Windows 11 Insider Builds 22621.436 and 22622.436 (Beta): A closer look

New build alert! Or, in this case, new builds alert, since Microsoft decided to launch two new Insider builds for the Windows 11 Beta Channel.

Yesterday we discussed the latest addition to Windows 10, which is Build 19044.1862, so it’s only right that we now focus on the latest operating system.

So, if you are ready and eager to find out more about what’s in store for your new favorite OS, let’s dive right into it and see what we’re dealing with.

What’s new with builds 22621.436 and 22622.436 (KB5015888)?

As Microsoft specified in the official blog post, today we are receiving Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22621.436 and Build 22622.436 (KB5015888) to the Beta Channel.

• Build 22622.436 = New features rolling out.
• Build 22621.436 = New features off by default.

Keep in mind that Insiders who landed in the group with new features turned off by default (Build 22621.xxxx) can check for updates and choose to install the update that will have features rolling out (Build 22622.xxx).

Not to mention that the Redmond tech giant is also kicking off a Bug Bash for the Beta Channel starting tomorrow, so there’s a lot going on.

We’re about to go more in-depth and check out each individual of the above-mentioned builds, discovering all of the improvements, fixes, and known issues that come packaged.

Windows 11 Build 22622.436

We’re going to start with the fact that the discovery of devices under nearby share when sharing a local file from the desktop, File Explorer, Photos, Snipping Tool, Xbox, and other apps that use the built-in Windows share window has been enhanced by using UDP (Network needs to be set to private).

Bluetooth has also been added, to discover nearby devices, which means you will now be able to discover and share to more devices including desktop PCs.

Also, when sharing a local file from the above-mentioned sources that use the built-in Windows share window, you can choose OneDrive as a target to directly upload the file to OneDrive and share it further along with access control options.

Know that absolutely all this can be done right from sharing local files in File Explorer without any context switches or opening the OneDrive app.

NOTE

This feature is currently only available for Microsoft accounts. A user will need to switch to their Microsoft account via the top right profile icon in the share window if logged in via AAD. AAD support will be added in a future update.

Changes and improvements

[Windows Terminal]

• Windows Terminal is now the default terminal in Windows 11. This means, all command line applications will open in Windows Terminal automatically (Command Prompt and PowerShell, for example). The setting for this change can be found via Settings > Privacy & security > For developers. Please note that Windows Terminal version 1.15 or greater is required for this feature.

[Input]

• You can now report animated gifs that you feel are inappropriate from the emoji panel (WIN + .)

Fixes

[File Explorer]

• Fixed an issue where the tab order when using CTRL + Tab would be wrong if you’d rearranged the tabs in File Explorer.
• Fixed an explorer.exe crash when dragging tabs around.
• If “Show all folders” is enabled, the dividers in File Explorer’s navigation pane should no longer show. With this change, it should also address the issues where dividers were unexpectedly showing in some other folder pickers.
• Opening a zipped folder in a new tab should no longer have a blank tab name.
• Removable drives should no longer unexpectedly be displayed in a section by themselves in the navigation pane, which was breaking up the section with This PC and Network.
• Fixed an issue where the add new tab button wasn’t clearly visible when using Aquatic or Desert contrast themes.
• A faint line should no longer display between the current tab and the command bar.
• Updated the tooltip when hovering over a tab to suggest using CTRL + W to close the tab (rather than CTRL + F4, which didn’t work).
• If focus is on the tab row, CTRL + W will no longer unexpectedly close two tabs instead of just the tab in focus.
• Fixed an issue where the tab row might unexpectedly expand vertically, covering the command bar contents.

[Start]

• Fixed a Start crash which was impacting some Insiders on Build 22622.160.

Fixes included for Build 22621.436 & Build 22622.436

• Fixed an issue that prevents troubleshooters from opening.
• Fixed an issue that causes the Smart App Control to block catalog-signed files.
• Fixed an issue that might highly distort photos you take using the Camera app. This issue occurs when using certain cameras under certain low light conditions.
• Fixed an issue that throws an exception when you debug drivers using Visual Studio 2022 version 17.2 or later.
• Fixed an issue that causes the Windows profile service to fail sporadically. The failure might occur when signing in. The error message is, “gpsvc service failed to sign in. Access denied”.
• Fixed an issue that prevents virtualized App-V Office applications from opening or causes them to stop responding.

[General]

• Fixed an issue resulting in a small number of Insiders in the Beta Channel experiencing cyclical crashes in Explorer.exe and other Windows UI components, making the screen look like it’s flickering. Please note, this fix should stop more Insiders from being newly impacted, however if you are already impacted by this, you will need to run the following command in PowerShell to resolve it: Add-AppxPackage -Register -Path C:\Windows\SystemApps\Microsoft.UI.Xaml.CBS_8wekyb3d8bbwe\AppxManifest.xml -DisableDevelopmentMode -ForceApplicationShutdown
• Fixed an issue which was causing some Insiders on the previous Beta Channel flight to have their PCs stuck on a black screen after waking from sleep.
• Fixed an issue which would lead to losing network connectivity after turning on mobile hotspot.
• Fixed an issue causing Build 22621.290 / 22622.290 to fail to install with error 0x800f081f for some Insiders.

Known issues

[File Explorer]

• The up arrow is misaligned in File Explorer tabs. This will be fixed in a future update.

These are the changes, improvements, fixes, and known issues that come with the two new Beta Insider Preview Builds 22621.436 and Build 22622.436 (KB5015888) for Windows 11.

Have you noticed any other issues after installing these builds? Share your experience with us in the comments section below.