Windows 11 Version 22H2: What to expect from the 2022 Update

[RV_]

Excerpts:

"The first feature update to Windows 11 includes no surprises and should be an easy upgrade. Here's a closer look at what's new.

Microsoft's first update to Windows 11 arrived right on schedule today, almost exactly a year after the initial release.

After a long public test cycle in the Windows Insider Program, with Release Preview candidates available for more than three months, the 2022 Update contains no surprises. And with a gradual rollout planned over the next few months, it's unlikely to cause drama for users or enterprise administrators.

This feature update isn't likely to turn Windows 11 skeptics into fans. It doesn't include any major architectural changes and it preserves both the system requirements and the overall design of the user experience from the initial release. This is, at its core, a "fit and finish" update, with a handful of new features that are useful but far from essential.

The good news is that the update itself should be relatively small and quick. That was my experience with prerelease builds, and I haven't heard any squawks from Insiders testing Release Preview builds. (I'll update this post with details after I'm able to test updates using the final public release.)

Also: Understanding Microsoft's grand vision for building next-gen apps

Here's what you can expect to see after you complete the update and reboot.

 

More personalization options for the Start menu

File this one under "Why wasn't this part of the original version?" You can finally combine program icons into folders on the Windows 11 Start menu. Drag an icon on top of another to combine them in a folder and give the folder a custom name to reduce clutter.

The other change allows you to adjust the relative size of the two Start menu sections, one for pinned program icons and the other for "recommended" content, such as shortcuts to files you've opened recently and frequently used apps. In the initial release of Windows 11, these regions were of equal dimensions, with no option to adjust their relative size.

Also: How to move the Windows 11 Start button back to where it belongs

That made for a large, unsightly block of white space if you configured Windows 11 to hide all shortcuts from the Recommended section. In the 2022 Update, you can change the layout to make the Pinned region bigger and the Recommended section smaller (or vice versa). You can't suppress the Recommended section completely, but choosing the More Pins layout makes it far less noticeable.  

 

Use these new layouts to change the amount of space the Pinned and Recommended regions use.

A major update to File Explorer"

Much more details and sceenshots in the article here:

https://www.zdnet.com/article/windows-11-version-22h2-what-to-expect-from-the-2022-update/?ftag=TREc64629f&bhid={%24external_id}&mid={%24MESSAGE_ID}&cid={%24contact_id}

[RV_]

I just did this update on one Windows 11 AIO 27" Touchscreen desktop with i7 etc. Eight Windows 10 machines which also had updates: Two Surface Pro 7 tablets, Two M3 Surface Go 2 tablets, One Dell Optiplex 5080 micro Desktop, one Dell Inspiron 7790 27" AIO touchscreen, and down in the basement for sale my old Dell 2720 AIO i7 etc, and an HP G1 I built up. Some Windows Pro Some Windows Ho,e. No issues on any of them with today's updates. YMMV but these are a good cross section of specs, age, and hardware.