Windows 11 optional update (KB5014019) brings Windows Spotlight to the desktop

Microsoft has released an optional Cumulative Update for Windows 11 that bumps up the build to 22000.708, if you have been paying attention, this is the same update that was released to Windows Insiders last Thursday, and thus it contains the same exact improvements and fixes, including for Direct3D which had been responsible for crashing apps on some systems, as well as improvements related to Family Safety verification and more.

There's also the new Windows Spotlight on the desktop feature that was thought to be reserved for the Windows 11 22H2 feature update sheduled for release later this year, but it's available to enjoy right now after installing this update.

First up are the release highlights for build 22000.708:

• New! Improves the Family Safety verification experience for a child account when you send a request for additional screen time.
• New! Windows spotlight on the desktop brings the world to your desktop with new background pictures. With this feature, new pictures will automatically appear as your desktop background. This feature already exists for the lock screen. To turn on this feature, go to Settings > Personalization > Background > Personalize your background. Choose Windows spotlight.
• Addresses an issue that fails to maintain the display brightness after you change the display mode.
• Addresses an issue that affects the IE mode window frame.
• Addresses an issue that prevents internet shortcuts from updating.
• Addresses an issue that causes an Input Method Editor (IME) to discard a character if you enter the character while the IME is converting previous text.
• Addresses an issue that causes Widgets to appear on the wrong monitor when you hover over the Widgets icon on the taskbar.
• Adds animation to the Widgets icon when you click or tap the icon and the taskbar is aligned on the left.
• Addresses an issue that affects the rendering of the default Widgets icon on a taskbar that is aligned in the center.
• Addresses an issue that causes blurry app icons in Search results when the display’s dots per inch (dpi) scaling is greater than 100%.
• Addresses an issue that causes file copying to be slower.
• Addresses an issue that fails to automatically give the search box input focus when you select the Start menu and start typing.

The long list of changes is given below:

• New! We improved the Family Safety verification experience for a child account when you send a request for additional screen time.
• New! Windows spotlight on the desktop brings the world to your desktop with new, daily background pictures. With this feature, new pictures will automatically appear as your desktop background. This feature already exists for the lock screen. You can also find out more information about each background picture on the web. To turn on this feature, go to Settings > Personalization > Background > Personalize your background. Choose Windows spotlight.
• We fixed an issue that causes the Input (TextInputHost.exe) app to stop working.
• We fixed an issue in searchindexer.exe that affects the search for shapes in Microsoft Visio.
• We prevented users from bypassing forced enrollment by disconnecting from the internet when they sign in to Azure Active Directory (AAD).
• We fixed an issue that might run an AnyCPU application as a 32-bit process.
• We fixed an issue that prevents Azure Desired State Configuration (DSC) scenarios that have multiple partial configurations from working as expected.
• We fixed an issue that affects remote procedure calls (RPC) to the Win32_User or Win32_Group WMI class. The domain member that runs the RPC contacts the primary domain controller (PDC). When multiple RPCs occur simultaneously on many domain members, this might overwhelm the PDC.
• We fixed an issue that occurs when adding a trusted user, group, or computer that has a one-way trust in place. The error message, “The object selected doesn’t match the type of destination source” appears.
• We fixed an issue that fails to display the Application Counters section in the performance reports of the Performance Monitor tool.
• We fixed an issue that fails to maintain the display brightness after you change the display mode.
• We fixed an issue that might affect some apps that use d3d9.dll with certain graphics cards and might cause those apps to close unexpectedly.
• We fixed an issue that affects the IE mode window frame.
• We fixed an issue that affects Group Policy templates.
• We fixed an issue that prevents internet shortcuts from updating.
• We fixed an issue that causes some users to see a black screen when they sign in and sign out of Windows.
• We fixed an issue that causes an Input Method Editor (IME) to discard a character if you enter the character while the IME is converting previous text.
• We fixed an issue that affects the Desktop Duplication API, which affects display orientation and causes a black image to appear on the screen.
• We fixed an issue that causes print failures when a low integrity level (LowIL) application prints to a null port.
• We fixed an issue that prevents BitLocker from encrypting when you use the silent encryption option.
• We fixed an issue that leads to a false negative when you run scripts while Windows Defender Application Control (WDAC) is turned on. This might cause AppLocker events 8029, 8028, or 8037 to appear in the log when they should not .
• We fixed an issue that occurs when you apply multiple WDAC policies. Doing that might prevent scripts from running when the policies allow scripts to run.
• We fixed an issue that affects the Trusted Platform Module (TPM) driver, which might increase the system’s startup time.
• We fixed an issue that might cause the Remote Desktop client application to stop working when you end a session.
• We fixed an issue that affects the behavior and shape orientation of a mouse cursor for Microsoft Defender Application Guard (MDAG), Microsoft Office, and Microsoft Edge. This issue occurs when you turn on a virtual graphics processing unit (GPU).
• We fixed an issue that causes Widgets to appear on the wrong monitor when you hover over the Widgets icon on the taskbar.
• We added animation to the Widgets icon when you click or tap the icon and the taskbar is aligned on the left.
• We fixed an issue that affects the rendering of the default Widgets icon on a taskbar that is aligned in the center.
• We fixed an issue that causes blurry app icons in Search results when the display’s dots per inch (dpi) scaling is greater than 100%.
• We fixed an issue that causes file copying to be slower because of a wrong calculation of write buffers within cache manager.
• We fixed an issue that might cause a system to stop responding when a user signs out if Microsoft OneDrive is in use.
• We fixed a known issue that might prevent recovery discs (CD or DVD) from starting if you created them using the Backup and Restore (Windows 7) app in Control Panel. This issue occurs after installing Windows updates released January 11, 2022 or later.

This release contains no security fixes and is optional to install, although all of the above mentioned fixes and improvements will eventually make their way into a non optional Patch Tuesday update in the second week of June.

You can download the standalone installer on the Microsoft Catalog for x64 or ARM64 PCs here, or by going to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update. In the Optional updates available area, you’ll find the link to download and install the update.

You can find the official release notes here.