Microsoft makes the first more stable Windows 11 version available in Beta Channel
Microsoft has released a first Beta Channel version of Windows 11. This Windows 11 version will be more stable than the Dev Channel releases. The Beta version has many features of the Dev version, although the Teams chat function in the taskbar is not yet active.
Users in the Beta Channel can now download Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22000.100. This version was released to users in the Dev channel last Thursday. The Beta version has the same fixes and improvements as the Dev version, although Microsoft has now discovered some new problems. For example, links to specific pages in Settings that are not working correctly, or the Taskbar that continuously crashes in Windows Sandbox.
In addition, the Beta version does not yet have access to Chat from Microsoft Teams. A Teams chat function is added to the taskbar. When clicking on the Teams button, a window opens like the start menu opens, so no separate window is opened. This feature is now being phased out to Dev users; sometime in the coming weeks, Beta users will get the feature.
The Beta Channel version is more stable than the Dev versions, according to Microsoft, and suitable for early adopters and IT professionals who want to see what’s new in Windows 11, or validate the new version. It will get ‘trusted updates validated by Microsoft’. Dev users should consider moving to the more stable Beta version, according to Microsoft.
The Verge notes that moving from Dev to Beta normally requires a full OS reinstall, but with Windows 11 a reboot should suffice. In the settings menu under the Windows Update heading, users can choose which Insider channel users want to be in.
The current Beta version contains many changes from Windows 10, such as a new interface with a changed start menu, changed taskbar and widgets, and revised Microsoft Store. This Windows 11 version does not have all the announced features yet; for example, it is not yet possible to download Android apps from the Microsoft Store. Windows 11 will be released later this year.