Working Of Blockchain

Windows 11 Improvements

Hello Windows Insiders, We are so excited to have so many of you running the first preview of Windows 11 and we’re busy looking at all your feedback that’s coming in. Today we are releasing an update (Build 22000.65) to everyone in the Dev Channel with a good set of improvements and fixes that will make your Windows 11 experience even better!

Changes and Improvements

• Start now has a search box to make it easier to find what you’re looking for.

Start now has a search box to make it easier to find what you’re looking for.[/caption]

• Taskbar will now show across multiple monitors which can be enabled via Settings > Personalization > Taskbar.
• We have updated several system alert dialog boxes such as the alert for when the battery is running low on your laptop or when you change your display settings with the new Windows 11 visual design.
• The ‘Power mode’ settings are now available on the Power & battery page in Settings.
• Right clicking the desktop now directly has a Refresh option without needing to click “Show more options”.
• Right clicking a .ps1 file in File Explorer now directly has a Run with PowerShell options without needing to click “Show more options”.
• Available snap layouts when using smaller PCs in portrait orientation have been optimized for that posture. You can now choose to snap three apps on top of each other, instead of four quadrants.
• Based on the collaboration with the most popular GIF provider in China, weshineapp.com, GIF selections are now available for Windows Insiders in China via the emoji panel (WIN + .). If the location is set as China, then GIF data will appear from weshineapp.com.
• Right-clicking on the volume icon in the taskbar now includes an option to troubleshoot sound problems.

Fixes

• We fixed a remote code execution exploit in the Windows Print Spooler service, known as “PrintNightmare”, as documented in CVE-2021-34527. For more information, see KB5004945.
• Taskbar:
  • We fixed an issue where it wasn’t possible to click the Show Desktop button with your mouse at the very edge of the Taskbar.
  • We fixed an issue where the date and time in the Taskbar weren’t reflecting your preferred format.
  • We fixed an issue where the preview window might not display the entire window when hovering over Task View on the Taskbar.
  • We fixed an issue pressing ESC or clicking the desktop wouldn’t dismiss the window of open app preview thumbnails if you set focus to it after pressing WIN + T.
  • We fixed an issue where if you rotate a PC to portrait orientation and back to landscape, it could result in app icons not displaying in the Taskbar despite there being room.
• Settings:
  • We fixed an issue resulting in Settings failing to launch. If you were impacted in the previous flight, please see here.
  • We fixed a noticeable stutter in the animation when closing Quick Settings and Notification Center by clicking on their respective icons in the taskbar.
  • We fixed an issue where the Quick Settings and Notification Center windows were missing shadows.
  • We fixed an issue where it wasn’t possible to launch Quick Settings by setting keyboard focus to it in the taskbar and pressing the Enter key.
  • We fixed an issue where Quick Settings wouldn’t render correctly if you removed all settings except volume.
  • We fixed an issue that mitigates Focus Assist enabling unexpectedly.
  • We fixed an issue with the animation in the touch keyboard when resizing it in Settings.
  • We fixed an issue where Sign-in Options in Settings had an unexpected checkbox under Facial Recognition with no text.
  • We fixed an issue where the button to disconnect a work or school account in Account Settings wasn’t working.
  • We fixed an issue where Lock screen Settings had a toggle with no text.
  • We fixed an issue where the title of the Advanced Options page under Windows Update in Settings could be missing.
  • We fixed an issue where the “Windows privacy options” at the bottom of Privacy & Security > Search Permissions in Settings wasn’t working.
  • We fixed an issue where the Open Navigation button could become overlapped with other text.
  • We fixed an issue causing Settings to crash when applying a theme under Contrasts.
  • We fixed an issue where parts of Settings were unexpectedly in English for some non-English languages.
• File Explorer:
  • We fixed an issue resulting in pinning and unpinning apps from Start not working, the command bar in File Explorer disappearing, and the snap layouts unexpectedly not appearing until rebooting your PC.
  • We fixed an issue that could result in the elements of File Explorer’s title bar being unreadable due to low contrast.
  • We fixed an issue where some of the icons in File Explorer’s context menu could be blurry.
  • We fixed an issue where the “see more” menu in File Explorer’s command bar wouldn’t dismiss when you clicked on Options.
  • We fixed an issue that could result in not being able to create a new folder on the desktop.
• Search:
  • We fixed an issue resulting in Search having grey boxes sometimes instead of app icons.
  • We fixed an issue that could result in Search dropping the first keystroke when pressing the Windows key and starting to type.
  • We fixed an issue where when hovering your mouse over the Search icon on the taskbar, the third recent search would not load and remained blank.
  • We fixed an issue where if you searched for Windows Update, it would open Settings but not navigate to the Windows Update settings page.
• Widgets:
  • We fixed an issue where system text scaling was scaling all widgets proportionally and could result in cropped widgets.
  • We fixed an issue where when using screen reader/Narrator in widgets it wasn’t properly announcing content sometimes.
  • We fixed an issue where resizing the Money widget could result in the bottom half of it not displaying anything.
• Other:
  • We fixed a memory leak that was noticeable when using one of the C# printing samples.
  • We fixed an issue causing an error in safe mode saying 0xc0000005 - Unexpected parameters.
  • We fixed two issues that could cause explorer.exe to start crashing in a loop, when the display language was set to Russian or when multiple input methods enabled.
  • We fixed an issue where if you minimize a full screen window and later restore it, there was a chance it could result in a bug check with win32kfull.
  • We fixed an issue resulting in some WSL users seeing "The parameter is incorrect" when opening Windows Terminal.
  • We fixed an issue causing blurry windows in ALT + Tab.
  • We fixed an issue resulting in a flicker in the taskbar when Korean IME users used ALT + Tab.
  • We fixed an issue impacting reliability of displaying the UI when using WIN + Space to switch input methods.
  • We fixed an issue impacting voice typing reliability.
  • We fixed an issue resulting in the “New snip in X seconds” options in Snip & Sketch not working.

Known issues

• [REMINDER] When upgrading to Windows 11 from Windows 10 or when installing an update to Windows 11, some features may be deprecated or removed. See details here.
• Start:
  • In some cases, you might be unable to enter text when using Search from Start or the Taskbar. If you experience the issue, press WIN + R on the keyboard to launch the Run dialog box, then close it.
• Taskbar:
  • The Taskbar will sometimes flicker when switching input methods.
  • Dragging an app icon to rearrange it in the Taskbar will result in the app launching or minimizing.
• Settings:
  • When launching the Settings app, a brief green flash may appear.
  • When using Quick Settings to modify Accessibility settings, the settings UI may not save the selected state.
• File Explorer:
  • The new command bar may not appear when “Open folders in a separate process” is enabled under File Explorer Options > View.
  • Explorer.exe crashes in a loop for Insiders using the Turkish display language when battery charge is at 100%.
  • When right clicking the desktop or File Explorer, the resulting context menu and submenus may appear partially off screen.
• Search:
  • After clicking the Search icon on the Taskbar, the Search panel may not open. If this occurs, restart the “Windows Explorer” process, and open the search panel again.
  • When you hover your mouse over the Search icon on the Taskbar, recent searches may not be displayed. To work around the issue, restart your PC.
  • Search panel might appear as black and not display any content below the search box.
• Widgets:
  • Widgets board may appear empty. To work around the issue, you can sign out and then sign back in again.
  • Launching links from the widgets board may not invoke apps to the foreground.
  • When using the Outlook client with a Microsoft account, Calendar, and To Do changes may not sync to the widgets in real time.
  • Widgets may be displayed in the wrong size on external monitors. If you encounter this, you can launch the widgets via touch or WIN + W shortcut on your actual PC display first and then launch on your secondary monitors.
  • After adding multiple widgets quickly from the widgets settings, some of the widgets may not be visible on the board.
• Store:
  • The install button might not be functional yet in some limited scenarios.
  • Rating and reviews are not available for some apps.
• Windows Security
  • Device Security is unexpectedly saying “Standard hardware security not supported” for Insiders with supported hardware.
  • “Automatic sample submission” is unexpectedly turned off when you restart your PC.

The Bug Bash has started!

Our first Windows 11 Bug Bash will run from July 7th through July 14th. Throughout the Bug Bash, we’ll be posting Quests in Feedback Hub covering different areas of Windows 11. You can help make Windows better for everyone by trying them out and sending feedback. For more details about sending actionable feedback, please see here.

Important Insider Links

You can check out our Windows Insider Program documentation here, including a list of all the new features and updates released in builds so far. Are you not seeing any of the features listed for this build? Check your Windows Insider Settings to make sure you’re in the Dev Channel. Submit feedback here to let us know if things weren’t working the way you expected. If you want a complete look at what build is in which Insider channel, head over to Flight Hub. Please note, there will be a slight delay between when a build is flighted and when Flight Hub is updated. Thanks, Amanda & Brandon]]> https://blogs.windows.com/windowsexperience/2021/07/06/summer-tips-to-help-kids-be-ready-to-go-back-to-school

We hope your kids are enjoying their summer. Needless to say, this past school year was a challenge for everybody, and summer fun was long overdue.

That said, your kids will inevitably get bored from time to time during the break from school, and th

The post Summer tips to help kids be ready to go back to school appeared first on Windows Blog.

We hope your kids are enjoying their summer. Needless to say, this past school year was a challenge for everybody, and summer fun was long overdue. That said, your kids will inevitably get bored from time to time during the break from school, and the more you can help them flex their learning muscles, the better they’ll do when the next school year begins. A great place to start is the Windows Resource Center, which recently posted links to free virtual summer camps with Microsoft Store, as well as apps to help your kids learn something new and tools for remote learning in a variety of subjects. Head over to the Windows Resource Center to find it all.]]> https://blogs.windows.com/windowsexperience/2021/07/06/get-ready-for-back-to-school-with-savings-from-microsoft-store

While summer break is in full swing, back-to-school shopping is underway with a quarter of shoppers already searching for items that will prepare them for the upcoming school year.

The post Get ready for back to school with savings from Microsoft Store appeared first on Windows Blog.

While summer break is in full swing, back-to-school shopping is underway with a quarter of shoppers already searching for items that will prepare them for the upcoming school year. Microsoft Store is helping students and families find simple tools to use at home, in the classroom, or on the go. Starting July 6, Microsoft Store is introducing a range of offers on laptops, PCs and accessories. Microsoft Store’s back-to-school deals and savings include: Surface Go 2[/caption] Save $100 on Surface Go 2 + Type Cover

• You can get Microsoft’s smallest, lightest 2-in-1 laptop and type cover for $100 off and receive a free sleeve (valued at $69.99) with purchase. The Surface Go 2 is perfectly portable with tablet-to-laptop versatility, making it a must have for whatever the school year has in store.

[caption id="attachment_175997" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Surface Pro X[/caption] Save up to $300 on Surface Pro X

• The ultra-thin Surface Pro X is available at $300 off. Built for the ways you study and connect; the Surface Pro X has up to 15 hours of battery life and touchscreen capabilities.

[caption id="attachment_175998" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] ASUS i3 VivoBook[/caption] Save $500 on select PCs, gaming PCs and monitors

• Besides Surface, families can also find PCs and monitors on Microsoft Store on sale, including $140 in savings on the ASUS i3 VivoBook. The ASUS VivoBook is meant to be taken on the go and is great for transitioning between virtual and in-person classroom settings.

You’ll also receive peace of mind shopping at Microsoft Store as all purchases come with the Microsoft Store Promise, which includes free shipping and returns, personal, virtual shopping appointments, flexible payment options with Klarna, and helpful videos from our Microsoft Store associates. Additionally, for a limited time, save 20-30% on Microsoft Complete, Microsoft Store’s hardware warranty plan, when purchasing select Surface devices. If you’re unable to find your favorite item on sale, parents and students can save up to 10% year-round on select products at Microsoft Store.* *Cannot be combined with any other offer. Terms and conditions apply; see full agreement. Editor’s note – July 6, 2021 – The page above was updated to communicate the addition of a type cover to the Surface Go 2 offer.]]> https://blogs.windows.com/windowsexperience/2021/07/01/whats-coming-in-windows-11-accessibility

Today, I’m excited to share more information about the Windows 11 accessibility journey.

Earlier this year, Microsoft announced its What’s coming in Windows 11 Accessibility appeared first on Windows Blog.

Today, I’m excited to share more information about the Windows 11 accessibility journey. Earlier this year, Microsoft announced its upped commitments and ambitions for accessibility. And, we recently introduced Windows 11. An early preview of Windows 11 is available to Windows Insiders today and will start to be generally available later this year. I’m excited to share our ambition to empower people with disabilities to achieve more with Windows and more specifically, what’s coming in Windows 11. Note, this is a lengthy post, we’ve got a lot to share.

Beyond possible, efficient and yes, delightful

Accessible technology is a fundamental building block that can unlock opportunities in every part of society. A more accessible Windows experience has the power to help tackle the “disability divide” -- to contribute to more education and employment opportunities for people with disabilities across the world. Already, more than a billion people enjoy creating, connecting, learning and achieving on Windows. Beyond simply making these things possible, we aspire for each of our users across the disability spectrum to enjoy experiences that are efficient, fun and yes, delightful. Windows has a great opportunity. Our ambition is shaped by you. We have a lot to do, and what’s outlined below is just the start. Information about how to reach us to provide feedback or for assistance with Windows is included at the end of this post.

Windows 11 is the most inclusively designed version of Windows

Windows 11 was redesigned for productivity, creativity and ease of use. While it will feel familiar, e.g., with a Desktop, Start menu, Search, Taskbar, Settings and many other features that you have come to expect, it is also simpler, with a modern, fresh and clean design. Accessibility was considered from the start, with inclusive design reviews of new and redesigned features. And, beyond designing for accessibility with and for people with disabilities, we employed Trusted Tester conformance tests, usability tests and other processes to help ensure Windows 11 is accessible at availability later this year. Meanwhile, we’re excited to gather additional feedback from Windows Insiders about how we can further improve the experience. If you’re not a Windows Insider yet, now is the time to join! [caption id="attachment_176001" align="aligncenter" width="4000"] Windows 11 Start menu. Windows 11 is both familiar and simpler with a modern, fresh and clean design.[/caption] Windows 11 offers familiar assistive technologies like Narrator, Magnifier, Closed Captions and Windows Speech Recognition to support users across the disability spectrum. Windows 11 also supports assistive technologies created by our partners including popular screen readers, magnification programs, CART services, speech commanding and other experiences. Windows 11 also includes many improvements. People who are blind, and everyone, can enjoy new sound schemes. Windows 11 includes delightful Windows start-up and other sounds, including different sounds for more accessible Light and Dark Themes. People with light sensitivity and people working for extended periods of time can enjoy beautiful color themes, including new Dark themes and reimagined High Contrast Themes. The new Contrast Themes include aesthetically pleasing, customizable color combinations that make apps and content easier to see. Deaf and hard of hearing, language learners, and people in noisy or in quiet environments can enjoy redesigned Closed Caption themes that are easier to read and customize. And, multiple sets of users can enjoy Windows Voice Typing, which uses state-of-the-art artificial intelligence to recognize speech, transcribe and automatically punctuate text. People with severe arthritis, repetitive stress injuries, cerebral palsy and other mobility related disabilities, learning differences including with severe spelling disabilities, language learners and people that prefer to write with their voice can all enjoy Voice Typing. Ultimately, everyone can enjoy Windows’ simplified design and user experience. It is modern, fresh, clean and beautiful.

Windows accessibility features are easier to find and use

Importantly, more than improving existing accessibility features, introducing new features and making users’ preferred assistive technology compatible with Windows 11, we are making accessibility features easier to find and use. You gave us feedback that the purpose of the “Ease of Access” Settings and icon was unclear. And you said that you expected to find “Accessibility” settings. We listened and we changed Windows. We rebranded Ease of Access Settings to Accessibility and introduced a new accessibility “human” icon. We redesigned the Accessibility Settings to make them easier to use. And of course, Accessibility features are available in the out of box experience and on the Log on and Lock screens so that users can independently setup and use their devices, e.g., with Narrator. [caption id="attachment_176002" align="aligncenter" width="8000"] Windows 11 Accessibility Settings, formerly known as “Ease of Access” Settings.[/caption]

Windows accessibility just works in more scenarios

Windows 11 is a significant step towards a future in which accessibility “just works,” without costly plug-ins or time-consuming work by Information Technology administrators. With Windows 10, we made it possible for assistive technologies to work with secure applications, like Word, in Windows Defender Application Guard (WDAG). With Windows 11, we made it possible for both Microsoft and partner assistive technologies to work with applications like Outlook hosted in the cloud, in Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD). For example, with Windows 11, Office is accessible as a Remote Application Integrated Locally (RAIL) using Narrator. While that may sound like a lot of jargon to most people, the impact is significant. People who are blind will have access to applications like Office hosted in Azure when they need it. Windows 11 will also support Linux GUI apps like gedit through the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) on devices that meet the app system requirements. And, we enabled these experiences to be accessible. For example, people who are blind can use Windows with supported screen readers within WSL. In some cases, the assistive technology experience is seamless. For example, Color Filters, “just work.” Importantly, the WSL team prioritized accessibility from the start and committed to enable accessible experiences at launch. They are excited to share more with Insiders and to get feedback to continue to refine the usability of their experiences. We look forward to sharing more about other new experiences we introduced last week like our partnership with Amazon to bring Android apps to Windows in the coming months.

Modern accessibility platform is great for the assistive technology ecosystem

Finally, I am happy to share that we have been working closely with assistive technology industry leaders to co-engineer what we call the “modern accessibility platform.” Windows 11 delivers a platform that enables more responsive experiences and more agile development, including access to application data without requiring changes to Windows. We embraced feedback from industry partners that we need to make assistive technology more responsive by design. We embraced the design constraints of making local assistive technology like Narrator “just work” with cloud hosted apps over a network. We invented and co-engineered new Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) to do both; to improve the communication between assistive technologies like Narrator and applications like Outlook that significantly improve Narrator responsiveness in some scenarios. The result is that Narrator feels more responsive and works over a network with cloud-hosted apps. We also embraced feedback from industry partners that we need to increase assistive technology and application developer agility to increase the pace of innovation and user experience improvements. We made it possible for application developers, like Microsoft Office, to expose data programmatically without requiring Windows updates. With Windows 11, application developers will be able to implement UI Automation custom extensions, including custom properties, patterns and annotations that can be consumed by assistive technologies. For users, this means we can develop usability and other improvements at the speed of apps.

Try Windows 11 and give us feedback

An early preview build of Windows 11 is now available to Windows Insiders. And, later this year, Windows 11 will start to be generally available. I’m excited for your feedback — both positive and constructive — to create better experiences for each of us. Whether you’re using an Insider build, or a generally available version, Windows 10 and Windows 11 make it easy to share your thoughts and suggestions — just press the Windows logo key + F to launch the Feedback hub and share what’s top of mind. Finally, if you are a customer with a disability and need technical assistance, the Disability Answer Desk is there to assist via phone (800-936-5900) and chat. In addition, we also have an ASL option available for our customers who are deaf or hard of hearing in the U.S. (+1 503-427-1234). Please contact us, we are always happy to help.]]> 

Between June 29 – July 12, the Minecraft Marketplace Summer Celebration delivers a sale filled with items up to 33% off and two free

The post Minecraft Marketplace Summer Celebration sale runs through July 12 appeared first on Windows Blog.

Between June 29 – July 12, the Minecraft Marketplace Summer Celebration delivers a sale filled with items up to 33% off and two free maps, the first of which is available now.

Rasa Studios created the first map, which includes four headliner games, seven mini-games, six custom skins and lots of gifts. Oreville Studios made the second map, a customized adventure that will launch July 9. It’ll have challenges and mini-games, more than 100 unique models, custom music and animated cutscenes.

Head over to Minecraft.net to get more details and install the Minecraft for Windows 10 Starter Collection if you don’t have it already.

]

HP has unveiled its lightest consumer laptop yet: the HP Pavilion Aero 13 laptop PC, starting at less than 2.2 pounds (1 kg).

This is also the first Pavilion laptop to feature a full magnesium aluminum chassis, a 4-sided narrow bezel and a 90% scree

The post HP reveals its lightest consumer laptop: Pavilion Aero 13 appeared first on Windows Blog.

HP has unveiled its lightest consumer laptop yet: the HP Pavilion Aero 13 laptop PC, starting at less than 2.2 pounds (1 kg). This is also the first Pavilion laptop to feature a full magnesium aluminum chassis, a 4-sided narrow bezel and a 90% screen-to-body-ratio. When Windows 11 is available later this year, you should be able to upgrade this laptop to it . Powered by up to the latest AMD Ryzen 7 5800U Mobile Processor with AMD Radeon Graphics, you can expect fast responsiveness when working or browsing, and smooth details while watching movies. Sustainability figures into every stage of its lifecycle, starting with post-consumer recycled and ocean-bound plastics, saving over 6,000 plastic bottles from entering the ocean . The device features water-based paint, and its outer box and fiber cushions are 100% sustainably sourced and recyclable. It’s also EPEAT Gold Registered and Energy Star Certified. The HP Pavilion Aero 13 is expected to be available beginning in July at HP.com for a starting price of $749. Select U.S. retailers are expected to carry it later this fall. Find out more about it over at HP.  Not all features are available in all editions or versions of Windows. Systems may require upgraded and/or separately purchased hardware, drivers, software or BIOS update to take full advantage of Windows functionality. Windows is automatically updated, which is always enabled. ISP fees may apply and additional requirements may apply over time for updates. See http://www.microsoft.com. Based on HP’s internal analysis as of March 22. 6,417.32 recycled plastic bottles consumed, based on HP’s projected lifecycle volume. Manufactured recycled ocean bound plastic material in product speaker enclosure. Calculation based on grams per product (using 12.7 grams per 16.9 ounce “single serve” bottled water container) multiplied by projected shipment volume/ 12.7 grams.]]> https://blogs.windows.com/windowsexperience/2021/06/29/gateway-pc-laptops-equipped-with-latest-generation-intel-processors-coming-to-walmart

Gateway is expanding its Ultra-Slim Notebook series to include laptops outfitted with the latest 11^th Gen Intel processors. These will be available exclusively in Walmart stores and online at Walmart.com.

These lightweight Windows devices

The post Gateway PC laptops equipped with latest generation Intel processors coming to Walmart appeared first on Windows Blog.

Gateway is expanding its Ultra-Slim Notebook series to include laptops outfitted with the latest 11^th Gen Intel processors. These will be available exclusively in Walmart stores and online at Walmart.com. These lightweight Windows devices have the Intel Pentium Quad Core Processor and Intel’s Tiger Lake 11^th Gen Processor for lightning-fast connections, computing power and superior visuals for gaming and streaming, as well as for creative projects and learning. Tuned by THX provides a more immersive entertainment experience with enhancements to maximize warmth, loudness and intelligibility from small speakers. Microsoft Windows 10 Home comes pre-installed. That means an easy start up and smooth connections, added security, password-free unlocking and Focus Assist to block notifications. It also includes Microsoft Photos and Xbox Game Bar to instantly chat with friends, monitor performance and make screen recordings. One model of Gateway Ultra-Slim Pentium Notebooks comes in a vibrant green and includes Minecraft Starter Edition (a value of $26.99), with free updates and community creations. Another notebook, a 2-in-1 touch screen convertible, powered by an Intel Celeron N4020 – Dual Core processor, comes not only with Windows 10 Home, but also loaded with Microsoft 365 premium personal apps and services. When you buy one of these devices, you’ll be able to upgrade to the next generation of Microsoft Windows when it’s available. You’ll find these ergonomically designed PCs in a variety of vibrant colors and screen sizes – over a range of prices, from $199.99 to $699.99. Head over to the press release to get more details on these devices.]]> https://blogs.windows.com/windowsexperience/2021/06/28/big-milestone-custom-xbox-series-x-hardware-now-powers-xbox-cloud-gaming-which-expands-to-windows-10-pcs-and-apple-devices

As of June 28, Xbox Cloud Gaming is available to all Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members with Windows 10 PCs and Apple phones and tablets, via browser, across 22 countries. If you’re a member or want to become one, go to Big milestone: Custom Xbox Series X hardware now powers Xbox Cloud Gaming, which expands to Windows 10 PCs and Apple devices appeared first on Windows Blog.

As of June 28, Xbox Cloud Gaming is available to all Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members with Windows 10 PCs and Apple phones and tablets, via browser, across 22 countries. If you’re a member or want to become one, go to Edge, Chrome or Safari on your PC or mobile device to start playing hundreds of games from the Xbox Game Pass library. Another big part of this milestone: Xbox Cloud Gaming is now powered by custom Xbox Series X hardware. Microsoft datacenters have been upgraded around the globe to give players faster load times, improved frame rates and an experience of a new generation of gaming. Read more over at Xbox Wire. *Xbox Cloud Gaming (Beta) on mobile requires Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, sufficient network speed and supported devices (each sold separately). Streaming limits apply. Catalog varies over time and by region. Please see xbox.com/xbox-game-pass/games for what is available in your region. EA Play is now included with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.]]> https://blogs.windows.com/windows-insider/2021/06/28/update-on-windows-11-minimum-system-requirements

Windows Insiders,

Today we’re releasing our first Insider build for Windows 11, and we’re looking forward to the insight that comes from you installing and using on a variety of your PCs. Last week’s <

The post Update on Windows 11 minimum system requirements appeared first on Windows Blog.

[Windows Insiders, Today we’re releasing our first Insider build for Windows 11, and we’re looking forward to the insight that comes from you installing and using on a variety of your PCs. Last week’s introduction of Windows 11 signaled the first step on our journey to empower people with the next generation of Windows. With a new generation comes an opportunity to adapt software and hardware to keep pace with people’s computing needs today and in the future. The intention of today’s post is to acknowledge and clarify the confusion caused by our PC Health Check tool, share more details as to why we updated the system requirements for Windows 11 and set the path for how we will learn and adjust. Below you will find changes we are making based on that feedback, including ensuring we have the ability for Windows Insiders to install Windows 11 on 7th generation processors to give us more data about performance and security, updating our PC Health check app to provide more clarity, and committing to more technical detail on the principles behind our decisions. With Windows 11, we are focused on increasing security, improving reliability, and ensuring compatibility. This is what drives our decisions.

Why new Windows 11 minimum system requirements

Windows 11 is designed and built as a complete set of experiences, unlocking the full power of the PC our customers have come to rely on, including in areas like security, reliability, compatibility, video conferencing, multitasking, playing, creating, building, learning and more. We need a minimum system requirement that enables us to adapt software and hardware to keep pace with people’s expectations, needs and harness the true value and power of the PC to deliver the best experiences, now and in the future. To do that, we were guided by the following principles:

1. Security. Windows 11 raises the bar for security by requiring hardware that can enable protections like Windows Hello, Device Encryption, virtualization-based security (VBS), hypervisor-protected code integrity (HVCI) and Secure Boot. The combination of these features has been shown to reduce malware by 60% on tested devices. To meet the principle, all Windows 11 supported CPUs have an embedded TPM, support secure boot, and support VBS and specific VBS capabilities.
2. Reliability. Devices upgraded to Windows 11 will be in a supported and reliable state. By choosing CPUs that have adopted the new Windows Driver model and are supported by our OEM and silicon partners who are achieving a 99.8% crash free experience.
3. Compatibility. Windows 11 is designed to be compatible with the apps you use. It has the fundamentals of >1GHz, 2-core processors, 4GB memory, and 64GB of storage, aligning with our minimum system requirements for Office and Microsoft Teams.

Using the principles above, we are confident that devices running on Intel 8th generation processors and AMD Zen 2 as well as Qualcomm 7 and 8 Series will meet our principles around security and reliability and minimum system requirements for Windows 11. As we release to Windows Insiders and partner with our OEMs, we will test to identify devices running on Intel 7th generation and AMD Zen 1 that may meet our principles. We’re committed to sharing updates with you on the results of our testing over time, as well as sharing additional technical blogs.

PC Health Check App

With these minimum system requirements in mind, the PC Health Check app was intended to help people check if their current Windows 10 PC could upgrade to Windows 11. Based on the feedback so far, we acknowledge that it was not fully prepared to share the level of detail or accuracy you expected from us on why a Windows 10 PC doesn’t meet upgrade requirements. We are temporarily removing the app so that our teams can address the feedback. We will get it back online in preparation for general availability this fall. In the meantime, you can visit our minimum system requirements page here to learn more.

First build of Windows 11 available to Windows Insiders today

Today, we’re releasing the first preview build of Windows 11 to the Windows Insider community. In support of the Windows 11 system requirements, we’ve set the bar for previewing in our Windows Insider Program to match the minimum system requirements for Windows 11, with the exception for TPM 2.0 and CPU family/model. By providing preview builds to the diverse systems in our Windows Insider Program, we will learn how Windows 11 performs across CPU models more comprehensively, informing any adjustments we should make to our minimum system requirements in the future. We look forward to the product feedback and learnings as it’s an important step to prepare Windows 11 for general availability this year – thank you to the Windows Insider community for your excitement and feedback thus far! UPDATED 6/28 at 10:24am PDT.]]> https://blogs.windows.com/windows-insider/2021/06/28/announcing-the-first-insider-preview-for-windows-11

Hello Windows Insiders, we are excited to release the first Windows 11 Insider Preview build to the Dev Channel, Build 22000.51! As we finalize the product over the coming months, we will work with you to validate the experience. You will get to tr

The post Announcing the first Insider Preview for Windows 11 appeared first on Windows Blog.

Hello Windows Insiders, we are excited to release the first Windows 11 Insider Preview build to the Dev Channel, Build 22000.51! As we finalize the product over the coming months, we will work with you to validate the experience. You will get to try many, but not all, of the new features we showed last week in this early preview. We will bring more features such as Chat with Microsoft Teams and Android apps in the Microsoft Store over the coming months as they are ready for you – we are just getting started on this journey together! If you haven’t yet, be sure to read our blog post on how the Windows 11 hardware requirements may impact flighting on your PC and your options to get started. We look forward to your feedback on what you love and could love more to help make Windows 11 work best for how you work, learn, and play.

Beautiful, fresh, calm visuals and sounds

From rounded corners to the centering of content and new animations, this new visual design extends across multiple areas of Windows 11. Here are some key highlights that you will see after installing this build: [caption id="attachment_175120" align="alignnone" width="2736"] Start with pinned apps and cloud-powered “Recommendations".[/caption]

• Start: Start puts everything you need on your PC at the center with a set of pinned apps and a cloud powered “Recommended” section that shows your recently opened files from both your PC and across your devices like your smartphone with OneDrive.
• Taskbar: Taskbar is also centered with beautiful new animations. Try pinning, launching, switching, minimizing, and rearranging your apps on Taskbar to see the beautiful new animations.
• Notification Center & Quick Settings: The lower right corner of Taskbar has a button for Notification Center (WIN + N) and Quick Settings (WIN + A). Notification Center is the home for all your notifications in the OS and a full-month calendar view. Quick Settings is the place for you to manage common PC settings quickly and easily like Volume, Brightness, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Focus Assist. Directly above your Quick Settings, you will see media playback controls when playing music or videos in Microsoft Edge or streaming music in apps like Spotify.
• File Explorer: We made File Explorer modern with a clean look and brand-new command bar. We have also introduced beautifully designed context menus when right-clicking in File Explorer or on your desktop. App developers will be able to extend the new context menus. We are working to publish documentation for app developers on how to do this with their apps soon.
• Themes: In addition to brand new default themes for Windows 11 for both dark and light mode, it also includes four additional themes so you can make Windows feel the way you want it to. All the new themes were designed to complement the centered Taskbar. We have also added new contrast themes for people with visual impairments such as light sensitivity. To change your theme, just right-click on your desktop and choose “Personalize”.
• Sounds: The sounds in Windows 11 have been designed to be lighter and more atmospheric. They are also slightly different depending on whether your Windows theme is in dark mode or light mode. The startup sound for Windows also makes its return in which you’ll hear when your PC boots up to the Lock screen and is ready to go for you to login.

Widgets

Widgets bring you closer to information you both want and need. Just click on the widgets icon on the Taskbar, swipe from the left using touch, or hit WIN + W on your keyboard, and your widgets slide out from the left over your desktop. You can personalize your experience by adding or removing widgets, re-arranging, resizing, and customizing the content. The set of widgets we provide currently focus on your calendar, weather, local traffic, your Microsoft To Do lists, your photos from OneDrive, sports and esports, your stock watchlist, and tips. [caption id="attachment_175121" align="alignnone" width="2736"] Widgets in Windows 11.[/caption] In addition to your Widgets, you can stay up to date with an integrated feed of personalized news with the latest content from over 4,500 global brands like, The New York Times or BBC. The news feed will adapt to show stories of interest to you, and you can tune it to see more of the content you care about.

Multitasking

Increase your productivity and creativity with these new multitasking features: [caption id="attachment_175122" align="alignnone" width="800"] Animated gif showing Snap layouts with 3 app windows.[/caption]

• Snap layouts: Just hover your mouse over a window’s maximize button to see available snap layouts, then click on a zone to snap the window. You’ll then be guided to snap windows to the rest of the zones within the layout with guided snap assist. For smaller screens, you’ll be offered a set of 4 snap layouts. You can also invoke the snap layouts flyout with the WIN + Z keyboard shortcut.
• Snap groups: Snap groups are a way to easily switch back to your snapped windows. To try this out, snap together at least 2 app windows on your screen. Hover over one of these open apps on the Taskbar to find the snap group and click to quickly switch back.
• Desktops: Access your Desktops via Task View (WIN + Tab) on the Taskbar. You can reorder and customize the backgrounds for each of your Desktops. You can also mouse-over Task View on the Taskbar for quick access to your existing Desktops or to create a new one!

The new Microsoft Store

With today’s build, you will be able to try out an early preview of the new Microsoft Store. We’ll continue to build and refine the Store. This build reveals a first look at the Store’s all-new design; in the coming months you’ll see us add other features detailed in last week’s blog post from Giorgio Sardo, GM for Microsoft Store. [caption id="attachment_175123" align="alignnone" width="2736"] Microsoft Store Preview on Windows 11.[/caption]

Docking

When you undock your laptop, the windows on your external monitor will be minimized. When you re-dock your computer to your monitor, Windows puts everything back exactly where you had it before! You can find the settings for these features under System > Display > Multiple Displays. [caption id="attachment_175124" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Animated gif showing the docking/undocking experience in Windows 11.[/caption]

Input (touch, inking and voice)

• Touch Keyboard personalization: To personalize your Windows experience, we have designed 13 new themes for the touch keyboard including three hardware matching themes that match the Surface colors. We have also built in a brand-new theme engine that allows you to create a fully customized theme including background images. Based on your feedback we have also introduced a setting to resize the touch keyboard.

[caption id="attachment_175127" align="alignnone" width="2736"] Custom theme on Windows 11’s touch keyboard.[/caption]

• Voice typing launcher: Our new voice typing launcher is a quick and easy way for you to start voice typing in a selected text field. It is off by default, but you can turn it on within the voice typing settings (WIN + H to start voice typing) and then place it anywhere you would like on your screen.
• Improved Touch Gestures: Check out these new on-screen touch gestures for you to easily switch among apps and desktops with smooth transitions. The gestures are like the touchpad gestures but have thoughtful improvements designed specifically for touch. Here’s a list you can try:

Three-finger gestures:

1. 1. Swiping left/right – quickly switch to the last used app window.
   2. Swiping down – go back to the desktop (if you follow it with a swiping up, you can restore the app windows).
   3. Swiping up – open Task View to browse all app windows and desktops.

Four-finger gestures:

1. 1. Swiping left/right – switch to the previous/next desktop
   2. Swiping up/down - (same with three-finger ones).

• Pen menu: If you’re using a digital pen, you can open pen menu by clicking the pen icon at the lower right on your Taskbar. (If the pen icon isn’t there, you can enable it by right-clicking on Taskbar and going to Taskbar settings to enable it. By default, it contains two apps which can be customized by clicking the gear button and selecting “edit pen menu”. In the flyout, you can add up to four of your favorite drawing or writing apps in the pen menu, to open them quickly when you’re using your pen.
• Language/Input switcher: You can quickly switch between additional languages and keyboards via a switcher a switcher will show up at the lower right on your taskbar next to Quick Settings. You can also use the keyboard shortcut WIN + [Spacebar] to toggle between input methods. To add additional languages and keyboards, go to Settings > Time & Language > Language & Region.

Display improvements

• Dynamic Refresh Rate: Dynamic Refresh Rate allows your PC to automatically boost the refresh rate when you're inking or scrolling (which means you’ll get a smoother experience) and lower when you don’t need it so that your laptop can save power. You can try out DRR on your laptop via Settings > System > Display > Advanced display, and under "Choose a refresh rate" select a "Dynamic" refresh rate. DRR is being rolled out to select laptops running the latest Windows 11 Insider Preview builds and only on laptops with the right display hardware and graphics driver will have the feature available. For more details, check out this blog post.
• Other display improvements coming in Windows 11: Auto HDR, Content adaptive brightness control (CABC) disabling, HDR support to color managed apps, and HDR certification.

Settings

We designed Settings to be beautiful, easy to use and inclusive of all your Microsoft experiences in Windows 11. Settings has left-handed navigation that persists between pages, and we have added breadcrumbs as you navigate deeper into Settings to help you know where you are and not lose your place. Settings pages are also all new, with new hero controls at the top that highlight key information and frequently used settings for you to adjust as you need. These new hero controls span across several category pages like System, Bluetooth & devices, Network & Internet, Personalization, Accounts, and Windows Update. We also have added expandable boxes for pages with a lot of settings. [caption id="attachment_175128" align="alignnone" width="2736"] The new Power & battery settings page showing battery usage patterns.[/caption]

The new Windows 11 setup experience

The Windows 11 setup experience (often referred to as the “out of box experience” or OOBE for short) has been redesigned with brand new colorful animated iconography and more modern light theme. This new setup experience is designed to build excitement for Windows 11 right from the moment you first turn on a new Windows 11 PC for the very first time. Based on your feedback, we have added the ability to name your PC during the setup experience. [caption id="attachment_175129" align="alignnone" width="3240"] The beginning of the setup experience for Windows 11.[/caption] After running through the setup experience, the Get Started app is a new first run experience app that will help you quickly get setup on a new PC. Currently, Get Started has a limited number of pages but over time, we plan to add in more content to further educate and assist people new to Windows 11. [caption id="attachment_175130" align="alignnone" width="2736"] The new Get Started app will help you get started with a new PC.[/caption] For Insiders wanting to go the extra mile and try this experience out, you can reset your PC by navigating to Settings > System > Recovery > Reset this PC and choose to “Remove everything”. This will wipe your machine, so we recommend you back up your files before resetting your device.

Wi-Fi 6E Support

We’re excited to bring Wi-Fi 6E to the Windows ecosystem, enabling our Windows OEMs, Wireless IHVs and ecosystem partners to deliver leading edge Wi-Fi on new Windows PCs. Wi-Fi 6E is a revolutionary advancement that enables up to 3x more Wi-Fi bandwidth and will transform Wi-Fi experiences through faster speeds, greater capacity, reduced latency, and better security. Many OEMs are already shipping Wi-Fi 6E capable Windows PCs and the first Wi-Fi 6E capable access points and mesh devices are also commercially available. Once you're on this Insider Preview build with a Wi-Fi 6E capable PC and driver, along with a capable Wi-Fi router, it'll just work. You’ll need a PC that's equipped with a Wi-Fi 6E device such as the Intel AX210™ and a capable driver. To obtain the latest driver from Intel, see the following guidance: How to Enable Wi-Fi 6E/ 6GHz Band Using Intel® Wi-Fi 6E AX210... You'll also need a Wi-Fi 6E capable router, such as one of these:

• ASUS ROG Rapture GT-AXE11000 Tri-band Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax) gaming router
• Netgear Nighthawk Router | Wi-Fi 6E Router - RAXE500
• Linksys Hydra Pro 6E Tri-Band Mesh Wi-Fi 6E Router (AXE6600)
• Linksys Atlas Max 6E Tri-Band Mesh Wi-Fi 6E System (AXE8400)

Once you're connected to your Wi-Fi 6E router, go to Windows Settings / Network & Internet / Wi-Fi and choose Adapter properties to see if you're connected to the 6GHz network band. You can also find the Band from the command line by entering: "netsh wlan show int". Note that if you use the mobile hotspot in Windows or Wi-Fi Direct, these features continue to support Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) only.

Windows 11 + Office

Coinciding with the release of today’s Windows 11 Insider Preview build, the Office Team is releasing a preview for Office Insiders of their Office apps with a new design that will shine on Windows 11! Designed based on your feedback, the new design gives you a natural and coherent experience across all your Office apps. Learn how to be an Office Insider and try the more intuitive Office here. [caption id="attachment_175131" align="alignnone" width="1760"] The new visual design of Office on Windows 11.[/caption] Additionally, for Windows Insiders on ARM PCs – you can also try out the 64-bit version of Office for Windows on ARM. For details, see this blog post here.

Inviting you to our Inside Windows 11 website

We are bringing you behind the scenes to learn about why and how we built Windows 11. You will be able to meet our makers from Engineering, Design and Research to share their insights and unique perspectives throughout this journey. We will be posting new inside stories on a bi-weekly basis to share how we made Windows 11 happen. Watch one of the stories we have that shows how Windows 11 was crafted to feel completely new, yet immediately familiar. https://youtu.be/g7y1S3wIysg Visit Inside Windows 11.

For developers

You can download the latest Windows Insider SDK at aka.ms/windowsinsidersdk. View the top 10 things you can do to make your app great on Windows 11 including ensuring support for rounded corners in your apps. You can also use the latest Windows Insider SDK to build apps for Windows 11 on ARM using ARM64EC.

Changes and Improvements

• We are providing estimates for how long a restart for updates would take. When your PC is pending reboot for a quality update, you will be able to see estimates on your power menu under Start, in restart notifications, on the Windows Update Settings page and inside the Windows Update icon that shows up at the lower right of Taskbar. This feature is rolling out to a subset of Insiders in the Dev Channel at first so not everyone will see this right away.
• Some Insiders will have the ability to right click on 'Recommended' on Start to refresh the content. This is rolling out to a subset of Insiders at first. If you get this experience, let us know what you think.

Important Insider Links

You can check out our Windows Insider Program documentation here, including a list of all the new features and updates released in builds so far. Are you not seeing any of the features listed for this build? Check your Windows Insider Settings to make sure you’re in the Dev Channel, and see the list of builds available in the Flight Hub. Submit feedback here to let us know if things weren't working the way you expected.

Known issues with Build 22000.51

• When upgrading to Windows 11 from Windows 10 or when installing an update to Windows 11, some features may be deprecated or removed. See details here.
• Taskbar:
  • Taskbar will not be shown across multiple monitors but will return in an upcoming build.
  • The preview window may not display the entire window when hovering over Task View on the taskbar.
• Settings:
  • When upgrading a device with multiple user accounts to Windows 11, Settings will fail to launch.
  • A small set of Settings legacy pages as well as fit and finish bugs will be addressed in future releases.
  • The ‘Power mode’ setting does not show up on the Power & battery page.
  • When launching the Settings app, a brief green flash may appear.
  • When using Quick Settings to modify Accessibility settings, the settings UI may not save the selected state.
• Start:
  • In some cases, you might be unable to enter text when using Search from Start or the taskbar. If you experience the issue, press Win + R on the keyboard to launch the Run dialog box, then close it.
  • We're working on fixing an issue that's preventing unpinning apps from Start, making the command bar in File Explorer disappear, or hiding snap. To work around these, restart your PC.
• Search:
  • App icons in the Search panel may do not load, and instead appear as gray squares.
  • When hovering your mouse over the Search icon on the taskbar, the third recent search does not load and remains blank.
  • After clicking the Search icon taskbar, the Search panel may not open. If this occurs, restart the “Windows Explorer” process, and open the search panel again.
  • When you hover your mouse over the Search icon on the taskbar, recent searches may not be displayed. To work around the issue, restart your device.
  • Search panel might appear as black and not display any content below the search box.
• Widgets:
  • System text scaling will scale all widgets proportionally and may result in cropped widgets.
  • Launching links from the widgets board may not invoke apps to the foreground.
  • When using screen reader/Narrator in widgets may not properly announce content
  • Widgets board may appear empty. To work around the issue, you can sign out and then sign back in again.
  • When using the Outlook client with a Microsoft account, Calendar, and To Do changes may not sync to the widgets in real time.
  • Widgets may be displayed in the wrong size on external monitors. If you encounter this, you can launch the widgets via touch or WIN + W shortcut on your actual device monitor first and then launch on your secondary monitors.
  • After adding multiple widgets quickly from the widgets settings, some of the widgets may not be visible on the board.
• Store:
  • The install button might not be functional yet in some limited scenarios.
  • Rating and reviews are not available for some apps.

We are so excited to share this and future Windows 11 Insider Previews with our Windows Insiders as we finalize the product. We look forward to your feedback on what you love and could love more to help make Windows 11 work best for how you work, learn, and play. Thanks, Amanda & Brandon]]>