New Windows 11 22H2 preview brings fixes and richer resource usage history
Microsoft has rolled out Windows 11 Build 22621.457 (KB5016695) to Insiders in the Release Preview Channel.
This build is for insiders on Windows 11, version 22H2, which is tipped for a mainstream release on September 20 -- a week after that month's Patch Tuesday (which falls on the second Tuesday of each month). The Preview Channel is the most stable preview behind the Dev Channel and Beta Channel.
Hardware
The update contains the same new features Microsoft has rolled out in recent Windows 11 and Windows 10 previews, such as Defender for Endpoint's enhanced ransomware protections, and now compressing a file regardless of its size for those with Server Message Block (SMB) compression enabled.
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Users can also view more usage history information from the Settings page. Resources covered include the camera, mic, phone calls, messaging, contacts, screenshots and apps, and the music library. Users can access this feature via Settings > Privacy & Security.
Microsoft lists several bugs that were addressed in this update, covering tablet mode problems, issues in the Task View preview, copying files from network drives not working, leaking tokens from the Local Security Authority Server Service (LSASS), excess CPU usage, Edge in IE Mode not functioning, an App-V memory leak, and URLs with more than 2,084 characters failing, Windows Hello for Business issues, and more.
Microsoft has detailed the full list of fixes in a blogpost.
The Windows 11 22H2 release is not expected to be a major update, but it does contain a number of new features, including the Live Captions and Voice Access accessibility features, Suggested Actions, a redesigned Task Manager, tabbed File Explorer, OneDrive integration with File Explorer, and more.
Following the mainstream release of Windows 11 22H2, but before the next feature update, Microsoft is expected to release a 'Moments' update. As ZDNET's Mary Jo Foley explained recently, 'Moments' is Microsoft's term for rolling out new features outside of major OS updates. It remains unclear whether a Moments release would trigger a new support countdown clock.