Microsoft fixes hated volume slider in Windows 11

If you’re one of those Windows enthusiasts who find Windows’ hardware volume controls absolutely maddening, there’s good news: the latest version of Windows 11 Insider is restoring the purpose of the universe.

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22533 is currently rolling out for the development channel, which means the code is not guaranteed to be deployed to the stable channel on existing Windows 11 PCs. But given the level of disgust with the flyout’s current structure, there’s a good chance this is the case.

What do we mean? If you’re using your laptop’s hardware controls to adjust the brightness or volume, the control usually appears at the very top of the upper left corner of your screen, with an odd vertical slide bar controlling the experience. It is nothing like Windows, really.

With the updated flyout experience, you will see the new hardware indicators for brightness, volume, camera privacy, camera on / off and airplane mode ‘align with the principles of Windows 11 design, ”according to the Windows blog post announcing the changes. So you will see a transition between the old flyout and the new one, like this:

However, Microsoft is not changing the way volume controls are handled on the taskbar. If you click on the Action Center in the lower right corner of your screen, you’ll still see the familiar horizontal volume slider. Now, however, you’ll also see the horizontal controls when using the control keys on your keyboard.

The new version also includes a new call interface in the Your Phone app. Remember that you can actually make phone calls on your PC, using the PC’s Bluetooth connection to route your PC’s microphone to your nearby phone. The phone interface has also been updated to align it with the Windows 11 user interface.

Finally, the changes Microsoft made to widgets (the addition of the weather icon to the taskbar of Windows 11, as announced last year for Windows 10) are postponed. “[O]Our intention is to quickly expand the deployment to the majority of insiders in the development channel, ”Microsoft said of Widgets.