Microsoft has released new Windows 11 Build 22610 to the insiders in Dev and Beta channels. The Build brings updates to UX elements in Windows 11 File explorer, Task manager, Battery Tooltip and other components. It also removes the Watermark which as per Microsoft will make a comeback in future.
Coming to details now, Windows 11 Build 22610 updated the Processes page in Task Manager so that the colors used in the heatmap are now based on accent color. In the File explorer, Microsoft has updated the rename, properties, and optimize icons used in the context menu and command bar.
If your PC supports it, estimated battery life timing will now appear in the tooltip for the battery icon in the system tray. Microsoft has updated the design of the battery icon on the Lock screen to be consistent with the one in the taskbar.
What’s new in Build 22610
Additional new MDM and group policies for IT administrators
We are introducing new policies so that IT administrators can simplify their Windows 11 experience across Start, taskbar, and the system tray. The following policies are available today:
Disable Quick Settings flyout
Disable Notification Center and calendar flyouts
Disable all taskbar settings
Disable search (across Start & taskbar)
Hide Task View from taskbar
Block customization of ‘Pinned’ in Start
Hide ‘Recommended’ in Start
Disable Start context menus
Hide ‘All apps’ in Start
To configure these new group policies locally, open the group policy editor and navigate to User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Start Menu and Taskbar. You can also deploy these policies via Microsoft Endpoint Manager as well.
Desktop Environment > Start menu for policies relating to Start.
Desktop Environment > Taskbar for policies relating to the Taskbar.
Desktop Environment > Quick Settings for policies relating to the Quick Settings.
Desktop Environment > Notification Center for policies relating to the Notification Center.
Family Safety Widget Update
To help you and your loved ones stay safe and protected, we are rolling out an update to the Family Safety widget with improvements for all family members with a new location sharing view that shows where your family members are using the Family Safety app.
View of location sharing in the Family Safety widget.
There’s also a new update for people in a member role, which includes an improved view of your screen time use across apps and devices.
Device use view as shown in the Family Safety widget.App use view as shown in the Family Safety widget.
FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Desktop Environment > Widgets.
Changes and Improvements
[General]
Windows 11 Home edition Dev and Beta Channel builds no longer enable the SMB1 client by default. If you have installed SMB1 manually or upgraded from a previous version of Windows where SMB1 was installed, upgrading to the latest Dev and Beta Channel build will not remove SMB1. For more information, check out this blog post here.
We have updated the design of the battery icon on the Lock screen to be consistent with the one in the taskbar.
Battery icon on the Lock screen matches the design of the battery icon on the taskbar.
If your PC supports it, we will now show estimated battery life timing in the tooltip for the battery icon in the system tray with the most recent Insider Preview builds.
The build watermark at the lower right-hand corner of the desktop is no longer present in this build. This doesn’t mean we’re done, and the watermark will return to Insiders in a future build.
[Taskbar]
As a result of feedback from Windows Insiders, we have disabled the tablet-optimized taskbar feature that first began rolling out to Windows Insiders in Build 22563 for now. We hope to bring this feature back in the future after further refinement of the experience. As we’ve mentioned previously, features we try out in the Dev or Beta Channels may not always ship.
[Widgets]
The changes in Widgets that bring more dynamic content to your Widgets board announced with Build 22563 is rolling out to more Windows Insiders in the Dev and Beta Channels.
[Task Manager]
We’ve updated the Processes page in Task Manager so that the colors used in the heatmap are now based on your accent color. Please note in certain cases we will use the default blue accent color to ensure readability. We did a demo of this during this month’s Windows Insider webcast featuring Claton Hendricks from the Task Manager Team – watch the webcast on-demand here.
The Processes page in Task Manager now shows colors based on your accent color.
[File Explorer]
We have updated the rename, properties, and optimize icons used in the context menu and command bar to help with discoverability and consistency.
Context menu in File Explorer showing the updated icons for rename and properties.
[Settings]
Your Phone now shows as Phone Link under Settings > Bluetooth & devices. Your Phone is now Phone Link – read the announcement here.
[Other]
Based on feedback from Windows Insiders, we are rolling back the change originally documented with Build 22557 where TKIP and WEP connections were no longer allowed. These connections are allowed again starting with this build as we go back to the previous behavior where a warning is given notifying you that these are not secured connections. As a reminder, TKIP and WEP are deprecated security standards and are planned for removal in a future release. We recommend updating your router or other devices to one that supports at least WPA2 (WPA3 is the current standard).
