Windows 10: Windows 11 Development: an overview of the March 2023 changes

Microsoft released several Windows 11 Insider builds for the various development channels that it maintains. Following progress on a day-to-day basis can be quite the time consuming task, as Microsoft releases quite a few builds over the course of the month.

In this new series, we are taking a look at the past month. In this article, we offer an overview of the March 2023 changes that Microsoft introduced. The focus is on bigger changes, as the article would be book-sized otherwise.

New volume mixer experience in Quick Settings



Microsoft is adding per-app volume changing options to the Quick Settings. There is also a new shortcut Windows-Ctrl-V, which opens the volume sliders directly. Spatial Audio may now also be configured directly from there.

Accessibility




New voice access in-app command help page to find commands quickly. Also, a bunch of new commands for text selection and editing.

Commands like "delete all", to remove all text from a text box, or "bold that" are now available.

Live Captions support is expanded to support more languages. Microsoft launched the feature with support for English United States only. New languages include Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese (Brazil), Spanish and English dialects.

Live Captions can be enabled with the keyboard shortcut Windows-Ctrl-L.

File Explorer is getting an Access Keys feature, which adds single-key activations to most menus. The feature enables users to launch actions with a single tap on the mapped button on the keyboard.

Start Menu Promotions




Activating the profile icon on the Start Menu may now display OneDrive promotions. Microsoft is working on options to toggle these off, but these are not available yet.

Microsoft Store apps may be installed directly from searches done on the system, if they are free.

Settings


New Touch keyboard setting under Settings > Time & Language > Typing > Touch keyboard, giving users control over when the touch keyboard is displayed.

New Automatic Color Management setting under Settings > Display > Advanced display to turn the feature on or off.

USB4 hubs and devices Settings page is added under Settings > Bluetooth & devices > USB > USB4 Hubs and Devices.

Windows Hello users with multiple cameras may select the camera for the feature under Settings > Accounts > Sign-in Options.

Design and layout


Microsoft started to work on theme-aware Widgets icon on the taskbar. The updated icons have a higher contrast ratio and work with light and dark themes.



The System Tray area displays a VPN icon if the device is connected to a recognized VPN profile.

Evolved Widgets Board is being tested. It uses a 3-column layout on devices that support it, and has dedicated widgets and feed content sections to better separate the two. Widgets are also getting animated icons on the taskbar.

File Explorer




File Explorer is getting file recommendations, which it displays to users signed in with an Azure Active Directory account.

Security




Local Security Authority (LSA) Protection Enablement on upgrade. The feature protects against "theft of secrets and credentials used for logon". The update will run audits for a period of time to check for incompatibilities with LSA protection.

Live kernel memory dumps in Task Manager. Administrators may create live kernel memory dumps now in the Task Manager application. The feature is accessible via the Details page. A right-click on the System process there should display the "Create live kernel memory dump file" option.

SHA-3 support is introduced.

• Supported SHA-3 hash functions: SHA3-256, SHA3-384, SHA3-512 (SHA3-224 is not supported)
• Supported SHA-3 HMAC algorithms: HMAC-SHA3-256, HMAC-SHA3-384, HMAC-SHA3-512
• Supported SHA-3 derived algorithms: extendable-output functions (XOF) (SHAKE128, SHAKE256), customizable XOFs (cSHAKE128, cSHAKE256), and KMAC (KMAC128, KMAC256, KMACXOF128, KMACXOF256).

Microsoft is testing a new Windows Security alert for unsafe password copy and paste warnings.

Other


New Multi-app kiosk mode, which enables administrators to configure a set of apps allowed to run on the Windows 11 device. All other functionalities may be blocked, including access to certain Settings pages or the Start menu.

The Simplified Chinese handwriting recognition engine is now faster and more accurate. Also new, cloud suggestion in Simplified Chinese IME.

Now You: What is your favorite feature?

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read more...

 

Microsoft Game Developers Conference (GDC) 2023 on March 22 - 24

Read more:

• https://developer.microsoft.com/en-u...ents/gdc/2023/
• https://developer.microsoft.com/en-u...ring-creators/

 

I did not receive all updates on "patch Tuesday" for March 14, 2023. Was this the case for anyone else?

Please check out the list of updates released on March 14 'Patch Tuesday'.

March 2023 Security Updates - Release Notes - Security Update Guide - Microsoft: Security Update Guide - Microsoft Security Response Center

Only one update was released for Windows 10/11 on that day, the Quality Update. The March 2023 .NET Framework Security Update hasn't been released yet. But, as far as I know, the .NET Framework security updates don't necessarily release on Patch Tuesdays.

 

Cumulative updates for Windows 10, and Windows 11 - March 2023

The following release notes coincide with Cumulative updates for all the supported versions of Windows, released on March 14th, 2023.

Windows 11

Windows 11, version 22H2: KB5023706 (OS Build 22621.1413)

March 14, 2023—KB5023706 (OS Build 22621.1413) - Microsoft Support

This security update includes improvements that were a part of update KB5022913 (released February 28, 2023), including:

• New! This update improves the search box experience on the taskbar. As you type in the search box, search results now appear in the search flyout box. You can also change the search experience you want for your 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 on the taskbar appears in your organization. For more information, see Customizing search on the Windows 11 taskbar.
  
  
• New! You can now access Windows Studio effects directly from quick settings on the taskbar for devices that have a supported neural processing unit (NPU). This makes it quick and easy to turn on and configure camera effects. These effects include Background blur, Eye contact, Automatic framing, and Audio effects (Voice focus). You can still access these effects in the Settings pages.
  
• New! This update makes it easier to get help if you are having PC issues. You can now find Quick Assist in the Start menu’s All apps list.
  
  
• New! This update introduces a touch-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, swipe up and down on the bottom of your screen. When collapsed in tablet mode, the taskbar recedes to give you more screen space and keeps you from accidentally opening the taskbar. When expanded in tablet mode, the taskbar is optimized to be easier to use with touch. Your taskbar will automatically change to this optimized version when you disconnect or fold back the keyboard.
  
  
  This feature only works on devices that can be used as tablets and is on by default. To change that, go to Settings > Personalization > Taskbar > Taskbar behaviors. The setting is called “Optimize 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 off by default. Administrators can turn it on using the new commercial control for continuous innovation.
  
• New! This update provides enhanced support for braille devices. They will continue working while you switch between Microsoft Narrator and third-party screen readers. Narrator will automatically change braille drivers. For more information, see Chapter 8: Using Narrator with braille.
  
  
• New! This update also 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, the APH Mantis Q40, the NLS eReader, and many more. For more information, see Chapter 8: Using Narrator with braille.
  
  
• New! Windows now provides energy recommendations. If you use them, they can help to improve the energy efficiency of your PC and reduce your carbon footprint. Go to Settings > System > Power & Battery > Energy Recommendations.
  
  
• New! For devices that are joined to Azure Active Directory (AAD), Windows now provides AI-powered recommended content on your Start menu. On the Start menu, you will find content to help you to prepare for meetings, quickly access files you're collaborating on, and more.
  
  
• New! This update enhances the system tray. All icons will have a rounded focus and hover treatment in the lower right, including the “Show hidden icons” flyout menu. You can move icons to rearrange them in the “Show hidden icons” flyout menu or move icons to the taskbar.
  
  
• New! This update makes voice access more flexible and supports interaction with more user interface (UI) controls. For example, voice now interacts with controls that contain:
  
  • Names that have numbers, such as “Click 5”
    
  • Names without whitespaces between them, such as “click PivotTable” or “click PivotChart”
    
  • Names that have special characters, such as Bluetooth & devices (“click Bluetooth and devices”) or Dial – up (“click dial hyphen up”)
    
    
• New! Voice now supports spin controls, thumb controls, and split buttons. You interact with these controls by using the “click” command or number overlays. This update also addresses issues that affect snapping commands that snap a window left or right. Commands that move the cursor in a text box now run instantly.
  
  
• New! This update also provides voice scrolling enhancements. You can use voice to scroll to the extreme left and right on a page. You can also use continuous scrolling to the left or right like what is already present for vertical scrolling. For more information about the new voice access commands, see Voice access command list.
  
  
• New! This update makes enhancements to Task Manager.
  

Download: Download KB5023706 MSU for Windows 11 v22H2 64-bit (x64) - 284.0 MB (windowsupdate.com)

Windows 11 (original release) KB5023698 : (OS Build 22000.1696)

March 14, 2023—KB5023698 (OS Build 22000.1696) - Microsoft Support

• New! This update adds an advanced auto-learning feature for facial recognition
  

Download: windows10.0-kb5023698-x64_ca331a5383fba432861d13a5565eeae434a4ba44.msu (windowsupdate.com)

Windows 10

March 14, 2023—KB5023696 (OS Builds 19042.2728, 19044.2728, and 19045.2728)

March 14, 2023—KB5023696 (OS Builds 19042.2728, 19044.2728, and 19045.2728) - Microsoft Support

Highlights

• This update addresses security issues for your Windows operating system.
  

Download: Download KB5023696 MSU for Windows 10 v20H2, v21H2, and v22H2 64-bit (x64) - 700.7 MB (windowsupdate.com)

If you installed earlier updates, only the new updates in this package would be downloaded and installed on your device.

1/19/23
IMPORTANT After March 2023, there are no more optional, non-security preview releases for the supported editions of Windows 10, version 20H2 and Windows 10, version 21H2. Only cumulative monthly security updates (known as the "B" or Update Tuesday release) will continue for these versions. Windows 10, version 22H2 will continue to receive security and optional releases.

https://twitter.com/WindowsUpdate/status/1635692351996801059

Resources

• Learn about the different types of monthly updates: https://msft.it/6017eRKoX

• Find resources, tools, and news about known issues and safeguards: https://msft.it/6016eRKon

• Have an issue? File feedback to our engineers: https://msft.it/6018eRKok