The latest Windows 11 Canary build, released on November 15, 2023, contains an early implementation of a Wi-Fi refresh button that lets you reload the list of available networks, something you may find useful when troubleshooting network connections, for example.
The button, spotted by @PhantomOfEarth on X (Twitter), will appear at the bottom of the network flyout next to the "More Wi-Fi settings" link.
Build 25997 adds a Refresh network list button to the Wi-Fi list in quick settings. Not mentioned in the blog post pic.twitter.com/MoVEHocvIB
— PhantomOcean3 🍂 (@PhantomOfEarth) November 15, 2023
Brandon LeBlanc, Senior Program Manager of the Windows Insider team, confirmed that developers are working on the Wi-Fi refresh button for the next Windows version. However, its implementation in build 25997 is unfinished.
According to Brandon, the button "kinda works" but also requires other changes coming soon in future updates, which is why Microsoft has not documented it in the release notes for the latest Canary release.
We didn"t document it yet as it"s not quite working with all the right pieces - stay tuned. We"ll talk about this more in a future flight.
— Brandon LeBlanc (@brandonleblanc) November 15, 2023
The current Windows 10 and 11 stable releases let you refresh the list of available Wi-Fi networks only by closing the flyout and opening it again. A dedicated refresh button will make connecting to Wi-Fi much more convenient.
The Wi-Fi network list refresh button will soon join other useful changes Microsoft implemented in the recent preview builds, such as sharing Wi-Fi passwords via QR codes, the ability to install network drivers during the initial setup, and improved location permission management.
You can find other changes in Windows 11 Canary build 25997 in our dedicated article. In case you missed it, Microsoft also released a new Dev build. Its release notes are available here.