Windows 11 Insider Builds Add Search Actions and Xbox Controls

Windows 11 tests a more active search box

Microsoft is testing a set of Windows 11 changes that turns system search into a more direct control surface for the operating system. The updates are included in Windows Insider Beta Build 26220.9836 and Experimental Build 26340.9843, where they are available for testing before any broader release.

The most consequential change is that search can now do more than locate files or surface web links. Users can filter results by files, actions or web results, then use the search field to carry out certain device tasks. The supported examples include changing screen brightness and adjusting volume.

Search can also perform actions involving a connected phone, including placing calls. That expands the role of the Windows search box from a retrieval tool into a shortcut for controls that might otherwise require opening Settings or another app.

More context in results

Microsoft is also adding richer information to search results. File results can show details such as when a file was last modified and its author. Searches for information such as stock prices and weather forecasts may present charts within results.

The company is testing an inline feedback mechanism as well. Thumbs-up and thumbs-down controls let people rate individual results, with the stated aim of helping Windows 11 search improve over time.

Together, the changes suggest Microsoft is trying to make search more useful at the moment a user begins a task: finding a document, changing a device setting, checking an external fact or interacting with a linked mobile device.

Quick settings arrive in Xbox mode

The Insider builds also introduce quick-setting shortcuts while using Xbox gaming mode. The shortcuts provide access to Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and power settings without requiring users to leave the gaming-oriented interface.

That matters because device controls can interrupt a session when they are buried behind a desktop or system menu. With the new shortcuts, Microsoft is testing a way to keep common connection and power adjustments closer to the gaming experience.

An early test, not a general release

These features are currently part of the Windows Insider program. Availability in Beta and Experimental builds indicates that Microsoft is gathering feedback and refining the experience; it does not establish a timetable for a public Windows 11 release.

For now, the update is best read as a preview of two related directions for Windows: making search more capable of completing simple tasks, and reducing the friction of managing a PC while it is being used in Xbox mode.

This article is based on reporting by The Verge. Read the original article.