Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22518 brings Spotlight wallpapers for desktop, Voice

[harlan4096]

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22518 is now available for participants in the Developer Channel. It brings a couple of new features, and fixes quite a few issues.

What's new in Windows 11 Build 22518 Spotlight Collection Backgrounds

The lock screen on Windows 10 and 11 displays a new image from time-to-time, this is Microsoft's Spotlight. Windows 11 Build 22518 extends this feature with the Spotlight Collection Backgrounds. You can now set the operating system to change the desktop wallpaper dynamically from the Settings app.

Head to the Settings > Personalization > Background and choose the Spotlight Collection. This feature is currently available in the following countries: Australia, Canada, China, Finland, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Korea, Norway, Spain, Sweden, U.K., U.S. Microsoft says it will add support for more Countries in the future.

There is a tool called Windows Spotlight Extractor, that lets you download the images for offline use, it also works with Windows 10.

Widgets button relocated to the left side

The Widgets button has been moved to the left edge of the taskbar. Technically, this isn't new as I had the Widgets button on the left for a day or two, prior to Build 22518's release. I believe this happened because the app related to it, Windows Web Experience Pack, had been updated via the Microsoft Store.

When Windows 11 was released, people's attention, including mine, was on the centered Taskbar and Start Menu. It felt like the biggest change. The icons that you have pinned are at the center of The taskbar, while the right edge of the taskbar is home to the Date and Time, the System Tray icons, and the Action Center. That's a lot of stuff crammed into one location. But, if you look at the left side of the Taskbar, it has zilch. That is a waste of space. So, from that perspective, I think that moving the Widgets button to the left is an interesting change. It also kind of makes sense, since the Widgets panel's animation appears from the left side of the screen.

That said, I think some people may dislike the change. Maybe you prefer the left edge to be spotless, or you just like having all the icons at the center. Sadly, there doesn't seem to be a way to move the Widgets shortcut back to where it was. Microsoft should let people choose the position of the icon, instead of making changes willy-nilly.

If you don't like the Widgets, you can remove the feature completely.
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