Microsoft has leaked an internal app to enable hidden features in Windows 11
Do-it-yourselfers have been using a similar tool for years
Microsoft realized the mistake and deleted the link, but the application is still circulating on the Internet
Microsoft developers are not lazy during the summer holidays and release new test builds of Windows 11 like on a conveyor belt – insiders can also play with new features that will be added to the final version of Windows later in the summer. With the release of the latest test version, Microsoft also launched another round of the “Bug bash” event, in which Insiders provide feedback on system testing in the form of a game. This time, however, the Redmonds unplanned released something else.
An unexpected and unplanned gift for Insiders
Microsoft adds new features to each new build of Windows 11 – some are visible at first glance, others change the system under the hood. A lot of news actually gets into test versions of the system long before Redmond officially admits it, but it’s disabled and even Insiders can’t get to it the standard way. This usually happens if the feature is not yet fully debugged, or Microsoft wants to try it out on a narrow circle of testers as part of an A/B test.
There is an unofficial for early activation of these hidden features the ViveTool, but it is no surprise that Microsoft itself has a similar tool. It’s called the Staging Tool, and it was leaked to the Redmond folks via the Feedback Hub app as part of the Bug Bash launch.
The Staging Tool looks similar to ViveTool, it takes the form of a command line through which unreleased features can be activated via their IDs. Although Microsoft removed this tool from the test build in a few moments, but you know what – one day it gets on the Internet… So DIYers have a new toy with which they can test upcoming functions ahead of time, all they have to do is somehow work their way into their ID – a lot of of them is located on GitHub.
Of course, neither Staging Tool nor ViveTool are tools intended for the hands of ordinary users, searching for hidden treasures in Windows through them is associated with a certain degree of risk of damage to the entire system.
Author of the article
Jakub Karásek
A fan of mobile technology, convertibles and wireless charging, a fan of hard music and a lover of fast driving in go-karts, bikes and skis. Opponent of FUP, slow internet and overgrown smartphones.
2023-08-04 11:30:00
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