Windows 11 KB5079387 Released in Preview with Enhanced Settings and Input Updates

Microsoft has released a new preview update, KB5079387, for Windows 11 versions 24H2 and 25H2. This update is currently available to Insiders in the Release Preview Channel and is expected to roll out to the general public as an optional update by the end of March, with a wider release following in April. KB5079387 brings a variety of enhancements, focusing on improvements to the Settings app, input methods, File Explorer, and display capabilities, alongside accessibility features.

The Release Preview Channel serves as the final testing ground before features and fixes are deployed to all Windows 11 users. This phased rollout allows Microsoft to identify and address any potential issues on a diverse range of hardware and configurations, ensuring a smoother transition for the broader user base.

Enhanced Settings and User Experience

Significant refinements have been made to the Windows 11 Settings app, aiming to streamline navigation and improve the overall user experience. The “Settings > System > About” page has been restructured to present device specifications more clearly and logically, with quicker access to related components like Storage settings.

A new device information card has been introduced on the Settings home page. This card consolidates key device attributes, making them more accessible and scannable for users who need quick access to essential system details.

Furthermore, the reliability of downloading necessary updates when prompted within “Settings > System > Advanced” has been improved. This enhancement aims to reduce user frustration associated with failed update interactions, a common source of support issues.

For Microsoft 365 Family subscribers, the update introduces the convenience of upgrading their plans directly from the “Settings > Accounts” page. This integration simplifies the subscription management process for users.

Dialogs within “Settings > Accounts > Other users” have also received a visual overhaul. They now align with Windows’ modern design aesthetic and fully support dark mode, ensuring greater visual consistency across the operating system.

Advanced Input and Accessibility Features

KB5079387 brings notable improvements to input methods and accessibility tools, making Windows 11 more versatile and user-friendly for a wider range of users. The Narrator screen reader has received several enhancements, including more reliable setup for Natural Voices.

Rich image descriptions are now more widely available. Users can press “Narrator key + Ctrl + D” to describe a focused image or “Narrator key + Ctrl + S” to describe the full screen.

On Copilot+ PCs, Narrator offers instant, on-device descriptions. Additionally, users can select “Ask Copilot” for more detailed, customized descriptions, with the image data only being shared after explicit user consent.

For pen users, a modern pen setting experience has been implemented. The pen tail button can now be configured to open the same application as the Copilot key, offering a more personalized and efficient workflow.

Voice Typing, accessible via “Windows key + H,” has been integrated into File Explorer’s inline rename boxes. This allows users to rename files hands-free, which is particularly useful for lengthy file names or when multitasking.

Voice Access has also seen improvements in how numbers are detected and written when using the English language, further enhancing its utility for voice-controlled navigation and input.

File Explorer Enhancements

File Explorer benefits from several quality-of-life improvements in this update, addressing common user pain points and streamlining file management tasks. The reliability of unblocking files downloaded from the internet has been enhanced, ensuring that these files can be previewed more consistently in the Preview pane without spurious blocks or confusing prompts.

This improvement is particularly valuable for users who frequently download documents and need to quickly preview them without the need to open external applications, thus reducing friction in their workflow.

Additionally, users can now sort the permission entries within the “Advanced Security Settings” window for a folder by “Principal.” This feature aids administrators and power users in auditing and modifying Access Control Lists (ACLs) more effectively.

The update also addresses minor visual glitches, such as context menu and icon fixes that reduce flickering and the appearance of missing entries, contributing to a more stable and polished File Explorer experience.

Display and Graphics Improvements

Significant advancements have been made in display and graphics support, catering to users with high-refresh-rate monitors and those leveraging USB4 connections. Monitors can now report refresh rates exceeding 1000 Hz to the operating system.

This expanded support is crucial for users with extreme high-refresh gaming displays and specialized monitors, addressing previous reporting gaps and ensuring better compatibility.

When using a native USB4 monitor connection, the USB controller can now enter its lowest power level while the PC is sleeping. This power-saving feature is particularly beneficial for laptops and connected devices, helping to conserve battery life.

The reliability of auto-rotation after resuming from sleep has been improved, ensuring a smoother transition for devices that utilize this feature.

HDR reliability has been enhanced for displays with non-compliant DisplayID 2.0 descriptors. This update mitigates issues such as unstable HDR toggles, washed-out color shifts, or unexpected fallbacks to SDR, making HDR more usable across a wider range of devices.

Monitors utilizing DisplayID now report a more accurate size through WMI monitor APIs. This improved reporting aids color management, scaling, and calibration tools by providing better information from the display hardware.

Furthermore, the update introduces optimizations for windowed games, aiming to lower latency and enable Auto HDR and Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) in these contexts. This feature helps narrow input-lag gaps and allows for a more immersive gaming experience without requiring exclusive full-screen modes.

Security and System Stability

KB5079387 includes improvements to security features and overall system stability. The Smart App Control (SAC) feature, designed to block untrusted or potentially harmful applications, can now be toggled on or off without requiring a clean installation of Windows.

This significant change simplifies management for both users and administrators, as previously, enabling or disabling SAC often necessitated a full system reinstallation. This makes it easier to test and manage software allow/block controls.

Windows Hello fingerprint reliability has been improved on certain devices, offering a more consistent and dependable biometric authentication experience.

The stability of the Windows Recovery Environment (Windows RE) has been enhanced, particularly for running x64 applications on ARM64 devices. This ensures a more predictable experience during recovery tasks, such as offline repairs or crash diagnostics on ARM-based hardware.

An extraneous error message that users sometimes encountered when running “sfc /scannow” has been removed, contributing to a cleaner command-line experience.

The update also addresses reliability issues related to loading Taskbar components in Safe Mode, ensuring more consistent behavior even in diagnostic environments.

Underlying System and Driver Updates

Beyond user-facing features, KB5079387 includes underlying system improvements and updates that contribute to the overall robustness of Windows 11. The downlevel baseline for printer connections has been updated to align with Windows 10, version 1607, and Windows Server 2016 (build 14393).

This update affects environments that manage distributed printing across mixed operating system versions, aiming for broader compatibility and smoother printing operations.

For developers and IT professionals, the ability to sort permission entries in the Advanced Security Settings window of File Explorer by “Principal” offers a more granular control and audit capability for folder permissions.

The introduction of checkpoint cumulative updates, a feature refined in Windows 11 version 24H2, allows for more efficient updates by delivering only the changes made since the previous checkpoint. This saves time, bandwidth, and storage space, streamlining the update process for all users.

This approach to cumulative updates ensures that devices receive necessary features and security enhancements through smaller, incremental differentials, optimizing the overall update experience.