Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 23506 (Update)

Microsoft announced the release of Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 23506 to the Dev Channel. Additionally, ISOs for this build were also released for download. One of the remarkable features of this new build is the Passwordless Experience with Windows Hello for Business (WHFB). WHFB is designed to provide organizations with a strong, phish-resistant credential, thereby aiding them towards a passwordless future.

Hello, Windows Insiders! On July 19, 2023, we released the Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 23506 to the Dev Channel. 

What's New in Build 23506

Passwordless Experience with Windows Hello for Business

Enterprises can now set an EnablePasswordlessExperience policy for a passwordless user experience on Azure Active Directory (AAD) joined machines. The new experience hides passwords from certain Windows authentication scenarios and employs passwordless recovery mechanisms, such as Windows Hello for Business (WHFB) PIN reset.

Unsafe Password Copy and Paste Warnings

Enhanced Phishing Protection in Microsoft Defender SmartScreen helps protect Microsoft school or work passwords against phishing and unsafe usage on sites and apps. From this build, users with enabled warning options for Windows Security will see a UI warning on unsafe password copy and paste.

 

 

Local File Sharing Improvements

Improvements have been made to the built-in Windows share window and nearby sharing for sharing local files from your PC. These include a redesigned Windows share window to match the Windows 11 design principles, emailing files through Outlook directly within the Windows share window, a new search box for contacts, and faster file sharing between PCs using Wi-Fi Direct.

The New Outlook for Windows

Starting with this build, the new Outlook for Windows Preview is now an inbox app. It allows users to connect work and personal emails, calendars, and contacts in one secure place.

Post-OOBE Experiences

New experiences for after completing OOBE (“out of box experience”) have been introduced starting with this build, including Dev Home and the Get Started app.

Changes and Improvements

Several changes and improvements have been introduced, including Windows Copilot Preview now available to all Windows Insiders in the Dev Channel, richer emoji with a 3D like appearance, voice access now available via the accessibility flyout on the Lock screen, and the ability to configure your backup preferences in second-chance out of box experience (SCOOBE).

Fixes

Numerous issues have been fixed, including crashes in explorer.exe, issues with the copy button for quickly copying two-factor authentication (2FA) codes in notification toasts, and issues related to Dynamic Lighting and others.

Known Issues

There are several known issues with this build, including Alt + Tab not working to switch back into Windows Copilot, variable performance on different hardware with Dev Drive, and several issues with File Explorer, Dynamic Lighting, and Windows Ink.

For Developers

The latest Windows Insider SDK is available for download, with SDK NuGet packages now flighting, which include .NET TFM packages for use in .NET apps, C++ packages for Win32 headers and libs per architecture, and a BuildTools package. SDK flights are now published for both the Canary and Dev Channels.

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