The initial release of Windows 11 was an earlier version of Windows 10 in many ways, especially when it came to quickly updating your audio settings. Microsoft is now trying to fix that with a test update.
Microsoft is rolling out Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 25309 to the Dev Channel for Windows Insiders, with changes to the touch keyboard, automatic color management (ACM), and voice controls. It also has a new volume mixer in quick settings, which is meant to address complaints with the current audio experience. Microsoft said: “The updated Quick Audio Settings experience brings a modern volume mixer that enables quick customization of audio on a per-app basis, with added control for swapping devices on the fly.”
The panel still requires several clicks to access – you have to open the quick settings panel first, then click on sound settings – but Microsoft is also introducing a keyboard shortcut. Pressing the Windows shortcut + Control + V will immediately launch the volume mixer from anywhere in the Windows interface. That should address complaints from longtime Windows users that the current panel requires too many clicks to open, especially compared to Windows 7, which opened a volume slider with one click on the taskbar and access to the mixer with two clicks.
The new sound panel is still limited to the Dev channel, so it could be a few weeks (or months) before everyone sees it in Windows 11. You probably won’t have to wait until the next annual update, though.
sources: windows blog
