Windows Insiders have been treated to new builds across the various channels, with new features gracing each of them. The Dev and Beta builds are primarily focused on audio, but the Canary channel has more in the way of new additions.
That said, there are new security features in the non-Canary builds which are of interest, so let us take a look and see what each build has to offer.
With the KB5077240 – or the Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 28020.1673 on the Canary Channel – we see the new built‑in network speed test in the taskbar, as well as the addition of Emoji 16 support. The full release notes are as follows:
[Emoji]
- The Emoji 16.0 release introduces a small thoughtfully curated set of new emojis, one from each major category. Each emoji carries timeless symbolism and practical versatility. These new emojis now appear in the emoji panel.
[Backup & Restore]
- The first sign-in restore experience is now part of Windows Backup for Organizations, bringing this restore capability to more device types. This experience restores user settings and Microsoft Store apps automatically at first sign-in on Microsoft Entra hybrid joined devices, Cloud PCs, and multi‑user environments. This capability helps create a consistent setup process during device refreshes, upgrades, or migrations.
[Quick Machine Recovery]
- Quick Machine Recovery (QMR) now turns on automatically for enterprise managed Windows Professional devices, as well as Windows Professional devices that are not domain-joined. These devices receive the same recovery features available to Windows Home users. For domain-joined devices, QMR stays off unless it is enabled by the organization.
[Taskbar & System Tray]
- A built‑in network speed test is now available from the taskbar. You can open it from the Wi‑Fi or Cellular Quick Settings, or by right-clicking the network icon in the system tray. The speed test opens in the default browser and measures Ethernet, Wi‑Fi, and cellular connections. This feature helps check network performance and troubleshoot issues.
[Accounts]
- The account menu on the Start menu now includes a new option that directs you to the benefits page, making it easier to explore and manage your Microsoft account benefits.
[Camera Settings]
- You can control pan and tilt for supported cameras in the Settings app. The controls appear under Settings> Bluetooth & devices > Cameras, in the “Basic settings” section for your selected camera.
[Widgets]
- Widget Settings now open as a full‑page experience in the Widgets app instead of opening in a dialog.
[Search on Taskbar]
- Group headers now show the number of results, so you can quickly see when more results are available. Select a group header to see all results for that group and hide results from other groups.
- You can preview search results by hovering over a result and selecting Preview to see the content without opening it.
[Remote Server Administration Tools (RSAT)]
- This update adds support for Remote Server Administration Tools (RSAT) on Windows 11 Arm64 devices. IT administrators can now install and use tools such as Active Directory Domain Services and Lightweight Directory Services Tools, Active Directory Certificate Services Tools, Server Manager, Group Policy Management Tools, DNS Server Tools, and DHCP Server Tools. These tools are available as optional features and can be installed through Settings > System > Optional Features or from Control Panel > Programs > Turn Windows features on or off.
[File Explorer]
- We’re continuing to make improvements to the dark mode experience in File Explorer. You will now see a consistent dark mode experience in the Folder Options dialog.
Updates to the Folder Options dialog in dark mode.
- Addressed an issue where all File Explorer open windows and tabs might unexpectedly jump to Desktop or Home.
[Settings]
- Improved reliability of configuring options in Settings > Bluetooth & Devices > Wheel.
[Nearby Sharing]
- Improved the reliability of sending larger files using nearby sharing.
The Beta and Dev builds see Microsoft rolling out significant updates for Bluetooth audio, including sharing of audio between devices. In terms of security Microsoft offers up enhanced security and performance for batch files:
We are giving administrators and Application Control for Business policy authors additional controls over the processing of batch files and CMD scripts. Starting with this release, administrators may enable a more secure mode for processing batch files that ensures they do not change during execution by adding a value to the registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESoftwareMicrosoftCommand Processor named LockBatchFilesWhenInUse (DWORD, value 0 or 1). Policy authors may also use the LockBatchFilesWhenInUse application manifest control documented here to enable this mode.
This enhances the performance and security of batch file processing when code integrity is enabled, as signature validation will only required to be performed a single time, instead of per statement executed in the batch file.
More details are available here.
