Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 25236 displays tips about how to use Windows Search

Users in the Dev Channel can now update their PC to Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 25236. The latest update displays tips on how to use Windows Search, improves the Microsoft Store experience, and fixes some bugs.

What's new in Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 25236

Windows 11 displays tips about how to use Windows Search

Microsoft continues to experiment with the search experience in Windows 11. It has introduced a new way to educate users on how to use Windows Search from the taskbar. For example, it shows a flyout tip on the taskbar that tells you that pressing the Win + S key brings up the search panel. This is exactly what clicking on the icon does.

Image credit: Microsoft

The experience is rolling out on a limited basis for users in the U.S.

Microsoft Store Update

The Microsoft Store app will now display offers that your new PC is eligible for, such as a free copy/subscription of Office, Games, or a subscription of Game Pass. Head to the "Included with device" section under the Library page, to check if your system is eligible for an offer. If your computer meets the requirement, the Store app will display a card that lets you redeem the digital reward through your account.

Cards that appear in the Store app's search results have been optimized. Microsoft says that the scrolling and resizing experience is now smoother on low powered devices. These improvements are available on the Microsoft Store version 22210.1401.x and above.

Image courtesy: Microsoft

Fixes in Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 25236

Closing tabs in File Explorer was making the file manager crash, Microsoft has addressed this problem. Accessing the hidden icons flyout should no longer create a File Explorer entry for it on the taskbar. The hidden icons flyout will also resize correctly as you open or close more windows. A bug that was the cause for the volume icon in the system tray to incorrectly report the status as muted has been fixed.

Switching between windows using the Win + number keys (for apps pinned on the Taskbar) will not cause the Taskbar Previews to appear blank or freeze. Several taskbar related bugs that were impacting Explorer.exe have been patched.

Users who had many notifications (in the notification center) were experiencing Explorer.exe crashes, Microsoft identified this issue as a GDI handle leak that was related to updating the notification center icon, and fixed the issue.

A bug that was preventing natural voices such as Guy or Jenny from speaking in Narrator has been patched. The accessibility service will announce the pinned and unpinned status of apps in the taskbar when you make changes to them. Microsoft has resolved an issue that was leading to a bugcheck with error SYSTEM_THREAD_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED in recent builds.

The battery graph under the System > Power & Battery section will be hidden if a UPS is connected to your computer. The inverted option in the Settings > Accessibility > Color Filters page should now work properly, instead of setting your PC to a grayscale color palette. Accessing the properties of an audio input device will not cause it to incorrectly show up in the list of output devices in the System > Sound section.

New known issues in Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 25236

Microsoft has added 2 bugs to the list of known issues in Build 25236. The Start Menu has an issue that garbles the text in the navigation headings of the All apps section.

Projection mode does not work when switching using the Win + P hotkey or the Quick Settings shortcut. Microsoft is advising users to use Win + K or the Cast icon in the System tray for Miracast or wired displays.

The release notes for Build 25236 are available at the Windows Blog. The Search bar in the Task Manger is yet to roll out to users, but you may enable it manually by following the steps described in Martin's article.

Do you think Microsoft is experimenting with Search too much?

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