Insider preview version: Microsoft wants to speed up Windows

An afterburner for Windows, no less, is included in the current Windows Insider preview in the Release Preview channel. In the future, the taskbar is also to become more flexible.

In the announcement of the Windows Insider preview, the most exciting feature is almost overlooked. A brief section on “General Performance” explains that the update speeds up app launches and core shell experiences such as the Start menu, search, and Action Center. Behind this is a so-called “Low Latency Profile,” as Zac Bowden of Windows Central, who is usually well-informed, reports. This involves a temporary boost of the CPU clock to maximum when starting an app or when expanding system functions like the Start menu. This is intended to improve the responsiveness of app launches by up to 40 percent and system functions by up to 70 percent. The function is not visible or adjustable for users. However, a look at the performance tab of Task Manager can provide clues about the active function. Microsoft is thus catching up with other operating systems. Since Android 13, for example, there has been a “GAME_LOADING” mode that ramps up the CPU frequency and thus loads games faster.

Windows Insider Preview: Further Improvements

The other changes, on the other hand, are somewhat less significant. They are also already known from older previews in the Beta and Dev channels, such as split audio, where two people can listen to the same sound simultaneously via Bluetooth LE Audio. The screen magnifier is intended to harmonize better, especially with screen readers. For processors with a built-in NPU (AI coprocessor), Task Manager provides improved insights into AI-related system loads. The camera in the system can now be used with multiple apps simultaneously. The announcement lists other minor improvements.

In addition, Microsoft's developers are also working on improvements for the taskbar. It will soon be possible to pin it to any edge of the screen, writes Microsoft in a blog post. This was one of the biggest criticisms that deterred many people from switching from Windows 10 to Windows 11. The positioning of icons on the taskbar can be selected for each taskbar position. This will be adjustable in the Windows settings under “Personalization” – “Taskbar” in the expandable menu “Taskbar behavior.” In addition, an option is to be added that configures a more compact Start menu. Interested parties can try out the changes in the “Experimental” Insider channel.

What Microsoft releases in the Release Preview channel, according to experience, will also be available in the Windows Update preview for the upcoming patch day updates by the end of the month. Thus, all Windows 11 users should enjoy a significantly faster-feeling operating system at the end of May. However, Microsoft does not release all functions at the same time. It is possible that a little more patience will be required – or a ViveTool ID to enable the function. For the Insider preview, it is apparently ID 58989092; shortly before, IDs 60716524 and 61391826 were still valid. The ID is likely to change again in the general release.

(dmk)