In the most recent build, Microsoft fixes the troublesome Windows 11 Search problem and confirms many other things.

Today, Microsoft updated Windows 11 Insider build 25262 for the Dev Channel. The updated build fixes an unpleasant problem in the Search bar and makes modifications to the Widgets’ sign-in requirements. As usual, there are several bug fixes in addition to a number of outstanding problems. Below is the complete changelog:

Enhancements and Changes

[Widgets]

• We are removing the sign-in restriction for the widgets board in the most recent version for Widgets and making it accessible to all users. Now, you no longer need an account to view personalised dynamic feed, pin widgets from your favourite apps, or receive weather updates on the taskbar.

[Settings]

• At the bottom of Settings > System > Troubleshooters, a link to Quick Assist has been added to assist you if your computer is having problems.

Fixes

[General]

• After updating to Build 25252, it was resolved that explorer.exe would crash endlessly if the Widgets app package was missing on your computer. Additionally, it is thought that this problem is what prevents Windows Sandbox from operating in this build.
• Fixed a problem that prevented some Insiders from viewing secondary discs or other PCI devices.

[System Tray & Taskbar]

• Fixed a problem where, after interacting with the hidden icons flyout, auto-hiding the taskbar would stop working with the system tray design upgrades.
• On secondary displays, a problem that was causing a space between full-screen windows and the taskbar was fixed.
• The region of the system tray shouldn’t move any longer as the time changes.
• a problem that occasionally prevented the top half of the media controls from appearing in Quick Settings has been fixed.

Do a taskbar search.

• We resolved the problem where, for some files ending in.cmd,.exe, or.bat, you had to press backspace after entering to view results.
• enhanced the search window’s ability to open more quickly in some circumstances.

Only Windows Insiders who received one of the different taskbar search enhancements that started rolling out to Insiders with Build 25252 are affected by the fixes:

• Fixed a problem where clicking on one monitor would result in the search box not appearing on both as expected.
• Fixed a problem where, after clicking the search box on the taskbar, the Search flyout would appear briefly.

[Input]

• Fixed a problem where your mouse would appear to bounce away from the window it was holding when moving it to a monitor with lower DPI. The file browser resolved a problem that prevented File Explorer from opening specific objects from the Recent section without crashing.

[Settings]

• There shouldn’t be any more instances where specific entries in the Wi-Fi section of Quick Settings unexpectedly state the network venue.

[Project Manager]

• Fixed a problem where, even though the real-time update speed option wasn’t paused, the graphs on Task Manager’s performance page might not update.

[Other]

• When using light mode, the Microsoft Account sign-in window shouldn’t anymore occasionally show an abruptly black title bar.
• If you haven’t enabled input yet, adjust the text when utilising the Wireless Display feature to direct you to the proper location to do so.

NOTE: A few of the fixes mentioned below in Insider Preview releases from the Dev Channel might find their way into the service updates for Windows 11’s finalised version.

Known problems

[General]

• We’re deleting audio issues from the list of known issues based on feedback rates received with the most recent releases. We’ll continue to keep an eye on the input in this area, so if you run across any problems, please follow these instructions for reporting actionable feedback on audio problems.
• We are looking at reports of crashes with various games and apps in recent releases.
• We are attempting to resolve a problem that occasionally causes certain UI elements in apps to vanish and reappear in recent releases.
• In this build, casting (with WIN + K) can be problematic. There is a repair in the works.

[System Tray & Taskbar]

• Using the tablet-optimized taskbar occasionally results in the taskbar being cut in half. This problem might also be visible on other monitors.
• A bug that causes the Bluetooth portion of Quick Settings to break for some users is being fixed. Please utilise Settings > Bluetooth & Devices in the interim if you are affected.

Do a taskbar search.

Only Windows Insiders who received one of the many changes to how search appears on the taskbar as indicated above in this blog post are affected by the following known issues:

• [NEW] You can experience problems with the taskbar’s search box not rendering properly and showing visual abnormalities.
• You will see a search box that appears to be hovering on the desktop when you switch your primary monitor, such as by connecting an external display. By navigating to Personalization > Taskbar > Search and switching the option, you can resolve this problem.
• The text in the taskbar’s search box has layout issues for languages with right-to-left displays, such as Arabic.
• The taskbar’s search field has several Japanese IME candidate items clipped inside it.

[Project Manager]

• On the Processes page, the publisher name filter does not match properly.
• After filtering is used, some services might not appear on the Services page.
• A new process may briefly appear in the filtered list if it is starting while the filter is active.
• When using the Task Manager Settings page to apply a theme, some dialogue boxes might not display properly.
• When theme changes are made in the Task Manager Settings page, the data content area of the Processes page may flash once.
• We’re looking into a problem where Task Manager displays light and dark content incorrectly, resulting in unintelligible writing. This occurs if your mode is set to Custom in Settings > Personalization > Colors. As a temporary fix, please change it to Light or Dark.
• For some Insiders, there are no apps listed on the Task Manager tab for startup apps. Please utilise Settings > Apps > Startup for the time being if you are affected.

[Widgets]

• [NEW] We’re looking into a problem where, for Insiders in China (and possibly other countries as well), the widgets board will become stuck open and invisible, making it impossible to click on the left side of the screen. If you experience this, hitting WIN + D might help.
• When expanding the widgets board in right-to-left display languages like Arabic, the content animates out of view before the widgets board resizes.

The official blog post is available here. Today also sees the release of a fresh update for Windows 11 Media Player. It has received a new helpful feature.