14 DAY TRIAL // After a well-deserved break during the holidays, Microsoft has resumed the work on the Windows Insider program, and this week, it shipped the very first preview build of the year to users who are enrolled in the Dev channel
Needless to say, Windows 11 build 25272 doesn’t come with any new features, which kind of makes sense given it’s the first build released after the holidays.
However, it still includes a pack of very welcome improvements, including a change that will come in handy to those who use Quick Assist on a regular basis.
Microsoft explains that it has decided to move this app out of Windows Tools, so it’s now displayed in the Start menu directly under the All apps list. Obviously, this isn’t necessarily a breaking change, but it does help access the app faster – just make sure you keep this change in mind, so you won’t feel lost when you look for Quick Assist.
Then, Microsoft says it’s also introducing some changes related to Microsoft Edge browser. With this new build, the company is removing the recommended websites from the Start menu, and while the software giant hasn’t provided any reason on this front, there’s no doubt this idea wasn’t received well.
Many believe the Start menu should remain as clean as possible, and the introduction of recommendations and suggestions is often considered an attempt to enforce ads onto users.
The software giant uses this occasion to remind users that the ideas it’s testing in the Windows Insider program with Dev channel builds are only therefore the sake of experimenting with them, so they don’t necessarily end up making their ways to production builds.
“We are removing the suggestion action for searching copied text in Microsoft Edge and showing recommend common websites on the Recommended section in Start – both of which began rolling out with Build 25247. Thanks to all the Insiders who gave us feedback on these two experiences. As a reminder, features and experiences we try out in the Dev Channel may get removed and never released beyond the Dev Channel as we incubate new ideas and get feedback from Insiders,” Microsoft explains.
In addition, Microsoft has also introduced changes related to the Windows Subsystem for Linux integration in Windows 11. Beginning with this build, the inbox version of WSL is gone, so users need to make sure they are running the latest version.
“Starting with Build 25267, the inbox version of Windows Subsystem for Linux has been removed. When you install a build with this change if you’re a WSL user you will need to update to the latest WSL version outlined here in this GitHub post to ensure WSL continues working on your PC. Once you have done that, WSL will continue working on subsequent build updates. In future builds we’re looking to have this done automatically,” the company says.
Other than that, the new Windows 11 preview build is all about smaller changes and fixes.
For example, there’s a new refresh button in the Windows print queue, while the bug that affected the Task Manager and caused light and dark content to be displayed incorrectly is now resolved. Furthermore, Microsoft says it has corrected a glitch that caused Task Manager to crash when ending certain processes.
As far as the known issues is concerned, one of the most important concerns widgets, as Microsoft says it’s aware of a glitch that’s causing the board to get stuck in an invisible state for some users. This means clicking on the left side of the screen doesn’t work, as the widget board is launched in the background.