The new Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 28020.1685 fixes a long‑standing problem where Windows Update files and the windows.old folder refuse to delete, making Settings > System > Storage’s “Free up space” function far more reliable. File Explorer now supports voice typing (Win + H) when renaming items, letting users say the new name instead of hunting for the keyboard; it works instantly during rename mode and needs no external microphone. Not every user will see these tweaks at once, as Canary features can be rolled out gradually via toggles in Insider settings—so keep an eye on “Apply updates to my device as soon as they’re available.”
The new Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26300.7965 brings several practical improvements for power users. Administrator protection is turned back on—this just‑in‑time elevation keeps free‑floating admin rights safe without constant prompts, a welcome change for those who run frequent system tweaks. The drag tray now uses a smaller peek window, cutting the accidental share that used to happen when a mouse slipped near the top of the screen. Finally, launching or resizing File Explorer panes no longer triggers that annoying white flash, and voice typing (Win + H) makes renaming files faster than ever.
Microsoft’s newest Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26220.7961 re‑enables Administrator Protection, letting users grant just‑in‑time admin rights to stop rogue installers from gaining full control while still allowing legitimate work to flow. A tweak to the drag tray shrinks the peek view and improves dismissal so windows near the screen edge no longer trigger accidental taskbar launches. File Explorer now accepts voice typing (Win + H) for renaming files, cutting down on tedious keyboard edits when batch‑renaming items. Finally, a few visual glitches—namely white flashes when opening new Explorer windows set to “This PC” or while resizing panes—have been smoothed out, giving the interface a more polished feel.
Microsoft has released Windows 11 Build 28020.1673 to Windows Insiders in the Canary Channel. The new build quietly drops Emoji 16.0, a single new icon for each major category that shows up in the emoji panel without any extra steps. The preview also flips on Quick Machine Recovery for unmanaged Windows Professional machines and folds first‑sign‑in restore into Windows Backup for Organizations, so fresh devices now pull user settings and Store apps automatically. A built‑in network speed test lives in the taskbar, pan/tilt sliders appear for supported webcams, RSAT finally works on Arm64 hardware, and nearby sharing is sturdier with larger files—all while dark mode finally sticks in File Explorer’s Folder Options dialog. Bottom line: this Canary build feels less like a glossy showcase and more like a genuine effort to smooth out the everyday annoyances.
Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26300.7939 adds a registry switch that locks batch files while they execute, preventing mid‑run modifications that can cause “file in use” errors. The setting is enabled by creating a DWORD value named LockBatchFilesWhenInUse under HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Command Processor and setting it to 1. Once active, the command processor holds an exclusive lock on each batch file for the entire run, which stops rogue installers or driver updates from corrupting scripts on the fly. After applying the tweak, a simple self‑modifying script runs without error, confirming the protection is working.
The Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26220.7934 adds a registry‑based option that locks batch files during execution, improving both security and script performance. Shared Bluetooth LE Audio now shows separate volume sliders for each listener, though the UI is a bit finicky. Narrator gains a quick shortcut to read status bars, while Paint finally supports freeform rotation of any selected object. Additional reliability fixes target storage cleanup and ADLaM keyboard typing, but those are mostly background polish.
The latest Windows 11 preview update, KB5077239, is now rolling out to Windows 11 26H1 PCs under a phased schedule and will be available on all devices later this month. This package includes several improvements such as enhanced Copilot features, updated File Explorer aesthetics, camera enhancements, and accessibility tweaks. The update also addresses various issues like the lock screen freezing when switching backgrounds and Explorer.exe stalling due to misbehaving startup apps. Additionally, it patches a memory leak in the slideshow lock screen, improves BitLocker recovery, and enhances Windows Sandbox stability.
The latest preview update for Windows 11, KB5077241, brings several new features to both Windows 11 25H2 and 24H2 versions. The update includes the addition of Emoji 16.0, which adds fresh faces from major categories that can be accessed in the emoji panel, as well as other features such as a network speed test and camera pan/tilt controls. Additionally, the update improves the overall performance of Windows 11 with fixes like enhanced BitLocker reliability and more targeted Secure Boot certificates. The rollout of KB5077241 is being done in two phases: gradual and normal, which may cause some users to see the "This PC needs to restart" message on different dates than others.
The latest Windows 11 Canary build introduces several quality-of-life tweaks, including Cross-Device Resume, which allows seamless file transfer between Android devices and Microsoft 365 desktop programs. Narrator Customization now lets users control what UI elements are spoken and in what order, reducing cognitive load for screen-reader users. Windows Hello - Peripheral Fingerprint Support has been enhanced to include external fingerprint reader support, providing high-assurance login experiences on desktops and Copilot+ machines. The new build also features improvements to Voice Typing, including a delay slider to prevent premature command execution, as well as a streamlined setup process for Voice Access.
The latest Windows 11 Insider Preview (build 26300.7877) for Windows Insiders in the Dev Channel refines the right‑click “Open” icon, streamlines the Device info card in Settings, smooths taskbar hover effects, patches a File Explorer jump bug, makes Nearby Sharing more reliable for large files, and finally adds freeform rotate to Paint. These tweaks are mostly cosmetic polish, but the Explorer fix actually solves a real annoyance that many power users have hit after recent driver updates.
Windows 11 Build 26220.7872 (KB5077231) updates the Beta channel with a context‑menu “Open” icon that now mirrors the default app’s picture, fixing the long‑standing visual mismatch for .exe, .bat and .cmd files. Settings shows a simplified Device info card that consolidates CPU, RAM, graphics and storage details on the Home page and System > About, with copy‑and‑paste support for easier troubleshooting. Taskbar hover animations over app groups have been smoothed out, making cursor movement feel less jarring during heavy multitasking. Insiders who have enabled the “receive latest updates” toggle in Settings > Windows Update will see these changes automatically; otherwise they’ll arrive later with the standard rollout.
Microsoft has rolled out two refreshed preview updates, Windows 11 Build 26100.7921 and 26200.7921, to Windows Insiders in the release preview channel, featuring several subtle enhancements under the hood. The update includes the automatic activation of Quick Machine Recovery, which allows users to reset their Windows without reinstalling it in case of a corrupted boot environment. Other notable features include the built-in Sysmon tool for capturing low-level process activity, a network speed test available from the taskbar, and camera pan/tilt controls that can be accessed through Settings. Additionally, the update brings various minor polish improvements to search functionality, storage dialogs, Windows Update settings, and printing performance.
Microsoft has released a new optional update for Windows 11 Insiders, build 29531.1000, which is part of the Canary channel and focuses on low-level platform tweaks. If you're looking to jump into this newer track, be aware that future updates will stay in the 29500 series and there's no going back without a clean reinstall.
The latest Windows 11 Release Preview brings a handful of tweaks and changes that most users will notice, along with some deeper features that only tech-savvy individuals will appreciate. New emojis have been added to the panel, including one per major category, which gives chat windows a bit more personality without overdoing it. Other notable updates include First-sign-in restore for organizations, Quick Machine Recovery (QMR) being enabled by default on Pro versions, and Taskbar network speed test, among others. Minor UI polish and performance tweaks have also been made to improve search, storage dialogs, file scanning, and printer responsiveness in Windows 11.
Microsoft has rolled out Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26220.7859 to Windows Insiders in the Beta Channel with several tweaks that most users won't notice unless they've enabled insider builds on their system. The new build includes improvements such as updated account settings for Microsoft 365 Family subscribers, a fix for taskbar icon glitches, and a solution to the file explorer jump bug. Nearby sharing has also been upgraded to handle large files more reliably over slower Wi-Fi networks, eliminating stalls and timeouts. Additionally, Bluetooth wheel settings are now more stable, preventing drivers from resetting scroll wheels to default speeds after updates.
Microsoft has released the latest Windows 11 Canary Build, 28020.1611, to Windows Insiders, which brings several improvements and fixes, including native Sysmon event logging without the need for a separate download or configuration file. The built-in Sysmon feature allows security tools to pull rich process-creation data from the standard event log, streamlining security logging and eliminating the need to hunt down a third-party binary. Additionally, the build includes a minor overhaul of the Share pane for OneDrive links, which adds icons under the "Share using" label to represent apps registered for handling URLs, reducing the number of clicks required to share files. The build also fixes the infamous watermark bug that displayed an incorrect build number, now matching the system's actual report.
KB5077181 is now available for Windows 11 24H2 and 25H2, consolidating earlier quality updates that addressed a mix of problems from gaming to networking. The patch fixes a device‑eligibility issue that prevented some laptops from running games in full‑screen mode, allowing gamers to experience titles without black bars or windowed compromises. It also resolves an incompatibility with WPA3‑Personal Wi‑Fi networks caused by a prior driver update (KB5074105), restoring seamless connectivity for devices that had been stuck on “connecting.”
Microsoft has published KB5079373, which alerts users to an upcoming expiration of Windows Secure Boot certificates issued in 2011, slated for June 2026. This expiration won't cause immediate problems with existing software, but it means you'll stop getting future boot-level security updates unless you install new 2023 certificates. Most modern PCs will receive these updates automatically through Windows Update, but some devices may need manual firmware updates from the manufacturer's support site. If you use BitLocker or have enterprise policies that require up-to-date boot-time attestation, it's recommended to plan a firmware refresh before June 2026.
Microsoft has released Windows 11 Insider Build 26300.7760 to Windows Insiders in the dev channel, which includes several updates such as new emoji additions from Emoji 16.0 and improved camera controls for supported webcams through the Settings app. The build also addresses some visual issues, including reducing taskbar flicker and improving security prompts on high-DPI displays. To access these new features, users must have "receive the latest updates as they're available" enabled in Windows Update settings, which can take a few hours to roll out after enabling it. Some users may experience quirks such as an occasional "camera not found" error or issues with older third-party keyboards displaying the new emoji glyphs until firmware is updated.
Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26220.7755 has been released to Windows Insiders in the Beta Channel. The new release comes with several fixes, including the taskbar disappearing and reappearing when auto-hide is enabled, as well as visual glitches and CPU spikes caused by graphics driver conflicts. The update also adds new emojis, camera pan/tilt sliders for supported webcams, and performance tweaks that improve battery life on laptops and reduce delays in rendering Windows Security dialogs. While the new emoji set may be a nice addition, it is not a crucial feature, as third-party keyboards can provide similar functionality.
