New Windows 11 preview improves size, color management, and more updates as Microsoft likely finalizes the list of new features for Update 23 H2 , ArsTechnica reports
Microsoft released a handful of important updates for Windows 11 earlier this week, adding tabs to the Notepad app , new AI-powered " Bing " integration in the taskbar search box, iPhone pairing preview, complete with rudimentary iMessage support , and communication. Microsoft is publicly testing other features through the Windows Insider Program , particularly in the Dev Beta channel
These builds will likely form the basis for a big 23 H2 update for the operating system later this year, and this week's Dev Channel is showing off a new and improved sound mixer for Windows and its apps right from the quick settings menu at the bottom right of the taskbar, where the new update allows you to Switches between output devices and controls your output volume Shows per-app volume and mute settings so you can quiet or silence an individual app Existing Quick Settings controls, which only offer volume adjustments, are improved at the system level and require clicks Multiple to change output devices
This version also extends a feature called Automatic Color Management (ACM). ACM is a system-wide, hardware-accelerated color management that ensures that colors in applications look the same on different monitors with different capabilities. It is designed as an alternative to older Windows color management technologies , such as Image Color Management ( ICM ) and Windows Color System (WCS).
We'll talk briefly about what color management is and why it's important. Different displays have different characteristics. Some may support high dynamic range ( HDR ) while others may not. Others may support extended color gamuts such as DCI-P3 or Adobe RGB instead of sRGB. Most typical, some support 10-bit color, while others only support 8-bit color. If you're writing software or creating images or videos, you want to know that your content will look the same on all types of displays, regardless of display technology. The colors supported by those screens
Windows 10 introduced Advanced Color to address this issue specifically for HDR displays , making sure that content designed for SDR displays will look correctly even on monitors with the highest dynamic range . specially qualified and customized devices," such as those found in Surface Studio 2+ and Surface Pro 9 , to ensure that applications designed for sRGB displays use only colors from the sRGB color gamut while making more colors available for applications that can take advantage of them
This Windows 11 Insider build extends ACM support to all SDR displays connected to a compatible GPU. ACM has specific GPU hardware requirements , although they are mostly moderate: AMD RX 400 or later GPU , Nvidia GPU GTX 1000-series or later, or any dedicated Intel GPU ( including Arc and exotic DG1 ), all Ryzen integrated GPUs and those in Intel CPUs are also supported12th Gen or later, you'll need to be running an up-to-date graphics driver with WDDM 3.0 support. Other changes in this release include a setting to always or never show the Windows touch keyboard , instead of allowing your computer to show or hide it automatically based on whether a physical keyboard is attached, and a new searchable help page for accessibility commands Voice, and more tests. Ads for other Microsoft services in the sign-in menu ( all in the form of Backup Reminders