It's very rare that we get to see a new build of Windows on a Monday, but today, that's exactly what's happening. Microsoft is rolling out build 22471 to Windows Insiders in the Dev channel, and the reason for it seems to be that Windows 11 is generally available this week.
Of course, this new Dev channel build isn't the same as what most users will start getting this week. Right now, Windows Insiders in the Dev channel are getting builds directly from Microsoft's active development branch, preparing a future Windows 11 update. Despite that, it's been a few weeks since Windows 11 builds added any big new features in preview, and build 22471 is no exception. The only change Microsoft is highlighting is that TebletInputService has been renamed to TextInputManagementService. This si the service that handles pen input on devices that support pens.
Aside from that, this build is all about fixes, and there's quite a few in the package. These fixes should help improve the overall experience, but they're understandably not that exciting. What's noteworthy is that Microsoft says these fixes might be rolled out to the general release of Windows 11 with servicing updates, which means that Microsoft is likely still using these active development builds to prepare post-launch fixes for the initial release of Windows 11. Here's everything that's new:
Fixes in Windows 11 buiild 22471
-
We fixed an underlying issue that was causing the Taskbar’s hidden icons flyout to have sharp corners instead of rounded corners sometimes.
-
Using the down arrow when interacting with the Desktops flyout’s context menu should now move focus down the menu instead of dismissing it.
-
Fixed an issue that was making explorer.exe crash sometimes when closing File Explorer windows.
-
Addressed an issue where voice typing might fail with an error message citing a network connection issue when that was not actually the cause of the failure.
-
If you’re using the touch keyboard in “Kana” key mode for the Japanese IME, the key labels will now correctly show the character that will be input when you’re holding Shift.
-
Mitigated a race condition that was causing textinputhost.exe to crash on launch sometimes.
-
Typing wt from the Run dialog will now open Windows Terminal in the foreground instead of the background.
-
Addressed an issue that could lead to apps getting stuck in a minimized state after disconnecting an external monitor and resuming the system from sleep.
-
Addressed a network issue for Insiders running certain traffic optimization software. This should lead to improved performance on websites utilizing HTTP/3.
-
Fixed and issue where some devices were failing to update to a newer build with error code 0xc1900101. If you are still experiencing this error code, please file a new piece of feedback in Feedback Hub.
-
Updated the “reboot needed” dialog for Windows Update to now say Windows 11. Please note that you will only see the results of this change when prompted to reboot for the next flight, as you need to be on a build with the change.
-
Fixed a DWM crash that could happen when enabling a contrast theme.
-
Corrected an issue for ARM64 PCs that could result in certain apps not responding to display language changes if they were installed prior to upgrading to Windows 11.
-
Addressed an issue where when explorer.exe is launched from an elevated process was using a lower memory priority, impacting the performance of all processes launched after it (Issue #55).
Despite the lengthy list of fixes, there are still some issues in this build. Here's what you should be ready for:
Known issues in Windows 11 build 22471
-
Users updating from Builds 22000.xxx, or earlier, to newer Dev Channel builds using the latest Dev Channel ISO, may receive the following warning message: The build you are trying to install is Flight Signed. To continue installing, enable flight signing. If you receive this message, press the Enable button, reboot the PC, and retry the update.
-
Some users may experience their screen and sleep timeouts being reduced. We’re investigating the potential impact that shorter screen and sleep timeouts could have on energy consumption.
-
In some cases, you might be unable to enter text when using Search from Start or the Taskbar. If you experience the issue, press WIN + R on the keyboard to launch the Run dialog box, then close it.
-
The Taskbar will sometimes flicker when switching input methods.
-
We’re investigating reports that Notification Center will get in a state in recent builds where it doesn’t launch. If you are impacted by this, restarting explorer.exe may resolve the issue for you.
-
After clicking the Search icon on the Taskbar, the Search panel may not open. If this occurs, restart the “Windows Explorer” process, and open the search panel again.
-
Search panel might appear as black and not display any content below the search box.
-
The widgets board may appear empty. To work around the issue, you can sign out and then sign back in again.
-
Widgets may be displayed in the wrong size on external monitors. If you encounter this, you can launch the widgets via touch or WIN + W shortcut on your actual PC display first and then launch on your secondary monitors.
Once Windows 11 releases this week, we may start seeing more features being added to Dev channel builds, but that won't happen this week. Microsoft says this is the only build we're getting, as it's going to be busy with the Windows 11 launch for the general public. However, we should be back on track next week, which is also when Patch Tuesday happens. That will be when Windows 11 gets its first servicing update, which may include some of the fixes we've seen in Dev channel builds in the past few weeks.
