Windows 11 update adds new emojis, game suggestions, 7-Zip, and more

On June 25th, Microsoft released KB5039302 for Windows 11, a patch that brings a few small improvements for users, which are fully described in the official changelog.

This patch distinguishes between changes that Microsoft is gradually rolling out to users and improvements that the software company is rolling out to everyone in one fell swoop.

The gradual rollout changes

First up, this update adds a new “Game Pass” recommendation card to the Settings home page. The change affects both Home and Pro editions of Windows 11, but is usually only displayed if you’re logged in with your Microsoft account and actively playing.

Emoji 15.1 support is also a new addition. Windows now supports the Unicode symbol-like shapes for various family constellations, plus several brand-new emojis (namely horizontal and vertical head shaking, phoenix, lime, brown mushroom, and a broken chain).

The “Show desktop” button is also back in the taskbar by default. To change this, right-click on the taskbar and select Taskbar settings to adjust the taskbar behavior.

This patch also incorporates some minor changes to File Explorer. Microsoft writes the following:

You can now create 7-Zip and Tape Archive (TAR) files via the context menu. If you right-click on a file, you can use the Compress to file option to compress it using tools such as gzip, bzip2, and others.

There is also a new compression wizard in the additional options. It helps you to select additional formats and add details. You can use different compression types to add many files to archives in other TAR formats. You can also change the compression level and select the data types to be stored in each archive.

It’s now also possible to copy files from the Windows Share window. Simply click on the new Copy button.

This update also marks the start of the rollout of the new Account Manager in the Start menu. When you sign in to Windows with a Microsoft account, you’ll see an overview of your account benefits. This feature also allows you to easily manage your account settings.

The immediate rollout changes

In contrast to the previous changes, there are a few minor changes that are rolling out right away to everyone who installs the update.

Among other things, Microsoft is fixing a problem with the Snipping Tool, which only recorded distorted sound while recording video. Other bug fixes concern the safe ejection of USB devices.

To install this Windows 11 update, you can select “Check for updates” on your PC or contact the usual Microsoft sharing channels.