- Home windows 11 has a brand new optionally available replace
- It is a large one, delivering a complete load of latest options
- These embody an AI agent in Settings, a brand new quick-recovery choice for PCs that will not boot, and added AI options for a lot of Home windows 11 apps
Home windows 11 has a brand new replace in preview, and it is a hefty obtain which packs in a variety of options, a lot of that are AI-related (and for Copilot+ PCs solely, with their beefy NPUs).
That is patch KB5062660 for Home windows 11 24H2, and it must be famous that that is an optionally available (preview) replace, which means that it is nonetheless in testing, so the varied options should have bugs (set up it at your individual danger, in different phrases).
Every thing must be absolutely knocked into form by the point the total replace for August arrives, which is when all these options can be formally deployed (or must be – though some are on a ‘managed rollout’, which means they’re going to be drip-fed out).
So, with these caveats out of the way in which, what have we obtained to sit up for with this optionally available replace (and subsequent month’s full improve)?
This is my decide of the highest options rolling out with KB5062660 (once more, keep in mind that some are for Copilot+ laptops solely).
1. AI agent in Settings
The headline performance right here is, sadly for many of us, for Copilot+ PCs solely, and it is the addition of the primary so-called Home windows Agent. That is an AI agent particularly for the Settings app, and it permits you to discover and manipulate the choices you want in a way more handy approach.
Usually, looking for a setting entails utilizing the search performance, which could be reasonably hit-or-miss. With the AI agent, you are basically getting an clever search the place you may merely ask a query (in pure language) pertaining to what you are making an attempt to do in Home windows 11, and the agent will (hopefully) instantly floor the right setting.
The AI would not simply discover the appropriate setting for you, however also can make solutions as to what adjustments you may need to make as nicely. Take a look at the video clip above of the agent in motion to get a taste of the way it all works.
That is simply rolling out to Arm-based Copilot+ PCs (with Snapdragon CPUs) to start out with, however assist for AMD and Intel chips is “coming quickly” (it is also for the English language solely initially).
Suffice it to say this is among the extra spectacular makes use of of AI in Home windows 11 I’ve seen thus far, alongside extra clever Home windows 11 search from the desktop (for each Copilot+ laptops, and different PCs too). Sure, Microsoft seems to be progressing total search capabilities properly with AI, which is nice to see.
2. Click on to Do advantages
Click on to Do is Microsoft’s array of context-sensitive AI-powered choices in Home windows 11 (for Copilot+ PCs), and some extra shortcuts (for chosen textual content or pictures) have been added right here. That features a alternative to fireplace up Studying Coach, which is a free app (put in by way of the Microsoft Retailer) that goals that will help you polish up your studying abilities (pronunciation and extra in addition to).
Secondly, Immersive Reader is now in Click on to Do, which takes any textual content and presents it in a “distraction-free atmosphere”, permitting you to regulate textual content measurement, font, spacing, and a bunch of different parameters to make all the pieces extra simply readable. It additionally helps with studying abilities (breaking down phrases into syllables, offering an image dictionary, and extra).
Draft with Copilot can be now in Phrase (for Microsoft 365 Copilot subscribers), permitting you to show a sentence (or quick abstract) right into a prolonged full draft penned by the AI.
3. Fast restoration from boot failure
Microsoft’s Fast Machine Restoration (or QMR) is now arriving for all PCs (not simply Copilot+ units), which is the flexibility to get well from an issue meaning your PC will not boot. That is the nightmare state of affairs all of us dread, and the thought is that you can get assist by way of the Home windows Restoration Setting (which could be accessed in case your system will not boot to the desktop).
QMR permits for diagnostic information to be despatched to Microsoft and hopefully a patch could be despatched again to treatment the issue, or that is the thought. One other avenue of troubleshooting – one which’s utterly automated – is clearly a good suggestion, and I am wanting ahead to seeing how helpful this can be. (And I ought to make clear, I am eager to see how competent this characteristic is – to not personally use it, hopefully. We will all hope that it is a display we do not ever have to go to).
A bunch of latest AI-powered performance for pictures is now inbound (for Copilot+ PCs), as beforehand seen in testing. That features a Relight capability within the Photographs app – permitting you to position digital gentle sources to vary the lighting in a picture – and object choose within the Paint app, which makes use of AI to pick out any given object (so that you don’t have to take action manually).
An analogous characteristic to the latter is coming to the Snipping Software known as ‘good screenshot’, which helps you to roughly choose an space of the display you need to seize, after which robotically makes a exact crop of that factor, taking the ache out of that course of. (Once more, examine the above video to see how this works).
Different strikes – together with an necessary repair
There’s rather a lot happening with this replace, as talked about, and one other improvement is that Recall is now being deployed in Europe. Beforehand, this AI-supercharged search (that works utilizing frequently taken display grabs) wasn’t out within the European Financial Space (EEA), however it’s now, and it comes with a brand new capability. That is the choice to export its screenshots (known as snapshots) to “trusted third-party apps and web sites” (wherever you need, principally – must you want to share this information).
Moreover, all Recall customers are getting a reset button, which deletes all information referring to the characteristic and restores Recall to its unique settings, must you want to begin afresh (or certainly abandon the flexibility and switch it off).
Additionally, the Black Display screen of Demise is now official, so wave goodbye to the blue model that is been with us so lengthy, and say hi there to a extra streamlined effort every time your PC is unlucky sufficient to witness Home windows 11 locking up. (I am undecided about this alteration, as I’ve mentioned elsewhere at size just lately).
The Gamepad format within the digital keyboard for Home windows 11 now advantages from “enhanced controller navigation” which incorporates phrase solutions and higher dealing with of menus, in addition to the flexibility to make use of a gamepad to sign up from the Home windows lock display (by way of the PIN panel).
Lastly, this preview replace fixes an issue with the Might 2025 replace for Home windows 11 which induced some PCs to endure instability points (crashes). Microsoft says this was a “uncommon” bug that did not have an effect on many, nevertheless it appears like a very nasty one, so having it resolved will likely be a reduction.
