A new optional update is now available for download

Jul 22, 2022 18:57 GMT  ·  By

Microsoft has just released a new Windows 11 cumulative update, but on other hand, this is just an optional release that users can manually install from Windows Update.

In other words, while cumulative update KB5015882 is now up for grabs for everyone on Windows 11, it’s not an automatic release, as it serves as a preview of the next Patch Tuesday rollout due in August.

This cumulative update comes with several notable changes, including the option to enable urgent notifications even when focus assist is on, as well as a new setting to update to the latest Windows 11 version when signing in for the first time.

At the same time, Microsoft has also included several important fixes, including for explorer.exe crashes that happened occasionally.

Microsoft explains in the official changelog:

“Addresses an issue that causes explorer.exe to stop working when you use the play and pause keyboard buttons on certain devices. Addresses an issue that causes explorer.exe to stop working when you use the Start menu’s context menu (Win+X) and an external monitor is connected to your device.”

The previous update started the rollout of search highlights to Windows 11 devices, and now Microsoft says it’s also adding a new policy to enable this feature on company computers.

“To access the policy for search highlights (on a device that has installed the June 2022 Cumulative Update Preview or July 2022 monthly quality update), go to C:\Windows\PolicyDefinitions and locate Search.admx. For your convenience, we will be publishing an updated version of the Administrative Templates (.admx) for Windows 11, version 21H2 to the Microsoft Download Center soon,” it says.

There are no new known issues in this update, with the only bug inherited from the previous releases and causing IE mode tabs in Microsoft Edge to sometimes stop responding.