- Windows 11 build 23451 is now rolling out in the Dev Channel.
- The update introduces modern Details pane for File Explorer and changes to the Spotlight feature on the desktop.
- Microsoft is also releasing a new Facebook widget, redesigned Widgets picker, badge notifications for the Start menu, and more.
- The company also rolls out build 25357 in the Canary Channel with the new Facebook widgets and nothing else.
Microsoft is releasing Windows 11 build 23451 for computers enrolled in the Dev Channel of the Windows Insider Program. This is a minor rollout that includes various visual changes, fixes, and new features and improvements.
Build 23451 for Windows 11, according to the official changes, introduces an updated version of File Explorer with redesigned details pane on the right side. Microsoft is also experimenting with new design changes for the Spotlight icon on the desktop that includes an updated hover full-screen interface with rich information about the background image and a minimized experience.
Furthermore, the company is rolling out a preview of the Facebook widget, which you can download from the Microsoft Store.
As part of the changes, build 23451 ships with the new notification badging for Microsoft accounts on the Start menu, and the “Recommended” section will once again show recent websites. This flight also comes with the new Widgets picker, new animation for the Widgets icon in the Taskbar, and several other improvements.
Windows 11 build 23451 changes
Here are all the new features and improvements for the latest release of Windows 11 in the Dev Channel:
New Start menu notifications
Starting with build 23451, the Start menu will now show notification badging for Microsoft accounts-related information.
Also, the “Recommended” section will once again show suggestions of websites based on your browsing history from Microsoft Edge or Google Chrome.
You can manage these new features from Settings > Personalization > Start.
New File Explorer details pane
Windows 11 build 23451 ships with an updated version of File Explorer that introduces a modernized details pane designed to help you easily access contextual information about the file, including file thumbnail, share status and button, file activity, related files and e-mails, and other information.
You can easily open and close the pane with the “Details pane” button on the top-right corner. Microsoft is even assigning a new “Alt + Shift + P” keyboard shortcut.
Spotlight for desktop improvements
Microsoft is also experimenting with new design changes for the Spotlight icon on the desktop that includes an updated hover full-screen interface with rich information about the background image and a minimized experience.
In both cases, the experience will include 4K portrait images and the ability to learn more about each desktop image.
Windows Narrator
On Excel, the Windows Narrator now provides a more succinct and efficient reading experience. Announcements are prioritized based on the information you need to skim a workbook and are customizable using convenient keyboard shortcuts.
To enable the enhanced announcements, you have to install the latest preview of Windows and the preview of Office and start Narrator using the keyboard shortcut “Control + Windows + Enter.”
Microsoft has also published a page with more details about using the Enhanced Narrator support on Excel.
New Widgets picker
Microsoft is now introducing a new Widgets picker that gives you a visual preview of the widget before pinning. The company is also rolling out a new preview of the new Facebook widget, which you can download from the Microsoft Store.
As part of the Widgets experience, the icon in the Taskbar now includes an animation that triggers when you hover or click on the icon.
Other changes
The language support for Live Captions has been expanded to include Danish, English (Ireland), French (Canada), Korean, and Portuguese (Portugal).
Fixes and improvements
This flight also ships with a bunch of fixes and improvements for Taskbar, Input, Settings, File Explorer, and more.
Taskbar and Start
- Fixed an explorer.exe crash impacting taskbar reliability.
Fixed an issue that was causing Quick Settings and its project options to sometimes not respond when using ALT + F4 to close them.- Fixed an issue that was causing the Recommended section in Start to be blank the first time it was opened.
- Fixed an underlying issue which could cause Search to get stuck and not open.
File Explorer
- Fixed an underlying issue believed to be the cause of explorer.exe crashing when opening the context menu in the previous flight for some Insiders.
- If you use an Arabic or Hebrew display language, the tabs should be displaying correctly now.
- Fixed an issue where the scrollbar for Gallery was displaying on the wrong side for Insiders with an Arabic or Hebrew display language.
- If you have the Item Check Boxes setting enabled, the Gallery will now show check boxes on images.
Notifications
- Fixed another 2FA code pattern which wasn’t being recognized.
Input
- Fixed an issue where the Pinyin IME’s insert text button wasn’t displaying correctly in some cases.
- Fixed an underlying crash impacting the ability to launch the touch keyboard / PIN entry on the login screen.
Live Captions
- Fixed an issue where caption characters shown in the second line of the default height window were getting clipped on top.
- Features have been added to the enhanced speech recognition language files to improve performance and provide out-of-language filtering meant to limit the incorrect captions for speech not in the caption language.
Accessibility
- Fixed an issue where using the down key while navigating by landmark with Narrator in Edge wasn’t jumping to the first line of the landmark correctly.
This release also has known issues with the File Explorer and Taskbar.
Microsoft is also rolling out the Windows 11 build 25357 in the Canary Channel, but it doesn’t contain anything new other than the new Facebook widgets.
Install build 23451
If you want to download and install the Windows 11 build 23451, enroll your device in the Dev Channel using the “Windows Insider Program” settings from the “Windows Update” section.
Once you enroll the computer in the program, you can download build 23451 from the “Windows Update” settings by clicking the Check for Updates button. However, you will need a device that meets the minimum system requirements to receive the update if you are new to the Windows Insider Program.
Mauro Huculak is a Windows expert and the Editor-in-Chief who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He is also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 12 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows, software, and related technologies, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 20 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me.