Windows 11 Moment Updates (Feature Drops) Version Changelog

If you are looking for a changelog of all Moment Updates released for Windows 11 and want to know what’s new and changed in each Moment Update, you have come to the right place.

Moment Updates or Feature Drops are major updates for Windows 11 operating system. These updates come with many new features, UI changes, improvements and bug fixes. These updates work like new versions of Windows 11 containing updated apps and new functionality.

In past years, Microsoft was releasing feature updates for Windows 10 operating system to bring new features. Now Moment Updates are doing the same thing for Windows 11 with a different name.

Many people refer these moment updates as Service Packs for Windows 11 operating system. In good old days, Microsoft used to release service packs for Windows 98, XP, Vista and Windows 7. These service packs were released to bring new functionality and changes to the OS. In similar way, Microsoft has started releasing Moment Updates for Windows 11 operating system to provide new features and changes without actually releasing a new version of Windows.

Moment Updates are also known as Component Updates for Windows 11 version 22H2 (2022 Update) as all these moment updates require Windows 11 22H2 (codenamed Sun Valley 2) installed in user’s device.

Microsoft first tests these moment updates using Windows Insider program. People enrolled in Windows Insider program, receive new Windows 11 testing builds containing new features and changes. Microsoft fixes bugs and issues reported by insiders and makes necessary changes according to insiders feedback. Once the testing build is finalized, Microsoft releases it as a Moment Update to public.

More Info: Windows 11 Insider Channels: Canary, Dev, Beta and Release Preview

Microsoft has released many Moment Updates or feature drops for Windows 11 and in this article, we are going to list all changes, improvements and new features present in all Windows 11 moment updates for your convenience. It’ll help you in understanding what changes and new features became part of each Windows 11 moment update.

So let’s start the changelog of Windows 11 Moment Updates:

Windows 11 Moment 1 Update or First Feature Drop

Moment 1 Update or 1st feature drop for Windows 11 was released on October 18, 2022. It’s also known as Experience Update, October 2022 Update, Service Pack 1 (SP1) or 1st component update for Windows 11 version 22H2. The build number of Moment 1 Update was 22621.675.

It came with following new features and changes:

• Tabbed File Explorer: Now you can create and use multiple tabs inside a single File Explorer or This PC window just like web browsers. This feature is also known as Sets which was initially planned to release for Windows 10.
• New Home Screen: The default homepage of File Explorer is now labeled as Home.
• New Favorites Section in File Explorer: It allows users to pin their most used files. The default or bundled pinned folders section (user folders) is now labeled as Quick Access.
• Cloud-Powered File Explorer: OneDrive is integrated into File Explorer.
• Suggested Actions: The new File Explorer also comes with contextual suggestions functionality powered by Context IQ. It assists users by displaying relevant files and contacts recommendations including cloud-content while sharing and accessing files.
• Taskbar Overflow Menu: When you pin a larger selection of apps to your taskbar, the taskbar now displays a new overflow menu that allows you to view all your overflowed apps in one space.
• Task Manager Option in Taskbar Context Menu: When you right-click on Taskbar, you’ll now get a new Task Manager option along with Taskbar Settings option.
• Improvements to Windows Share feature: Users will be able to share files with more discoverable devices nearby directly from their desktop, File Explorer, Photos, Snipping Tool, Xbox and other apps.
• Improvements to Photos app
• Amazon Appstore: You can now access Android apps and games from the Amazon Appstore in 31 countries, including Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, United Kingdom, United States and more.
• New sports and entertainment apps including ESPN, Hulu, Netflix, Discord, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video and more.
• Various bug fixes and improvements

You can download Moment 1 Update and learn more about it in following article:

Download Windows 11 Moment 1 Update (First Feature Drop)

Windows 11 Moment 2 Update or Second Feature Drop

Moment 2 Update or 2nd feature drop for Windows 11 was released on February 28, 2023. It’s also known as February 2023 Update, Service Pack 2 (SP2) or 2nd component update for Windows 11 version 22H2. The build number of Moment 2 Update was 22621.1344.

It came with following new features and changes:

• Improved typable search box experience on the Taskbar: When you start typing in the search box, search results now appear in the search flyout box. You can customize the new search experience by going to Settings > Personalization > Taskbar page. (How-to Guide)
• Touch-optimized Taskbar for 2-in-1 devices: Now the Taskbar can be easily switched between 2 new states: Expanded or Collapsed. To switch between the two states, you need to just swipe up and down on the bottom of your computer screen. You can customize this feature using Settings > Personalization > Taskbar > Taskbar behaviors page. There is a new option “Optimize taskbar for touch interactions when this device is used as a tablet” available to turn on/off this new behavior.
• Improvements to Taskbar notification area: Now you can hover over and easily rearrange all icons in the notification area (system tray) including the “Show hidden icons” flyout menu.
• Improvements to Task Manager including process filtering, more theme options and ability to disable confirmation dialogs when you turn on Efficiency mode.
• Windows 11 now provides energy recommendations to help users in improving the energy efficiency of their PC and reducing carbon footprint. You can enable or disable this feature using Settings > System > Power & Battery > Energy Recommendations page.
• Faster search and recommended local and cloud files in File Explorer.
• Tabs support in Notepad.
• This update improves the reliability of Windows after you install an update.
• For devices that are joined to Azure Active Directory (AAD), Windows 11 now provides AI-powered recommended content (files) on Start Menu.
• Windows Studio effects can be directly accessed using quick settings on the Taskbar to make it quick and easy to turn on and configure camera effects.
• Quick Assist app is now available in Start menu’s All apps list to make it easier to get help if you are having PC issues.
• This update adds the new Tamil Anjal keyboard for the Tamil language. To add it, make sure Tamil (Singapore), Tamil (Malaysia), Tamil (Sri Lanka), or Tamil (India) appears in Settings > Time & Language > Language & Region page.
• Simplified sign-in for students via existing third-party providers (Windows 11 Pro Education, SE, and Education editions).
• New accessibility features: Seamless switching between Narrator and other screen readers when using braille display. Also voice commands work across apps and File Explorer.
• Snipping Tool enhancements: Built-in screen recorder with autosave functionality.
• Improvements to voice access.
• Now you can manage and access Cloud PCs using official Windows 365 app which is now generally available on Microsoft Store.
• You can now link your iPhone mobile device directly to your Windows 11 PC using a new preview of Phone Link app for iOS.
• Various bug fixes and improvements

You can download Moment 2 Update and learn more about it in following article:

Download Windows 11 Moment 2 Update (Second Feature Drop)

Windows 11 Moment 3 Update or Third Feature Drop

Moment 3 Update or 3rd feature drop for Windows 11 was released on May 24, 2023. It’s also known as May 2023 Update, Service Pack 3 (SP3) or 3rd component update for Windows 11 version 22H2. The build number of Moment 3 Update was 22621.1778.

It came with following new features and changes:

• User Account Icon Badges in Start Menu: Start Menu now shows a badge on user profile icon notifying the user that certain actions need to be taken, making it easier to ensure your information and PC are protected. (How-to Disable Guide)
• Seconds in Taskbar Clock: Users can now choose to display seconds in Taskbar system tray clock. The new option can be found under Taskbar behaviors section on Settings > Personalization > Taskbar page. (How-to Show Seconds Guide)
• Revamped Widgets Board experience: The default pane view now features a larger layout with dedicated space for user-pinned apps and a personalized feed designed for discovery.
• New Presence Sensor Privacy Settings and APIs: New app privacy settings which give users the ability to allow or block access to presence sensor information and easily enable and disable presence sensing features like wake on approach/lock on leave. You will find these settings under Settings > Privacy & security > Presence sensing page if your device supports it.
• VPN Status Icon in Taskbar: If you are connected to a recognized VPN profile, a new glanceable VPN status icon (small shield) is overlayed over the active Network Connection icon in system tray to show the VPN status.
• Changes to Print Screen Key Functionality: This update changes the default Print Screen (PrtScn) key behavior to take screenshots. Pressing the print screen key will now open Snipping Tool by default. This setting can be turned off via Settings > Accessibility > Keyboard. If you have previously modified this setting yourself, your preference will be preserved. (How-to Restore Guide)
• 2FA Codes Copy Button: This update provides a copy button to quickly copy two-factor authentication (2FA) codes present on notification toasts from apps installed on your PC or from phones linked to your PC. Note that this feature only works for English.
• This update adds access key shortcuts to File Explorer’s context menu. Each access key corresponds to a letter in the display name of the menu item. You can click on a file in File Explorer and press the menu key on your keyboard to try it.
• This update adds multi-app kiosk mode, which is a lockdown feature. If you are an administrator, you can specify the apps that can run on a device. Other apps will not run. Currently, you can enable multi-app kiosk mode using PowerShell and WMI Bridge.
• A limit of 20 most recent tabs has been introduced under Settings > Multitasking page to show tabs in ALT + TAB screen and Snap Assist.
• Live Captions feature is now available in 10 additional languages spanning 21 regions: Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), Danish, English (Ireland, other English dialects), French (France, Canada), German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese (Brazil, Portugal), Spanish. To turn Live Captions on/off, users can use WIN+Ctrl+L hotkey.
• Users can now create live kernel memory dumps (LKDs) in Task Manager. Using LKD, you can gather data to troubleshoot an issue while the OS continues to work. To capture a live kernel memory dump (LKD), go to the Details page in Task Manager, right-click on the System process and select “Create live kernel memory dump file” option to capture a Full live kernel or Kernel stack memory dumps. The dumps will be written to a fixed location: “%LocalAppData%\Microsoft\Windows\TaskManager\LiveKernelDumps” folder. You can also go to the Task Manager Settings page to view/edit the settings for live kernel memory dumps. (How-to Guide)
• Updated Settings > Time & language > Typing > Touch keyboard page. The previous “Show the touch keyboard when there’s no keyboard attached” checkbox option replaced with a new drop-down menu “Show the touch keyboard” containing 3 choices: Never, When no keyboard attached and Always.
• Content Adaptive Brightness Control (CABC) feature can now run on plugged in devices such as laptops and 2-in-1’s as well as on desktop PCs. This feature will dim or brighten areas of a display or monitor to save battery life. This feature can be controlled via Settings > System > Display page. Under “Brightness & color” section, you can use the drop-down menu to select any of following 3 options: Off, Always, and “On Battery Only”. For battery powered devices such as laptops and 2-in-1’s, the default is “On Battery Only”. On desktop PCs, this is off by default.
• New “USB4 Hubs and Devices” page added to Settings > Bluetooth & devices > USB. The USB4 settings page provides information about the system’s USB4 capabilities and attached peripherals on a USB4 capable system. If the system does not support USB4 with the Microsoft USB4 Connection Manager, this page will not be displayed. To confirm whether your system is USB4 capable or not, check for “USB4 Host Router” populating in the Device Manager.
• This update provides the full amount of storage capacity of all your Microsoft OneDrive subscriptions. It also displays the total storage on the Accounts page in the Settings app.
• Redesigned in-app voice access command help page.
• Improvements to voice access command support.
• This update improves the performance of search within Settings.
• Improvements to cloud suggestion and integrated search suggestion in Simplified Chinese IME.
• Built-in security from chip to cloud with Microsoft Pluton security processor.
• This update adds Bluetooth LE (Low Energy) Audio to bring high-quality audio at low power on compatible devices such as Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Pro. Your computer must support Bluetooth LE Audio to use this feature. This update also improves audio fidelity and battery life when you pair your computer with Bluetooth LE Audio earbuds and headphones.
• Sign-In Session Token Protection Policy allows applications and services to cryptographically bind security tokens to the device, restricting attackers’ ability to impersonate users on a different device after stealing tokens.
• Windows 365 Boot enables you to log directly into your Windows 365 Cloud PC and designate it as the primary Windows experience on the device.
• New isolation capabilities for Win32 apps help prevent apps from having unexpected/unauthorized access to critical internal Windows subsystems, thereby minimizing the damage if an app is compromised.
• This update changes the support phone number for Microsoft India for Windows activation.
• This update changes the international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI) ranges for certain mobile providers.
• Various bug fixes and improvements

You can download Moment 3 Update and learn more about it in following article:

Download Windows 11 Moment 3 Update (Third Feature Drop)

Windows 11 Moment 4 Update or Fourth Feature Drop

Moment 4 Update or 4th feature drop for Windows 11 was released on September 26, 2023. It’s also known as Fall Update, September 2023 Update, Service Pack 4 (SP4) or 4th component update for Windows 11 version 22H2. The build number of Moment 4 Update was 22621.2361.

It came with following new features and changes:

• Copilot for Windows: It brings built-in artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities and support along with Bing chat to Windows 11 to help users find answers and complete tasks easily. Users can access Copilot right from the Taskbar or using WIN+C keyboard shortcut. (How-to Enable/Disable Guide)
• Redesigned File Explorer: The File Explorer or Windows Explorer has been modernized using WinUI 3. Users can notice revamped home page, address bar and search box. A new Gallery feature is also available in Navigation Pane to help users in accessing their photo collection quickly. The Details Pane has also received many improvements including contextual information about the selected file such as file thumbnail, share status and button, file activity, related files and e-mails, and other information.
• Taskbar Never Combined Mode: Users can now see each button of running applications on the taskbar individually ungrouped and uncombined, as well as their corresponding labels. You can find this feature by navigating to Settings -> Personalization -> Taskbar -> Taskbar behaviors page. (How-to Guide)
• New “End Task” Option in Taskbar Context Menu: Users can use the new option to force kill not responding apps and programs directly using Taskbar. (How-to Enable Guide)
• Websites Recommendations on Start Menu: The websites present in user’s browsing history will be shown under recommendations section on Start Menu. You can remove any website URL from the Recommended section using the shortcut menu. To completely turn off this feature, you can go to Settings -> Personalization -> Start page and adjust settings for all recommended content on Start Menu. (How-to Disable Guide)
• New Outlook for Windows app: Microsoft was working on this new Outlook app since many months and now the new app replaces old stock Mail app in Windows 11. It’s a PWA (Progressive Web App) app i.e. web-based app which works like a placeholder for the main Outlook.com website. More information can be found about the new Outlook for Windows app in this article.
• New Windows Backup app: A new Windows Backup app quickly gets your current PC backed up and ready to move to a new PC. Your Store apps from your prior PC will be pinned where you left them, both on taskbar and in the Start menu. Settings from your previous device will restore to your new PC to help you get back into the flow as quickly as possible. Once backed up, you can try out the new restore during the out-of-box-experience (OOBE) when setting up a new PC or by resetting an existing PC.
• Improved Notepad app: Notepad now automatically saves user’s session to allow users to close Notepad without showing any interrupting dialogs. When the user opens Notepad again, it restores the previous session. Notepad also automatically restores previously opened tabs along with unsaved content.
• Improved Paint app: The native or default Paint app has been improved to include AI features and tools (Cocreator) and ability to remove background from photos.
• Improved Photos app: The Photos app has also received AI support and new features such as background blur and improved search.
• Improved Snipping Tool app: The Snipping Tool app now provides new ways to capture computer screen. Users can now extract specific text from an image and paste the text in other applications. Similarly, users can protect sensitive information using text redaction action on post capture screen. Users can also create interactive videos as the Snipping Tool has received sound capturing using audio and mic support.
• Improved Clipchamp app: Clipchamp has received new “Auto Compose” feature which automatically shows scene suggestions, edits and narratives based on the image to help users in creating and editing videos like professionals.
• Dynamic Lighting: This new feature provides native control of Lighting Devices implementing the open HID LampArray standard. To control and configure a HID LampArray device, users can navigate to Settings -> Personalization -> Dynamic Lighting page.
• Built-in RAR file support: Native support for reading additional archive file formats such as .tar, .rar, .7z, etc using the libarchive open-source project.
• Updates to Windows Firewall: Addition of targeting firewall rules to specific applications, firewall location awareness updates and more granular firewall logging.
• Accessibility improvements: New text authoring experiences to voice access and new natural voices in Narrator.
• This update completes the work to comply with the GB18030-2022 requirements. It removes and remaps characters for Microsoft Wubi input and Microsoft Pinyin U-mode input. You can no longer enter character codepoints that are not supported. All the required codepoints are up to date.
• This update supports daylight saving time (DST) changes in Greenland.
• This update changes the spelling of Ukraine’s capital from Kiev to Kyiv.
• This update affects the Key Distribution Center (KDC) and user security identifiers (SID). KDC now reads the user SID from the Subject Alternative Name (SAN) of a certificate. Because of this, mobile device management (MDM) providers can use offline templates to fill in the user SID.
• Various bug fixes and improvements

You can download Moment 4 Update and learn more about it in following article:

Download Windows 11 Moment 4 Update (Fourth Feature Drop)

Windows 11 Moment 5 Update or Fifth Feature Drop

Moment 5 Update or 5th feature drop for Windows 11 was released on February 29, 2024. It’s also known as February 2024 Update, Service Pack 5 (SP5) or 5th component update for Windows 11 version 22H2 and 23H2. The build number of Moment 5 Update was 22621.3235 on 22H2 and 22631.3235 on 23H2 devices.

It came with following new features and changes:

• Improvements to Copilot: Plugins support for easy access to applications, ability to dock, undock and resize the Copilot pane and new AI editing capabilities.
• Improvements to Android Phone Link: Users will be able to access recent photos on their PC as well as use their mobile phone as a webcam on all video conferencing apps. The Phone Link settings page has been renamed to Mobile devices under Settings > Bluetooth & devices page. (More Info)
• Improvements to Voice Access: You can now use voice access with following languages: French (France, Canada), German, Spanish (Spain, Mexico). You can now use all voice access features on multiple displays. This update also introduces voice shortcuts or custom commands. You can use them to create your own commands in the supported English dialects.
• Improvements to Narrator: You can now listen to a preview of the ten natural voices before you download them. This update also adds new keyboard shortcuts (G and Shift+G) to move between the images on a screen. In Microsoft Word, Narrator will announce the presence of bookmarks and draft or resolved comments. You can now also use voice access to open applications, dictate text, and interact with elements on the screen.
• Improvements to Windows Share: This update changes the apps that appear in the Windows share window. The account you use to sign in affects the apps that are in “Share using”. The Windows share window now supports sharing with WhatsApp in the “Share using” section.
• Improvements to Nearby Share: This update affects how Nearby Share turns on and off. You can use quick settings or the Settings app to turn on Nearby Share. This update improves Nearby Share transfer speed for users on the same network. You can now give your device a more friendly name to identify it when sharing using Settings > System > Nearby Sharing page.
• Improvements to Casting: This update helps you to learn about the Cast feature and discover when it is available.
• Improvements to Snap Layouts: This update adds suggestions to  Snap Layouts to help you to instantly snap multiple app windows together. You can hover over the minimize or maximize button of an app (WIN+Z) to open the layout box. When you do, app icons will display various layout options to help you to choose the best layout option. (How-to Disable Snap Layouts)
• Improvements to Widgets: Using the new Widgets board experience, users will be able to create a focused board and organize Widgets into distinct categories. (How-to Disable Widgets)
• Improvements to Windows Ink: Support for new apps and languages including Photos, Paint, WhatsApp and Messenger.
• Improvements to Windows 365 Boot and Switch: Dedicated mode, brand customization, etc.
• This update adds support for the USB 80Gbps standard. It is the next generation of USB4 that has twice the bandwidth of USB 40Gbps. To use USB 80Gbps, you must have a compatible PC and USB4 or Thunderbolt peripheral.
• This update affects games you install on a secondary drive. Now, they remain installed on the drive.
• This update affects the Windows Backup app. It will no longer show on the user interface in regions where the app is not supported.

You can download Moment 5 Update and learn more about it in following article:

Download Windows 11 Moment 5 Update (Fifth Feature Drop)

How to Download and Install Moment Updates (Feature Drops) in Windows 11

Moment Updates are rolled out automatically to all eligible Windows 11 devices via Windows Updates. Users can also manually download and install latest moment update by clicking on “Check for Updates” button present on Settings app -> Windows Update page. Advanced users can enable the “Get the Latest Updates as Soon as They’re Available” toggle option present on Windows Update page if they want to receive the moment update as soon as it’s available.

If you want to clean install Windows 11 in your computer system, following article will help you in downloading full offline ISO file of Windows 11 with latest moment update already included:

[Tip] How to Download Windows 11 Offline ISO Files

We’ll keep continue updating this article as soon as a new Moment Update or feature drop is released for Windows 11.

Also Check:

Windows 11 Moment Updates Known Issues and Workarounds

Windows 11 Moment Updates Resolved or Fixed Issues