KB5014019 is now available for Windows 11 in the production
channel and it’s an optional preview update, which means users
can safely ignore it if they can wait for the next Patch
Tuesday update. It is available via Windows Update, but you can
also download the offline installers of Windows 11 KB5014019.

Offline installers are helpful when you’re unable to deploy the
cumulative preview update via Windows Update. Regarding the
improvements in this update, it’s actually a big release with a
couple of new features. For example,
Microsoft is enabling Windows 11 22H2 Spotlight feature in
version 21H2.

The Windows Update is only being offered via the Settings app
or for manual download via Microsoft Update Catalog. It’s
generally a good idea to avoid these patches because they’re
still in testing. Of course, an optional cumulative update is
considered a stable release, but there’s a reason why they’re
marked “Preview.”

Notably, these updates aren’t meant for corporate machines. An
optional cumulative update is released for enthusiasts who
cannot wait for the next Patch Tuesday update to try out new
features or fixes. The main purpose of optional updates is to
test critical fixes ahead of the Patch Tuesday release.

Download Links for Windows 11 KB5014019

Windows 11 KB5014019 Direct Download Links: 64-bit

Optional updates are offered via Windows Update or Microsoft
Update Catalog. If you’re unable to download the package from
the Settings app, you can always head to the Microsoft Update
Catalog and download the offline installer, and then perform
the installation manually.

Once you’re on the Microsoft Update Catalog, click on the
‘Download’ button and open the .msu link.

As a reminder, Microsoft recently made it easier for users to
download the update package in browsers like Google Chrome.
Previously, Microsoft Update Catalog served packages via
insecure connection HTTP. As a result, some browsers blocked
the downloaded and users were required to copy and open the
.msu link in another tab.

Windows 11 KB5014019 (Build 22000.708) improvements

Windows 11’s latest optional update apparently enables a pretty
cool feature called “Spotlight”. For those unfamiliar,
Spotlight is a feature from Windows 8 and it lets you
automatically change the lock screen wallpaper.

Spotlight downloads high-quality backgrounds provided by Bing
and Microsoft is bringing the same feature to the desktop. With
Spotlight for desktop, you can keep it fresh with pretty nice
wallpapers.

Considering that pretty much everybody prefers a nice wallpaper
on the desktop, it does make sense to allow users to have
Windows Spotlight on the desktop too. For some reason,
Microsoft never really considered adding Spotlight to desktop
and many people used third-party apps or scripts to download
lock screen backgrounds.

Microsoft has finally listened to the feedback and Windows 11
Build 22000.708 enables it for everyone. Once updated, you
can navigate to the Settings > Personalization tab and
select ‘Spotlight’.

Once you select ‘Windows Spotlight’, Windows 11 automatically
downloads the Bing wallpaper of the day and replace the current
background with it. It would work just like you’d expect it to
work i.e similar to the way Spotlight works for the lock
screen.

In addition to Windows 11 Spotlight integration, today’s
cumulative update also makes changes to the Family Safety
verification experience. Likewise, there are several important
bug fixes, including a fix for an issue that would crash your
apps or make copying files between drives slower than usual.

While the update contains a long list of fixes and some quality
of life improvements, it also includes essential fixes to
mitigate app crashes. It fixes an issue that caused some apps
based on .NET Framework 3.5 to crash shortly after being
launched. Likewise, there are fixes for a black screen, login
issues and other bugs.

Here’s the complete list of bug fixes and improvements:

• Microsoft fixed an issue where searchindexer.exe could
  affect shapes in Microsoft Visio.
• Microsoft fixed an issue where adding a trusted user, group
  or computer could result in the error message “The object
  selected doesn’t match the type of destination source”.
• Microsoft fixed an issue that could affect the brightness
  of displays after you change the display mode.
• Microsoft fixed an issue that crashes apps using d3d9.dll
  with certain graphics cards.
• Microsoft fixed an issue that causes some users to see a
  black screen.
• Microsoft fixed an issue that causes print failures.

In terms of improvements, Microsoft says it added animation to
the Widgets cion when you click or tap the icon, and the
taskbar is aligned on the left. Windows Search is getting
several important fixes in this release. For example, an issue
where the search box input doesn’t work has been resolved.