Windows 11 was a massive upgrade, and Microsoft has continued to work on more changes and new features since it was released. However, two features that were in testing have now been pulled.
Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 25272 is now rolling out to Windows Insider testers in the Dev Channel, as one of the first test versions of 2023. There are a few bug fixes, but Microsoft is also removing two features that have been in development for at least several months.
Microsoft said in a blog post, "we are removing the suggestion action for searching copied text in Microsoft Edge and showing recommend common websites on the Recommended section in Start -- both of which began rolling out with Build 25247. Thanks to all the Insiders who gave us feedback on these two experiences. As a reminder, features and experiences we try out in the Dev Channel may get removed and never released beyond the Dev Channel as we incubate new ideas and get feedback from Insiders."
Microsoft started testing suggested actions back in May 2022, which displayed a small pop-up when some types of text were selected and copied to the clipboard, similar to selecting text on iPhone or Android. For example, copying a date or time would show a button to create a calendar event. Websites in the Start Menu appeared later in November, which would appear as recommendations based on your browsing history or location. There wasn't a full explanation about why the features were removed, but it's possible they didn't work well or weren't too popular with testers.
Meanwhile, Build 22623.1095 is starting to roll out on the Beta Channel with another change to the Start Menu. Microsoft said, "the search box design in the Start menu has been updated with more rounded corners to reflect the design of the search box on the taskbar." Nothing too groundbreaking there.
Suggested actions and recommended websites never rolled out widely to Windows 11 PCs, and it's not clear when (or if) the new rounded search bar in the Start Menu will show up for everyone. We'll have to wait for more builds to find out.