Microsoft has started rolling out the new build to the Windows 11 Insider Preview across all three preview channels – Build 25921 (Canary), Build 22631.2129 (Beta), and Build 23516 (Dev). All of these come with minor upgrades to optimize Windows 11. The company has also announced the August 2023 Bug Bash that will run until August at 11:59 PM PDT.
Before proceeding, it should be noted that the company has yet to share the complete changelog for the Canary build, which has the most issues, including Taskbar Search-bar issues and icons disappearing after some time.
The Beta Channel, Build 22631.2129 features rolled out, and Build 22621.2129 are features that are turned off by default. If you are on Build 22624, you will receive Build 22631 via an enablement package.
Note: If you switched to the Beta Channel in Windows Insider today, the current Beta update may not be available to you because of the state of your device. This step has been taken to prevent the possibility of breaking your device. However, this is said to be fixed with the upcoming beta updates.
August Bug Bash
Bug Bash will run until August 7th at 11:59 PM PDT, showcasing the latest features introduced with Windows Insider Preview.
- Launch Hub using Windows Key + F.
- Click on Quests in the left menu.
- Discover new quests and features.
- Complete quests to access Bash Bugs.
- Earn badges under the achievements section.
- That is it!
Screen Casting
There is an improved screen casting experience in Windows 11. Now it is expanding its capabilities by improving discoverability and simplifying the process.
HDR Background Support
Windows 11 users can now set JXR files as their desktop background, provided they have an HDR display and their device is connected to an HDR display that supports HDR. To use this feature, enable HDR by following these instructions:
- Open Windows Settings and go to System.
- Go to Display and then toggle to enable HDR.
Once you enable HDR, run the HDR Calibration
Rich Thumbnail Preview
You have a more decadent thumbnail preview if you have been using Windows 11 Pro or Enterprise with Microsoft Entra ID. You will see additional information if you hover over cloud files like your documents on the Windows Start Menu. In addition, if you right-click on the file, it will show cloud file recommendations and an option to share the file instantly.
This feature will not be available for all files, but Microsoft has announced that Rich Thumbnail Preview will be available for more files. Currently, there is a bug where it does not show up. Instead, it just shows the preview area with a file format icon.
Cortana was officially removed from Windows 11
As Microsoft has released Windows CoPilot, the company has removed Cortana, and for stable builds, it will be replaced with Windows CoPilot.
Windows CoPilot Preview
Microsoft announced the Windows CoPilot for Windows 11 during the Build conference in May. It is now rolling out to a broader audience. Ensure you have Windows 11 Insider Preview 22631.2129 or higher and your Microsoft Edge version is higher than Edge v115.0.1901.150. This feature has yet to be available to everyone, but it will expand to more people in the coming weeks.
To get started, once you update, it should be visible on your taskbar. If not, you can enable it from the Taskbar settings. The shortcut key for this is Windows + C to launch the Windows CoPilot, which appears as a sidebar on Windows 11. It will use the Microsoft Account or Azure Active Directory account that you used to sign in to Windows.
It appears as a sidebar docked, not overlapping your current opened app. It takes a side, and it is not native yet. It uses the Edge browser to display. It has all the same functionality of Microsoft Bing AI Chatbot but also has options to take actions like changing to Dark Mode, turning on DND, taking a screenshot, summarizing the website, generating an image, and more.
Microsoft also shares ad recommendations in Windows CoPilot, and the company is still gathering feedback. Only some functionality is active. Some functionalities still do not work, and Microsoft will release more updates. Currently, it is just testing the functionality of Windows CoPilot.
Taskbar’s chat is now Microsoft Teams.
The Chat feature that used to be pinned on the taskbar has been replaced with Microsoft Teams. This change has been made to create a better communication ecosystem.
The Microsoft Teams Chat feature is now available in a mini-pop-up window, where you can directly chat with people and expand the chat if needed. You can also make calls, chat, and meet with people within this compact size. With future updates, phone Link integration will also come to Microsoft Teams (Free).
Notifications
There is a new logo for notifications. It is filled if there is a notification and outlined if there is no notification. Previously, only the number of notifications was displayed.
Sliding and Label for Switching Desktop
A new sliding animation indicates whether you are switching to the left or right desktop on Windows. To better understand the desktop, it now also displays a label. You can switch desktops by switching the shortcut key Win + Ctrl + Left or Right Arrow.
In addition, there are some other changes and improvements, such as Voice Access being available in more areas of Windows, presentation sensing improvements, and the Narrator natural voice is available in French, Portuguese, English (India), German, and Korean. You can read about the known issues here.
Download Windows 11 Insider Preview 23511.1000 (ni_release)
If you prefer clean installation or manual upgrading, then you can download the ISO Package, and installation guide mentioned down below.
Windows 11 Build 23516.1000 (ni_prerelease)
— Dev Channel
23516.1000.230728-1428.NI_PRERELEASE_CLIENTMULTI_X64FRE_EN-US.ISO
This is an AMD64 based on the x64 architecture, which is the most-preferred architecture for Windows 11 PCs.
Download ISO from Microsoft Insider Preview Download Page
Here is the guide if you prefer to download the ISO file from the official Microsoft Site.
- Open the Microsoft Insider Preview page, and scroll down to Select Edition.
- Choose Build from the drop-down menu.
- Then select the language and then click on continue.
- After that, click on 64-bit; that’s it.
How to install Windows 11?
Here are some pre-requirements to check before installing Windows 11 on your PC.
- Registered for Windows 11 Dev.
- Download and install WinRAR.
- Please check Windows 11 requirements here; if this error cannot be fixed, please refer to the troubleshooting guide here.
- Keep a backup of all critical documents, data, and apps.
- One compact flash drive (USB).
How to Create a Bootable Windows Insider Preview-Windows 11 Drive
- After downloading the Windows 11 ISO, navigate to the download folder.
- Once connected to a PC, conduct a FAT32 format on your Pendrive (DOS 11 Bootable Pendrive)
- Pick Extract from the right-click menu on the Windows 11 ISO file, and then select the USB Flash Drive.
- Once the extraction process is complete, you may perform a Windows upgrade.
- It’s completed!
How to Install Windows 11 on your Computer
- After shutting down your computer, perform a boot-up.
- After turning on the computer, press the Boot key (HP laptop: Esc, Asus: F12; check the internet for the boot key as it appears at the beginning of the PC boot up) to start it (HP laptop: Esc, Asus: F12; check the internet for the boot key as it appears at the beginning of the PC boot up).
- After selecting your USB Flash Drive, follow the on-screen instructions.
- Please click Next if you do not have the product key.
- Select Custom, select Drive 0 (Or the C drive partition) as the partition type and then click Format/Next to install Windows 11 according to your choices.
- It eventually restarted. Now you can remove the USB drive.
- Following that, Windows 11 will begin to boot on your computer. Now all that remains is for you to create an account.
- That is all!
