Windows 11 Build 26100.7921 & 26200.7921 refresh released
Microsoft has rolled out a refreshed preview update, offering several subtle yet beneficial enhancements under the hood. For those looking to catch up on recent developments, here's an overview of the key features introduced in previous release.
Quick Machine Recovery now flips on automatically
Professional editions that aren’t joined to a domain or enrolled in enterprise MDM get the same one‑click reset option that Home users have enjoyed forever. The feature restores Windows without demanding a full reinstall, which can be a lifesaver after a rogue driver update corrupts the boot environment. To verify it’s active, open Settings => System => Recovery and look for “Quick Machine Recovery” under the Reset this PC section. If it’s missing, the device is probably managed or still considered a domain machine.
Built‑in Sysmon – finally native, but not a free lunch
Microsoft has bundled Sysmon as an optional Windows feature. It captures low‑level process activity and writes everything to the event log, making it possible to spot suspicious behavior without third‑party installers. The catch: it’s disabled by default and must be enabled manually.
Open Settings => System => Optional features, scroll to “Sysmon,” check the box, then confirm with a PowerShell call: sysmon -i. Existing Sysmon installations from the Sysinternals site have to be uninstalled first – otherwise Windows will refuse to enable the built‑in version. For most home users this is overkill; security hobbyists and IT pros are the ones who’ll actually dig through the logs.
Network speed test lives in the taskbar
A quick way to sanity‑check bandwidth shows up when you right‑click the Wi‑Fi or Cellular icon. Selecting “Speed test” launches a browser tab that runs Microsoft’s own measurement against your current interface – Ethernet, Wi‑Fi, or cellular. It’s not as thorough as third‑party tools, but it’s handy for confirming whether a recent router firmware flash actually improved throughput.
Taskbar overflow finally behaves
A long‑standing annoyance was that uncombined taskbars would shove all windows of an app into the hidden overflow when space ran short, even if only one or two needed to disappear. The new logic keeps each window in its own slot, so you’ll see just the ones that truly lack room. Users who run multiple PowerShell consoles side by side have already reported a smoother experience after the change.
Emoji 16.0 adds a single newcomer per category
The emoji panel now includes one fresh face from each major group – think a new animal, food item, and activity icon. It’s a tiny visual bump that won’t break any workflows but keeps the panel feeling alive.
First‑sign‑in restore for hybrid Entra devices
Organizations that use Microsoft Entra can now push user settings and Store apps automatically when a device signs in for the first time. The feature works on Cloud PCs, multi‑user kiosks, and any hybrid‑joined workstation. It trims the “first‑day setup” ritual dramatically; IT admins have noted a 30 % drop in support tickets related to missing shortcuts after rollout.
Camera pan/tilt controls surface in Settings
Supported webcams now expose motorized pan and tilt sliders under Settings => Bluetooth & devices => Cameras. The UI is straightforward: move the slider, see live feedback, and hit Apply. It’s a neat addition for streamers who used third‑party utilities to achieve the same effect.
WebP images as desktop wallpapers
You can now point the Background picker at a .webp file directly – no conversion needed. The change lives under Settings => Personalization => Background, and right‑clicking a WebP in Explorer also offers “Set as background.” It’s a subtle quality‑of‑life tweak for folks who collect high‑efficiency graphics.
Minor but welcome polish
Search now shows a magnifying‑glass icon in Task Manager, storage dialogs have a cleaner look, and the Settings page for Windows Update feels snappier. Printing performance got a bump too; spoolsv.exe no longer chokes on large print jobs, which IT departments will appreciate during batch label runs.
Releasing Windows 11 Builds 26100.7918 and 26200.7918 to the Release Preview Channel
[UPDATE 2/19] We are releasing Builds 26100.7921 and 26200.7921
Releasing Windows 11 Builds 26100.7918 and 26200.7918 to the Release Preview Channel
