Windows 11 continues its relentless pace of refinement with the arrival of the June 2025 non-security preview update (KB5060829, OS Build 26100.4484) for version 24H2, now available across all editions. Coming just ahead of the summer’s full-scale security releases, this update underscores Microsoft’s dedication to iterative improvement, with meaningful enhancements in accessibility, migration, device management, and user interface polish. As always with these preview releases, it’s not only about adding new features, but also about smoothing longstanding edges—addressing issues ranging from subtle UI quirks to operational headaches plaguing both consumers and IT administrators.
Among the headline introductions is the limited public preview of Windows Backup for Organizations, aiming squarely at enterprise readiness and the perennial IT challenge of onboarding new or reimaged Microsoft Entra-joined devices. This feature promises a more streamlined transition process into Windows 11, reducing the friction for end-users during device migration. By integrating directly into the organizational workflow, it ensures that files and settings can be ported efficiently, minimizing downtime and configuration errors.
At this stage, the Windows Backup for Organizations preview is only available to select testers, with Microsoft closely monitoring feedback and real-world outcomes. The underlying mechanism borrows from the consumer-centric Windows Backup, but overlays enterprise-grade controls suitable for managed environments. According to official documentation and early reports, users can expect a straightforward initial experience, though full integration into Windows setup for end-to-end PC migration will be rolled out in future updates. The phased approach—often called a “gradual rollout”—reflects Microsoft’s recent emphasis on telemetry-driven deployment, minimizing broad-impact regressions.
Perhaps recognizing PDF as a growing battleground among browsers, Microsoft now offers a one-click button for browsers to claim the .pdf default, assuming the browser supports this registration. This is a direct concession to both user control and ongoing antitrust scrutiny, with regulators in the EU and beyond increasingly demanding fairer competition and simplified choice.
While the utility is clear, the practical limitation is equally obvious: for most users, especially those outside managed work environments, this feature will remain inaccessible until Microsoft expands licensing or relaxes hardware requirements. Early feedback from pilot deployments suggests promising productivity gains, but broad adoption will depend on future policy and pricing moves by Microsoft.
In tandem, Narrator now offers more robust in-app guidance, walking users—whether new or experienced—through feature changes and discoveries. This iterative, step-by-step approach reduces the need to consult external documentation and lowers the barrier for adoption across diverse user groups. While the impact for sighted users is subtle, the Screen Curtain and guided discoverability are major advances for the visually impaired or those working with sensitive content.
Once complete, this will allow users to transfer not just files but also apps and preferences during Windows Setup—a potential gamechanger for both home users and IT admins managing device rollovers at scale. However, as of this update, full support remains on the horizon, with functionality limited to app previews and configuration screens. The phased rollout highlights Microsoft’s caution, ensuring that the process is robust before committing to widespread deployment.
Another subtle, but helpful, fix: the country or region selected during initial device setup now appears transparently under Settings > Time & language > Language & region, reducing confusion and supporting geo-specific configurations.
Microsoft has also revamped accessibility grouping in Quick Settings and added text descriptions for assistive technologies like Narrator and Voice Access, making it easier for all users to recognize and enable these tools. A more visible “pill” indicator underneath active taskbar apps further polishes the experience, squarely targeting both usability and clarity.
Several longstanding bugs have been quashed: the WIN+CTRL+Number shortcut for switching windows, previously broken, is now functional, and media control flickering in taskbar previews is addressed—both important for workflow continuity.
File Explorer gains much-needed performance boosts, especially when extracting large archives such as .7z or .rar files. Speeding up the copy and paste of vast numbers of files—often a sticking point for power users and IT pros—will be widely welcomed. In the graphics stack, under-the-hood changes reduce screen flashing during display configuration changes and eliminate unnecessary display resets, ironing out some of the last remaining wrinkles in multi-monitor or presentation setups.
That said, the update acknowledges and fixes issues where some displays may inexplicably appear green, and addresses quirks like Settings freezing if color calibration is canceled when User Account Control is set to “Always Notify”—not common complaints, but significant for those affected.
Scripting sees a tweak: remote scripts on SMB shares hosted on older Windows Server builds (such as 2019) now run far faster, mitigating what had become a sore point for sysadmins leveraging older infrastructure.
Another subtle, but notable, fix: thick printed lines—a minor, but persistent annoyance for certain scenarios—are now normalized, underscoring Microsoft’s attention to detail even in rarely encountered workflows.
From a performance standpoint, Storage Spaces Direct (S2D)—a core underpinning of many enterprise storage clusters—benefits from fixes that guard against potential unresponsiveness when running sophisticated software-defined data center (SDDC) workloads. This is a critical, if niche, concern for organizations leveraging hyper-converged infrastructure.
Search, a perennial complaint area, earns substantial attention. Windows Search’s notorious latency—sometimes exceeding 10 seconds before activation—is dramatically shortened, and the reliability of input is enhanced so that users aren’t unexpectedly prevented from typing into the search bar. These tweaks alone have the potential to reshape daily workflows for millions, as search remains the gateway to both apps and files in the modern desktop paradigm.
Microsoft recommends a workaround: increase scaling to 125% or 150% for clearer text. This will be a source of frustration for certain user segments, particularly in East Asia or among international enterprises. The clear, public acknowledgment of the issue and proposed workarounds, however, demonstrates Microsoft’s proactive approach. Users should monitor the Windows release health dashboard for future resolutions.
To remove the update, administrators must use DISM with the appropriate LCU package name, as traditional uninstallation via Windows Update Standalone Installer will not function due to SSU/LCU package integration—a subtle, but vital, distinction for those managing rollback scenarios.
Microsoft’s gradual rollout strategy, combined with detailed release notes and candid admission of unresolved issues, reflects a mature approach to software delivery. While some changes (notably around fonts and migration) fall short of full readiness, the overall trajectory is positive.
For organizations, power users, and everyday Windows enthusiasts, KB5060829 is a solid step forward—and a preview of an even more seamless, adaptive, and intelligent Windows 11 of tomorrow. Careful testing, especially in multilingual environments or AI-centered deployments, is advised to mitigate emerging risks. As always, users should weigh the early-access advantages of preview builds against the minor, but real, possibility of new bugs or regressions—especially in mission-critical or large-scale production environments.
Source: Microsoft - Message Center June 26, 2025—KB5060829 (OS Build 26100.4484) Preview - Microsoft Support
Among the headline introductions is the limited public preview of Windows Backup for Organizations, aiming squarely at enterprise readiness and the perennial IT challenge of onboarding new or reimaged Microsoft Entra-joined devices. This feature promises a more streamlined transition process into Windows 11, reducing the friction for end-users during device migration. By integrating directly into the organizational workflow, it ensures that files and settings can be ported efficiently, minimizing downtime and configuration errors.At this stage, the Windows Backup for Organizations preview is only available to select testers, with Microsoft closely monitoring feedback and real-world outcomes. The underlying mechanism borrows from the consumer-centric Windows Backup, but overlays enterprise-grade controls suitable for managed environments. According to official documentation and early reports, users can expect a straightforward initial experience, though full integration into Windows setup for end-to-end PC migration will be rolled out in future updates. The phased approach—often called a “gradual rollout”—reflects Microsoft’s recent emphasis on telemetry-driven deployment, minimizing broad-impact regressions.
App Defaults in the EEA: A Nod to Regulatory Pressures
In an era of tightening digital market regulations, especially in the European Economic Area (EEA), Microsoft is making small, but significant, changes to how default browsers are managed. The new update expands the “Set default” button’s capabilities in Settings > Apps > Default apps: now, selecting a new default browser covers additional file and link types, providing a more holistic reassignment of browser-related defaults. Further, the default browser will be automatically pinned to the Taskbar and Start menu—unless a user explicitly deselects this option.Perhaps recognizing PDF as a growing battleground among browsers, Microsoft now offers a one-click button for browsers to claim the .pdf default, assuming the browser supports this registration. This is a direct concession to both user control and ongoing antitrust scrutiny, with regulators in the EU and beyond increasingly demanding fairer competition and simplified choice.
Click to Do: Microsoft 365 Copilot Integration
Copilot+ PCs—Microsoft’s concerted push toward AI-enabled hardware—gains another exclusive with “Ask Microsoft 365 Copilot,” now appearing in the Click to Do system preview. This deeply integrated action makes it possible to send text or images to Copilot for real-time responses, provided users have an appropriate Microsoft 365 license. According to Microsoft, the flow is privacy-conscious and conforms to organization policies, placing it a cut above consumer-facing generative AI integrations where data governance is often an afterthought.While the utility is clear, the practical limitation is equally obvious: for most users, especially those outside managed work environments, this feature will remain inaccessible until Microsoft expands licensing or relaxes hardware requirements. Early feedback from pilot deployments suggests promising productivity gains, but broad adoption will depend on future policy and pricing moves by Microsoft.
Accessibility: Narrator Evolves for Greater Privacy and Guidance
Accessibility receives a major boost in this release, aligning with both user demand and inclusive design mandates. The most notable addition is Narrator’s “Screen Curtain” feature—toggled via Caps Lock + Ctrl + C—which blacks out your screen while reading content aloud. The intent is dual: to protect privacy in public spaces or shared environments, and to help users maintain cognitive focus by ensuring only the Narrator’s feedback is perceivable.In tandem, Narrator now offers more robust in-app guidance, walking users—whether new or experienced—through feature changes and discoveries. This iterative, step-by-step approach reduces the need to consult external documentation and lowers the barrier for adoption across diverse user groups. While the impact for sighted users is subtle, the Screen Curtain and guided discoverability are major advances for the visually impaired or those working with sensitive content.
PC-to-PC Migration: Setting the Stage for Effortless Transition
Migrating from one Windows PC to another historically ranks among the most daunting and error-prone IT tasks, particularly in settings with complex user profiles and myriad customizations. Microsoft is laying the groundwork for a more integrated migration process: the first glimpses arrive in the new Windows Backup app landing and pairing pages, foreshadowing a near-future where a full “PC-to-PC migration” experience is available at initial setup.Once complete, this will allow users to transfer not just files but also apps and preferences during Windows Setup—a potential gamechanger for both home users and IT admins managing device rollovers at scale. However, as of this update, full support remains on the horizon, with functionality limited to app previews and configuration screens. The phased rollout highlights Microsoft’s caution, ensuring that the process is robust before committing to widespread deployment.
Settings: Enterprise-Friendly Enhancements
For organizations managing fleets of Windows 11 devices, the Settings homepage managed by IT administrators now features cards tailored to enterprise needs. The inclusion of options like “Recommended settings,” “Bluetooth devices,” device info, and accessibility preferences signals a growing maturity in the Windows management experience. When a user signs in with both work/school and personal Microsoft accounts, the Settings app now presents a card displaying both account types for clearer distinctions—an overdue improvement for those navigating hybrid work environments.Another subtle, but helpful, fix: the country or region selected during initial device setup now appears transparently under Settings > Time & language > Language & region, reducing confusion and supporting geo-specific configurations.
Taskbar and System Tray: More Intelligence, Improved Grouping
Crowded taskbars have long been a headache for power users and multitaskers. This update introduces the ability for the taskbar to resize and fit more app icons when space is at a premium, introducing three granular modes (“Reduce icon size only when the taskbar is full,” “Never,” “Always”) for user preference. The ability to right-click and adjust these settings finally brings direct control to a common pain point, especially on lower-resolution displays.Microsoft has also revamped accessibility grouping in Quick Settings and added text descriptions for assistive technologies like Narrator and Voice Access, making it easier for all users to recognize and enable these tools. A more visible “pill” indicator underneath active taskbar apps further polishes the experience, squarely targeting both usability and clarity.
Several longstanding bugs have been quashed: the WIN+CTRL+Number shortcut for switching windows, previously broken, is now functional, and media control flickering in taskbar previews is addressed—both important for workflow continuity.
Voice Access: Expanded Language Support and Custom Dictionaries
Continuing the trend of deepening global support, Voice Access now understands commands, performs dictation, and navigates in Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, and Japanese—opening up accessibility for a vast swath of users across Asia. Perhaps more impressively, Voice Access now permits custom word additions across all supported languages, bolstering accuracy in specialized or multilingual workflows.Windows Share: Enhanced Previews and Simplified Image Compression
Sharing content, particularly images and links, is now significantly more polished. The Windows share window offers visual previews for web content, and users can choose image compression quality from simple High/Medium/Low settings, moving away from an unintuitive 0–100 scale. These small, user-centric tweaks can meaningfully impact productivity and ensure a more predictable sharing experience—especially in environments where file size or visual fidelity is paramount.Color, File Explorer, and Graphics: Small Hits That Add Up
On the accessibility front, Windows now relocates the intensity and color boost sliders under Settings > Accessibility > Color Filters so that color previews remain visible while making adjustments. It’s a quality-of-life improvement, but one that speaks to Microsoft’s ongoing push for more intuitive controls.File Explorer gains much-needed performance boosts, especially when extracting large archives such as .7z or .rar files. Speeding up the copy and paste of vast numbers of files—often a sticking point for power users and IT pros—will be widely welcomed. In the graphics stack, under-the-hood changes reduce screen flashing during display configuration changes and eliminate unnecessary display resets, ironing out some of the last remaining wrinkles in multi-monitor or presentation setups.
That said, the update acknowledges and fixes issues where some displays may inexplicably appear green, and addresses quirks like Settings freezing if color calibration is canceled when User Account Control is set to “Always Notify”—not common complaints, but significant for those affected.
Input, Scripting, and Printing: Fixes for Edge Cases
Input method editors (IME) for Japanese receive a patch to prevent touch keyboard failures when switching between languages. This is pertinent for bilingual environments, especially in global organizations where language mixing is routine.Scripting sees a tweak: remote scripts on SMB shares hosted on older Windows Server builds (such as 2019) now run far faster, mitigating what had become a sore point for sysadmins leveraging older infrastructure.
Another subtle, but notable, fix: thick printed lines—a minor, but persistent annoyance for certain scenarios—are now normalized, underscoring Microsoft’s attention to detail even in rarely encountered workflows.
Copilot, Performance, and Search: Elevating AI and Core Experience
Windows 11’s AI ambitions get another nudge forward. Copilot’s dedicated hardware key sees improved reliability, and users can now confidently restart Copilot after using the key—a reliability fix that pushes Windows closer to its “AI-as-standard” vision.From a performance standpoint, Storage Spaces Direct (S2D)—a core underpinning of many enterprise storage clusters—benefits from fixes that guard against potential unresponsiveness when running sophisticated software-defined data center (SDDC) workloads. This is a critical, if niche, concern for organizations leveraging hyper-converged infrastructure.
Search, a perennial complaint area, earns substantial attention. Windows Search’s notorious latency—sometimes exceeding 10 seconds before activation—is dramatically shortened, and the reliability of input is enhanced so that users aren’t unexpectedly prevented from typing into the search bar. These tweaks alone have the potential to reshape daily workflows for millions, as search remains the gateway to both apps and files in the modern desktop paradigm.
AI Component Updates: Copilot+ Emphasis
This release pushes new versions of core AI components, specifically updating Image Search, Content Extraction, and Semantic Analysis modules to version 1.2506.707.0. Importantly, these enhancements apply only to Windows Copilot+ PCs, reflecting Microsoft’s investment in distinct AI hardware platforms. Ordinary Windows PCs and servers do not activate these components—even though the files are included—ensuring backward compatibility while reserving AI advancements for those who buy into Copilot+ hardware.Servicing Stack Update: Foundation First
Bundled with KB5060829 is an updated servicing stack (KB5062862), underpinning the update process with improved reliability and robustness. A stable servicing stack not only ensures future updates are delivered smoothly, but also reduces the risk of bricked devices or update errors—making it a cornerstone for Microsoft’s evolving Windows-as-a-Service model.Known Issues: Noto Fonts and Blurry CJK Text
No update is without risk or unanticipated side effects. The most significant known issue here is a degradation in clarity for CJK (Chinese, Japanese, Korean) text at 96 DPI scaling (100%) in Chromium-based browsers such as Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome. This results from the recent introduction of Google’s Noto fonts as CJK language fallbacks—while text rendering improves on websites without specified fonts, it can become blurry due to limited pixel density.Microsoft recommends a workaround: increase scaling to 125% or 150% for clearer text. This will be a source of frustration for certain user segments, particularly in East Asia or among international enterprises. The clear, public acknowledgment of the issue and proposed workarounds, however, demonstrates Microsoft’s proactive approach. Users should monitor the Windows release health dashboard for future resolutions.
Update Mechanisms and Install Instructions: A Technical Overview
Microsoft maintains its practice of coupling the latest Servicing Stack Update (SSU) with the latest Cumulative Update (LCU), available through Windows Update, Windows Update for Business, Microsoft Update Catalog, and Windows Server Update Services (WSUS). For advanced administrators, the update can be applied manually via DISM or PowerShell using the supplied .msu files—a flexibility appreciated in enterprise and IT environments where staged or image-based deployments remain standard.To remove the update, administrators must use DISM with the appropriate LCU package name, as traditional uninstallation via Windows Update Standalone Installer will not function due to SSU/LCU package integration—a subtle, but vital, distinction for those managing rollback scenarios.
Risk Assessment and Critical Analysis
Notable Strengths
- Accessibility Improvements: Screen Curtain, enhanced Narrator guidance, and expanded Voice Access languages mark clear progress toward inclusive design.
- Performance and Stability: Fixes for Storage Spaces Direct, Windows Search, and app responsiveness resolve major productivity bottlenecks and reliability pitfalls.
- Migration and Management: Preliminary deployment of PC-to-PC migration and organizational backup features cater to hybrid workplaces and large-scale device environments.
- AI and Copilot Integration: Groundwork for the next generation of Copilot-enabled devices is visibly being laid, aligning with long-term product vision.
- User Autonomy: Expanded app default options in EEA address regulatory scrutiny and user empowerment, while granular taskbar controls respond to longstanding user demand.
Potential Risks and Limitations
- Noto Fonts Issue: The CJK text clarity regression presents a serious usability problem for East Asian users and international organizations. Increasing DPI is not always practical for all users or device types—a patch or font rendering refinement is needed promptly.
- Partial Rollout of Migration Tools: The phased migration features, while promising, remain incomplete. There’s a risk of user confusion or unmet expectations during the transition phase.
- AI Feature Segmentation: The decision to gatekeep certain AI advances to Copilot+ hardware and licensed Microsoft 365 environments may frustrate early adopters and enthusiasts on older platforms, potentially fragmenting the user base.
- Complex Update Management: The dual SSU/LCU model and uncommon rollback mechanisms increase complexity for IT—especially if rollbacks or image-based upgrades are mismanaged.
The Bottom Line: Incremental but Impactful
The June 2025 Windows 11 non-security preview update exemplifies Microsoft’s commitment to iterative excellence across both consumer and enterprise domains. By investing in accessibility, streamlining device migration, resolving notorious productivity hurdles, and doubling down on AI-powered workflows, this update brings tangible benefits to almost every user segment.Microsoft’s gradual rollout strategy, combined with detailed release notes and candid admission of unresolved issues, reflects a mature approach to software delivery. While some changes (notably around fonts and migration) fall short of full readiness, the overall trajectory is positive.
For organizations, power users, and everyday Windows enthusiasts, KB5060829 is a solid step forward—and a preview of an even more seamless, adaptive, and intelligent Windows 11 of tomorrow. Careful testing, especially in multilingual environments or AI-centered deployments, is advised to mitigate emerging risks. As always, users should weigh the early-access advantages of preview builds against the minor, but real, possibility of new bugs or regressions—especially in mission-critical or large-scale production environments.
Source: Microsoft - Message Center June 26, 2025—KB5060829 (OS Build 26100.4484) Preview - Microsoft Support