Microsoft has released Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22543 to Dev Channel Windows Insiders. The Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22543 has introduced natural voices for Narrator. The update includes several improvements including new visuals for some UI areas. The build also includes bug fixes related to issues reported previously on the Feedback Hub.
The Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22543 has introduced additional natural voices for Narrator, which enable users to enjoy web browsing, reading, and authoring mail easily. The Natural narrator makes use of modern on-device text to speech technology that works without an active Internet connection. However, natural narrator voices are available only in English-US.
The natural voicesJeeny and Aria are available instantly upon launching the Narrator. You should select Install now option on the announcement window to navigate to Narrator Settings to add the new voices. You have to select Add button located under the Add natural voices section. The dialog enables users to select either the Jenny or Aria voice.
You have to install voices separately. The Preview button should be click to hear a preview of the voice. You can then select Install button to start the download of the selected voice. The Select a natural voice to install dialog displays a list of natural voices preview, install and cancel buttons.
The Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22543 provides an easy way for Narrator users to switch between voices to support basic tasks such as reading and navigation. Microsoft has added new Narrator keyboard commands as shown below
- Narrator + Alt + the Minus key: Move to the previous voice in Narrator’s voice settings combo box
- Narrator + Alt + the Plus key: Move to the next voice in Narrator’s voice settings combo box
The build also updated the existing keyboard commands:
- Narrator + Alt + the Left Bracket key: Move to the previous punctuation reading mode
- Narrator + Alt + the Right Bracket key: Move to the next punctuation reading mode
The Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22543 has updated the media controls, which appear on the Lock screen while playing music in a supported app. The media controls will make use of the Dark theme to sync with the rest of the Lock screen visuals. The latest build has updated the experience of resizing app windows in snap layouts by overlaying the relevant app icon located on the top of acrylic background.
You can snap windows with the help of snap assist including the ability to resize the snapped window layout using the buffer. A confirmation flyout will be displayed upon using the WIN+ALT+K keyboard shortcut to mute calls. The input switcher improvements including updated design with an acrylic background is currently available to all Windows Insiders in the Dev Channel.
These features were pushed along with Build 22518. The progress ring animation has been updated, which aligns with the refreshed booth screen animation. The new update has redesigned System | Storage | Disks & Volume and Storage Spaces in Settings to align with the overall design of Settings in Windows 11.
The build also provides bug fixes related to general issues, file explorer, input, taskbar, settings, Windowing including addressing of known issues related to Taskbar, Search, Input, Widgets, and Narrator. You should note that the desktop watermark visible on the lower right corner of the desktop is normal for the pre-release builds.
