section of the Settings app. Alerts will appear when there is not enough free space in the cloud. You can also manage your subscription from this page, including purchasing additional cloud space.
• New! Added organizational messages through which third-party companies can provide content to their employees.
• We fixed an issue where protocol activation in Settings did not work, preventing applications from opening the page in the Accounts section.
• We fixed an issue that caused some applications to crash when using a keyboard shortcut to change the input mode for the Japanese Input Method Editor (IME).
• We fixed an issue affecting Cluster Name Objects (CNOs) and Virtual Computer Objects (VCOs). The password reset failed with the error: “AD password reset failed… // 0x80070005”.
• We fixed an issue that could cause some applications to stop responding when opening the Open File dialog box.
• We fixed an issue resulting in occasional high CPU usage when opening a file from File Explorer.
• We fixed an issue that affected Microsoft Defender for Endpoint. Automatic scanning blocked the real-time scanning job.
• We fixed an issue that affected Distributed Component Object Model (DCOM) authentication hardening. The authentication level is automatically raised for all non-anonymous activation requests from DCOM clients to RPC_C_AUTHN_LEVEL_PKT_INTEGRITY. This happens if the authentication level is below Packet Integrity.
• We fixed an issue that affected microphone streams that use the Listen To feature to redirect audio to the speaker. Because of it, the microphone stopped working after rebooting the device.
• We fixed an issue that caused File Explorer to crash when closing context menus or menu items.

Known Issues

• General:
  • We are investigating reports that audio playback has stopped working for some Insiders after updating to the latest builds on the Beta channel.
• Taskbar optimized for tablets:
  • The taskbar may flicker when switching between desktop mode and tablet mode.
  • Switching the taskbar to the touch version is taking longer than expected. This will be noticeable when switching between desktop mode and tablet mode.
• Task Manager:
  • Search by publisher name on the Processes page does not work correctly.
  • Some services may not appear on the Services page after applying a filter.
  • If a new process is launched during filter installation, it may appear in the filtered list for a fraction of a second.
  • Some dialog boxes may use the wrong theme if the theme is set in the Task Manager preferences.
  • The content area on the Processes page may flash once when changing the theme in the Task Manager settings.
  • We are investigating an issue where Task Manager does not properly display light and dark content, resulting in unreadable text. This happens if the “Custom” mode is selected in the “Options” -> “Personalization” -> “Colors” section. As a workaround, choose a light or dark theme.
  • Some Insiders may be missing items on the Startup Apps page. If you encounter this problem, then use the “Settings” -\u003e “Applications” -\u003e “Startup” section.

We wish you a successful update!