Windows 11 build 22000.71 outs with new features

• Windows 11 gets build 22000.71 (KB5004252).
• The flight introduces a new widget, transparency for the context menu, improvements for File Explorer and taskbar.
• Build 22000.71 also brings a bunch of fixes.

Build 22000.71 (KB5004252) for Windows 11 is now rolling for devices enrolled in the Dev Channel of the Windows Insider Program. This is the third preview available for testers, and it is a minor update with some visual changes and a slew of fixes. (See also this YouTube video highlighting all the new changes.)

According to the company’s announcement, Windows 11 build 22000.71 introduces a new “entertainment widget,” which has been designed to promote movies available in the Microsoft Store. You added this by opening the Widgets experience and clicking the “Add widgets” button.

As part of the visual changes, the Windows 11 right-click menus have been updated to use the acrylic material to make the menu semi-transparent to align further the company’s design with the new version of the OS.

In File Explorer, build 22000.71 includes a new button to make it easier to create new folders in the command bar. In addition, the taskbar thumbnail previews for apps have been updated with rounded corners and acrylic material to match Windows 11 design language.

Windows 11 build 22000.71 lists of fixes

This list includes all the fixes in this flight.

Fixes for taskbar:

• Fixed a problem where if you drag app icons on the Taskbar to rearrange them, it was making the apps launch or minimize when you released the icon.
• Using a long press with a touch on an app icon in the Taskbar to open the jump list should now work.
• After right-clicking the Start icon in the Taskbar, clicking somewhere else should now dismiss the menu more reliably.
• Shift + Right-click on an app icon in the Taskbar will now bring up the window menu like it used to and not the jump list.
• Addressed a problem that was making your mouse move slowly when hovering over the Taskbar previews.
• Fixed an issue when using multiple Desktops where an app icon in the taskbar might give the appearance of multiple windows being open when that wasn’t the case on that Desktop.
• When using the Amharic IME you should no longer see an unexpected X next to the IME icon in the taskbar.
• The issue where if you click on the input indicator on the Taskbar and it would unexpectedly highlight Quick Settings has been fixed.
• When you hover over Task View, the preview flyout for your Desktops will no longer pop back up after using Esc to dismiss them.
• Addressed an issue where explorer.exe might crash after hovering over the Task View icon in the Taskbar.
• Fixed a problem where the selected date in the calendar flyout was out of sync with the date in the Taskbar.
• Addressed a scenario resulting in some Insiders not seeing the lunar calendar text in the calendar flyout when enabled in Settings.
• This flight addressed an issue that could unexpectedly make the Taskbar background transparent.
• Right-clicking the focus assist icon in the taskbar should now show a context menu.
• The issue from the previous flight where icons in the taskbar corner were getting crushed against the top of the Taskbar has been addressed.
• The tooltip for the location in use icon in the Taskbar should no longer appear blank sometimes.

Fixes for Settings:

• Fixed a problem making Settings crash on launch periodically.
• Using the volume mixer sliders in Sound Settings should be more responsive now, as well as the page responsiveness as a whole.
• Addressed a problem resulting in Disk and Volumes Settings’ change size option being clipped.
• There was a non-functional verify link under Backup Settings – this has been fixed.
• The Power and Battery Settings page should no longer be reporting that the battery saver is engaged if it’s not.
• The Power and Battery Settings page should also now not crash when launched from Quick Settings.
• Fixed a grammatical error in the Sign-in Settings text.
• The “I forgot my PIN” link was unexpectedly missing in Sign-in Settings when a PIN was set up and has now been returned.
• The issue where the Move option under Apps & Features in Settings wasn’t working reliably should be addressed in this build.
• Mitigated a problem where some of the colors in Settings weren’t updating after switching between dark and light mode, leaving the unreadable text.
• Done some work to help improve the performance of Settings when switching between light and dark mode.
• Addressed an issue where some of the elements of the Themes page in Settings would end up crowded together when the window size was small.
• Resolved an issue where the Pen menu toggle under Taskbar Settings was not in sync with the actual state of the feature.
• Changes made to “Dismiss notification after this amount of time” in Accessibility Settings should now persist.
• Some of the icons you could enable in Taskbar Settings were erroneously labeled Windows Explorer even though that’s not what they were – this should now be fixed.
• The Connect text in Quick Settings has been updated to say Cast.

Fixes for File Explorer:

• Clicking the command bar button twice should now close any dropdown that appeared.
• The new command bar should now appear when “Open folders in a separate process” is enabled under File Explorer Options > View.
• This build addresses an issue where right-clicking a file and selecting Open With > Choose another app might launch the file in the default app rather than opening the Open With dialog.
• Fixed an issue the desktop and File Explorer context menu would stop launching.

Fixes for Search:

• Fixed an issue where the option to verify your account in Search wasn’t working.
• Hovering over the Search icon on a secondary monitor will now show the flyout on the correct monitor.
• Search should now work if you open Start and start typing after having gone to the apps list and back.

Fixes for Widgets:

• When using the Outlook client with a Microsoft account, Calendar, and To-Do updates should sync faster down to the widgets.
• Addressed an issue where if you added multiple widgets quickly from the widget’s settings, it could result in some of the widgets not being visible on the board.
• Fixed a bug where widgets could all become stuck in a loading state (blank squares in the window).
• The traffic widget should now follow the Windows mode (light or dark).
• The title of the sports widget should no longer mismatch with the content of the widget.

Other general fixes:

• This build addresses an issue where Alt + Tab was getting stuck open sometimes after you released the keys and had to be manually dismissed.
• Fixed an issue where Narrator’s focus wasn’t ending up on the emoji panel after using the keyboard shortcut to open it.
• Magnifier’s lens view has been updated so the lens now has rounded corners.
• Addressed an issue that was noticeably impacting Start launch reliability for some Insiders.
• Updated the “Most Used” text in the Start menu’s app list so it should no longer be getting clipped.
• Using the semantic zoom in Start’s app list should no longer result in the list being pushed down and to the right off the edge of the window.
• Fixed an issue where if you press Windows key + Z you would need to press Tab before you could use the arrow key to navigate through the snap layouts.
• Addressed an issue where an acrylic area could get left on the screen after repeatedly snapping and unsnapping a window with touch.
• Mitigated an unexpected flash when moving a snapped window with touch.
• Made a change to help window borders have a little more contrast when “Show accent color on title bars and windows borders” was turned off.

Known issues found in build 22000.71

These are all the known issues for build 22000.71:

• Start menu: You might be unable to enter text when using Search from Start or the Taskbar. If you experience the issue, press Windows key + R on the keyboard to launch the Run dialog box, then close it. Microsoft is also working on adding access keys to Windows key + X so that you can do things like “Windows key + X M” to launch Device Manager. But currently has issues.
• Taskbar: There is an issue in this build where Explorer.exe will crash when the date and time button on the Taskbar is clicked to access new notifications with Focus Assist turned off. The Taskbar will sometimes flicker when switching input methods. Also, the taskbar previews may draw partially offscreen.
• Settings: When launching the Settings app, a brief green flash may appear. When using Quick Settings to modify Accessibility settings, the settings UI may not save the selected state. The button to rename your device doesn’t work in this build. Settings will crash when clicking “Facial recognition (Windows Hello)” under Sign-in Settings if Windows Hello is already set up. Also, the Reset this PC and Go back buttons in the Recovery page do not function.
• File explorer: Explorer.exe crashes in a loop for Insiders using the Turkish display language when the battery charge is at 100%. When right-clicking the desktop or File Explorer, the resulting context menu and submenus may appear partially off-screen. Clicking a desktop icon or context menu entry may result in the wrong item being selected.
• Search: After clicking the Search icon on the Taskbar, the Search panel may not open. When you hover your mouse over the Search icon on the taskbar, recent searches may not be displayed. The search panel might appear black and not display any content below the search box.
• Widgets: Widgets board may appear empty. Launching links from the widgets board may not invoke apps to the foreground. Widgets may be displayed in the wrong size on external monitors.
• Windows Security: Device Security is unexpectedly saying “Standard hardware security not supported” for Insiders with supported hardware. And automatic sample submission” is unexpectedly turned off when you restart the computer.
• Localization: There is an issue where some Insiders may be missing translations from their user experience for a small subset of languages running the latest Insider Preview builds.

Installing Windows 11 build 22000.71

If you want to download and install the Windows 11 build 22000.71, you need to enroll your device in the Dev Channel using the “Windows Insider Program” settings from the “Update & Security” section.

Once you enroll the computer in the program, you can download build 22000.71 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.

If you are an existing Insider, you can upgrade to the first preview of Windows 11 without restrictions. But, if your computer doesn’t meet the minimum requirements, you won’t be able to install the final version when the new OS releases.

In the case that your computer meets the minimum requirements, then you will continue to be able to test the preview of Windows 11.