Hello WindowsForum.com community! Microsoft has just released the Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 25252 to the Dev Channel, bringing a fresh set of improvements and fixes post the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday break. Below, we dive into the key changes, fixes, and known issues that come with this latest build.
Key Highlights:
- Cumulative Update Build 25252.1010 (KB5021855): This update doesn’t include new features and is primarily designed for testing the servicing pipeline for Dev Channel builds.
- New VPN Status Indicator: A new glanceable VPN status icon will now appear in the system tray when connected to a recognized VPN
profile. The icon, a small shield, overlays your system accent color over the active network connection.Changes and Improvements:
[Taskbar & System Tray] - VPN Status Indicator: When connected to a recognized VPN profile, a small shield icon will appear in your system accent color, providing quick visibility of your VPN status. [Search on the Taskbar]
- Microsoft is experimenting with different designs for the search functionality on the taskbar. Insiders can switch between different search treatments by navigating to Settings > Personalization > Taskbar > Taskbar Items. Feedback on these treatments is encouraged through the Feedback Hub.
Fixes:
[Taskbar & System
Tray] - Resolved multiple explorer.exe crashes impacting system tray performance.
- Improved battery icon tooltip to inform users if the device is charging slowly.
- Enhanced the taskbar’s touch optimization to make it easier for tablet users to expand the taskbar without triggering the Start menu. [Start Menu]
- Fixed an issue causing folders in the Start menu not to open on the first attempt. [Other]
- Solved issues causing SYSTEM_SERVICE_EXCEPTION errors during upgrades.
- Addressed problems where certain apps, like Media Player, would crash during media playback in the background.
- Improved network-to-local file copying speeds for some users.
Known Issues:
[General] - Widgets may disappear for
some users, causing explorer.exe to crash in a loop. A workaround involves reinstalling the Widgets before upgrading or rolling back the build if affected. - Certain secondary drives and PCI devices may not be viewable or functional in Device Manager due to an error, pending a fix in a future build.
- Some issues reported with audio not working and crashes in various apps and games.
- Ongoing investigation into UI elements disappearing and reappearing in apps. [Taskbar & System Tray]
- Tablet-optimized taskbar may appear cropped in half.
- Bluetooth section in Quick Settings may crash, recommending use of Settings > Bluetooth & Devices
for now. [Task Manager] - Filtering by publisher on the Processes page may not match correctly.
- Light and dark content might not display correctly, leading to unreadable text. Switching to a standard Light or Dark mode can temporarily fix this. [Widgets]
- Display issues in right-to-left languages like Arabic, where content animates out of view before the widgets board resizes.
Important Information for Insiders:
The Dev Channel builds represent early work that might never be released to the public. Builds in this channel are not always stable and may contain issues that require workarounds. It is critical to read known issues in
the release notes to avoid major disruptions. For the comprehensive details and official release notes, visit the Windows Insider Blog. Stay tuned to WindowsForum.com for more updates and discussions on the latest Windows builds!