Articles about Windows 11 beta

Getting a new PC is something met with excitement and dread in just about equal measure. For all of the positives associated with a shiny, new, faster system, there are the negatives of transferring files, installing apps, and configuring settings.

The process of migrating from one PC to another can be approached in various ways, and for Windows 11 users there is a new option. Microsoft is rolling out its new PC-to-PC migration experience as it implements significant changes to the Windows Backup app.

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Microsoft’s insistence on levering ads into Windows 11 in a variety of ways has long been a source of frustration for users. While the company shows no signs of letting up in this department, there is a tiny bit of good news cresting the horizon.

In the latest beta and canary builds of Windows 11, there are new options in the Settings app that make it possible to take control of ads. This is clearly encouraging, but before you get too excited it is important to note that the level of control the new settings afford users is limited, and there remains no way to avoid ads altogether. Predictably, there is even more bad news.

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The taskbar and Start menu continue to be features of Windows 11 that divide opinion. And, for better or worse, Microsoft is continually changing things up and making evolutionary developments.

A good example of this is when app pinning was updated so it was possible to drag and drop apps pinned to the Start menu onto the taskbar in order to pin them there as well. Now the company has introduced another significant improvement to taskbar/Start menu pinning that helps to make life much easier.

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With the Start menu being at the heart of Windows, it is vital that it functions in a way that makes sense to people. Sadly, this has not always been the case.

Over years of development, Microsoft has taken a series of questionable design decision with this iconic part of the operating system, but a change that could prove popular is about to land in Windows 11.

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The Beta and Canary builds of Windows 11 have been used by Microsoft for some time to test out new features before they are given a full release. But in addition to the advertised changes and additions to new builds, there are also often hidden secrets.

A recent example is to be found in the latest release to the Beta channel. With a little trickery, Windows 11 build 22635.3640 has been found to include an updated version of File Explorer, complete with new visuals, a revamped Home page and more.

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The world has gone crazy for AI, and Microsoft has jumped feet-first into the technology. Copilot is just one of the company’s tools in this field, but not everyone is completely in love with this digital assistant.

For anyone who is of the opinion that things are moving too fast when it comes to Copilot, there is some good news. With the release of the latest beta build of Windows 11, Microsoft says that it is slowing down the rollout of new Copilot experiences.

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It is easy to complain about Windows 11; oh, so very, very easy. But while there are many reasons for feeling frustrated at the operating system, there is also cause for hope -- not least of which is that Microsoft appears to be paying heed to feedback from users.

This is evident in the latest beta build of Windows 11 released to Windows Insiders where the company has made important changes to Explorer and Widgets in the taskbar. Explorer improvements sees the return of drag-and-drop functionality to breadcrumbs.

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When installing Windows from scratch, the process has not really changed much over the years -- and neither has the way the setup experience looks. This means that the installer for Windows 11 looks virtually identical to that of Windows 10, which in turn looked virtually identical to that of Windows 8.

Until now. With the latest release of Windows 11, Microsoft has finally updated the look and feel of the installer. This means not only a cleaner and more consistent aesthetic, but also an improved experience for the "Repair my PC" option.

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While there is some fun to be gained from being part of the Windows Insider program, testing out beta versions of Windows 11 can also be a frustrating experience. While it has always been possible to leave the beta testing program, it was not an easy or particularly intuitive process.

Now Microsoft has greatly simplified the procedure, so it is now much quicker and easier to unenroll a device from the beta program. With a quick flick of a toggle, it is possible to return to the release build of Windows 11 23H2.

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For some people, controlling a computer with their voice is a necessity, for others it is simply another means of input to supplement the mouse and keyboard. Microsoft has supported voice control of Windows for quite some time, and the company is working on some major updates to the "voice access" feature that will be available to everyone soon.

In the most recent beta build of Windows 11, voice access has a huge number of new and improved features including support for multiple displays. But perhaps the most exciting addition is the new voice shortcuts features which makes it possible to create custom commands to trigger actions.

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Microsoft has released Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22635.2776 to the Beta Channel. Also known as the KB5032292 update, this fixes numerous issues from previous builds, and also introduces several new features and options.

There are big improvements to Windows Ink, so handwriting recognition is now more accurate and can be used with more languages. Significant changes to Windows Share make it possible to share directly to specific Microsoft Teams Channels and group chats. Beloved stalwart tool Task Manager has some improvements for power users too.

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We've already written about the release of Windows 11 Build 22000.526 to testers on the Beta and Release Preview channels, but this update warrants further investigation. With the release of the KB5010414 update, Microsoft not only fixes a lot of Windows 11 problems, it also introduces some important tweaks to the taskbar that will delight users of Microsoft Teams, as well as people with more than one monitor connected to their computer.

There are various important additions to the taskbar as well as changes to functionality. These changes, such as the decision to (finally!) include the clock in all taskbars on multiple monitors, represent a pleasing evolution of a staple feature of Windows and are likely to be well-received -- but there is still room for improvement.

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With Windows 11 set to start rolling out to compatible PCs from next month, Microsoft is hard at work identifying bugs and other problems with the new OS, as well as adding some further polish.

Windows 11 Build 22000.184 adds some improvements to the first version of the operating system, and it’s different from the new build released to Dev Insiders today.

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People who are enrolled in the Windows Insider program who have installed Windows 11 on hardware that is not officially supported are being told by Microsoft that they need to switch back to Windows 10.

Windows 11's system requirements have been a source of confusion and frustration, but for those eager to try out the operating system, Microsoft had provided something of a loophole. For a little while now, it has been possible to install Windows 11 preview builds on hardware that does not meet the minimum requirements, but now the company is clamping down and notifying Insiders with incompatible systems to downgrade to Windows 10.

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Although it is a little while since Microsoft announced Windows 11 -- and there have already been several Dev builds released -- it is just days since the first Beta build was made available.

On the face of things, the availability of a Beta build should mean a more stable version of the operating system, but that's not to say there aren't problems. Of course, being beta software means that bugs and issues are to be expected, but it is the switch from the Dev to the Beta channel that is causing some people trouble. And the issue? Windows 11's system requirements, of course.

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