Windows 11 (KB5023706 update): all the news

Highlights of the KB5023706 update

• New! This update improves the search box experience on the taskbar. As you type in the search box, the search results will now appear in the floating search box. You can also change the search experience you want for the taskbar by going to Settings > Personalization > taskbar. For commercial customers, this update adds a new policy for IT administrators to manage how the search box appears on the taskbar in their organization. For more information, see Customize search on the Windows 11 taskbar.
• New! You can now access Windows Studio effects directly from the Quick Settings on the taskbar for devices that have a supported Neural Processing Unit (NPU). This makes activating and setting up camera effects quick and easy. These effects include background blur, eye contact, auto frames, and audio (voice focus) effects. You can still access these effects on the Settings pages.
• New! This update makes it easier to get help if you’re having problems with your computer. You can now find Quick Assist in the All apps list on the Start menu.
• New! This version features a touchscreen-optimized taskbar for 2-in-1 devices that you can use as a tablet. There are two states of this taskbar: collapsed and expanded. To switch between the two states, slide your finger up and down at the bottom of the screen. When collapsed in tablet mode, the taskbar recedes to give you more screen space and prevents you from accidentally opening the taskbar. When expanded into tablet mode, the taskbar is optimized to be easier to use with touch. The taskbar will automatically switch to this optimized version when you detach or fold the keyboard.

  This feature only works on tablet-enabled devices that are enabled by default. To change it, go to Settings > Personalization > Taskbar > Taskbar behaviors. The setting is called “Optimize the taskbar for touch interactions when this device is used as a tablet”. If your company manages Windows updates for your device, this feature will be turned off by default. Admins can activate it using the new business control for continuous innovation.

• New! This KB5023706 update provides improved support for braille displays. They will continue to work while you switch between Microsoft Narrator and third-party screen readers. Narrator will automatically switch braille drivers. For more information, see Chapter 8: Using Narrator with braille.
• New! Adds support for new braille displays and new braille input and output languages ​​in Narrator. Some of the new braille displays include the APH Chameleon, APH Mantis Q40, NLS eReader and many more. For more information, see Chapter 8: Using Narrator with braille.
• New! Windows now offers power recommendations. If you use them, they can help improve the energy efficiency of your PC and reduce your carbon footprint. Go to Settings > System > Power & battery recommendations > power.
• New! For devices that are Azure Active Directory (AAD) joined, Windows now provides AI-powered recommended content on the Start menu. On the Start menu, you’ll find content to help you prepare for meetings, quickly access the files you’re collaborating on, and more.
• New! Improve the system tray. All icons will have a rounded focus and toggle treatment in the bottom right corner, including the “Show hidden icons” flyout. You can move the icons to rearrange them in the “Show hidden icons” flyout menu or move the icons to the taskbar.
• New! This update makes voice access more flexible and supports interaction with more user interface (UI) controls. For example, the voice now interacts with controls that contain:
  • Names with numbers, such as “Click 5”
  • Names with no whitespace between them, such as “click PivotTable” or “click PivotChart”
  • Names that have special characters, such as & Bluetooth devices (“click Bluetooth & Devices”) or Dial: Up (“click the dial script up”)
• New! Voice now supports spin controls, control controls, and split buttons. You can interact with these controls using the “click” command or the number overlays. This update also fixes issues that affect the snapping of commands that dock a window to the left or right. Commands that move the cursor in a text box are now executed instantly.
• New! This update also provides improvements to voice scrolling. You can use your voice to scroll left and right on a page. You can also use continuous left or right scrolling like what is already present for vertical scrolling. For more information about the new voice access commands, see List of voice access commands.
• New! Improve Task Manager. They are, among others:
  • Filtering: You can now filter processes by binary name, PID, or publisher name. The filter is also applied when switching between pages. The keyboard shortcut is ALT+F.
  • More theme options: You can now choose a theme for Task Manager that is different from the Windows theme. Additionally, all dialogs except Run New Task and the Properties dialog now support themes. The dialogs will use application-specific themes or the Windows theme.
  • Efficiency mode: You can now opt out of confirmation dialogs when enabling efficiency mode.
• This update fixes an issue that affects color filter settings. When you select Inverted, the system sets it to Grayscale instead.
• Fixes an issue affecting IE mode. The status bar text is not always visible.
• This update fixes an issue that displays a blue screen during video playback. This occurs after setting a high dynamic range (HDR) on the screen.
• Fixes an issue that could affect the touch keyboard and the PIN input keyboard. You may not be able to use them to enter text when signing in to the device.
• Fixes an issue affecting folders that appear in the Browse for Folders picker.
• This KB5023706 update fixes an issue affecting File Explorer. When using Shift+Tab or Shift+F6, the input focus does not move.
• Fixes an issue affecting the user interface. Volume up and volume down commands from a Bluetooth keyboard are not displayed.
• Fixes an issue affecting Xbox subscribers. If you purchase an Xbox subscription using the “Redeem Code” option, the Xbox subscription card does not appear on the Accounts page in settings. This issue occurs when recurring billing is turned off.

Build 22621.1413 improvements

This non-security update includes quality improvements. When installing this KB:

• New! This update adds new Tamil Anjal keyboard for Tamil language. To add it, make sure Tamil (Singapore), Tamil (Malaysia), Tamil (Sri Lanka), or Tamil (India) appears in Setting > time & language > language & region. Select the ellipsis (…) next to the language. select language options. Add Tamil Anjal (QWERTY) to the keyboard list.
• This update improves the reliability of Windows after you install an update.
• It affects the United Mexican States. This update supports the government’s DST change order for 2023.
• Fixes a date information issue. It affects the format of dates sent between Windows and some versions of the Kerberos Heimdal library.
• This update fixes compatibility issues that affect some printers. These printers use GDI (Windows Graphical Device Interface) printer drivers. These drivers do not fully adhere to the GDI specifications.
• Fixes an issue affecting the software keyboard. Does not appear in out of the box settings (OOBE) after a quick reset (factory reset). This type of reset requires an external keyboard to be attached to provide credentials.
• Fixes an issue affecting AppV. Prevents file names from having the correct letter (upper or lower case).
• Fixes an issue affecting Microsoft Edge. The issue removes the conflicting policies for Microsoft Edge. This occurs when you set MDMWinsOverGPFlag in a Microsoft Intune tenant, and Intune detects a policy conflict.
• This KB5023706 update fixes an issue that affects package provisioning. They do not apply in certain circumstances when elevation is required.
• This update fixes an issue that affects Azure Active Directory (Azure AD). An error occurs when using a provisioning package for mass provisioning.
• This release fixes an issue that affects the Universal Print Configuration Service Provider (CSP). When installing a printer, a command prompt window appears.
• This update fixes a reliability issue that occurs when using Task View.
• This update fixes an issue that could affect lsass.exe. It may stop responding. This occurs when you send a Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (ldap) query to a domain controller that has a very large LDAP filter.
• This build fixes an issue that affects the Local Security Authority Subsystem Service (LSASS). LSASS might stop responding. This happens after running sysprep on a domain-joined computer.
• This update fixes an issue that affects copying from a network to a local drive. Copying is slower than expected for some users.
• Fixes an issue affecting parity virtual disks. An error occurs when using Server Manager to create them.