Windows 11 Build 25324 hits the Canary channel with USB4 settings, Widgets improvements, and more

Microsoft has released Windows 11 Build 25324 to insiders who are on the Canary channel. They will find an updated three-column widget panel, a settings page for USB4 hubs and devices, password insecure copy and paste warnings, and more.

What's new in Windows 11 Build 25324

Widget Improvements

Microsoft is starting testing an updated three-column widget panel (if supported by the device) with a clear separation between the widget and newsfeed sections. This will allow users to quickly access content from their apps and services, as well as give them the option to take a break from watching personalized news content.

This change is not yet available to all Insiders on the Canary channel. Microsoft wants to collect feedback from a small group of users before the change is made available to all Insiders.

USB4 settings page

Added a settings page for USB4 hubs and devices in the "Settings" -> "Bluetooth and Devices" -> "USB" section. USB4 delivers higher performance for docking stations, high performance peripherals, displays and chargers. The USB4 settings page provides information about the capabilities of the system and connected peripherals if the computer supports USB4. This information will help you troubleshoot if users need help from the device manufacturer or system administrator.

Features available on this page:

• View connected hubs and USB4 devices in a tree format.
• View attributes and features associated with USB4.
• Copying data to the clipboard so that it can be passed on to a helpdesk or system administrator for troubleshooting.

If the system does not support USB4 through Microsoft USB4 Connection Manager, this page will not be displayed.

If the system supports USB4, then in the "Device Manager" you can find "USB4 Host Router".

Password Insecure Copy and Paste Warnings

In Windows 11 version 22H2 (and later), Microsoft Defender SmartScreen's advanced anti-phishing protection helps protect school and work Microsoft account passwords from insecure use on websites and apps. Starting with this build, users who have enabled warnings in Windows Security -> Application & Browsing Control -> Reputation-Based Protection -> Anti-Phishing will see a warning popup when copying and pasting their password insecurely. The same warning appears when entering a password on a potentially phishing site.

This change is not yet available to all Insiders on the Canary channel. Microsoft wants to collect feedback from a small group of users before the change is made available to all Insiders.

SHA-3 support

Added support for the SHA-3 family of hash functions and SHA-3 derivatives (SHAKE, cSHAKE, KMAC). The SHA-3 family of algorithms are the latest hash functions standardized by the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Support for these algorithms is implemented in the Windows CNG library.

• Supported SHA-3 hash functions: SHA3-256, SHA3-384, SHA3-512 (SHA3-224 is not supported).
• Supported SHA-3 HMAC algorithms: HMAC-SHA3-256, HMAC-SHA3-384, HMAC-SHA3-512.
• Supported SHA-3 derived algorithms: Extensible Output Functions (XOF) (SHAKE128, SHAKE256), Custom XOF (cSHAKE128, cSHAKE256), and KMAC (KMAC128, KMAC256, KMACXOF128, KMACXOF256).

Changes and improvements

• Widgets:
  • Microsoft is starting testing animated icons from widgets on the taskbar. The animation is triggered when you hover over or click the Widgets button on the taskbar, or when a new notification is received from a widget. Icons for weather and finance are currently supported.
• Taskbar search:
  • When you access the new Bing, a new button will appear in the taskbar search box that opens the Bing chatbot in Microsoft Edge. If the new Bing is not available to you, then the search field will display a button to dynamically highlight text. This change is currently not available to all Insiders.
• Input:
  • Updated several fonts for Simplified Chinese and Microsoft Pinyin IME to support GB18030-2022. This update enables the input and display of compliance level 1 or 2 characters using the Microsoft add-ons Yahei, Simsun, and Dengxian. The Simsun Ext-B font now supports the E and F Unicode extensions to meet level 3 requirements.
• Options:
  • Due to the end of support for the Microsoft Support Diagnostic Tool (MSDT) and MSDT Troubleshooters , Microsoft has begun redirecting some of the troubleshooting tools found in Settings > System > Troubleshoot and other areas of the OS into the new Technical support".
  • If you have multiple cameras that support Windows Hello, you can now select the desired camera from Settings -> Accounts -> Sign In Options.
     
• File Explorer:
  • Some changes have been made that should significantly improve the performance of the Compute stage when sending a large number of files to the trash at the same time.

The official announcement is here.