dev channel

  1. Windows 11 Insider adds one-click speed test in system tray (Bing widget)

    Microsoft is quietly testing a one-click network speed test shortcut in the Windows 11 system tray that launches Bing’s speed‑test widget in the default browser, putting a simple “Perform speed test” entry directly where users already go to check connectivity. Background Windows has long relied...
  2. Xbox Button Remapped in Windows 11 Insider: Game Bar, Task View, Power Off

    Microsoft is quietly turning the Xbox button on controllers into a native Windows multitasking tool: in the latest Windows 11 Insider builds Microsoft maps a short press of the Xbox button to open the Game Bar, a long press to open Task View (the system-level app switcher and virtual desktop...
  3. Windows 11 Taskbar Gets One-Click Internet Speed Test via Bing

    Microsoft is quietly rolling out a one‑click pathway to check your internet connection from the Windows 11 taskbar: a new system tray shortcut that opens a network speed test in your default browser, currently visible in Insider preview builds. Background Microsoft has long leaned on lightweight...
  4. Windows 11 Insider Preview: One-Click Bing Speed Test and Background AI Tasks

    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...
  5. Windows 11 Insider: Xbox Button Maps to Game Bar, Task View, and Power Off

    Microsoft is quietly remapping the Xbox controller’s central Guide/Xbox button on Windows 11 so a short press still opens the Game Bar, a long press opens Task View, and a sustained press continues to power the controller off—an apparently small change that has outsized implications for...
  6. Windows 11 Xbox Button Triple-Mapped: Tap Game Bar, Long-Press Task View, Hold to Power Off

    Microsoft has begun testing a change that remaps the Xbox button on controllers in Windows 11 so a long press opens Task View, while a short press still opens the Game Bar and a sustained hold still powers the controller off. Background Microsoft has steadily worked to make Windows 11 friendlier...
  7. Windows 11 Insider: Keyboard Repeat & Haptic Touchpad Settings Move to Settings

    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...
  8. Windows 11 Insider Build 26220.6682: Narrator polish, Emoji 16, Copilot tweaks

    Microsoft’s latest Insider preview (Build 26220.6682, KB5065782) sharpens Narrator’s reading and navigation behavior, brings a small curated set of Emoji 16.0 glyphs to the emoji picker, and rolls out incremental Click to Do (Copilot) refinements — changes that are small in headline but...
  9. Windows 11 Insider: Xbox Button Long Press Opens Task View, Short Press Opens Game Bar

    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...
  10. Windows 11 Dev Channel 26220.6682: Emoji 16.0, Narrator Upgrades, Copilot Click to Do

    Microsoft has pushed a focused Insider Preview to the Dev Channel that quietly bundles three small-but-important shifts: Emoji 16.0 support in the Windows emoji panel, targeted accessibility upgrades to Narrator, and Copilot-related refinements to Click to Do — all delivered with the compact...
  11. Windows 11 26220.6682 Dev: Copilot prompts, Emoji 16, Narrator accessibility upgrades

    Microsoft’s latest Insider flights deliver a compact but meaningful set of refinements — from a new Copilot prompt box inside Click to Do to a curated Emoji 16 rollout and deep accessibility fixes for Narrator — packaged in Dev build 26220.6682 (and matching Beta build 26120.6682), signaling...
  12. Windows 11 25H2 Build 26220.6682: Emoji 16, Narrator upgrades, Copilot UI refinements

    Windows 11’s Dev Channel just received a compact but meaningful refresh: Build 26220.6682 (KB5065782) for Windows 11, version 25H2 brings Emoji 16 glyphs to the emoji panel, a string of accessibility refinements—most notably for Narrator—and several targeted fixes and UI tweaks that reinforce...
  13. Windows 11 Insider Preview 26220.6682: AI, Accessibility, Stability Updates

    Microsoft released Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26220.6682 (KB5065782) to the Dev Channel on September 12, 2025, and the flight brings a focused set of AI-driven productivity updates, accessibility refinements, and a broad collection of stability fixes — while also surfacing a few noteworthy...
  14. Windows 11 Insider: Blue Progress Bar in Dark Mode File Operations

    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...
  15. Edge Dev Adds Toggle: System Default vs Always-On Efficiency Mode (Energy Saver)

    Microsoft has quietly added a simple but consequential toggle in Microsoft Edge Dev that hands users explicit control over whether the browser’s Efficiency mode follows Windows 11’s system-level Energy Saver or stays enabled all the time—an integration that tightens the browser’s...
  16. Windows 11 Dev Channel 26220.5790: Fluid Dictation, Studio Effects, Copilot in Explorer

    Microsoft’s latest Dev‑Channel flight, Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26220.5790 (KB5065779), brings a focused set of Copilot+ features—most notably Fluid Dictation in Voice Access—along with wider Windows Studio Effects support for additional cameras, new Copilot‑driven File Explorer hover...
  17. Windows 11 Insider: Clock with seconds, AI actions in Explorer, and AI controls

    Microsoft has quietly restored the little thing that annoyed a surprising number of users: the expanded clock in Notification Center can once again show seconds — and that small user-experience win arrives alongside a broader set of AI-focused experiments that put generative image actions...
  18. Fluid Dictation on Windows 11: On-Device AI for Natural Speech-to-Text

    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...
  19. Windows 11 Insider: Studio Effects expands to USB webcams on Copilot Plus PCs

    Microsoft is rolling out a long-awaited change to Windows 11 that finally lets many users apply Windows Studio Effects to additional cameras — including USB webcams and rear-facing laptop cameras — on supported Copilot+ PCs, while also shipping a suite of related Copilot and accessibility...
  20. Windows 11 Insider: On-device Fluid Dictation, Voice Access & Studio Effects

    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...