Microsoft has just issued a fresh update for Windows 11 in testing, bringing some handy improvements including a change to the Start menu, and also the lock screen, alongside a new file-sharing button.
The new features are currently being tried out by testers in the Release Preview channel for Windows 11 (23H2 and 22H2 builds), which is the last round of user testing that preview builds go through before final release. This means that we can expect these features to arrive pretty soon.
One move I’m pleased to see is Microsoft revisiting one of its recent changes to the Start menu - namely, the new Microsoft Account-related settings.
You may recall that the introduction of the new account manager section to the Start menu caused controversy because it buried a useful option under another layer of the menu. This was the option to sign out, which was shifted from being right there in the Start menu’s profile panel, to being hidden behind the three-dot menu (top-right) in the new account manager panel (that replaced the previous profile UI).
The good news is that Microsoft has been listening to the folks complaining that they don’t want to be forced to perform another click to sign out of their account, so in this preview build, the option is back where it was before, with no need for any extra clicking to reach it. Also, Microsoft notes that you can switch user profiles by clicking the three-dot icon and choosing one from the menu that appears.
Another part of Windows 11 that’s been modified is the lock screen, which now has media controls towards the bottom of the screen whenever media playback is underway on the PC.
Also, you will soon be able to share files stored on your device when they come up in Windows search results via a new share button.
These are not the only changes on the menu here, and you can see the full list of additions with more details on Microsoft’s Windows Insider blog post.
A minor update, yes - but a useful one nonetheless
While this isn’t the most dynamic update, it delivers some handy tweaks and bug fixes that should make the Windows 11 experience a little smoother, and as noted, I’m really pleased to see the change for the Start menu.
As for the new sharing function for files in Windows search, that might be of more use if Microsoft spent some time further improving and fine-tuning the core of the search experience - the process and results. Let’s hope for some more work in that respect.
The features mentioned here are also being tested for Windows 11 24H2, ahead of its launch which should be coming pretty soon.
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