Microsoft rolls out a pair of Windows 11 Insider Builds to Beta Channel to kick off 2023

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Microsoft released two new builds for Beta Channel Insiders this week.

Windows 11 Update Settings
(Image credit: Future)

What you need to know

  • A pair of Windows 11 Insider builds were shipped to the Beta Channel this week.
  • The changes in the updates are relatively minor, such as the corners of search within Start being rounded.

Microsoft shipped a pair of Windows 11 updates to Insiders in the Beta Channel this week. They're the first Beta Channel builds of 2023. As has been the case for quite some time, Microsoft ships two builds to the Beta Channel, one that has new features off by default and another with new features enabled. In this week's case, Build 22623.1095 has experimental features turned on while Build 22621.1095 does not.

The changes in the latest builds of Windows 11 are minor. The search box within the Start menu now has rounded corners. Quick Assist has also been moved out of Windows Tools to make it easier to find in the All apps list.

Microsoft outlines all of the changes in a recent blog post.

Build 22621.1095 & 22623.1095: Changes and improvements

Start

  • The search box design in the Start menu has been updated with more rounded corners to reflect the design of the search box on the taskbar.

Build 22621.1095 & Build 22623.1095: Fixes

Search on the Taskbar

  • We’ve made improvements to reliability to fix some crashes and the performance of animations and transitions.
  • We fixed the issue causing the search box on taskbar to not render correctly and display visual artifacts.
  • We fixed the issue causing layout issues with right-to-left display languages like Arabic.

Other fixes

  • New! We changed the experience for preview .NET Framework updates. After you installed this update, all future preview (optional) .NET Framework updates would display on the Settings > Windows Update > Advanced options > Optional updates On that page, you could control which optional updates you wanted to install.
  • We fixed an issue that affected Windows Server 2022 domain controllers (DC). They stopped responding when they handled Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) requests.
  • We fixed an issue that might have occurred when the Input Method Editor (IME) was active. Applications might have stopped responding when you used the mouse and keyboard at the same time.
  • We fixed an issue that affected conhost.exe. It stopped responding.
  • We fixed an issue that affected how fast you could copy items from a network to a local computer. For some users, the copy speed was slower than expected.
  • We fixed an issue that affected certain systems that had firmware Trusted Platform Modules. (TPM). This issue stopped you from using AutoPilot to set up those systems.
  • We fixed a resource conflict issue between two or more threads (known as a deadlock). This deadlock affected COM+ applications.
  • We fixed an issue that affected devices that were subject to Microsoft Exploit Protection Export Address Filtering (EAF). Some applications stopped responding or did not open. These included Microsoft Office and Adobe Reader.
  • We fixed an issue that affected searchindexer.exe. It randomly stopped you from signing in or signing out.
  • We fixed an issue that might have occurred when you converted or reconverted Japanese Kanji using a multibyte character set (MBCS) app. The cursor might have moved to the wrong location when you typed.
  • We fixed an issue that affected mstsc.exe. It stopped responding while connecting to a RemoteApp and Desktop Connection.
  • We fixed an issue that might have affected FindWindow() or FindWindowEx(). They might have returned the wrong window handle.
  • We fixed an issue that affected picture files you found using search on the taskbar. This issue stopped you from opening those pictures.

Build 22623.1095: Changes

  • Moved Quick Assist out of Windows Tools so it displays directly in the Start menu’s All apps list and is easier to find.

Build 22623.1095: Fixes

Taskbar & System Tray

  • Fixed a couple issues which could result in the top half of the taskbar getting clipped.

Start

  • Fixed an issue where the uninstall app dialog might not display correctly in the Start menu in certain cases, making the buttons inaccessible.

Task Manager

  • Fixed an issue causing filtering by publisher name to not match correctly on the Processes page.
  • Fixed an issue causing some services to not show in the Services page after filtering is applied.
  • Fixed an issue which resulted in new processes appearing in a filtered list if launched while a filter is set.
  • We fixed the issue where some dialogs were not rendering in the correct theme when applied from Task Manager Settings page.
  • The issue causing the data content area of the Processes page to flash once when theme changes are applied in the Task Manager Settings page is fixed.
  • The Startup apps page in Task manager will now list apps as expected.
  • Fixed an issue which could cause a black flash when opening Task Manager.
  • If there are no matching search results, Task Manager will now explicitly say that.
  • Fixed a Task Manager crash that could happen when attempting to end certain processes.
  • You can now set focus to the search box by pressing CTRL + F.
Sean Endicott
Sean Endicott
News Writer and apps editor

Sean Endicott is a tech journalist at Windows Central, specializing in Windows, Microsoft software, AI, and PCs. He's covered major launches, from Windows 10 and 11 to the rise of AI tools like ChatGPT. Sean's journey began with the Lumia 740, leading to strong ties with app developers. Outside writing, he coaches American football, utilizing Microsoft services to manage his team. He studied broadcast journalism at Nottingham Trent University and is active on X @SeanEndicott_ and Threads @sean_endicott_.