In this article, we will talk about the latest Windows 11 Insider Preview Build for the Dev and Beta Channels, which is the Build 26120.3380.
Beta Channel on 24H2
Microsoft is beginning to offer the same Dev Channel updates based on Windows 11, version 24H2 to Windows Insiders in the Beta Channel. These updates will be optional at first, so if you are in the Beta Channel today, you can upgrade when you are ready to do so.
You will eventually get upgraded to 24H2-based updates automatically if you are in the Beta Channel. Until that happens, the Beta Channel will continue to receive both updates based on Windows 11, version 24H2 AND Windows 11, version 23H2 (but sometimes not at the same time). Please note that if you choose to upgrade to receiving updates based on Windows 11, version 24H2 in the Beta Channel, you may lose some feature rollouts.
If you are an Insider in the Dev Channel, you now have a window to switch from the Dev Channel to the Beta Channel if you would like. This window will only be open for as long as we’re releasing the same 24H2-based updates across both the Dev and Beta Channels. By the end of February, the Dev Channel will jump ahead to receiving updates with higher build numbers and once this happens, the opportunity to switch between these channels will close. When the Dev Channel jumps ahead, things might not be as stable as the Dev Channel is today, so we highly encourage you to evaluate which channel you would like to be in during the time in which the window to switch is open.
Recommended Files in File Explorer
Recommended files in File Explorer Home are now available to all Windows Insiders who are signed in with their personal Microsoft account (and local accounts). These files will provide you quick access to relevant files based on your activity in the Recommended section which is displayed as a carousel with thumbnail previews. This includes content such as files you frequently use, have recently downloaded, or added to your File Explorer Gallery. Users with a work/school account (Entra ID) will have additional types of recommendations available with this update. This change is not yet rolling out in the EEA (European Economic Area). Quick access folders will continue to be available in the navigation pane for easy access to pinned folders.
New Live Captions Feature
On AMD and Intel®-powered Copilot+ PCs, we’re beginning to roll out the ability to do real-time translation to Chinese (Simplified). Supported languages include Arabic, Bulgarian, Czech Danish, German, Greek English Spanish, English, Estonian, Finnish, France, Hindi, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Lithuanian, Norwegian, Dutch, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Slovak, Slovene, and Swedish.
New Start Menu Feature
Microsoft is trying out a new change where we will recommend a snap group in the Recommended section of the Start menu based on two apps that are most likely to be snapped together. Let us know what you think if you see this!
Search on the Taskbar Improvements
Improved support for web search providers in Windows Search for the EEA, including with increased discoverability.
New Windows Notifications
To ensure you never lose access to your Microsoft account, Microsoft is introducing a new toast notification that will prompt you to add a secondary email or recovery phone number to your account. This will only appear if you’re signed in to your PC with your Microsoft account and this information is missing from your profile. Adding these account proofs will help you recover your Microsoft account if you ever forget your password or get locked out for any reason.
New Widgets Feature
In this flight, we’re introducing the ability for web developers to easily utilize their existing web content to build dynamic and interactive widgets that can be added to the widgets surfaces in Windows 11. For more information, click here.
New System Tray Icon
Microsoft is trying out a new experience to improve the discoverability of the emoji and more panel in Windows 11 with the introduction of a new system tray icon on the taskbar. With this new system tray icon, you can easily express yourself by using emojis, GIFs, Kaomoji etc. across all apps and surfaces in Windows in addition to using the WIN + . keyboard shortcut which is also now shown on the emoji and more panel. This new system tray icon for the emoji and more panel shows can be changed by right-clicking on the icon to go to taskbar settings page.
New Settings Top Cards
Microsoft is 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.
New Copilot App Voice Support
Press to talk: Allows you to interact with Copilot using your voice by using a hotkey, providing instant responses while staying in your current workflow and continuing tasks without interruption. To start a voice conversation with Copilot, hold the Alt + Spacebar for 2 seconds on your PC. 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.
This Copilot app update (version 1.25024.100.0 and higher) is beginning to roll out across all Insider Channels via the Microsoft Store. The above-mentioned features 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.
Fixes in this Build
File Explorer
- As part of our ongoing commitment to improving File Explorer accessibility, this release includes increased support for the text scaling (via Settings > Text size) across File Open/Save dialogs and Wizard dialogs.
Windowing
- Fixed an issue where the Snap Bar at the top of the screen was unexpectedly showing corners on the side closest to the screen.
Input
- Fixed a high hitting ctfmon.exe crash, which could impact the ability to type.
Settings
- Fixed an underlying issue which could lead to Settings crashing when adding a color profile in Settings > System > Display.
- Fixed an issue where Settings might crash after using Settings to sign into an MSA.
- Fixed an issue for Japanese users, where the name displayed at the top of Settings > Accounts showed First Name Last Name instead of Last Name First Name.
Other
- Fixed an issue which could lead to a bugcheck with PDC_WATCHDOG_TIMEOUT when resuming from sleep.
- Fixed an issue with windows.storage.dll in the last few flights, where trying to open files from an app could lead to the app crashing.
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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