By
Delia
/ Last update
December 10, 2024
Windows 11 new Alt + Tab interface gets more like macOS
Windows and macOS have always been a controversial topic, but in terms of window management, Windows is indeed better.
Now, Windows 11 is pushing a new update which changes the Alt + Tab window switching interface to be more like the Apple system. Previously, Windows 11 would display a full-screen glass background and stacked tabs when the Alt + Tab shortcut was pressed. In the first major update, codenamed "Sun Valley 2", this interface will change.
Windows 11 Build 22562 will no longer display the full screen after pressing Alt + Tab, but a set of application thumbnails arranged horizontally in the center of the screen, which is similar to Apple's macOS. Holding Alt and repeatedly clicking Tab can naturally cycle through the switch. In addition, the background blur effect is now more prominent.
Microsoft has confirmed that it is indeed developing this new design, but currently only a small number of users involved in internal testing can experience.
What’s new in Windows 11 Build 22562
Microsoft has released Windows 11 Build 22526 for the Insider channel, which is a version where major users fix bugs, such as making some internal optimizations and improving the AirPods experience, among other things.
As far as we know, Build 22526 is not associated with any particular version of Windows 11, which means that this version will not necessarily appear in the official release, it is only available as a branch for internal testing. However, the improvements it brings will be available to everyone in the next major update. The next major update of Windows 11 should be confirmed in the summer, and the update called "Sun Valley 2" will officially arrive in the second half of this year.
Note that Windows 11 Build 22526 is a version from the development channel and it may not be stable and is not recommended for daily use. Here are some of the updates to Windows 11 Build 22526.
First of all, Microsoft is experimenting with a new feature in this release, where when the "Alt + Tab" key is pressed, the interface for switching between multiple tasks will be presented as a window instead of filling up the full screen.
Secondly, Microsoft has introduced support for AirPods wideband voice, a change that will benefit AirPods, AirPods Pro or AirPods Max. In some cases, the audio quality of voice calls will be greatly improved after the feature preview update.
In addition, Windows 11's Explorer has been improved with faster file location indexing so users can quickly find important files in File Explorer.
For enterprise users, the new version of Windows 11 has also been improved with Credential Guard enabled by default on Windows 11 Enterprise. This feature is activated if it is an enterprise connected E3 and E5 licensed PC.
Here are some other improvements in Windows 11 Build 22526:
- Fixed an issue with searching in File Explorer that caused explorer.exe to crash.
- Fixed an issue with search pop-up errors.
- Improved the resolution of the app icons that appear in search results.
- Fixed an issue with Spotlight collections.
- Fixed the issue that the resolution of the widgets panel may be wrong.
- Fixed the issue that the widgets panel may appear blank temporarily.