Microsoft has released Windows 11 build 25197 in the Dev channel. This new preview version includes a wide range of new and returning features, as well as bug fixes and known issues.
In other words, it’s packed to the brim.
It’s not overflowing, but this still makes it one of the bigger new releases of recent times.
Things start with the return of the touch-optimized taskbar for tablet users, which the company has reintroduced to make users feel more confident when using their device as a slate. The taskbar has two states: collapsed or optimized.
And this is how they look:
The idea behind this feature is to ensure that the taskbar is out of your way in the collapsed state, providing you with more screen real estate while also preventing you from accidentally invoking it when you are holding your tablet. In the expanded state, the taskbar allows easier touch interactions.
We also have some welcome system tray updates that affect all types of devices in this version. In particular, you will see a rounded focus and hover treatment on all icons in the lower right.
This change does not allow you to drag and drop or rearrange your system tray icons, but Redmond promises that it has heard feedback on this and is working to address it in a future preview build.
This is, simply put, a modernization of the experience that Microsoft is currently pursuing as it streamlines and optimizes the Windows 11 user interface.
Continuing in this vein, the company has begun rolling out animated icons and illustrations in the Settings app. This may be a small cosmetic change, but the software titan describes it as a way to transform familiar interactions from purely functional to delightful.
Delightful!
Finally, Microsoft has also announced a small tweak: It has improved the key repeat rate for the traditional touch keyboard layout as well as the default keyboard layout. The new rate of 20 keys per second makes for a more responsive feeling.
There is a long list of bug fixes in this build—too many to list. Likewise, we have a fairly long list of known issues, many of which relate to the new tablet-optimized taskbar that Microsoft discovered early.
You can get an idea of what all this is in the announcement post.
