With 2023 drawing to a close, Microsoft has just announced the final two Windows 11 Insider builds of the year. Testers on the Canary Channel are receiving build 26016, which includes a new feature called Windows Protected Print Mode. This mode exclusively allows the use of Mopria-certified printers, which utilize the Windows modern print stack. According to the Windows Insider team, this feature means that users no longer have to rely on third-party software installers and also offers additional security benefits. Users of Mopria-certified printers will experience a safe and streamlined installation and printing process.

To enable the Windows Protected Print feature, users can access Local Group Policy Editor, and detailed instructions can be found in the associated blog post or the Feedback Hub quest. Another notable change in this new Canary build is the addition of an icon to the “Diagnose network problems” entry when right-clicking the Wi-Fi icon in the taskbar.

For Insiders on the Dev Channel, the latest build 23606 signifies the deprecation of Windows speech recognition, a feature from the Windows Vista era, that’s being replaced with Voice Access. The latter uses on-device speech recognition and is able to work without an Internet connection.

This build also addresses a File Explorer issue causing the app to crash when accessing or scrolling the gallery. Additionally, a bug causing the Touch Keyboard and Handwriting Panel (tabtip.exe) process to crash when trying to use pen input has also been fixed.

Windows 11 has seen numerous changes this year, including multiple “Moment” updates, the return of various Windows 10 taskbar features, and a new Copilot Assistant based on OpenAI’s ChatGPT. According to a recent report, the upcoming Windows release in 2024 is expected to focus more on AI, with a more integrated Copilot assistant that can run in the background. If you’re interested in this topic and want to be kept informed, be sure to sign up for our free newsletter to receive three time-saving tips every Friday, as well as free copies of Paul Thurrott’s Windows 11 and Windows 10 Field Guides as a special welcome gift.