Windows 11 Build 22563 outs with new features

Microsoft is now rolling out Windows 11 build 22563 for devices enrolled in the Dev Channel of Windows Insider Program. This is yet another preview with several new experimental features that may or may not eventually become available in future updates of Windows 11 as well as a slew of fixes, and several new issues.

Build 22563 for Windows 11, according to the official details, introduces a new Taskbar optimized for tablets with a new collapsed and expanded state. Microsoft is also testing more dynamic content in the Widgets board, a new group policy to control Windows Update notifications, improvements in File Explorer, windowing experience, input, and more.

Build 22563 for Windows 11 new features and changes

Here are all the new features and improvements for the latest release of Windows 11 in the Dev Channel:

Taskbar design for tablet

Starting on build 22563, Windows 11 is introducing a new Taskbar design for tablets. Microsoft describes it as a new design that “makes you feel more confident and comfortable.” The updated version of the Taskbar will automatically transition to tablet mode when disconnecting or folding back the keyboard on a convertible device. (The feature won’t be available on laptops or desktops.)

The Taskbar offers two modes, including “collapsed” and “expanded.” The “collapsed” state hides all the icons except those essential ones from the system tray, giving you more space and preventing you from accidentally invoking the Taskbar when holding your tablet.

Taskbar for tablets (Source: Microsoft)

On the other hand, in the “expanded” state, the Taskbar is optimized for touch with bigger icons. You can easily switch between the two states by swiping up and down on the bottom of your device.

You can always control these experiences on Settings > Personalization > Taskbar > Taskbar behaviors with the “Automatically hide the taskbar when using your device as tablet” setting.

Widgets with dynamic content

You will also find a new Widgets dashboard with more dynamic content in this flight by “bringing together the widgets and news feed experiences as a dynamic blended feed containing both widgets and news content. “Also, this new change will allow you to consume content more easily, and you will continue to have the option to pin or unpin your favorite widgets.

Windows Update new group policy

According to the company, notifications for system updates can distract students. As a result, it’s adding a new policy that network administrators can use to disable Windows Update notifications.

Windows Update notification policy (Source: Microsoft)

The new group policy is known as “Display options for update notifications,” and it’s available on the Group Policy Editor > Computer configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows Update > Manage end user experience.

File Explorer changes for Quick Access

Windows 11 build 22563 also introduces a few improvements for File Explorer. For example, search from Quick Access has been expanded to include content from your OneDrive, Downloads, and any indexed location. And files in Quick Access without any local presence now show thumbnails and work with OneDrive sharing.

Snap assist refinements

As part of the window experience, build 22563 makes it easier to snap the most relevant windows beside each other side by introducing Microsoft Edge tabs as suggested windows in snap assist. When a window is snapped, you will now see three of the most recent Edge tabs shown (by default) as suggestions.

You can always control whether to show Microsoft Edge tabs and the number of tabs that appear when snapping or pressing “ALT + TAB” on Settings > System > Multitasking.

Input changes

Starting with this build, you will see 37 new emoji characters in the emoji picker as part of Emoji 14.0. Some of the new emoji include “melting face”, “troll”, “coral”, “beans”, “playground slide”, and “mirror ball”. And you can now choose the skin tones between the two hands in the hand-shake emoji.

General fixes for build 22563

In addition to the new features and improvements, Windows 11 build 22563 also ships with a bunch of improvements for the Taskbar, Start menu, Settings, File Explorer, and more.

Taskbar

The auto-hide taskbar will now stay expanded while you use Task View to switch Desktops.
When dragging a file or app to the taskbar, we’ve updated the message next to the mouse showing what is and is not supported to now respond to dark mode and contrast themes.
Fixed a cyclical explorer.exe crash that was happening for people using the French (Canada) display language, related to the battery icon tooltip.
Updated the mute icon in the taskbar so that the tooltip now gives a hint for the keyboard shortcut (WIN + Alt + K).
The top borderline of the taskbar now extends across the entire taskbar instead of stopping just before the system tray area.
The button styling for the hidden icons flyout is now consistent with the design of the rest of the system tray buttons.
The taskbar should no longer flicker when switching input methods or during other scenarios where system tray icons are added and removed.

Start menu

Fixed an issue that was causing the Start menu to not open consistently with the new touch gesture where you swipe up from the bottom of the screen.
When recommended items are newly added or removed, their icons will now be animated to fade in and out.
The sleep icon in the power menu is no longer incorrectly showing as a bell.
Fixed an issue causing the apostrophe in the power button tooltip to not display correctly.
Names of apps in folders no longer appear blurred briefly when opening folders in Start.
Fixed a crash some people were encountering when trying to share an app from the All apps list.

File Explorer

Fixed an issue where the OneDrive icon wouldn’t show up in the File Explorer command bar sometimes when it should have.
Removed a random white dot that was appearing in the context menu when right-clicking on File Explorer’s title bar in dark mode.

Input

Made some improvements to the emoji search results based on feedback, including generally putting a stronger preference in the search results to the exact name match of emoji (for example, the balloon emoji first when searching for balloon) over the various other emoji that might be returned for those keywords.
Fixed an issue causing Insiders to not see the updated Korean IME design in the previous flight.
Fixed a couple of issues with the coloring in the IME candidate window.
Mitigated a crash that was happening when attempting to access the Personalization > Text Input in Settings after upgrading if you had customized your touch keyboard appearance.
Addressed an explorer.exe crash that could happen when switching input methods.
Improved the performance of launching the input switcher for the first time.
If you have “Show accent color on Start and Taskbar” enabled in Color Settings, the input switcher background color will now follow that preference.
Fixed the Typing link name in the touch keyboard settings options, so it matches the Settings page that opens.
System > Clipboard in Settings now explains why the “Sync across your devices” option could be grayed out.
Added text to the emoji panel to help explain certain scenarios where emoji search results aren’t supported.

Settings

Addressed an issue where pop-up dialogs (for example, when adding an optional feature, or when configuring your IP address) in Settings were launching left-aligned instead of centered.
Addressed an issue where RSAT: DNS Server Tools would show that it was installed in Optional Features if you attempted to install it but wouldn’t actually be installed.
Fixed an issue where Display settings might not show the option to change refresh rate when your PC was in portrait mode.
Settings should no longer crash when attempting to uninstall apps via Apps > Installed apps when your User Account Control settings are set to Always Notify.
Windows Update > Update History should show history for feature updates again with this build.
Mitigated an issue related to the Windows Update page that could make Settings hang.
The link to give feedback in Settings > System > Notifications will now take you directly to the notifications feedback section in the Feedback Hub.
Fixed an issue preventing you from adding Bluetooth or Cast to the Quick Settings flyout.
The media controls above Quick Settings should now show when you open media or hide when you close media more reliably.
Fixed an issue where the number in the volume popup that opens when you use your hardware keys didn’t match the volume number in Quick Settings.
Improved the positioning of the Accessibility flyout above the button on the login screen.
Fixed an issue that was occasionally causing certain Bluetooth devices to not auto-connect after powering on or resuming your PC from sleep/hibernate.

Widgets

With the taskbar left-aligned, information such as temperature is now shown.
Fixed an issue where Widgets weather info may have shown different information across a multi-monitor setup.

Windowing

Fixed an issue that was preventing you from using the minimize, maximize, and close buttons on maximized apps (and other scenarios) because Notification Center had kept focus.
Did some work to improve the smoothness of the animation when invoking Task View using the 3-finger on-screen gesture.
Improved general reliability of ALT + Tab to help address scenarios where it could get stuck.
Addressed an issue that was impacting the performance when using ALT + Tab, Task View, or snap assist in recent builds.
Snap group titles should appear properly when using Windows with an Arabic or Hebrew display language now.
Made some refinements to the snap layouts invocation experience when moving a window to the top of the screen.
Fixed an issue where dragging a snapped window while snap assist is active would include a thumbnail of the dragged window.
When using the down arrow to navigate through app thumbnails in snap assist, it should cycle to the top now when you’ve reached the bottom row.
Fixed two crashes that could happen when using snap layouts on a secondary monitor or a portrait mode monitor.
Made the margins for snapping to the left and right sides of the screen a little bigger.
Switching desktops using the keyboard shortcuts while the Start menu is open should no longer cause your desktop to unexpectedly switch back after closing Start.

Network

Added some text to show Disconnecting to communicate if work is in progress after you’ve clicked the Disconnect button in the VPN section of Quick Settings.
Fixed an issue where Managed VPN profiles with IPv4 routes specified might disconnect frequently.

Narrator

Narrator will no longer jump up to the search box in Start after using the power or account menus.
After switching to the All apps section of the Start menu, Narrator will now navigate to and read your app information correctly.
Narrator in Word online will now read the new line correctly when arrowing up and down between paragraphs.
Fixed an issue that was causing Narrator to stop reading or being able to move the cursor when entering tables in Microsoft Word.
Improved how Narrator reads the content in the Accessibility flyout on the login screen.

In addition to these new features and improvements, Microsoft is also detailing many fixes and known issues that Insiders need to know before upgrading their devices.

Install Windows 11 build 22563

If you want to download and install the Windows 11 build 22563, you need to enroll your device in the Dev Channel using the “Windows Insider Program” settings from the “Update & Security” section.

Once you enroll the computer in the program, you can download build 22563 from the “Windows Update” settings by clicking the Check for Updates button. However, you will need a device that meets the minimum system requirements to receive the update if you are new to the Windows Insider Program.