Build 26220.7934: Windows Insider Beta Channel, February 2026. Per-listener audio controls and freeform rotation in Paint

• Each listener gets a separate volume slider, so changing one person’s volume does not affect the other.¹
  The main volume controls in Quick Settings and on-device or keyboard controls can still adjust both listeners at once.
• A taskbar indicator shows when audio is being shared and provides a shortcut to sharing settings.²
  Clicking the indicator opens sharing settings to adjust volume or stop sharing.
• Shared audio support includes Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 and Buds 4 Pro, Sony WF‑1000XM6, and Xbox Wireless Headset.³

• The rollout of improved animations when the taskbar is set to autohide is temporarily paused.⁴
• Taskbar components load more reliably in Safe Mode.⁴

For: Insiders using Storage settings

• Removing Windows Update files and windows.old files through Settings is more reliable.⁵
  The change applies in Settings > System > Storage.

For: Insiders using the ADLaM keyboard

• Typing is more reliable with the ADLaM keyboard.⁵

For: Administrators and Application Control for Business policy authors

• Administrators can enable a more secure mode that prevents batch files from changing while they run.⁶
  Set LockBatchFilesWhenInUse (DWORD, 0 or 1) under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Command Processor. Application Control for Business policy authors can also enable the mode through the LockBatchFilesWhenInUse application manifest control.

For: Narrator users

• 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 cells in Excel.⁷
  Use Narrator key + \.

For: Insiders receiving the Paint app update

• You can rotate shapes, text, and active selections to any angle, or enter an angle using Custom rotate.⁸
  The feature is in Paint version 11.2601.391.0. Select an object and use its rotate handle, or choose Custom rotate from the Rotate menu.