Windows Insider Previews bring switch for administrator protection

Microsoft has released new Windows preview versions in the Insider channels. They include settings for administrator protection, among other things.

The Windows Insider builds in the Beta Channel (Build 26220.8138) and in the Dev Channel (Build 26300.8142) bring largely identical changes. Microsoft is thus again distributing the new security feature "Administrator Protection," which supplements user account control with authentication and is intended to provide better privilege separation than the old UAC mechanism. In addition, the developers are now adding settings under "Privacy & Security" – "Windows Security" – "Account Protection." A toggle allows the feature to be activated or deactivated. A restart is then required to apply the setting.

For touchpads, the programmers have added a new setting under "Settings" – "Bluetooth & devices" – "Touchpad," with which users can select how large the right-click area is, i.e., the area on the bottom right of the touchpad that triggers a right-click event when clicked with one finger. The setting options therefore include "Default," "Small," "Medium," and "Large." The feature is only available for clickable touchpads. If manufacturers provide such settings in their own software, there is also an entry "Custom" in the drop-down menu (English: "Custom"), which adopts this setting.

Windows Insider Previews: Minor improvements

In addition, the developers are bringing further minor improvements, for example in Task Manager. On computers with an AI coprocessor (NPU), it displays the optional columns "NPU" and "NPU Engine" on the "Processes," "Users," and "Details" pages. The details also provide information about the NPU's dedicated memory and its shared memory. Via "Neural Engines" running on the GPU, Task Manager now provides information on the "Performance" page. Task Manager thus enables a more complete overview of AI-related system activities. In addition, the new "Isolation" column on the "Processes" and "Details" pages indicates which apps are running in an AppContainer.

Only in the Dev Channel do printers that support Windows Protected Print Mode in their settings get a new icon. It is a symbolic shield with a green checkmark. In addition, the developers have fixed problems with the use of Braille.

Latest Insider Previews in the Canary Channel

Finally, there is a new preview in the Canary Insider Channel on Build 29558.1000. In particular, Microsoft highlights the new Windows Console, which is part of the open-source Windows Terminal project. This means changes from the open-source community are now landing in Windows. The release announcement lists various minor details, but the support for inline graphics displayed in the console is particularly striking. As an example, WinGet displays the large PowerToys icon in the terminal when updating PowerToys.

(dmk)