The menu is back in Settings in the latest build

Nov 24, 2022 19:02 GMT  ·  By

Microsoft continues to refine Windows 11 with the help of the Windows Insider program, and the most recent preview build seems to include a feature that the company has already confirmed it’d be coming sooner or later.

A new section in the Settings app allows users to “Trade-in or recycle your PC,” essentially making it easier for users who want to purchase a new computer to do this right from the comfort of their own desktop.

The menu first made its way to Windows 11 earlier this year in the Windows Insider program, but Microsoft pulled it rather fast, promising to bring it back at a later time.

It now looks like the software giant is ready to restore this section, as the code to get it up and running is already available in the latest Windows 11 preview build shipped to users enrolled in the Dev channel of the Windows Insider program.

To enable it, all you need is to download Vivetool and browse to the root folder. Open your favorite terminal app and run the following command:

/enable /id:39731733

Once you do this, make sure you restart the Windows 11 device to apply the new changes in the Settings app. When you get back to the desktop, just head over to System > Display > About, and you should see the new menu in the Settings app.

The new menus can be easily modified by your PC manufacturer to provide useful resources when the customer wants to buy a new computer. Microsoft itself provides guidance on how to do the whole thing, explaining that PC makers don’t necessarily have to do this, though it’s recommended to encourage trade-ins and provide resources for finding programs in this regard.

“Starting with Windows 11, version 22H2, the Settings app includes customizable links that you can configure to direct customers to device trade-in or recycle programs. Configuring these links is optional, and only links that have been customized will be shown,” the software giant explains.

Needless to say, we should expect the new Settings section to show up for insiders in the next Windows 11 preview build – keep in mind that no new update would go live this week given the holidays in the United States. As for production devices, Microsoft is very likely to release this Settings update in a monthly quality update shipped to Windows 11, though at this point, no ETA as to when this could happen is available.

Windows is getting a lot of improvements that would be part of a future update, and it goes without saying that many of them are paving the way for a highly anticipated Moments 2 update expected in 2023. For example, Microsoft has already included features like a new VPN icon and new suggested actions, so the next Windows 11 feature update is going to be massive.

At this point, however, Microsoft has remained completely tight-lipped on the future of Windows 11, but worth knowing is that a feature update is definitely coming next year. For what it’s worth, the software giant says that the ideas it’s experimenting with as part of the Windows Insider program in the Dev channel don’t necessarily have an ETA, which means they could be pulled if the company doesn’t consider them worthy for production devices.

However, given the new Settings section is at its second tenure in Windows 11, there’s a good chance it would make its way to the stable operating system sooner rather than later.