Windows 11 Insider Preview 26120.6690: AI-Driven Beta Improvements and Fixes

Windows Insiders on the Beta Channel received a small but meaningful preview build today: Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.6690 (KB5065786), delivered to devices running Windows 11, version 24H2 as a Beta Channel enablement package and focused largely on controlled feature rollouts, bug fixes, and incremental improvements to AI-driven experiences on Copilot+ PCs. This flight continues Microsoft’s summer-to-fall cadence of seeding features across Dev, Beta, and Canary channels while using feature toggles and controlled rollouts to limit exposure as telemetry and feedback are evaluated.

Overview​

Microsoft’s official announcement confirms Build 26120.6690 (KB5065786) went to the Beta Channel on September 19, 2025. The update is presented in the now-familiar dual-bucket model: (1) features and fixes gradually rolling out to a subset of Insiders who have enabled the “get latest updates as soon as available” toggle, and (2) changes rolling out more broadly to everyone in the Beta Channel. This build continues the company’s push to expand AI-enabled experiences—particularly on Copilot+ PCs—while addressing a set of stability and device-specific issues that have affected recent preview flights.
Multiple mainstream outlets and community trackers confirmed the release and the high-level contents, matching the official announcement and earlier Beta/Dev builds delivered in September. Independent coverage indicates the emphasis remains on incremental improvements: Click to Do preview adjustments, reliability fixes in File Explorer and Windows Update, audio driver reliability corrections, and a handful of known issues that Insiders should consider before installing.

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Background: where this build fits in Microsoft’s Insider strategy​

The enablement package model and parallel channels​

Over the past several months, Microsoft has standardized an approach to previewing features via the Build 26120.xxxx enablement package flow for Windows 11, version 24H2 across Beta and Dev channels. This architecture allows Microsoft to push cumulative servicing updates and trial features without changing the base OS major build for Beta users, while still permitting Dev channel work to diverge into separate branches (e.g., 262xx for 25H2).
Key implications:

• Feature rollouts are commonly controlled and gated—users may see different experiences depending on account type (Microsoft account vs Entra ID), region, or whether they turned on the “get latest updates as soon as available” toggle.
• Security and reliability fixes are included alongside feature experiments; this mix can make the Beta Channel valuable for early adopters but riskier than Release Preview or stable channels.

Copilot+ PCs and the AI-first push​

Microsoft’s recent preview builds keep focusing on Copilot+ PCs, devices with hardware and firmware that support enhanced AI features, on-device models, and optimized pipelines for low-latency AI tasks. Several features introduced or expanded in recent 26120-series builds are explicitly Copilot+ exclusive—features such as fluid dictation in Voice Access and Windows Studio Effects for external cameras are highlighted as limited to qualifying systems.
Two practical consequences:

• Users on legacy hardware or standard Windows 11 machines will not see many of the newest AI features.
• Device vendors and driver stacks (Intel, AMD, Snapdragon ecosystems) still need targeted driver updates; Microsoft is rolling some updates first to Intel devices, then broadening to AMD and Snapdragon.

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What’s new in Build 26120.6690 (KB5065786)​

The official release focused on a handful of bug fixes and ongoing controlled rollouts rather than headline new features. Highlights include:

• Click to Do (Preview) changes — Continued refinements to the contextual AI action surface on Copilot+ PCs. The blog notes ongoing adjustments to Click to Do behavior and UI. Some rollout items remain gated.
• File Explorer fixes — Resolved an issue where File Explorer could become unresponsive when a UNC server name was typed directly into the address bar.
• Windows Update reliability — Addressed an issue where some Insiders encountered installation failures with error code 0x80070002.
• Audio driver fix — Mitigated problems that caused audio loss on some devices after recent preview updates. Microsoft urges continued feedback if audio issues persist.
• Settings reliability — Fixed an issue where Add an optional feature could fail to load when Administrator Protection was enabled.
• Known issues and mitigations — Click to Do launch visuals can appear on the wrong display when invoked with a right-edge gesture; Microsoft provided a workaround for a controller-related driver (see remediation steps below).

These fixes are consistent with the Beta Channel’s role: make Windows 11 more stable while gradually enabling targeted AI features for Insiders who opt into early delivery.

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Technical verification and cross-checks​

The build number, KB designation, and release date are confirmed in the Windows Insider blog announce post. Independent tech outlets and community trackers covering Insider flights also reported the update and repeated the same fixes and known issues described above. Coverage from reputable Windows-focused publications confirms:

• The build is an enablement-style cumulative update for Windows 11, version 24H2 and continues the 26120 enablement stream used in prior Beta releases.
• Fixes for File Explorer and Windows Update error 0x80070002 were included in this flight.
• Click to Do and other Copilot-driven features continue to roll out gradually and may remain gated by account type, region, and the Copilot+ hardware profile.

Where claims about deeper feature internals were made (for example, which on-device model powers fluid dictation), official Microsoft posts describe the use of on-device small language models (SLMs) in recent earlier builds; coverage from independent publications also referenced Microsoft’s wording. Any specific statements about the internal model families (code names) or third-party model vendors were not provided by Microsoft in the official blog for this particular build and should be treated as unverified if reported elsewhere without direct confirmation.

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What this means for Windows Insiders and IT admins​

For hobbyists and early adopters (Insiders)​

• Expect incremental improvements rather than dramatic new UI additions in this flight.
• If you rely on Copilot+ functionality (Click to Do, Studio Effects, fluid dictation), check your device’s Copilot+ eligibility and make sure firmware and vendor drivers are up to date.
• Enable the “Get latest updates as soon as available” toggle only if you want to receive gradual feature rollouts early; otherwise, you’ll receive the features as they are broadly rolled out.

For power users and enterprise admins​

• The build reinforces the reality that many AI-driven features remain hardware-gated and gated by account type: enterprise devices managed in Entra ID environments may see delayed feature exposure.
• Admins controlling update cadence for users should continue to rely on test rings and deferral policies; Beta Channel builds like 26120.6690 are useful to validate upcoming servicing technology changes but are not production-ready.
• Some policy-level changes and improved management features have been added in other 26120-series updates (e.g., Group Policy and Intune controls around Energy Saver). Monitor the change logs for configuration service provider (CSP) updates that may affect large deployments.

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Troubleshooting, workarounds, and practical steps​

Microsoft documented a few targeted mitigations in the announcement. Practical steps Insiders encountering known issues should try include:

• To uninstall problematic Xbox controller drivers (temporary workaround if controllers cause issues):
• Open Device Manager.
• Choose View > Devices by driver.
• Find the driver entry named oemXXX.inf (XboxGameControllerDriver.inf), where XXX varies.
• Right-click the driver and choose Uninstall.
• If File Explorer is unresponsive when using UNC paths, apply the update to this build (if available) because the build includes a specific fix.
• If Windows Update fails with 0x80070002, ensure the system is fully up to date and try again after applying this cumulative preview; Microsoft lists this as fixed in the flight.
• For audio driver or device manager yellow-exclamation issues (reported in earlier flights), file feedback with a trace via Feedback Hub and follow device-driver remediation guidance provided in the Insider posts.
• If your external webcam fails to preview after enabling Windows Studio Effects, disable Windows Studio Effects in camera settings and wait for the required firmware/driver update Microsoft is rolling out for other processor families.

These steps reflect official guidance and community-tested procedures for this family of builds.

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Strengths: where Microsoft is getting this right​

• Measured, iterative rollouts: Controlled Feature Rollout reduces blast radius and lets Microsoft validate large AI-driven features in real-world usage on a subset of devices. This reduces risk for most Insiders and surfaces telemetry quickly.
• On-device AI emphasis: Features such as fluid dictation tout on-device Small Language Models (SLMs), which deliver lower latency and clear privacy benefits compared with cloud-only processing.
• Hardware-aware feature gating: Tying advanced AI experiences to Copilot+ hardware profiles ensures acceptable perf/thermal characteristics and user experience on devices that meet the requirements.
• Focus on reliability: Many changes in 26120.6690 are reliability fixes—File Explorer, Windows Update, Settings and audio—areas where preview flights had previously triggered user friction.
• Actionable mitigations: Microsoft providing concrete driver-uninstall steps for controller-related issues, and clear guidance to disable Studio Effects when necessary, are practical and actionable for advanced Insiders.

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Risks and open questions​

• Fragmentation of experience: Gating features by Copilot+ hardware, account type, and region fragments the overall Windows experience; users in standard hardware or EEA regions will find inconsistent availability, making guidance and documentation harder to consume.
• Driver and firmware dependencies: Rolling out Studio Effects to external webcams depends heavily on camera firmware and drivers. The community has already seen preview camera-preview failures for certain webcams. Vendor coordination (Intel, AMD, Qualcomm, camera OEMs) remains a practical hurdle.
• Telemetry and privacy perceptions: While several features emphasize on-device processing, the expansion of Copilot features and “Ask Copilot” integrations introduces broader surfaces where user data could be shared with cloud services. Microsoft’s docs emphasize privacy controls, but organizations must audit settings for compliance-sensitive deployments.
• Stability trade-offs in preview channels: Despite fixes, the Beta Channel still delivered releases that previously caused hibernation-related bugchecks and audio driver problems for some Insiders. Insiders who depend on uninterrupted work should use caution or test in isolated environments.
• Uneven localization and accessibility: Microsoft notes many preview features are not fully localized or accessible; this could limit adoption and create confusion among international and accessibility-focused users.

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Recommendations: how to approach this build​

• Proceed conservatively on production machines: Beta Channel previews are designed for testing—do not install them on mission-critical devices unless you are prepared for troubleshooting or can roll back.
• Use virtual machines or test hardware: Validate the build on an isolated VM or a secondary device before upgrading primary systems, especially if you use custom peripherals or enterprise-managed drivers.
• Record and report issues: Use Feedback Hub with detailed repro steps and traces. When Insiders provide signal-rich reports, Microsoft can prioritize fixes more effectively.
• Check driver/firmware updates with OEMs: Before enabling Studio Effects on external cameras, verify the latest OEM drivers are installed and consult vendor release notes for camera firmware compatibility.
• For admins: maintain update rings: Keep staged deployment rings (Pilot, Broad, Production) and use Windows Update for Business/Intune policies to control when preview features reach end users.

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Why this matters: the bigger picture for Windows 11​

Microsoft is steadily iterating Windows 11 into an OS that blends traditional desktop productivity with contextual AI capabilities. Build 26120.6690 is not transformational by itself, but it is an incremental step in a broader roadmap. Over the last months we’ve seen:

• On-device AI features (fluid dictation, improved Voice Access) that aim to make everyday interactions faster and more natural.
• Expanded camera functionalities to work with docked setups and multiple camera devices—addressing a key pain point for hybrid workers and creators.
• Deeper Copilot integration across system surfaces (File Explorer actions, Click to Do) that position Copilot as a cross-app productivity assistant rather than a single app.

Taken together, these changes are shaping an OS experience where AI augments routine tasks while Microsoft attempts to maintain performance and privacy through hardware gating and on-device models.

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Caveats and unverifiable claims​

Certain third-party reports and community threads have circulated additional details—such as model code names or specifics about internal AI models powering particular features—that are not explicitly documented in the Microsoft announcement for Build 26120.6690. Where independent outlets referenced model specifics or third-party model providers, those points were not confirmed in the official blog post and should be treated as unverified unless Microsoft or the device OEMs provide direct confirmation.
Additionally, controlled feature rollouts mean that some users will see features earlier than others; if a news item or a YouTube demo shows a particular UI, that might represent a staged rollout, not the contents of a universal build. Insiders should avoid assuming parity between a single demo and general availability.

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Conclusion​

Build 26120.6690 (KB5065786) is a classic Beta Channel preview: targeted fixes, incremental improvements, and continued rollout of AI-driven experiences primarily for Copilot+ PCs. For Insiders, the flight offers meaningful stability fixes for File Explorer, Windows Update, and audio reliability, while continuing the measured exposure of Click to Do and other Copilot-integrated surfaces. For administrators and cautious users, the usual rules apply: test first, use pilot rings, and monitor driver/firmware updates closely.
Microsoft’s approach—controlled feature rollouts, on-device AI, and hardware-aware gating—addresses key performance and privacy trade-offs. Still, fragmentation and driver dependencies create potential friction, and some feature specifics remain unverified until broadly deployed or explicitly documented. This build does not change that calculus, but it does represent steady progress on Windows 11’s transition to an AI-first desktop that remains cautiously tethered to real-world hardware and reliability constraints.

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Source: Microsoft - Windows Insiders Blog Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.6690 (Beta Channel)