Beta Channel builds

What's being tested 2 new · 2 improved · 1 fix

• New Administrator Protection: Administrator protection is being re-enabled to help protect administrator rights while still allowing administrators to perform admin...
• New File Explorer: You can use voice typing (Windows key + H) while renaming files.
• Improved Sharing: The drag tray uses a smaller peek view, reducing accidental opening and making it easier to dismiss when you interact near the top of t...

What's being tested

• Note This standalone update adds nothing new and tests the servicing pipeline for Beta Channel builds. A restart is required.

What's being tested 3 new · 7 improved

• New Batch files and CMD scripts: Administrators can enable a more secure mode that prevents batch files from changing while they run.
• New Narrator: A new keyboard command reads the contents of an app’s status bar, such as the word count in Word or the sum or average of selected cell...
• New Paint: You can rotate shapes, text, and active selections to any angle, or enter an angle using Custom rotate.

What's being tested 5 improved

• Improved Context Menu: For .exe, .bat, and .cmd files, the Open command in the right-click menu now shows the icon of the file’s default app.
• Improved Settings — Device Cards: The Settings Home device card presents key device specifications more simply and consistently, making them easier to scan.
• Improved Settings > System > About: Key hardware details appear prominently at the top of About. Graphics and storage details are grouped with other system information, wh...

What's being tested 1 new · 3 improved · 1 fix

• New Account Settings: Microsoft 365 Family subscribers can find an option to upgrade to a different plan on the Accounts page in Settings. Turning off sugges...
• Improved Taskbar: App icons appear more reliably when the taskbar is set to hide automatically.
• Improved Nearby Sharing: Sending larger files to nearby devices works more reliably with Nearby Sharing.

What's being tested 2 new · 3 improved

• New Emoji 16.0: The emoji panel gains seven designs: Face with Bags Under Eyes, Fingerprint, Root Vegetable, Leafless Tree, Harp, Shovel, and Splatter.
• New Camera Settings: For supported cameras, Settings gains controls to move the camera horizontally and vertically.
• Improved Taskbar: The visual experience and performance improve at the bottom of the screen when the taskbar is set to hide automatically.

What's being tested 2 new · 2 fixes

• New Built-in Sysmon: Windows includes Sysmon, which captures system events that can help detect threats; custom configuration files can filter which events...
• New Voice Access: Voice Access supports the Netherlands locale.
• Fix File Explorer: Keyboard navigation and access keys work better, folders can be renamed with custom names, and icons and tooltips for “Add to favorites...

What's being tested 7 fixes

• Fix File Explorer: The “Extract All” option appears in the command bar when you browse non-ZIP archive folders.
• Fix Start menu: For some Insiders, clicking “hide this pane” in the mobile device side panel now leads to the setting to hide it.
• Fix Search: The Search process shows a magnifying glass instead of an X icon.

What's being tested 1 new · 2 improved · 14 fixes

• New Desktop Background: You can use .webp images as your desktop background in Settings > Personalization > Background.
• Improved Account Settings: The dialogs under Accounts > Other Users have a refreshed design and support dark mode.
• Improved Click to Do: Copilot prompt suggestions in Click to Do load instantly. This change is not yet rolling out to Insiders in the EEA or China.

What's being tested 2 new · 3 improved · 7 fixes

• New Narrator: On Windows 11 devices, Narrator can open Copilot with a focused image or the full screen ready for a description. You choose whether to...
• New Microsoft Copilot app: Admins can set a policy to remove the Microsoft Copilot app once for eligible users. Users can reinstall it if they choose.
• Improved Channel switching: Dev Channel Insiders have a temporary opportunity to switch to the Beta Channel. The opportunity closes when Dev moves to a higher buil...

What's being tested 7 new · 6 improved · 16 fixes

• New Ask Copilot on the taskbar with Microsoft 365 Copilot: Commercial users can open Microsoft 365 Copilot from the taskbar, invoke agents, and search for apps, files, and settings.
• New Agents on the taskbar: You can track Researcher’s progress from the taskbar, see updates when hovering over its icon, and get a notification when its report i...
• New Agent Launchers on Windows: Apps can make their AI agents discoverable across Windows and supporting apps, where you can open an agent’s chat.

What's being tested 7 new · 2 improved · 8 fixes

• New Model Context Protocol (MCP) on Windows: AI agents can discover and connect to apps, tools and services through a secure Windows registry on the device.
• New File Explorer Connector: With your consent, agents can manage, organize and find local files. On Copilot+ PCs, they can also search for files using natural lang...
• New Windows Settings Connector: On Copilot+ PCs, you can ask an agent to check or change settings, or open pages such as display, mouse, keyboard and sound.

What's being tested 3 new · 6 improved · 8 fixes

• New Xbox full screen experience for PC: Xbox full-screen experience brings a controller-first gaming interface to more Windows 11 PCs. This gradual preview is for Dev and Beta...
• New Point-in-time restore for Windows: Point-in-time restore can return a device to a previous state, including its apps, settings, and user files, to help recover from disru...
• New Fluid Dictation in Voice Typing: On NPU devices, voice typing can automatically correct grammar and punctuation and remove filler words as you speak.

What's being tested 4 new · 9 improved · 5 fixes

• New Narrator and Magnifier: Downloadable HD voices in English (United States) give Narrator and Magnifier clearer, more natural speech. You can change voices and a...
• New Narrator: Narrator can read equations in Microsoft 365 apps such as Word in a structured way.
• New AI Components Setting: A new setting lets agents use experimental Windows agentic features.

What's being tested 2 new · 6 improved · 5 fixes

• New Dev and Beta Channels: Dev Insiders can switch to the Beta Channel while both channels receive the same 25H2-based updates. The opportunity closes when Dev mo...
• New Widgets: Numbered badges on dashboard icons show how many alerts each dashboard has. The badges clear when you leave a dashboard.
• Improved Widgets: When the Widget Board shows live weather, opening it takes you to the first dashboard in the navigation bar instead of the dashboard yo...

What's being tested 3 new · 3 improved · 12 fixes

• New Ask Copilot in taskbar: Ask Copilot adds taskbar access to Copilot Vision and Voice. Results appear and update as you type.
• New Full screen experience: The console-style full screen gaming experience is expanding to more Windows 11 handhelds. A preview is rolling out to MSI Claw models.
• New Shared audio (preview): Two people can listen together using two supported connected accessories on a Copilot+ PC.

What's being tested 3 new · 9 improved · 8 fixes

• New Windows Search Box: After you copy text in Windows, a marker appears in the taskbar search box. Click it to put the copied text in the search field and sea...
• New Voice Typing: A new setting lets you choose how long Voice Typing waits before it carries out a voice command.
• New Proactive Memory Diagnostics: After an unexpected restart, you might see a sign-in notification offering a memory scan. If you choose to run it, the scan starts duri...

What's being tested 3 new · 3 improved · 8 fixes

• New Mobile Device Settings: A new Settings page lets you add and manage mobile devices, including using a device as a connected camera or accessing its files in Fi...
• New Accounts: The Start menu account control has a shortcut to the benefits page for your Microsoft account.
• New Drag Tray: You can turn Drag Tray on or off in Settings.

What's being tested 3 new · 4 improved · 7 fixes

• New Agent in Settings — Recommended settings: Recommended settings can show an inline action for recently changed settings, so you can adjust them more quickly.
• New Agent in Settings — Search: Settings search shows more results to help you find and change settings. If a setting cannot be adjusted further, a dialog explains why...
• New Drag Tray: Drag Tray supports sharing multiple files, suggests more relevant apps, and lets you move files to a chosen folder.

What's being tested 2 new · 3 improved · 8 fixes

• New Click to Do: Hover over a number and unit on screen to see a conversion, or select it to see more options. Supported conversions include length, are...
• New Windows Hello: Windows Hello Enhanced Sign-in Security can use supported external fingerprint readers, including on desktop PCs.
• Improved Click to Do: Image Object select is temporarily turned off because of quality issues.

What's being tested 4 new · 2 improved · 10 fixes

• New Taskbar & System Tray: A built-in network speed test opens from the taskbar and can test Ethernet, Wi-Fi, and cellular connections.
• New Get Started/Microsoft 365 Copilot: Get Started adds a Microsoft 365 Copilot page with information and links to help users find Copilot features.
• New File Explorer: Cloud providers can use new APIs to show suggestions in File Explorer Home.

What's being tested 3 new · 1 improved · 4 fixes

• New Click to Do (Preview): When you select on-screen text in a different language from your Windows display or preferred language, Click to Do can offer to transl...
• New Taskbar & System Tray: Hovering over an open app on the taskbar can show an option to share its window with Copilot, start a conversation, and use Copilot Vis...
• New Desktop Spotlight: If Windows Spotlight is your desktop background, its context menu can include options to learn more about the background or switch to t...

What's being tested 11 new · 13 improved · 18 fixes

• New Click to Do: On Copilot+ PCs, a prompt box lets you send a custom prompt to Copilot with selected screen content. Suggested prompts are available fo...
• New Click to Do: Right-edge gestures in Click to Do gain visual animations that follow your finger.
• New Click to Do: New and popular action tags appear in the context menu to help you find AI-powered actions.

What's being tested 2 new · 3 improved · 5 fixes

• New Voice access: Fluid dictation can correct grammar, punctuation, and filler words as you speak in text apps on Copilot+ PCs. It is enabled by default...
• New Windows Studio Effects: On supported Copilot+ PCs, you can use Windows Studio Effects with an additional camera, such as a USB webcam or a built-in rear camera...
• Improved Agent in Settings: The Settings agent is beginning to roll out to Copilot+ PCs whose primary display language is French.

What's being tested 3 new · 2 improved · 8 fixes

• New Click to Do: On Snapdragon-powered Copilot+ PCs, Click to Do can recognize a simple table so you can send it to Excel, copy it, or share it without...
• New Click to Do: Clicking an email in Click to Do can show a Microsoft 365 profile card with information about a work or school contact.
• New Narrator: Braille viewer displays the text and Braille output from a refreshable Braille display in a floating window.