Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26220.7051 (Dev & Beta Channels)

Starting today, the same Dev Channel updates based on Windows 11, version 25H2 are being offered to Windows Insiders in the Beta Channel as a recommended update.

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 the same 25H2-based updates are being released across both the Dev and Beta Channels. After the Dev Channel is moved forward to a higher build number, 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 you are highly encouraged to evaluate which channel you would like to be in during the time in which the window to switch is open.

For more information, see the Reminders section at the bottom of the referenced blog post.

New features gradually being rolled out with toggle on

Introducing Ask Copilot in taskbar
With the new Ask Copilot in taskbar, Copilot becomes a natural part of how you use your PC, ready to help, guide and collaborate the moment you need it.

This opt-in experience gives you one-click access to Copilot Vision and Voice, enabling more natural interaction in your flow. Whether through text, voice, or guided support with Copilot Vision, you can engage on your terms, in the way that works best for you. You're always in control. As you type, results appear and update instantly, making it easier than ever to find what you need.

To get started go to Settings > Personalization > Taskbar > Ask Copilot to enable the experience. You can also manage whether the Copilot app launches automatically at sign-in using the "Auto start on log in" toggle in the Copilot app settings.

Ask Copilot in taskbar complements the familiar Windows Search experience, so you can continue using Search as you always have from Start while trying out this new experience.

Ask Copilot uses existing Windows APIs to return apps, files, and settings—just like Windows Search—and does not grant Copilot access to your personal content. For more details, you can learn about privacy and control options for Microsoft Copilot here.

Feedback: Share your thoughts in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Desktop Environment > Ask Copilot in taskbar.

Full screen experience
Following the initial launch of the full screen experience (FSE) on the ASUS ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X, today's preview to Windows Insiders expands availability to additional Windows 11 handheld devices currently in market.

Designed with console-style navigation in mind, the Xbox PC app paired with the full screen experience delivers a clean, distraction-free interface for handheld gaming. You'll get smooth task switching and optimized performance, with background processes minimized and non-essential tasks deferred—so gameplay stays responsive and uninterrupted.

How to enable FSE:
On supported devices, go to Settings > Gaming > Full screen experience, then select Xbox as your home app. Once enabled, you can access FSE from Task View and Game Bar or configure your handheld to enter full screen experience on startup.

Availability:

• Currently available on ASUS ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X
  
• Preview rolling out to MSI Claw models today
• Additional OEMs enabling their handhelds in the coming months

Feedback: Share your thoughts in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Gaming and Xbox > Gaming Handhelds.

Shared audio (preview)

• In this update, we are beginning rollout of shared audio (preview), a new experience built on Bluetooth® LE Audio broadcast technology, for Copilot+ PCs. Shared audio allows two family members to watch movies together while traveling, or two students to share music while studying.
  
• To get started, access the "Shared audio (preview)" tile in quick settings, select two supported paired and connected accessories and click "Share" to begin.
• For more information about shared audio (preview), including details about compatible PCs and accessories, visit Extending Bluetooth® LE Audio on Windows 11 with shared audio (preview).
  

Changes and Improvements gradually being rolled out with toggle on

[Prism]

• We are enabling the feature update to Prism, our emulator for Windows on Arm, that makes it possible for more 64-bit x86 (x64) applications to run under emulation by adding support for more CPU features under emulation. This support will be made available to any 64-bit x86 (x64) application under emulation by default, and 32-bit x86 applications can be opted in to the support using the emulation settings in the Properties window.
  
• Please submit any feedback on compatibility issues or performance regressions through the Feedback Hub (Win + F) under Apps and the specific app you're seeing issues with (if you don't see the app listed, use "All other apps") to help us to ensure that this updated Prism provides a great experience.

Fixes gradually being rolled out with toggle on

[General]

• Fixed an underlying issue leading to keyboards or other USB devices not working for a small number of Insiders after the latest flights.

[Start menu]

• Fixed an issue where interacting with a folder or its contents in Start menu could result in the folder becoming invisible.

[File Explorer]

• Made some underlying changes to help responsiveness of File Explorer when navigating in network locations.
• Made some more underlying improvements to help reduce the launch time of File Explorer.
• Fixed an issue where "Open" in File Explorer's context menu wasn't showing the right icon for .exe, .cmd & .bat files (was showing a generic executable icon, instead of the default app for that file type).
• Fixed an issue where you might see your desktop icons move when interacting with files, such as opening or renaming them.
• Fixed a couple issues where tooltips were not showing up as expected when using navigating Home with a keyboard.

[Lock and login screens]

• Fixed a memory leak when your lock screen was set to slide show, which could lead to performance or reliability issues over time when unlocking your PC.
• Fixed an issue which could cause logging into be very slow the first time when logging into a new account.

[Settings]

• Fixed an issue where the search box in Settings could become overlapped with the minimum and maximize buttons in the title bar.

[Other]

• Fixed an issue where after the latest updates, screen readers might unexpectedly say "legacy window" without reading out the window contents when interacting with certain apps.
• Fixed an issue where after the latest updates, text might not render correctly when editing content within a multiline text box in certain apps.
• Fixed an issue where protected content playback might fail on some machines after the latest updates.
• Fixed an issue which could cause ethernet upload speeds to be significantly lower on some PCs after the latest updates.

Malwarebytes v5.4.3.221 component package 144.0.5414 released.

From MBAM 5:

What's New

• Privacy Controls now detect any Remote Desktop software installed on your device and let you choose whether to keep or remove it.
  
• Scan Scheduler is now included among the interactive guide suggestions on the Dashboard.
  
• Allow List automatically scrolls to the most recently added item for easier verification.
  

Issues Fixed

• Fixed an issue where Web Protection blocks were sometimes ignoring items in the Allow List.
  
• Minor UI and localization fixes.

Microsoft's Azure cloud network faced a major disruption Wednesday, knocking out access to popular platforms including Office 365, Minecraft, and Xbox Live.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/major-microsoft-outage-takes-down-office-365-xbox-live-and-cloud-services-worldwide/ar-AA1Prhd7

Microsoft released KB5067036 (OS Builds 26200.7019 and 26100.7019) for Windows 11 25H2 and Windows 11 24H2 and KB5067112 (OS Build 22621.6133) for Windows 11 23H2.

See the referenced KB Articles for information about any quality improvements, new features and the highlights included in the update for the different versions.

Note: Because of minimal operations during the Western holidays and the upcoming New Year, there will be no December 2025 non-security preview update. There will be a monthly security update for December 2025. Normal monthly servicing for both security and non-security preview updates will resume in January 2026.

Update:  To get the update, go to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update. The link to download the update can be found in the Optional updates available section.

Mozilla sent Firefox Version 144.0.2 to the release channel.

The update includes one security update rated critical. The security update can be reviewed here.

A number of fixes are included in the update.  To review the fixes, see the Release Notes.

Update:  To get the update now, select "Help" from the Firefox menu and pick "About Firefox".  Mac users need to select "About Firefox" from the Firefox menu.  If you do not use the English language version, Fully Localized Versions are available for download.

Rapid Release Calendar

Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27975 (Canary Channel)

Cumulative Update Build 27975.984 (KB5070899) does not include anything new and is designed to test the servicing pipeline for builds in the Canary Channel.

What's new in Build 27975

[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

[Input]

• Fixed an issue impacting touch keyboard launch reliability in the latest Canary builds.

[Windows Hello]

• Fixed an issue impacting certain devices which was causing the Windows Hello PIN to not work after upgrading to the latest Canary builds, until you set it up again.

[Settings]

• Fixed an issue causing Settings to crash when accessing drive information under Settings > System > Storage. This also impacted accessing the drive information from the properties when you right clicked a drive in File Explorer.

Changed here!

Daylight Savings Time (DST) ends in Europe on 26 October 2025.  This means that our overseas friends will turn their clocks back one hour tonight and get that extra hour sleep they lost earlier this year. DST starts again in Europe on March 29, 2026, and ends on October 26, 2026.

DST ends in the U.S. next week, November 2, 2025, so we won't get that extra hour sleep until next week. DST will return here on March 8, 2026, much later than Europe. It ends on November 1, 2026.

Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.6982 (Beta Channel)

This Build is for Windows Insiders on Windows 11, version 24H2.

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

[Windows Search Box]

• In this update, we are introducing Copy & Search, a feature that allows you to search the text in your clipboard with a single click. When you copy text anywhere in Windows, a paste gleam will appear in your search box. Click on this gleam and your copied text will appear in the search field, allowing you to search instantly. To get started:
  
  • Copy text from a document, webpage, or app.
  • After copying text, the paste gleam will appear in the search box on the taskbar.
  • Click the paste gleam to search for the copied text.

[Voice Typing]

• For customers on Copilot+ PCs, we are introducing a new 'Wait time before acting' setting in Voice Typing, allowing users to configure the delay before a voice command is executed. This provides greater flexibility for users with varying speech patterns, enabling more accurate recognition whether speaking slowly or quickly.

[Proactive Memory Diagnostics]

• We're introducing a new feature that helps improve system reliability. If your PC experiences a bugcheck (unexpected restart), you may see a notification when signing in suggesting a quick memory scan. If you choose to run it, the system will schedule a Windows Memory Diagnostic scan to run during your next reboot (taking 5 minutes or less on average) and then continue to Windows. If a memory issue is found and mitigated, you will see a notification post-reboot. Please note:
• This early flight includes all bugcheck codes as triggers while we study the relationship between memory corruption and crashes. Future builds will refine targeting.
• Currently this is experience not supported on Arm64 devices, systems with Administrator Protection, or BitLocker without Secure Boot.

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

[Settings]

• Device Cards in Settings has been updated to provide more clarity on information about your device for better readability and streamlined navigation for improved user experience.
  
• In Settings About, we've enhanced it to deliver a more structured and intuitive experience, empowering users with device insights, and seamless navigation to related device components – including quick access to Storage settings.
  
• Search: You can now scroll through all search results directly in the flyout, without needing to open a separate results page.
  

[Click to Do]

• We're helping users discover more actionsin Click to Do!
  
  • A helpful hint now appears as you launch Click to Do, assisting unfamiliar users in discovering powerful actions that help you work quickly and intuitively.
  • Known issue: When there are multiple monitors, the hint appears on every display, and closing one of them does not dismiss the others.

[Start menu]

• Windows Insiders with the larger Start menu flyout will now notice that the Windows Search flyout now matches in size. This update aims to create a smoother transition when searching. The feature relies on the updated Start menu rolled out to WIP earlier this year.

[File Explorer]

• File Explorer Home on-hover actions for faster file management (previously released to Insiders with MSA) is now available for enterprise customers.
  

[Taskbar]

• We're restarting the rollout of the new animations on taskbar– appreciate your patience.
  

[Windows Studio Effects]

• Windows Studio Effects now offers support on additional, alternative, cameras as a part of a gradual rollout to Windows Insiders on Snapdragon-powered and AMD Copilot+ PCs, previously only available to Intel®-powered Copilot+ PCs.
  

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

[General]

• Fixed an issue causing text actions that use Phi Silica in Click to Do and Recall to not work correctly on the previous build.

[Taskbar]

• Fixed an issue where hovering over the taskbar with a pen was making the taskbar prematurely hide for some Insiders recently.
• Fixed an issue where voice access wasn't working correctly when attempting to interact with the taskbar (calling out a number wasn't invoking that item).

[Input]

• Fixed an issue where if you used the touch keyboard to input your password on the login screen, it might not disappear after logging into your PC.

[File Explorer]

• Fixed an issue where the search icon in File Explorer might infinitely loop in an animation recently.

[Widgets]

• If you've been experiencing an issue recently with widgets not being able to log in, that should be resolved now.

[Administrator Protection]

• Fixed an issue when running an app as administrator where the text in the UAC prompt might be truncated.

[Task Manager]

• Fixed an issue which was causing some apps and their processes to not be grouped correctly.

[Other]

• Updated the buttons to have rounded corners when you're shutting down your PC and are prompted if you want to shut down anyway despite running apps.