Update10/27/2023

KB5031455: Copilot in Windows (Preview)

Windows 11 23H2
Microsoft

Highlights

Copilot in Windows (Preview)

New. This update adds a preview of centralized AI support, called Copilot in Windows. This makes Windows 11 the first PC platform to add centralized AI support to help you get things done. This first preview focuses on the integrated user interface.

To launch, select the Copilot in Windows button on the taskbar (or press WIN +C). Copilot in Windows uses the same Microsoft account (MSA) or Azure Active Directory account (Azure AD) that you used to log in to Windows. Note that Azure AD is changed to Microsoft Entra ID.

Copilot in Windows appears as a sidebar on the right side of the screen. It does not overlap with desktop content or block open app windows.

You can ask questions or take actions, such as:

"Switch to dark mode."
"Activate do not disturb."
"Take screenshot"
"Summarize this website." (This works for the active tab in Microsoft Edge).
"Write a story about a dog that lives on the moon."
"Make me a picture of a tranquil koi fish pond with lily pads."

Copilot in Windows with Bing Chat generates contextual responses and enhances your experience in Windows.

For information about what Bing does with your data, see Microsoft Privacy Policy. For information about how Microsoft is responsibly developing AI technology, see Microsoft's commitment to responsible AI.

Note The update to Windows 11 version 22H2 will be available to Windows customers around the world on September 26, 2023. Copilot on Windows will be released in preview for select global markets. It is our intention to continue to expand availability over time.

Start menu

New. This update provides a more comprehensive preview when pointing to files under Recommended in the Start menu. In this initial release, thumbnails are not available for all files. Also, when you right-click on cloud file recommendations, you have the option to quickly share those files.
New. Over the next few weeks, you may see a new ranking of recently used files in the Recommended section of the Start menu. This ranking will take into account when you last used the file, the file extension, and more. This means that files may not appear in a pure reverse chronological order when you last used them.
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Taskbar, tray and notifications

New. This update adds an advanced volume mixer to Quick Settings. This allows you to adjust the audio for each app separately. You can also swap audio devices whenever you want. The new keyboard shortcut (WIN+STRG+V) will quickly take you to the volume mixer.

It's also easier to enable the Windows Spatial Audio experience. A new quick access list shows them all the spatial audio technology installed on your device. You can find more spatial audio technologies like Dolby and DTS in the Microsoft Store.

New. This update adds the "Never Combined" mode. In this mode, you can display application windows and their labels separately on the taskbar. To find this feature, go to Settings > Personalization > Taskbar > Taskbar behavior.Set Combine taskbar buttons and Hide labels to Never. Also, there is a separate setting to enable this option for other taskbars when using multiple monitors.
New. Starting with this update, desktop labels are displayed when you switch between desktops in Task View (WIN + CTRL + LEFT or RIGHT key). New sliding animations also appear when you change desktops using trackpad gestures, touch gestures, keyboard shortcuts, and by clicking the Task View flyout.
New. You can now hide the time and date in the taskbar. To enable this, right-click the taskbar clock and select Customize Date and Time.
New. Notifications are now displayed as a bell icon in the taskbar. When new notifications are displayed, the icon has a fill color based on your system's accent color. When there are no notifications and the clock is visible, the icon has no fill color. The number of notifications is not displayed.
New. This update adds a Show Notification button for urgent or important notifications that you receive when you select Do Not Disturb. Select the button to view the contents of the notification. This button appears when you use an app in full-screen mode.
New. To minimize distractions from notification popups, Windows now detects if you interact with popups from an app. If not, a suggestion to disable the popup banner for that app is displayed. This only prevents the banner from displaying. You can still find the popups in the notification center.
New. You can now right-click on an app on the taskbar and stop the task. This update adds a new setting in Settings > System > Developers can enable this feature.
New. This update adds the option to start diagnosing network problems from the taskbar. To view this option, right-click the network icon in the taskbar.
New. This update affects the search highlighting in the search box. When you select the shine, a Bing.com page is displayed for daily search highlighting. This is initially available to a small audience and will be made more widely available in the following months.
This update fixes an issue that affects search on the taskbar. When you select the Search Icon and Label setting option for the taskbar, the search icon and the search label overlap.

File Explorer

New. This update adds a modernized Explorer Home supported by WinUI. Recommended files are displayed as a carousel. This carousel is only displayed when you are logged into Windows with an Azure AD account. To disable this and display pinned folders instead, select the ellipsis. To open the Folder Options dialog box, select Options. In the Privacy section, select the new check box next to the Swie recommended section.
New! Explorer redesigned address bar recognizes local and cloud folders. It also displays the status of your file. For Microsoft OneDrive users, the address bar now includes your OneDrive sync status and a quota flyout field.
New. A new details pane in Explorer (ALT+SHIFT+P) helps you access related content, stay up to date with file activity, and collaborate without opening a file. When you select a file in Explorer and activate the pane, the pane displays contextual information about the file. This includes a file thumbnail view, sharing status and buttons, emails, and more. To activate, select the View menu and then the Details pane. Then use the button on the right side of the command bar to activate the pane.
New. This update introduces the catalog to Explorer. The Gallery makes it easier to access your photo collection. The content in the catalog is the same as what you see in the All Photos view in the Photos app. Your most recently taken photos are displayed at the top of the catalog. This includes photos from your smartphone if you have oneDrive Camera Roll Backup set up.
You can select the folders that appear in the catalog by using the Collection drop-down menu. You can also add subfolders of existing sources to filter by a subset of your content. This includes desktop wallpapers, SD cards, and camera imports.
The catalog also works through the file selection dialog. This makes it easy to insert attachments, create PowerPoint slides, or create social media posts.
The new Add Phone Photos button is in the command bar. Use it to get your PC ready to display photos from your smartphone in the gallery. Selecting this button displays a URL with a QR code that you can scan with your smartphone to get started.
New. This update adds native support for reading additional archive file formats with the open source libarchive project, such as:

.tar
.tar.gz
.tar.bz2
.tar.zst
.tar.xz
.Tgz
.tbz2
.tzst
.txz
.rar
.7z

Note These features do not support password encrypted files.

New. You can now remove and merge tabs with an existing Explorer window.
New! This update improves the performance of the calculation phase when you send a large number of files to the Recycle Bin in Explorer at the same time.

Windows Sharing

New! You can email your files directly from the Windows Sharing window using Outlook. Select the Outlook icon in the "Share with" section of the Windows Share window.
New. The Windows Share window now has a search field. Therefore, you can now search for contacts in Outlook to share a file. The Windows Share window also displays 8 to 10 suggested contacts that can be quickly shared, including emailing yourself a file.
New. Instead of a drop-down menu in the Windows sharing window, there is a button to enable sharing nearby.
New! For Nearby Sharing, your own PCs will appear at the top of the detected devices under "Nearby Sharing".
New! Sharing files from one PC to another is faster when you use Wi-Fi Direct.

Note These features work for apps that use the built-in Windows sharing window. These include sharing local files from the desktop, Explorer, Photos, Snipping Tool, and Microsoft Xbox.

Backup and Restore

New. This update introduces the Windows Backup app. Use it to quickly backup your current PC and move to a new PC.
New. Microsoft Store apps from your previous PC are pinned where you left them on the taskbar and Start menu. Desktop apps that you didn't install from the Microsoft Store are also where you left them.
New. Settings from your previous device will be restored to your new PC. This helps you get back into your workflow as quickly as possible.

Note This update does not support all Windows Backup settings and app types. Backing up a business, school, or university account is not supported.

Emoji

New. This update adds support for Unicode emoji 15. You can now view, search, and insert new emojis in the emoji area. To open the emoji area, press the Windows logo key + . (period).
New. With the update of our color font format to COLRv1, Windows now displays emojis with a 3D-like appearance. This feature will only show up if it is supported by an app.

Windows Viewpoint

New. This update improves the Windows Spotlight experience. You can view images in full screen mode by using the More Info button. This update also provides a minimized Windows Spotlight experience. There are many ways to learn more about each image. To open the Windows Spotlight flyout box, right-click the Spotlight icon on the desktop. To learn more about each image, double-click its icon to open a Bing landing page.

Voice output

New. This update adds new natural voices for speech output. These voices use modern speech synthesis on the device. After you download it, it will work without internet connection. The new natural voices are:
Chinese
Japanese
Korean
Portuguese
Spanish (Spain, Mexico)
English (United Kingdom, India)
French
German

New! When the speech output is opened, Outlook support is updated. After the download is complete, you will receive a notification. Currently Outlook support for Speech Edition is available for English (USA) only.
New! In Microsoft Excel, Speech Output provides a more concise and efficient reading experience. It prioritizes announcements based on what you need to skip a workbook. You can use keyboard shortcuts to customize it. For more information, see the Excel enhanced speech documentation. This new interface is available in the Microsoft Store. So it may take a few minutes to be available on your device.
New. This update improves how well Speech Output reads traditional Chinese characters and words when you use the Input Method Editor (IME) candidate window. This is only available for the Taiwan language pack. It is not available for the Hong Kong language pack.

Voice Access

New. This update adds commands to correct words that Voice Access does not recognize. You can say "correct [text]" to correct specific text. Use "correct them" to correct text that you last dictated. The correction window is displayed with a list of words labeled with numbers. You can say "Click [number]" to select any word from the list. When you select a word from the window, that word will replace the text you want to correct. You can also say "Spell that" or "spell out" to dictate the correct spelling of the text. You will receive suggestions as you spell the text. All the words and phrases you write are added to the Windows dictionary. They will appear as suggestions when you try to write the text again.
New. Speech access now works directly when you start your PC. You can enable voice access from the accessibility flyout box on the lock screen. To enable it automatically, go to Settings > Accessibility > Speech. Select the setting "Start speech access before logging in to your PC". You can then use Speech Access to log in to your PC and access other areas on the lock screen.
Follow the instructions on the voice access bar to focus on the password field. Use your voice to dictate your password or PIN. You can say "Show keyboard" to display the on-screen keyboard with number labels. Type the number on the key to enter the assigned letter. This will mask the password you enter to be heard by someone near you. You can also use other commands, such as "Show Numbers" or "Click On [Item Name]" to access other items on the on-screen keyboard.
New. Voice access now works for apps running with Microsoft Defender Application Guard enabled.

Security

New. Passkeys are an easier and more secure replacement for passwords when you log in to a website or app that supports them. You can now go to any app or website that supports passkeys to create a master key that uses Windows Hello. After you create a master key, you can use Windows Hello (face, fingerprint, or PIN) to sign in. In addition, you can log in using your smartphone or tablet.
New ! View and delete identifiers stored for your favorite apps and websites in Windows Settings. Go to Settings > Accounts > Passkeys. The passkey list is displayed. You can search for any key on the device and delete them.
Note In Microsoft Edge or Google Chrome, when the browser UI is displayed with the passkeys, select Windows Hello or External Security Key.
New. This update adds advanced phishing protection in Microsoft Defender SmartScreen. It helps protect school and work passwords from phishing and unsafe use on websites and in apps. This works if you have Windows Security alert options enabled. Go to App & Browser controls > Reputation-based protection > Phishing protection. When enabled, a dialog box will appear warning you about using a password in a way that is not secure. For example, reusing a password is not secure.

New. Enterprise customers can now set the EnablePasswordlessExperience policy. After you set the policy, passwords are hidden for some Windows authentication scenarios. This applies to logging in to a device and to authentication scenarios in The Session. These include Web Browser Password Manager, Run As Administrator, and User Account Control (UAC). This policy applies to computers that are linked to AAD. Users can recover their passwords by using a Windows Hello for Business PIN reset or by logging in on the web. They can do this without assistance from the IT help desk.

Graphics and Windows Mixed RealityNew. You can enable Auto Color Management , ACM, on the Standard Dynamic Range(SDR) screen. ACM ensures that all colors of all Windows apps are displayed accurately and consistently on any supported display. This is true even if the apps are not color managed. To enable ACM, go to Settings > Display > Advanced Display. Select theSDR display and enable Manage color for apps automatically. See the following table for the requirements for using ACM.
Driver
Supported GPU
WDDM driver version 3.0 or higher
AMD:
AMD RX 400 series or higher
AMD Ryzen processors with Radeon graphics
Intel:
Integrated: Intel 12th Gen (Alder Lake) or higher
Discrete: Intel DG1 or higher
NVIDIA:
NVIDIA GTX 10xx or higher (Pascal+)
There are no hard requirements for the display or the connection. ACM can also provide benefits with 8-bit sRGB panels. However, it is strongly recommended that ACM devices have panels with a larger gamut than sRGB. It is also recommended that ten bits (10 bits) per color channel or higher be used as an option.
This update fixes an issue that affects Windows Mixed Reality. The Microsoft Store stops responding when you try to access it through Windows Mixed Reality headsets.

Settings and Bluetooth

New. This update adds a new Settings home page. It has interactive cards that show devices and account-related settings. As you use your device, the page and cards are customized to give you the most relevant and useful information. There are up to seven cards in this release (see below). More will be available soon.
Recommended settings: Here you will find options that can save you time.
Cloud storage: This shows your cloud storage usage and lets you know when the capacity is closer.
Account recovery: You can add more recovery information. This will prevent you from being locked out of your account.
Personalization: You can change the background design or color mode with just one click.
Microsoft 365: View a brief overview of your subscription status and benefits. Here you can also perform some important actions instead of going to the web.
Xbox: Here you can view your subscription status and manage the subscription.
Bluetooth devices: You can quickly access and connect to your favorite Bluetooth devices.
Note This experience is only available for Windows 11 Home and Pro editions. It is not available on devices managed by Enterprise.
New. Dev Drive is a new form of storage volume. It gives developers what they need to host source code, working folders and package caches. Dev Drive is based on ReFS (Resilient File System ) technology. Dev Drive also features performance mode. It is a new Microsoft Defender antivirus feature. Performance mode minimizes the impact on developer workloads. You can create a Dev Drive with free space on an existing drive or create a VHD/VHDX. In System > System > For Developers, switch to the Settings app. You can also set it up from the command line. A dev drive must be at least 50 GB in size. It is recommended that you use at least 8 GB of RAM on your device. For more information, see Set up a dev drive on Windows 11 (Public Preview).
New. Dynamic lighting is added with this update. It allows you to control lighting devices that implement the open HID LampArray standard. These devices can create millions of red, green, and blue (RGB) color combinations. This update includes APIs for Windows apps to control background and foreground devices. To change the behavior of your devices, go to Settings > Personalization > Dynamic Lighting. With dynamic lighting, you can perform the following actions, among others:
Instantly synchronize your Windows accent color with the devices it surrounds. Use the Customize My Windows Accent Color toggle button under Effects.
You can select a custom color to light up your devices.
For a list of compatible devices in the market, see Dynamic lighting devices. You must use the latest firmware with these devices.
New. The update adds adaptive dimming. This works for PCs with presence sensors that support attention detection. Now your device can dim your screen when you look away and undo it when you look back. To enable it, go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Presence detection. You can also enable presence detection when you set up a new device. This is an option for your privacy settings.
New. The "For developers" settings page is now located under Settings > System. It is no longer under Settings > Privacy& Security.
New! This update adds two new power recommendations under Settings > System > Power & Battery > Power recommendations. One activates the dark mode. The second adjusts the refresh rate.
New. You can now prevent Windows from communicating with your mobile devices. Go to Settings > Bluetooth & Devices > Smartphone Link. There you will find an option to disable smartphone link.
New. You can now join Bluetooth networks in the personal space. This option applies to paired devices such as phones that share an Internet connection via Bluetooth. Go to Settings > Bluetooth & Devices > Devices.
New. This update adds a new cellular switch. It makes it easier to control whether cellular should be used when Wi-Fi is available, but it's bad. Go to Settings > Network & Internet > Cellular.
New. On the Data Usage page, you have more options. They support daily and weekly data limits. Also, the page shows how far the data limit has been exceeded.
New! You can quickly go to Settings to uninstall an app from a context menu. Right-click a Win32 app in the Start menu, or search for the app and select Uninstall.
New. This update improves the design of the Settings page for wheel devices such as surface Dial.
New! This update changes the design of some lists to be more consistent with other settings pages. The lists refer to Settings > Apps > Start Apps and Settings > Apps > Advanced App Settings > App Execution Alias. The new design also makes it easier to view more information about the apps you have.
New. You can now get to advanced properties for network adapters and internet properties under Settings. Go to Settings > Network & Internet > Advanced network settings.
New! You can now view Wi-Fi passwords for your known networks under Settings. Go to Settings > Network & Internet > Wi-Fi and "Manage known networks".
New. This update improves your experience when changing time zones. This change takes into account scenarios where location data may not be correct. A notification will appear asking you to confirm the time zone before Windows adjusts it for you.
New. This update also improves your experience when you change the time zone in Settings > Time & Language > Date & Time. When location settings are disabled, a warning is displayed. It tells you to enable location settings to ensure accurate time zone adjustments. This warning helps you understand why a time zone may be incorrect so you can fix the problem.
New. This update improves the design of the Task Manager dialog boxes and the associated settings page. It now matches the look and behavior of other settings pages. The new design also divides categories into different sections for a cleaner user interface.
New. Windows now detects camera streaming issues. If The Camera does not start or the shutter is closed, a notification is displayed. It is recommended to open the automated troubleshooting Get Help to fix the problem.
New. The network flyout box on the lock screen now conforms to Windows 11 design principles.
New! This update changes the design of the Windows Security firewall notification dialogs. They now match the Windows 11 appearance.
New. This update adds Bluetooth® Low Energy (LE) audio support for more PC platforms. It also improves audio fidelity and battery life when you pair your PC with Bluetooth LE audio earbuds and headphones.
New. System components have their own page under Settings > System > System components. The current location is under Settings > Apps > Installed apps.
This update fixes an issue that occurs when you use universal printing to add a printer based on its location. When you browse the tree of the tree view, the tree nodes do not work as expected.

Windows 365 Switch

New. With Windows 365 Switch, you can log in to your local desktop and connect their Windows 365 cloud PC. Then you can move between them using familiar keyboard shortcuts, mouse clicks, or a swipe gesture. For easy access from your desktop, add Windows 365 Switch to Task View.

Input

New. This update launches the introduction of digital handwriting (freehand) in some edit fields for Windows Ink. Also, the recognition technology is more accurate. There are gestures to delete, select, join and split words. You can also perform a gesture to insert a new line.
Note These enhancements only support English (USA). More comprehensive language support is coming soon. To manage this feature, go to Settings > Bluetooth and Devices > Pen and Windows Ink.
This update fixes an issue that affects touchscreens. They do not work properly when you use more than one display.

Improvements

This non-security update includes quality improvements. When you install this KB:

New. This update adds new customization options for DYNAMIC LIGHTING OEMs. You can now customize operating system images for new PCs. This includes setting up default values for dynamic lighting.
This update changes the English name of the former Republic of Turkey. The new, official name is the Republic of Türkiye.
This update supports the currency change in Croatia from Kuna to Euro.
This update supports daylight saving time (DST) changes in Syria. For more information, see Interim guidance for Syria DST changes 2022 .For more learn, see Interim guidance for Syria DST changes 2022.
This update fixes an issue that affectsfontdrvhost.exe. It stops responding when you use Compact Font Format Version 2 (CFF2) fonts.
This update fixes a memory leak in ctfmon.exe.
This update fixes a memory leak in TextInputHost.exe.
This update fixes an issue that affects dynamic lighting. The default provider is not applied as expected. This occurs when you set it up with unattended registry files.
This update fixes an issue that affects the Windows firewall profile. When you are on a domain-authenticated network, a public domain is detected. This is incorrect.
This update fixes an issue that affects Outlook. It stops responding. This occurs when you print to an Internet Printing Protocol (IPP) printer that has a slow response time.
This update fixes an error that occurs when you print with v4 print drivers.
This update fixes an issue that affects the wireless settings. The name of the wireless carrier is incorrect.
This update makes country and carrier settings asset (COSA) profiles for certain mobile carriers up to date.
This update fixes an issue that blocks external connections. This occurs when you set up a Kubernetes service with load balancing and enable session affinity.
This update fixes an issue with the firewall configuration service provider (CSP). It stops the synchronization of a device.
This update fixes an issue that affects devices on which you have defined Windows Information Protection (WIP) policies and set up a proxy. A termination error occurs. This occurs on devices that use Microsoft Defender Application Guard. In the past, WIP was referred to as Enterprise Data Protection (EDP).
This update fixes an issue that occurs after a push-button reset. You cannot set up Windows Hello facial recognition. This affects devices that have Windows Enhanced Sign-in Security (ESS) enabled.
This update fixes an issue that affects PowerShell versions greater than 7.3.1. Scripts may be blocked and not run in restricted language mode. This occurs when you enable a WDAC policy.
This update fixes an issue that affects the Auto-hide taskbar setting. You cannot set it with the SHAppBarMessage() API.
This update improves the performance of the search box.
This update fixes an issue that affects robocopy. The /efsraw switch prevents data from being copied properly.
This update fixes an issue that affects the Device Management (DM) client. The synchronization session takes longer than expected for the status (ESP) registry page.
If you installed earlier updates, only the new updates in this package are downloaded and installed on your device.