Since the release of Windows 10, Microsoft got on a fairly regular routine of releasing two major updates every year. Those updates have names that have become familiar to many of us. The two major updates for Windows 10 in 2021, for example, were known as 21H1 and 21H2. That trend continues for Windows 10 in 2022, though for Windows 11, Microsoft has decided to release only one major update. That update will be officially released later this year. However, they have already started to release their Windows 11 update to Beta groups. This allows us to see what features Microsoft has decided to add or remove from the operating system.
When Windows 11 was released, it removed a basic function many users have become accustomed to. If you have an app on your taskbar and wanted to open a file, one way to do it is to drag the file onto the app icon on the taskbar, and that file would open in that app. This is very handy, especially if you are trying to open a file in an app other than the default application.
For example, if you have a PDF file, it is most likely set to open in Acrobat Reader when you double-click on the file. However, you may want to open the PDF in Photoshop instead. If you have your Photoshop app icon on your taskbar, all you needed to do is drag the file to the Photoshop icon.
This is a function that Microsoft inexplicably removed when Windows 11 was released. Well, this functionality is set to return in the next major upgrade, referred to as Windows 11 22H2.
22H2 will also include tweaks and changes to other often used parts of the operating system, including updates to Task Manager, File Explorer, and the Start Menu. Of course, a major update would not be complete if they did not make changes to the settings menus as well.
Other changes include a couple of new apps, including Family Safety, which works with Windows devices, Xbox PCs, and Android devices with the software installed to show children's locations. There will also be new touchscreen gestures and an update to the Snaps section, which is a group of default on-screen app layouts that can be reached by hovering over the maximize/minimize button next to the X on the upper right of most windows.
The official release of 22H2 is set for official release in October.