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Windows 11’s next big update for 2023 is already underway
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Windows 11’s big update for 2023 is already being worked on by Microsoft, or at least that’s the word from the grapevine, with references to the 23H2 build having been spotted.

This sighting was made by @XenoPanther, who picked up on references to CU23H2, or ‘Copper’ 23H2, in a DLL file within Windows Server build 25075. The current 22H2 build being tested, and set to debut later this year, is known as ‘Nickel’, as well as its more widely used ‘Sun Valley 2’ codename.

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While we have to trust that this finding shared on Twitter is genuine, it’s not the only clue here. As Neowin further points out, during a Microsoft stream (the Windows Insider Program webcast), there was also a reference to ‘SV3 Refined Investments Next Step’ tucked away in a Share Content menu (for Teams).

SV2 is an abbreviation used by Microsoft in the past for Sun Valley 2, so it’s a reasonable assumption that SV3 could well refer to Sun Valley 3, or Copper 23H2.

Analysis: This is just very early work on the next version of Windows 11

As @XenoPanther makes clear, this is the very first reference to 23H2 or next year’s big update that we’ve seen – remember, Microsoft has changed to an annual cadence for feature updates with Windows 11 – and so this will (in theory) be the very early beginnings of work on Copper or SV3.

Sun Valley 3, incidentally, may well just be a working codename to denote the next step on with Windows 11, and it could be discarded or changed – if it even means that at all, as noted (but that seems likely).

Windows 11 22H2 could be released pretty early on this year, maybe at the start of the second half of 2022 going by some rumors – perhaps July – although September or October (perhaps a year on from the initial launch of Windows 11) seem safer bets to us. The likelihood is that 23H2 would then debut something like a year on from that point.

The incoming 22H2 update makes some big changes, including introducing Android app support, but obviously we have no idea yet what kind of plans Microsoft might have for the 23H2 upgrade. If work really has begun on the latter, though, the expectation is we’ll be hearing developments from the rumor mill before too long.

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Windows 11 update gives Paint another brush-up for its menus
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Microsoft continues to refine one of its oldest apps in an upcoming Windows 11 update, with Paint seeing more improvements in its design for picking colors, resizing objects, and more.

While Microsoft's recent update brought emojis to Notepad and the return of Windows Media Player, Paint had previously seen a refreshed design to match the overall look of Windows 11, but a dark mode is nowhere to be seen for now.

With Sun Valley 2, the first major update scheduled to come in the second half of 2022, we may see further improvements to Paint to help quickly repair or resize photos to send over WhatsApp.

But these latest changes make us wonder what could be next for Paint, or another app that's yet to receive a similar refresh.

Analysis: Can Maps be next to see a refresh?

Paint refreshed design in Windows 11

(Image credit: Windows Latest)

Now that Paint is about to see more of its context menus get a modern refresh to match its previous updates, a future update of Windows 11 looks to unify more of its older apps with its new ones soon.

With Paint, Snipping Tool, and Notepad all receiving refreshes in their design to match Windows 11, there have also been some apps that have seen a change of name.

Command Prompt recently changed to Terminal, while Groove Music also changed to Windows Media Player.

But there are still other apps that would benefit from a refresh. Maps is a good example, with a design that looks confused, almost Frankenstein-ish that resembles Windows 8, Windows 10, and parts of Windows 11 all in one interface.

Maps app in Windows 11

(Image credit: TechRadar)

The maps displayed in the app are all in low-resolution, so if you're using a PC with a 4K monitor for example, expect to see crooked lines all across your route.

The windows for choosing a route also mimic the look of Windows 8, so if Microsoft is looking at other apps to refresh, Maps is a great candidate, especially when you look at how good the Maps app is in macOS 12 Monterey.

But regardless, it's encouraging to see the company constantly refine and improve its older apps for a new Windows release, and with Paint looking more like an app for 2022, hopefully we'll see Maps see the same kind of attention soon.

Via Windows Latest

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Windows 11 update gives Paint another brush-up for its menus
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Microsoft continues to refine one of its oldest apps in an upcoming Windows 11 update, with Paint seeing more improvements in its design for picking colors, resizing objects, and more.

While Microsoft's recent update brought emojis to Notepad and the return of Windows Media Player, Paint had previously seen a refreshed design to match the overall look of Windows 11, but a dark mode is nowhere to be seen for now.

With Sun Valley 2, the first major update scheduled to come in the second half of 2022, we may see further improvements to Paint to help quickly repair or resize photos to send over WhatsApp.

But these latest changes make us wonder what could be next for Paint, or another app that's yet to receive a similar refresh.

Analysis: Can Maps be next to see a refresh?

Paint refreshed design in Windows 11

(Image credit: Windows Latest)

Now that Paint is about to see more of its context menus get a modern refresh to match its previous updates, a future update of Windows 11 looks to unify more of its older apps with its new ones soon.

With Paint, Snipping Tool, and Notepad all receiving refreshes in their design to match Windows 11, there have also been some apps that have seen a change of name.

Command Prompt recently changed to Terminal, while Groove Music also changed to Windows Media Player.

But there are still other apps that would benefit from a refresh. Maps is a good example, with a design that looks confused, almost Frankenstein-ish that resembles Windows 8, Windows 10, and parts of Windows 11 all in one interface.

Maps app in Windows 11

(Image credit: TechRadar)

The maps displayed in the app are all in low-resolution, so if you're using a PC with a 4K monitor for example, expect to see crooked lines all across your route.

The windows for choosing a route also mimic the look of Windows 8, so if Microsoft is looking at other apps to refresh, Maps is a great candidate, especially when you look at how good the Maps app is in macOS 12 Monterey.

But regardless, it's encouraging to see the company constantly refine and improve its older apps for a new Windows release, and with Paint looking more like an app for 2022, hopefully we'll see Maps see the same kind of attention soon.

Via Windows Latest

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Microsoft looks like it’s going ahead with this unpopular Windows 11 move
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Windows 11 could be about to get a watermark on the desktop when installed on a PC which doesn’t meet the official system requirements for the OS.

You may recall that the watermark, which appears above the system tray, bottom-right on the desktop, was previously spotted in limited testing with certain Windows preview builds, but the change has now made its way to beta and release preview builds (version 22000.588) that Windows Insiders use.

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This was highlighted by @XenoPanther, a keen Windows tester on Twitter, and as the move is reportedly now widely deployed to Release Preview, it’s likely only a matter of time before the change debuts on the full version of Windows 11.

This would mean that anyone who has installed Microsoft’s latest OS on a machine that isn’t officially supported by the software will see the warning message. It informs these users: “System requirements not met. Go to Settings to learn more.”

Analysis: Get ready for more restrictions on unsupported PCs

This is no major surprise, as Microsoft has always said that people shouldn’t be running Windows 11 on a machine that isn’t up to the required hardware spec, and has even observed that doing so could ‘damage’ your PC.

A one-line warning watermark is quite annoying and intrusively placed on the desktop, but on the bright side, it could have been worse – meaning that Microsoft isn’t placing major restrictions on Windows 11 with unsupported devices, such as not allowing apps to run, or removing the facility to get vital security updates.

That said, Microsoft has always said that unsupported PCs won’t be able to get updates – even though they still can – but it seems clear enough that eventually, updates will likely get cut off for these devices.

If you have hardware that doesn’t meet the requirements, the idea of allowing Windows 11 to be installed at all is just to give you a flavor of how the OS works – not to let you keep running it permanently. And then if you like it, the theory is that you’ll perform whatever hardware upgrades are necessary (like, for example, a TPM module) to support Windows 11, or at least that’s the impression we’ve always been given.

So, in short, this watermark is likely only the first step towards clamping down on folks who are permanently keeping Windows 11 on unsupported hardware.

Via Windows Latest

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Start11 continues to solve Windows 11’s taskbar issues before Sun Valley 2 arrives
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Stardock has updated its Start menu for Windows 11, which brings more options to help manage the Taskbar.

Since the release of Windows 11 in November 2021, reception to the new Start menu has been mixed at best. The centered icons and the fewer features of the Start menu have frustrated some, and while feature updates from Microsoft have refined the Taskbar, users are still wanting more customization.

The recent 1.2 version of Start11 brings the ability to group multiple icons into one on the taskbar, alongside bringing drag and drop to the taskbar from today (March 17), instead of waiting for a future Windows 11 update, most likely Sun Valley 2.

The app is available as a free download for 30 days, after which you can buy a license for $ 4.99 / £5.99 / AU$ 5.99 for your PC.

Analysis: Take note, Microsoft

Start11 on Windows 11

(Image credit: Stardock)

The impressive aspect of Start11 isn't that you can use features that were removed in Windows 11. Rather, it's how you can customize it to levels that Microsoft wouldn't consider including.

From the color scheme of the Taskbar, to changing the design to better mimic the Start menus of Windows XP and Windows 8, Start11 offers that level of curation that Microsoft seemingly hasn't thought of.

In our review of Windows 11 we noted that it was the first step of a reboot to Windows as a whole. We're already seeing the results of this with Windows Media Player returning, and other apps that are finally seeing a design refresh.

But the Start menu is an iconic feature of Windows, ever since it debuted in Windows 95, so any change was bound to spark some debate between users. However, Start11 looks set to ease those concerns, regardless of what Microsoft may have planned for the Start menu in the future.

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Start11 continues to solve Windows 11’s taskbar issues before Sun Valley 2 arrives
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Stardock has updated its Start menu for Windows 11, which brings more options to help manage the Taskbar.

Since the release of Windows 11 in November 2021, reception to the new Start menu has been mixed at best. The centered icons and the fewer features of the Start menu have frustrated some, and while feature updates from Microsoft have refined the Taskbar, users are still wanting more customization.

The recent 1.2 version of Start11 brings the ability to group multiple icons into one on the taskbar, alongside bringing drag and drop to the taskbar from today (March 17), instead of waiting for a future Windows 11 update, most likely Sun Valley 2.

The app is available as a free download for 30 days, after which you can buy a license for $ 4.99 / £5.99 / AU$ 5.99 for your PC.

Analysis: Take note, Microsoft

Start11 on Windows 11

(Image credit: Stardock)

The impressive aspect of Start11 isn't that you can use features that were removed in Windows 11. Rather, it's how you can customize it to levels that Microsoft wouldn't consider including.

From the color scheme of the Taskbar, to changing the design to better mimic the Start menus of Windows XP and Windows 8, Start11 offers that level of curation that Microsoft seemingly hasn't thought of.

In our review of Windows 11 we noted that it was the first step of a reboot to Windows as a whole. We're already seeing the results of this with Windows Media Player returning, and other apps that are finally seeing a design refresh.

But the Start menu is an iconic feature of Windows, ever since it debuted in Windows 95, so any change was bound to spark some debate between users. However, Start11 looks set to ease those concerns, regardless of what Microsoft may have planned for the Start menu in the future.

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Windows 11 is testing ads in the worst place possible
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Windows 11 is now showing adverts in File Explorer, which is an alarming development – though it’s nothing we haven’t seen before (more on that later) – albeit this is still in limited testing currently.

Bleeping Computer reported on the presence of an advert in the most recent preview build of Windows 11, as spotted by Microsoft MVP Florian and posted on Twitter.

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As you can see in the tweet, the advert for the company’s own product – Microsoft Editor – appears as a strip along the top of an open folder window, just above where the contents of the folder are displayed.

The promotional snippet reads: “Write with confidence across documents, email, and the web with advanced writing suggestions from Microsoft Editor.” There’s also a button you can click to ‘Learn More’ about Editor, an AI-driven service that aims to brush up your writing style, grammar and spelling.

Note that these ads are just in testing, and Bleeping Computer could not find any adverts in File Explorer when it went hunting for them, indicating that Microsoft has likely rolled this out to a very limited amount of Windows 11 testers to begin with. It’s not surprising to see a tentative approach with this one, of course.

Analysis: Are we really looking down this road again?

Many folks are unhappy to see this, which again is unsurprising, but we should make it clear upfront that as noted, this is just in limited testing right now. The caution around this is something of a positive sign, at least, and going by the negative feedback which is already airing on Twitter (and elsewhere), Microsoft may well give this ‘feature’ the chop before it makes the release version of Windows 11.

Let’s hope so, because those of you with longer memories may recall that Microsoft has been down this road before, and it didn’t stick with File Explorer ads in that case. This was back in early 2017 when we witnessed ads for OneDrive pop up in Windows 10 with the same positioning in folders, although in that case, the adverts were even larger and more annoying.

While this is just a thin strip of an ad this time around, it’s still an unwelcome intrusion mainly because File Explorer is such a central element of the Windows interface. These are the very folders you’re working with on a daily basis (no doubt) on your desktop, and real estate is valuable in this window, so the last thing you want is an advert intruding on the fundamental experience of opening or copying files within Windows 11.

For us, this is about the worst way to deploy adverts in Windows – the most intrusive way to clutter up interface space with promotional activity. Not that anywhere is a particularly good place, of course, and really an operating system should be free of ads full-stop.

With the repeated attempts at this venture, it’s clear this is something Microsoft would like to get away with, but hopefully, the software giant will get the message which is being sent pretty loud and clear online right now, and abandon the idea of File Explorer adverts (again). We suspect Microsoft well knows the truth of what the broad reaction will be anyway, but then we do wonder why it’s even dipping a toe in these waters again, given that.

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It’s time Windows 11 got rid of this trashy feature
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Microsoft has poured a lot of energy into making Windows 11 one of its cleanest-looking operating systems to date, but one Reddit user has pointed out that it could have gone further – and we completely agree. 

U/hyperactiverobot created a concept video in which the Recycle Bin can be moved to the taskbar, allowing Windows 11 users to drag unwanted files down onto it if they still want to preserve its functionality. It also allows quick access to mass-deleted unwanted data for good without hogging any of your precious desktop space.

its_time_to_move_the_recycle_bin_to_the_taskbar from r/Windows11

Right now, your options are to either leave it fixed onto your desktop as highlighting the application and pressing delete won't remove it alone. Or you can choose to unpin the recycling bin from the desktop by right-clicking the Windows 11 desktop, selecting “Personalization,” and then heading into “Themes”.

After that, select “Desktop Icon Settings” and a window will appear that allows you to uncheck “Recycle Bin” from the list of applications that are fixed to your desktop.

The icon for the Recycle Bin has been a fixed part of the desktop ever since Windows 95 was released 26 years ago (known as 'Trash' back then), but the way that people like to use their computers and laptops is changing. For some, a desktop space with no visible icons is preferred, especially if you like to use features like live wallpapers on Wallpaper Engine, or set your favorite photographs as your background.

Opinion: is this a feature anyone still uses?

When I saw the concept I had two immediate thoughts wash over me: firstly that this was preferable to the Recycle Bin being on the desktop space or absent entirely (which I'll touch on in a moment), but this was closely followed by “does anyone still drag/drop files into it?”.

I'm assuming that some folks do, out of habit if nothing else, but it's much quicker to simply click or highlight your unwanted files en masse and… press the 'Delete' key on your keyboard. It all goes to the same place after all.

The nuisance isn't how you get your files into the bin though; it's remembering to clear it out. If you're like me, you can be forgetful and emptying the files from the Recycle Bin isn't set to a schedule on the off chance that I need to restore a file in an emergency (unless you're a very well-planned person. If so, hats off to you). In fact, I only just cleared my bin for the first time in months because I saw this concept feature.

Removing it from your eyeline entirely if you're as susceptible as I am to forgetting to empty it manually shouldn't cause issues, but it's nice to have it easily accessible in case you need to rummage through and find files you've accidentally deleted.

If you do want to set your Recycle Bin to self-empty on a schedule then you can head into “System”, scroll down and click “Storage.” From there, click into the “Storage Management” section, click “Storage Sense” where you'll find an option called “Automatic User Content Cleanup.”

Enable this and then you'll have an option to run not just Storage Sense on a schedule (a feature that automatically cleans up unused files and downloaded data to free up disk space), but also set a timeframe for how often the Recycle Bin should self-empty.

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It’s time Windows 11 got rid of this trashy feature
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Microsoft has poured a lot of energy into making Windows 11 one of its cleanest-looking operating systems to date, but one Reddit user has pointed out that it could have gone further – and we completely agree. 

U/hyperactiverobot created a concept video in which the Recycle Bin can be moved to the taskbar, allowing Windows 11 users to drag unwanted files down onto it if they still want to preserve its functionality. It also allows quick access to mass-deleted unwanted data for good without hogging any of your precious desktop space.

its_time_to_move_the_recycle_bin_to_the_taskbar from r/Windows11

Right now, your options are to either leave it fixed onto your desktop as highlighting the application and pressing delete won't remove it alone. Or you can choose to unpin the recycling bin from the desktop by right-clicking the Windows 11 desktop, selecting “Personalization,” and then heading into “Themes”.

After that, select “Desktop Icon Settings” and a window will appear that allows you to uncheck “Recycle Bin” from the list of applications that are fixed to your desktop.

The icon for the Recycle Bin has been a fixed part of the desktop ever since Windows 95 was released 26 years ago (known as 'Trash' back then), but the way that people like to use their computers and laptops is changing. For some, a desktop space with no visible icons is preferred, especially if you like to use features like live wallpapers on Wallpaper Engine, or set your favorite photographs as your background.

Opinion: is this a feature anyone still uses?

When I saw the concept I had two immediate thoughts wash over me: firstly that this was preferable to the Recycle Bin being on the desktop space or absent entirely (which I'll touch on in a moment), but this was closely followed by “does anyone still drag/drop files into it?”.

I'm assuming that some folks do, out of habit if nothing else, but it's much quicker to simply click or highlight your unwanted files en masse and… press the 'Delete' key on your keyboard. It all goes to the same place after all.

The nuisance isn't how you get your files into the bin though; it's remembering to clear it out. If you're like me, you can be forgetful and emptying the files from the Recycle Bin isn't set to a schedule on the off chance that I need to restore a file in an emergency (unless you're a very well-planned person. If so, hats off to you). In fact, I only just cleared my bin for the first time in months because I saw this concept feature.

Removing it from your eyeline entirely if you're as susceptible as I am to forgetting to empty it manually shouldn't cause issues, but it's nice to have it easily accessible in case you need to rummage through and find files you've accidentally deleted.

If you do want to set your Recycle Bin to self-empty on a schedule then you can head into “System”, scroll down and click “Storage.” From there, click into the “Storage Management” section, click “Storage Sense” where you'll find an option called “Automatic User Content Cleanup.”

Enable this and then you'll have an option to run not just Storage Sense on a schedule (a feature that automatically cleans up unused files and downloaded data to free up disk space), but also set a timeframe for how often the Recycle Bin should self-empty.

TechRadar – All the latest technology news

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Annoying Windows 11 bug finally gets fixed
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Windows 11 has hampered some users with a slow-performing right-click context menu for a good while now, something Microsoft has previously admitted – but the speed of the menu has been improved with the most recent preview of the OS.

Build 22572 was released last week with a bunch of improvements and fixes, including work to resolve the bug with the sluggish right-click context menu which appears when you click the right mouse button in File Explorer (meaning anywhere on a file or folder on the Windows 11 desktop, where this menu offers quick access to some core options).

As Windows Latest flagged up, Microsoft software engineer Jen Gentleman clarified on Reddit that right-click performance had been juiced up. In a response to a Windows 11 tester who noticed that the context menu felt faster with the latest preview build, Gentleman noted: “We did some work with 22572 to improve the context menu performance, so glad to hear it feels faster now.”

Elsewhere another eagle-eyed Redditor pointed out that the release notes for build 22572 state that Microsoft “made some more improvements to help with context menu invocation performance.”

Previously, some Windows 11 users had complained of delays of as much as one or two whole seconds when right-clicking before the context menu actually appears – which is bound to make the OS feel horribly unresponsive.

Now this sluggishness appears to have been largely remedied going by Microsoft’s official announcements, plus multiple reports on that Reddit thread.

Analysis: Better late than never – but test builds are shaping up promisingly

As ever, it’s good to see Microsoft fix a problem in Windows 11, particularly one as aggravating as this must be for affected users. Still, we can’t help but feel that it should have been tackled more quickly, seeing as this problem has been around since the launch of Windows 11 (more or less; or at least the first complaints emerged not long after the OS came out).

The fix seems to work for the majority of admittedly anecdotal observations that we’ve seen, and there is evidence of an optimistic outlook for the improvement of Windows 11 performance overall going forward. Another Redditor on the above highlighted thread commented that “overall the dev channel builds are a lot faster than the 22000 builds” and that “22H2 will be amazing”, so let’s keep our fingers crossed on that score.

Windows 11 22H2 is due in the second half of 2022, naturally, and it’s expected to further work on the design and appearance of the OS, with various important interface tweaks – like bringing back drag and drop functionality to the taskbar – as well as introducing that much-awaited support for Android apps on the desktop (that’s currently available in limited fashion for public preview, meaning testing).

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