Windows 11 build 25252.1000

Windows 11 build 25252.1000 is the third Insider Preview and the second available client build of Zinc, the 23H2 development semester of Windows as a service. It was released to Windows Insiders in the Dev Channel on 28 November 2022.

Shell

 * The new Search entry point on the taskbar, initially introduced in build 25158 and then disabled by default in build 25201, has been re-enabled.
 * The following changes to the Start menu and the taskbar have been rolled out to a subset of users. These changes can be toggled on manually by enabling the  velocity ID:
 * A new variant of Search entry point (search box).
 * A new Search page layout without the search box (in case the search box on the taskbar is enabled).
 * A new dropdown menu for Search taskbar items with four available options under Personalization > Taskbar in the Settings app.
 * The wording change on Start Menu's search box.
 * A new animation for transitioning between the Start menu and the search result page (toggleable via additional  velocity ID).
 * The ability to show search highlights on the taskbar's search box (toggleable via additional  velocity ID).
 * A small shield will be overlayed over the system tray's VPN icon when connected to a recognized VPN profile.
 * The tooltip of system tray's battery icon has been updated to inform users when the device is charging slowly.
 * A small refinement to the tablet-optimized taskbar has been made to make it easier to expand without invoking the Start menu.

General

 * Fixed an issue that was causing the  bugcheck after upgrading to build 25247.
 * Fixed an issue which was causing certain apps (including Media Player) to crash when playing media in the background.
 * Fixed an issue which could lead to the device going to sleep although it was configured to not sleep.
 * Fixed an issue where network-to-local copying was slower than expected.

Shell

 * Fixed an  crash when using Alt with the Show hidden icons flyout in the system tray open.
 * Fixed multiple   crashes impacting system tray performance.
 * Fixed an issue which could lead to the taskbar jump lists and preview thumbnails not appearing in the correct position in 2-in-1 devices.
 * Fixed an issue causing folders in Start menu to not open on the first try.

General

 * The audio may stop working in certain cases.
 * Several apps may crash on launch in certain cases.
 * Certain PCI devices such as secondary drives may not work and will show an error in Device Manager.
 * Windows Web Experience Pack may be missing after upgrading to this build in certain cases, thus preventing Widgets and Windows Sandbox from working properly and causing  to get stuck in a crash loop.
 * Opening the Bluetooth section of Quick Settings may cause system to crash.

Shell

 * Various UI elements in apps may disappear and reappear repeatedly.
 * On some locales, the default font used in several UI elements (such as the date and time on the taskbar) may change to regular Segoe UI instead of Segoe UI Variable.
 * Users may need to press ← Backspace after typing to see search results for,   or   files.
 * On some locales, the default font used in several UI elements (such as the date and time on the taskbar) may change to regular Segoe UI instead of Segoe UI Variable.
 * The following issues will only apply if the search box on the taskbar is enabled:
 * The search box may appear to be floating on the desktop when changing the primary monitor.
 * If the "Show my taskbar on all displays" option is enabled, the search box may not visible on the non-active monitor when using multiple monitors and the Search page is open.
 * Clicking on the search box may cause it to momentarily flash before the Search page shows up.
 * Several layout issues with the text in the search box may appear on right-to-left locales.
 * Some Japanese IME candidate items may be clipped inside the search box.

Task Manager

 * Filtering by publisher name may not match correctly on the Processes page.
 * Some services may not show in the Services page after filtering is applied.
 * If a new process is starting while a filter is set, then that process may appear for a split second in the filtered list.
 * Some dialogs may not render in the correct theme when applied from the Settings page.
 * The data content area of the Processes page may flash once when theme changes are applied in the Settings page.
 * The Task Manager may not display light and dark content correctly with unreadable text when the "Choose your mode" option under Personalization > Colors in the Settings app is set to Custom.
 * The Startup apps page may not list any apps in certain cases.

Widgets
On right-to-left locales, the content may animate out of view before the Widgets board resizes when clicking to expanded view of the Widgets board.

Safe mode

 * Enabling the search box/icon on the taskbar may cause  to hang or crash.
 * Quick Settings and date/time clock on the taskbar may be missing due to the  service not running.
 * Clicking Bluetooth & devices and Personalization pages may crash the Settings app due to an overrun of a stack-based buffer.