Microsoft has released Windows 11 Build 22449 to the Dev channel, and it brings the usual slew of tweaks and changes. One that stands out is a change to the SMB compression behavior that'll speed up local network file transfers.
Windows 11 Build 22449 Tweaks SMB Compression
There are many small changes and bug fixes introduced with this update (and probably some new bugs that'll be introduced), but what causes our attention is the Server Message Block (SMB) compression behavior change. Microsoft first introduced SMB compression with Windows 11. Basically, it's designed to speed up file transfers over a local network.
Microsoft describes SMB compression as a feature that "removes the need to first deflate a file manually with an application, copy it, then inflate on the destination PC. As a result, compressed files will consume less network bandwidth and take less time to transfer, at the cost of slightly increased CPU usage during transfers."
Windows 11 wasn't always using SMB compression for small files that could be compressed, so Microsoft is altering the behavior to make it so smaller files that the feature would typically not shrink will now receive compression. That should speed up local file transfers for small to medium files since they'll receive the full benefits of SMB compression.
When a file transfer was initiated, the SMB decision algorithm would compress the first 524,288,000 bytes (500MiB). Then, it would check to see that at least 104,857,600 bytes (100MiB) were compressed within that 500-MB range. If it were, it would keep going. If it weren't, it would stop compressing. Now, this decision algorithm will no longer be in place, and it'll attempt to compress all files for faster transfers regardless of size.
Other Updates With Windows 11 Build 22449
Microsoft also tweaked the boot screen to show a progressive ring animation for loading the OS instead of an animated circle of dots. While certainly not a game-changer, it is a bit nicer looking.
Additionally, Microsoft is making it quicker to open the Bluetooth & Devices page in Settings from the right-click menu. There's also an acrylic background for notifications, a link to the touch keyboard personalization settings, and plenty more.