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This optional Windows 11 update is totally worth installing

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Windows Update running on a laptop.
Clint Patterson / Unsplash

Your Windows 11 computer is about to get even better, thanks to the latest KB5041587 update. As Microsoft mentioned in a support page post, this update makes Android file sharing easier, fixes bugs in File Explorer, and adds performance tweaks to Windows Narrator and the voice access feature.

The new update allows you to share files more quickly with your Android device using the Microsoft Phone Link app. You’ll need to install the app on your Android device and your Windows 11 computer and go through the setup process, which includes giving quite a few permissions. When sharing from your PC, choose the Phone Link as the destination app, and when sharing from your Android device, select the link for the Windows app as your sharing option.

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The update also improves how Windows Narrator works by scanning text faster. If you want to try this feature, press Caps lock + Spacebar. This will be a huge help after a long day when you need to read lengthy webpages when using the Edge browser.

You can now dictate the characters you want to hear at a faster rate. There are also more editing options for deleting, selecting, and moving text on the page.

The File Explorer app also got a piece of the update cake and got some bug fixes such as the ones Microsoft mentioned:

  • When you press the Windows logo key + E, a screen reader might say a pane has focus, or the focus might not be set.
  • When you press Ctrl + F, sometimes the search does not start.
  • Keyboard focus sometimes might get lost when you press Shift + Tab.
  • Screen readers do not announce when you open or browse items in a breadcrumb of the Open or Save dialogue.
  • Screen readers do not announce when you open or browse items in the column header.

This is an optional update. Therefore, to try these improvements, go to Settings > Windows Update > Check for updates. You will have to restart your computer to apply the changes, but the good news is that the process won’t take more than 5 minutes.

Unfortunately, this isn’t like the rumored change to Windows updates that uses hot-patching and will reduce the number of restarts.

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Judy Sanhz
Judy Sanhz
Computing Writer
Judy Sanhz is a Digital Trends computing writer covering all computing news. Loves all operating systems and devices.
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