Windows 11 Version 23H2 - Everything You Need To Know

7/26/23, 4:15 PM Windows 11 version 23H2: Everything you need to know
What's new in Windows 11 version 23H2?

Windows Copilot
Source: Microsoft
Microsoft has been going all in on AI for the past few months, and Windows is next in
line to get a taste. During Build 2023, Microsoft announced Windows Copilot, an AI
assistant that leverages large language models like GPT-4 to help you do almost
anything on your computer.
Windows Copilot can do a lot of the same things Bing Chat can. You can ask it
complex questions and get detailed answers based on information from the web. For
example, you can ask it to help you plan a trip or something as simple as the time
difference between two countries. You can also ask it to summarize or rewrite texts
and documents. Because it's integrated directly into Windows, you can send a
document to Copilot and have it rewritten or summarized in a flash.
Windows integration is a big deal here. Copilot can do things like share an image or
file with your contacts, becoming a centralized way to do all kinds of things. You can
even use Copilot to change Windows settings, like enabling dark mode, starting a
focus session, and so on. Copilot isn't available in preview yet, so we don't know
firsthand everything it will be able to do, but based on Microsoft's announcement, the
potential is immense.
https://www.xda-developers.com/windows-11-23h2/ 1/14
Modernized File Explorer
Another big change coming with the next Windows 11 update is a refresh of the File
Explorer based on WinUI 3. Yes, Microsoft had already redesigned it with the original
Windows 11 release, but this new version has a few more changes. Microsoft is
streamlining the look of the address bar and bringing it up closer to the tab bar, as
you'd see in a browser. The file and folder commands are moved down closer to the
file pane so they're more quickly accessible. The refreshed address bar also has more
seamless OneDrive integration. When browsing your OneDrive files, you can click the
icon in the address bar to see your storage quota.
There's also a new Gallery view that lets you browse your photos, so you can see all
the photos on your device in one place and have them organized chronologically. This
view also optimized the way photos are shown, so you can focus on images rather
than the UI elements.
The new File Explorer also has a redesigned Home page with recommended files for
users with Azure Active Directory accounts. These files support thumbnails, too, so
you get a clearer idea of what the file is before reopening. Finally, there's also a new
Details pane that looks more modern and shows things like activity history for shared
files.
Taskbar ungrouping returns
One of the big complaints users had with Windows 11 when it was originally released
was that many customization options were removed, including taskbar ungrouping.
This allows users to display each app instance as an individual icon on the Taskbar
and have each instance labeled with text. Thankfully, this capability is returning with
Windows 11 version 23H2.
In fact, Microsoft is going a step further this time and actually giving you a new option.
Not only are running apps labeled, but you can also choose to show labels for pinned
apps on the taskbar, even if they aren't running. If you find icons to be too hard to tell
apart, this can make it easier to launch the app you want.
New volume mixer
Another big new addition in this update is a new volume mixer, which fans have been
requesting for years. Windows 10 still used an old volume mixer that still looked like
Windows XP, and Windows 11 removed it in favor of a volume mixer in the Settings
app, but it wasn't as convenient.
With this update, the volume mixer returns to the Taskbar in the Quick Settings panel,
allowing you to change the volume for different apps and playback devices more
easily. There's also a new keyboard shortcut to access it directly: Windows + Ctrl + V.
Built-in RGB lighting controls
Windows 11 version 23H2 will try to make it easier to manage RGB lighting effects for
your connected peripherals with a new Dynamic Lighting page in the Settings app.
Typically, peripherals that have RGB lighting require a third-party app to customize the
lighting effects, and these apps can be very large for no real reason. Plus, if you have
multiple devices from different companies, you'll need multiple apps, and you might
not even be able to sync different devices properly.
With the Dynamic Lighting page, you can change these lighting settings from a
centralized location without needing bloated apps taking up space and resources.
Currently, there are some limitations — it's mostly only Razer devices that are
supported — but if there's adoption from other companies, this could be a big deal for
users with a lot of gaming peripherals.
Improved backup and restore experience
Source: Microsoft
Microsoft is also improving the backup and restore experience with Windows 11
version 23H2, along with a new Windows Backup app to help manage it all. Windows
11 could always back up some settings, but this new experience gives you the option
to do that manually at any time and also select what to back up.
In addition to restoring your apps, the new backup and restore experience can now
even remember where your apps were pinned on the taskbar and Start menu, so they
show up in the right place when you restore your settings on a new computer. This
even works with desktop apps, allowing you to quickly download and install them from
the Microsoft Store or the developer's website.
New Windows Spotlight experience
Source: Microsoft
Windows Insiders in the Dev channel can currently test a new version of Windows
Spotlight desktop backgrounds. Microsoft is testing a new experience that lets you
easily see related images to the current background and switch to them, or see more
information, such as finding the location of the picture on the map.
Additionally, Windows Spotlight now supports 4K wallpapers, making the feature more
useful for users with high-resolution displays.
New emoji
As per usual, the annual release of Windows 11 should also include some new emoji
to align with this year's update to the Unicode Emoji standard, which is now up to
version 15. This adds new emoji like a pink or black heart, a new face, and some new
animals.
Microsoft has also redesigned some existing emoji, so they're more easily
recognizable.
Native 7z and RAR support
A pretty big announcement that may have flown under the radar for some is that
Microsoft is adding support for many popular file archives directly in Windows 11. That
includes 7Z, a popular format used by 7-Zip, and RAR, which is used by WinRAR. It
even supports TAR.GZ files, too. Previously, all of these required third-party apps
since Windows 11 only supported ZIP files.
Paint with dark mode
While it's not necessarily tied to Windows 11 version 23H2, Paint is set to get a big
update soon to add a long-awaited dark mode. This is already in testing with Insiders,
and it's something Microsoft promised almost two years ago.
There's more to this update than dark mode, though. Microsoft also added finer zoom
controls, so you can choose the right level of zoom for any image and screen. There's
even a Fit to screen button, so images automatically zoom to make use of your
display. Plus, zooming is now seamless instead of happening in steps.
Dev Drive (and Dev Home)
Source: Microsoft
Developers needing faster access to their project files can also benefit from a new
feature called a Dev Drive, which can be created on unallocated space on a physical
drive. It can also be a virtual drive, but the functionality is the same. It's a drive based
on the ReFS file system, which has better performance than a regular drive. By being
added to a trusted list in Microsoft Defender, a Dev Drive can offer noticeably faster
file I/O performance and cut down on build times for app developers.
Microsoft also has a new Dev Home app for developers, which is currently available in
preview and comes preinstalled with the latest builds of Windows. The Dev Home app
integrates with GitHub to make it easier to manage your development projects and
stay on top of your tasks. It also helps you set up your PC for development.
Smarter inking
Microsoft is changing the way inking works in Windows 11 with this update, particularly
when it comes to typing. Rather than having a dedicated handwriting panel where text
then gets transferred to a text field, it will now be possible to write directly over the text
field where you want to add text. This makes it more akin to the writing experience on
an iPad, and it should feel more natural.
This is a recent addition to Insider builds, so it's possible it won't make the cut for the
final release.
A new Settings Home page
With this update, Microsoft is adding a new Home page to the Settings app, which will
make your most relevant settings quickly available. The Settings page learns from
your usage habits, and it presents cards with quick access to the settings you're likely
to need the most. There's also a card dedicated to recommended settings, which is
also focused on your particular use case.
Currently in testing in the Dev channel, this new page only has a total of seven cards
available right now, but more should show up before the feature makes its official
debut.
Miscellaneous changes
In addition to all these bigger additions, there are a few smaller changes we're
expecting to see in Windows 11 version 23H2 based on the features that are currently
in preview. Some of these may or may not end up in the final release, but they include:
Important notifications that show up when Do not disturb is enabled because of a full-screen app will have their content hidden to
protect your privacy.
If you ignore notifications from a given app for a month, Windows will prompt you to disable notifications for that app to minimize
intrusions.
The Wi-Fi network flyout in the lock screen has been redesigned to match the look of Windows 11.
You can now view the password for your current Wi-Fi network in the Settings app.
The Settings app is now the default for uninstalling desktop apps when you try to uninstall them from the Start menu.
Apps can now use deep linking to take you directly to the Settings page, where you can set them as the default for handling specific
file types and protocols.
Voice access now features improved authoring and typing, with the ability to correct or spell out words that may not have been properly
recognized at first. This means you can spell out names and usernames, or correct words that sound similar.
The Chat feature based on Microsoft Teams is being replaced with the regular Microsoft Teams app, removing the special Chat panel
available in previous releases. Microsoft Teams can now be easily removed from the taskbar or uninstalled.
Microsoft is making it possible to use Windows Hello to sign into any website that allows you to use a passkey, such as Best Buy's
website. You'll first need to create a passkey for that website before you an sign in using Windows Hello.
Since Windows 11 version 23H2 is still a few months out, there's a good chance that
more features will be added to this list, and some features that we're expecting may
end up not making the final release. We'll be sure to keep things up to date as more
information comes.
Either way, you can already tell this is a significant update that brings a good few
changes. It's not as significant as version 22H2 was, but that's in large part because
Microsoft has released a lot of smaller features and improvements throughout the year
with the Moment updates, which makes version 23H2 less impactful. Still, it's an
exciting update with some changes that were arguably long overdue. You can expect it
to become generally available sometime in the fall.

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7/26/23, 4:15 PM Windows 11 version 23H2: Everything you need to know

What's new in Windows 11 version 23H2?

Modernized File Explorer

Taskbar ungrouping returns

New volume mixer

Built-in RGB lighting controls

Improved backup and restore experience

New Windows Spotlight experience

Native 7z and RAR support

Paint with dark mode

Dev Drive (and Dev Home)

A new Settings Home page

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