Windows 11 feature testing utility mistakenly leaked by Microsoft
Microsoft's internal tool for testing new Windows 11 features got out by chance.
StagingTool is a lot like a third-party programme called ViVeTool, which is used by a lot of people.
When Microsoft releases new test builds of Windows, there are usually a few features that are mentioned but only work for a small group of testers. Sometimes it's because the company is A/B testing two versions of the same thing. Other times, it's because Microsoft wants to test significant changes on a small group of people before making them available to everyone.
Users usually have little say over whether or not new features show up in their Windows beta installs. However, Microsoft's coders can use StagingTool to turn things on and off. Now, StagingTool has gotten out to the public because the company is running a "bug bash" this week to find and fix bugs before the next big set of Windows features comes out this fall.
As reported by The Verge, some bug bash players were given "quests" that told them to use the StagingTool to turn on certain features. Since then, the quests and the tool have been removed from Microsoft's servers. However, StagingTool is already being shared freely by Windows fans who want more control over the features they see (Microsoft's official link is dead, and you should be careful when downloading executable files from third-party sites).
StagingTool is a lot like a third-party app called ViVeTool, which testers have used to turn on features that have been announced but have yet to be ready or have yet to be revealed. Microsoft's new policy of trying and releasing new Windows features "whenever they're done" means there are now more of these features than there used to be.
Like ViVeTool, StagingTool is a command-line tool that uses featureID strings to turn on and off individual features. ViveTool has a search tool that you can use to find new feature strings to turn on and off if you can't find the exact string for the feature you want elsewhere.
This fall's Windows updates will be led by Windows Copilot, the latest Microsoft programme to get new generative AI features powered by ChatGPT. But even people who don't care about AI features will probably find things they like. For example, the Windows 11 update adds more support for compressed file formats, an Outlook app that replaces the built-in Mail and Calendar apps from Windows 10, better support for passkeys, and more fixes for the Windows 11 taskbar.