In this article, we will talk about the latest Windows 11 25H2 Preview Build for the Dev Channel, which is Build 26220.6972.
Windows 11 25H2
Windows Insiders in the Dev Channel will see the versioning updated under Settings > System > About (and winver) to version 25H2. This denotes that Windows 11, version 25H2 will be this year’s annual feature update. As mentioned here, Windows 11 will have an annual feature update cadence that releases in the second half of the calendar year. For more information, see this blog post here.
New Settings Improvements
New Mobile Devices Settings Page
You can now directly add and manage your mobile devices from Settings on your Windows PC by navigating to “Mobile Devices” under the Bluetooth & Devices section. This page allows you to view your mobile devices, add new mobile devices, and manage features such as using your device as a connected camera or accessing your device’s files in File Explorer.
New Game Pass Card Update in the Settings Homepage
In this build, Microsoft have modified references to Game Pass plans in Settings to reflect updated branding and benefits.
New Option to Turn Off Drag Tray in Settings
Microsoft added the ability to turn Drag Tray on/off from Settings->System->Nearby sharing.
New Start Menu Change
Microsoft added a new entry point in the account control on the Start menu that takes you directly to the benefits page on https://account.microsoft.com/, making it easier to explore and manage the benefits that come with your Microsoft account.
New Dark Mode Folder Options Dialog
Microsoft is continuing to make improvements to the dark mode experience in File Explorer. You will now see a consistent dark mode experience in the Folder Options dialog.
Fixes in this Build
File Explorer
- Fixed an issue which could cause File Explorer to show a Catastrophic Error (0x8000FFFF) when extracting large (1.5gb+) archive files.
- Fixed an issue which could cause an old white toolbar to randomly appear in File Explorer sometimes.
Display and Graphics
- Fixed a recent issue which was causing some videos and games to be unexpectedly red.
- Fixed an issue where apps and browsers could have partially stuck onscreen content when other maximized / full screen apps were updating in the background. This may have been noticeable particularly when trying to scroll the window content, as only some parts would update.
- We’ve improved the performance when apps query monitors for their full list of supported modes. When this happens could lead to a momentary stutter on very high-resolution monitors, and this work should help prevent and reduce stuttering in these scenarios.
Windows Update
- Fixed an issue which could lead to updates failing to install with error 0x800f0983.
Other
- Fixed a hang which could impact Outlook in recent builds, where if prompted for your credentials, you wouldn’t be able to bring the pop up to the foreground and it would go unresponsive.
- Fixed an issue which was causing Remote Credential Guard scenarios between the latest Windows 11 builds and Server 2022 (and below) to fail.
- Fixed an issue which could cause the print preview screen to stop responding in Chromium-based browsers.
For more information about this Build, you can check this article from the Microsoft Blog.
For a more in-depth presentation of the New Build, you can watch the video below from the youtube channel.
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