Windows 11 2022 Update

Windows 11 2022 Update (codenamed Sun Valley 2) is a major feature update for Windows 11 released on 20 September 2022. It includes minor improvements to the core experience, such as support for third-party Widgets, a redesigned Task Manager, as well as certain functionality omitted from the original release of Windows 11, such as drag-and-drop support for the taskbar. It is the last version of Windows to support Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 and earlier SoCs.

Dev builds of the update also introduced several features originally teased in the June 2021 event, including the redesigned versions of Notepad, Paint and Media Player, as well as the Windows Subsystem for Android, although most of these have since then been backported to the original release in the form of cumulative updates.

History
References to a future 22H2 update based on the Copper codebase were first unintentionally added to telemetry documentation in April 2021 alongside similar references to the initial Windows 11 release, as well as the Windows 10 November 2021 Update. The target later shifted to Nickel, with build 22567 being the first Insider Preview build to include version 22H2 branding.

Unlike the original release of Windows 11, the 2022 Update itself wasn't officially announced at all until its general availability on 20 September 2022. The only known public reference to the final name before its release was introduced in an update to the Get Started app pushed in late August 2022 and was reverted soon afterwards.

User interface

 * Drag-and-drop support for the taskbar has been readded.
 * The Start menu received support for creating folder groups. Additionally, the layout of the Start menu can now be changed with options for seeing more pinned apps or more recommended items.
 * The Focus assist feature has been split to Focus and Do Not Disturb.
 * The design of the system hardware change indicators has been updated to better align with the UI.
 * The ability to view, connect and disconnect Bluetooth devices from the Quick Settings flyout has been added.
 * The redesigned right-click menu has been added on This PC and on Recycle Bin.
 * Titlebars for Win32 applications have been updated to use the Mica material.
 * Enhancements to the Snap functionality.
 * Touch gestures have been improved.
 * The system print dialogs and the print queue window have received major UI redesigns. They now properly support dark mode and they now can automatically detect and install printers.

Applications

 * The Task Manager received a major redesign based on the WinUI framework, and it has a new feature: Efficiency Mode.
 * The Xbox controller bar has been added which contains instant shortcuts to all PC game launchers installed on the device.
 * The Clipchamp and Microsoft Family Safety apps have been added as inbox apps.
 * The Windows Media Player app has been renamed to Windows Media Player Legacy.
 * File Explorer updated the Quick Access page to support file pinning. It was also renamed to "Home".
 * The Settings app received new settings pages and some have been reorganized.
 * Windows Update will now install updates when more energy is available.
 * Voice Access has been added as a modern replacement for the legacy Windows Speech Recognition feature.
 * System-wide Live Captions have been added.

Miscellaneous

 * The animation of the boot screen has been changed.
 * The internet connection requirement during device setup has now been extended to the Pro edition.
 * Games running in windowed mode now properly support Auto HDR and VRR.
 * Smart App Control has been added.
 * Hyper-V ARM Generic Arch Timer support has been added.
 * Windows Sandbox, .NET Framework, and Internet Infomation Services (IIS) now have a version that runs natively on ARM64-based devices.
 * Added the  parameter to the   command, which specifies what architecture to start the process with (applicable to .NET Framework AnyCPU apps and ARM64X apps).
 * Attempting to run ARM32 apps on ARMv8 processors that do not support the ARMv7 instruction set will cause the "This app can't run on your PC" message to appear, rather than crashing directly in previous versions.

Shell

 * Tabs have been implemented into File Explorer.
 * The Suggested Actions feature has been implemented to users that live in the US, Canada and Mexico.
 * The taskbar overflow feature has been readded and redesigned.
 * The redesigned Open With dialog box (also known as the app picker) also has been implemented.
 * The "Always show menus" option has been removed from Folder Options.

Widgets

 * The ability to show live content from sports and finance widgets from the Widgets entry point has been added. Currently, this feature is only available for a subset of users.
 * The ability to show notification badges alongside with breaking news alert has been added. Currently, this feature is only available for a subset of users.
 * The Widgets entry point will collapse to a shorter width if the taskbar is full.

Miscellaneous

 * Windows Terminal has been set as the default terminal application.

Shell

 * The tablet-optimized taskbar has been added.
 * The unified hitboxes for Win32 system tray icons and the "show hidden icons" button has been added.

Controlled Feature Rollout
This release introduces a new kind of update rollout mechanism called Controlled Feature Rollout (internally referred to as moments), which delivers enablement packages to consumers multiple times a year that primarily consist of a limited set of new features backported from contemporary Dev channel builds. It is based on the same mechanisms used for Windows 10 feature updates released after the May 2020 Update, which are mere regular updates applied on top of build 19041 that enable new experiences and bump the reported version information. Similarly, moments also bump the reported build number, although it is unknown whether they will also end up changing the version identifier.

Controlled Feature Rollout is a part of Microsoft's revised development cycle with a new major version of Windows reportedly releasing every three years, while the period between two major versions is spanned by frequent feature drops.