Microsoft has released another build of Windows 11 to Insiders on the Dev Channel, revealing some of the new features that are making their way to the operating system in the future. Specifically, this release features a new USB4 page in Settings, along with recently announced improvements to the default app settings. The build number is 23419, and as a reminder, this Dev channel is a new channel, while the new Canary channel has replaced the old Dev channel, as Microsoft has not announced a new version yet.
USB4 settings page
A settings page dedicated to USB4 devices was spotted in an earlier version of Windows 11 thanks to some hacking, but it wasn’t working or easily accessible yet. This page is intended to allow users to see more information about the USB4 devices connected to their computer, assuming the computer supports USB4 in the first place. You can see information about USB4 hubs you may be using and the devices connected to them, as well as USB4 domain details. You can also easily copy these details to share with your customer support and IT administrator in your enterprise environment.
USB4 has become more widely available and is largely based on Thunderbolt, so if you have a Thunderbolt 4 port, you should be able to see a USB4 host router listed in Device Manager. If you don’t see it, you also won’t see the new settings page.
Best app default settings
As Microsoft detailed earlier this week, Windows 11 is seeing some changes to the way app defaults work, making it easy to change default apps for a particular file type or protocol. Now, when an app asks you to set it as default, if you choose to do so, you will be taken directly to the settings page where you can change its defaults thanks to the deep link URI. Previously, any attempt to change the default app would take you to the global default apps page, so you still had to search for the app and then choose it as the default for the file type you wanted.
Microsoft also promised a new experience for apps you try to pin to the taskbar, but that will be available at a later date.
Live kernel memory dump in task manager
This feature was previously available in the old Dev Channel and the new Canary Channel, but now, users in the rebooted Dev Channel can also create kernel memory dumps directly for a specific process within Task Manager. This is especially useful for developers to identify issues with their apps. You can also change the settings for freeing up memory in the Task Manager settings.
Other changes
Apart from the above changes, most of the additions in this version are rather minor and were already available in other channels. If you use a Chinese IME, you’ll now be able to use cloud-powered suggestions for common Chinese words, for example. Microsoft has also modified the network icon when showing the VPN connection indicator, where the VPN icon now follows the theme color you set for Windows.
There’s also the ability to enable seconds on the taskbar clock, something already available in the Canary channel, as well as a new, faster way to access Bing through a button within the search bar on the taskbar. Microsoft has also improved the Voice Access Commands app with a full list of available commands. Additionally, since Microsoft is deprecating the Microsoft Support Diagnostic Tool (MSDT) and MSDT Troubleshooters, some troubleshooting tools found in the Settings app have started redirecting users to the Get Help app.
One change that some users may not like is that the Print Screen key on the keyboard will now open the Snipping Tool by default. This capability does exist but it was turned off by default and now Microsoft is switching to the default on policy. You can still turn it off in the Settings app under Accessibility -> Keyboard.
Finally, of course, there’s the usual list of bug fixes that every build comes with. You can see this list below:
There are also some known issues in this release:
If you are a Windows Insider in the Dev Channel, you can download this update by going to the Settings app and checking for updates. Keep in mind that if you were on the Dev Channel before the split into Canary and Dev Channels, now you’re on the Canary Channel instead. You need to do a clean install of Windows 11 to join the new Dev channel.
source: Microsoft
