Hidden features in Windows Build 23451 (Dev)

Windows Build 23451, released today to Insiders in the Dev channel, includes several new features that aren't enabled by default. Microsoft rolls out some of them gradually, so a number lucky Insiders see them after upgrading to this build. But other features aren't available to anyone. Here's what you can enable manually in Windows 11 Build 23451.

Please note that enabling work-in-progress features may result in various issues with your operating system. These can affect the stability, reliability, and performance of your system. As such, it is not recommended to enable any hidden feature if you have any mission-critical tasks for your Insider Preview OS instance.

How to enable hidden features Windows 11 Build 23451

Activating a desired feature is a simple procedure. You need to download ViVeTool, a freeware and open-source feature management app, place it to a convenient location, and issue a command to activate the desired feature. Do the following.

Prerequisites

1. First of all, download the ViVeTool freeware app from GitHub.
2. Extract the files from the downloaded ZIP archive to the c:\vivetool folder.
3. Now, press Win + X and select Terminal(Admin) from the menu.
4. In either PowerShell or Command Prompt tab, type one of the commands reviewed below.
5. Restart Windows 11 to apply the change.

Improved tabs in File Explorer

The newer File Explorer in Build 23451 (the WASDK-based one) again allows dragging tabs between windows. Also, you can now drag a tab out of the window to open it in its own window. The following video demonstrates how it works.

The following ViVeTool command enables the new tab behavior.

c:\vivetool\vivetool /enable /id:39661369,40729001,42105254,42295138

Also, keep in mind that you need to have enable the WASDK based File Explorer. It is the one that has a pizza icon in the toolbar. I have included the necessary IDs in the above command.

Updated Start Menu

The Start menu is back with the website recommendations. But now, instead of suggesting links from an irrelevant source, the Start menu will pick a website from your Edge or Chrome browsing history.

To enable recommended websites based on browsing history, run

c:\vivetool\vivetool /enable /id:42905461

Start menu badge notifications

Microsoft also continues to roll-out badge notifications inside the user icon menu. They will remind the user about important actions like backup, maintenance. Also, there will be general recommendations like switching to a Microsoft Account from a local account.

To enable these, issue the following command.

vivetool /enable /id:41981645,36435151,41121012

Phone Photos integration in File Explorer Gallery

The new "Gallery" feature in File Explorer has got an option to showcase the images from your phone. There is a button for that.

Obviously, the Phone must be paired via the Phone Link app. However, it is a work in progress, so the new button does nothing as of now.

To see the gallery, you need to enable the WASDK (new) File Explorer:

c:\vivetool\vivetool /enable /id:40729001,42105254,42295138

And then enable the Gallery folder:

c:\vivetool\vivetool /enable /id:41040327

New Home page in Settings

The is some progress regarding the new start page for the Settings app. In build 23451 , it has got a new ID, SettingsHomepage, 42058345.  But sadly it is still force disabled, so ViVeTool cannot enable it for you.

However, it system files, a new set of string resources indicates that the Home page will be able to render device cards. They say

• 'Connected devices'
• 'Manage, add, and remove devices'

Widget Icon Animation  in Taskbar

There is also a small update to Widget icon animation in the taskbar. The icon for cloudy weather is now animated. Here's how it looks.

New Spotlight UI

In build 23451, Microsoft is testing new UI variants for Windows Spotlight. It continues to support core Windows Spotlight features, including hovering over the icon on the desktop, right-clicking the icon, and double-clicking the icon. Both treatments will include 4K portrait images and the ability to learn more about each desktop image.

However, they all look different. You can enable one of the following Spotlight UI styles.

Variant 1

Variant 2

Variant 3

To enable the new Spotlight UI, run these commands.

1. c:\vivetool\vivetool /enable /id:39880030,40522394,41744267,43527701
2. c:\vivetool\vivetool /enable /id:40268500 /variant:X. Here, substitute X with 1, 2 or 3, depending on which UI variant you want to activate.

Thanks to PhantomOcean3 , Albacore and  Xeno users for the information.