Windows 11 Insider Builds Add Xbox Mode Shortcuts and Smarter Search

Microsoft has pushed out fresh Windows Insider builds that give Xbox mode its own quick shortcuts and rebuild Windows 11 search around filters and actions, according to The Verge. Testers in the Insider program can install the releases now.

The Xbox additions matter most for people who spend long sessions in gaming mode. Shortcuts now let them reach Bluetooth, WiFi and power controls directly, so they no longer have to leave the mode to change those settings, The Verge reports.

Search has been overhauled in several ways. Results can be narrowed to files, actions or web answers, giving users a way to separate what they are looking for instead of scrolling through a mixed list.

The search box also doubles as a command line of sorts. Typing into it can adjust screen brightness or volume, and it can trigger tasks on a paired phone, including placing calls. Individual results carry more context too, such as the author of a file and when it was last edited. Stock price charts and weather forecasts can appear as well.

There is a feedback loop built in. Thumbs-up and thumbs-down icons sit inline with results, and clicking them helps train the search feature so it performs better over time.

Microsoft detailed the full set of changes in a blog post, which The Verge points readers toward for the complete list. The company has not said when these capabilities will reach general availability, and the features described are tied to the Insider program for now.

Two builds carry the updates. One is a Beta channel release and the other is an Experimental channel release, and both are available to Windows Insiders as of now. The numbering for each build appears in Microsoft's blog post.

Insider builds are test releases, so the features may change or be pulled before they ship to regular Windows 11 users. Readers who want to try them need to be enrolled in the Insider program.