New Start menu, taskbar, and lock screen features in Windows 11 update

A few days ago, Microsoft released an optional Windows update for users on Windows 11 22H2 and 23H2, and it brings a collection of features and improvements that may be worth the time spent updating.

The most important changes in the KB5043145 update (version number 22631.4247) include new features for the taskbar, the Start menu, and the lock screen, along with performance and stability improvements.

Note: If you’re still on Windows 11 22H2, note that this is the last optional update for your version of Windows. Starting October, you will only receive security updates and must switch to 23H2 to continue receiving feature updates.

What’s new in the optional update?

Here’s a quick rundown of the most notable changes in the KB5043145 update so you can decide whether it’s worth grabbing:

• Taskbar: When you use the Search box in the Taskbar, you can now share local files directly from the search results.
• Start menu: When you open the Start menu, the account manager now has a “Sign out” option for quicker access. You can also use the ellipses menu to quickly switch to another user.
• Lock screen: When you lock Windows but still have media playing on the system, a new media controls panel now exists towards the bottom-center of the lock screen.
• Microsoft Outlook: Whenever you open an encrypted email, you’re now prompted for your PIN every time. This also occurs when using other non-Outlook encrypted email apps.
• Microsoft Edge: A bug was fixed where Edge would sometimes freeze when using Internet Explorer mode.

There are a few other minor features and fixes, which you can read about in the official update release notes.

How to get this optional update

The KB5043145 update is an optional patch that’s currently only available to Windows Insiders via the Release Preview Channel. Even for Windows Insiders, some of the changes in the patch are being rolled out gradually and may not be available for several days.

Otherwise, everyone else will be getting the update on the next patch day in October. (If you don’t want to wait and you aren’t a Windows Insider, you may be able to patch manually by downloading the files yourself and using a third-party tool like W10UI.)

Further reading: Is it worth becoming a Windows Insider?