Windows tests long-awaited changes to Start, Share, and Search

On Friday, Microsoft released a pair of new builds to test new Windows 11 features, offering improved cloud search to Copilot+ PC owners, alongside a nifty new sharing and Start menu interface for Windows users in general.

Sometimes, Windows builds are a bit like a railyard, with tracks and switches and roundabouts. Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22635.4950 (KB5052078) is headed to the Beta Channel, for those who skipped an earlier release at the end of January. Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.3291 (KB5052080) is a separate, optional release headed to both the Beta and Dev Channels. Microsoft will make this second release a recommended one in the second half of the year, so the two builds will combine.

The Windows 11 26120.3291 build is the simpler addition, so let’s start there. In January, Microsoft began testing its semantic search option: allowing users to search by description, rather than filename. You can already sort of do this within the Photos app within Windows, where searching “beach” can return scenes from a summer vacation.

In much the same way, you can now search the cloud using similar descriptive terms. The new feature allows you to use Windows search to search the cloud, but also to perform that search using the search box on the Windows taskbar. Note that this feature is still confined to Qualcomm-powered Snapdragon PCs, not those powered by AMD or Intel.

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The downside, however, is that Recall is also in the process of being upgraded, and any and all snapshots you’ve taken with Recall will be erased. Yes, you’ll have to start over. Microsoft isn’t saying what exactly in Recall is being upgraded, but your store of snapshots will temporarily go away.

The more advanced Windows Insider 22635.4950 build is testing two new features, one of which seems to be brand new: a new Share interface.

Sharing files on a Windows PC has always posed a problem: Should they be emailed? Uploaded to OneDrive? Shared locally using a USB key? Often, you’ve made that decision by right-clicking the file and then selecting from one or more options. A new sharing interface offers a drag-and-drop alternative.

The new sharing interface reminds me of Windows Snap: Normally, you drag your mouse to the top of the screen to choose from a number of options to subdivide your screen. The new Share mechanism works similarly: With the file selected by your mouse, you drag it to the top of your screen to select various options.

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However, Microsoft is also adding new tweaks to the Start menu, which the company has shown off before.

You’ll be able to configure Start in a couple of ways: via a new grid view, organized alphabetically; as well as a new “categories” view. The first is pretty straightforward, and looks like just another tweak to the alphabetized “All” view already in place. The new Category view will auto-organize apps into different categories, based upon what Microsoft knows about the app and how frequently it’s used.

“We plan to begin rolling this out to Windows Insiders who are receiving updates based on Windows 11, version 24H2 in the Dev and Beta Channels soon,” Microsoft said.

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As always, Microsoft doesn’t always deliver all of the new features right away, even if you subscribe to the Insider channels. Make sure you have the toggle turned on within Windows Update, to get the latest updates as they become available.