beta channel

Microsoft’s latest Windows 11 Insider preview builds quietly add a one‑click internet speed‑test shortcut to the taskbar network flyout — but the shortcut simply opens Bing’s web‑based speed test rather than running a native, offline measurement — and the same builds also include a subtle but...

Microsoft’s continued migration of legacy Control Panel features into the modern Settings app has taken another step forward: recent Windows 11 Insider preview builds contain hidden, in-progress pages that surface longstanding keyboard controls and a redesigned haptic touchpad panel inside...

Microsoft has quietly repurposed the Xbox button on gamepads when used with Windows 11 Insiders: a long press now opens Task View while a short press still launches the Game Bar, and a press-and-hold continues to power down the controller — a small but practical tweak rolling out to Dev and Beta...

Microsoft released Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.6682 (KB5065782) to the Beta Channel on September 12, 2025 — a targeted maintenance-and-experience flight for PCs running Windows 11, version 24H2 that layers incremental Copilot-era UX polish, accessibility improvements, and a handful of...

Microsoft’s latest Excel headlines have been dominated by bold AI stunts — Copilot, on-cell generative functions and natural‑language formulaing — but one of the oldest, most reliable features in the spreadsheet deserves a second look: PivotTables. Used judiciously, PivotTables remain the...

Microsoft’s latest Insider activity shows a subtle but telling change: the long‑standing green progress indicator in the File Explorer copy/move dialog has been replaced with a blue variant when the system is in Dark Mode, and several legacy file‑operation dialogs are now honoring the OS dark...

Microsoft’s latest Insider Preview builds bring a tangible — and in many ways overdue — improvement to speech-to-text on Windows by introducing Fluid Dictation inside Voice Access, a smarter, faster, on-device dictation mode designed to make spoken text appear as natural, punctuated prose rather...

Microsoft is quietly rolling out a meaningful upgrade to voice input in Windows 11 Insider builds — a smoother, on-device dictation experience tied to Voice Access and targeted at Copilot+ hardware — while also shipping a focused Beta/Dev Channel flight that expands Studio Effects, tightens...

Microsoft shipped matched Insider updates this week — Build 26220.5790 to the Dev Channel (25H2 track) and Build 26120.5790 to the Beta Channel — and both bring a focused set of Copilot+ enhancements, camera and File Explorer polish, plus stability fixes and a handful of persistent known issues...

August 29, 2025 delivered an unexpected lifeline to owners of aging Windows Mixed Reality headsets: a new native SteamVR driver called Oasis that restores direct SteamVR/OpenXR compatibility for devices left orphaned after Microsoft deprecated the Mixed Reality Portal. Background Windows Mixed...

Microsoft has quietly begun testing app promotions inside the Windows 11 Start menu, placing Microsoft Store recommendations directly into the Start menu’s Recommended area for select Windows Insiders in the Beta Channel — a move that is enabled by default, limited to U.S. Insiders, and...

Microsoft has pushed a targeted Beta‑channel update for Windows Insiders — Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.5770 (KB5064089) for devices on the Windows 11, version 24H2 servicing baseline — rolling out a batch of Copilot‑centric productivity features, accessibility enhancements, and a...

Microsoft’s latest Insider drops for Windows 11 expand Click to Do with a preview that can capture on‑screen tables and push them straight into Excel — a practical, AI‑driven shortcut aimed at shaving minutes from routine data entry work while the Insider builds also add Microsoft 365 profile...

Microsoft has quietly begun to reshape the sign‑in moment and a few long‑standing UI friction points in Windows 11, shipping a Beta/Canary preview that modernizes Windows Hello, refines the taskbar and system tray, and adds practical productivity shortcuts to Task Manager and jump lists —...

Today’s Beta‑channel drop from the Windows Insider team continues the 24H2 servicing stream with a focused, polish‑first update that blends new Copilot+ experiences, accessibility improvements, and a raft of targeted fixes — Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.5770 (KB5064089) is now...

Microsoft is quietly delivering one of macOS’s smoothest conveniences to Windows 11: a native, Handoff‑style resume capability that lets you pick up activity from an Android phone on a PC — starting with Spotify playback and built as part of the Phone Link/Link to Windows continuity stack. The...

Microsoft is testing a new Cross Device Resume feature for Windows 11 that promises true app continuity with Android phones—starting with Spotify and rolling out to Windows Insiders in staged previews—bringing one‑click, context‑aware handoff between phone and PC that aims to reduce the friction...

Microsoft has quietly begun testing a Handoff-like “resume on PC” experience in Windows 11 Insider Preview builds that lets you start playback in Spotify on your Android phone and pick it up on your PC with a single click — a small but meaningful step toward the kind of cross-device continuity...

Microsoft has begun testing a native Android-to‑Windows continuity feature for Windows 11 called Cross Device Resume, a Handoff‑like capability that lets you start listening to Spotify on an Android phone and instantly pick up playback on a paired Windows PC with a single click. Background /...

Microsoft has started testing a native Android-to-PC handoff in Windows 11—beginning with Spotify—so you can start a song or podcast on your phone and continue with a single click on your desktop, complete with a one‑click app install if Spotify isn’t already on your PC. The preview is rolling...