The initial release of Windows 11 was a downgrade from Windows 10 in many ways, especially when it came to quickly updating audio settings. Microsoft is now trying to fix that with an update in testing.

Microsoft is rolling out Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 25309 to the Dev Channel for Windows Insiders, with changes to the touch keyboard, Auto Color Management (ACM), and voice controls. It also has a new volume mixer in the quick settings, which aims to address complaints with the current audio experience. Microsoft said, “The updated audio quick settings experience brings a modern volume mixer that allows for quick customization of audio on a per-app basis, with additional control to swap devices on the fly.”

The panel still requires multiple clicks to access — first you have to open the quick settings panel, then click on the sound settings — but Microsoft is also introducing a keyboard shortcut. Pressing the Windows + Control + V shortcut will immediately open the volume mixer from wherever you are in the Windows interface. That should address complaints from long-time Windows users that the current panel requires too many clicks to open, especially when compared to Windows 7, which opened a volume slider with one taskbar click 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 on Windows 11. You probably won’t have to wait until the next yearly update, though.

Source: Windows Blog