Along with a bunch of new stuff for Windows 11 Insiders in the Dev Channel with build 23516, there are a pair of Beta Channel builds (22621.2129 and 22631.2129) to dig into, too. Let’s take a look, there’s quite a bit here:
First off, there’s an important note for those just enrolling in the Beta Channel, and for a small subset already with Beta Channel builds enabled, “you will not be offered this update to prevent the possibility of your device getting into a bad state.” Be forewarned.
For 22631.2129 (new features rolling out)
Windows Copilot
Windows Copilot is coming to Beta Channel Insiders in the 22631 range “via a controlled feature rollout:”
This first preview focuses on our integrated UI experience, with additional functionality coming down the road in future previews. To use Copilot in this flight you must have Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22631.2129 or higher in the Beta Channel, and Microsoft Edge version 115.0.1901.150 or higher.
Dev Drive
You can now set up a Dev Drive for improving developer workload performance in this Beta Channel build, by setting it up in Settings > System > For developers, or via the command line.
Narrator support for Excel
Narrator now provides a more succinct and efficient reading experience while working in Microsoft Excel.
Voice Access gets new text authoring experiences
You can now say “correct [text]” or “correct that,” and “click [number]” to navigate around your work via Voice Access.
Voice Access now available in more areas in Windows
As with Dev Channel build 23516, Voice Access can now be set to work to log in to Windows or on the Lock Screen.
Passwordless Experience for Windows Hello for Business added
Enterprise customers can now set the EnablePasswordlessExperience policy that promotes a user experience on AAD joined machines for core authentication scenarios without requiring a password.
Improved Screen Casting experience
Screen Casting has been improved, as it also has been for Dev Channel build 23516.
Presence Sensor Improvements
Again, as with Dev Channel build 23516, Adaptive Dimming is being added for PCs with presence sensors.
As usual, there are a number of changes, improvements, fixes, and known issues, be sure to check out the blog post for all the details.