Optional updates can also be referred to as preview updates, as they are yet to be finalized by Microsoft based on user feedback. If there are issues, Microsoft will resolve them before the next month’s “Patch Tuesday” updates and then officially release the update across all Windows 11 devices. Moreover, KB5014668 was pretested in the Insider channel earlier on as well, but the build was 22000.776. It seems that Microsoft has now made an iteration to the same update and released it to the stable channel. Below you will find the methods to install this update if you want to, as well as the details about the new features and improvements in KB5014668.
New in KB5014668 (22000.778)
Search Highlights
The “Search Highlights” feature was initially released for the Windows 10 operating system. It then made its way to Windows 11 but was announced in the Release Preview channel later on. But the Windows 11 Build 22000.778 is the first time it has been introduced to the Windows 11 stable.
New in KB5014668 (22000.778) Search Highlights Other Improvements and Fixes Known Issues Download and Install KB5014668 Windows Update Download KB5014668 Offline Installer Rollback/Remove Windows 11 Cumulative Update Cleanup After Installing Windows Update
For those of you who aren’t familiar with Search Highlights; it is a Windows feature that will show you the latest and trending news in your region right there in the search box on your taskbar. Note: This feature will be gradually rolling out to Windows 11 users, therefore you might not see it right away. The Search Highlights will periodically update and include exciting illustrations as well to keep you informed about the happenings around you. Other information, such as birthdays, holidays, etc. will also be displayed here. You can still use the search box to look for apps and programs like you already do. If you are signed into the computer account using a work or school account, then the Search Highlights can be your one-stop shop to look for your organization’s files, folders, and other documents. After upgrading to build 22000.778, the feature is enabled by default. You can disable it if you want by toggling the slider under “Show search highlights” (located under “More settings”) at the following path:
Other Improvements and Fixes
The list below details other fixes and improvements made to the OS with this flight:
Adds IP address auditing for incoming Windows Remote Management (WinRM) connections in security event 4262 and WinRM event 91. This addresses an issue that fails to log the source IP address and machine name for a remote PowerShell connection.Adds Server Message Block (SMB) redirector (RDR) specific public File System Control (FSCTL) code FSCTL_LMR_QUERY_INFO.Makes the SMB client and SMB server cipher suite order configurable using PowerShell.Adds support for Transport Layer Security (TLS) 1.3 in Windows client and server Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) implementations.An issue that might prevent you from upgrading to Windows 11 has been rectified.An issue that might prevent you from playing video clips in some games has been fixed.An issue that causes certain games to stop working if they use certain audio technology to play sound effects has been addressed.An issue that prevents Bluetooth from reconnecting to some audio devices after you restart the device has been addressed. The name of the “Your Phone” app has been changed to “Phone Link” on the Settings page.An issue that causes the Microsoft Surface Dial customization settings page to stop working has been fixed.A known issue that might prevent you from using the Wi-Fi hotspot feature has been fixed.An issue that displays Japanese characters incorrectly in PowerShell has been addressed.An issue that affects the Cloud Clipboard service and prevents syncing between machines after a period of inactivity has been taken care of.An issue that fails to hide the Windows Sandbox startup screen after Sandbox starts to run has been addressed.An issue that causes a device that has a Japanese system locale to stop working when you disable end-user-defined characters (EUDCs) has been fixed.Enables the InternetExplorerModeEnableSavePageAs Group Policy by default.Provides the ability to use a network proxy during Universal Print operations.An issue that might cause playback of consecutive video clips to fail in games that use DirectX 12 (DX12) has been addressed.An issue that causes certain games to stop working if they use the XAudio API to play sound effects has been fixed.An issue that affects some certificate chains to Root Certification Authorities that are members of the Microsoft Root Certification Program has been addressed.An issue that prevents the use of Encrypted File System (EFS) files over a Web-based Distributed Authoring and Versioning (WebDAV) connection has been fixed.An issue that causes a domain controller to incorrectly write Key Distribution Center (KDC) event 21 in the System event log has been addressed.An issue that occurs when the Active Directory Lightweight Directory Service (AD LDS) resets the password for userProxy objects has been rectified.An issue that causes Microsoft NTLM authentication using an external trust to fail has been fixed. The affected operations might log the following errors:The security database has not been started.The domain was in the wrong state to perform the security operation.0xc00000dd (STATUS_INVALID_DOMAIN_STATE).Addresses an issue that causes the LocalUsersAndGroups configuration service provider (CSP) policy to fail when you modify the built-in Administrators group.An issue in which malformed XML inputs might cause an error in DeviceEnroller.exe has been addressed. This prevents CSPs from being delivered to the device until you restart the device or correct the XML.An issue that might cause Windows 11 to stop working when you install an application with no network connectivity has been addressed.Updates the Start menu to display Windows PowerShell when you right-click (Win + X) the Start button after you have uninstalled Windows Terminal.
With these fixes, there are also known issues you ought to consider before installing this update.
Known Issues
Microsoft has disclosed only one known issue with this update. After installing this update, some .NET Framework 3.5 applications might experience some issues, or not launch at all. In that case, Microsoft recommends to re-install the following optional features:
.NET Framework 3.5Windows Communication Foundation
If you are still willing to install this update, continue reading.
Download and Install KB5014668
You can install this update on a Windows 11 PC through Windows Update as well as a standalone installer.
Windows Update
Perform the following steps to download and install KB5014668 on your Windows 11 computer: Download and install Windows 11, or check if your system meets the minimum hardware requirements for Windows 11. When the computer reboots, the update will have been successfully installed. To confirm this, check the updated build number by typing in winver in the Run Command box. Click Download and install below it.
Download KB5014668 Offline Installer
To download KB5014668 MSU offline installer, click on the respective link below: Download Windows 11 KB5014668 for x64-based Systems [276.2 MB] Download Windows 11 KB5014668 for ARM-based Systems [387.5 MB] To install the update, simply run the downloaded MSU file and Windows will automatically install the update. To download any other updates related to any of the above, please check the Microsoft Catalog.
Rollback/Remove Windows 11 Cumulative Update
If you do not wish to keep the installed update for some reason, you can always roll back to the previous build of the OS. However, this can only be performed within the next 10 days after installing the new update. To roll back after 10 days, you will need to apply this trick.
Cleanup After Installing Windows Update
If you want to save space after installing Windows updates, you can run the following commands one after the other in Command Prompt with administrative privileges:
