Hello Windows Insiders, today we are beginning to roll out an update to Notepad to Windows Insiders in the Canary and Dev Channels on Windows 11. This update introduces spellcheck in Notepad.
Notepad (version 11.2402.18.0)
With this update, Notepad will now highlight misspelled words and provide suggestions so that you can easily identify and correct mistakes. We are also introducing autocorrect which seamlessly fixes common typing mistakes as you type.
Misspelled word highlighted in Notepad with options to correct the spelling.
Getting started with spellcheck in Notepad is easy as misspelled words are automatically underlined in red. To fix a spelling mistake, click, tap, or use the keyboard shortcut Shift + F10 on the misspelled word to see suggested spellings. Selecting a suggestion immediately updates the word. You can also choose to ignore words in a single document or add them to the dictionary, so they are not flagged as a mistake again. Spellcheck in Notepad supports multiple languages.
This feature is enabled by default for some file types but is off by default in log files and other file types typically associated with coding. You can toggle this setting on or off globally or for certain file types in Notepad app settings or temporarily for the current file in the context menu. We’ve organized the settings page as well to make it easier to find and adjust Notepad app settings.
[We are beginning to roll out spellcheck in Notepad, so it may not be available to all Insiders in the Canary and Dev Channels just yet as we plan to monitor feedback and see how it lands before pushing it out to everyone.]
FEEDBACK: Please share your feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Apps > Notepad.
As always, we love getting feedback from the community. We’re excited to hear your thoughts and continue enhancing Notepad for everyone.
Thanks,
Dave Grochocki, Principal Product Manager Lead – Windows Inbox Apps
We are excited to announce the first Surface AI PCs built exclusively for business: Surface Pro 10 for Business and Surface Laptop 6 for Business. These new PCs represent a major step forward in customer-focused design and are packed with features that business customers have been requesting – from amazing performance and battery life to more ports, better security and custom, durable anti-reflective displays. These are the first Surface PCs optimized for AI, with the new Copilot key being added to Surface Laptop 6 and Surface Pro keyboards that accelerate access to the best Windows AI experiences1. In addition to the new Surface for Business products, we are pleased to announce the Microsoft Adaptive Accessories will now be available to commercial customers.
These new PCs are powered by the latest Intel® Core™ Ultra processors. We partnered with Intel to deliver the power and reliable performance our customers depend on, along with compelling AI experiences for Surface and the Windows ecosystem. Surface has also been leading in Neural Processing Unit (NPU) integration to drive AI experiences on the PC since 2019, and the benefits of these connected efforts are evident. From a performance perspective, Surface Laptop 6 is 2x faster than Laptop 52, and Surface Pro 10 is up to 53% faster than Pro 9. The benefits of the NPU integration include AI features like Windows Studio Effects and Live Captions3 and the opportunity for businesses and developers to build their own AI apps and experiences.
Meet Surface Pro 10 for Business
Surface Pro 10 for Business
Surface Pro 10 for Business is designed for teams that need a no-compromise device. It is our most powerful Surface Pro ever powered by Intel Core Ultra processors, and the first time we’re bringing 5G4 to the Intel platform. It brings a new level of productivity and versatility – whether used as a powerful tablet for frontline workers out in the field, a versatile laptop in the conference room, or anywhere in between – Surface Pro 10 adapts to our customers’ needs and to how they use technology.
With the power of AI assistance from Microsoft Copilot and the innovation in Windows 11 Pro, Surface Pro 10 unlocks the ability to be more productive than ever before. We’ve added the Copilot key to all of our new Surface Pro keyboards, including a new version with a bold keyset5 with a larger font, high contrast and backlighting that make the keys more visible and easier for everyone to type.
But our customers don’t choose Surface Pro to interact with it using only the keyboard. They’re choosing Surface Pro to use with touch gestures, voice commands and even with handwritten prompts with Surface Slim Pen. With Surface Pro, they are able to use all these natural input methods to make it even easier to use Copilot. And in Microsoft 365 apps like OneNote, Copilot will be able to use AI to analyze handwritten notes, saving time and keeping them in their flow.
This device comes with the best display we’ve ever shipped on a Surface Pro. Whether working under fluorescent office lighting or outside in the field, the display looks incredible in almost any lighting condition. We’ve made it 33% brighter and with a higher contrast ratio and have added a custom designed durable anti-reflective coating, all without making any sacrifices to the experience when using it with touch, and pen.
We focused a lot of attention on making the video calling experience on Microsoft Teams and other apps even better. With Surface Pro 10, we’ve put in a new Ultrawide Studio Camera that is the best front-facing camera that has ever been put into a Windows 2-in-1 or laptop. It’s the first Windows PC with a 114° field of view, captures video in 1440p, and uses AI-powered Windows Studio Effects to ensure that the speaker is in frame and looking their best during video calls.
Surface Pro 10 is a Secured-Core PC that delivers the industry-leading security that our business customers need. We’ve added additional layers of security to keep customer and company data safe and secure with Enhanced Sign-in Security on by default and a brand-new NFC reader designed to make secure password-less authentication even easier with NFC security keys like YubiKey 5C NFC.
Meet Surface Laptop 6 for Business
Surface Laptop 6 for Business
Surface Laptop 6 for Business is the ultimate laptop that’s built for business. It is powered by the latest Intel® Core™ Ultra H-Series processors and designed with improved thermal capacity to deliver incredible performance. This allows your team to be their most productive with the least amount of downtime when crunching huge data sets in Excel, creating marketing assets in Adobe Photoshop, or building critical applications in Visual Studio.
Consistent with the legacy of Surface, Surface Laptop 6 has an industry-leading typing experience that is designed for quality, and confidence. Every element of the keyboard has been considered to ensure productivity when typing, with nothing to get in the way of self-expression. Also, the new Copilot key on Surface Laptop 6 makes accessing the power of AI even easier, with a quick button press to invoke Copilot in Windows1 to help customers to plan their day, find a document using natural text, analyze a website and more with commercial data protection built in.
Choose between 13.5” and 15” PixelSense touchscreen displays that are built for touch to help browse and navigate with ease. These vibrant displays also all come with anti-reflective and adaptive color technology that helps to clearly see the content on the screen in almost any lighting environment and reduces reflections by up to 50%.
We’ve designed a new Surface Studio Camera for Surface Laptop 6. The new camera captures 1080p video and uses AI-driven Windows Studio Effects to help everyone look their best on video calls. Windows Studio Effects are enabled by machine learning algorithms that run efficiently on the NPU leaving plenty of power to run other critical apps like Microsoft Teams on the CPU and GPU.
In the U.S. and Canada, customers will also be able to choose options on the 15” Surface Laptop 6 that include an integrated smart card reader. This helps customers in highly secure industries like government agencies and financial services login without a password simply by inserting their smart card.
Advances in accessibility, sustainability, security and modern tools for IT
In addition to the new products, there are advances in accessibility, sustainability, security and IT tools that will help our customers to empower all of their employees, advance their sustainability efforts, further secure their critical data and manage their devices over their life cycle.
Our Designed for Surface accessory partners are proud to offer a range of accessories specifically created to enhance the Surface experience in various commercial and industry scenarios. Our collection spans the Surface portfolio and includes everything from protective cases to mobile-kiosking retail solutions. One example is the ViewSonic ColorPro 4K Monitor, which offers Pantone Validation, stunning 4K Ultra HD resolution and calibrated color accuracy – making it a great option for Surface Laptop 6 customers. Our commitment is to ensure that your team can deploy Surface in any way and place you need.
Accessibility
Accessibility is core to Surface design and to Microsoft’s mission to enable every person and every organization to achieve more. Surface Laptop 6 and Surface Pro 10 for Business bring the power of AI to accessibility, bringing together the latest hardware innovations from Surface with the software experiences designed to make it possible to use your device in the ways most natural to you.
We’ve made it even easier to turn on accessibility features through Copilot in Windows1. Ask Copilot to “turn on live captions” or “turn on the magnifier” without having to navigate to settings in Windows. Live captions3 are now even better on these new products as the processing for this feature is offloaded to the NPU so the system operates with greater efficiency, freeing up the CPU and GPU to run other demanding applications.
Surface Pro Keyboard with bold keyset
We’re also launching the first ever Surface Pro Keyboard with bold keyset4, featuring a bold font change and brighter backlight, making it easier to read and reducing eye strain for everyone. And finally, we’re very excited to launch our Microsoft Adaptive Accessories to commercial customers, empowering anyone with difficulty using a traditional mouse and keyboard to create their ideal setup, increase productivity, and use their favorite apps more effectively.
Microsoft Adaptive Accessories
All of these innovations in accessibility have been created to match the elegant design of our products and empower more people to be productive and efficient in the way that works best for them.
Sustainability
In 2020, Microsoft committed to becoming carbon negative, water positive and zero waste by 2030. This commitment means that we are constantly working to advance the sustainability of our products, and we know that many of our customers are also pursuing their own ambitious sustainability goals. Surface Laptop 6 and Surface Pro 10 contain the most recycled content that we’ve ever put into our PCs with the Surface Laptop 6 enclosure being made with a minimum of 25.8% recycled content and the enclosure on Surface Pro 10 being made with a minimum of 72% recycled content6. Both devices are even easier to service and repair with built-in QR codes that provide convenient access to service guides. In Surface Pro 10 we’ve also included internal markings that identify the number of screws and driver types needed for key components. This increased device repairability can offer significant carbon emissions and waste reduction benefits7. We are also making trade-in more convenient and secure for our commercial customers in the U.S. to help limit device waste.
Security
Security is of critical importance to our customers, and we design devices with Zero Trust security principles to help keep their most sensitive data safe and protect all the way down to the firmware level. Surface Laptop 6 and Surface Pro 10 for Business have the highest-level security features and protections available in the ecosystem, are certified Secured-Core PCs, and have Enhanced Sign-In Security (ESS) on by default. We’ve made updates to the hardware itself with an optional smart card reader on Surface Laptop 6 and new NFC reader on Surface Pro 10. These new features combined with chip-to-cloud security deliver the ultimate in authentication and protection.
Modern tools for IT
At Surface we think about the entire lifecycle of the device, and how we can make customers’ lives easier. Today we are excited to introduce innovation from Surface and Intune to create the most modern and comprehensive solution for IT. The Surface Management Portal delivers insights-based monitoring to bring value and efficiency to device management. Customers can also track the estimated sustainability improvements of their devices right in the management portal. We’ve also created the Surface IT Toolkit with features to help modernize deployment, security and data compliance. Read more on the Surface IT Pro Blog.
Our team works relentlessly to create and tune every detail of our products to help our customers be more productive and engaged in the work they do today and in AI workstreams to enhance creativity and collaboration going forward. Our new Surface for Business portfolio is a key part of a holistic offering that includes Copilot, AI enhancements across key applications, and innovation in Windows 11 to bring our customers into a new era of work.
Surface Pro 10 for Business and Surface Laptop 6 for Business are available for pre-order starting today, with product shipping to customers starting April 9. To learn more and pre-order your devices today, visit Surface.com/Business to find an authorized reseller or the Microsoft Store.
Disclaimers
Copilot in Windows (in preview) is available in select global markets and will be rolled out to additional markets over time. Learn more. Copilot with commercial data protection is available at no additional cost for users with an Entra ID with an enabled, eligible Microsoft 365 license. When Copilot for Windows is not enabled on the device, pressing the Copilot key will launch Windows Search.
Based on 3DMark TimeSpy benchmark measuring graphic performance.
Live Captions supports English, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish and Danish.
Surface Pro 10 with 5G will be available later in 2024 and not available in all areas. eSIM and 5G support are also not available in all areas; compatibility and performance depend on carrier network, plan and other factors. See carrier for details and pricing.
Surface Pro Keyboard with bold keyset available only in U.S. English and is available only in the U.S. and CA.
Based on validation performed by Underwriter Laboratories, Inc. using Environmental Claim Validation Procedure, UL 2809-2, Second Edition, November 7, 2023.
Based on Microsoft-commissioned assessment of greenhouse gas emissions and waste impacts prepared by Oakdene Hollins in April 2022 comparing device replacement to factory repair and Microsoft ASP repair.
Hello Windows Insiders, today we are releasing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26085 to the Canary and Dev Channels.
The Canary and Dev Channels receiving the same builds is only temporary. During the times in which the Canary and Dev Channels are on the same builds (e.g. Build 26085), the window is open for Insiders in the Canary Channel to switch to the Dev Channel. At some point in the future, the Canary Channel will jump to higher build numbers and the window will be closed.
NOTE: Some features may begin rolling out to the Canary Channel first before the Dev Channel even if the two channels have the same build.
Changes and Improvements
[Input]
The new pointer indicator accessibility setting for low vision Windows users introduced with Build 26052 has been temporarily disabled with Build 26085. We plan to re-enable this feature in a future flight after fixing some bugs. Thanks to Insiders for all the feedback on this!
[Settings]
Windows Insiders who have Bluetooth LE Audio capable assistive hearing devices can now set up and manage their devices via Settings > Accessibility > Hearing aids. This new accessibility settings page allows users to check their PC’s compatibility for Bluetooth LE Audio and pair/manage a set of hearing devices for a more streamlined configuration. Please note that this page is a work-in-progress, and the contents of this page may change over time. (Note this change was first introduced in Build 26080.)
Fixes for known issues
[General]
Fixed the underlying issue believed to be the cause of shutdown and hibernation not working in the previous flight.
[File Explorer]
Fixed an issue where the context menu in File Explorer was missing an acrylic background.
Fixed an issue where when opening the context menu in File Explorer, the icons might appear out of place and overlapping text.
Fixed an issue which was causing File explorer to leak GDI objects and heap memory for every folder navigation, leading to stability and rendering issues over time.
Fixed a memory leak when interacting with archive folders in File Explorer.
Fixed an issue causing thumbnails in File Explorer to sometimes unexpectedly be black in the previous flight.
[Sudo]
Fixed an issue believed to be the cause of the setting to enable sudo (under System > For Developers) not working for some Insiders.
Fixed an issue where if you ran the command “sudo pwsh”, it wasn’t working properly in recent builds.
[Windows Security]
Fixed a high hitting Windows Security app crash in the previous flight, which is believed to potentially be the cause of Insiders reporting that the Windows Security app icon in the system tray was sometimes missing in that flight.
[Input]
With this build, the recent issues with the mouse cursor disappearing, and other recent issues related to the mouse cursor behaving abnormally should be fixed.
[Settings]
Fixed an underlying issue which was causing Settings to freeze sometimes so you couldn’t interact with any of the pages.
Fixed an issue where the list of Bluetooth devices under Bluetooth & Devices wasn’t being read out by screen readers in recent builds.
[Windows Update]
Fixed the issue causing Insiders in the Dev Channel to see error 0x80070002 when trying to install cumulative updates.
Fixed an issue where using “Update and Shutdown” wasn’t shutting down your PC upon completion.
[Other]
Fixed an issue that was causing some Insiders to see bugchecks with CRITICAL_STRUCTURE_CORRUPTION recently.
Fixed an issue which was causing Voice Access to crash on launch for some Insiders in recent builds.
[IMPORTANT NOTE FOR GAMERS] Most popular games should work correctly again in the most recent Insider Preview builds in the Canary and Dev Channels. Please be sure to submit feedback in Feedback Hub on any issues you see with playing games on the latest builds. We will be removing this note with the next Canary and Dev Channel flight.
[UPDATED] We’re continuing to investigate reports of rollbacks (with error code 0xC1900101) when installing the latest builds.
[NEW] We’re working on the fix for an issue causing some Insiders to see File Explorer unexpectedly using the previous design and have no tabs in the latest builds.
[Copilot in Windows*]
Voice access does not work reliably with the updated Copilot in Windows experience that introduces the ability for Copilot to act like a normal application.
Using Windows Ink to write in Copilot will not work with the updated Copilot in Windows experience that introduces the ability for Copilot to act like a normal application window.
When Copilot in Windows is docked and resized to a large width, Copilot does not always fill the width of the panel. Resizing Copilot usually fixes this issue.
With the updated Copilot in Windows experience that introduces the ability for Copilot to act like a normal application window, you may not be able to bring focus to the “…” or refresh buttons within Copilot when using a keyboard (ex: by using tab to cycle through buttons).
C++ packages for Win32 headers and libs per architecture
BuildTools package when you just need tools like MakeAppx.exe, MakePri.exe, and SignTool.exe
These NuGet packages provide more granular access to the SDK and better integration in CI/CD pipelines.
SDK flights are now published for both the Canary and Dev Channels, so be sure to choose the right version for your Insider Channel.
Remember to use adaptive code when targeting new APIs to make sure your app runs on all customer machines, particularly when building against the Dev Channel SDK. Feature detection is recommended over OS version checks, as OS version checks are unreliable and will not work as expected in all cases.
Reminders for Windows Insiders
The Canary and Dev Channels receive builds with features and experiences that may never get released as we try out different concepts and get feedback. Features may change over time, be removed, or replaced and never get released beyond Windows Insiders. Some of these features and experiences could show up in future Windows releases when they’re ready.
Many features in the Canary and Dev Channel are rolled out using Control Feature Rollout technology, starting with a subset of Insiders and ramping up over time as we monitor feedback to see how they land before pushing them out to everyone in these channels.
As the Canary and Dev Channels receive the same builds, some features may begin rolling out to the Canary Channel first before the Dev Channel.
While the Canary Channel is now on Windows 11, version 24H2, this is just temporary. At some point in the future, the Canary Channel will jump ahead to receiving new builds not matched to any specific release in a higher build series.
To get off the Canary or Dev Channel, a clean install of Windows 11 will be required. As a reminder – Insiders can’t switch to a channel that is receiving builds with lower build numbers without doing a clean installation of Windows 11 due to technical setup requirements.
The desktop watermark shown at the lower right corner of the desktop is normal for these pre-release builds.
Check out Flight Hub for a complete look at what build is in which Insider channel.
Copilot in Windows* in preview is being rolled out gradually to Windows Insiders in select global markets. The initial markets for the Copilot in Windows preview include North America, United Kingdom and parts of Asia and South America. It is our intention to add additional markets over time.
Lenovo has launched its latest Windows 11 business laptops: the ThinkPad L series and ThinkPad X13. Advances include an optional higher resolution 5MP camera for enhanced video conferencing and content creation, immersive viewing via 16:10 ratio displays and efficient cooling for when you’re hunkered down for longish workdays thanks to rear vent thermals.
You can also choose between different sizes (ThinkPad L14 or 16, ThinkPad L13 2 in 1), and either Intel Core Ultra processors with Intel vPro or AMD Ryzen PRO 7030 Series processors on select models that have up to eight high-performance processing cores for demanding multitasking and AMD Radeon integrated graphics.
ThinkPad L13 2 in 1
Intel Core Ultra processors in the ThinkPad L Series and X13 Series AI PCs are a game-changer if you want to leverage AI in workflows. NPUs are specialized processors that are specifically designed for AI tasks, such as image recognition, natural language processing and machine learning. By offloading these tasks to dedicated hardware, you can enjoy improved performance, reduced power consumption and faster computation speeds.
Intel Core Ultra will support more than one hundred applications enhanced for AI, including Microsoft Teams, where features such as text predictions and meeting transcripts enhance productivity.
Another key feature that may appeal to businesses: enhanced repairability with the new ThinkPad L14 Gen 5 and L16 Gen 1 models, with support from iFixit. Highlighted in the recent ThinkPad T14 Gen 5 and T16 Gen 3 announcement, this partnership identified ways to improve design and engineering so people can easily repair and upgrade their devices, prolonging the lifespan of their machines and reducing electronic waste.
Find out more about these and other recent announcements from Lenovo on their StoryHub.
Hello Windows Insiders, today we are releasing Windows 10 22H2 Build 19045.4233 (KB5035941) to the Release Preview Channel for those Insiders who are on Windows 10, version 22H2.
This update includes the following features and improvements:
New! This update adds Windows Spotlight to your desktop background. This feature displays new images as your desktop wallpaper. If you want to know more about an image, click or tap the LearnMore button, which takes you to Bing. To turn on this feature, go to Settings > Personalization > Background > Personalize your background. Choose Windows spotlight. Note this feature might not be available to all users because it will roll out gradually.
New! This update adds more content to your lock screen. In addition to weather, sports, traffic, and finance content will appear. To turn on this feature, go to Settings > Personalization > Lockscreen. Note this feature might not be available to all users because it will roll out gradually.
New! This update affects Windows Hello for Business. IT admins can now use mobile device management (MDM) to turn off the prompt that appears when users sign in to an Entra-joined machine. To do this, they can turn on the “DisablePostLogonProvisioning” policy setting. After a user signs in, provisioning is off for Windows 10 and Windows 11 devices.
When you sign in, you might see a message that invites you to upgrade to Windows 11. This message only appears if your device is eligible for an upgrade. Note this feature might not be available to all users because it will roll out gradually.
This update changes the English name of the former Republic of Turkey. The new, official name is the Republic of Türkiye.
This update addresses an issue that affects the COM+ component. Some applications that depend on it stop responding.
This update addresses an issue that stops some apps and features from being available. This occurs after you upgrade to Windows 11.
This update addresses a deadlock issue in CloudAP. It occurs when different users sign in and sign out at the same time on virtual machines.
This update addresses an issue that affects a network resource. You cannot access it from a Remote Desktop session. This occurs when you turn on the Remote Credential Guard feature and the client is Windows 11, version 22H2 or higher.
This update addresses an issue that affects Microsoft Edge. It fails to open on Surface Hub (Team OS).
This update affects the Antimalware Scan Interface (AMSI) AmsiUtil class. It helps to detect the bypass of the AMSI scan. This update also addresses some long-term issues that expose your device to threats.
This update addresses an issue that affects the time service. You can configure it using mobile device management (MDM) or a Group Policy Object (GPO). But the Windows Settings app does not match what you have configured.
This update addresses an issue that affects the touch keyboard. It does not open sometimes.
This update addresses an issue that occurs when you use LoadImage() to load a top-down bitmap. If the bitmap has a negative height, the image does not load and the function returns NULL.
This update addresses an issue that affects scanners. They stop responding when you connect to them using eSCL over USB.
This update makes Country and Operator Settings Asset (COSA) profiles up to date for some mobile operators.
This update addresses an issue that affects the existing AppLocker rule collection enforcement mode. It is not overwritten when rules merge with a collection that has no rules. This occurs when the enforcement mode is set to “Not Configured.”
This update addresses an issue that affects the Group Policy service. It fails after you use LGPO.exe to apply an audit policy to the system.
This update addresses a reliability issue. It affects a Virtual Remote App product when you use a custom shell to open it.
Hello Windows Insiders, today we are beginning to roll out updates to Paint to Windows Insiders in the Canary and Dev Channels on Windows 11.
Paint (version 11.2402.32.0)
With this update to Paint, we are improving the brush size selection experience with a new size slider for pencil, brushes, and eraser tools. With the new size slider, you can choose from a wider range of size options and preview the selected size on the canvas as you drag the slider.
Paint open with new size slider and size representation active.
To get started, click on any of the pencil, brushes, or eraser tools, and a size slider will appear on the left side of the canvas. Click and drag along the slider to view different sizes and select the desired size to start drawing!
[We are beginning to roll out the new size slider mentioned above, so it may not be available to all Insiders in the Canary and Dev Channels just yet as we plan to monitor feedback and see how it lands before pushing it out to everyone.]
We are also improving layers by adding a new background option to the Layers panel. With this option, you can set the Background color for the canvas. Open the Layers panel and click the “Background” tile at the bottom or use Ctrl + Shift + B to try this out yourself. This will open the color picker dialog where you can set any color as the background. You can also use the “Hide background” option to make the background completely transparent or use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + Shift + H to quickly show/hide the background.
We are also adding a new way to copy with “Copy visible layers”. This enables you to copy all visible content across layers. To use this option, select an area using the selection tool and invoke the context menu or use the Ctrl + Shift + C keyboard shortcut. “Copy” (Ctrl + C) will copy the visible content from the current layer only.
Paint layers panel open showing new background option.
FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Apps > Paint.
As always, we love getting feedback from the community and we will be looking out for your thoughts and suggestions on this update!
Thanks,
Dave Grochocki, Principal Product Manager Lead – Windows Inbox Apps
