Windows 11 Preview Build 22567 Released with Windows Update Tweaks

Today, Microsoft pushed out Windows 11 Build 22567 for Insider on the Dev channel. This latest preview brings a number of feature fixes and improvements, notably a tweak to Windows Update that prioritizes updates when PCs are on green power.

What's new in Windows 11 Build 22567

Here are some of the highlighs of Windows 11 Preview Build 22567:

• Enables Windows Update to take advantage of renewable energy sources, improved Microsoft 365 subscription management in Settings, Phone Linking (OOBE) in Device Setup, and new security features for Smart App Control.
• Microsoft has updated the "Open as" dialog box to use Windows 11 design principles, among other improvements.
• Microsoft has expanded improvements to voice typing for all Windows Insiders in the Dev channel.

Windows Update

Microsoft has added a new element to its system updates, and that is the carbon-neutral strength of users' PC power supplies. Whenever possible, Windows Update will prioritize the installation of updates in the background when a higher amount of clean energy (such as wind, solar and hydro) is used in an effort to reduce carbon emissions.

This feature is only enabled when the computer is plugged in and regional carbon intensity data is available from Microsoft's partners electricMap or WattTime. If enabled, users will see the text "Windows Update is committed to helping reduce carbon emissions" on the Windows Update settings page.

Of course, this is just a new policy from Microsoft and users can still check for updates manually via Settings > Windows Update.

Microsoft 365 subscription

Last October Microsoft introduced subscription management in Settings > Accounts under "Your Microsoft account". As part of Microsoft 365 subscriptions in Windows 11, users are able to view OneDrive storage, recurring billing and sharing information, and can more easily manage Microsoft 365 subscriptions.

Microsoft is now taking the Microsoft 365 subscription management experience to the next level with the Online Services Experience Pack, which brings more experiences to users within their accounts under Settings > Accounts.

Microsoft is introducing payment details into the subscription card experience. Users will be able to view payment information and be notified when payment methods need to be updated, and users will be able to continue their subscriptions without any interruptions. Microsoft is testing this feature and waiting for feedback, so it is not yet available to all insiders.

Device Setup (OOBE)

As part of Windows 11's Device Setup (OOBE), users can now link their Android phone to a PC computer and the link will enable instant access to all content on the phone from the computer. Without the need to constantly divert attention to the phone, users can use their favorite mobile apps, send text messages, make phone calls, and make more use of the full keyboard and mouse on the PC.

Smart App Control

Smart App Control (SAC) is a new security feature in Windows 11 that blocks untrusted or potentially dangerous applications. It can only be enabled on Windows devices with a pristine installation using the latest insider preview (Build 22567 and above). SAC is first configured to evaluation mode.

When SAC is in evaluation mode, it will learn if it can help protect without hindering the user too much. If appropriate, it will automatically turn on. Otherwise, it will automatically turn off. In evaluation mode, users can manually turn on SAC under the Application and Browser Controls section of Windows Security Applications. more details about this feature will be shared in the future.

Other changes and improvements in Windows 11 Build 22567

General

• Microsoft has updated the "Open as" dialog to conform to Windows 11 design principles. The updated dialog box has a light/dark theme. Microsoft has also simplified the experience by updating default applications with a single click.

Start Menu

• When hovering a fixed app icon over another icon, there is now a small animated prompt that will create a folder.

Windows

• Microsoft is updating multi-finger touch gestures to include responsive and delightful animations to follow your finger.
• Use three fingers to swipe down and minimize all windows. Swipe up with three fingers to bring back windows.

Voice Input

• Voice input can be downloaded from the Microsoft Store as a voice pack for device-based speech recognition to provide better transcription performance, and is now available to all internal testers in the development channel. This is available starting with Build 22538.
• The ability to choose which microphone to use in voice typing if the user has multiple microphones connected to the computer is now available to all Insiders in the Dev Channel. This feature is available starting with Build 22557.
• The following new commands for voice typing are now available to all Insiders in the Dev Channel. This feature is available starting with Build 22557.

Settings

• Microsoft has updated the entire Settings app page to use WinUI controls to give the entire app a consistent look and feel.
• To make it easier to find settings in the application, Microsoft has made improvements to the way the search for settings works behind the scenes. These improvements will provide users with a more accurate set of search results and bring more relevant search results to the top of the list.
• Users can now mute and unmute audio by clicking the volume icon in the hardware indicator for volume.

Task Manager

• The redesigned Task Manager, which has been available since Build 22557, is now available to all internal testers in the development channel.

Windows Sandbox

• Windows Sandbox mapped folders now support relative paths. For example, . \relative\folder...
• Fixes in Windows 11 Build 22567

General

• Fixed an issue where users could not hear the startup sound.

Taskbar

• Using the taskbar to bring an already running application to the foreground now works more reliably.
• Fixes an issue where the calendar popup would not update to reflect the date change if you changed the time zone.
• Using the narrator key plus enter or the narrator touch gesture now activates items in the taskbar.
• Mitigated an issue that caused windows to be able to draw at the top of the taskbar after the taskbar popup was canceled.

Tablet-optimized taskbar

• The taskbar settings have been changed to "Optimize the taskbar for touch interaction when this device is used as a tablet".
• Microsoft has improved the mouse click reliability of the system tray icon.

Start Menu

• Fixed an issue that affected the reliability of the Start menu opening.
• Fixed an issue where dragging a fixed app icon between fixed app pages did not work.
• Fixed an alignment issue with more buttons.

File Explorer

• Clicking on buttons in the new OneDrive popup now brings those objects into foreground focus.
• Support for files with stars (e.g. mp4 files) can work again.
• Fixed an issue that could sometimes cause explorer.exe to crash when opening the context menu.
• Improved the performance of displaying the contents of the Recycle Bin in cases where there are many files.
• Resolved a potential crash that occurred when trying to launch a search from File Explorer, affecting the search capability.
• Fixed a rare issue for users with small screens where the context menu in File Explorer would animate down, disappear, and then immediately reappear, animating up.

Input

• Improved input switching responsiveness when using WIN + Space.
• Fixed an issue that caused some insiders to see black text on a dark background in the input switcher.
• Resolved an issue where the Japanese IME toolbar could become transparent and the IME candidate window was clipped or not displayed at all.
• If a Japanese IME with a vertical candidate list is used, the text is now displayed in the correct orientation.
• Updated the icon used to hide key visuals in the touch keyboard when focus is set on a password field to help make it easier to understand.
• Fixed an issue where the new "press backspace" command did not work in Japanese when typing by voice.
• Mitigated an issue that caused the narrator's focus to get stuck in the wrong place after inserting an emoji and closing the emoji panel.

Settings

• Items in the list of applications under Applications > Installed Applications no longer overlap each other.
• Fixed an issue where the Restart Now button could not be selected by touch in Settings > Windows Update.

Windows

• Explorer.exe no longer crashes when dragging windows between monitors.
• If hovering over a desktop thumbnail in Task View, the tooltip should now actually match the hovered thumbnail.
• Fixed an issue where Snap Assist could accidentally trigger when there was already a window snapped in the area.
• Improved the reliability of invoking the Snap snap layout at the top of the screen.
• If the task view is invoked while the search popup in the taskbar is open, it now successfully launches it instead of disappearing immediately after invocation.

Voice Access

• Fixed an issue that caused Outlook to scroll to the beginning of an email if Voice Access was enabled and started speaking.
• Button text in Voice Access will no longer be cut off when changing the text size.
• Fixed an issue that prevented Voice Access from starting on ARM64 devices.
• Voice Access will no longer open after a user logs in unless the Voice Access settings are also turned on.

Live Captioning

• Live Captioning now handles audio device switching more smoothly.
• Changing the size of the Live Caption will no longer cause a white blink in dark mode.
• Live Captions can now be searched to find their page in Settings.
• The Accessibility home page in Settings now lists "Live Captions" under Captions.
• In the Live Captions window, the "Settings" bar can now be unchecked.

Narrator

• Fixed an issue that caused high CPU usage when using the narrator.
• Narrator now reads out the theme and the selection status in Settings > Personalization > Text Input > Theme.
• When a dialog pops up, the narrator now consistently announces that it is reading from the dialog as it reads its message.
• When using a history page in Microsoft Edge, the narrator will now correctly announce the name and emphasis elements of the page.
• Fixed a potential issue that affected narrator keyboard navigation in webview2 in some applications.
• Updated the Braille display input and output table type drop-down menus in Settings so that they now have a default value.
• Fixed an issue that could cause narrators to hang when using Norton Power Eraser.
• If reviewing > Check Assist in Excel, the narrator will now correctly read the Errors, Warnings, Tips, and Smart Services sections.

Task Manager

• The Pause and Efficiency mode icons in Task Manager are no longer clipped at high DPI.
• Fixed an issue where column preferences were not being retained.
• The default Start Page and Always on top settings now work.
• When "......" menu has nothing to display under it, it now does not display.
• Mitigated a crash that sometimes occurred when trying to launch Task Manager.
• Fixed an issue where the efficiency mode icon was missing in some child processes.
• Fixed an issue where some setting options were not being retained.
• Fixed an issue where the pause and efficiency mode icons were clipped when displayed on monitors with high DPI settings.

Lock Screen and Login

• Fixed an issue that caused the accessibility popup on the lock screen to flicker.
• The position and spacing of accessibility icons on the lock screen are now centered and consistent with the design of other options on that screen.
• Fixed the border of the accessibility pop-up on the lock screen so that it displays correctly in high contrast mode.
• Resolved an encoding issue with message text when logging in with a security key.
• Mitigated an explorer.exe crash that some insiders saw when logging into their computers.

Other

• Notification Center will now close when a focus session starts and the focus timer will turn on instead of having to dismiss it.
• Fixed an issue that affected the ability to open Quick Settings and Notification Center when animations were disabled.
• Quick Settings and Notification Center should now close more reliably if a gesture is used to invoke them before attempting to close them.
• Fixed an issue with the UiaDisconnectProvider API that caused some applications to crash.
• Mitigated a bug check that occurred in recent versions of Insiders with more than 8 monitors connected.
• If an application is pinned to the taskbar within Windows Sandbox, clicking on the application to launch it will now actually work.

Known issues with Windows 11 Build 22567

General

• Users running Windows 10 who attempt to upgrade directly to Build 22563 in the Dev Channel may encounter error code 0x8007007f installation failure. To bypass this issue, join the Beta Channel, install the provided version of Windows 11 there, and then switch to the Dev Channel to receive Build 22563 updates. Microsoft is aware of this issue and will be fixing it in an upcoming release.
• When doing the Device Setup Experience (OOBE) on Enterprise Edition, the Network Add screen will be skipped on the first attempt. As a workaround, when users see the "Name your computer" option, please restart and relaunch OOBE. the Network Add screen will now appear as expected.
• Microsoft is investigating reports from insider testers that Windows Mixed Reality has not worked since the last release because explorer.exe has been crashing repeatedly.
• Scrollbars are not rendering properly on some Win32 applications. The bug is only visual, as users are still able to click/drag the scrollbar as expected.

Taskbar

• If you right-click the Start icon or press WIN + X in this build, explorer.exe may crash. If you use this menu to launch Task Manager, please use CTRL + Shift + Esc for now.

Tablet-optimized taskbar

• The taskbar does not always automatically collapse after launching an app on a 2-in-1 device or clicking outside of the extended taskbar.
• Some areas of the operating system do not yet track the height of the extended taskbar on 2-in-1 devices, so you may see overlapping components, such as widgets overlapping the taskbar.

File Explorer

• When entering a search term in the search box in File Explorer, the suggested results that open the display may not work.
• Microsoft is working to fix issues related to icon size, visual errors, and displaying text clipping for OneDrive storage pop-ups.

Widget

• Sometimes when pinned from the feed stream, the pinned widget is placed at the top and not below the other pinned widgets. If this happens, this will be automatically corrected within 30 minutes by moving the most recently pinned widget to the expected default position. Or you can log out of the widget panel and log back in immediately, which should correct the problem.
• After rearranging the widgets in the widget panel, some users have experienced problems with the fixed section of the widget rendering incorrectly. If this happens, logging out of your widget panel and logging back in immediately should correct the problem.

Focus

• Taskbar icons and tooltips may not match the focus state.
• When a focus session is configured within an application, the Clock application has not yet updated the Windows focus state. This will be addressed in a future application update.

Live Captioning

• Some full-screen applications (such as video players) prevent live captions from being displayed.
• Some applications located near the top of the screen that are closed before running live captions will restart behind the live caption window located at the top. When the application has focus, use the system menu (ALT + Spacebar) to move the application's window further down.
• When the live caption is at the top, the topmost part of the maximized application (e.g., the window management button in the title bar) is not reachable by touch.

Task Manager

• Some tooltips do not accurately display the preferred visual settings when the Task Manager is configured in dark mode.