Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26220.7872: What’s New for Beta Channel Users
The latest Windows 11 Insider Preview build 26220.7872 (KB5077231) rolls out to Beta‑channel participants, and it brings a handful of tweaks that actually matter in day‑to‑day use. This article walks through the most visible changes—context‑menu icons, Settings device cards, and taskbar hover animations—and explains why they’re worth noticing (or ignoring).
Context‑Menu “Open” icon now matches the default app
If you’ve ever right‑clicked a .exe, .bat or .cmd file only to see a generic square‑shaped “Open” entry, you’ll appreciate this adjustment. The verb’s little picture now mirrors the icon of whatever program is set as the default handler. That means an elevated PowerShell script will display the familiar blue shell instead of that bland gray placeholder.
The fix came after numerous complaints on the Feedback Hub about the visual mismatch; one user even reported that the old icon made it easy to accidentally launch a malicious batch file because it looked identical to a trusted shortcut. By aligning the glyph with the actual app, Windows reduces that confusion without any extra steps required from the user.
Refined Device info card in Settings
The Settings home page now shows a streamlined “Device info” card that pulls key specs—CPU, RAM, graphics, and storage—into a tidy block. Clicking through lands you on System > About where the same data appears at the top of the page, ready for copy‑and‑paste. This is handy when you’re troubleshooting with support staff who need a quick snapshot of your hardware.
Enterprise‑managed devices still get the older layout, so if you work in an IT‑heavy environment you might not see the new card yet. The change rolled out first to Insiders in the United States, so folks elsewhere may notice it later.
Smoother hover animation for taskbar app groups
The taskbar isn’t a place where most people spend time tweaking, but the updated hover effect feels less jittery when you move the cursor over grouped icons. The animation now eases into view rather than snapping abruptly, which is a subtle quality‑of‑life improvement for anyone who keeps multiple windows of the same app open.
While it’s not a game‑changing feature, the smoother transition reduces visual fatigue during long work sessions—something that can matter when you’re staring at the taskbar for hours on end.
How to make sure you’re getting these updates
Beta‑channel Insiders who have turned on the “receive the latest updates as they are available” toggle in Settings > Windows Update will see the changes automatically. If the toggle is off, the build may still appear later through the standard rollout schedule. Checking the Feedback Hub (Win + F) under the relevant categories can give you a sense of whether other users have run into issues with any of these tweaks.
That’s the gist of what Build 26220.7872 adds to the Beta channel. If you’ve already spotted the new icons or smoother hover, let Microsoft know—feedback still drives the next round of refinements.
Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26220.7872 (Beta Channel)
Hello Windows Insiders, today we are releasing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26220.7872 (KB5077231) to the Beta Channel.
Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26220.7872 (Beta Channel)
