Hello Windows Insiders,
Today we are releasing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.3671 (KB5055622) to the Beta Channel for Windows Insiders on Windows 11, version 24H2.
Changes in Beta Channel builds and updates are documented in two buckets: new features, improvements, and fixes that are being gradually rolled out for Insiders who have turned on the toggle to get the latest updates as they are available (via Settings > Windows Update*) and then new features, improvements, and fixes rolling out to everyone in the Beta Channel. For more information, see the Reminders section at the bottom of this blog post.
New features gradually being rolled out to the Beta Channel with toggle on*
Taskbar icon scaling
We are starting to roll out taskbar icon scaling to Windows Insiders – an improvement to the Windows taskbar that ensures that you have quick access to more of your favorite apps, even when your taskbar is full. With taskbar icon scaling, when your taskbar starts to get crowded with pinned or open apps, the icons will automatically scale down to a smaller size. This means you can keep more apps visible and accessible without the need to dive into a secondary menu. It’s all about making your workflow smoother and more efficient.
We understand that everyone has their own preferences, so we’ve included settings to tailor this feature to your liking. You can choose when Windows will show smaller taskbar buttons:
When taskbar is full: By default, taskbar icons will automatically turn smaller when the taskbar is full. This helps you maintain access to more apps without any extra effort.
Never: For users who prefer their icons to remain the same size as before, regardless of how many apps are open, there’s an option to prevent the icons from scaling down.
Always: If you love the look of smaller icons and want them to stay that way all the time, you can set your taskbar icons to always be small.
To customize your taskbar icon scaling settings, simply right-click an empty region of your taskbar and select “Taskbar settings”, expand “Taskbar behaviors” section, and make your selection for the setting “Show smaller taskbar buttons”.
As always, we value your feedback, so let us know what you think!
FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Desktop Environment > Taskbar.
Making sharing files in Windows easier
Sharing files in Windows is getting a lot easier and quicker with our new drag tray feature. When you start dragging a local file with mouse (or touch) from File Explorer or your desktop, a handy tray appears at the very top of your screen allowing you to drop the file into one of the displayed apps or choose “More…” to open the Windows share window.
New drag tray UI that appears at the top of your screen when dragging a local file from File Explorer or your desktop.
FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Files, Folders, and Online Storage > File sharing.
Announcing the availability of the test remediation package for quick machine recovery (QMR)
As a follow up to last week’s announcement of quick machine recovery, we are thrilled to announce that the test remediation package is now available for Windows Insiders to experience the full capabilities of QMR in action. We encourage Windows Insiders to test it today. The remediation package “Quick machine recovery update for Windows 11” will be automatically installed by QMR when “test mode” is activated. To verify the quick machine recovery remediation is installed, go to Settings > Windows Update > Update history. The remediation should be listed under Quality updates. Please note that the ability to see the remediation package in your Windows Update history is gradually rolling out in the Beta Channel so not everyone will see this listed there right away. To provide feedback, simply open the Feedback Hub app on your Windows device, navigate to Recovery and Uninstall > Quick Machine Recovery, and share your insights. Stay tuned for further updates and enhancements as we continue to improve the resilience and reliability of Windows.
Changes and Improvements gradually being rolled out to the Beta Channel with toggle on*
[General]
The improved battery iconography in Windows 11 may disappear for Windows Insiders in the current flights. We’re beginning to re-roll this change out to Windows Insiders.
[Recall (Preview)]
We are trying out a basic search history feature in Recall.
[Click to Do (Preview)]
Ask Copilot is a new action within Click to Do. When you highlight either text or image with Click to Do, you’re given an option to Ask Copilot. Microsoft Copilot opens with your content in the prompt box. You can send selected text or image within Click to Do Directly to Copilot app. The selected text or image is handed off to the Copilot app where you can complete your prompt. This feature is not available in the European Economic Area (EEA). You can learn more about this Click to Do here..
You can now swipe using touch from the right of your screen to invoke Click to Do on your Copilot+ PC. You can adjust this experience back to notifications if you want via Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Touch.
[Input]
As part of our ongoing work to improve our settings experiences, we’re starting to make more mouse related settings available directly under Settings > Accessibility > Mouse and Settings > Accessibility > Mouse pointer and touch without needing to go into Control Panel. This includes the settings for mouse indicator, mouse pointer trails, and further mouse behavior and pointer customization. As part of this work, we have also added the ability to adjust the amount of time needed to hover over a window to activate it, if you have activated on hover enabled. Finally, we updated the icon used for Mouse pointer speed in Bluetooth & Devices > Mouse and added an icon to the Enhance mouse pointer precision option.
We’re updating the Bluetooth & Devices > Pen and Windows Ink, and Bluetooth & Devices > Touch pages in Settings to have options if you want press and hold for pen or touch to perform a right click action.
Reminders for Windows Insiders in the Beta Channel
Windows Insiders in the Beta Channel on Windows 11, version 24H2 will receive updates based on Windows 11, version 24H2 via an enablement package (Build 26120.xxxx).
Updates delivered to the Beta Channel are in a format that offers a preview of enhancements to servicing technology on Windows 11, version 24H2. To learn more, see https://aka.ms/CheckpointCumulativeUpdates.
Many features in the Beta Channel are rolled out using Controlled Feature Rollout technology, starting with a subset of Insiders and ramping up over time as we monitor feedback to see how they land before pushing them out to everyone in this channel.
For Windows Insiders in the Beta Channel who want to be the first to get features gradually rolled out to you, you can turn ON the toggle to get the latest updates as they are available via Settings > Windows Update*. Over time, we will increase the rollouts of features to everyone with the toggle turned on. Should you keep this toggle off, new features will gradually be rolled out to your PC over time once they are ready.
Features and experiences included in these builds may never get released as we try out different concepts and get feedback. Features may change over time, be removed, or replaced and never get released beyond Windows Insiders. Some of these features and experiences could show up in future Windows releases when they’re ready.
Some features in active development we preview with Windows Insiders may not be fully localized and localization will happen over time as features are finalized. As you see issues with localization in your language, please report those issues to us via Feedback Hub.
Please note that some accessibility features may not work with features like Recall and Click to Do while in preview with Windows Insiders.
Because the Dev and Beta Channels represent parallel development paths from our engineers, there may be cases where features and experiences show up in the Beta Channel first.
Check out Flight Hub for a complete look at what build is in which Insider channel.
Before you update your machine, visit the Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.3671 (Beta Channel) | Windows Insider Blog today to view full details on new features, general changes, improvements, known issues and much more!