It’s been a relatively quiet month what with Thanksgiving in the U.S. and Microsoft slowly winding down for the holiday season. Nevertheless, Windows 11 officially got File Explorer tabs in the November Patch Tuesday update, Qualcomm announced new Arm technology for Windows on Arm PCs, and Microsoft released its last Windows Insider preview build of 2022.
Windows 11 officially gets File Explorer tabs and more
As part of November’s Patch Tuesday cumulative update (CU), Windows 11 22H2 users got an updated version of File Explorer that now includes a tabbed interface and a new Favorites section where you can pin individual files. Additionally, app overflow is now supported on the taskbar.
Windows 11 File Explorer tabs
Other features in File Explorer include improved OneDrive integration, where you can see the syncing status of a folder and quickly access OneDrive settings, recycle bin, and view the folder online. The update naturally comes with the usual array of security and reliability fixes.
Windows 10 version 22H2 now ready for broad deployment
While we’re still not sure exactly what this update contains apparently, Microsoft announced that the Windows 10 22H2 update is now ready for broad deployment. Such announcements are not usually made until 6 months after release. But considering this is such a minor update, this time round it’s happened faster.
The update is optional for users running Windows 10 version 20H2 or newer. Microsoft says it includes ‘a scoped set of features’, but it has never shared more details. My guess is that most of these new ‘features’ are for enterprises and won’t concern most small businesses or consumers.
Windows Photos app gets iCloud Photos integration on Windows 11
If you use the Windows 11 Photos app to manage your photographs, then you can now use iCloud Photos in addition to OneDrive to sync your photo storage. To get this integration, you’ll need to install the iCloud for Windows app from the Microsoft Store.
Windows Subsystem for Linux now generally available in the Microsoft Store
Developers and other interested parties can now install the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) directly from the Microsoft Store. This feature was previously available in preview. Microsoft is saying that the Store version of WSL is now the default experience and that those who use the Store to install WSL will receive updates much faster.
Windows Subsystem for Linux in the Microsoft Store
Up until now, the supported method of installing WSL was by adding it as an ‘optional’ Windows component in the Settings app. The Store version of WSL brings WSL 2 as the default distribution type. WSL 1 can still be used but it will only be supported for users who installed WSL as an optional Windows component.
The new Store version of WSL also brings Linux GUI app support for Windows 10 users, which was previously only available in Windows 11.
Windows App SDK 1.2 now available
Microsoft released the Windows App SDK version 1.2 in November. This new version of the SDK brings the ability for developers to create widgets for their own apps in Windows 11. There are also more modern WinUI controls, …….