Windows 11 Preview Builds 22622.436 & 22621.436 Rolls Out With Improved Sharing Capabilities

About 2 weeks ago, Microsoft released 2 updates to the Beta channel for Insiders on Windows 11 (Build 22622.290 and 22621.290). The Insiders on the Beta channel were segregated into 2 groups where one of the groups would receive Build 22622.290, whilst the other received 22621.290. Build 22622 had the new features enabled by default, whereas build 22621 had the features disabled.

Now, Microsoft has followed the same regime and rolled out 2 new updates to the Beta channel – Build 22622.436 and Build 22621.436 (KB5015888). These updates follow the same feature enablement as their predecessor.

The updates come with new features and improvements. Of course, the new features will only be available to the people installing Build 22622.436. However, some fixes and improvements apply to both these updates, whilst some only apply to build 22622.

The 2-update approach has been adopted by Microsoft for this flight as a means to test their enablement packages for Windows 11, as they do with Windows 10 already. After the 2 groups have installed the respective Windows update, the feedback from them will help Microsoft “make decisions on whether to make new features available for more Insiders by increasing their rollout or, in some cases, disabling a feature to address bugs.”

A user may or may not be able to choose which update they want to install. If you land in the group receiving update 22621, you can optionally install update 22622 instead from the Windows Update Settings page. However, if you land in the group receiving the 22622 updates, you will not have the option to install update 22621.

Now let us discuss the new features and improvements in these updates before learning how to install them.

New in Windows 11 Build 22622.436

Improved OneDrive and Nearby Sharing

Users will now be able to discover and share to more devices nearby using the improved sharing dialog box. Previously, nearby sharing was only allowed through Bluetooth. However, users can now share data with UDP as well.

If you try sharing a file from the desktop, File Explorer, Photos, Snipping Tool, Xbox Game Bar, and other apps that use the built-in Windows share window, you will now be able to share to nearby devices more conveniently.

Note: For the UDP function to work, you must enable network discovery and set the network type to “Private.”

Moreover, you can now also share/upload items directly to OneDrive from the built-in “Nearby sharing” window. This can be done from the desktop, File Explorer, Photos, Snipping Tool, Xbox Game Bar, and other apps that use the built-in Windows share window.

Note: This feature is still gradually rolling out, so not everyone may see it right away.

Fixes and Improvements in Build 22622.436 Only

The following fixes and improvements apply to the Windows 11 Build 22622.436 only:

• [Windows Terminal]
  • Windows Terminal is now the default terminal in Windows 11. This means all command-line applications will open in Windows Terminal automatically. However, you can change the default settings at Settings app >> Privacy & security >> For developers.
• [Input]
  • You can now report animated gifs that you feel are inappropriate from the emoji panel (WIN + . shortcut keys).
• [File Explorer]
  • An issue where the tab order when using the CTRL + Tab shortcut keys would be wrong if you rearranged the tabs in File Explorer has been mitigated.
  • An explorer.exe crash that occurred when dragging tabs around has been fixed.
  • If “Show all folders” is enabled, the dividers in File Explorer’s navigation pane should no longer show. With this change, it should also address the issues where dividers were unexpectedly showing in some other folder pickers.
  • Opening a zipped folder in a new tab should no longer have a blank tab name.
  • Removable drives should no longer unexpectedly be displayed in a section by themselves in the navigation pane, which was breaking up the section with “This PC” and “Network.”
  • An issue where the add new tab button wasn’t clearly visible when using Aquatic or Desert contrast themes has been fixed.
  • A faint line should no longer display between the current tab and the command bar.
  • The tooltip has been updated when hovering over a tab to suggest using the CTRL + W shortcut keys to close the tab (rather than using CTRL + F4, which didn’t work).
  • If the focus is on the tab row, CTRL + W will no longer unexpectedly close two tabs instead of just the tab in focus.
  • An issue where the tab row might unexpectedly expand vertically, covering the command bar contents, has been addressed.
• [Start]
  • A Start menu crash that was impacting some Insiders on the previous flight has been fixed.

Fixes and Improvements In Both Builds 22622.436 and 22621.436

The following fixes and improvements apply to both Windows 11 builds, i.e. 22622.436 and 22621.436:

• An issue that prevents troubleshooters from opening has been fixed.

• An issue that causes the Smart App Control to block catalog-signed files has been fixed.

• An issue that might highly distort photos you take using the Camera app has been addressed.

• An issue that throws an exception when you debug drivers using Visual Studio 2022 version 17.2 or later has been rectified.

• An issue that causes the Windows profile service to fail sporadically has been fixed.

• An issue that prevents virtualized App-V Office applications from opening or causes them to stop responding has been addressed.

• An issue resulting in a small number of Insiders in the Beta Channel experiencing cyclical crashes in Explorer.exe and other Windows UI components, making the screen look like it’s flickering, has been fixed. Microsoft suggests that if you are still experiencing the problem, you must run the following cmdlet in an elevated PowerShell window:

  Add-AppxPackage -Register -Path C:\Windows\SystemApps\Microsoft.UI.Xaml.CBS_8wekyb3d8bbwe\AppxManifest.xml -DisableDevelopmentMode -ForceApplicationShutdown

• An issue that was causing some Insiders on the previous Beta Channel flight to have their PCs stuck on a black screen after waking from sleep has been fixed.

• An issue that would lead to losing network connectivity after turning on the mobile hotspot has been addressed.

• An issue causing Builds 22621.290 and 22622.290 to fail to install with error 0x800f081f for some Insiders has been fixed.

With these new features, improvements, and fixes, there is also a known issue with this flight.

Known Issues

Microsoft is now only aware of one issue in this update; The up arrow is misaligned in File Explorer tabs. Since this is a UI bug, it should have no impact on your workflow.

Microsoft hints that the issue will be addressed in a future flight.

How to Install Windows 11 Build 22622.436/ 22621.436

To install this update, you need to be running Windows 11 and subscribed to the Beta channel. If you have enabled Windows updates, you will automatically get a “New features are ready to install” prompt.

If not, follow these steps to install either update:

1. Navigate to the Settings app and then click Windows Update on the left.

2. Here, click Check for updates on the right side of the window.

   

3. You will then see either of the following updates available under Updates available to download:

   Cumulative Update for Windows 11 Insider Preview (10.0.22621.436) (KB5015888)

   Cumulative Update for Windows 11 Insider Preview (10.0.22622.436) (KB5015888)

   Select the one available to you and click Download & install beside it. It may be possible that the update begins downloading and installing by itself.

   

4. Once the update downloads and installs, click Restart Now to finalize the installation.

   

Once the computer restarts, you can verify that the OS has been updated to the build specified by typing in winver in the Run Command box.

Rollback/Remove Windows 11 Insider Preview Update

If you do not wish to keep the installed preview update for some reason, you can always roll back to the previous build of the OS. However, this can only be performed within the next 10 days after installing the new update.

To roll back after 10 days, you will need to apply this trick.

Cleanup After Installing Windows Updates

If you want to save space after installing Windows updates, you can run the following commands one after the other in Command Prompt with administrative privileges:

DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-Image /AnalyzeComponentStore

DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-Image /StartComponentCleanup