New Update Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview builds [Mega-Thread]

[Brandon LeBlanc]

Hello Windows Insiders, today we’re releasing Windows 11 Build 26100.3624 (KB5053656) to Insiders in the Release Preview Channel on Windows 11, version 24H2 (Build 26100). This update includes all of the same improvements and fixes from Build 26100.3613 plus the additional features gradually rolling out for Snapdragon-powered Copilot+ PCs.

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. [Improved Windows Search]

• New! Finding your documents, photos, and settings across Windows 11 is easier on Copilot+ PCs with improved Windows Search, powered by semantic indexing models along with traditional lexical indexing. Whether it’s searching in File Explorer, in the Windows Search on your taskbar, or in Settings – just type what’s on your mind to find it on your Copilot+ PC. You no longer need to remember file names, exact words in file content, or settings names. Searching for settings like “change my theme” will work within the Settings app for now. Thanks to the power of the 40+ TOPS NPU onboard Copilot+ PCs, these search improvements work even when you’re not connected to the internet. For more info, see semantic search on Copilot+ PCs. Available on Snapdragon-powered Copilot+ PCs, with support for AMD and Intel-powered Copilot+ PCs coming soon.
• New! Locating your photos stored and saved in the cloud is getting simpler on Copilot+ PCs You can use your own words in the search box at the top right corner of File Explorer like “summer picnics”. In addition to photos stored locally on your Copilot+ PC, photos from the cloud will now show up in the search results together. Exact matches for your keywords within the text of your cloud files will also show in the search results. You can try this experience out today with your personal OneDrive when signed in with your Microsoft account and connected to the internet. To learn more, see semantic search on Copilot+ PCs. Available on Snapdragon-powered Copilot+ PCs, with support for AMD and Intel-powered Copilot+ PCs coming soon.

Thanks, Windows Insider Program Team

Source: Releasing Windows 11 Build 26100.3624 to the Release Preview Channel

 

[Amanda Langowski]

Hello Windows Insiders, today we are releasing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26200.5510 (KB5054148) to the Dev Channel. Starting today, the Dev Channel is jumping ahead to receive 26200 series builds. This means that the window to switch from the Dev Channel to the Beta Channel is closed and once Build 26200.5510 is installed. If you are in the Dev Channel today and still want to switch to the Beta Channel at the last minute, when Build 26200.5510 is offered you can pause updates in Windows Update and switch your channel to the Beta Channel and un-pause updates. These 26200 series builds are based on Windows 11, version 24H2 and will contain many of the same features and improvements as the 26120 series builds that will continue to be released in the Beta Channel. Over time, we will be making behind-the-scenes platform changes in these builds and these builds may have different known issues because of those changes than what we’re flighting to the Beta Channel. In the case of Build 26200.5510 today – this build contains the same features and improvements as Build 26120.3576 released previously. As always, if you experience any issues while you use your PC on these builds we release to the Dev Channel, please file feedback in Feedback Hub. IMPORTANT NOTE for Insiders on Copilot+ PCs: Please note that when you update from Build 26120.3576 to Build 26200.5510 on your Copilot+ PC, you will see your snapshots in Recall and Recall settings get deleted and reset.

Known issues​

[General]​

• After you do a PC reset under Settings > System > Recovery, your build version may incorrectly show as Build 26100 instead of Build 26200. This will not prevent you from getting future Dev Channel updates which will resolve this issue.
• The toggle to get the latest updates as they are available via Settings > Windows Update is not rendering correctly and gets turned off by itself. This is just a visual issue and will be fixed in a future flight soon.

[Recall]​

• [REMINDER] Make sure you update Microsoft 365 apps to the latest version so you can jump back into specific documents.

The following known issues will be fixed in future updates to Windows Insiders:

• Some people may experience Recall being no longer able to save new snapshots or modify settings. This will be fixed in a future flight.
• Some Insiders may experience an issue where Recall is unable to automatically save snapshots, and the setting can’t be turned on in Settings. We’re working on a fix for this issue.
• Recall can be enabled or disabled from “Turn Windows features on or off”. We are caching the Recall binaries on disk while we test add/remove. In a future update we will completely remove the binaries.

[Click to Do]​

• [REMINDER] The intelligent text actions are now locally moderated to ensure the safety of prompts and responses and has replaced the cloud endpoint. Now that these intelligent text actions are fully local, they are also available in Click to Do in Recall.
• [REMINDER] If any of your actions on image entities are no longer appearing, please ensure you have the latest updates for the Photos and Paint app from the Microsoft Store.

The following known issues will be fixed in future updates to Windows Insiders:

• Sometimes additional context is given when using more intelligent text actions powered by Phi Silica.

[Improved Windows Search]​

• [REMINDER] For improved Windows Search on Copilot+ PCs, it is recommended that you plug in your Copilot+ PC for the initial search indexing to get completed. You can check your search indexing status under Settings > Privacy & security > Searching Windows.

[File Explorer]​

• We’re working on the fix for an issue causing File Explorer to be very slow to close for some Insiders when closing using the X button. This may also have an impact on the other title bar buttons.
• We’re working on the fix for an issue causing File Explorer Home to crash for some Insiders. If you launch File Explorer to a different folder (for example, using search or the Run dialog), you should be able to navigate your folders.

[Taskbar]​

• We’re working on the fix for an issue where the taskbar icons aren’t increasing in size as they should when using your PC in a tablet posture.

[Task Manager]​

• After adding the new CPU Utility column, you may notice that System Idle Process always shows as 0.
• The CPU graphs in the Performance page are still using the old CPU utility calculations.

[Widgets] The weather widget may temporarily be unavailable.

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 26200.xxxx).
• 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 PC 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.
• Please note that some accessibility features may not work with features like Recall and Click to Do while in preview with Windows Insiders.
• 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 26200.5510 (Dev Channel)

 

[Amanda Langowski]

Hello Windows Insiders, today we are releasing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.3585 (KB5053644) to the Beta Channel for Windows Insiders on Windows 11, version 24H2. 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.

Improved Windows Search for AMD and Intel®-powered Copilot+ PCs​

Local Semantic Search​

We are making finding your documents, photos, and settings across Windows 11 easier on AMD and Intel®-powered Copilot+ PCs by introducing semantic indexing along with traditional indexing. Whether it’s searching in File Explorer, in the Windows search box on your taskbar, or in Settings – just type what’s on your mind to find it on your Copilot+ PC. You no longer need to remember file names, exact words in file content, or settings names. For example, you can use your own words to find images by typing “bridge at sunset”, documents by describing what they are about like “Europe trip budget”, or settings like “change my theme”. Thanks to the power of the 40+ TOPS NPU onboard Copilot+ PCs, these search improvements work even when you’re not connected to the internet. [caption id="attachment_177534" align="alignnone" width="462"] Use your own words to search for documents and images in File Explorer.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_177536" align="alignnone" width="676"] Use your own words to search for documents and images from your taskbar.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_177537" align="alignnone" width="410"] Use your own words to change settings on your Copilot+ PC in Settings.[/caption] You can go to Settings > Privacy & security > Searching Windows to adjust which locations are indexed on your PC or turn on “Enhanced” to index your entire PC. Searching for settings like “change my theme” will work within the Settings app for now. In a future flight, you will be able to do this within the Windows search box on the taskbar. These experiences are supported in select languages (Chinese, English, French, German, Japanese, and Spanish) and document formats. Supported file formats include .txt, .pdf, .docx, .doc, .rtf, .pptx, .ppt, .xls, .xlsx for documents and .jpg/.jpeg, .png, .gif, .bmp, .ico for images. See here for more details. You can learn more about semantic search on Copilot + PCs here.

Find photos saved in the cloud with improved Windows Search​

We are also announcing support for also finding photos saved in the cloud with improved Windows Search for AMD and Intel®-powered Copilot+ PCs. Just use your own words to find photos stored and saved in the cloud by describing what they are about like “European castles” or “summer picnics” in the search box at the top right corner of File Explorer or also in the Windows search box. In addition to photos stored locally on your Copilot+ PC, photos from the cloud will now show up in the search results together. In addition to searching for photos, exact matches for your keywords within the text of your cloud files will show in the search results. [caption id="attachment_177578" align="alignnone" width="618"] Results including mountain bike photos one from the cloud in File Explorer with improved Windows Search.[/caption] You can try this experience out today with your personal OneDrive when signed in with your Microsoft account and connected to the internet. If you are signed into OneDrive with a work or school account (Entra ID), you will only see matches for keywords you are searching for within the text of your cloud files in the search results – not photos. Third-party cloud providers will be able to support this experience with their services as well with documentation coming soon. We’re excited to introduce a new way to find your cloud content in Windows and will continue improving search results and capabilities over time. These improved Windows Search experiences continue to gradually roll out to Windows Insiders on Copilot+ PCs, including finding photos saved in the cloud, so you may not see these experiences right away. IMPORTANT NOTE: You may need to reboot 1-2 times to trigger getting these improved Windows Search experiences. You can learn more about semantic search on Copilot + PCs here. FEEDBACK for File Explorer Search: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Files Folders and Online Storage > File Explorer Search. FEEDBACK for Windows Taskbar Search: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Desktop Environment > Search. FEEDBACK for Settings Search: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Settings > Search Settings.

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

[File Explorer]​

• Did some more work to improve the performance of extracting zipped files in File Explorer, particularly in the case where you’re unzipping a large number of small files.

[Login and Lock]​

• Updated the web sign-in icon slightly to better align with the other icons when selecting a sign in option on the login screen.

[File Explorer]​

• Fixed an issue causing File Explorer to be very slow to close for some Insiders when closing using the X button. This may also have impacted the other title bar buttons.

[Settings]​

• Fixed an issue causing the navigation pane entries to not be aligned correctly in the previous flight.

Fixes for everyone in the Beta Channel​

[General]​

• Fixed the issue causing a 0x80070005 error attempting to reinstall this build using the option to “Fix problems using Windows Update” under Settings > System > Recovery.
• Fixed the issue causing the toggle to get the latest updates as they are available via Settings > Windows Update to not render correctly and is automatically turned off by itself.

Known issues​

[General]​

• [REMINDER] When joining the Beta Channel on Windows 11, version 24H2 – you will be offered Build 26120.3360 After installing that update, you will be offered the most recent update available. This 2-hop experience to get onto the latest flight in the Beta Channel is just temporary.
• After you do a PC reset under Settings > System > Recovery, your build version may incorrectly show as Build 26100 instead of Build 26120. This will not prevent you from getting future Beta Channel updates, which will resolve this issue.

[Recall]​

• [REMINDER] Make sure you update Microsoft 365 apps to the latest version so you can jump back into specific documents.

The following known issues will be fixed in future updates to Windows Insiders:

• Some Insiders may experience an issue where Recall is unable to automatically save snapshots, and the setting can’t be turned on in Settings. We’re working on a fix for this issue.
• Recall can be enabled or disabled from “Turn Windows features on or off”. We are caching the Recall binaries on disk while we test add/remove. In a future update we will completely remove the binaries.

[Click to Do]​

• [REMINDER] The intelligent text actions are now locally moderated to ensure the safety of prompts and responses and has replaced the cloud endpoint. Now that these intelligent text actions are fully local, they are also available in Click to Do in Recall.
• [REMINDER] If any of your actions on image entities are no longer appearing, please ensure you have the latest updates for the Photos and Paint app from the Microsoft Store.

The following known issues will be fixed in future updates to Windows Insiders:

• Sometimes additional context is given when using more intelligent text actions powered by Phi Silica.

[Improved Windows Search]​

• [REMINDER] For improved Windows Search on Copilot+ PCs, it is recommended that you plug in your Copilot+ PC for the initial search indexing to get completed. You can check your search indexing status under Settings > Privacy & security > Searching Windows.

[Settings]​

• [NEW] We’re working on the fix for an issue causing Settings to crash for some Insiders when going to System > Power & Battery.
• [NEW] Text in the Advanced Camera Options in Bluetooth & devices > Cameras may not load correctly in this build.

[File Explorer]​

• We’re working on the fix for an issue causing File Explorer Home to crash for some Insiders. If you launch File Explorer to a different folder (for example, using search or the Run dialog), you should be able to navigate your folders.
• We’re working on the fix for an issue causing File Explorer to crash when moving or renaming certain files.

[Taskbar]​

• We’re working on the fix for an issue where the taskbar icons aren’t increasing in size as they should when using your PC in a tablet posture.

[Task Manager]​

• After adding the new CPU Utility column, you may notice that System Idle Process always shows as 0.
• The CPU graphs in the Performance page are still using the old CPU utility calculations.

Reminders for Windows Insiders in the Beta Channel​

• Windows Insiders in the Beta Channel on Windows 11, version 24H2 will receive updates based on Windows 11, version 24H2 via an enablement package (Build 26120.xxxx).
• Updates delivered to the Beta 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 | Windows IT Pro Blog.
• 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 PC 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.
• Please note that some accessibility features may not work with features like Recall and Click to Do while in preview with Windows Insiders.
• 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 26120.3585 (Beta Channel)

 

[Amanda Langowski]

Hello Windows Insiders, today we are releasing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27823 to the Canary Channel. We are also not planning to release SDKs for 27xxx series builds for the time being.

Changes and Improvements​

[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.

[Settings]​

• [ADDED] We are rolling out “top cards” under Settings > System > About. These top cards provide an easy way to view your PC’s key specifications—processor, RAM, storage, and GPU—helping you understand your PC’s capabilities at a glance. This is designed to simplify decision-making by highlighting potential areas for hardware improvements while giving you a clear snapshot of your PC. Top Cards won’t appear yet on managed commercial PCs. Note this change appears only on specific PC form-factors such as desktops.

[caption id="attachment_177527" align="alignnone" width="572"] New top cards at the top of the About settings page displaying your PC’s processor, RAM, storage, and GPU specifications.[/caption]

Fixes ​

[File Explorer]​

• Fixed an issue where File Explorer might be blank and not render if you ALT + Tab to it from a minimized state in the latest Canary builds.
• Fixed an issue where the see more menu “…” in the command bar was drawing in the wrong direction at some resolutions.
• As part of our ongoing commitment to improving File Explorer accessibility, this release includes increased support for the text scaling (via Settings > Accessibility > Text size) across File Explorer, File Open/Save dialogs and the copy dialogs.

[Input]​

• Fixed an issue which could cause a ctfmon.exe crash when copying content from certain apps.
• Fixed an issue where GetRawInputData was unexpectedly failing to read data in some cases, with lastWin32Errror invalid handle error.

[Login and Lock]​

• Fixed an issue where clicking Sign in Options was crashing for some Insiders.

[Settings]​

• Fixed an issue which could cause Settings to crash when interacting with Bluetooth & Devices > Cameras.
• Fixed an issue causing some unexpected space at the top of System > Sound, and some other Settings pages.

[Printing]​

• Fixed an issue where non-admin users couldn’t uninstall printers that they’d added.
• Fixed an issue which was causing some Insiders to unexpectedly see a message saying a Send to OneNote driver for printing wasn’t working.

[Other]​

• Fixed an issue which was causing certain apps to fail to install in Builds 27813+.
• Fixed an underlying issue which was causing some Insiders to unexpectedly get bugchecks with UNSUPPORTED_PROCESSOR when upgrading or clean installing the latest builds.
• Fixed an issue where when using CopyPixels the pixels may be unexpectedly inverted in certain cases.
• Fixed an issue in the latest Canary builds where traffic routing might not work correctly when network adapters were connected.

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] The toggle to get the latest updates as they are available via Settings > Windows Update is not rendering correctly and gets turned off by itself. This is just a visual issue and will be fixed in a future flight soon.

[Taskbar]​

• We’re working on the fix for an issue where the taskbar icons aren’t increasing in size as they should when using your PC in a tablet posture.

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 Controlled 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 27823 (Canary Channel)

 

[Amanda Langowski]

Hello Windows Insiders, today we are releasing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26200.5516 (KB5054687) to the Dev Channel. REMINDER: Starting with Build 26200.5510 releases on March 24th, the Dev Channel has jumped ahead to receive 26200 series builds. This means that the window to switch from the Dev Channel to the Beta Channel is closed. These 26200 series builds are based on Windows 11, version 24H2 and will contain many of the same features and improvements as the 26120 series builds that will continue to be released in the Beta Channel. Over time, we be making behind-the-scenes platform changes in these builds and these builds may have different known issues as a result of those changes than what we’re flighting to the Beta Channel.

Improved Windows Search for AMD and Intel®-powered Copilot+ PCs​

Local Semantic Search​

We are making finding your documents, photos, and settings across Windows 11 easier on AMD and Intel®-powered Copilot+ PCs by introducing semantic indexing along with traditional indexing. Whether it’s searching in File Explorer, in the Windows search box on your taskbar, or in Settings – just type what’s on your mind to find it on your Copilot+ PC. You no longer need to remember file names, exact words in file content, or settings names. For example, you can use your own words to find images by typing “bridge at sunset”, documents by describing what they are about like “Europe trip budget”, or settings like “change my theme”. Thanks to the power of the 40+ TOPS NPU onboard Copilot+ PCs, these search improvements work even when you’re not connected to the internet. [caption id="attachment_177534" align="alignnone" width="478"] Use your own words to search for documents and images in File Explorer.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_177536" align="alignnone" width="640"] Use your own words to search for documents and images from your taskbar.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_177537" align="alignnone" width="435"] Use your own words to change settings on your Copilot+ PC in Settings.[/caption] You can go to Settings > Privacy & security > Searching Windows to adjust which locations are indexed on your PC or turn on “Enhanced” to index your entire PC. Searching for settings like “change my theme” will work within the Settings app for now. In a future flight, you will be able to do this within the Windows search box on the taskbar. These experiences are supported in select languages (Chinese, English, French, German, Japanese, and Spanish) and document formats. Supported file formats include .txt, .pdf, .docx, .doc, .rtf, .pptx, .ppt, .xls, .xlsx for documents and .jpg/.jpeg, .png, .gif, .bmp, .ico for images. See here for more details. You can learn more about semantic search on Copilot + PCs here.

Find photos saved in the cloud with improved Windows Search​

We are also announcing support for also finding photos saved in the cloud with improved Windows Search for AMD and Intel®-powered Copilot+ PCs. Just use your own words to find photos stored and saved in the cloud by describing what they are about like “European castles” or “summer picnics” in the search box at the top right corner of File Explorer or also in the Windows search box. In addition to photos stored locally on your Copilot+ PC, photos from the cloud will now show up in the search results together. In addition to searching for photos, exact matches for your keywords within the text of your cloud files will show in the search results. [caption id="attachment_177578" align="alignnone" width="608"] Results including mountain bike photos one from the cloud in File Explorer with improved Windows Search.[/caption] You can try this experience out today with your personal OneDrive when signed in with your Microsoft account and connected to the internet. If you are signed into OneDrive with a work or school account (Entra ID), you will only see matches for keywords you are searching for within the text of your cloud files in the search results – not photos. Third-party cloud providers will be able to support this experience with their services as well with documentation coming soon. We’re excited to introduce a new way to find your cloud content in Windows and will continue improving search results and capabilities over time. These improved Windows Search experiences continue to gradually roll out to Windows Insiders on Copilot+ PCs, including finding photos saved in the cloud, so you may not see these experiences right away. You can learn more about semantic search on Copilot + PCs here. FEEDBACK for File Explorer Search: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Files Folders and Online Storage > File Explorer Search. FEEDBACK for Windows Taskbar Search: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Desktop Environment > Search. FEEDBACK for Settings Search: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Settings > Search Settings.

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

Introducing speech recap in Narrator​

We are always working to make Narrator more intuitive, efficient, and helpful for users who rely on it every day. With that in mind, we are introducing a new feature—speech recap —designed to help you keep track of what Narrator has spoken and access it for quick reference. With speech recap, you can quickly access spoken content, follow along with live transcription, and copy what Narrator last said—all with simple keyboard shortcuts. [caption id="attachment_177752" align="alignnone" width="660"] The new speech recap window in Narrator.[/caption] You can open the speech recap window with Narrator key + Alt + X and can find the last 500 strings Narrator had spoken. Note that we refresh the text in this window every time Narrator starts. You can use standard reading commands and arrow keys to read the contents in speech recap window and copy text required for reference. Need to save or share something Narrator just said last? You can copy it instantly without opening the speech recap window. Use Narrator key + Control + X to copy the last spoken phrase to your clipboard. Few scenarios where you can use speech recap and related shortcuts include referring to a hint you heard when opening a new window, copying an error code that was spoken or adding Narrator speech to training materials. [caption id="attachment_177753" align="alignnone" width="660"] Narrator’s speech recap window snapped to the right corner of screen showing real-time transcriptions.[/caption] Live transcription of Narrator speech is useful for Assistive Technology (AT) trainers, teacher of students with visual impairments (TSVI) who support students in class and for professionals who are hard of hearing and want to use Narrator. To see live transcription of Narrator audio, use the same command Narrator key + Alt + X to open the speech recap window and snap it to the portion of the screen you want to view it. As you do tasks, you can see real-time transcriptions of Narrator speech. These keyboard shortcuts follow a simple patten making it easy to learn:

• Control + Windows key + Enter = Turn Narrator on/Off
• Narrator key + X = Re-hear what Narrator said last
• Narrator key + control + X = Copy what Narrator said last
• Narrator key + Alt + X = Open Speech recap window for history and live transcriptions

FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Accessibility > Narrator.

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

[General]​

• We're previewing a new, more streamlined UI for unexpected restarts which better aligns with Windows 11 design principles and supports our goal of getting users back into productivity as fast as possible. We’ve simplified your experience while preserving the technical information on the screen. As a reminder, for Windows Insiders this appears as a “green screen”. This is beginning to roll out to Windows Insiders on Windows 11, version 24H2 and higher in the Beta, Dev, and Canary Channels.

[caption id="attachment_177754" align="alignnone" width="711"] The updated UI for unexpected restarts for Windows Insiders on preview builds.[/caption]

[Copilot on Windows]​

• You can now launch Copilot on Windows with Win + C. You can personalize your Copilot key and Win + C experience at any time with the existing "Customize Copilot key on keyboard" under Settings > Personalization > Text input.
• To access the press to talk feature and start a conversation with Copilot on Windows, press and hold the Copilot key for 2 seconds. For PCs without the Copilot key, press and hold Win + C for 2 seconds. To end your conversation, press the Esc key. If there is no speaking for several seconds, Copilot will automatically end the conversation. When the conversation is over, the microphone on the screen will disappear. As announced previously, you can also press and hold Alt + Spacebar to talk with Copilot on Windows. Press to talk allows you to interact with Copilot using your voice, providing instant responses while staying in your current workflow and continuing tasks without interruption. Press to talk is supported in the latest Copilot app update (version 1.25033.139.0 and higher). This update is beginning to roll out across Insider Channels via the Microsoft Store.
• Developers can get the same trigger for press to talk for their apps that support the Copilot key by using Handle Microsoft Copilot hardware key state changes. Note, the enterprise-focused Microsoft 365 Copilot app does not have this support today.
• Win + C and press to talk are gradually rolling out so not all Insiders will get the update right away. We are excited to be previewing improvements with our Insiders to ensure all our customers have a great Copilot experience for Windows.

[Click to Do (Preview)]​

Click to Do is currently available in preview for Windows Insiders on Windows 11, version 24H2 in the Dev and Beta Channels on Copilot+ PCs.

• On your Copilot+ PCs, you can now access Click to Do from the Start menu including the ability to pin it to Start and your taskbar.

[caption id="attachment_177755" align="alignnone" width="486"] Click to Do on the Start menu All list highlighted in a red box.[/caption]

• Click to Do can now perform intelligent text actions in Spanish and French in addition to English. We will continue to roll out support for additional languages in future updates. Text actions are currently available on Snapdragon-powered Copilot+ PCs and coming soon for AMD and Intel®-powered Copilot+ PCs.
• Click to Do has a text action to create a bulleted list. Currently available in English, Spanish, and French and on Snapdragon-powered Copilot+ PCs and coming soon for AMD and Intel®-powered Copilot+ PCs.
• We are providing policies for managing Click to Do in a commercial environment. IT admins can learn more here.

[Windows Share]​

• When you share links or web content using the Windows share window, you will see a visual preview for that content.

[caption id="attachment_177485" align="alignnone" width="569"] Visual preview of links and web content in the Windows share window.[/caption]

• In the Windows share window, we are adding the ability to quickly edit and enhance images while sharing. This includes in-line image editing capabilities, such as cropping, rotating, and applying filters, as well as the ability to compress images to reduce file size for easier sharing. This ability works only for local images stored on your PC. Supported image formats: .jpg, .jpeg, .dib, .png, .tif, .tiff, and .bmp.

[caption id="attachment_177756" align="alignnone" width="568"] New edit button in the Windows share window when sharing local images.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_177757" align="alignnone" width="592"] The image editing experience from the Windows share window with a picture of the dog Kilo.[/caption]

[Other]​

• We're removing the bypassnro.cmd script from the build to enhance security and user experience of Windows 11. This change ensures that all users exit setup with internet connectivity and a Microsoft Account.

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

[Taskbar]​

• Fixed an issue where the taskbar icons weren’t increasing in size as they should when using your PC in a tablet posture.

[File Explorer]​

• Did some more work to improve the performance of extracting zipped files in File Explorer, particularly in the case where you’re unzipping a large number of small files.
• Fixed an issue causing File Explorer to be very slow to close for some Insiders when closing using the X button. This may also have impacted the other title bar buttons.
• Fixed an issue where if the search indexer was hung, it could lead to File Explorer also hanging.
• Fixed an issue where the date for files and folders in Home may be unexpectedly blank.
• Fixed an issue which was impacting File Explorer launch reliability.
• Fixed an issue where if you had disconnected network drives when doing a search from Home it might prevent searches from executing and you’d remain on Home.
• Fixed an issue causing File Explorer to crash when moving or renaming certain files.

[Login and Lock]​

• Updated the web sign-in icon slightly to better align with the other icons when selecting a sign in option on the login screen.

[Windowing]​

• Fixed an explorer.exe crash related to snap layouts which could happen when dragging a window or hovering over the maximize button in a window.

[Windows Update]​

• Fixed an issue which could result in you seeing a message asking for you to reboot to install a cumulative update that was already installed.

[Settings]​

• Fixed an issue causing the navigation pane entries to not be aligned correctly in the previous flight.
• Fixed an issue causing Settings to crash for some Insiders when going to System > Power & Battery in the latest flights.
• Fixed an issue where text in the Advanced Camera Options in Bluetooth & devices > Cameras might not load correctly.

Fixes for everyone in the Dev Channel​

[General]​

• Fixed the issue causing the toggle to get the latest updates as they are available via Settings > Windows Update to not render correctly and is automatically turned off by itself.

Known issues​

[General]​

• After you do a PC reset under Settings > System > Recovery, your build version may incorrectly show as Build 26100 instead of Build 26200. This will not prevent you from getting future Dev Channel updates which will resolve this issue.

[Recall]​

• [REMINDER] Make sure you update Microsoft 365 apps to the latest version so you can jump back into specific documents.

The following known issues will be fixed in future updates to Windows Insiders:

• Some Insiders may experience an issue where Recall is unable to automatically save snapshots, and the setting can’t be turned on in Settings. We’re working on a fix for this issue.
• Recall can be enabled or disabled from “Turn Windows features on or off”. We are caching the Recall binaries on disk while we test add/remove. In a future update we will completely remove the binaries.

[Click to Do]​

• [REMINDER] If any of your actions on image entities are no longer appearing, please ensure you have the latest updates for the Photos and Paint app from the Microsoft Store.
• [REMINDER] The intelligent text actions leverage the power of Microsoft’s secure cloud to improve your text results by ensuring prompts and responses are safe and appropriate. This data is automatically deleted. Local moderation to ensure the safety of prompts and responses will be added in the future, replacing this cloud endpoint.

The following known issues will be fixed in future updates to Windows Insiders:

• Sometimes additional context is given when using more intelligent text actions powered by Phi Silica.

[Improved Windows Search]​

• [REMINDER] For improved Windows Search on Copilot+ PCs, it is recommended that you plug in your Copilot+ PC for the initial search indexing to get completed. You can check your search indexing status under Settings > Privacy & security > Searching Windows.

[File Explorer]​

• We’re working on the fix for an issue causing File Explorer Home to crash for some Insiders. If you launch File Explorer to a different folder (for example, using search or the Run dialog), you should be able to navigate your folders.

[Task Manager]​

• After adding the new CPU Utility column, you may notice that System Idle Process always shows as 0.
• The CPU graphs in the Performance page are still using the old CPU utility calculations.

[Widgets]​

• [NEW] Windows Insiders in the European Economic Area (EEA) with the new Lock screen widgets experience may see the weather widget temporarily unavailable.

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 26200.xxxx).
• 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 PC 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.

• Please note that some accessibility features may not work with features like Recall and Click to Do while in preview with Windows Insiders.

• 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 26200.5516 (Dev Channel)

 

[Amanda Langowski]

Hello Windows Insiders, today we are releasing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.3653 (KB5053658) to the Beta Channel for Windows Insiders on Windows 11, version 24H2. 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.

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

Introducing quick machine recovery​

Quick machine recovery (QMR), part of the Windows Resiliency Initiative announced at Ignite 2024 is now available in the latest Windows Insider Preview build. This feature, when enabled, addresses widespread boot issues on Windows 11 devices by automatically detecting and applying fixes directly from the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) thereby reducing the system downtime and manual intervention. When a critical boot failure occurs, the device enters WinRE, connects to the network, and sends diagnostic data to Microsoft, which can then deploy targeted remediations via Windows Update. IT admins are encouraged to enable, customize, or test this feature, which is enabled by default for home users. Windows Insiders can start testing it today and provide feedback via Feedback Hub to refine the feature further. In the Feedback Hub app on your Windows device, select Recovery and Uninstall > Quick Machine Recovery. Keep an eye out for a test remediation package coming your way in the next few days, allowing you to experience the quick machine recovery in action.

Introducing speech recap in Narrator ​

We are always working to make Narrator more intuitive, efficient, and helpful for users who rely on it every day. With that in mind, we are introducing a new feature—speech recap —designed to help you keep track of what Narrator has spoken and access it for quick reference. With speech recap, you can quickly access spoken content, follow along with live transcription, and copy what Narrator last said—all with simple keyboard shortcuts. [caption id="attachment_177752" align="alignnone" width="668"] The new speech recap window in Narrator.[/caption] You can open the speech recap window with Narrator key + Alt + X and can find the last 500 strings Narrator had spoken. Note that we refresh the text in this window every time Narrator starts. You can use standard reading commands and arrow keys to read the contents in speech recap window and copy text required for reference. Need to save or share something Narrator just said last? You can copy it instantly without opening the speech recap window. Use Narrator key + Control + X to copy the last spoken phrase to your clipboard. Few scenarios where you can use speech recap and related shortcuts include referring to a hint you heard when opening a new window, copying an error code that was spoken or adding Narrator speech to training materials. [caption id="attachment_177753" align="alignnone" width="660"] Narrator’s speech recap window snapped to the right corner of screen showing real-time transcriptions.[/caption] Live transcription of Narrator speech is useful for Assistive Technology (AT) trainers, teacher of students with visual impairments (TSVI) who support students in class and for professionals who are hard of hearing and want to use Narrator. To see live transcription of Narrator audio, use the same command Narrator key + Alt + X to open the speech recap window and snap it to the portion of the screen you want to view it. As you do tasks, you can see real-time transcriptions of Narrator speech. These keyboard shortcuts follow a simple patten making it easy to learn:

• Control + Windows key + Enter = Turn Narrator on/Off
• Narrator key + X = Re-hear what Narrator said last
• Narrator key + control + X = Copy what Narrator said last
• Narrator key + Alt + X = Open Speech recap window for history and live transcriptions

FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Accessibility > Narrator.

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

[General]​

• We're previewing a new, more streamlined UI for unexpected restarts which better aligns with Windows 11 design principles and supports our goal of getting users back into productivity as fast as possible. We’ve simplified your experience while preserving the technical information on the screen. As a reminder, for Windows Insiders this appears as a “green screen”. This is beginning to roll out to Windows Insiders on Windows 11, version 24H2 and higher in the Beta, Dev, and Canary Channels.

[caption id="attachment_177754" align="alignnone" width="711"] The updated UI for unexpected restarts for Windows Insiders on preview builds.[/caption]

[Copilot on Windows]​

• You can now launch Copilot on Windows with Win + C. You can personalize your Copilot key and Win + C experience at any time with the existing "Customize Copilot key on keyboard" under Settings > Personalization > Text input.
• To access the press to talk feature and start a conversation with Copilot on Windows, press and hold the Copilot key for 2 seconds. For PCs without the Copilot key, press and hold Win + C for 2 seconds. To end your conversation, press the Esc key. If there is no speaking for several seconds, Copilot will automatically end the conversation. When the conversation is over, the microphone on the screen will disappear. As announced previously, you can also press and hold Alt + Spacebar to talk with Copilot on Windows. Press to talk allows you to interact with Copilot using your voice, providing instant responses while staying in your current workflow and continuing tasks without interruption. Press to talk is supported in the latest Copilot app update (version 1.25033.139.0 and higher). This update is beginning to roll out across Insider Channels via the Microsoft Store.
• Developers can get the same trigger for press to talk for their apps that support the Copilot key by using Handle Microsoft Copilot hardware key state changes. Note, the enterprise-focused Microsoft 365 Copilot app does not have this support today.
• Win + C and press to talk are gradually rolling out so not all Insiders will get the update right away. We are excited to be previewing improvements with our Insiders to ensure all our customers have a great Copilot experience for Windows.

[Click to Do (Preview)]​

Click to Do is currently available in preview for Windows Insiders on Windows 11, version 24H2 in the Dev and Beta Channels on Copilot+ PCs.

• On your Copilot+ PCs, you can now access Click to Do from the Start menu including the ability to pin it to Start and your taskbar.

[caption id="attachment_177755" align="alignnone" width="485"] Click to Do on the Start menu All list highlighted in a red box.[/caption]

• Click to Do can now perform intelligent text actions in Spanish and French in addition to English. We will continue to roll out support for additional languages in future updates. Text actions are currently available on Snapdragon-powered Copilot+ PCs and coming soon for AMD and Intel®-powered Copilot+ PCs.
• Click to Do has a text action to create a bulleted list. Currently available in English, Spanish, and French and on Snapdragon-powered Copilot+ PCs and coming soon for AMD and Intel®-powered Copilot+ PCs.
• We are providing policies for managing Click to Do in a commercial environment. IT admins can learn more here.

[Windows Share]​

• When you share links or web content using the Windows share window, you will see a visual preview for that content.

[caption id="attachment_177485" align="alignnone" width="569"] Visual preview of links and web content in the Windows share window.[/caption]

• In the Windows share window, we are adding the ability to quickly edit and enhance images while sharing. This includes in-line image editing capabilities, such as cropping, rotating, and applying filters, as well as the ability to compress images to reduce file size for easier sharing. This ability works only for local images stored on your PC. Supported image formats: .jpg, .jpeg, .dib, .png, .tif, .tiff, and .bmp.

[caption id="attachment_177756" align="alignnone" width="568"] New edit button in the Windows share window when sharing local images.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_177757" align="alignnone" width="592"] The image editing experience from the Windows share window with a picture of the dog Kilo.[/caption]

[Other]​

• We're removing the bypassnro.cmd script from the build to enhance security and user experience of Windows 11. This change ensures that all users exit setup with internet connectivity and a Microsoft Account.

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

[Taskbar]​

• Fixed an issue where the taskbar icons weren’t increasing in size as they should when using your PC in a tablet posture.

[File Explorer]​

• Fixed an issue where if the search indexer was hung, it could lead to File Explorer also hanging.
• Fixed an issue where the date for files and folders in Home may be unexpectedly blank.
• Fixed an issue which was impacting File Explorer launch reliability.
• Fixed an issue where if you had disconnected network drives when doing a search from Home it might prevent searches from executing and you’d remain on Home.
• Fixed an issue causing File Explorer to crash when moving or renaming certain files.

[Windowing]​

• Fixed an explorer.exe crash related to snap layouts which could happen when dragging a window or hovering over the maximize button in a window.

[Windows Update]​

• Fixed an issue which could result in you seeing a message asking for you to reboot to install a cumulative update that was already installed.
• Fixed an issue where an installed cumulative update may unexpectedly not show in Settings> Windows Update > Update History.

[Settings]​

• Fixed an issue causing Settings to crash for some Insiders when going to System > Power & Battery in the latest flights.
• Fixed an issue where text in the Advanced Camera Options in Bluetooth & devices > Cameras might not load correctly.

Known issues​

[General]​

• [REMINDER] When joining the Beta Channels on Windows 11, version 24H2 – you will be offered Build 26120.3360 After installing that update, you will be offered the most recent update available. This 2-hop experience to get onto the latest 24H2-based flight in the Beta Channel is just temporary.
• After you do a PC reset under Settings > System > Recovery, your build version may incorrectly show as Build 26100 instead of Build 26120. This will not prevent you from getting future Beta Channel updates which will resolve this issue.

[Recall (Preview)]​

• [REMINDER] Make sure you update Microsoft 365 apps to the latest version so you can jump back into specific documents.

The following known issues will be fixed in future updates to Windows Insiders:

• Some Insiders may experience an issue where Recall is unable to automatically save snapshots, and the setting can’t be turned on in Settings. We’re working on a fix for this issue.
• Recall can be enabled or disabled from “Turn Windows features on or off”. We are caching the Recall binaries on disk while we test add/remove. In a future update we will completely remove the binaries.

[Click to Do (Preview)]​

• [REMINDER] The intelligent text actions are now locally moderated to ensure the safety of prompts and responses and has replaced the cloud endpoint. Now that these intelligent text actions are fully local, they are also available in Click to Do in Recall.
• [REMINDER] If any of your actions on image entities are no longer appearing, please ensure you have the latest updates for the Photos and Paint app from the Microsoft Store.

The following known issues will be fixed in future updates to Windows Insiders:

• Sometimes additional context is given when using more intelligent text actions powered by Phi Silica.

[Improved Windows Search]​

• [REMINDER] For improved Windows Search on Copilot+ PCs, it is recommended that you plug in your Copilot+ PC for the initial search indexing to get completed. You can check your search indexing status under Settings > Privacy & security > Searching Windows.

[File Explorer]​

• We’re working on the fix for an issue causing File Explorer Home to crash for some Insiders. If you launch File Explorer to a different folder (for example, using search or the Run dialog), you should be able to navigate your folders.

[Task Manager]​

• After adding the new CPU Utility column, you may notice that System Idle Process always shows as 0.
• The CPU graphs in the Performance page are still using the old CPU utility calculations.

[Widgets]​

• [NEW] Windows Insiders in the European Economic Area (EEA) with the new Lock screen widgets experience may see the weather widget temporarily unavailable.

Reminders for Windows Insiders in the Beta Channel​

• Windows Insiders in the Beta Channel on Windows 11, version 24H2 will receive updates based on Windows 11, version 24H2 via an enablement package (Build 26120.xxxx).
• Many features in the Beta Channel are rolled out using Controlled 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 PC 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.

• Please note that some accessibility features may not work with features like Recall and Click to Do while in preview with Windows Insiders.

• 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 26120.3653 (Beta Channel)

 

[Amanda Langowski]

Hello Windows Insiders, today we are releasing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22635.5160 (KB5053654) to the Beta Channel for Windows Insiders on Windows 11, version 23H2. Note: Windows 11, version 24H2 is available as an optional upgrade for Windows Insiders in 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.

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

Introducing speech recap in Narrator ​

We are always working to make Narrator more intuitive, efficient, and helpful for users who rely on it every day. With that in mind, we are introducing a new feature—speech recap —designed to help you keep track of what Narrator has spoken and access it for quick reference. With speech recap, you can quickly access spoken content, follow along with live transcription, and copy what Narrator last said—all with simple keyboard shortcuts. Speech recap also provides a history of spoken content without having to redo the task just to follow what Narrator said. [caption id="attachment_177752" align="alignnone" width="660"] The new speech recap window in Narrator.[/caption] You can open the speech recap window with Narrator key + Alt + X and can find the last 500 strings Narrator had spoken. Note that we refresh the text in this window every time Narrator starts. You can use standard reading commands and arrow keys to read the contents in speech recap window and copy text required for reference. Need to save or share something Narrator just said last? You can copy it instantly without opening the speech recap window. Use Narrator key + Control + X to copy the last spoken phrase to your clipboard. Few scenarios where you can use speech recap and related shortcuts include referring to a hint you heard when opening a new window, copying an error code that was spoken or adding Narrator speech to training materials. [caption id="attachment_177753" align="alignnone" width="660"] Narrator’s speech recap window snapped to the right corner of screen showing real-time transcriptions.[/caption] Live transcription of Narrator speech is useful for Assistive Technology (AT) trainers, teachers of visually impaired (TVIs) who support students in class or for professionals who are hard of hearing and want to use Narrator. To see live transcription of Narrator audio, use the same command Narrator key + Alt + X to open the speech recap window and snap it to the portion of the screen you want to view it. As you do tasks with Narrator, you can follow along and see the text in this window update. These keyboard shortcuts follow a simple patten making it easy to learn:

• Control + Windows key + Enter = Turn Narrator on/Off
• Narrator key + X = Re-hear what Narrator said last
• Narrator key + control + X = Copy what Narrator said last
• Narrator key + Alt + X = Open Speech recap window for history and live transcriptions

FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Accessibility > Narrator.

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

[Copilot on Windows]​

• You can now launch Copilot on Windows with Win + C. You can personalize your Copilot key and Win + C experience at any time with the existing "Customize Copilot key on keyboard" under Settings > Personalization > Text input.
• To access the press to talk feature and start a conversation with Copilot on Windows, press and hold the Copilot key for 2 seconds. For PCs without the Copilot key, press and hold Win + C for 2 seconds. To end your conversation, press the Esc key. If there is no speaking for several seconds, Copilot will automatically end the conversation. When the conversation is over, the microphone on the screen will disappear. As announced previously, you can also press and hold Alt + Spacebar to talk with Copilot on Windows. Press to talk allows you to interact with Copilot using your voice, providing instant responses while staying in your current workflow and continuing tasks without interruption. Press to talk is supported in the latest Copilot app update (version 1.25033.139.0 and higher). This update is beginning to roll out across Insider Channels via the Microsoft Store.
• Developers can get the same trigger for press to talk for their apps that support the Copilot key by using Handle Microsoft Copilot hardware key state changes. Note, the enterprise-focused Microsoft 365 Copilot app does not have this support today.
• Win + C and press to talk are gradually rolling out so not all Insiders will get the update right away. We are excited to be previewing improvements with our Insiders to ensure all our customers have a great Copilot experience for Windows.

[Windows Share]​

• In the Windows share window, we are adding the ability to quickly edit and enhance images while sharing. This includes in-line image editing capabilities, such as cropping, rotating, and applying filters, as well as the ability to compress images to reduce file size for easier sharing. This ability works only for local images stored on your PC. Supported image formats: .jpg, .jpeg, .dib, .png, .tif, .tiff, and .bmp.

[caption id="attachment_177756" align="alignnone" width="515"] New edit button in the Windows share window when sharing local images.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_177757" align="alignnone" width="544"] The image editing experience from the Windows share window with a picture of the dog Kilo.[/caption]

[Settings]​

• We’re making it easy to find answers to common questions about your PC and Windows 11 with a dedicated FAQs section on the Settings > System > About page, providing quick and helpful insights for using your PC all in one place. Whether you’re curious about system configuration, performance, or compatibility, this experience ensures you get the information you need for the frequently asked questions for those topics. We hope these FAQs will help you make informed decisions about your PC with ease.

[caption id="attachment_177765" align="alignnone" width="623"] FAQ section highlighted in a red box on the About settings page.[/caption]

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

[Start menu]​

• Fixed a delay in app icons showing sometimes in grid and category views after installing an app.

[Desktop icons]​

• Updated the logic for apps pinned to the desktop, so that packaged apps no longer show an accent colored backplate (for example, if you were to drag and drop Snipping Tool from the apps list in Start to the desktop). In doing this, the icons should be bigger and easier to see now. Please note, you may need to create new shortcuts for this to take effect, if you already have something on your desktop.

Known issues​

[Start menu]​

The following are known issues for Windows Insiders with the new grid and category views on the All” page in the Start menu:

• When right-clicking on an app, the "Start settings" context menu flashes before the app's context menu appears.

[Widgets]​

• [NEW] Windows Insiders in the European Economic Area (EEA) with the new Lock screen widgets experience may see the weather widget temporarily unavailable.

[Narrator]​

• [NEW] If you use Narrator and experience an issue where Narrator crashes on launch, please restart your PC to get Narrator working again. If that does not resolve your issue, you can use a secondary screen reader to help you file feedback in Feedback Hub or have someone assist you in filing feedback.

Reminders for Windows Insiders in the Beta Channel​

• Windows Insiders in the Beta Channel on Windows 11, version 23H2 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 Controlled 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 PC 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 22635.5160 (Beta Channel)

 

[Amanda Langowski]

Hello Windows Insiders, today we are releasing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.3671 (KB5055622) to the Beta Channel for Windows Insiders on Windows 11, version 24H2. 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.

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

Taskbar icon scaling​

We are starting to roll out taskbar icon scaling to Windows Insiders – an improvement to the Windows taskbar that ensures that you have quick access to more of your favorite apps, even when your taskbar is full. With taskbar icon scaling, when your taskbar starts to get crowded with pinned or open apps, the icons will automatically scale down to a smaller size. This means you can keep more apps visible and accessible without the need to dive into a secondary menu. It's all about making your workflow smoother and more efficient. [caption id="attachment_177768" align="alignnone" width="2879"] The taskbar with small taskbar icons with setting highlighted in a red box.[/caption] We understand that everyone has their own preferences, so we’ve included settings to tailor this feature to your liking. You can choose when Windows will show smaller taskbar buttons:

• When taskbar is full: By default, taskbar icons will automatically turn smaller when the taskbar is full. This helps you maintain access to more apps without any extra effort.
• Never: For users who prefer their icons to remain the same size as before, regardless of how many apps are open, there’s an option to prevent the icons from scaling down.
• Always: If you love the look of smaller icons and want them to stay that way all the time, you can set your taskbar icons to always be small.

To customize your taskbar icon scaling settings, simply right-click an empty region of your taskbar and select “Taskbar settings”, expand “Taskbar behaviors” section, and make your selection for the setting “Show smaller taskbar buttons”. As always, we value your feedback, so let us know what you think! FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Desktop Environment > Taskbar.

Making sharing files in Windows easier​

Sharing files in Windows is getting a lot easier and quicker with our new drag tray feature. When you start dragging a local file with mouse (or touch) from File Explorer or your desktop, a handy tray appears at the very top of your screen allowing you to drop the file into one of the displayed apps or choose “More…” to open the Windows share window. New drag tray UI that appears at the top of your screen when dragging a local file from File Explorer or your desktop. FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Files, Folders, and Online Storage > File sharing.

Announcing the availability of the test remediation package for quick machine recovery (QMR)​

As a follow up to last week’s announcement of quick machine recovery, we are thrilled to announce that the test remediation package is now available for Windows Insiders to experience the full capabilities of QMR in action. We encourage Windows Insiders to test it today. The remediation package “Quick machine recovery update for Windows 11” will be automatically installed by QMR when “test mode” is activated. To verify the quick machine recovery remediation is installed, go to Settings > Windows Update > Update history. The remediation should be listed under Quality updates. Please note that the ability to see the remediation package in your Windows Update history is gradually rolling out in the Beta Channel so not everyone will see this listed there right away. To provide feedback, simply open the Feedback Hub app on your Windows device, navigate to Recovery and Uninstall > Quick Machine Recovery, and share your insights. Stay tuned for further updates and enhancements as we continue to improve the resilience and reliability of Windows.

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

[General]​

• The improved battery iconography in Windows 11 may disappear for Windows Insiders in the current flights. We’re beginning to re-roll this change out to Windows Insiders.

[Recall (Preview)]​

Recall is currently available in preview for Windows Insiders on Windows 11, version 24H2 in the Dev and Beta Channels on Copilot+ PCs.

• We are trying out a basic search history feature in Recall.

[Click to Do (Preview)]​

Click to Do is currently available in preview for Windows Insiders on Windows 11, version 24H2 in the Dev and Beta Channels on Copilot+ PCs.

• Ask Copilot is a new action within Click to Do. When you highlight either text or image with Click to Do, you’re given an option to Ask Copilot. Microsoft Copilot opens with your content in the prompt box. You can send selected text or image within Click to Do Directly to Copilot app. The selected text or image is handed off to the Copilot app where you can complete your prompt. This feature is not available in the European Economic Area (EEA). You can learn more about this Click to Do here..

[caption id="attachment_177770" align="alignnone" width="723"] Click to Do with Microsoft Edge showing Ask Copilot option in the Click to Do menu.[/caption]

• You can now swipe using touch from the right of your screen to invoke Click to Do on your Copilot+ PC. You can adjust this experience back to notifications if you want via Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Touch.

[Input]​

• As part of our ongoing work to improve our settings experiences, we’re starting to make more mouse related settings available directly under Settings > Accessibility > Mouse and Settings > Accessibility > Mouse pointer and touch without needing to go into Control Panel. This includes the settings for mouse indicator, mouse pointer trails, and further mouse behavior and pointer customization. As part of this work, we have also added the ability to adjust the amount of time needed to hover over a window to activate it, if you have activated on hover enabled. Finally, we updated the icon used for Mouse pointer speed in Bluetooth & Devices > Mouse and added an icon to the Enhance mouse pointer precision option.
• We’re updating the Bluetooth & Devices > Pen and Windows Ink, and Bluetooth & Devices > Touch pages in Settings to have options if you want press and hold for pen or touch to perform a right click action.

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

[Improved Windows Search]​

The following fixes are rolling out for improved Windows Search on Copilot+ PCs:

• Fixed an issue which was causing semantic search to stop working for some Insiders (until you reboot your PC).

[Graphics]​

• Fixed an issue where external graphics cards connected over Thunderbolt were unexpectedly not discoverable in some cases.

[Hyper-V]​

• Fixed an issue where Hyper-V Manager may erroneously report 0% CPU usage for VMs in some scenarios.

Known issues​

[General]​

• [REMINDER] When joining the Beta Channels on Windows 11, version 24H2 – you will be offered Build 26120.3360 After installing that update, you will be offered the most recent update available. This 2-hop experience to get onto the latest 24H2-based flight in the Beta Channel is just temporary.
• After you do a PC reset under Settings > System > Recovery, your build version may incorrectly show as Build 26100 instead of Build 26120. This will not prevent you from getting future Beta Channel updates, which will resolve this issue.
• [NEW] Quick Assist will not work for non-administrator users.
• [NEW] Windows Sandbox will not work in this build or is available to be installed. This is fixed in the next flight.

[Recall (Preview)]​

• [REMINDER] Make sure you update Microsoft 365 apps to the latest version so you can jump back into specific documents.

The following known issues will be fixed in future updates to Windows Insiders:

• Some Insiders may experience an issue where Recall is unable to automatically save snapshots, and the setting can’t be turned on in Settings. We’re working on a fix for this issue.
• Recall can be enabled or disabled from “Turn Windows features on or off”. We are caching the Recall binaries on disk while we test add/remove. In a future update we will completely remove the binaries.

[Click to Do (Preview)]​

• [REMINDER] The intelligent text actions are now locally moderated to ensure the safety of prompts and responses and has replaced the cloud endpoint. Now that these intelligent text actions are fully local, they are also available in Click to Do in Recall.
• [REMINDER] If any of your actions on image entities are no longer appearing, please ensure you have the latest updates for the Photos and Paint app from the Microsoft Store.

The following known issues will be fixed in future updates to Windows Insiders:

• [NEW] In small cases, Click to Do may fail to launch. Trying again should get Click to Do to launch.
• [NEW] There is an issue where images that are used with Click to Do image actions are stuck in your temp folder on your PC. This issue will be fixed in the next flight. You can manually clear your temp folder under C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Local\Temp.

[Improved Windows Search]​

• [REMINDER] For improved Windows Search on Copilot+ PCs, it is recommended that you plug in your Copilot+ PC for the initial search indexing to get completed. You can check your search indexing status under Settings > Privacy & security > Searching Windows.

[File Explorer]​

• We’re working on the fix for an issue causing File Explorer Home to crash for some Insiders. If you launch File Explorer to a different folder (for example, using search or the Run dialog), you should be able to navigate your folders.

[Task Manager]​

• After adding the new CPU Utility column, you may notice that System Idle Process always shows as 0.
• The CPU graphs in the Performance page are still using the old CPU utility calculations.

[Widgets]​

• Windows Insiders in the European Economic Area (EEA) with the new Lock screen widgets experience may see the weather widget temporarily unavailable.

Reminders for Windows Insiders in the Beta Channel​

• Windows Insiders in the Beta Channel on Windows 11, version 24H2 will receive updates based on Windows 11, version 24H2 via an enablement package (Build 26120.xxxx).
• Updates delivered to the Beta 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 | Windows IT Pro Blog.
• Many features in the Beta Channel are rolled out using Controlled 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 PC 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.

• Please note that some accessibility features may not work with features like Recall and Click to Do while in preview with Windows Insiders.

• 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 26120.3671 (Beta Channel)

 

[Amanda Langowski]

Hello Windows Insiders, today we are releasing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26200.5518 (KB5054687) to the Dev Channel. REMINDER: Starting with Build 26200.5510 releases on March 24th, the Dev Channel has jumped ahead to receive 26200 series builds. This means that the window to switch from the Dev Channel to the Beta Channel is closed. These 26200 series builds are based on Windows 11, version 24H2 and will contain many of the same features and improvements as the 26120 series builds that will continue to be released in the Beta Channel. Over time, we be making behind-the-scenes platform changes in these builds and these builds may have different known issues as a result of those changes than what we’re flighting to the Beta Channel.

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

Taskbar icon scaling​

We are starting to roll out taskbar icon scaling to Windows Insiders – an improvement to the Windows taskbar that ensures that you have quick access to more of your favorite apps, even when your taskbar is full. With taskbar icon scaling, when your taskbar starts to get crowded with pinned or open apps, the icons will automatically scale down to a smaller size. This means you can keep more apps visible and accessible without the need to dive into a secondary menu. It's all about making your workflow smoother and more efficient. [caption id="attachment_177768" align="alignnone" width="2879"] The taskbar with small taskbar icons with setting highlighted in a red box.[/caption] We understand that everyone has their own preferences, so we’ve included settings to tailor this feature to your liking. You can choose when Windows will show smaller taskbar buttons:

• When taskbar is full: By default, taskbar icons will automatically turn smaller when the taskbar is full. This helps you maintain access to more apps without any extra effort.
• Never: For users who prefer their icons to remain the same size as before, regardless of how many apps are open, there’s an option to prevent the icons from scaling down.
• Always: If you love the look of smaller icons and want them to stay that way all the time, you can set your taskbar icons to always be small.

To customize your taskbar icon scaling settings, simply right-click an empty region of your taskbar and select “Taskbar settings”, expand “Taskbar behaviors” section, and make your selection for the setting “Show smaller taskbar buttons”. As always, we value your feedback, so let us know what you think! FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Desktop Environment > Taskbar.

Making sharing files in Windows easier​

Sharing files in Windows is getting a lot easier and quicker with our new drag tray feature. When you start dragging a local file with mouse (or touch) from File Explorer or your desktop, a handy tray appears at the very top of your screen allowing you to drop the file into one of the displayed apps or choose “More…” to open the Windows share window. New drag tray UI that appears at the top of your screen when dragging a local file from File Explorer or your desktop. FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Files, Folders, and Online Storage > File sharing.

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

[General]​

• The improved battery iconography in Windows 11 may disappear for Windows Insiders in the current flights. We’re beginning to re-roll this change out to Windows Insiders.

[Recall (Preview)]​

Recall is currently available in preview for Windows Insiders on Windows 11, version 24H2 in the Dev and Beta Channels on Copilot+ PCs.

• We are trying out a basic search history feature in Recall.

[Click to Do (Preview)]​

Click to Do is currently available in preview for Windows Insiders on Windows 11, version 24H2 in the Dev and Beta Channels on Copilot+ PCs.

• Ask Copilot is a new action within Click to Do. When you highlight either text or image with Click to Do, you’re given an option to Ask Copilot. Microsoft Copilot opens with your content in the prompt box. You can send selected text or image within Click to Do Directly to Copilot app. The selected text or image is handed off to the Copilot app where you can complete your prompt. This feature is not available in the European Economic Area (EEA). You can learn more about this Click to Do here..

[caption id="attachment_177770" align="alignnone" width="723"] Click to Do with Microsoft Edge showing Ask Copilot option in the Click to Do menu.[/caption]

• You can now swipe using touch from the right of your screen to invoke Click to Do on your Copilot+ PC. You can adjust this experience back to notifications if you want via Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Touch.

[Input]​

• As part of our ongoing work to improve our settings experiences, we’re starting to make more mouse related settings available directly under Settings > Accessibility > Mouse and Settings > Accessibility > Mouse pointer and touch without needing to go into Control Panel. This includes the settings for mouse indicator, mouse pointer trails, and further mouse behavior and pointer customization. As part of this work, we have also added the ability to adjust the amount of time needed to hover over a window to activate it, if you have activated on hover enabled. Finally, we updated the icon used for Mouse pointer speed in Bluetooth & Devices > Mouse and added an icon to the Enhance mouse pointer precision option.
• We’re updating the Bluetooth & Devices > Pen and Windows Ink, and Bluetooth & Devices > Touch pages in Settings to have options if you want press and hold for pen or touch to perform a right click action.

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

[Improved Windows Search]​

The following fixes are rolling out for improved Windows Search on Copilot+ PCs:

• Fixed an issue which was causing semantic search to stop working for some Insiders (until you reboot your PC).

[Graphics]​

• Fixed an issue where external graphics cards connected over Thunderbolt were unexpectedly not discoverable in some cases.

[Hyper-V]​

• Fixed an issue where Hyper-V Manager may erroneously report 0% CPU usage for VMs in some scenarios.

Known issues​

[General]​

• After you do a PC reset under Settings > System > Recovery, your build version may incorrectly show as Build 26100 instead of Build 26200. This will not prevent you from getting future Beta Channel updates, which will resolve this issue.
• [NEW] Quick Assist will not work for non-administrator users.
• [NEW] Windows Sandbox will not work in this build or is available to be installed. This is fixed in the next flight.

[Recall (Preview)]​

• [REMINDER] Make sure you update Microsoft 365 apps to the latest version so you can jump back into specific documents.

The following known issues will be fixed in future updates to Windows Insiders:

• Some Insiders may experience an issue where Recall is unable to automatically save snapshots, and the setting can’t be turned on in Settings. We’re working on a fix for this issue.
• Recall can be enabled or disabled from “Turn Windows features on or off”. We are caching the Recall binaries on disk while we test add/remove. In a future update we will completely remove the binaries.

[Click to Do (Preview)]​

• [REMINDER] The intelligent text actions are now locally moderated to ensure the safety of prompts and responses and has replaced the cloud endpoint. Now that these intelligent text actions are fully local, they are also available in Click to Do in Recall.
• [REMINDER] If any of your actions on image entities are no longer appearing, please ensure you have the latest updates for the Photos and Paint app from the Microsoft Store.

The following known issues will be fixed in future updates to Windows Insiders:

• [NEW] In small cases, Click to Do may fail to launch. Trying again should get Click to Do to launch.
• [NEW] There is an issue where images that are used with Click to Do image actions are stuck in your temp folder on your PC. This issue will be fixed in the next flight. You can manually clear your temp folder under C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Local\Temp.

[Improved Windows Search]​

• [REMINDER] For improved Windows Search on Copilot+ PCs, it is recommended that you plug in your Copilot+ PC for the initial search indexing to get completed. You can check your search indexing status under Settings > Privacy & security > Searching Windows.

[File Explorer]​

• We’re working on the fix for an issue causing File Explorer Home to crash for some Insiders. If you launch File Explorer to a different folder (for example, using search or the Run dialog), you should be able to navigate your folders.

[Task Manager]​

• After adding the new CPU Utility column, you may notice that System Idle Process always shows as 0.
• The CPU graphs in the Performance page are still using the old CPU utility calculations.

[Widgets]​

• Windows Insiders in the European Economic Area (EEA) with the new Lock screen widgets experience may see the weather widget temporarily unavailable.

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 26200.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 | Windows IT Pro Blog.
• 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 PC 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.

• Please note that some accessibility features may not work with features like Recall and Click to Do while in preview with Windows Insiders.

• 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 26200.5518 (Dev Channel)

 

[Amanda Langowski]

Hello Windows Insiders, today we are releasing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22635.5170 (KB5055623) to the Beta Channel for Windows Insiders on Windows 11, version 23H2. Note: Windows 11, version 24H2 is available as an optional upgrade for Windows Insiders in 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.

[File Explorer] ​

• We’re starting to roll out the change again so that when you launch File Explorer folders from outside of File Explorer (for example, from an app or from the desktop), by default they will now open in a new tab if you have an existing File Explorer window open (which we temporarily disabled to address some issues). As a reminder - if you’d prefer that they continue opening in a new window, you can change this in File Explorer folder options, under General > Browse Folders.
• The change that introduced labels on unlabeled actions such as cut, copy, paste, rename, share, and delete in the File Explorer context menu that began rolling out in Build 22635.4660 has been disabled. Windows Insiders in the Beta Channel can upgrade to Windows 11, version 24H2 flights to get this change back.

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

[Start menu]​

• Fixed an issue where when using increased text size, the sign out and more options buttons may not be visible in the Start menu account manager.

[File Explorer]​

• Fixed an issue where was causing File Explorer to crash in some cases when copying or renaming files in recent builds.

[Input]​

• Fixed an issue where if you typed in some apps, they might stop working after disconnecting from a remote desktop session.

Known issues​

[Start menu]​

The following are known issues for Windows Insiders with the new grid and category views on the All” page in the Start menu:

• When right-clicking on an app, the "Start settings" context menu flashes before the app's context menu appears.

Reminders for Windows Insiders in the Beta Channel​

• Windows Insiders in the Beta Channel on Windows 11, version 23H2 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 Controlled 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 PC 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 22635.5170 (Beta Channel)

 

[Brandon LeBlanc]

Hello Windows Insiders, today we’re releasing Windows 11 Build 26100.3902 (KB5055627) 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.

• [Recall (preview)1] New! You work across so many apps, sites, and documents it can be hard to remember where you saw something you want to get back to. Recall (preview)* saves you time by offering an entirely new way to search for things you’ve seen or done on your PC securely. With the AI capabilities of Copilot+ PCs, it’s now possible to quickly find and get back to any app, website, image, or document just by describing its content. To use Recall, you will need to opt-in to saving snapshots, which are images of your activity, and enroll in Windows Hello to confirm your presence so only you can access your snapshots. You are always in control of what snapshots are saved and can pause saving snapshots at any time. As you use your Copilot+ PC throughout the day working on documents or presentations, taking video calls, and context switching across activities, Recall will take regular snapshots and help you find things faster and easier. When you need to find or get back to something you’ve done previously, open Recall and authenticate with Windows Hello. When you’ve found what you were looking for, you can reopen the application, website, or document, or use Click to Do to act on any image or text in the snapshot you found. You can learn more about using Recall (preview) here.
• [Click to Do (preview)2] New! Click to Do (preview) makes it easier than ever to take immediate action on whatever catches your eye on-screen on your Copilot+ PC, saving you time by helping complete tasks inline, and quickly getting you to the app that can best complete the job for you. For example, select an image using Click to Do to take actions like erasing objects using the Photos app or remove the background using Paint. To use Click to Do, simply press WIN key + mouse-click, WIN + Q, through the Snipping Tool menu and print screen, or searching “Click to Do” in the search box on the Windows taskbar. You can learn more about using Click to Do (Preview) here.
  • New! On Snapdragon-powered Copilot+ PCs, Click to Do includes intelligent text actions. Use WIN key + mouse-click or WIN + Q to select a text block and then drag to select the text that you want. You’ll see options to Summarize or to help you Rewrite your text, so it sounds more causal or more formal. These text actions leverage the capabilities of Phi Silica, the on-device Small Language Model (SLM) that is built right into Windows.
  • New! Easily open Click to Do when you swipe from the rightmost edge of your display.
  • New! We are providing policies for managing Click to Do in a commercial environment. IT admins can learn more here.
• [Improved Windows Search3]
  • New! Finding your documents, photos, and settings across Windows 11 is easier on Copilot+ PCs with improved Windows Search, powered by semantic indexing models along with traditional lexical indexing. Whether it’s searching in File Explorer, in the Windows Search on your taskbar, or in Settings – just type what’s on your mind to find it on your Copilot+ PC. You no longer need to remember file names, exact words in file content, or settings names. Searching for settings like “change my theme” will work within the Settings app for now. Thanks to the power of the 40+ TOPS NPU onboard Copilot+ PCs, these search improvements work even when you’re not connected to the internet. You can learn more about semantic search on Copilot+ PCs here. Now available on AMD and Intel-powered Copilot+ PCs.
  • New! Locating your photos stored and saved in the cloud is getting simpler on Copilot+ PCs You can use your own words in the search box at the upper-right corner of File Explorer like “summer picnics”. In addition to photos stored locally on your Copilot+ PC, photos from the cloud will now show up in the search results together. Exact matches for your keywords within the text of your cloud files will also show in the search results. You can try this experience out today with your personal OneDrive when signed in with your Microsoft account and connected to the internet. Now available on AMD and Intel-powered Copilot+ PCs.
• [Narrator] New! Keep track of what Narrator has spoken and access it for quick reference. With speech recap, you can quickly access spoken content, follow along with live transcription, and copy what Narrator last said—all with simple keyboard shortcuts.
• [Phone Link] New! You can do even more with your Windows PC and your mobile devices with direct access to cross-device features from the Start menu. For example, you can make phone calls, send SMS messages, access your photos, or share content between your mobile devices and PC.
• [Widgets] New! Web developers can use their existing content to create interactive widgets that can be added to multiple widgets surfaces. For more information, click here.
• [File Explorer]
  • New! Pivot-based curated views on File Explorer Home that support ease of access of Microsoft 365 content on Windows. Be more productive and get highly relevant content at your fingertips on File Explorer Home.
  • Fixed: As part of our ongoing commitment to improving File Explorer accessibility, this release includes increased support for the text scaling (Settings > Accessibility > Text size) across File Explorer, File Open/Save dialogs and the copy dialogs.
  • Fixed: Improved the performance of extracting zipped, particularly in the case where you’re unzipping a large number of small files.
  • Fixed: The address bar in File Explorer might unexpectedly not show a path after opening.
• [Settings] New! You can manage which apps Windows can recommend actions from under Settings > Apps > Actions on Copilot+ PCs.
• [Windows Share] New! Make last-minute edits such as cropping, rotating, and adding filters to images shared through the Windows Share window.
• [Windows Studio Effects] New! The Studio Effects automatic framing filter will be enabled when the camera is used for the first time if your PC supports Studio Effects.
• [Start]
  • Fixed: If you have multiple pages of apps pinned to Start menu, you cannot use touch to switch pages.
  • Fixed: The "Sign out" and "More options" buttons in the Start menu account manager might not be visible with increased text size.
• [Taskbar]
  • Fixed: The underlines under app icons in the taskbar might remain and stay visible even if the app has been closed.
  • Fixed: If you use the arrow keys after pressing the Windows key plus T, the arrows move in the wrong direction for Arabic and Hebrew display languages.
• [Desktop icons] The logic for apps pinned to the desktop has been updated, so that packaged apps no longer show an accent colored backplate. For example, if you were to drag and drop Snipping Tool from the apps list in Start to the desktop the icons should be bigger and easier to see now.
• [Display] Fixed: You may need to press the WIN + P keyboard shortcut twice to switch topologies.
• [ExtFloodFill] Fixed: There is an uncommon issue with ExtFloodFill where a horizontal line might appear in the incorrect location in Win32 applications.
• [Graphics]
  • Fixed: External graphics cards connected over Thunderbolt might unexpectedly not be discoverable in some cases.
• [Hyper-V Manager] Fixed: Hyper-V Manager unexpectedly shows 0% CPU usage for VMs.

1 Recall (preview) will be available starting early 2025 in most markets, rolling out to the European Economic Area later this year. Optimized for select languages (English, Chinese (Simplified), French, German, Japanese, and Spanish). Content-based and storage limitations apply. Requires Windows Hello Enhanced Sign-in Security. See aka.ms/copilotpluspcs. 2 Coming later to Copilot+ PCs in the European Economic Area. Functionality will vary by device and market; text actions will be available across markets in select character sets. See aka.ms/copilotpluspcs. 3 Works with specific text, image, and document formats only; optimized for select languages (English, Chinese (Simplified), French, German, Japanese, and Spanish). See aka.ms/copilotpluspcs.

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.

• [Windows Update] We now provide an estimated time for how long your PC will be offline to install updates from Windows Update. This estimate will be shown on the Windows Update settings page and via the Start menu power button.
• [Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP Client)] Fixed: This update addresses an issue affecting internet connectivity on devices after resuming from sleep mode. Users might experience intermittent internet connections.
• [File Systems] Fixed: This update addresses an issue when the operating system stops unexpectedly, and an error message appears on a blue screen during normal usage with a user profile redirected to a network VHD(X).
• [Imaging] Fixed: This update addresses an issue where some content pages with JPEG images were not displaying.

Known issues​

• After installing this update, Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) may not work, and you may not be able to use the "Fix problems using Windows Update" option under Settings > Recovery. These issues will be fixed in another update soon.

Thanks, Windows Insider Program Team

Source: Releasing Windows 11 Build 26100.3902 to the Release Preview Channel

 

[Amanda Langowski]

Hello Windows Insiders, today we are releasing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.3863 (KB5055613) to the Beta Channel for Windows Insiders on Windows 11, version 24H2. 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.

New Copilot+ PC experiences​

Find the settings you want more easily with the Windows search box​

As part of improving Windows Search on Copilot+ PCs, we’re beginning to roll out the ability to type a setting you’re looking for in the Windows search box on your taskbar without needing to remember the exact setting name. For example, you can use your own words to find settings like “change my theme” or “about my PC”. You no longer need to remember the exact setting name you are looking for. Thanks to the power of the 40+ TOPS NPU onboard Copilot+ PCs, these search improvements work even when you’re not connected to the internet. You can learn more about semantic search on Copilot + PCs here. [caption id="attachment_177791" align="alignnone" width="3840"] Windows search box on the taskbar showing a semantic settings search.[/caption] FEEDBACK for Windows Taskbar Search: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Desktop Environment > Search.

Making visual content more accessible with image descriptions in Narrator ​

We are enhancing digital accessibility with the ability to get rich, detailed descriptions of images, charts, graphs in Narrator by using the power of AI on Copilot+ PCs. In today’s digital world, images are everywhere—on websites, apps, and documents. But for blind and low-vision users, many of these visuals remain inaccessible due to missing or inadequate alt text. With this new feature that is beginning to roll out, Narrator will now generate more richer image descriptions on your Copilot+ PC. Simply press Narrator key + Ctrl + D and Narrator will read out a contextual description of the image describing people, objects, colours, text, and numbers from the image. On non-Copilot+ PCs, this experience will continue to give you very basic image descriptions. For example, for an image about stock performance, users will get the following detailed description. The image is a graph showing the stock prices of Microsoft Corporation, with the S&P 500 and NASDAQ Computer indexes. The graph shows a steady increase in Microsoft's stock price over the period from June 18th to June 23rd. [caption id="attachment_177792" align="alignnone" width="3840"] Screenshot of Edge browser containing an image of “stock performance graph” with “Describe image” window open next to it showing the description of the image.[/caption] The window also contains regenerate, like, dislike and copy button at the bottom. [caption id="attachment_177794" align="alignnone" width="3840"] Screenshot of Edge browser with Narrator’s focus on an image of graph. There’s an info bar on top of the screen which says, “We are setting up image description feature. Keep your PC connected to internet and check back soon.” along with a “Check status” button.[/caption] This feature is currently available on Snapdragon-powered Copilot+ PCs, with support for AMD and Intel-powered Copilot+ PCs coming soon. To turn Narrator on, you can press “Ctrl + Windows key + Enter” on your PC or search for “Narrator” in Windows search box. When you try the image descriptions feature for the first time using Narrator Key + Ctrl + D, we download the models required for getting image descriptions. You can check the download status via Settings > Windows update. If you are new to Narrator, you can find more information and learn about using Narrator from the complete guide to Narrator. Also check out frequently asked questions about rich image descriptions in Narrator here. FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Accessibility > Narrator.

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

[Widgets]​

• We are trying out the ability to read content such as full articles, slideshows, and videos directly within your MSN feed in the widgets board in Windows 11. Try it out and let us know what you think by using the feedback button at the top of your widgets board. As a reminder, you can manage whether your MSN feed is shown in the widgets board or not directly within the widget settings. We are beginning to roll this change out to Windows Insiders across all channels.

[caption id="attachment_177795" align="alignnone" width="2881"] Full article shown directly in the MSN feed in the widgets board.[/caption] The following improvements are for Windows Insiders in the European Economic Area (EEA) with the new lock screen widgets experience (previously referred to as “Weather and more”):

• There are some new updates to the new Widgets on Lock experience. In addition to accessibility and craftsmanship improvements, the Lock screen weather widget now supports customization. To configure your weather widget, go to Settings > Personalization > Lock screen and click the "Customize widget" option from the weather widget more options menu. More widgets will be customizable in the future.

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

[Recall (Preview)]​

The following fixes are rolling out for Recall on Copilot+ PCs:

• Fixed an issue which could cause Settings to crash when adding an app to filter on under Privacy & Security > Recall & Snapshots.

[File Explorer]​

• Fixed an issue causing File Explorer Home to crash for some Insiders after the latest flights.
• Fixed an issue where the Organize and New Folder options might not be visible in the Save Dialog when using dark mode.

[Taskbar]​

• Fixed an issue which was causing app icons in the taskbar to become unexpectedly oversized in recent flights after disconnecting from an external display and some other cases.

[Desktop icons]​

• Updated the logic for apps pinned to the desktop, so that packaged apps no longer show an accent colored backplate (for example, if you were to drag and drop Snipping Tool from the apps list in Start to the desktop). In doing this, the icons should be bigger and easier to see now. Please note, you may need to create new shortcuts for this to take effect, if you already have something on your desktop.

[Input]​

• If your touchpad wasn’t working with the previous flight, that should be resolved now.

[Graphics]​

• Fixed an issue where when using CopyPixels the pixels may be unexpectedly inverted in certain cases.
• Fixed an issue where some JPG images weren’t displaying, although they could display correctly on older builds.

Fixes for everyone in the Beta Channel​

[General]​

• We fixed the issue causing Windows Sandbox to not work in the last flight.

Known issues​

[General]​

• [REMINDER] When joining the Beta Channels on Windows 11, version 24H2 – you will be offered Build 26120.3360 After installing that update, you will be offered the most recent update available. This 2-hop experience to get onto the latest 24H2-based flight in the Beta Channel is just temporary.
• After you do a PC reset under Settings > System > Recovery, your build version may incorrectly show as Build 26100 instead of Build 26120. This will not prevent you from getting future Beta Channel updates, which will resolve this issue.
• Quick Assist will not work for non-administrator users.
• [NEW] After installing this update, Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) may not work, and you may not be able to use the “Fix problems using Windows Update” option under Settings > Recovery. These issues will be fixed in another update soon.
• [NEW] Some apps may appear blank after installing this update. Closing and re-launching the app may correct the issue.
• [NEW] Some apps like Spotify may fail to launch after installing this update. If you uninstall the update, these apps should launch again. We're working on a fix. Be sure to file feedback if you hit this before uninstalling the update!

[Recall (Preview)]​

• [REMINDER] You are always in control and can always choose to remove Recall anytime via “Turn Windows features on or off”. Removing Recall will delete entry points and binaries. Like any feature, Windows sometimes keeps temporary copies of binaries for serviceability. These Recall binaries are not executable and are eventually removed over time.
• [REMINDER] Make sure you update Microsoft 365 apps to the latest version so you can jump back into specific documents.

The following known issues will be fixed in future updates to Windows Insiders:

• Some Insiders may experience an issue where Recall is unable to automatically save snapshots, and the setting can’t be turned on in Settings. We’re working on a fix for this issue.

[Click to Do (Preview)]​

• [REMINDER] The intelligent text actions are now locally moderated to ensure the safety of prompts and responses and has replaced the cloud endpoint. Now that these intelligent text actions are fully local, they are also available in Click to Do in Recall.
• [REMINDER] If any of your actions on image entities are no longer appearing, please ensure you have the latest updates for the Photos and Paint app from the Microsoft Store.

The following known issues will be fixed in future updates to Windows Insiders:

• In small cases, Click to Do may fail to launch. Trying again should get Click to Do to launch.
• There is an issue where images that are used with Click to Do image actions are stuck in your temp folder on your PC. This issue will be fixed in the next flight. You can manually clear your temp folder under C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Local\Temp.
• We’re investigating reports that the Click to Do icon is incorrectly showing up on non-Copilot+ PCs. If you happen to see this on your non-Copilot+ PC, please file feedback in Feedback Hub and let us know.

[Improved Windows Search]​

• [REMINDER] For improved Windows Search on Copilot+ PCs, it is recommended that you plug in your Copilot+ PC for the initial search indexing to get completed. You can check your search indexing status under Settings > Privacy & security > Searching Windows.

[Task Manager]​

• [NEW] Search and other options such as filtering in Task Manager does not work.
• After adding the new CPU Utility column, you may notice that System Idle Process always shows as 0.
• The CPU graphs in the Performance page are still using the old CPU utility calculations.

Reminders for Windows Insiders in the Beta Channel​

• Windows Insiders in the Beta Channel on Windows 11, version 24H2 will receive updates based on Windows 11, version 24H2 via an enablement package (Build 26120.xxxx).
• Updates delivered to the Beta 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 | Windows IT Pro Blog.
• Many features in the Beta Channel are rolled out using Controlled 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 PC 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.

• Please note that some accessibility features may not work with features like Recall and Click to Do while in preview with Windows Insiders.

• 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 26120.3863 (Beta Channel)

 

[Amanda Langowski]

Hello Windows Insiders, today we are releasing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26200.5551 (KB5055617) to the Dev Channel. REMINDER: Starting with Build 26200.5510 releases on March 24th, the Dev Channel has jumped ahead to receive 26200 series builds. This means that the window to switch from the Dev Channel to the Beta Channel is closed. These 26200 series builds are based on Windows 11, version 24H2 and will contain many of the same features and improvements as the 26120 series builds that will continue to be released in the Beta Channel. Over time, we be making behind-the-scenes platform changes in these builds and these builds may have different known issues as a result of those changes than what we’re flighting to the Beta Channel.

New Copilot+ PC experiences​

Find the settings you want more easily with the Windows search box​

As part of improving Windows Search on Copilot+ PCs, we’re beginning to roll out the ability to type a setting you’re looking for in the Windows search box on your taskbar without needing to remember the exact setting name. For example, you can use your own words to find settings like “change my theme” or “about my PC”. You no longer need to remember the exact setting name you are looking for. Thanks to the power of the 40+ TOPS NPU onboard Copilot+ PCs, these search improvements work even when you’re not connected to the internet. You can learn more about semantic search on Copilot + PCs here. [caption id="attachment_177791" align="alignnone" width="3840"] Windows search box on the taskbar showing a semantic settings search.[/caption] FEEDBACK for Windows Taskbar Search: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Desktop Environment > Search.

Making visual content more accessible with image descriptions in Narrator ​

We are enhancing digital accessibility with the ability to get rich, detailed descriptions of images, charts, graphs in Narrator by using the power of AI on Copilot+ PCs. In today’s digital world, images are everywhere—on websites, apps, and documents. But for blind and low-vision users, many of these visuals remain inaccessible due to missing or inadequate alt text. With this new feature that is beginning to roll out, Narrator will now generate more richer image descriptions on your Copilot+ PC. Simply press Narrator key + Ctrl + D and Narrator will read out a contextual description of the image describing people, objects, colours, text, and numbers from the image. On non-Copilot+ PCs, this experience will continue to give you very basic image descriptions. For example, for an image about stock performance, users will get the following detailed description. The image is a graph showing the stock prices of Microsoft Corporation, with the S&P 500 and NASDAQ Computer indexes. The graph shows a steady increase in Microsoft's stock price over the period from June 18th to June 23rd. [caption id="attachment_177792" align="alignnone" width="3840"] Screenshot of Edge browser containing an image of “stock performance graph” with “Describe image” window open next to it showing the description of the image.[/caption] The window also contains regenerate, like, dislike and copy button at the bottom. [caption id="attachment_177794" align="alignnone" width="3840"] Screenshot of Edge browser with Narrator’s focus on an image of graph. There’s an info bar on top of the screen which says, “We are setting up image description feature. Keep your PC connected to internet and check back soon.” along with a “Check status” button.[/caption] This feature is currently available on Snapdragon-powered Copilot+ PCs, with support for AMD and Intel-powered Copilot+ PCs coming soon. To turn Narrator on, you can press “Ctrl + Windows key + Enter” on your PC or search for “Narrator” in Windows search box. When you try the image descriptions feature for the first time using Narrator Key + Ctrl + D, we download the models required for getting image descriptions. You can check the download status via Settings > Windows update. If you are new to Narrator, you can find more information and learn about using Narrator from the complete guide to Narrator. Also check out frequently asked questions about rich image descriptions in Narrator here. FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Accessibility > Narrator.

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

[Widgets]​

• We are trying out the ability to read content such as full articles, slideshows, and videos directly within your MSN feed in the widgets board in Windows 11. Try it out and let us know what you think by using the feedback button at the top of your widgets board. As a reminder, you can manage whether your MSN feed is shown in the widgets board or not directly within the widget settings. We are beginning to roll this change out to Windows Insiders across all channels.

[caption id="attachment_177795" align="alignnone" width="2881"] Full article shown directly in the MSN feed in the widgets board.[/caption] The following improvements are for Windows Insiders in the European Economic Area (EEA) with the new lock screen widgets experience (previously referred to as “Weather and more”):

• There are some new updates to the new Widgets on Lock experience. In addition to accessibility and craftsmanship improvements, the Lock screen weather widget now supports customization. To configure your weather widget, go to Settings > Personalization > Lock screen and click the "Customize widget" option from the weather widget more options menu. More widgets will be customizable in the future.

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

[Recall (Preview)]​

The following fixes are rolling out for Recall on Copilot+ PCs:

• Fixed an issue which could cause Settings to crash when adding an app to filter on under Privacy & Security > Recall & Snapshots.

[File Explorer]​

• Fixed an issue causing File Explorer Home to crash for some Insiders after the latest flights.
• Fixed an issue where the Organize and New Folder options might not be visible in the Save Dialog when using dark mode.

[Taskbar]​

• Fixed an issue which was causing app icons in the taskbar to become unexpectedly oversized in recent flights after disconnecting from an external display and some other cases.

[Desktop icons]​

• Updated the logic for apps pinned to the desktop, so that packaged apps no longer show an accent colored backplate (for example, if you were to drag and drop Snipping Tool from the apps list in Start to the desktop). In doing this, the icons should be bigger and easier to see now. Please note, you may need to create new shortcuts for this to take effect, if you already have something on your desktop.

[Input]​

• If your touchpad wasn’t working with the previous flight, that should be resolved now.

[Graphics]​

• Fixed an issue where when using CopyPixels the pixels may be unexpectedly inverted in certain cases.
• Fixed an issue where some JPG images weren’t displaying, although they could display correctly on older builds.

Fixes for everyone in the Dev Channel​

[General]​

• We fixed the issue causing Windows Sandbox to not work in the last flight.

Known issues​

[General]​

• [IMPORTANT] When joining the Dev Channel on Windows 11, version 24H2 – you will be offered Build 26200.5518 After installing that update, you will be offered the most recent update available. This 2-hop experience to get onto the latest 24H2-based flight in the Dev Channel is just temporary.
• After you do a PC reset under Settings > System > Recovery, your build version may incorrectly show as Build 26100 instead of Build 26200. This will not prevent you from getting future Beta Channel updates, which will resolve this issue.
• Quick Assist will not work for non-administrator users.
• [NEW] After installing this update, Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) may not work, and you may not be able to use the “Fix problems using Windows Update” option under Settings > Recovery. These issues will be fixed in another update soon.
• [NEW] Some apps may appear blank after installing this update. Closing and re-launching the app may correct the issue.
• [NEW] Some apps like Spotify may fail to launch after installing this update. If you uninstall the update, these apps should launch again. We're working on a fix. Be sure to file feedback if you hit this before uninstalling the update!

[Recall (Preview)]​

• [REMINDER] You are always in control and can always choose to remove Recall anytime via “Turn Windows features on or off”. Removing Recall will delete entry points and binaries. Like any feature, Windows sometimes keeps temporary copies of binaries for serviceability. These Recall binaries are not executable and are eventually removed over time.
• [REMINDER] Make sure you update Microsoft 365 apps to the latest version so you can jump back into specific documents.

The following known issues will be fixed in future updates to Windows Insiders:

• Some Insiders may experience an issue where Recall is unable to automatically save snapshots, and the setting can’t be turned on in Settings. We’re working on a fix for this issue.

[Click to Do (Preview)]​

• [REMINDER] The intelligent text actions are now locally moderated to ensure the safety of prompts and responses and has replaced the cloud endpoint. Now that these intelligent text actions are fully local, they are also available in Click to Do in Recall.
• [REMINDER] If any of your actions on image entities are no longer appearing, please ensure you have the latest updates for the Photos and Paint app from the Microsoft Store.

The following known issues will be fixed in future updates to Windows Insiders:

• In small cases, Click to Do may fail to launch. Trying again should get Click to Do to launch.
• There is an issue where images that are used with Click to Do image actions are stuck in your temp folder on your PC. This issue will be fixed in the next flight. You can manually clear your temp folder under C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Local\Temp.
• We’re investigating reports that the Click to Do icon is incorrectly showing up on non-Copilot+ PCs. If you happen to see this on your non-Copilot+ PC, please file feedback in Feedback Hub and let us know.

[Improved Windows Search]​

• [REMINDER] For improved Windows Search on Copilot+ PCs, it is recommended that you plug in your Copilot+ PC for the initial search indexing to get completed. You can check your search indexing status under Settings > Privacy & security > Searching Windows.

[Task Manager]​

• [NEW] Search and other options such as filtering in Task Manager does not work.
• After adding the new CPU Utility column, you may notice that System Idle Process always shows as 0.
• The CPU graphs in the Performance page are still using the old CPU utility calculations.

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 26200.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 | Windows IT Pro Blog.
• 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 PC 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.

• Please note that some accessibility features may not work with features like Recall and Click to Do while in preview with Windows Insiders.

• 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 26200.5551 (Dev Channel)

 

[Amanda Langowski]

Hello Windows Insiders, today we are releasing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22635.5235 (KB5055615) to the Beta Channel for Windows Insiders on Windows 11, version 23H2. Note: Windows 11, version 24H2 is available as an optional upgrade for Windows Insiders in 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.

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

[File Explorer]​

• Made some slight adjustments to improve visibility of keyboard focus of elements in the Open and Save dialog navigation buttons. The border is darker now.

[Settings]​

• Fixed an issue which could cause Settings to hang when adjusting "If you've been away, when should Window require you to sign in again?" under Accounts > Sign-in Options.

Known issues​

[Start menu]​

The following are known issues for Windows Insiders with the new grid and category views on the All” page in the Start menu:

• When right-clicking on an app, the "Start settings" context menu flashes before the app's context menu appears.

Reminders for Windows Insiders in the Beta Channel​

• Windows Insiders in the Beta Channel on Windows 11, version 23H2 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 Controlled 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 PC 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 22635.5235 (Beta Channel)

 

[Brandon LeBlanc]

Hello Windows Insiders, today we are releasing Windows 10 22H2 Build 19045.5794 (KB5055612) to the Release Preview Channel for Insiders who are on Windows 10, version 22H2. This update includes the following features and improvements (items bolded in brackets indicate the area of the change being documented):

• [Graphics] Fixed: The check for GPU paravirtualization was case-sensitive in Windows Subsystem for Linux 2 (WSL2). This issue might potentially cause GPU paravirtualization support to fail.
• [OS Security] Fixed: Updates to the Windows Kernel Vulnerable Driver Blocklist (DriverSiPolicy.p7b). Additions have been made to blocklist drivers with security vulnerabilities that have been used in Bring Your Own Vulnerable Driver (BYOVD) attacks.

Thanks, The Windows Insider Program Team

Source: Releasing Windows 10 Build 19045.5794 to the Release Preview Channel

 

[Brandon LeBlanc]

Hello Windows Insiders, today we’re releasing Windows 11 Build 22631.5261 (KB5055629) 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.

• [Narrator] New! Keep track of what Narrator has spoken and access it for quick reference. With speech recap, you can quickly access spoken content, follow along with live transcription, and copy what Narrator last said—all with simple keyboard shortcuts.
• [Phone Link] New! You can do even more with your Windows PC and your mobile devices with direct access to cross-device features from the Start menu. For example, you can make phone calls, send SMS messages, access your photos, or share content between your mobile devices and PC.
• [Widgets] New! Web developers can use their existing content to create interactive widgets that can be added to multiple widgets surfaces.
• [File Explorer]
  • New! Pivot-based curated views on File Explorer Home that support ease of access of Microsoft 365 content on Windows. Be more productive and get highly relevant content at your fingertips on File Explorer Home.
  • Fixed: Improved the performance of extracting zipped files, particularly in the case where you’re unzipping a large number of small files.
• [Windows Share] New! Make last-minute edits such as cropping, rotating, and adding filters to images shared through the Windows Share window.
• [Start]
  • Fixed: You can’t use touch gestures to view the list of apps pinned in the Start menu.
  • Fixed: The Sign out and More options in the Start menu account manager might not be visible with increased text size.

• [Taskbar] Fixed: If you use the arrow keys after pressing the Windows key + T, the arrows move in the wrong direction for Arabic and Hebrew display languages.

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.

• [Sign-In Impact] Fixed: This update addresses an issue affecting the USBxHCI controller and all devices that connect using a USB port on PCs based on Intel's newest CPU architecture. The built-in USB camera won't work with Windows Hello sign-in unless you manually disable Enhanced Sign-in Security (ESS). To turn off ESS, go to Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options > Additional settings > Sign in with an external camera or fingerprint reader > toggle switch ON. If you create a Windows Hello container while using the Windows 11, version 23H2, it might prevent you from using ESS after you upgrade to Windows 11, version 24H2.

• [Server Message Block (SMB)] Fixed: An issue where an Excel file, hosted on a SMB file share with Access Based Enumeration enabled, containing links to multiple other files hosted on network shares, might take longer to open.
• [Xbox]
  • Fixed: This update addresses an issue affecting Xbox Elite Wireless Controllers with certain firmware versions, where the keyboard might not function and displays an error indicator in the device manager
  • Fixed: The driver verifier stops responding during gamepad controller driver certification, affecting Windows Hardware Quality Labs testing.
• [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.

Thanks, Windows Insider Program Team

Source: Releasing Windows 11 Build 22631.5261 to the Release Preview Channel

 

[Amanda Langowski]

Hello Windows Insiders, today we are releasing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22635.5240 (KB5055645) to the Beta Channel for Windows Insiders on Windows 11, version 23H2. Note: Windows 11, version 24H2 is available as an optional upgrade for Windows Insiders in 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.

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

[File Explorer]​

• Fixed an issue where the Organize and New Folder options might not be visible in the Save Dialog when using dark mode.

[Settings]​

• Fixed an issue where the total storage size shown in System > About may not be displayed correctly.

[Voice Access]​

• Fixed an issue which could voice access to freeze with error “working on it” when dictating.

Reminders for Windows Insiders in the Beta Channel​

• Windows Insiders in the Beta Channel on Windows 11, version 23H2 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 Controlled 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 PC 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 22635.5240 (Beta Channel)

 

[Amanda Langowski]

Hello Windows Insiders, today we are releasing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26200.5562 (KB5055642) 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.

New Copilot+ PC experiences​

New text actions in Click to Do​

We are beginning to roll out two new text actions in Click to Do! [caption id="attachment_177815" align="alignnone" width="2880"] New reading text actions in Click to Do highlighted in a red box.[/caption] Practice in Reading Coach: Improve your reading fluency and pronunciation with the "Practice in Reading Coach" Click to Do action. Simply select the text recognized by Click to Do on your screen, choose the Practice in Reading Coach action, and read the text out loud. The Reading Coach provides feedback and guides you on where to make improvements. To use this feature, install the free Microsoft Reading Coach application from the Microsoft Store. Read with Immersive Reader: Enhance your reading experience with the "Read with Immersive Reader" Click to Do action. This feature displays recognized text in a distraction-free environment, allowing you to focus on reading. Originally designed to meet the needs of readers with dyslexia and dysgraphia, Immersive Reader helps readers of all ages and abilities improve their reading and writing skills using proven techniques. Customize the text by changing its size, spacing, font, or background theme. You can also have the text read out loud, use syllable break to split words, and highlight nouns, verbs, and adjectives to aid grammar learning. The picture dictionary option provides visual representations of unfamiliar words for instant understanding. Install the free Microsoft Reading Coach application from the Microsoft Store to access this feature Text actions in Click to Do are rolling out to Windows Insiders on Snapdragon-powered Copilot+ PCs, with support for AMD and Intel-powered Copilot+ PCs coming soon. You can learn more about using Click to Do here. FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Desktop Environment > Click to Do.

Finding photos saved in the cloud via the Windows search box, now available for Windows Insiders in the EEA​

Windows Insiders in the European Economic Area can now find photos saved in the cloud with improved Windows Search to the Windows search box on the taskbar. Just use your own words to find photos stored and saved in the cloud by describing what they are about like “European castles” or “summer picnics” in the search box on your taskbar. In addition to photos stored locally on your Copilot+ PC, photos from the cloud will now show up in the search results together. In addition to searching for photos, exact matches for your keywords within the text of your cloud files will show in the search results. [caption id="attachment_177644" align="alignnone" width="2880"] Results including dog on beach photos from the cloud in the Windows search box on the taskbar with improved Windows Search.[/caption] Improved Windows Search experiences in the Windows search box on the taskbar continue to gradually roll out to Windows Insiders on Snapdragon-powered Copilot+ PCs, including finding photos saved in the cloud, so you may not see these experiences right away. Support for AMD and Intel-powered Copilot+ PCs is coming soon. See here for more details. You can learn more about semantic search on Copilot + PCs here. FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Desktop Environment > Search.

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

Improvements for voice access​

We’re beginning to roll out several improvements for voice access in this build. Add custom words to the dictionary: We are introducing the ability for you to add your own words to the dictionary in voice access. Adding your own words, including difficult to pronounce words, to the dictionary in voice access will help improve dictation accuracy. It increases the probability of recognizing these words more accurately by creating a bias that helps voice access become more context aware and proactively understanding your specific vocabulary. The feature will be available in all the currently supported voice access languages i.e. English, French, German, Spanish and Chinese. You can add your own words to the dictionary in voice access in a few ways:

1. After spelling a word using “Spell that” command or making a correction using “Correct that”

1. Anywhere when you want to manually add a word by using “Add to Vocabulary” command.

[caption id="attachment_177816" align="alignnone" width="2880"] Voice access vocabulary builder dialog for adding your own words to the dictionary.[/caption]

1. Directly through the settings menu in voice access.

[caption id="attachment_177817" align="alignnone" width="2879"] Add to vocabulary option in voice access settings menu highlighted in a red box.[/caption] Discoverability voice access features: Voice access will now support an immersive in-product experience to announce new features and improvements. It will help you quickly discover and learn more about new features in voice access to try out. You can launch or dismiss this new experience from the settings menu. [caption id="attachment_177818" align="alignnone" width="2880"] New voice access in-product experience for highlighting new features and improvements in voice access.[/caption] And we are also including voice access under the Accessibility flyout via quick settings in the system tray of the taskbar. [caption id="attachment_177819" align="alignnone" width="364"] Voice access as an option under the Accessibility flyout via quick settings highlighted in a red box.[/caption] FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Accessibility > Voice access.

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

[Improved Windows Search​

Improved Windows Search is currently available in preview for Windows Insiders on Windows 11, version 24H2 in the Dev and Beta Channels on Copilot+ PCs.

• You can now turn off searching for content saved in the cloud on your Copilot+ PC via Settings > Privacy and Security > Search permissions to access this setting. Please note this currently works only for the Windows search box on the taskbar. However, in a future update this setting will also apply to search in File Explorer.

[File Explorer]​

• We’re starting to roll out the change so that when you launch File Explorer folders from outside of File Explorer (for example, from an app or from the desktop), by default they will now open in a new tab if you have an existing File Explorer window. If you’d prefer that they continue opening in a new window, you can change this in File Explorer folder options, under General > Browse Folders.

[Widgets]​

• We are trying out improvements to the notification settings page in widgets on Windows 11 by introducing the ability to control the notifications per feed or dashboard. This change is currently rolling out to Windows Insiders in the European Economic Area (EEA).

[Windows Security]​

• We are beginning to roll out a change in the Windows Security app where will show more details such as manufacturer and manufacturer version for Pluton TPM chips if your PC has one under Device security > Security processor details.

[Settings]​

• We’ve updated the dialog when renaming your printer under Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners to match the Windows 11 visuals.

[caption id="attachment_177820" align="alignnone" width="466"] Updated dialog for renaming your printer.[/caption]

[Other]​

• When running the pnputil /enum-drivers command, we're adding a new field that enumerates driver package catalog attributes, indicating the driver type and if the driver is attestation-signed.

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

[Start menu]​

• Fixed an issue which was causing Start menu to crash when creating folders recently for some Insiders.
• Mitigated an issue after the last flight, where if you press the Windows key to open Start and start typing to search, focus was not transferred to search and so your search wouldn’t work.

[Windowing]​

• Fixed an issue where the colors used for the snap layouts at the top of the screen weren’t displayed correctly for some Insiders, making some text unreadable.

[Search on the Taskbar]​

• Mitigated an issue causing search to load very slowly, sitting at a blank screen for 15 – 20 seconds, for some people recently.

[Input]​

• Fixed an issue where voice typing wouldn’t start from the touch keyboard when using the Chinese (Simplified) narrow layout.

[Task Manager]​

• Fixed an issue causing search and other options such as filtering in Task Manager to not work in the previous flight.

[Voice Access]​

• Fixed an issue which could voice access to freeze with error “working on it” when dictating.

[Other]​

• Mitigated an underlying issue which was leading to third party screen readers not working in certain scenarios (such as navigating browsers) for some Insiders after the last flight.
• We did some work to improve the performance of loading early boot UI including the BitLocker PIN, BitLocker Recovery key, and boot menu screens.

Fixes for everyone in the Dev Channel​

[General]​

• We have mitigated the issue causing some apps like Spotify to not install from the Microsoft Store with an 0x80070032 error.
• Fixed an issue causing the previous flight in the Dev Channel to fail to install with error 0x80070306 for some Insiders.

Known issues​

[General]​

• After you do a PC reset under Settings > System > Recovery, your build version may incorrectly show as Build 26100 instead of Build 26200. This will not prevent you from getting future Beta Channel updates, which will resolve this issue.
• Quick Assist will not work for non-administrator users.
• After installing this update, Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) may not work, and you may not be able to use the “Fix problems using Windows Update” option under Settings > Recovery. These issues will be fixed in another update soon.
• Some apps may appear blank after installing this update. Closing and re-launching the app may correct the issue.
• [NEW] Windows Sandbox may fail to launch with a 0x800705b4 error. If you hit this, you can try reinstalling Sandbox by unchecking Sandbox under "Turn Windows features on or off" to uninstall it then reboot, go back to "Turn Windows features on or off" and check Sandbox to reinstall it and reboot again.

[Recall (Preview)]​

• [REMINDER] You are always in control and can always choose to remove Recall anytime via “Turn Windows features on or off”. Removing Recall will delete entry points and binaries. Like any feature, Windows sometimes keeps temporary copies of binaries for serviceability. These Recall binaries are not executable and are eventually removed over time.
• [REMINDER] Make sure you update Microsoft 365 apps to the latest version so you can jump back into specific documents.

The following known issues will be fixed in future updates to Windows Insiders:

• Some Insiders may experience an issue where Recall is unable to automatically save snapshots, and the setting can’t be turned on in Settings. We’re working on a fix for this issue.

[Click to Do (Preview)]​

• [REMINDER] The intelligent text actions are now locally moderated to ensure the safety of prompts and responses and has replaced the cloud endpoint. Now that these intelligent text actions are fully local, they are also available in Click to Do in Recall.
• [REMINDER] If any of your actions on image entities are no longer appearing, please ensure you have the latest updates for the Photos and Paint app from the Microsoft Store.

The following known issues will be fixed in future updates to Windows Insiders:

• In small cases, Click to Do may fail to launch. Trying again should get Click to Do to launch.
• There is an issue where images that are used with Click to Do image actions are stuck in your temp folder on your PC. This issue will be fixed in the next flight. You can manually clear your temp folder under C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Local\Temp.
• We’re investigating reports that the Click to Do icon is incorrectly showing up on non-Copilot+ PCs. If you happen to see this on your non-Copilot+ PC, please file feedback in Feedback Hub and let us know.

[Improved Windows Search]​

• [REMINDER] For improved Windows Search on Copilot+ PCs, it is recommended that you plug in your Copilot+ PC for the initial search indexing to get completed. You can check your search indexing status under Settings > Privacy & security > Searching Windows.

[Start menu]​

• [NEW] We’re investigating reports that clicking your profile picture isn’t opening the Account Manager for some Insiders after the last flight.

[Task Manager]​

• After adding the new CPU Utility column, you may notice that System Idle Process always shows as 0.
• The CPU graphs in the Performance page are still using the old CPU utility calculations.

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 26200.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 | Windows IT Pro Blog.
• 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 PC 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.
• Please note that some accessibility features may not work with features like Recall and Click to Do while in preview with Windows Insiders.
• 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 26200.5562 (Dev Channel)

 

[Amanda Langowski]

Hello Windows Insiders, today we are releasing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.3872 (KB5055640) to the Beta Channel for Windows Insiders on Windows 11, version 24H2. 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.

New Copilot+ PC experiences​

New text actions in Click to Do​

We are beginning to roll out two new text actions in Click to Do! [caption id="attachment_177815" align="alignnone" width="2880"] New reading text actions in Click to Do highlighted in a red box.[/caption] Practice in Reading Coach: Improve your reading fluency and pronunciation with the "Practice in Reading Coach" Click to Do action. Simply select the text recognized by Click to Do on your screen, choose the Practice in Reading Coach action, and read the text out loud. The Reading Coach provides feedback and guides you on where to make improvements. To use this feature, install the free Microsoft Reading Coach application from the Microsoft Store. Read with Immersive Reader: Enhance your reading experience with the "Read with Immersive Reader" Click to Do action. This feature displays recognized text in a distraction-free environment, allowing you to focus on reading. Originally designed to meet the needs of readers with dyslexia and dysgraphia, Immersive Reader helps readers of all ages and abilities improve their reading and writing skills using proven techniques. Customize the text by changing its size, spacing, font, or background theme. You can also have the text read out loud, use syllable break to split words, and highlight nouns, verbs, and adjectives to aid grammar learning. The picture dictionary option provides visual representations of unfamiliar words for instant understanding. Install the free Microsoft Reading Coach application from the Microsoft Store to access this feature Text actions in Click to Do are rolling out to Windows Insiders on Snapdragon-powered Copilot+ PCs, with support for AMD and Intel-powered Copilot+ PCs coming soon. You can learn more about using Click to Do here. FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Desktop Environment > Click to Do.

Finding photos saved in the cloud via the Windows search box, now available for Windows Insiders in the EEA​

Windows Insiders in the European Economic Area can now find photos saved in the cloud with improved Windows Search to the Windows search box on the taskbar. Just use your own words to find photos stored and saved in the cloud by describing what they are about like “European castles” or “summer picnics” in the search box on your taskbar. In addition to photos stored locally on your Copilot+ PC, photos from the cloud will now show up in the search results together. In addition to searching for photos, exact matches for your keywords within the text of your cloud files will show in the search results. [caption id="attachment_177644" align="alignnone" width="2880"] Results including dog on beach photos from the cloud in the Windows search box on the taskbar with improved Windows Search.[/caption] Improved Windows Search experiences in the Windows search box on the taskbar continue to gradually roll out to Windows Insiders on Snapdragon-powered Copilot+ PCs, including finding photos saved in the cloud, so you may not see these experiences right away. Support for AMD and Intel-powered Copilot+ PCs is coming soon. See here for more details. You can learn more about semantic search on Copilot + PCs here. FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Desktop Environment > Search.

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

Improvements for voice access​

We’re beginning to roll out several improvements for voice access in this build. Add custom words to the dictionary: We are introducing the ability for you to add your own words to the dictionary in voice access. Adding your own words, including difficult to pronounce words, to the dictionary in voice access will help improve dictation accuracy. It increases the probability of recognizing these words more accurately by creating a bias that helps voice access become more context aware and proactively understanding your specific vocabulary. The feature will be available in all the currently supported voice access languages i.e. English, French, German, Spanish and Chinese. You can add your own words to the dictionary in voice access in a few ways:

• After spelling a word using “Spell that” command or making a correction using “Correct that”
• Anywhere when you want to manually add a word by using “Add to Vocabulary” command.

[caption id="attachment_177816" align="alignnone" width="2880"] Voice access vocabulary builder dialog for adding your own words to the dictionary.[/caption]

• Directly through the settings menu in voice access.

[caption id="attachment_177817" align="alignnone" width="2879"] Add to vocabulary option in voice access settings menu highlighted in a red box.[/caption] Discoverability voice access features: Voice access will now support an immersive in-product experience to announce new features and improvements. It will help you quickly discover and learn more about new features in voice access to try out. You can launch or dismiss this new experience from the settings menu. [caption id="attachment_177818" align="alignnone" width="2880"] New voice access in-product experience for highlighting new features and improvements in voice access.[/caption] And we are also including voice access under the Accessibility flyout via quick settings in the system tray of the taskbar. [caption id="attachment_177819" align="alignnone" width="364"] Voice access as an option under the Accessibility flyout via quick settings highlighted in a red box.[/caption] FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Accessibility > Voice access.

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

[Improved Windows Search​

Improved Windows Search is currently available in preview for Windows Insiders on Windows 11, version 24H2 in the Dev and Beta Channels on Copilot+ PCs.

• You can now turn off searching for content saved in the cloud on your Copilot+ PC via Settings > Privacy and Security > Search permissions to access this setting. Please note this currently works only for the Windows search box on the taskbar. However, in a future update this setting will also apply to search in File Explorer.

[File Explorer]​

• We’re starting to roll out the change so that when you launch File Explorer folders from outside of File Explorer (for example, from an app or from the desktop), by default they will now open in a new tab if you have an existing File Explorer window. If you’d prefer that they continue opening in a new window, you can change this in File Explorer folder options, under General > Browse Folders.

[Widgets]​

• We are trying out improvements to the notification settings page in widgets on Windows 11 by introducing the ability to control the notifications per feed or dashboard. This change is currently rolling out to Windows Insiders in the European Economic Area (EEA).

[Windows Security]​

• We are beginning to roll out a change in the Windows Security app where will show more details such as manufacturer and manufacturer version for Pluton TPM chips if your PC has one under Device security > Security processor details.

[Settings]​

• We’ve updated the dialog when renaming your printer under Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners to match the Windows 11 visuals.

[caption id="attachment_177820" align="alignnone" width="466"] Updated dialog for renaming your printer.[/caption]

[Other]​

• When running the pnputil /enum-drivers command, we're adding a new field that enumerates driver package catalog attributes, indicating the driver type and if the driver is attestation-signed.

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

[Start menu]​

• Fixed an issue which was causing Start menu to crash when creating folders recently for some Insiders.
• Mitigated an issue after the last flight, where if you press the Windows key to open Start and start typing to search, focus was not transferred to search and so your search wouldn’t work.

[Windowing]​

• Fixed an issue where the colors used for the snap layouts at the top of the screen weren’t displayed correctly for some Insiders, making some text unreadable.

[Search on the Taskbar]​

• Mitigated an issue causing search to load very slowly, sitting at a blank screen for 15 – 20 seconds, for some people recently.

[Input]​

• Fixed an issue where voice typing wouldn’t start from the touch keyboard when using the Chinese (Simplified) narrow layout.

[Task Manager]​

• Fixed an issue causing search and other options such as filtering in Task Manager to not work in the previous flight.

[Voice Access]​

• Fixed an issue which could voice access to freeze with error “working on it” when dictating.

[Other]​

• Mitigated an underlying issue which was leading to third party screen readers not working in certain scenarios (such as navigating browsers) for some Insiders after the last flight.
• We did some work to improve the performance of loading early boot UI including the BitLocker PIN, BitLocker Recovery key, and boot menu screens.

Fixes for everyone in the Beta Channel​

[General]​

• We have mitigated the issue causing some apps like Spotify to not install from the Microsoft Store with an 0x80070032 error.

Known issues​

[General]​

• [REMINDER] When joining the Beta Channels on Windows 11, version 24H2 – you will be offered Build 26120.3360 After installing that update, you will be offered the most recent update available. This 2-hop experience to get onto the latest 24H2-based flight in the Beta Channel is just temporary.
• After you do a PC reset under Settings > System > Recovery, your build version may incorrectly show as Build 26100 instead of Build 26120. This will not prevent you from getting future Beta Channel updates, which will resolve this issue.
• Quick Assist will not work for non-administrator users.
• After installing this update, Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) may not work, and you may not be able to use the “Fix problems using Windows Update” option under Settings > Recovery. These issues will be fixed in another update soon.
• Some apps may appear blank after installing this update. Closing and re-launching the app may correct the issue.
• [NEW] Windows Sandbox may fail to launch with a 0x800705b4 error. If you hit this, you can try reinstalling Sandbox by unchecking Sandbox under "Turn Windows features on or off" to uninstall it then reboot, go back to "Turn Windows features on or off" and check Sandbox to reinstall it and reboot again.

[Login and Lock]​

• [NEW] We’re working on the fix for an issue causing Windows Hello facial recognition to not work for login for some Insiders after the previous flight.

[Recall (Preview)]​

• [REMINDER] You are always in control and can always choose to remove Recall anytime via “Turn Windows features on or off”. Removing Recall will delete entry points and binaries. Like any feature, Windows sometimes keeps temporary copies of binaries for serviceability. These Recall binaries are not executable and are eventually removed over time.
• [REMINDER] Make sure you update Microsoft 365 apps to the latest version so you can jump back into specific documents.

The following known issues will be fixed in future updates to Windows Insiders:

• Some Insiders may experience an issue where Recall is unable to automatically save snapshots, and the setting can’t be turned on in Settings. We’re working on a fix for this issue.

[Click to Do (Preview)]​

• [REMINDER] The intelligent text actions are now locally moderated to ensure the safety of prompts and responses and has replaced the cloud endpoint. Now that these intelligent text actions are fully local, they are also available in Click to Do in Recall.
• [REMINDER] If any of your actions on image entities are no longer appearing, please ensure you have the latest updates for the Photos and Paint app from the Microsoft Store.

The following known issues will be fixed in future updates to Windows Insiders:

• In small cases, Click to Do may fail to launch. Trying again should get Click to Do to launch.
• There is an issue where images that are used with Click to Do image actions are stuck in your temp folder on your PC. This issue will be fixed in the next flight. You can manually clear your temp folder under C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Local\Temp.
• We’re investigating reports that the Click to Do icon is incorrectly showing up on non-Copilot+ PCs. If you happen to see this on your non-Copilot+ PC, please file feedback in Feedback Hub and let us know.

[Improved Windows Search]​

• [REMINDER] For improved Windows Search on Copilot+ PCs, it is recommended that you plug in your Copilot+ PC for the initial search indexing to get completed. You can check your search indexing status under Settings > Privacy & security > Searching Windows.

[Start menu]​

• [NEW] We’re investigating reports that clicking your profile picture isn’t opening the Account Manager for some Insiders after the last flight.

[Task Manager]​

• After adding the new CPU Utility column, you may notice that System Idle Process always shows as 0.
• The CPU graphs in the Performance page are still using the old CPU utility calculations.

Reminders for Windows Insiders in the Beta Channel​

• Windows Insiders in the Beta Channel on Windows 11, version 24H2 will receive updates based on Windows 11, version 24H2 via an enablement package (Build 26120.xxxx).
• Updates delivered to the Beta 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 | Windows IT Pro Blog.
• Many features in the Beta Channel are rolled out using Controlled 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 PC 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.
• Please note that some accessibility features may not work with features like Recall and Click to Do while in preview with Windows Insiders.
• 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 26120.3872 (Beta Channel)

 

[Amanda Langowski]

Hello Windows Insiders, today we are releasing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27842 to the Canary Channel. We are also not planning to release SDKs for 27xxx series builds for the time being.

Changes and Improvements​

[General]​

• The improved battery iconography in Windows 11 may disappear for Windows Insiders in the current flights. We’re beginning to re-roll this change out to Windows Insiders.
• We’re previewing a new, more streamlined UI for unexpected restarts which better aligns with Windows 11 design principles and supports our goal of getting users back into productivity as fast as possible. We’ve simplified your experience while preserving the technical information on the screen. As a reminder, for Windows Insiders this appears as a “green screen”. This is currently rolling out to Windows Insiders on Windows 11, version 24H2 and higher in the Beta, Dev, and Canary Channels.

[caption id="attachment_177754" align="alignnone" width="759"] The updated UI for unexpected restarts for Windows Insiders on preview builds.[/caption]

[Windows Security]​

• We are beginning to roll out (again) a change in the Windows Security app where will show more details such as manufacturer and manufacturer version for Pluton TPM chips if your PC has one under Device security > Security processor details.

[Other]​

• Support for the Visual Studio Graphics Analyzer's shader debugging feature is being removed. In this build, attempting to use it may crash Visual Studio or the analysis session. It is recommended that customers use alternative graphics debuggers such as PIX for D3D12 or RenderDoc.
• We’re removing the bypassnro.cmd script from the build to enhance security and user experience of Windows 11. This change ensures that all users exit setup with internet connectivity and a Microsoft Account.

Fixes ​

[General]​

• Fixed the issue causing the toggle to get the latest updates as they are available via Settings > Windows Update to not render correctly and automatically turn off by itself.
• Fixed an issue in the latest builds causing some Insiders to see a bugcheck with WHEA_UNCORRECTABLE_ERROR doing various actions on their PC.

[Taskbar & System Tray]​

• Fixed an issue impacting explorer.exe reliability in the latest builds.
• Fixed an issue where when using Hebrew or Arabic as your display language, if you pressed WIN + T then arrow keys, focus through the taskbar icons would move in the opposite direction.

[Administrator Protection]​

• Fixed an issue which could cause lsass.exe to unexpectedly use a lot of CPI, impacting performance, after enabling Administrator Protection.

[Input]​

• Fixed a high hitting ctfmon.exe crash, which could impact the ability to type.
• Fixed an issue in the latest builds causing DWM to crash when inking (which could lead to you seeing a black screen flash).

[Login and Lock]​

• Updated the web sign-in icon slightly to better align with the other icons when selecting a sign in option on the login screen.

[Windows Security]​

• Fixed an issue where the Smart App Control icon wasn’t displaying correctly in the Windows Security app.

[Display and Graphics]​

• Fixed an issue where external graphics cards connected over Thunderbolt were unexpectedly not discoverable in some cases.
• Fixed an issue where some JPG images weren’t displaying, although they could display correctly on older builds.
• Fixed an issue where you might need to press the Windows key plus P twice in order to switch topologies.

[Other]​

• Fixed an issue where the IP Helper Service was failing to start in the latest builds. This may have caused issues with some apps.
• Fixed an issue causing midisrv.exe crashes in the latest builds.
• Fixed an issue which was causing the Run dialog to not show an autocomplete dropdown if you started typing a file path.

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 working on the fix for an issue causing night light to not work for some Insiders after the latest flight.

[Xbox Controllers]​

• [NEW] Some Insiders are experiencing an issue where using their Xbox Controller via Bluetooth is causing their PC to bugcheck. Here is how to resolve the issue. Open Device Manager by searching for it via the search box on your taskbar. Once Device Manager is open, click on "View" and then "Devices by Driver". Find the driver named "oemXXX.inf (XboxGameControllerDriver.inf)" where the "XXX" will be a specific number on your PC. Right-click on that driver and click "Uninstall".

[Taskbar]​

• We’re working on the fix for an issue where the taskbar icons aren’t increasing in size as they should when using your PC in a tablet posture.

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 27842 (Canary Channel)