Microsoft has released Windows 11 Builds 22622.440 and 22621.440 to the beta channel with the update KB5015890, where users that install Build 22622 will have the features enabled, and the users that install Build 22621 will have the features disabled by default. Let us now discuss the new features and improvements in this flight and how you can install them. Reminder: The users who landed in the group with new features disabled by default (Build 22621) can check for updates manually and choose to install the update that will have the features enabled (Build 22622).
New in Windows 11 Build 22622.440
Taskbar Overflow
Note: This feature is still rolling out gradually, therefore you may not see it right away. Now you can promptly multitask with the new and improved taskbar overflow experience. If you have multiple applications open simultaneously, the icons in the taskbar may exceed the allowed limit on your screen. If this happens, the taskbar will automatically transition into the new overflow state, allowing you to access other apps. As you can see in the image above, you can click on the ellipses in the taskbar to expand other app icons and access them easily. The overflow menu will adapt to the taskbar behaviors, such as having an extended UI of the taskbar, pinned applications, etc. This feature was also reintroduced recently to the Dev channel in Windows 11 Build 25163.
Fixes and Improvements in Build 22622.440 Only
The following fixes and improvements apply to the Windows 11 Build 22622.440 only:
[General]Microsoft has finally brought back the redesigned UI for the “Open With” dialog box that you see when you want to select a program of your choice to open a file/document. We say “brought back” because this feature was earlier introduced to the Windows 11 OS but was later pulled back.The updated dialog box honors the light and dark theme. Some performance improvements have also been made.“Open With” dialog updated design. Source: MicrosoftAn issue leading to some Insiders experiencing explorer.exe crashes when docking and undocking monitors in Build 22622.436 has been addressed.[Input]The U.S. English (EN-US) handwriting model has been updated to be faster and more accurate.[Settings]The Settings app now supports managing apps that were earlier only supported from Control Panel. This includes uninstallation of apps that have inter-dependencies, and repair and modifying of Win32 apps.[File Explorer]Some work has been done to fix a memory leak when using tabs with File Explorer.An issue where the Narrator wasn’t reading out the titles of tabs as the focus moved through them has been fixed.An issue where the preview thumbnail for File Explorer in the taskbar, ALT + Tab, and Task View might show the title of an adjacent tab and not the currently selected one has been fixed.The add new tab button shouldn’t overlap with the minimize button in the title bar when using text scaling with a lot of tabs open anymore.[Suggested Actions]An issue that was leading to certain apps freezing after a copy action if Suggested Actions was enabled.A high-hitting crash impacting Suggested Actions reliability has been addressed.
New in Both Build 22622.440 & Build 22621.440
Dynamic Widgets Content on Taskbar
This feature has been released for both Builds 22622 and 22621.
Microsoft has finally brought back the redesigned UI for the “Open With” dialog box that you see when you want to select a program of your choice to open a file/document. We say “brought back” because this feature was earlier introduced to the Windows 11 OS but was later pulled back.The updated dialog box honors the light and dark theme. Some performance improvements have also been made.“Open With” dialog updated design. Source: MicrosoftAn issue leading to some Insiders experiencing explorer.exe crashes when docking and undocking monitors in Build 22622.436 has been addressed.
The updated dialog box honors the light and dark theme. Some performance improvements have also been made.“Open With” dialog updated design. Source: Microsoft
The U.S. English (EN-US) handwriting model has been updated to be faster and more accurate.
The Settings app now supports managing apps that were earlier only supported from Control Panel. This includes uninstallation of apps that have inter-dependencies, and repair and modifying of Win32 apps.
Some work has been done to fix a memory leak when using tabs with File Explorer.An issue where the Narrator wasn’t reading out the titles of tabs as the focus moved through them has been fixed.An issue where the preview thumbnail for File Explorer in the taskbar, ALT + Tab, and Task View might show the title of an adjacent tab and not the currently selected one has been fixed.The add new tab button shouldn’t overlap with the minimize button in the title bar when using text scaling with a lot of tabs open anymore.
An issue that was leading to certain apps freezing after a copy action if Suggested Actions was enabled.A high-hitting crash impacting Suggested Actions reliability has been addressed.
You can already see the widgets on the taskbar in Windows 11. However, Microsoft has now made them dynamic, which means that rather than showing static information, you will now see the recent updates around your area, including breaking news. Microsoft says that the content which will be displayed is designed to be “glanceable,” which you can then explore by clicking on it and expanding the widgets board. However, if you do not interact with the content update, it will continue to show the weather in your area after a while. Note: Since this feature is still rolling out gradually, not everyone will see this right away. With these new features, improvements, and fixes, there is also a known issue with this flight.
Known Issues
[General]There is an issue in the recent Beta Channel updates that is causing the Photos app to crash.There are reports that the SQL Server Management Studio is failing to launch for some Insiders.[File Explorer]The left-half of the File Explorer title bar may not be draggable via mouse or touch.There are reports that launching File Explorer in certain ways when using dark mode (for example, from the command line) is showing the body of File Explorer unexpectedly in light mode.The up arrow is misaligned in the File Explorer tabs.
How to Install Windows 11 Build 22622.440/ 22621.440
To install this update, you need to be running Windows 11 and subscribed to the Beta channel. If you have enabled Windows updates, you will automatically get a “New features are ready to install” prompt. If not, follow these steps to install either update: Once the computer restarts, you can verify that the OS has been updated to the build specified by typing in winver in the Run Command box.Update successfully installed Note: At this point, if Build 22621 is downloading, you can click Download and install under Build 22622 to install the update where the features are enabled by default. When the update has successfully downloaded and installed, click Restart now to finalize the installation.
Rollback/Remove Windows 11 Insider Preview Update
If you do not wish to keep the installed preview update for some reason, you can always roll back to the previous build of the OS. However, this can only be performed within the next 10 days after installing the new update. To roll back after 10 days, you will need to apply this trick.
Cleanup After Installing Windows Updates
If you want to save space after installing Windows updates, you can run the following commands one after the other in Command Prompt with administrative privileges: Also see:
Windows 11 Preview Builds 22622.575 & 22621.575 (KB5016694) Rolls Out To Beta ChannelWindows 11 Build 25163 Reintroduces Taskbar OverflowWindows 11 Build 22621.160 (KB5014770) Brings File Explorer Tabs To Beta ChannelWindows 11 Preview Builds 22622.450 & 22621.450 (KB5016700) Brings New FixesMicrosoft Brings Windows 11 22H2 To Beta Channel With Preview Build 22581
