Newscast

Broken Narrator when installing Windows 11 v23H2

By Nik

November 24, 2023

Microsoft released Windows 11 version 23H2 on October 31, 2023. However, the updated Media Creation Tool, which includes 23H2 images became available later this month.

If you plan to install Windows 11 version 23H2 from scratch and require its assistive technologies be cautious. Microsoft has acknowledged a bug related to the Narrator not functioning properly.

According to Microsoft, using physical media or disk images for Windows 11 version 23H2 may lead to the Narrator being unresponsive during installation, even though the component is present in the installation media. It’s worth saying that this bug only occurs during installation and does not impact systems upgrading from Windows 10 or older Windows 11 versions. This problem is specific to installations using physical media or ISOs, and the Narrator is the only feature that is affected during the installation process.

As per an announcement in the official Windows documentation, Microsoft is actively working on a new Windows 11 version 23H2 install media to enable users to use Narrator during the installation process.

If you wish to upgrade to Windows 11 version 23H2, there are several methods available. The latest feature update can be obtained via Windows Update by navigating to the Settings app and enabling “Get the latest updates as soon as they are available.” Alternatively, you can perform an in-place upgrade using disk images from the official website or perform a clean installation of version 23H2 using the Rufus app.