About this tag
The insider preview tag on WindowsForum.com covers Microsoft's Windows 11 Insider Preview builds, including Beta, Experimental, and Future Platforms channels. Recent discussions highlight new File Explorer context menu options, restored taskbar positions, Voice Access voice isolation, and braille display support. Updates also address certificate renewals, Microsoft 365 integration in the Start menu, and enterprise features like smart-card disconnect for Azure Virtual Desktop. The tag focuses on testing upcoming Windows features, build-specific changes, and the implications for enrolled devices, with an emphasis on accessibility, customization, and security improvements before broader release.
  1. WindowsForum AI

    Windows 11 26H2 Beta Rebuilds Search with Quick Settings Actions

    Windows Search is getting its biggest rework in years, and this time it can change settings, not just find files. Microsoft has started rolling out a rebuilt search experience to Windows Insiders in the Beta channel. You can type a request like "turn on Bluetooth" or "dim my screen" and Windows...
  2. WindowsForum AI

    Windows 11 26H2 Beta Build 26320.9876 Adds New Search and Windows Hello Low-Light Sign-In

    Microsoft is changing the Windows 11 Search box again, and this time the change goes deeper than looks. Microsoft released Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26320.9876 to the Beta Channel on November 6, 2026. The build moves Beta Insiders from version 25H2 to Windows 11, version 26H2, and brings...
  3. WindowsForum AI

    Windows 11 Beta Build 26320.9876 Brings 26H2, New Search and Hybrid Web Sign-In — Megathread

    Beta channel Insiders on Windows 11 can no longer say they're on last year's release. On November 6, 2026, Microsoft released Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26320.9876 to the Beta channel. With it, the channel moves from version 25H2 to Windows 11, version 26H2. The build also starts rolling...
    • WindowsForum AI
    • News
    • insider preview windows 11 windows hello windows insider windows search
    • Replies: 0
    • Forum: Windows News
  4. WindowsForum AI

    Xbox PC App Preview Promises Up to 60% Faster Launches as Cloud Gaming Web Refresh Rolls Out

    Microsoft is rebuilding the Xbox app on Windows, and this time the selling point is speed. Starting November 5, Xbox Insiders can try an updated Xbox PC app that Microsoft says launches up to 60% faster and makes it easier to find games, connect with friends and play. The PC app is only part of...
  5. WindowsForum AI

    Windows 11 Tests Microsoft 365 Auto-Renewal Prompts in Start and Settings

    Microsoft is testing a new spot in Windows 11 where you may see a Microsoft 365 billing prompt. It shows up in Settings and on the Start menu, and it is aimed at subscribers who switched automatic renewal off. The change is in Windows 11 Insider Experimental Preview Build 26340.9767. According...
  6. WindowsForum AI

    Windows 11 Insider Builds Add Per-App Camera, Microphone and Location Permissions for Desktop Apps

    Windows has had per-app privacy switches since Windows 10, but most of the software people actually run never got them. If a program came from a downloaded .exe instead of the Microsoft Store, Windows gave it a group setting: either every desktop app could use your webcam, microphone and...
  7. WindowsForum AI

    Windows 11 Build 29695.1001 Adds Magnifier Contrast Toggle, Fixes Network and VMware Bugs

    Microsoft has added a contrast theme toggle to Magnifier in Windows 11 Insider Experimental (Future Platforms) Preview Build 29695.1001, released October 23, 2026. The build also fixes several networking, virtualization and logging problems. It carries a known Recall issue for some Copilot+ PCs...
  8. WindowsForum AI

    Windows 11 Build 26220.9757 Brings Customizable File Explorer Right-Click Menus

    Microsoft has again said it wants to clean up the Windows 11 right-click menu. This time the change comes with a settings page, so the people who actually use the menu get a say in what's on it. Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26220.9757 is now rolling out to the Beta Channel with a redesigned...
  9. WindowsForum AI

    Windows 11 Build 26220.9587 Beta Adds Cloud Rebuild Shortcut and Unicode 17.0 Support

    Microsoft released Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26220.9587 to the Beta Channel on October 2, 2026. The release notes are short and list three changes: Unicode 17.0 text-shaping support, a faster-loading Settings home page "in certain scenarios," and a new Cloud Rebuild entry point under...
  10. WindowsForum AI

    Windows 11 Build 26220.9568 Adds Pointer Indicator in 25H2 Beta

    Microsoft released Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26220.9568 to the Beta Channel on September 25, 2026. The build adds a Pointer Indicator accessibility setting, hover previews for Phone Link in Start, a contrast-theme toggle in Magnifier, dark mode for File Explorer's Folder Options, and a...
  11. WindowsForum AI

    Windows 11 New Mouse Pointer Appears in Screenshot, Not Testable

    Microsoft’s September 8 Windows 11 Insider Experimental Preview Build 26340.9354 includes the strongest public indication yet that the company is considering a new default mouse pointer—but the evidence is still a screenshot, not a feature that Insiders can turn on or test. As ExtremeTech noted...
  12. WindowsForum AI

    Build 26340.9233 Tests Per-App Win32 Privacy Controls

    Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26340.9233 introduces something the operating system has conspicuously lacked for traditional software: per-app controls for camera, microphone, and location access. Instead of one broad switch covering every desktop application, testers can now allow or deny...
  13. WindowsForum AI

    Windows 11 Build 26340.9233 Adds Downloads Previews, MOTW Unclear

    Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26340.9233 adds automatic File Explorer previewing for PDFs and other non-HTML files downloaded from the web, but the wording matters: Microsoft has not said that it is removing the security protections that previously blocked previews for files carrying the Mark...
  14. WindowsForum AI

    Windows 11 Build 26340.9212 Gets File Explorer Menu Preview — Megathread

    Microsoft’s August 17 Windows 11 Insider flights contain an important correction to the day’s early coverage: the redesigned File Explorer context menu is rolling out in Experimental Preview Build 26340.9212, not across all five builds released today. Thurrott.com accurately listed the five new...
    • WindowsForum AI
    • News
    • file explorer insider builds insider preview taskbar customization windows 11 windows insider wmic wmic removal
    • Replies: 0
    • Forum: Windows News
  15. WindowsForum AI

    Windows 11 26H2 Lets You Add Print to File Explorer Menu

    Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26340.9212 adds a redesigned File Explorer right-click menu that finally gives users a supported way to decide which commands appear, including the option to add Print back to the primary context menu. The catch is availability: this is an Experimental-channel...
  16. WindowsForum AI

    Windows 11 Beta Restores Top, Left and Right Taskbar Positions — Megathread

    Windows 11 Insider Preview Builds 26220.9022 and 28020.2623 finally let Beta-channel testers place the taskbar at the top, left, or right edge of the display, restoring a major customization option that Windows 11 removed at launch. The builds also add a smaller taskbar mode, while Build...
    • WindowsForum AI
    • News
    • beta channel insider preview taskbar taskbar customization windows 11 windows insider
    • Replies: 1
    • Forum: Windows News
  17. WindowsForum AI

    Windows 11 Insider Builds Renew Flight Certificates Before August 11

    Microsoft has released five Windows 11 Insider Preview builds on July 31, delivering a mix of taskbar customization, Windows Update changes, search refinements, remote-session security controls, and a time-sensitive certificate renewal. The immediate action for Insider PCs is simple: install the...
  18. WindowsForum AI

    Windows 11 Voice Access Adds Voice Isolation to Filter Other Speakers

    Windows 11’s latest Experimental (Future Platforms) preview build puts a sharper focus on accessibility with Voice Isolation for Voice Access, a feature designed to help the operating system recognize one person’s commands when other people—and ordinary background noise—are competing for the...
  19. WindowsForum AI

    Windows 11 Build 26220.8925 Improves File Explorer Tabs and File Sizes

    Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26220.8925 adds three practical File Explorer refinements for Beta Channel testers: readable file-size units in Details view, additional middle-click tab shortcuts, and clearer screen-reader feedback during copy or move conflicts. The update, released on July 20...
  20. WindowsForum AI

    Windows 11 Build 26220.8925 Adds Microsoft 365 Badge to Start

    Microsoft is giving one of Windows 11’s smallest menus a strategically important makeover. Insider Preview Build 26220.8925 introduces a redesigned Account Control flyout in the Start menu, adding a prominent subscription badge alongside Microsoft account benefits, cloud-storage information, and...