Microsoft Releases Windows 11 KB5040550 Update with New Features and Fixes

TapTechNews July 13th news, Microsoft today released a press release and released the KB5040550 update for the Windows 11 system to members of the Windows Insider project in the Beta channel. After users install it, the version number rises to Build 22635.3930.

Based on the press release content, TapTechNews presents the update content of Windows 11 Build 22635.3930 as follows:

New Features (Rolled out gradually, some users have been invited for testing)

[Shared content in File Explorer home]

Users can quickly access recently shared files in File Explorer.

After users log in to the Windows 11 system with a Microsoft account, they can view the files shared during email, Teams chat, etc. For business users who log in with a Microsoft EntraID account, they can also view the files shared by the organization to others.

Users can click on the Share tab on the File Explorer home to view relevant files.

They can also view more file types in the Recent, Favorites, and Share sections on the home. For example, if you have recently opened/edited files in software such as Designer, Loop, PowerBI, Forms, etc., these files will now appear in your Recent list.

Changes and Improvements (Rolled out gradually, some users have been invited for testing)

[System Tray]

1. Microsoft is testing a more simplified system tray to prominently display the date/time in a short form, and display the notification bell icon according to the DND status.

If there is no notification bell icon, you can get notifications by clicking on the date and time in the Notification Center.

Users can switch the values in the Settings > Date and Time under Display time and date in the system tray and Settings > System > Notifications under Notifications to restore the long-format date/time and bell icon visual effects.

2. Updated the preview displayed when the mouse hovers over/hovers over an application on the taskbar. We also improved the animation effect of these previews when displayed on the taskbar according to Insider feedback.

3. Updated the taskbar, which now supports alphabetical sorting, so when the keyboard focus is set to the taskbar (WIN+T), users can press a letter and it will jump to the opened or pinned application starting with that letter.

If there are multiple applications starting with that letter, pressing that letter multiple times will jump to the subsequent applications starting with that letter.

For users with a non-combined taskbar, the first-letter navigation will use the window name instead of the application name. In addition, pressing the Home and End keys will now move the keyboard focus to the first and last (respectively) items in the taskbar.

[Windows Studio Effects]

Windows Studio Effects can provide AI-based camera and audio enhancement functions on devices equipped with a neural processing unit (NPU).

Users can now access StudioEffects in the Quick Settings from the system tray of the taskbar.

To further simplify the user experience, when using any application that supports StudioEffects cameras, an icon will appear in the system tray, and users just need to click on this icon to start the Studio Effects page in the Quick Settings.

[Windows Sharing]

This feature has already been in Build 22635.3785 version, and some Windows Insider project members have been invited for testing.

In the new version, Microsoft updated the UI in the Windows Sharing window and moved it to under NearbyShare in the Windows Sharing window.

This feature requires you to pair your Android device with your Windows PC using the Link to Windows app on Android and the PhoneLink on the PC.

[Narrator]

Microsoft enhanced the scanning mode of the Narrator, speeding up the response speed of the scanning mode, and users will feel it more obvious when using Microsoft Edge and reading large documents.

To try the scanning mode, users first open Narrator (Win key + Ctrl + Enter), and then press the CapsLock + Spacebar key during the Narrator session to open the scanning mode.

[Others]

Updated the System Information (msinfo32), which now follows the user's text size preference under Settings > Accessibility > Text Size.

Fixes (Rolled out gradually, some users have been invited for testing)

[Start Menu]

Fixed the problem that the screen reader couldn't read out the All Apps list in recent preview versions.

Fixed the problem that some applications couldn't be sorted correctly in the All Apps list when using certain display languages.

[Taskbar and System Tray]

Fixed the problem that the keyboard focus might be lost when moving with Shift+Tab in the taskbar.

Fixes (for all users in the Beta channel)

[Taskbar and System Tray]

Fixed the problem that the taskbar couldn't be viewed or interacted with after installing KB5039302.