Over time, we have learned to be suspicious of any leak due to its potential for "covert advertising". Without going too far, not a few users have accused Redmond of 'releasing' Windows images at very convenient moments, but this time everything seems to indicate that it was a legitimate error. What happened? Microsoft accidentally leaked StagingTool, an internal tool used to enable and disable specific Windows 11 features that are under evaluation.
The next major version of Windows 11 will arrive in September, or at least that's what the available information indicates. In recent days, the Windows Insider program had its 'bug bash' event, in which Redmond engineers recommend testers focus on bug detection before the update. One of the posts talks about the "passwordless sign-in" function, designed in response to user feedback and "regulatory requirements" in China. But the most interesting thing is that this function must be activated manually using an internal tool called StagingTool. What did Microsoft do? Share a direct download link.
How StagingTool Works
StagingTool does not have a graphical interface, but works in the system console. A simple command 'stagingtool /?' will present all valid modifiers for the program, the most important being /query, /enable, and /disable. The /query modifier reports the complete list of "experiments", each with its feature code, and a link to the documentation. Unfortunately, those links require professional credentials, so we cannot access them using a standard Outlook or Hotmail account.
At the same time, the logical thing is to use StagingTool on an installation that participates in Windows Insider. Previously we have talked about OfflineInsiderEnroll, which can change the update channel for Windows 11 without a Microsoft account. The last step is to use the command stagingtool /enable "feature code", and restart the computer. Needless to say, we do not recommend any modification in production environments. Some beta functions in Windows 11 are a real minefield.
To finish, there are two download options. The first is at the MSPowerUser portal, which shared a mirror. And the second comes through an open source clone called ViveTool, which has been in development for several years thanks to the community of enthusiasts. Its operation is almost identical to StagingTool, and I would dare say it is superior in some aspects, such as identifying features.
Mirror for StagingTool: Click here
Download ViveTool: Click here
