Serious Discussion Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview builds [Mega-Thread]

[Amanda Langowski]

Hello Windows Insiders, today we are releasing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22635.4291 (KB5043166) to the Beta Channel. Changes in Beta Channel builds and updates are documented in two buckets: new features, improvements, and fixes that are being gradually rolled out for Insiders who have turned on the toggle to get the latest updates as they are available (via Settings > Windows Update)* and then new features, improvements, and fixes rolling out to everyone in the Beta Channel. For more information, see the Reminders section at the bottom of this blog post.

Changes and Improvements gradually being rolled out to the Beta Channel with toggle on*​

[Task Manager]​

• We’ve updated the design of the Disconnect and Logoff dialogs in Task Manager to now support dark mode and text scaling.
• In the Performance section we now label listed disks with their type.

[Settings]​

• Tailored Experiences is becoming Personalized offers in OOBE. The new setting can be found on the Recommendations and offers page under Settings > Privacy & security. Personalized offers will let users opt-out of allowing Windows to use info about their devices and how they use them to enhance Windows.

Fixes gradually being rolled out to the Beta Channel with toggle on*​

[General]​

• Fixed a few issues which could cause explorer.exe crashes, including one causing sporadic explorer.exe crashes when using ALT + Tab in recent builds.

[Start menu]​

• Fixed an issue where if you clicked or tapped on a letter on Start menu's All apps list, the All apps list may break and not display correctly.

Fixes for everyone in the Beta Channel​

[Other]​

This update includes fixes for the following issues:

• [Microsoft Defender for Endpoint] Work Folders files fail to sync when Defender for Endpoint is on.
• [Outlook and other encrypted email apps] This issue prompts for your PIN each time you open an encrypted email.
• [Microsoft Edge] It sometimes stops responding when you use IE mode.
• [Transmission Control Protocol (TCP)] There is inconsistent data between TCP_INFO_v1 and GetPerTcpConnectionEstats. File synchronization services use TCP connection performance analysis tools. This issue affects how accurate those tools are.
• [Country and Operator Settings Asset] This update brings COSA profiles up to date for certain mobile operators.
• [Task Manager] It stops responding when you switch from a high contrast theme to a normal theme.

Known issues​

[Start menu]​

• [NEW] After installing this build, you may find there is an unexpected amount of spacing between items in the Start menu all apps list.

[Live captions]​

• [NEW] After installing this build, live captions will crash if you try to use it.

Snipping Tool Update​

We are rolling out an update for Snipping Tool (version 11.2408.15.0 and newer) to Windows Insiders in the Beta and Release Preview Channels that introduces the ability to change the folder that original screenshots and screen recordings are automatically saved to. Just go to app settings in Snipping Tool to select a new default folder to try it out! [caption id="attachment_177311" align="alignnone" width="648"] Setting in Snipping Tool to change the folder that screenshots and screen recordings are automatically saved.[/caption] FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Apps > Snipping Tool.

Reminders for Windows Insiders in the Beta Channel​

• Windows Insiders in the Beta Channel will receive updates based on Windows 11, version 23H2 via an enablement package (Build 22635.xxxx).
• Many features in the Beta Channel are rolled out using Control Feature Rollout technology, starting with a subset of Insiders and ramping up over time as we monitor feedback to see how they land before pushing them out to everyone in this channel.
• For Windows Insiders in the Beta Channel who want to be the first to get features gradually rolled out to you, you can turn ON the toggle to get the latest updates as they are available via Settings > Windows Update*. Over time, we will increase the rollouts of features to everyone with the toggle turned on. Should you keep this toggle off, new features will gradually be rolled out to your device over time once they are ready.
• Features and experiences included in these builds may never get released as we try out different concepts and get feedback. Features may change over time, be removed, or replaced and never get released beyond Windows Insiders. Some of these features and experiences could show up in future Windows releases when they’re ready.
• Some features in active development we preview with Windows Insiders may not be fully localized and localization will happen over time as features are finalized. As you see issues with localization in your language, please report those issues to us via Feedback Hub.
• Because the Dev and Beta Channels represent parallel development paths from our engineers, there may be cases where features and experiences show up in the Beta Channel first.
• Check out Flight Hub for a complete look at what build is in which Insider channel.

Thanks, Amanda & Brandon

Source: Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22635.4291 (Beta Channel)

 

[Amanda Langowski]

Hello Windows Insiders, today we are releasing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.1912 (KB5043168) to the Dev Channel. Changes in Dev Channel builds and updates are documented in two buckets: new features, improvements, and fixes that are being gradually rolled out for Insiders who have turned on the toggle to get the latest updates as they are available (via Settings > Windows Update)* and then new features, improvements, and fixes rolling out to everyone in the Dev Channel. For more information, see the Reminders section at the bottom of this blog post.

Changes and Improvements gradually being rolled out to the Dev Channel with toggle on*​

[General]​

• This update includes a small set of general improvements and fixes that improve the overall experience for Insiders running this build on their PCs.

[Mobile Hotspot]​

• The Windows Mobile Hotspot has been enhanced to support 6 GHz connections. The new band requires chips that support the feature and updated drivers; not all chips that support 6 GHz Wi-Fi in general will support the 6 GHz mobile hotspot. The change will be visible under Settings > Network & internet > Mobile hotspot when you edit the mobile hotspot properties. For compatibility with existing devices, the mobile hotspot will only use 6 GHz when explicitly enabled.

[caption id="attachment_177327" align="alignnone" width="359"] 6 GHz showing under mobile hotspot properties in Settings on PCs that have the right hardware and drivers.[/caption]

[Other]​

This update includes fixes for the following issues:

• [Open Source Software] This update adds attributions to txt files for Rust OSS components.
• [Task Manager]
  • Its Settings page might have a white background when it should not.
  • It stops responding when you switch from a high contrast theme to a normal theme.
• [Input Method Editor (IME)] When a combo box has input focus, a memory leak might occur when you close that window.
• [WebView2 apps] They do not detect input from Xbox 360 and Bluetooth controllers.

Known issues​

[Start menu]​

• If you click or tap on a letter on Start menu's All apps list, the All apps list may break. If you encounter this issue, please try rebooting or restarting explorer.exe to fix it.

Reminders for Windows Insiders in the Dev Channel​

• Windows Insiders in the Dev Channel receive updates based on Windows 11, version 24H2 via an enablement package (Build 26120.xxxx).
• Updates delivered to the Dev Channe are in a format that offers a preview of enhancements to servicing technology on Windows 11, version 24H2. To learn more, see Introducing Windows 11 checkpoint cumulative updates.
• Many features in the Dev Channel are rolled out using Control Feature Rollout technology, starting with a subset of Insiders and ramping up over time as we monitor feedback to see how they land before pushing them out to everyone in this channel.
• For Windows Insiders in the Dev Channel who want to be the first to get features gradually rolled out to you, you can turn ON the toggle to get the latest updates as they are available via Settings > Windows Update*. Over time, we will increase the rollouts of features to everyone with the toggle turned on. Should you keep this toggle off, new features will gradually be rolled out to your device over time once they are ready.
• Features and experiences included in these builds may never get released as we try out different concepts and get feedback. Features may change over time, be removed, or replaced and never get released beyond Windows Insiders. Some of these features and experiences could show up in future Windows releases when they’re ready.
• Some features in active development we preview with Windows Insiders may not be fully localized and localization will happen over time as features are finalized. As you see issues with localization in your language, please report those issues to us via Feedback Hub.
• Because the Dev and Beta Channels represent parallel development paths from our engineers, there may be cases where features and experiences show up in the Beta Channel first.
• Check out Flight Hub for a complete look at what build is in which Insider channel.

Thanks, Amanda & Brandon

Source: Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.1912 (Dev Channel)

 

[Amanda Langowski]

Hello Windows Insiders, today we are releasing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27718 to the Canary Channel. We are releasing ISOs for this build – they can be downloaded here. We are also not planning to release SDKs for 27xxx series builds for the time being.

Changes and Improvements​

[General]​

• [REMINDER] Insider Preview Build Expiration: The expiration date for Insider Preview builds flighted to the Canary Channel has been updated to 9/15/2025 starting with Build 27695. Please make sure you are updated to the latest build in the Canary Channel.

[Lock screen]​

• We have updated the Lock screen so that the media controls will now show at the lower bottom center of the Lock screen now when media is being played.

[caption id="attachment_177265" align="alignnone" width="666"] Updated position of media controls shown on the Lock screen when media is being played highlighted in a red box.[/caption]

[Start menu]​

• You can drag apps from the Pinned section of the menu and pin them to the taskbar.

[Taskbar & System Tray]​

• Updated the taskbar to now support first letter navigation, so when keyboard focus is set to the taskbar (WIN + T), you can press a letter, and it will jump to the open or pinned app whose name starts with that letter. Pressing the letter multiple times will jump to the subsequent app which starts with that letter, if there are multiple apps for that letter. For those using uncombined taskbar, rather than app name, the first letter navigation will use window name. Along with this, pressing Home and End will now move keyboard focus to the first and last (respectively) items in the taskbar.

[Notifications]​

• If desired, there’s now an option to turn off the suggestions to disable notifications from certain apps. You can now press the “…” within the notification to disable the notification, as you can with other notifications, or you can go to the list of notification senders in Settings > System > Notifications and turn it off from there (called “Notification Suggestions” in the list). Note – this entry will only appear in the senders list after you have received one.

[Windows Share]​

• We’re rolling out some minor UI changes to simplify the Windows share window which removes the search box.

[Narrator]​

• We have made several changes to improve the performance of Narrator scan mode. This is expected to make scan mode responses much quicker, especially while using Microsoft Edge, and reading through large documents. To try out scan mode, turn on Narrator first (Win key + Ctrl + Enter), and then turn scan mode ON by pressing Caps Lock + Spacebar during a Narrator session.

[Energy Saver]​

• For laptops on battery, a notification will pop up asking you to plug in your laptop if the battery level reaches 20% while Energy Saver is set to “Always On”.

[Windows Update]​

• We’ve made some small design improvements to the dialog that opens if there’s something that needs your attention before proceeding with a Windows update, for example if more space is needed or there’s a compatibility issue. This includes updating the icon sizes and spacing.

[Input]​

• We have updated Settings > Bluetooth & Devices > Touch to have a new section for touch screen edge gestures, where you can choose if you would like to disable the left or right screen edge touch gesture. Note, this feature is rolling out so not all Insiders in the Canary Channel will see it right away.

[Administrator protection]​

• Administrator protection is an upcoming platform security feature in Windows 11, which aims to protect free floating admin rights for administrator users allowing them to still perform all admin functions with just-in-time admin privileges. This feature is off by default and needs to be enabled via group policy. We plan to share more details about this feature at Microsoft Ignite.

Fixes ​

[General]​

• Fixed an issue which was causing some Insiders to experience a hang at the boot screen and their PC to roll back with error 0xC1900101 when trying to upgrade to the previous flight.
• Fixed an issue in the last 2 Canary builds which was causing sporadic explorer.exe crashes when moving windows around.
• Fixed an issue causing some Insiders on the last 2 Canary builds to see a bugcheck with error message “SYSTEM_SERVICE_EXCEPTION”.

[Input]​

• Fixed an issue causing the emoji panel to close when trying to switch to the kaomoji and symbols sections, or after selecting an emoji.
• Updated the logic for the setting “Press the lower right corner of the touchpad to right-click” Settings > Bluetooth & Devices > Touchpad so it shouldn’t show in cases where the touchpad doesn’t support the functionality.

[Widgets]​

• Fixed an issue which could result in the Widgets icon unexpectedly displaying in the taskbar twice sometimes.

[Other]​

• Fixed a high hitting wmiprvse.exe crash in the last 2 Canary flights.
• Fixed an issue which was causing certain apps (like Media Player) to crash when playing audio for some Insiders in the last 2 Canary flights.
• Fixed an issue for some Insiders with dual boot devices, where the boot menu (where you select which OS to boot into) wasn’t displaying correctly (the color was wrong, and it might only display in half the available space).

Known issues​

[General]​

• [IMPORTANT NOTE FOR COPILOT+ PCs] If you are joining the Canary Channel on a new Copilot+ PC from the Dev Channel, Release Preview Channel or retail, you will lose Windows Hello pin and biometrics to sign into your PC with error 0xd0000225 and error message “Something went wrong, and your PIN isn’t available”. You should be able to re-create your PIN by clicking “Set up my PIN”.

[Movies & TV]​

• [NEW] Insiders may not be able to play purchased content in the Movies & TV app on the recent Canary Channel builds. This issue will soon be fixed in a future flight.

[Input]​

• [NEW] We’re working on the fix for an underlying issue causing the Emoji Panel and Clipboard History to not open in certain surfaces anymore, including in Registry Editor.

Microsoft Store Update​

Windows Insiders in the Canary and Dev Channels running version 22409.xxxx.x of the Microsoft Store and higher will see the following improvement rolling out:

• App Categories: The apps page on the Microsoft Store will now show a new categories experience just under the featured section. Clicking on any of the options will lead you to a page where you can browse a variety of apps for that category. We hope you find this new experience helpful as you browse the store to find your next favorite app. Let us know what you think!

[caption id="attachment_177330" align="alignnone" width="821"] New app categories shown on the apps page in the Microsoft Store under the featured section.[/caption] FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Microsoft Store.

New Clock widgets: Countdown and Timer​

We are rolling out a Clock app update to Windows Insiders across all Insider Channels that includes two new clock widgets: countdown and timer. Make sure you have the latest version of the Clock app update from the Microsoft Store (version 11.2408.9.0 and higher). After you open the widgets board, you can open the widgets picker by clicking the “+” button in the top right corner where you would be able to add these widgets to your board. [caption id="attachment_177332" align="alignnone" width="560"] New countdown and timer widgets from the Clock app showing on the widgets board.[/caption] FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Apps > Clock App.

Reminders for Windows Insiders in the Canary Channel​

• The builds we release to the Canary Channel represent the latest platform changes early in the development cycle and should not be seen as matched to any specific release of Windows and features and experiences included in these builds may never get released as we try out different concepts and get feedback. Features may change over time, be removed, or replaced and never get released beyond Windows Insiders. Some of these features and experiences could show up in future Windows releases when they’re ready.

• Many features in the Canary Channel are rolled out using Control Feature Rollout technology, starting with a subset of Insiders and ramping up over time as we monitor feedback to see how they land before pushing them out to everyone in this channel.

• Some features may show up in the Dev and Beta Channels first before showing up in the Canary Channel.

• Some features in active development we preview with Windows Insiders may not be fully localized and localization will happen over time as features are finalized. As you see issues with localization in your language, please report those issues to us via Feedback Hub.
• To get off the Canary Channel, a clean install of Windows 11 will be required. As a reminder - Insiders can’t switch to a channel that is receiving builds with lower build numbers without doing a clean installation of Windows 11 due to technical setup requirements.

• The desktop watermark shown at the lower right corner of the desktop is normal for these pre-release builds.

• Check out Flight Hub for a complete look at what build is in which Insider channel.

Thanks, Amanda & Brandon

Source: Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27718 (Canary Channel)

 

[Amanda Langowski]

Hello Windows Insiders, today we are releasing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22635.4300 (KB5044386) to the Beta Channel. Changes in Beta Channel builds and updates are documented in two buckets: new features, improvements, and fixes that are being gradually rolled out for Insiders who have turned on the toggle to get the latest updates as they are available (via Settings > Windows Update)* and then new features, improvements, and fixes rolling out to everyone in the Beta Channel. For more information, see the Reminders section at the bottom of this blog post.

Changes and Improvements gradually being rolled out to the Beta Channel with toggle on*​

[Start menu]​

• "All apps" is now just "All" on the Start menu. This change began rolling out with Build 22635.4291 earlier this week.

[Fonts]​

• There is a new simplified Chinese font (Simsun-ExtG) with 9,753 ideographs supporting Unicode Extensions G, H and I. Included is the highly requested character for Biangbiang noodles. This character U+30EDD is said to be the most complicated Chinese character, as you can see in the image below. We are aware that some applications may not be able to display these new extension characters yet.
  • Unicode range G 30000-3134A (4,939 chars)
  • Unicode range H 31350-323AF (4,192 chars)
  • Unicode range I 2EBF0-2EE5D (622 chars)

[caption id="attachment_177339" align="alignnone" width="97"] Biangbiang character Unicode 30EDD.[/caption]

[Security]​

• Windows Search runs IFilters in the Less Privileged App Containers (LPAC). LPAC are like app containers, but they deny even more permissions by default. The intent is that a process running in a LPAC has access only to the resources needed by it. This model helps to minimize the potential damage that can be caused by a compromised process by limiting its access to sensitive system components and data.

Fixes gradually being rolled out to the Beta Channel with toggle on*​

[General]​

• Fixed a high hitting explorer.exe crash impacting Insiders while using your PC in the last few Beta Builds.

[File Explorer]​

• Fixed an issue which was causing the items in the navigation pane to become very spread out (with unexpected padding between each item) for some people.

Known issues​

[Start menu]​

• After installing this build, you may find there is an unexpected amount of spacing between items in the Start menu all apps list.

[Live captions]​

• After installing this build, live captions will crash if you try to use it.

New Clock widgets: Countdown and Timer​

We are rolling out a Clock app update to Windows Insiders across all Insider Channels that includes two new clock widgets: countdown and timer. Make sure you have the latest version of the Clock app update from the Microsoft Store (version 11.2408.9.0 and higher). After you open the widgets board, you can open the widgets picker by clicking the “+” button in the top right corner where you would be able to add these widgets to your board. [caption id="attachment_177332" align="alignnone" width="525"] New countdown and timer widgets from the Clock app showing on the widgets board.[/caption] FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Apps > Clock App.

Reminders for Windows Insiders in the Beta Channel​

• Windows Insiders in the Beta Channel will receive updates based on Windows 11, version 23H2 via an enablement package (Build 22635.xxxx).
• Many features in the Beta Channel are rolled out using Control Feature Rollout technology, starting with a subset of Insiders and ramping up over time as we monitor feedback to see how they land before pushing them out to everyone in this channel.
• For Windows Insiders in the Beta Channel who want to be the first to get features gradually rolled out to you, you can turn ON the toggle to get the latest updates as they are available via Settings > Windows Update*. Over time, we will increase the rollouts of features to everyone with the toggle turned on. Should you keep this toggle off, new features will gradually be rolled out to your device over time once they are ready.
• Features and experiences included in these builds may never get released as we try out different concepts and get feedback. Features may change over time, be removed, or replaced and never get released beyond Windows Insiders. Some of these features and experiences could show up in future Windows releases when they’re ready.
• Some features in active development we preview with Windows Insiders may not be fully localized and localization will happen over time as features are finalized. As you see issues with localization in your language, please report those issues to us via Feedback Hub.
• Because the Dev and Beta Channels represent parallel development paths from our engineers, there may be cases where features and experiences show up in the Beta Channel first.
• Check out Flight Hub for a complete look at what build is in which Insider channel.

Thanks, Amanda & Brandon

Source: Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22635.4300 (Beta Channel)

 

[Amanda Langowski]

Hello Windows Insiders, today we are releasing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.1930 (KB5044388) to the Dev Channel. Changes in Dev Channel builds and updates are documented in two buckets: new features, improvements, and fixes that are being gradually rolled out for Insiders who have turned on the toggle to get the latest updates as they are available (via Settings > Windows Update)* and then new features, improvements, and fixes rolling out to everyone in the Dev Channel. For more information, see the Reminders section at the bottom of this blog post.

Changes and Improvements gradually being rolled out to the Dev Channel with toggle on*​

[General]​

• This update includes a small set of general improvements and fixes that improve the overall experience for Insiders running this build on their PCs.

[Fonts]​

• There is a new simplified Chinese font (Simsun-ExtG) with 9,753 ideographs supporting Unicode Extensions G, H and I. Included is the highly requested character for Biangbiang noodles. This character U+30EDD is said to be the most complicated Chinese character, as you can see in the image below. We are aware that some applications may not be able to display these new extension characters yet.
  • Unicode range G 30000-3134A (4,939 chars)
  • Unicode range H 31350-323AF (4,192 chars)
  • Unicode range I 2EBF0-2EE5D (622 chars)

[caption id="attachment_177339" align="alignnone" width="97"] Biangbiang character Unicode 30EDD.[/caption]

[Windows Sandbox]​

• The new Windows Sandbox Client Preview that began rolling out with Build 26120.1843 should now be available to all Insiders in the Dev Channel.

[caption id="attachment_177309" align="alignnone" width="675"] Windows Sandbox Client Preview with new dropdown showing clipboard redirection, audio/video input control, and the ability to share folders with the host.[/caption]

Fixes gradually being rolled out to the Dev Channel with toggle on*​

[Other]​

• Fixed an issue for some Insiders with dual boot devices, where the boot menu (where you select which OS to boot into) wasn’t displaying correctly (the color was wrong, and it might only display in half the available space).

Changes and Improvements gradually being rolled out to everyone in the Dev Channel​

[Settings]​

• We are adding the ability to configure the Copilot key. You can choose to have the Copilot key launch an app that is MSIX packaged and signed, thus indicating the app meets security and privacy requirements to keep customers safe. The key will continue to launch Copilot on devices that have the Copilot app installed until a customer selects a different experience. This setting can be found via Settings > Personalization > Text input. If the keyboard connected to your PC does not have a Copilot key, adjusting this setting will not do anything. We are planning further refinements to this experience in a future flight.

[caption id="attachment_177304" align="alignnone" width="590"] New setting for configuring the Copilot key highlighted in a red box.[/caption]

Known issues​

[General]​

• This build may fail to install with error 0x800f0983. If you see this error, please try to install it again, as it should work on retry. If it stays on 0%, please be patient - it should proceed.

[Start menu]​

• If you click or tap on a letter on Start menu's All apps list, the All apps list may break. If you encounter this issue, please try rebooting or restarting explorer.exe to fix it.

New Clock widgets: Countdown and Timer​

We are rolling out a Clock app update to Windows Insiders across all Insider Channels that includes two new clock widgets: countdown and timer. Make sure you have the latest version of the Clock app update from the Microsoft Store (version 11.2408.9.0 and higher). After you open the widgets board, you can open the widgets picker by clicking the “+” button in the top right corner where you would be able to add these widgets to your board. [caption id="attachment_177332" align="alignnone" width="525"] New countdown and timer widgets from the Clock app showing on the widgets board.[/caption] FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Apps > Clock App.

Reminders for Windows Insiders in the Dev Channel​

• Windows Insiders in the Dev Channel receive updates based on Windows 11, version 24H2 via an enablement package (Build 26120.xxxx).
• Updates delivered to the Dev Channe are in a format that offers a preview of enhancements to servicing technology on Windows 11, version 24H2. To learn more, see Introducing Windows 11 checkpoint cumulative updates.
• Many features in the Dev Channel are rolled out using Control Feature Rollout technology, starting with a subset of Insiders and ramping up over time as we monitor feedback to see how they land before pushing them out to everyone in this channel.
• For Windows Insiders in the Dev Channel who want to be the first to get features gradually rolled out to you, you can turn ON the toggle to get the latest updates as they are available via Settings > Windows Update*. Over time, we will increase the rollouts of features to everyone with the toggle turned on. Should you keep this toggle off, new features will gradually be rolled out to your device over time once they are ready.
• Features and experiences included in these builds may never get released as we try out different concepts and get feedback. Features may change over time, be removed, or replaced and never get released beyond Windows Insiders. Some of these features and experiences could show up in future Windows releases when they’re ready.
• Some features in active development we preview with Windows Insiders may not be fully localized and localization will happen over time as features are finalized. As you see issues with localization in your language, please report those issues to us via Feedback Hub.
• Because the Dev and Beta Channels represent parallel development paths from our engineers, there may be cases where features and experiences show up in the Beta Channel first.
• Check out Flight Hub for a complete look at what build is in which Insider channel.

Thanks, Amanda & Brandon

Source: Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.1930 (Dev Channel)

 

[Amanda Langowski]

Hello Windows Insiders, today we are releasing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27723 to the Canary Channel. We are also not planning to release SDKs for 27xxx series builds for the time being.

Changes and Improvements​

[General]​

• [REMINDER] Insider Preview Build Expiration: The expiration date for Insider Preview builds flighted to the Canary Channel has been updated to 9/15/2025 starting with Build 27695. Please make sure you are updated to the latest build in the Canary Channel.

[Search on the Taskbar]​

• We are beginning to roll out the ability to share local files directly from within the search results shown in the search box on the taskbar.

[caption id="attachment_177099" align="alignnone" width="430"] New option to share a local file highlighted in a red box in the search results from the search box on the taskbar.[/caption]

[Voice Access]​

• We are making improvements for the spelling and corrections experience in voice access. You can now use the experience for the entire voice access session. The spelling experience will now enable you to dictate the characters at a faster speed and offer more editing flexibility inside the experience with dictation commands, namely selection, deletion and text navigation commands.

[Fonts]​

• There is a new simplified Chinese font (Simsun-ExtG) with 9,753 ideographs supporting Unicode Extensions G, H and I. Included is the highly requested character for Biangbiang noodles. This character U+30EDD is said to be the most complicated Chinese character, as you can see in the image below. We are aware that some applications may not be able to display these new extension characters yet.
  • Unicode range G 30000-3134A (4,939 chars)
  • Unicode range H 31350-323AF (4,192 chars)
  • Unicode range I 2EBF0-2EE5D (622 chars)

[caption id="attachment_177339" align="alignnone" width="97"] Biangbiang character Unicode 30EDD.[/caption]

[Settings]​

• The detach virtual hard disk (VHD/VHDx) button we added under Settings > System > Storage > Disks & Volumes introduced with Build 27686 has temporarily been disabled starting with Build 27718. We’re working to re-enable this change in a future flight soon.

Known issues​

[General]​

• [IMPORTANT NOTE FOR COPILOT+ PCs] If you are joining the Canary Channel on a new Copilot+ PC from the Dev Channel, Release Preview Channel or retail, you will lose Windows Hello pin and biometrics to sign into your PC with error 0xd0000225 and error message “Something went wrong, and your PIN isn’t available”. You should be able to re-create your PIN by clicking “Set up my PIN”.
• [NEW] We’re investigating reports that some games, including Microsoft Solitaire & Casual Games, are crashing on launch after installing 27718.
• [NEW] We’re investigating reports that some Insiders are still experiencing rollbacks (with error code 0xc190010) when attempting to install the latest Canary builds.

[Input]​

• We’re working on the fix for an underlying issue causing the Emoji Panel and Clipboard History to not open in certain surfaces anymore, including in Registry Editor.

Reminders for Windows Insiders in the Canary Channel​

• The builds we release to the Canary Channel represent the latest platform changes early in the development cycle and should not be seen as matched to any specific release of Windows and features and experiences included in these builds may never get released as we try out different concepts and get feedback. Features may change over time, be removed, or replaced and never get released beyond Windows Insiders. Some of these features and experiences could show up in future Windows releases when they’re ready.
• Many features in the Canary Channel are rolled out using Control Feature Rollout technology, starting with a subset of Insiders and ramping up over time as we monitor feedback to see how they land before pushing them out to everyone in this channel.
• Some features may show up in the Dev and Beta Channels first before showing up in the Canary Channel.
• Some features in active development we preview with Windows Insiders may not be fully localized and localization will happen over time as features are finalized. As you see issues with localization in your language, please report those issues to us via Feedback Hub.
• To get off the Canary Channel, a clean install of Windows 11 will be required. As a reminder - Insiders can’t switch to a channel that is receiving builds with lower build numbers without doing a clean installation of Windows 11 due to technical setup requirements.
• The desktop watermark shown at the lower right corner of the desktop is normal for these pre-release builds.
• Check out Flight Hub for a complete look at what build is in which Insider channel.

Thanks, Amanda & Brandon

Source: Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27723 (Canary Channel)

 

[Brandon LeBlanc]

Hello Windows Insiders, today we’re releasing Windows 11 Build 22631.4387 (KB5044380) to Insiders in the Release Preview Channel on Windows 11, version 23H2 (Build 22631). Below is a summary of the new features and improvements included as part of this update separated into two sections: gradual rollout and normal rollout. The bold text within the brackets indicates the item or area of the change we are documenting.

Gradual rollout​

The following features and improvements might not be available to all users because they will roll out gradually. Text bolded in brackets indicate the area of the change being documented.

• [Start menu]
  • New! You can directly access content on your mobile device from the Start menu on your PC. Using this feature, you can view your device’s battery status and connectivity, access your voice messages, calls, and photos, and pick up where you left off with the latest activities on your device. Only Android users who are already connected using Phone Link can get this feature. iOS support will be coming later. To manage this feature, go to Settings > Personalization > Start.
  • New! “All apps” has the new name, “All.”

• [Gamepad keyboard] New! This update starts the roll out of a new Gamepad keyboard layout for the on-screen keyboard. With it, you can use your Xbox controller to move around the screen and type. Button accelerators are also available; these include the X button for backspace and the Y button for the spacebar. For better movement patterns, the keyboard keys are aligned vertically.
• [Notifications] New! You can now stop the suggestions to turn off notifications from certain apps. Select the ellipses (…) in the notification and turn it off. You can also go to Settings > System > Notifications and turn it off from there. Look for “Notification Suggestions” in the senders list. An entry will only appear in the list after you receive a notification.

• [Settings] New! Tailored Experiences is now Personalized offers in the out of box experience (OOBE). You can find it on the Recommendations and offers page. Go to Settings > Privacy & security. Here, you can turn off the setting that sends data about your device to enhance Windows.

Normal rollout​

This update includes the following features and improvements that are rolling out as part of this update. Text bolded in brackets indicates the area of the change being documented.

• [Copilot key settings] New! You can configure the Copilot key on the keyboard. On new devices, the key opens the Copilot app. If you sign in to your account using a Microsoft Entra ID, the key opens the M365 app. You can make the key open a different app or open Search. To do this, go to Settings > Personalization > Text input. To make the key open a different app, the app must be in a signed MSIX package. This ensures that the app meets security and privacy standards to keep you safe. If your PC’s keyboard does not have a Copilot key, changing this setting will do nothing.
• [Battery use] Fixed: A device uses too much battery power while the device is in Modern Standby.
• [Microsoft Teams] Fixed: The issue stops you from joining Teams meetings when you select an Outlook meeting reminder.
• [vmswitch] Fixed: A vmswitch triggers a stop error. This occurs when you use Load Balancing and Failover (LBFO) teaming with two virtual switches on a virtual machine (VM). In this case, one virtual switch uses single root Input/Output virtualization (SR-IOV).
• [Collector sets] Fixed: They do not close properly when an exception occurs during startup or while the set is active. Because of this, the command to stop a collector set stops responding.
• [Product activation phone numbers] Fixed: This update adds new phone numbers for several regions.
• [Multi-Function Printer (MFP)] Fixed: When you use a USB cable to connect to it, it prints specific network command text when you do want it to.
• [Country and Operator Settings Asset (COSA)] Fixed: This update brings profiles up to date for certain mobile operators.
• [Windows Hello for Business] Fixed: PIN reset does not work when you select the “I forgot my PIN’ link on the credentials screen.
• [Windows Kernel Vulnerable Driver Blocklist file (DriverSiPolicy.p7b)] Fixed: This update adds to the list of drivers that are at risk for Bring Your Own Vulnerable Driver (BYOVD) attacks.
• [WebView2 apps] Fixed: They do not detect input from Xbox 360 and Bluetooth controllers.
• [Bluetooth] Fixed: An app stops responding because of a memory leak in a device.

Thanks, Windows Insider Program Team

Source: Releasing Windows 11 Build 22631.4387 to the Release Preview Channel

 

[Brandon LeBlanc]

Hello Windows Insiders, today we’re releasing Windows 11 Build 26100.2152 (KB5044384) to Insiders in the Release Preview Channel on Windows 11, version 24H2 (Build 26100). Below is a summary of the new features and improvements included as part of this update separated into two sections: gradual rollout and normal rollout. The bold text within the brackets indicates the item or area of the change we are documenting.

Gradual rollout​

The following features and improvements might not be available to all users because they will roll out gradually. Text bolded in brackets indicate the area of the change being documented.

• [Start menu] New! You can directly access content on your mobile device from the Start menu on your PC. Using this feature, you can view your device’s battery status and connectivity, access your voice messages, calls, and photos, and pick up where you left off with the latest activities on your device. Only Android users who are already connected using Phone Link can get this feature. iOS support will be coming later. To manage this feature, go to Settings > Personalization > Start.
• [Notifications] New! You can now stop the suggestions to turn off notifications from certain apps. Select the ellipses (…) in the notification and turn it off. You can also go to Settings > System > Notifications and turn it off from there. Look for “Notification Suggestions” in the senders list. An entry will only appear in the list after you receive a notification.
• [Windows Sandbox Client Preview] New! This update adds the Windows Sandbox Client Preview. This preview includes runtime clipboard redirection, audio and video input control, and sharing folders with the host at runtime. To access these, select the ellipses (…) at the upper right on the app. This preview also includes a version of command-line support. (The commands might change over time). To learn more, use the exe –help command. You can find new updates for this app in the Microsoft Store.
• [Virtual hard disk (VHD/VHDx)] New! This update adds a detach virtual hard disk button to Settings. In the properties for your VHD or VHDx, go to Settings > System > Storage > Disks & Volumes.
• [Wi-Fi password dialog] New! The dialog now has the Windows 11 visual design. Go to Settings > Network & internet.

Normal rollout​

This update includes the following features and improvements that are rolling out as part of this update. Text bolded in brackets indicates the area of the change being documented.

• [Copilot key settings] New! You can configure the Copilot key on the keyboard. On new devices, the key opens the Copilot app. If you sign in to your account using a Microsoft Entra ID, the key opens the M365 app. You can make the key open a different app or open Search. To do this, go to Settings > Personalization > Text input. To make the key open a different app, the app must be in a signed MSIX package. This ensures that the app meets security and privacy standards to keep you safe. If your PC’s keyboard does not have a Copilot key, changing this setting will do nothing.
• [User interface (UI)] Fixed: You cannot view some parts of the UI when you run certain apps.
• [HTML Applications (HTA)] Fixed: HTA optional components (OC) are now in ARM64 Windows PE.
• [Live kernel debug files (dumps)] Fixed: win32kbase.sys creates live kernel debug files when it should not.
• [Winlogon] Fixed: A stop error occurs during shutdown.
• [Windows Kernel Vulnerable Driver Blocklist file (DriverSiPolicy.p7b)] Fixed: This update adds to the list of drivers that are at risk for Bring Your Own Vulnerable Driver (BYOVD) attacks.
• [Web sign-in] Fixed: You cannot sign in to your account from the web because the screen stops responding.
• [sfc /scannow command] Fixed: You get errors every time you run the command.

Thanks, Windows Insider Program Team

Source: Releasing Windows 11 Build 26100.2152 to the Release Preview Channel

 

[TairikuOkami]

8.63GB Cleanup Bug is almost fixed.

 

[Nevi]

 

[Bot]

Thanks for sharing the video. Could you please summarize the main points or issues discussed in it related to Windows 11 24H2? It would help foster a more detailed conversation.

 

[blackice]

Seems like a lot of outlets are posting articles and videos like this. Issues seem to happen with every update. And screaming the sky is falling about any problems people mention gets clicks.

 

[oldschool]

These issues are aside from others which users have reported, like the pink, distorted boot screen. I got that, among others, and re-imaged back to 23H2. My machine is happy now.

 

[Sorrento]

On a personal basis I haven't had any issues with 24H2 - However I did and saved an image of 23H2 right before I installed 24H2 - if I had any issues it would be a matter of minutes to restore back as oldschool did - And kept on living happily.

 

[Amanda Langowski]

Hello Windows Insiders, today we are releasing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.2122 (KB5044374) to the Dev Channel. Changes in Dev Channel builds and updates are documented in two buckets: new features, improvements, and fixes that are being gradually rolled out for Insiders who have turned on the toggle to get the latest updates as they are available (via Settings > Windows Update)* and then new features, improvements, and fixes rolling out to everyone in the Dev Channel. For more information, see the Reminders section at the bottom of this blog post.

Changes and Improvements gradually being rolled out to the Dev Channel with toggle on*​

[General]​

• This update includes a small set of general improvements and fixes that improve the overall experience for Insiders running this build on their PCs.

[Taskbar & System Tray]​

• We’ve updated the previews that show when you mouse-over/hover over apps on the taskbar. We have also improved the animations for when these previews show on the taskbar based on Insider feedback.

[caption id="attachment_177179" align="alignnone" width="592"] Updated taskbar previews shown for two open File Explorer windows.[/caption]

[Task Manager]​

• We’ve updated the design of the Disconnect and Logoff dialogs in Task Manager to now support dark mode and text scaling.
• In the Performance section we now label listed disks with their type.

Fixes gradually being rolled out to the Dev Channel with toggle on*​

[Windowing]​

• Fixed an underlying issue which could cause the screen to go black for a few seconds for some people when using ALT + Tab.

Fixes for everyone in the Dev Channel​

[General]​

• Fixed an issue causing some Insiders to see error 0x800f0825 when trying to install the latest Dev Channel builds.

[Other]​

This update includes fixes for the following issues:

• [Remote Desktop Gateway Service] Fixed: The service stops responding. This occurs when a service uses remote procedure calls (RPC) over HTTP. Because of this, the clients that are using the service disconnect.

Known issues​

[Start menu]​

• If you click or tap on a letter on Start menu's All apps list, the All apps list may break. If you encounter this issue, please try rebooting or restarting explorer.exe to fix it.

[Live captions]​

• [NEW] After installing this build, live captions may crash if you try to use it.

Snipping Tool Update​

We are rolling out an update for Snipping Tool (version 11.2409.22.0 and newer) to Windows Insiders in the Canary and Dev Channels that introduces a new “Copy as table” feature. [caption id="attachment_177355" align="alignnone" width="637"] Snipping Tool showing copy as table option with text pasted into Microsoft Excel.[/caption] Customers can do even more with Snipping Tool! Alongside existing text features, like copying text from an image and redacting sensitive information, we’re adding a new option for “Copy as table”. Customers can use “Copy as table” to easily copy structured table data into an email, document, or spreadsheet. To get started, capture a screenshot with table data, select “Text actions,” and select “Copy as table.” You can paste the structured table data from there! Please note: the current implementation of the feature works best when your screenshot only includes one table. FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Apps > Snipping Tool.

Reminders for Windows Insiders in the Dev Channel​

• Windows Insiders in the Dev Channel receive updates based on Windows 11, version 24H2 via an enablement package (Build 26120.xxxx).
• Updates delivered to the Dev Channel are in a format that offers a preview of enhancements to servicing technology on Windows 11, version 24H2. To learn more, see Introducing Windows 11 checkpoint cumulative updates.
• Many features in the Dev Channel are rolled out using Control Feature Rollout technology, starting with a subset of Insiders and ramping up over time as we monitor feedback to see how they land before pushing them out to everyone in this channel.
• For Windows Insiders in the Dev Channel who want to be the first to get features gradually rolled out to you, you can turn ON the toggle to get the latest updates as they are available via Settings > Windows Update*. Over time, we will increase the rollouts of features to everyone with the toggle turned on. Should you keep this toggle off, new features will gradually be rolled out to your device over time once they are ready.
• Features and experiences included in these builds may never get released as we try out different concepts and get feedback. Features may change over time, be removed, or replaced and never get released beyond Windows Insiders. Some of these features and experiences could show up in future Windows releases when they’re ready.
• Some features in active development we preview with Windows Insiders may not be fully localized and localization will happen over time as features are finalized. As you see issues with localization in your language, please report those issues to us via Feedback Hub.
• Because the Dev and Beta Channels represent parallel development paths from our engineers, there may be cases where features and experiences show up in the Beta Channel first.
• Check out Flight Hub for a complete look at what build is in which Insider channel.

Thanks, Amanda & Brandon

Source: Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.2122 (Dev Channel)

 

[Amanda Langowski]

Hello Windows Insiders, today we are releasing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22635.4367 (KB5044373) to the Beta Channel. Changes in Beta Channel builds and updates are documented in two buckets: new features, improvements, and fixes that are being gradually rolled out for Insiders who have turned on the toggle to get the latest updates as they are available (via Settings > Windows Update)* and then new features, improvements, and fixes rolling out to everyone in the Beta Channel. For more information, see the Reminders section at the bottom of this blog post.

Changes and Improvements gradually being rolled out to the Beta Channel with toggle on*​

[General]​

• This update includes a small set of general improvements and fixes that improve the overall experience for Insiders running this build on their PCs.

[Windows Share]​

• We are adding the ability to share directly to apps that support sharing in Windows when right-clicking on local files in File Explorer or the desktop.

[caption id="attachment_177359" align="alignnone" width="463"] Share with apps directly through the context menu in File Explorer or on the desktop.[/caption]

Fixes gradually being rolled out to the Beta Channel with toggle on*​

[Start menu]​

• Fixed an issue that was leading to some Insiders potentially seeing unexpected amount of spacing between items in the Start menu all apps list.

[Live captions]​

• Fixed an issue causing live captions to crash on launch for some Insiders in the last 2 builds.

[Taskbar]​

• Fixed an issue where if you had multiple windows open for an app on your taskbar, pressing WIN + multiple times wasn’t cycling between the windows, for example, pressing WIN + 1.
• Fixed an issue for uncombined taskbar users, where app icons were unexpectedly showing instead of the window’s icon next to the window name.

Reminders for Windows Insiders in the Beta Channel​

• Windows Insiders in the Beta Channel will receive updates based on Windows 11, version 23H2 via an enablement package (Build 22635.xxxx).
• Many features in the Beta Channel are rolled out using Control Feature Rollout technology, starting with a subset of Insiders and ramping up over time as we monitor feedback to see how they land before pushing them out to everyone in this channel.
• For Windows Insiders in the Beta Channel who want to be the first to get features gradually rolled out to you, you can turn ON the toggle to get the latest updates as they are available via Settings > Windows Update*. Over time, we will increase the rollouts of features to everyone with the toggle turned on. Should you keep this toggle off, new features will gradually be rolled out to your device over time once they are ready.
• Features and experiences included in these builds may never get released as we try out different concepts and get feedback. Features may change over time, be removed, or replaced and never get released beyond Windows Insiders. Some of these features and experiences could show up in future Windows releases when they’re ready.
• Some features in active development we preview with Windows Insiders may not be fully localized and localization will happen over time as features are finalized. As you see issues with localization in your language, please report those issues to us via Feedback Hub.
• Because the Dev and Beta Channels represent parallel development paths from our engineers, there may be cases where features and experiences show up in the Beta Channel first.
• Check out Flight Hub for a complete look at what build is in which Insider channel.

Thanks, Amanda & Brandon

Source: Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22635.4367 (Beta Channel)

 

[Brahman]

Out of all these bugs, the sfc /scannow bug is the worst imho.

 

[Brahman]

On a personal basis I haven't had any issues with 24H2 - However I did and saved an image of 23H2 right before I installed 24H2 - if I had any issues it would be a matter of minutes to restore back as oldschool did - And kept on living happily.

can you check whether "sfc /scannow" is present in your PC?

 

[KnownStormChaser]

If anyone here is experiencing any issues with 24H2, try performing an In-place upgrade.

I did have an issue where I could not install some Windows updates, but after doing the in-place upgrade that seemed to resolve the issue.

 

[bazang]

Some Windows users just got to live dangerously:

(If I attempted this, I better make sure my wings are working otherwise I'm gonna prove gravity exists and boy meets ground results in a big "Thud.")