Microsoft has just released an update for Windows 11, dubbed Moment 3. Like the previous one, it brings small more or less useful new features. While fixing an impressive number of bugs…
Another update for Windows 11? Eh yes ! Microsoft never stops improving its latest operating system whether through patches – especially those of Patches Tuesday – or with new versions. The trouble is that the editor proceeds with these developments in a joyful mess, sowing confusion even among the most experienced users, as we have deplored on several occasions (see our article “rant” ). And it is still the case today.
Windows 11 22H2 Moment 3: waiting for version 23H2
Indeed, on May 24, 2023, Microsoft released a new version of Windows 11 22H2 called Moment 3. In accordance with a fairly recent policy, the Redmond giant has decided to punctuate the “life” of its system with pseudo-events dubbed Moment with updates bringing various functional novelties. Everything would be simple and clear if they were the only ones in this case. But no ! Because other intermediate versions arrive regularly with their lots of new functions and improvements. Better still, Microsoft should logically publish next fall “the big version” of the vintage year 23H2, which would also integrate a host of improvements, in the wake of the 22H2.
In the meantime, and without following a well-defined schedule, the publisher therefore offers Windows 11 22H2 Moment 3 through an update. Already available via Windows Update, this version is stamped Preview of Cumulative Update for Windows 11 Version 22H2 for ×64 Systems (KB5026446) : a curious name to say the least, which suggests that it is only a preview in tourist mode… Anyway, just click on the button Check for updatesat the top of the window, if it doesn’t appear automatically when Windows Update opens.
Windows 11 22H2 Moment 3: small new features and many fixes
Of course, this version does not include the very latest innovations announced at the Build 2023 conference (see our article), and which Microsoft probably reserves for the 23H2 update. There is therefore no new function linked to artificial intelligence – the new workhorse of the publisher, which intends to put it everywhere – nor even any development in Windows Explorer. Instead and as for the Moment 2 version released in March 2023 (see our article), there is a “bouquet” of small more or less useful new features that the publisher details on a page dedicated to KB5026446corresponding to Build 22621.1778 – oh yes, you have to be familiar with Microsoft jargon to find your way around…
Some are trivial, like the ability to display seconds in the Taskbar clock. But others are practical and even appreciable. This is particularly the case of the function allowing easy copying and pasting of double authentication codes from notifications – including received on a smartphone connected to the PC –, which avoids complex manipulations. Or the Print key. Screen which is now assigned by default to the Windows built-in screen capture application. Just as useful, the automatic subtitling function presented several months ago is now available in French, in addition to dozens of other languages (Chinese, Spanish, German, Italian, Portuguese, etc.).
In a completely different register, Windows 11 22H2 Moment 3 knows how to manage Bluetooth Low Energy Audio, this new evolution of the wireless communication standard which offers much better audio quality while consuming less energy. On the security and confidentiality side, in addition to new settings in the Windows settings, this version benefits from a module dedicated to VPN in the notification area. More surprisingly, the presence sensors that equip some laptops – rather high-end – can now be used in applications that know how to take advantage of them. Also for laptops, the Moment 3 version introduces the CABC function (Content Adaptive Brightness Control) which automatically adjusts the brightness of the screen in order to reduce energy consumption, and thereby preserve the autonomy of the computer.
Like the Moment 2 version, Windows 11 22H2 Moment 3 thus welcomes a host of other rather disparate new features, which will not be useful to everyone. Thus, we can better manage the widgets thanks to a dashboard with three columns. Convenient for enthusiasts. On the hardware side, the settings now have a section dedicated to the management of USB 4 peripherals and hubs: a good point which should allow better control of devices using this standard with multiple functions. Finally, and without ending with the list of particularly heterogeneous new features in this version, let’s point out a section dedicated to OneDrive in the settings as well, which allows you to control the online storage available in Microsoft accounts and services. You will understand, there is really something to drink and eat in this version!
But the most amazing thing is the impressive amount of bugs and problems that this update fixes – which is not a Patch Tuesday. Because if these corrections are obviously welcome, even if they do not concern everyone, they also prove, and above all, that Windows 11 is not as well finished as it should be, despite the permanent efforts of Microsoft. Let’s just hope that this version does not add new problems in passing, as has been the case for recent versions…