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.

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.

New features and changes

 * The Task Manager received a major redesign based on the WinUI framework, and it has a new feature: Efficiency Mode.
 * Drag-and-drop support for the Taskbar has been readded.
 * Enhancements to the Snap functionality.
 * 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 titlebar of certain legacy dialog boxes have been updated to use the Mica material.
 * The ability to view, connect and disconnect Bluetooth devices from the Quick Settings flyout has been added.
 * 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.
 * System-wide Live Captions have been added.
 * The design of the system hardware change indicators has been updated to better align with the UI.
 * The Clipchamp and Microsoft Family Safety apps have been added as inbox apps.
 * The Focus assist feature has been split to Focus and Do Not Disturb.
 * The Settings app received new settings pages and some have been reorganized.
 * Voice Access has been added as a modern replacement for the legacy Windows Speech Recognition feature.
 * Smart App Control has been added.
 * Windows Update will now install updates when more energy is available.
 * The Xbox controller bar has been added which contains instant shortcuts to all PC game launchers installed on the device.
 * Touch gestures have been improved.
 * Games running in windowed mode now properly support Auto HDR and VRR.
 * The internet connection requirement during device setup has now been extended to the Pro edition.
 * The volume and brightness flyout has been redesigned.
 * The redesigned right-click menu has been added on This PC and on Recycle Bin.
 * The animation of the boot screen has been changed.

Moment 1 features

 * 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.

Moments
This release introduces a new kind of updates called Moments, which will ship multiple times a year and will consist of a limited set of new features backported from contemporary Dev builds. They use 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 happen to 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.

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