Windows 11 build 22621.2428 (KB5031354) brings Copilot to everyone on October 10

Windows 11 build 22621.2428 (KB5031354) is now available as a mandatory update.
This update rolls out new features from version 23H2.
The update KB5031354 enables Copilot and introduces a new File Explorer, a new Windows Backup app, and more.
The update was previously available as a non-security KB5030310 (build 22621.2361) package.

Microsoft is making available the Windows 11 update KB5031354 (build 22621.2428) as the October 10, 2023 update. It is also referred to as the “Windows 11 Moment 4 update,” and it’s a mandatory install for devices running version 22H2. Although this update won’t change the version number of the operating system, it includes most of the new features that were previously planned for version 23H2.

Windows 11 build 22621.2428, according to the official announcement, introduces the first preview of Copilot on select markets. As part of this rollout, the company is also making available the new Windows Backup app to protect your files, settings, credentials, and passwords in the cloud. In addition, this moment update brings a new version of File Explorer with modern code and many visual changes, including a new Gallery view, native support for RAR, 7z, GZ, and TAR file formats, and changes to Nearby Sharing.

Starting on October 10, users can download the updates for many of the inbox apps, including Paint, Photos, Snipping Tool, Clipchamp, and the new version of Outlook for Windows 11. For instance, the Photos app now uses AI capabilities to allow you to blur the background on images, and the technology will also be used to search and find images on OneDrive based on the content of the pictures.

The Microsoft Paint app is getting a new feature that uses AI to create images and remove the background from pictures with a single click, and there’s a new feature to work with layers.

The Snipping Tool receives an update that integrates OCR (Optical Character Recognition) technology to intelligently extract text from a screenshot and redact text to prevent sharing sensitive information on a screen capture.

After downloading the update for the Clipchamp app, you can start using “auto-compose,” an AI feature that will review the videos and quickly suggest filters that will fit your project, and other things like highlighting the best moments, inserting transitions and music, and filling up gaps.

Also, the update KB5031354 includes new text authoring experiences to voice access and new natural voices in Narrator.

Furthermore, this update addresses a number of security issues with the operating system.

Windows 11 update KB5031354 fixes and improvements

As part of this security update rollout, Microsoft is publishing a number of fixes and improvements with the KB5031354 update:

Introduces websites to the Recommended section of the Start menu. These websites will be personalized for you and come from your browsing history.

Addresses an issue that affects Microsoft Excel. It stops responding when you try to share a file as a PDF in Outlook.

Addresses an issue that affects the Korean touch keyboard. It completes the first character in the search box on the taskbar. This is not expected.

Addresses an issue that affects the search box tooltip. It does not appear in the correct position.

Addresses an issue that affects the search button. It disappears when you interact with the search flyout box.

Addresses an issue that affects sleep mode. After you resume from sleep, a blank window appears that has the title “Windows Input Experience.”

Addresses an issue that affects iCloud Calendar and Contacts. Outlook fails to properly sync them when you use the iCloud for Windows app. To resume syncing, follow the steps in this Apple Support article.

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.

Introduces support for daylight saving time (DST) changes in Greenland.

Changes the spelling of Ukraine’s capital from Kiev to Kyiv.

Addresses an issue that affects account lockout event 4625. The format of the event is wrong in the ForwardedEvents log. This occurs when an account name is in the user principal name (UPN) format.

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. To learn more, see KB5014754.

Addresses an issue that is related to changes in the forwarding of events.

Addresses an issue that affects events that have a TAB character. The events do not render, or you cannot forward them.

Addresses an issue that affects XPath queries on FileHash and other binary fields. It stops them from matching values in event records.

Addresses an issue that affects an Application Virtualization (App-V) environment. Copy operations within it stop working. This occurs after you install the April 2023 update.

Addresses an issue that affects Microsoft Print to PDF. It uses the metadata for the name you sign in with as the author of a printed PDF. It should use the display name instead.

Addresses an issue that affects some USB printers. Microsoft Defender stops them from printing.

Addresses an issue that affects Windows Defender Application Control (WDAC). AppID Tagging policies might greatly increase how long it takes your device to start up.

Addresses an issue that affects IMEPad. It stops working. This occurs when you enter end-user-defined characters (EUDC).

Addresses an issue that affects Remote Apps. The display of some elements is not aligned correctly.

Addresses an issue that affects the Microsoft Distributed Transaction Coordinator (DTC). It has a handle leak. Because of this, the system runs out of memory.

Addresses an issue that might make Windows stop responding. This might occur if you use Microsoft OneDrive files that are compressed by NTFS.

Addresses an issue that might cause a user-mode memory leak. It might occur when you call CopyFile() or MoveFile().

Addresses an issue that affects application compatibility. It is related to Microsoft Defender for Endpoint.

Addresses an issue that affects external binding. It fails. This occurs after you install Windows updates dated May 2023 or later.

You can follow these instructions to install the update KB5031354 (build 22621.2428) on your computer already running Windows 11 22H2. If you have a computer still on version 21H2 or Windows 10, you will have to upgrade to version 22H2 and use the “Windows Update” settings to install the new features.

The October 10 release makes available the update KB5031354 (build 22621.2428) as a mandatory install. This package includes all the new features and changes previously available as a preview on September 26 and security fixes. After installing the update, the version number will remain at 22H2. Once the company finishes rolling out most of the features, an enablement package will be released to turn on the remaining features and switch the version number to 23H2. The company says that this first phase of the update should be completed in November. As such, the Windows 11 23H2 may become available sometime in November or December.

It’s important to note that while everyone can now download and install the October 2023 update, it doesn’t mean that everyone will have access to all the new features since the company is enabling the new enhancement gradually it’ll sometime before Copilot, the designed File Explorer, and other features become available on every device.