Windows 365 Switch Comes to the Windows Insider Dev and Beta Channels

Microsoft has just released new Windows 11 Insider builds for testers on the Dev and Beta channels. The new bits enable the Windows 365 Switch feature that lets users easily switch between their local desktop and a Windows 365 Cloud PC.

Microsoft also released a new build for the Release Preview channel today. It includes the changes to app defaults that Microsoft has been testing on other Insider channels in recent months.

What’s in the Dev Channel build 23521

For Dev Channel tests, today’s build 23521 brings back the Windows Copilot preview for users logged in with an Azure AD account. Moreover, Microsoft is introducing new privacy settings for Windows users in the EU.

Here are the main changes in today’s build 23521:

Windows 365 Switch: Windows Insiders can now seamlessly switch between their local desktop and a Windows 365 Cloud PC via Task View.

Windows Copilot on managed PCs: Insiders logged in with an Azure AD account can once again access Windows Copilot.

Taskbar never combined mode settings: The settings app now offers more granular settings for enabling never combined mode on the taskbar, as there’s now a separate setting for enabling this mode in multiple monitor scenarios

Dynamic Lighting improvements: Insiders can now have their devices with RGB lights match the current Windows accent color.

Redesigned Task Manager settings: The Task Manager settings page now respects the Windows 11 design guidelines

Windows Search changes: Insiders in the EU have a new option to have Microsoft Store apps with a web search component display search results in the Windows Search interface.

New EU privacy settings: Insiders will now see more Windows 11 features require consent to share data between the OS and other Microsoft services. This will be required for some features such as file recommendations in the Start Menu.

Pin widgets board open: A new pin icon at the top of the widgets board to keep the widgets board open at all times.

Snipping tool changes: The app now displays new new shortcuts for editing screenshots in Paint and screen recordings in Clipchamp.

What’s new in the Beta Channel build 22631.2191

As usual, Microsoft has released two new builds for beta channel testers, but only the build 22631.2191 comes with new features. Here are the main changes:

Windows 365 Switch: Please see above

HDR background support: Insiders can now use .jxr files as their desktop wallpaper and have them rendered in HDR.

New Narrator natural voices: The Narrator accessibility feature now has new natural voices in French, Portuguese, English (India), German, and Korean.

File Explorer changes: A “Share” option has been added to the context menu in File Explorer. The Details pane also provides more information such as image dimensions for pictures and the number of pages for Word documents.

What’s new in the Release Preview Channel build 22621.2213

The new features in this build should eventually go live in next month’s Patch Tuesday update for Windows 11 version 22H2. Again, here are the main changes:

Changes for app defaults: Apps can now use a deep link URI to take their users directly to the appropriate location in Settings to change their default app.

New search flyout box: When hovering over the search box in the taskbar, users will now see a new flyout box. This new experience can be disabled in taskbar settings

New policy for optional updates: IT admins can use a new policy to enable optional updates and controlled feature rollouts on commercial devices.

That’s it for the main changes coming to the Dev, Beta, and Release Preview channels today. Yesterday, Canary Channel testers also received a new build that brought the new notifications icon in the system tray and new color filter options.