The latest Windows 11 Dev channel build moves Windows Copilot to the right side of the system tray on the taskbar
Microsoft is back from the Thanksgiving holiday, and that means there’s once again action in the Windows Insider program. Now available is Windows 11 build 23595 in the Dev Channel, and Windows 11 build 26002 in the Canary Channel. These builds are interesting, as on the Dev Channel, Microsoft is moving the location of Copilot, and in the Canary Channel, there’s a new feature for laptops that can help you save energy when your battery life is going low.
Windows 11 Dev Channel Build 23595
As we just said, the highlight feature in Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 23595 is the change to Copilot. Microsoft is moving it from the center of the Taskbar near the search box all the way to the right of the Taskbar, near your notifications icon and clock. Microsoft says it’s doing this to “make the entry point to Copilot more clear and easily accessible by being closer to where the Copilot pane opens.” This also means that the show the desktop button has also been removed. But don’t worry this can be re-enabled in the taskbar behaviors settings in the Windows 11 Settings app. Other changes in this build are below.
- If you’re signed in with a Microsoft Entra ID, in addition to being able to share to your Microsoft Teams (work or school) contacts, you can also now share directly to specific Microsoft Teams Channels and groups chats as well directly within the Windows share window.
- We are expanding the ability to use digital handwriting (inking) in some edit boxes for Windows Ink to the following languages and locales: Chinese Simplified (People’s Republic of China), English (Australia), English (Canada), English (India), English (United Kingdom), French (Canada), French (France), German (Germany), Italian (Italy), Japanese (Japan), Korean (Korea)Portuguese (Brazil), Spanish (Mexico), and Spanish (Spain). This also includes more accurate recognition technology, gestures to delete, select, join, and split words and also gesture to insert a new line.
- We’re beginning to roll out a change where you will be able to able to discover and share files with their Android devices in discoverable mode through Bluetooth under Nearby Share in the Windows share window.
- We improved process grouping in the processes page for Task Manager.
- This update starts the roll out of account-related notifications for Microsoft accounts on the Settings homepage. A Microsoft account connects Windows to your Microsoft apps. The account backs up all your data and helps you manage your subscriptions. You can also add extra security steps to keep you from being locked out of your account. This feature displays notifications across the Start menu and Settings. You can manage Settings notifications in Settings> Privacy & security> General.
- Xbox Game Bar is now Game Bar under Settings> Gaming.
- We’re beginning to update references to Azure Active Directory (AAD) to Microsoft Entra ID in Settings.
- Fixed an issue that was causing custom wallpapers to shift when switching desktops.
If you’re worried about known issues in this release, there are just two. Microsoft is working on a fix for the issue where the recommended section in the Start Menu might be blank. Additionally, when first launching or after refreshing Copilot in Windows while using voice access, you’ll need to use “Show grid” commands to click in the “Ask me anything” box for the first time.
Windows 11 Canary Channel Build 26002
Over on the Canary Channel, meanwhile, there’s just one thing to take note of. Microsoft is introducing a new Energy Saver option. This is a way to extend and enhance your battery life in Windows 11 while also trading off system performance. You’ll be able to access this with a toggle in the Quick Settings in System Tray. It’ll also turn on whenever your device hits a low battery percentage. Energy saver will be available when PCs are plugged in, including desktop PCs. The other changes in this release can be seen below.
- We’re trying out a change that improves the overall performance and responsiveness of Quick Settings in the system tray.
- We’re making it easier to manage VPN in Quick Settings. If you have a single VPN, a new split toggle lets you turn it on and off with a single click. If you have multiple VPNs, we’ve made some changes to the list to reduce the time it takes to start a connection.
- We are beginning to roll out a new refresh button on the Wi-Fi Quick Settings flyout so you can now refresh the list of wireless networks available. There is also indication of scan progress to help you find nearby networks if the first scan does not reveal the one you are looking for.
- This update starts the roll out of account-related notifications for Microsoft accounts on the Settings homepage. A Microsoft account connects Windows to your Microsoft apps. The account backs up all your data and helps you manage your subscriptions. You can also add extra security steps to keep you from being locked out of your account. This feature displays notifications across the Start menu and Settings. You can manage Settings notifications in Settings> Privacy & security> General.
- Removed colored backplates from app icons in Settings> Apps> Installed apps, as well as Settings> System> Notifications. This is an early implementation with more fixes on the way in future flights.
- Fixed an issue which was causing installation of some apps, including Phone Link, to fail with error 0x87AF0813 in the previous flight.
- Fixed an underlying issue in recent Canary Channel builds where the Microsoft Store was getting stuck when trying to check for and install app updates.
- Fixed an issue causing Settings to crash when navigating to Bluetooth & Devices> Touchpad.
- Fixed an issue which was causing File Explorer to crash on launch for people using a non-default regional sorting option.
Worried about known issues in this release? Well, there’s the ongoing issue where some games might not work correctly in these builds. There’s also a new issue where when build 26002 is done downloading and is ready to restart to finish the installation, the restart button is missing from the Windows Update Settings page. You can reboot by clicking the Windows Update icon in the system tray. The final known issue relates to Safe Mode, where attempting to reboot into safe mode hangs on the boot logo.
Over on the other channels in the Windows Insider Program, the Beta Channel got build 22635.2776. It’s just a small release with some minor fixes. That’s all for this week, but make sure to grab these builds and keep your feedback coming to Microsoft.