Windows 11 2022 Update live blog: Here’s everything you need to know

One thing not many people talk about is the new eco-friendly features in Windows 11, especially the ability to be carbon aware.

With the right data, Windows 11 can operate in a more environmentally friendly way, scheduling Windows updates at times when it could lead to lower carbon emissions.

It just doesn’t work, though. First, the computer must be plugged in and connected to the Internet – a reasonable assumption. Second, it needs data from your power grid that describes current levels of regional carbon intensity. Smart Grids have this, although it’s not immediately clear if they are or can send this information back to your home or office and for Windows 11 to use.

Yet we appreciate the effort in a world where the climate is changing rapidly and every little bit counts. At least we hope so.

This will do it for me and this Windows 11 Update live blog. Be sure to check out all of TechRadar’s coverage on the major update.

As this Windows 11 update rolls out, it’s worth reading the fine print on what’s supported “out of the box” and what might require that bit of extra hardware for the TO DO.

Windows Studios Effects, for example, seems to be able to supercharge video meetings with AI-enhanced voice focus (cuts out all background noise) and background blur to cut out the unmade bed behind you. Microsoft also mentions “Eye Contact,” an AI-powered feature that makes it look like you’re always looking at the camera, even when you’re not.

The idea is that it will appear to your video call recipient as if you are making intense eye contact with them. It’s a cool and slightly weird feature that I saw in action once, right after the launch of Microsoft’s Surface Pro X convertible laptop.

In fact, it was the only device that supported it at the time. Since then there has been more hardware support. That said, there is no guarantee that your laptop’s camera and subsystem will support this feature. So, yes, be thrilled if it is, but don’t be too disappointed if you can’t maintain artificial eye contact with your updated Windows 11 PC.

Hi TechRadar US Editor Lance Ulanoff picks up Daryl Baxter.

There’s a lot to digest in this Windows 11 update, but I’m focusing on the details.

For example, Microsoft says the latest version of Windows offers improvements to Snap layouts that should make you more productive. I often use these tools to manage up to six windows on two screens, but found some controls less intuitive. I hope these updates will make them, as Microsoft promises, more versatile, but also easier to use.

However, what really intrigues me is the promise of Snap Layouts in the Microsoft Edge browser.

You see, I’m an “Edgey” (yes, I just made it up), which means I use Microsoft Edge as my default browser. It’s better, faster and lighter than Chrome. It also has cool tools like collections and vertical tabs. Now with Windows 11 it has Snap Layouts. This could be a game changer, especially with the number of tabs I manage and how often I have to reference multiple web pages at once.

Looks like the Windows 11 2022 Update hype is waning for its first day, and so I’m signing out.

If you want to get in touch with anything you’ve found on the new update so far, my contact details are here.

Goodbye!

We stumbled upon a redesigned task manager in a previous version of Insider, and it’s finally arrived in the new update.

Alongside Dark Mode, you can create crash logs to better understand why an app crashed, and there’s a new “Efficiency Mode,” which can limit how apps use your PC in memory and CPU usage to better control the battery life of your laptop for example.

Our friends at TechRadar Pro have highlighted the security features in this new update, covering areas like identity, patch management, malware protection, and more.

An important new feature is called Smart App Control, a new AI-enabled system that can prevent users from running malicious apps in Windows 11.

If you’ve been waiting for a calibration app for your HDR monitor, the wait is over.

A tweet announces the availability of one, where you can easily configure the best image appearance on your monitor when watching content or playing games.

Another post from Darren, where Microsoft announced that Android apps are faster in this 2022 update.

Apps now launch “two to three times faster performance in terms of graphics, and better input for touch controls, plus mouse and keyboard for that matter.”

There’s also wider availability for the feature, with it coming to Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK.

One of our fantastic freelancers, Darren Allan, has penned a cool new feature in the update – a control bar.

Allan describes this as a way to launch a game by pressing the “Xbox” button on an Xbox controller, making it easier to get to your games much faster than before.

There’s also better support for Auto HDR, and if you’re not sure what that is, we’ve put together a handy guide on that.

And like clockwork, the update shows as available on my gaming PC.

Windows had to install another update first, and after a reboot and back to Windows Update in Settings, the 22H2 update suddenly appeared.

And yes it is Tomb Raider 2 (opens in a new tab) in the background, arguably one of the greatest games of all time.

If you are having trouble seeing the new update on your PC in Windows Updatewe have created a guide to try and get the process going.

Although the update is yet to show up on my gaming PC, the Insider Program is enabled for it, so tabs in File Explorer is something I’ve been using for weeks. Microsoft tells us the feature will launch next month.

Without sounding dramatic like a soap show (opens in a new tab) on TV, this feature changed the way I manage files and content on my PC, and it’s been a long time coming.

A great feature of the new update (opens in a new tab) is better accessibility options. Live captions can finally be used across the entire operating system, from Teams calls to watching a video.

We’re live with Windows 11’s first major update since its release last year. But does it show for you?