Windows 11 Insider Preview Builds: WMIC Dies, Drag Tray Gets Pulled, and File Explorer’s Right-Click Menu Gets a Redesign
Five new flights land across every channel, confirming WMIC’s permanent departure and shelving an experiment Microsoft says failed.
Microsoft just pushed five new Windows 11 Insider Preview builds across all current channels, and the headline move is dead simple: WMIC is gone. You can’t run wmic anymore. The tool’s been deprecated for years, but this final cutoff across every flight confirms it’s not coming back. WMIC first started showing its deprecated flag back in Windows 8.1. It lingered for nearly a decade across every subsequent release, surviving every major version push. This week, it finally checks out.
The removal lands in every single build, from Beta through the Experimental Future flight. Microsoft is pointing power users and IT pros toward PowerShell CIM cmdlets like Get-CimInstance for system queries. If you still have scripts relying on the old command, it’s time to refactor them.
It’s not the only thing getting axed. The Drag Tray experiment made its exit across all five builds this week, with Microsoft citing insider feedback as the reason. The feature was originally shipped as a test back in the spring. After months of quiet observation, the team decided it didn’t work. Microsoft says it will "continue to explore improvements in this area" and promises a future replacement, though it didn’t share a timeline or preview. The lack of a roadmap suggests the team already moved on.
The Experimental Flight Carries the Weight
Build 26340.9212 is where the actual new features live. It’s the primary preview for Windows 11 26H2, and the changes are broad. The File Explorer context menu gets a redesign Microsoft describes as faster and easier to customize. It trims the top-level clutter, keeps common actions front and center, and adds a Settings page for picking exactly what shows up in the right-click menu. This is Microsoft’s second serious stab at overhauling that menu in Windows 11.
Camera Roll Backup is also rolling out, letting phones auto-sync photos and videos straight to OneDrive. New entry points in Settings Home and Accounts guide the setup. Emoji 17.0 gets full support, which means new additions like the distorted face, fight cloud, and hairy creature. Microsoft even tweaked existing emojis like the saluting face and kissing cat for cross-platform consistency. The screen magnifier gets a modernized toolbar with refreshed icons and tighter spacing. WinRE can now reuse saved Wi-Fi profiles from the main OS, including certificate-based networks, which cuts down on manual network setup during recovery. The Get Started app got new onboarding pages for installing apps, pinning sites, and picking themes.
The Beta Channel Focuses on Polish
Build 26220.9202 is the stable-ish release based on the finalized 25H2 enablement package. It’s heavier on fixes than features. File Explorer Home now launches faster and lets you touch-scroll the Recommended section. The search box got bumped up by four pixels. Settings crashes tied to Date & Time interactions are resolved. Taskbar system tray loading improved for non-touch PCs. Japanese IME hangs and an Arm64 crash tied to xtajit64.dll are both patched.
Both 26H1 builds mirror each other with bug fixes. The Experimental 26H1 flight does flag a known PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS launch issue that’s being worked on alongside the developer. The Experimental Future flight, Build 29648.1000, stays true to its name by being the most unstable. It brings subtle Windows Security UI tweaks, including a new Defender for Endpoint status banner in Virus & threat protection. There are also two known issues to watch: a blinking mouse cursor stuck in a repeated state and an 0x80070005 access-denied error that blocks updates. Microsoft says both should land in the next flight.
It’s a mature-sounding update overall. WMIC is gone for good, Drag Tray quietly failed, and Microsoft is doubling down on UI refinement instead of feature bloat. The Experimental channel remains the clear testing ground for the next major version, with File Explorer, OneDrive integration, and input improvements leading the charge. It’s not exactly a lightweight update if you track every ring, but the polish is noticeable.
If you want to join the Beta ring, head to Settings > Windows Update > Windows Insider Program. The Experimental channels are where you’ll actually find the new File Explorer menu and Camera Roll Backup. Keep in mind that these are preview builds and may break existing workflows.
For more information, check out the release notes for each build below:
Windows 11 Insider Beta Preview Build 26220.9202 - Windows Insider Program
Release notes for Windows 11 Insider Beta Preview Build 26220.9202
Windows 11 Insider Beta Preview Build 26220.9202 - Windows Insider Program
Windows 11 Insider Experimental Preview Build 26340.9212 - Windows Insider Program
Release notes for Windows 11 Insider Experimental Preview Build 26340.9212
Windows 11 Insider Experimental Preview Build 26340.9212 - Windows Insider Program
Windows 11 Insider Beta (26H1) Preview Build 28020.2731 - Windows Insider Program
Release notes for Windows 11 Insider Beta (26H1) Preview Build 28020.2731
Windows 11 Insider Beta (26H1) Preview Build 28020.2731 - Windows Insider Program
Windows 11 Insider Experimental (26H1) Preview Build 28120.2738 - Windows Insider Program
Release notes for Windows 11 Insider Experimental (26H1) Preview Build 28120.2738
Windows 11 Insider Experimental (26H1) Preview Build 28120.2738 - Windows Insider Program
Windows 11 Insider Experimental (Future Platforms) Preview Build 29648.1000 - Windows Insider Program
Release notes for Windows 11 Insider Experimental (Future Platforms) Preview Build 29648.1000
