Microsoft has released Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26220.6682 to Windows Insiders in the Dev Channel, bringing various changes and improvements across the operating system. The update includes features such as a new Copilot prompt box for streamlined interaction with Microsoft Copilot, improved Emoji support with seven new emojis, and enhanced Narrator functionality for smoother interaction with Word documents. Additionally, several fixes have been implemented to address issues related to taskbar hiding and unhiding, File Explorer unresponsiveness, and Windows Sandbox performance. 

Microsoft Releases Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26220.6682

Microsoft has rolled out a new update to Windows Insiders in the Dev Channel, marking the release of Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26220.6682. This latest build introduces numerous changes and improvements across various areas of the operating system.

Gradually Rolling Out Features

The following features are categorized into two groups - those gradually rolling out with a toggle and those being rolled out to everyone in the Dev Channel.

Click to Do:

• Enhanced Interaction Experience: A new Copilot prompt box is introduced, allowing for streamlined interaction with Microsoft Copilot. This feature provides suggested prompts powered by Phi-Silica, catering to English, Spanish, and French text selections only.
• Visual Enhancements: New animations are added to the right-edge gesture, offering users clear visual cues for a better experience.
• Action Tags: Popular action tags are integrated into the context menu, enabling users to discover AI-powered actions.
• Summarize Action Output: The output of the "Summarize" action is being refined to be more concise and brief.

Start Menu:

• Copilot App Prompts: A trial of sample prompts for the Copilot app is showcased in the Recommended section of the Start Menu.

Emoji:

• Emoji 16.0 Release: The latest emoji release, Emoji 16.0, adds seven new emojis, including Face with Bags Under Eyes, Fingerprint, Root Vegetable, Leafless Tree, Harp, Shovel, and Splatter, available in the emoji panel.

Gaming:

• Xbox Game Controller Improvements: Short and long presses of the Xbox button have been optimized to open the Game Bar and Task View, respectively.

Narrator:

• Word Document Enhancements: The Narrator has undergone improvements for smoother interaction with Word documents, including:
  • More natural voice feedback with less dramatic pitch changes for headings and errors.
  • Improved footnote navigation with clearer announcement of footnote numbers.
  • Reliable continuous reading without unexpected stops.
  • Enhanced comment reading by correctly tracking focus between the document and comments pane.

Settings:

• Advanced Settings: The Advanced Settings feature is rolling out again, with long path and virtual workspaces options temporarily removed due to issues.

Other:

• SCOOBE Screen Reminder: A new screen reminder is introduced to notify users about Microsoft subscription attention needs, such as payment issues, with a direct link to update payment methods.

Gradually Rolling Out Fixes

The following fixes are categorized into two groups - those gradually rolling out with a toggle and those being rolled out to everyone in the Dev Channel.

General:

• Hibernation Bugcheck Issue: A bugcheck issue occurring during hibernation has been fixed, which may have also caused shutdowns to hang.

Taskbar & System Tray:

• Taskbar Hiding and Unhiding: Improved reliability and smoother animation for taskbar hiding and unhiding.
• Interaction with Apps or Desktop Area: Resolved issues preventing interaction with apps or the desktop area above the taskbar.

File Explorer:

• Shared Section Issue: Fixed an issue where the Shared section could be visible without content.
• Thumbnail Display: Resolved an issue where thumbnails for video files with certain EXIF metadata were not displayed.
• Unresponsiveness of File Explorer Body: Addressed unresponsiveness of the File Explorer body to clicks when interacting with the context menu.

Lock and Login Screens:

• Power Button Crash Issue: Fixed a crash issue on the lock screen when interacting with the power button.

Start Menu:

• Start Menu Dismissal Issue: Fixed an underlying issue causing the Start menu to dismiss when attempting a screenshot with WIN + Shift + S.
• Improved Start Menu Reliability: Improved Start menu reliability.

Windows Sandbox:

• vmmemCmFirstBoot Process Issue: Fixed an issue where the vmmemCmFirstBoot process consumed excessive CPU after login.

Search:

• Search Getting Stuck Issue: Reduced instances of search getting stuck in a loading state.

Settings:

• Settings Crashing Issue: Fixed a crashing issue when interacting with Settings > System > Optional Features.

Voice Access:

• Voice Access Not Working Issue: Resolved an issue preventing Voice Access from working, which showed error 9001.

Windows Hello:

• Boot into Safe Mode Failure: Fixed an issue where booting into safe mode failed with a "PIN isn't available" message.
• Windows Hello PIN Setup Failure: Resolved Windows Hello PIN setup failures with error 0x80090010 on Entra-domain joined devices.

Fixes for Everyone in the Dev Channel

The following fixes are being rolled out to everyone in the Dev Channel.

General:

• Audio Issue in Apps Using NDI: Addresses an issue affecting audio in apps using the Network Device Interface (NDI), specifically stuttering audio when Display Capture is active in OBS Studio.

Known Issues

The following issues are currently known and being addressed by Microsoft.

• Click to Do Launching Issue: Launching Click to Do via the right-edge gesture on the primary display shows visuals on the incorrect display.
• Media Controls Not Displaying on Lock Screen: Media controls may not display on the lock screen.
• Windows Studio Effects Camera Preview Failure: For some external webcams, enabling "Use Windows Studio Effects" may cause a camera preview failure due to a compatibility issue with camera firmware.
• PIX on Windows Unable to Play Back GPU Captures: PIX on Windows is unable to play back GPU captures; a new PIX release is expected by the end of September.
• Settings Search Box Placeholder Text Misaligned: Placeholder text in the Settings search box may appear vertically misaligned.
• Audio Loss with Yellow Exclamation Marks in Device Manager: Some Insiders are experiencing audio loss, with devices showing yellow exclamation marks in Device Manager (e.g., "ACPI Audio Compositor"). A workaround involves updating the driver from a list of available drivers.
• Xbox Controllers Causing PCs to Bugcheck: Using Xbox Controllers via Bluetooth may cause PCs to bugcheck. Uninstalling the "oemXXX.inf (XboxGameControllerDriver.inf)" driver in Device Manager is suggested as a resolution.

Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26220.6682 (Dev Channel)

Hello Windows Insiders, today we are releasing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26220.6682 (KB5065782) to the Dev Channel for Windows Insiders on Windows 11, version 25H2.

Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26220.6682 (Dev Channel)