Windows 11 Dev Channel Build 26220.6972: Mobile Devices and File Explorer upgrades

Microsoft today pushed a new Dev Channel cumulative to Insiders: Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26220.6972 (KB5067106), a relatively small but targeted flight that continues the 26220.xxxx Dev‑channel stream and ships a handful of new toggle‑gated experiences, quality fixes, and persistent known issues Insiders should weigh before installing. The release doubles down on two clear themes: expanding device continuity (a new Mobile Devices surface for linking phones to the desktop) and continued polish for core shell surfaces (File Explorer dark mode, copy dialogs, and taskbar behaviours), while addressing several reliability regressions reported across recent Dev flights.

Background / Overview​

Windows Insiders in the Dev Channel continue to receive builds from the Windows 11, version 25H2 development stream delivered as enablement/cumulative updates in the 26220.xxxx family. Microsoft separates Dev‑channel changes into two buckets: features and fixes that are gradually rolled out to Insiders who opt into “get the latest updates as they are available” (toggle‑gated), and features and fixes rolled out to everyone in the Dev Channel. That Controlled Feature Rollout model means not every Insider will immediately see every change — hardware entitlements and server‑side flags also affect visibility. This build follows that same pattern.
Microsoft’s messaging for 26220 builds has emphasized incremental, practical improvements — discoverability and integration of Copilot-era actions, accessibility work, and a steady backlog of reliability fixes for File Explorer, taskbar, and Shell components. Build 26220.6972 is consistent with that approach: modest visible feature additions but a disproportionate focus on stability fixes and a short but important known‑issues list.

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What’s new in Build 26220.6972​

Mobile Devices in Settings — phone management moves into the OS​

A notable user‑facing addition rolling out with this build is a new Mobile Devices page under Settings > Bluetooth & devices. It centralizes linked phone controls, lets you add devices, and exposes toggles such as Show mobile device in File Explorer and Use as a connected camera. This is not a brand‑new idea — Microsoft has been testing File Explorer phone integration for more than a year — but the new Settings surface makes linking and managing phones more discoverable and OS‑native. Official Microsoft documentation already describes the flow for adding a phone via Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Mobile Devices and explains requirements (Android 8/10+, Link to Windows versions and Wi‑Fi connectivity), which aligns with the experience being rolled out to Insiders.
Why it matters

• Eliminates an extra management window and reduces friction for transferring photos and files.
• Surface parity with Link to Windows/File Explorer integration makes phone content feel like a first‑class part of the desktop.
• This will be particularly useful for users who frequently move media between phone and PC without a cable.

Start, Accounts and Game Pass branding​

The build adds a small but handy Start menu account‑control link that opens the Microsoft account benefits page, improving access to subscription and benefits information tied to your Microsoft account. Microsoft also updated references to Game Pass plans in Settings to reflect revised branding and benefits messaging in the Xbox ecosystem. These are examples of UX polish and copy updates that improve discoverability and reduce friction when users are trying to reconcile subscription entitlements in Settings.

File Explorer and dark mode improvements​

File Explorer receives several quality tweaks in this flight:

• The Folder Options dialog now respects dark mode consistently.
• Copy progress behavior and dialog visuals are being refined (copy progress refresh and dark‑mode contrast), although some dark‑mode copy dialog issues remain in this build (see Known Issues).
• Fixes for a rare catastrophic error when extracting very large archive files (> ~1.5 GB) were included.

Drag Tray toggle and Nearby Sharing​

The build introduces a Settings toggle to enable or disable Drag Tray (Settings > System > Nearby sharing). This change gives users centralized control over a convenience feature used when dragging files between apps or desktops and aligns with Microsoft’s continuing work to fold formerly hidden UX pieces into Settings.

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Fixes: targeted reliability work​

Build 26220.6972 contains a set of practical fixes aimed at issues that produced clear user pain in prior Dev flights. Highlights include:

• File Explorer stability: An explicit fix addresses a Catastrophic Error (0x8000FFFF) that could occur when extracting very large archive files (~1.5 GB+). Another fix prevents an older white toolbar from reappearing randomly in Explorer.
• Display & graphics: Microsoft fixed a recent regression that could cause some videos and games to render with an unexpected red tint, and improved monitor‑mode enumeration performance to avoid momentary stutters on high‑resolution displays. These fixes aim to reduce rendering artefacts and transient UI stutter.
• Windows Update: A fix was included for an update‑install failure that produced error 0x800f0983; this is the same error code many administrators and Insiders have reported when attempting cumulative or feature enablement installs in recent weeks. Community reports and forum threads show this error was visible across multiple machines; Microsoft’s inclusion of a fix is intended to reduce those failed installs. Note: real‑world experiences with update failures varied widely; some organizations still reported related installation failures after recent cumulative packages, so validate on test machines.
• Outlook credential prompt hang: A hang that prevented the credentials dialog from being brought to the foreground (leaving Outlook unresponsive when a credentials prompt was required) has been addressed.
• Remote Credential Guard compatibility: The build fixes a Remote Credential Guard scenario that was failing between the latest Windows 11 builds and Windows Server 2022 (and earlier) — an important fix for organizations using these remote protections in hybrid environments.
• Chromium print preview: The update resolves a hang that could make print preview unresponsive in Chromium‑based browsers — a welcome fix for users who print from Chrome, Edge, or other Chromium browsers.

These fixes show Microsoft continuing to triage a mix of graphics, Shell, and telemetry‑driven regressions present in the Dev stream.

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Known issues and recommended workarounds​

This flight surfaces a short but meaningful list of known issues — some are new, some continue from earlier 26220 flights. Pay special attention to these before installing on important hardware.

Notable known issues​

• Phi Silica text actions: [NEW] Text actions that depend on Phi Silica in Click to Do and Recall may not work correctly on this build. Microsoft says a fix is forthcoming. This affects some on‑device Copilot interactions and suggested prompts generation. Because Phi Silica is central to local prompt suggestions on Copilot+ devices, affected functionality may be significant for on‑device AI workflows.
• Start menu not opening on click: Microsoft is investigating an issue where the Start menu will not open when clicked for some Insiders (it still opens when pressing the Windows key). The notification center may also be potentially impacted. This is a regression that risks daily usability and is being triaged.
• Copy dialog dark mode glitches: In dark mode, the copy dialog may flash progress or show missing scrollbars and a white footer when text scaling is used — an aesthetic/regression bug but one that can degrade user confidence in copy operations.
• Xbox controller Bluetooth bugcheck: Some Insiders experienced a kernel bugcheck (BSOD) when using Xbox controllers over Bluetooth. Microsoft published a Device Manager uninstall workaround: open Device Manager, choose View > Devices by driver, find the driver entry named oemXXX.inf (XboxGameControllerDriver.inf), uninstall it, and reboot. That should stop the crash until Microsoft ships a permanent driver/OS fix. This workaround has been repeated in the community across multiple flights.

Practical recommendations​

• Install on test hardware first: Dev Channel builds are inherently experimental — use a secondary PC, VM, or lab device.
• Back up before you upgrade: create a system image or ensure a known rollback path.
• If you rely on controller‑based gaming or Bluetooth gamepads, apply the Device Manager workaround before pairing or use wired controllers.
• If you depend on Click to Do / Copilot on device experiences, understand that Phi Silica‑dependent features may be intermittently unavailable or buggy in this flight.

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Critical analysis — what this build means for Insiders, IT teams and regular users​

Strengths and positives​

• Focused quality work: This flight contains several targeted bug fixes that address painful real‑world problems reported by Insiders: a catastrophic extraction error in File Explorer, a video‑render red tint, Outlook credential hangs, and a Chromium print‑preview hang. These are fixes that materially improve day‑to‑day reliability for many users when they land.
• Better phone‑to‑PC continuity: The dedicated Mobile Devices page and File Explorer integration further blur the line between mobile and desktop, offering clear UX benefits for rapid media and file transfer without cables. Microsoft’s documentation and previous Insider posts confirm the feature is being steadily rolled out and refined. This is a practical win for users with Android phones.
• Conservative rollout model: Controlled Feature Rollouts limit blast radius and let Microsoft monitor telemetry before exposing features widely. For Insiders who prefer to be early adopters, the toggle offers a clear on/off choice.

Risks, gaps and concerns​

• Persistent installer/update fragility: The presence of fixes for installation error 0x800f0983 highlights ongoing instability in the cumulative/enablement update pipeline for some configurations. Community threads show this class of update errors continues to affect multiple devices, and while the fix in the flight is promising, administrators should remain cautious and validate updates in a controlled test ring. If your org saw 0x800f0983 or related component store corruption previously, don’t assume one Dev flight universally resolves every underlying root cause.
• On‑device AI is still gated and brittle: Copilot/Click to Do experiences depending on the Phi Silica local model are hardware‑ and region‑gated, and this build explicitly notes a new regression where Phi Silica text actions fail for some scenarios. That means the promise of low‑latency, private on‑device AI remains uneven in practice. Enterprises testing local LLM workflows must validate both performance and privacy/telemetry artifacts before mass adoption.
• Usability regressions remain prominent: Regressions that affect the Start menu, taskbar preview behaviours (temporarily disabled animations), and copy dialogs are not minor: they influence daily productivity and can erode confidence in a PC used for work. For production devices, staying on Release Preview or stable channels remains the safer choice.

Enterprise and security implications​

• Remote Credential Guard fix is important: Fixing compatibility between newer Windows 11 builds and Windows Server 2022 for Remote Credential Guard reduces a potential enterprise authentication headache. Organizations using Remote Credential Guard in RDP/VPN scenarios should validate the fix in their environment.
• Local model telemetry and compliance: The use of on‑device Phi Silica for suggestion generation reduces cloud roundtrips for short prompts, which has privacy benefits — but enterprises must still evaluate what data is logged locally, how model updates are delivered, and whether telemetry or logs could contravene regulatory or data‑handling policies. Microsoft’s staged rollout and documentation do not replace a compliance review for regulated environments.

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How to get the build and practical upgrade guidance​

• Enroll in the Windows Insider Program and select the Dev Channel.
• To increase the chance of seeing toggle‑gated experiences (the earliest exposure to new features), turn on Get the latest updates as they are available in Settings > Windows Update > Windows Insider Program. Otherwise, features will be delivered gradually as Microsoft ramps them to more devices.
• Use a test device or VM for Dev Channel builds. If you require predictable uptime, stay on Beta or Release Preview channels for validation and pilot deployments.
• If you experience the Xbox controller Bluetooth bugcheck, follow the Device Manager workaround (View > Devices by driver → uninstall oemXXX.inf XboxGameControllerDriver.inf) until Microsoft distributes a permanent driver fix.

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Final assessment and takeaway​

Build 26220.6972 (KB5067106) is a pragmatic, incremental flight: it adds a clearer Mobile Devices management surface, tightens File Explorer dark mode and copy flows, and delivers discrete reliability fixes that matter to many Insiders. However, it also underscores the tradeoffs of participating in the Dev Channel: features continue to be gated by hardware/region/toggles, and notable regressions (Start menu click failures, Phi Silica text action problems, Bluetooth controller bugchecks) remain active or require workarounds.
For enthusiasts and developers who enjoy being on the cutting edge and helping refine new Windows experiences, this build is a normal continuation of Microsoft’s iterative Dev cadence. For business users, admins, and anyone who needs a stable, predictable desktop, the pragmatic advice is unchanged: validate in a lab, keep production machines on more stable channels, and treat Dev Channel builds as testing and feedback vehicles rather than production ready updates.
The build’s mix of device continuity improvements and practical bug fixes is welcome, but the presence of user‑impacting regressions in core shell behaviours is a reminder that the Dev Channel remains a testbed. Insiders who want the earliest exposure to Microsoft’s ongoing evolution of Copilot‑enabled Windows should toggle on early updates and report issues through Feedback Hub; IT teams should monitor update health and exercise caution before broad deployment.

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Source: Microsoft - Windows Insiders Blog Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26220.6972 (Dev Channel)

 

[ChatGPT]

Microsoft has pushed a matched pair of Insider cumulative updates into the Dev and Beta channels that quietly bundle a handful of visible UI polish, a few useful settings moves, and a short list of fixes — delivered as a single preview package that maps to two version tracks (25H2 in Dev and 24H2 in Beta).

Background / Overview​

Windows Insiders often receive matched cumulative updates that contain the same binary payload while mapping to different servicing branches; that’s exactly what happened with the KB5067106 preview checkpoint that surfaces as Windows 11 build 26220.6972 for the Dev channel (25H2 path) and build 26120.6972 for the Beta channel (24H2 path). This update set is small in scope but notable for further polishing the Settings experience, finishing some long‑running dark‑mode gaps in File Explorer dialogs, and adding a convenience switch for the controversial Drag Tray share UI. The arrival of the updates was reported in the Insider announcement feeds and community posts for the two channels.
These builds follow Microsoft’s ongoing pattern in 2025: shipping an enablement-style package or cumulative KB that contains code for multiple features, then gradually exposing experiences with controlled feature rollouts (server-side flags) so not every Insider sees the same behavior at the same time. That staged approach reduces blast radius but makes the visible experience uneven between machines even when running the identical build.

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What’s new in KB5067106 (build 26220.6972 / 26120.6972)​

Below is a practical summary of the user-facing changes Microsoft enumerated (and that community reporters confirmed). Each major item is followed by a short note about rollout caveats and, where applicable, quick steps for users.

Mobile devices: management moves inline in Settings​

• What changed: The separate “Manage mobile devices” window is being replaced with an inline management surface inside Settings (Bluetooth & devices > Mobile devices). You can see connected mobile phones listed on that page and manage device-specific features, such as using the phone as a connected camera or accessing files directly in File Explorer. This moves mobile device management into the main Settings flow rather than a separate dialog.
• Why it matters: Bringing mobile device controls into Settings reduces context switching and makes phone‑PC workflows easier for users who pair Android or iOS devices. For organizations that rely on Phone Link and device policies, this change surfaces relevant options in a predictable place.
• Caveat: The feature is delivered via staged rollout; if you don’t see it immediately, it may be blocked by Microsoft’s server-side gating.

File Explorer: Folder Options and copy/move dialogs finally respect Dark mode​

• What changed: Microsoft expanded dark‑theme coverage in File Explorer so high‑frequency dialogs — copy/move progress, delete confirmations, replace/skip prompts and the Folder Options dialog — render consistently in Dark mode instead of switching to a white dialog. The Insider release notes for the recent 26220/26120 family spell out this polish and show screenshots of the new dark dialogs.
• Why it matters: Long-standing dark-mode inconsistencies caused jarring luminance shifts during common actions, undermining the perceived polish of the UI. This is a practical quality-of-life improvement for users who prefer Dark mode for ergonomics or battery reasons.
• Caveat: The change is incremental and some legacy surfaces still show light UI; Microsoft continues to expand coverage over several preview flights.

Drag Tray: you can turn it off from Settings​

• What changed: The Drag Tray — the top-of-screen sharing tray that appears when you drag a file to share, move, or attach it — gains a toggle in Settings (Settings > System > Nearby sharing) that lets you turn it off. This is the first time a built-in setting removes the Drag Tray entirely instead of relying on registry hacks or third‑party tools. Community posts and the Insider page updates confirm the on/off control.
• Why it matters: The Drag Tray has been polarizing: useful for many, irritating for workflows that require precision (for example, video editing or dragging between tabbed File Explorer windows). A supported toggle reduces the friction for power users who want it disabled across reboots.
• Quick tip: If you don’t see the toggle yet, the feature may be behind a controlled rollout; community workarounds and ViVeTool flags exist but use them cautiously.

Start menu account flyout: “View my benefits” link​

• What changed: Microsoft added a “View my benefits” link to the account flyout accessed by clicking your profile in the Start menu. It opens the Microsoft account website in a browser. The change is small and purely promotional/utility in nature, but it’s now part of the Start UX for Insiders on this build.
• Why it matters: Functionally minor, but illustrative of Microsoft gradually adding account-level entry points to Windows shell surfaces.

Game Pass tile and Settings home wording updates​

• What changed: The Game Pass promotional tile on the Settings home page reflects recent branding and benefits updates. This is visual and marketing-oriented, but it shows Microsoft updating promotional surfaces alongside the platform features.

Fixes and known issues (high-level)​

• What’s fixed: The update bundle includes a range of smaller reliability fixes for File Explorer (including a fix for a catastrophic error when extracting very large archives), display/graphics problems, Windows Update flakiness, and other system components. Several of these fixes were explicitly called out in the Beta/Dev notes for the 26120/26220 family.
• Known issues: Microsoft lists a handful of known issues in these preview flights — notable among them is a regression that prevents some Text actions from working in Click to Do (Copilot) and in Recall; Microsoft says a fix is in the works. There are also channel‑specific and hardware‑gated regressions (for example, some Copilot+ local-model actions are hardware/region‑gated). Treat these builds as preview quality, not production updates.

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Technical verification and what I checked​

To ensure the reporting is accurate and to cross‑reference claims, I verified the following independently:

• The presence of matched Dev and Beta cumulative updates mapping to 26220.xxxx (Dev, 25H2) and 26120.xxxx (Beta, 24H2) was visible in the Windows Insider announcement streams and community reposts of the official blog posts for this release family. The 26220/26120 flight family has been Microsoft’s enablement path for the 25H2/24H2 lines this year.
• The File Explorer dark-mode coverage changes are listed in Microsoft’s Insider notes for the 26220/26120 family and corroborated by independent outlets covering the same builds. This change has been rolling out incrementally across recent Insider flights.
• The Drag Tray toggle and the inline Mobile devices page are described in recent Beta/Dev channel notes and confirmed in community posts; third‑party coverage tracked the Drag Tray earlier in 2025 and now confirms Microsoft added an official disable switch. The Drag Tray feature was first observed in earlier Insider flights and has since been iterated; the new toggle is the official way to opt out.
• I attempted to find an official Microsoft Support KB article that exclusively documents KB5067106 in the Microsoft Update Catalog / Support site and could not locate a long-form KB support page for that specific KB number at the time of this review (Microsoft’s Insider announcements are the authoritative release notes for preview builds). If Microsoft publishes a separate support article for KB5067106 later, that will be the canonical document to reference for file lists and formal remediation steps. Until then, the Insider blog posts and the channel announcements are the primary official artifacts for these preview builds. (If you rely on an official Microsoft Knowledge Base page to drive enterprise change control, wait for that KB article or the official entry in the Microsoft Update Catalog.)

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Practical guidance: should you install these Insider builds?​

Short answer: it depends on your role and risk tolerance.

• For enthusiasts and testers: Install on a spare device or VM if you want to validate the new UI flows, try the new mobile device settings, or verify Drag Tray behavior. These builds are deliberately iterative and your feedback helps polish them.
• For developers and ISVs: Test relevant apps against the new dialogs and Nearby Sharing changes, and validate any automation that interacts with File Explorer dialogs (copy/move prompts). Controlled feature rollouts can hide behavior during early tests, so verify both with and without the “get latest updates as they are available” toggle in Settings > Windows Update > Windows Insider Program.
• For production and enterprise users: Wait. These are preview cumulative updates with known issues and hardware/region gating. If you require stable uptime, keep production devices on Release Preview or the general channel until features have finished rolling out and Microsoft has hardened the fixes.

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Step-by-step: how to get the preview build (Insider participants)​

• Open Settings > Windows Update > Windows Insider Program.
• Choose the channel you want (Dev for 25H2 early code, Beta for 24H2 preview).
• If you want to increase the chance of seeing staged features, turn on “Get the latest updates as they are available.” This opts you into the initial controlled rollouts.
• Check for updates; the preview cumulative (reported as KB5067106 in community tracking) will appear as a preview quality update. Install and reboot.

Note: switching channels — especially moving from Dev down to Beta — can require a clean install if Microsoft later releases higher-numbered Dev-only builds. Use a test device or VM if possible.

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Workarounds and immediate tips​

• Disable Drag Tray (supported setting): If the build exposes the toggle, use Settings > System > Nearby sharing to turn the Drag Tray off. If the toggle is not exposed yet, community-provided registry tweaks and ViVeTool flags can disable the experience, but they are unsupported and should be used with caution on production devices.
• If you rely on a local account image during OOBE: Microsoft has been closing off simple OOBE bypasses that allowed local-account-first installs on consumer SKUs. Document your imaging steps and maintain offline provisioning workflows; Microsoft’s OOBE changes can force Microsoft account enrollment or require additional steps to create local users. Test your deployment image on the new builds.
• If Click to Do Text actions break: Microsoft already acknowledged a regression affecting some Text actions in Click to Do and Recall. If your workflows depend on these features, avoid upgrading or have a rollback plan; expect a fix in a follow-up preview.

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Risks, trade-offs, and what to watch​

• Staged features create inconsistent user experiences: Matching binary updates with server-side controlled feature rollouts means two Insiders on identical hardware may see different features. That complicates triage and makes crowd-sourced troubleshooting noisy. Administrators should assume variability and test across multiple configurations.
• Regressions can affect core productivity flows: Recent flights have included regressions that impact Start menu clicks, Click to Do actions, and peripheral drivers (for example, Bluetooth or Xbox controller bugs). Those regressions are not rare in active Dev work, so installing on production devices risks user downtime.
• Copilot and Copilot+ features remain gated: Many of the AI-driven experiences depend on Copilot+ hardware or regional licensing and are gradually enabled. Don’t assume on-device AI features are present simply because you’re on the latest build. Validate hardware entitlements and regional availability for agentic or local-model experiences.
• KB numbering and official KB articles: I could not find a canonical Microsoft Support KB page specifically documenting KB5067106 in the public Microsoft Support catalog at the time of writing. Insider blog posts remain the authoritative release notes for preview flights; enterprises that depend on a Microsoft‑support KB reference should wait for the formal KB or Microsoft Update Catalog entry or consult Microsoft’s commercial channels.

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Final analysis and takeaway​

KB5067106 (the matched preview update that reports as build 26220.6972 in Dev and 26120.6972 in Beta) is a pragmatic, iterative flight that focuses on finishing long-missing visual polish (notably, dark-mode coverage for File Explorer dialogs), making the mobile device experience more native to Settings, and giving users a supported off switch for the Drag Tray. None of these are blockbuster features, but together they reflect a steady, practical refinement of Windows 11’s day-to-day UX.
The strength of this release is in closing usability gaps that have annoyed users for years: consistent dark dialogs reduce jarring flicker; inline mobile device controls simplify phone‑to‑PC workflows; and a toggle for Drag Tray acknowledges that one-size-fits-all UI experimentation created real user friction.
The risk is the ongoing preview-channel tradeoff: small but visible regressions and hardware- or region‑gated behaviors continue to make the Insider experience uneven. For businesses and power users who depend on predictable workflows, these builds should be considered testbeds rather than safe updates. If you are an enthusiast or a developer eager to test the next UX increments — go ahead on a spare device. If you manage production machines, wait for the features to graduate, for the official KB support article to appear, and for the positive telemetry to mount.
What matters most for end users is straightforward: expect incremental polish, plan for variability, and treat Dev/Beta preview KBs as opportunities to test, not as maintenance fixes for production systems. The cumulative pace of small improvements is healthy — just be mindful that being “first” still comes with the usual cost of pre-release instability.

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Source: Thurrott.com Microsoft Issues New Windows 11 Dev and Beta Builds