Microsoft has released the optional pre-release security update for Windows 11 as of March 2023. It includes a number of new features. One of the most notable changes is the addition of a search box that matches the current color scheme.

With the pre-release update also comes a new feature that Microsoft has dubbed “Microsoft Account Notifications,” which will appear in the Start menu pop-up window of Windows 11. This feature has been in testing since last year. Although some users have voiced their concerns about these notifications, Microsoft said they are only available to a small audience at the moment and will be rolled out more widely in the coming months.

In addition to these new features, the pre-release version of Windows 11 KB5023778 comes with several other improvements and bug fixes. This includes a fix for a Microsoft PowerPoint freezing issue and new features to Microsoft Defender for Endpoint. This update is optional and contains no security updates. But it is recommended for Windows administrators who want to test the improvements that will be released with Patch Tuesday next month.

After early next month, there will be no more optional non-security pre-releases of Windows 10. For those versions, only the cumulative monthly security updates will continue to apply. While Windows 10, version 22H2, will continue to receive security releases and optional releases. Starting in April 2023, optional pre-release non-security updates will be issued on the Tuesday of the fourth week of the month to replace the “C” and “D” releases previously issued in the third and fourth weeks.