At the end of 2022, the Windows 11 update 22H2 “Sun valley 2” expected. This new update brings a number of changes and improvements to Windows 11 users.
For example, improvements are expected with regard to security, but also a number of changes to the appearance and new features in Windows 11.
These are the biggest and most important changes in the Windows 11 22H2 update so far.
What's new in the Windows 11 update 22H2?
The most prominent changes in Windows 11 update 22H2 is the Start menu. In the Start menu you can now choose three different options to customize the Start menu to your liking.
These are three different classifications, namely the “more pinned items”, “standard” and “more recommendations”.
Each layout adjusts the space for the “recommended” section in the Start menu. If you choose “more pinned items” you will see fewer recommendations for apps and files at the bottom of the start menu.
If you choose “Default” then the start menu will remain as you are used to, about as many recommendations as pinned shortcuts to apps. The “more recommendations” option at the bottom of the start menu offers more recommendations for apps and files.
Also new in the start menu is a shortcut to the login options under the on/off button. Right-click on it and you will now see the login options as a shortcut.
Another important change to the start menu is the ability to group pinned items into a folder. You can do this by dragging pinned items over each other, i.e. stacking them.
At that point, a new folder will be created and you can rename this folder.
Being able to group pinned items “apps” in a folder is a huge improvement and makes working with the new start menu a lot easier and, above all, clearer.
If you right-click on the start button you will also see that “apps & features” has been replaced by “installed apps”, “Windows terminal” has been renamed to “Terminal” and “Windows media player” is now called “Windows media player legacy” as in old version. The new media player is called “Media Player”.
Adjustments and improvements to the taskbar
Changes have also been made to the taskbar and related features such as the system tray after the 22H2 update.
In the system tray there are a number of improvements that mainly make it clearer. If you place your mouse on the volume bar, you can scroll with your mouse wheel to adjust the volume.
You will also see a new speaker icon that makes it clear that this concerns the volume of the speakers. Clicking on it will take you directly to the speaker output.
By right-clicking on a tile you can go directly to the settings of this tile. For example, if you right click on accessibility you will see settings. By clicking on settings you will go directly to these accessibility settings.
A number of improvements have been added to the taskbar. One of these improvements is being able to drag files to apps in the taskbar. The app will then open in a new window.
For example, do you have Microsoft Word as a shortcut in the taskbar? And Microsoft word is also open, then you can drag a word document to this open app and the document will be opened.
Dragging shortcuts to the taskbar is now also possible. This means that from the Start menu in the “all apps” view you can drag an app shortcut to the taskbar. A shortcut will then be created on the taskbar.
To make dragging apps even easier, a feature has also been introduced that allows you to place a window on a preset part of the “snap layouts” screen.
If you have an open window and want to move it to a fixed location on the screen, drag the window all the way to the top. A grid will now appear where you can drag the window to a position on the screen.
If a window you want to move is divided into multiple tabs, such as the Microsoft Edge browser. You will then also see the other tabs in grids, which will then automatically be placed in a grid so that you can click on all open tabs individually.
Changes to the Windows Explorer in Windows 11 update 22H2
A much requested feature, and finally this feature is coming, is previewing files in folders.
The so-called “thumbnails” in other words “previews of files in folders” are added to Windows Explorer.
In addition to this much-requested display function, the SHIFT + right-click menu is also back. This is the extended right-click menu that shows specific options for a certain type of file.
The appearance of the Windows Explorer has also been slightly adjusted, for example new icons are visible in the Quick access menu.
New look of task manager
task management has also been freshened up. In my opinion it now looks even more minimalistic than before. That is also the intention because task manager now has the rounded corners as we know them from Windows 11 and even supports dark mode.
On the left you will see the different categories, which were previously divided into tabs. At the bottom you will find the settings.
Settings in task manager gives you the opportunity to personalize task management a little further. This way you can customize the default home page to what you want to see when launching task manager and adjust the update speed in real time.
Window management is provided where you can show task manager always on top, minimize when in use and hide completely when minimized. You can also use the other options to always display the full account name for processes and view the history for all processes.
New Spotlight Background
In the personal background settings you can now set a “Windows Spotlight” background. If you set the Windows Spotlight background, you will always see new images as background.
A link will also appear at the top right of the desktop with “Learn more about this picture”. If you click on it you will get more information about the current spotlight background.
New features in Windows 11 22H2
Live subtitles
One of the new feature in 22H2 is “live subtitles” feature. This is a feature that can display spoken text as subtitles at the top in Windows 11.
This helps, for example, people who have hearing impairments. These people can now read text as subtitles, this works with YouTube, for example.
A disadvantage for the time being is that live subtitles currently only work with the English language, Dutch is not yet supported.
You can completely adjust the live subtitles to your liking. That means the text size, the location, the colors, the speed of the subtitles, etc.
Voice control
One of the most pronounced new features in Windows 11 22H2 is voice control. However, to name a disadvantage, it is so far only available in English and not in Dutch.
The display language in Windows 11 must be changed to English otherwise it will not work according to Microsoft.
You can do all kinds of things with your computer using voice control, including visiting websites, dictating text, opening apps, and more. In general, you can name any function and Windows 11 can perform it via voice control. A major advantage is that no active internet connection is required.
When will the 22H2 update be available in Windows 11?
The release date is somewhere around October 2022 according to Microsoft. The final adjustments will be made in May 2022 and 2022H22 will be available to all Windows 2 users sometime at the end of 11.
In the meantime, you can download and install Windows 11 22H2 via it Windows 11 insider program.
These were the most prominent changes Windows 11 22H2. I hope to have informed you with this. Thank you for reading!
Good explanation. Short and concise, very practical. Thank you
Thanks!! 🙂