Windows 11 has matured considerably since its original release, but Microsoft continues to test new operating system features and tweaks through its Insider Preview program. So far this month’s builds have focused on fixing bugs and tweaking the UI, but a few notable changes are noticeable enough to trigger them.
This week’s build, version 22598, contains relatively few user-visible changes. First, “a limited number of Windows Insiders”performing a clean install will have their desktop wallpaper set to rotate Windows Spotlight images by default. Another change is that Microsoft is experimenting with 4K wallpapers through Spotlight. Also included in the redesigned Media Player app is a new album-centric view of artist pages.
Last week’s preview, Build 22593, made some changes to File Explorer and some window management improvements. The default view for new File Explorer windows is now called “Home”, although the content available hasn’t changed much. Folders can still be pinned to the main window, but the “Quick Access”label has been moved from the side navigation bar to the main window, and “pinned”files are now called “Favorites”to better match the labeling used in OneDrive and Office.
When you invoke the Snap Layouts popup with the Win+Z keyboard shortcut, prebuild also labels each layout option with a number, making it easier to select a layout from the keyboard without moving your hand to the mouse or trackpad.
These preview builds of Windows 11 will also start actively recommending that you enable Memory Integrity Security, showing you a notification when it’s disabled (as it will be by default on all but the newest Windows 11 PCs). As we have already written, the memory integrity feature (also called HVCI) works best on newer processors that support a feature called mode-based execution control (MBEC). But even with MBEC support, you may notice a slight performance hit in games and other CPU-intensive tasks. It’s easy to enable it on a general purpose laptop or desktop that you use primarily for work, but the trade-off may be more noticeable on a gaming PC or workstation that needs all the CPU power it can get.
Enabling Memory Integrity is not a requirement to install or update Windows 11 on these PCs, and you can override the warning. If you’re running Windows 11 on a PC with an unsupported processor, it’s probably best not to enable Memory Integrity. Running it on older processors without MBEC support can result in a much more noticeable performance hit.
The last few Windows 11 Insider updates have been released to the Dev and Beta channels. The two will eventually separate again; the Dev channel will get more experimental and less stable features, and the Beta channel will be a place to experiment with public Windows features. Developer channel users who would like to move to the more stable beta channel are advised to do so now while both channels are still receiving the same builds.
Some of the new features tested in the Insider Preview channels will most likely be waiting for the next major Windows 11 service update due this fall. Others, particularly bug fixes, “might fall into”updates for Windows 11 21H2, the current public version of Windows.