We’re excited to announce the release of Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.2213 (KB5045885) to the Dev Channel. This update brings a variety of new features, improvements, and bug fixes designed to enhance your Windows experience. Below, we break down the key changes and what you can expect from this latest build.
What’s New in Build 26120.2213
Gradual Rollout of New Features and Improvements
For Insiders who have enabled the latest updates toggle (found under Settings > Windows Update), we’re gradually introducing new features and enhancements. These updates are being carefully monitored to ensure they meet your needs before being fully deployed to everyone in the Dev Channel.
Key Changes Being Rolled Out:
- IME Toolbar Enhancement: If you use the IME toolbar for typing in Chinese or Japanese, you’ll notice it now hides automatically when apps enter full-screen mode. This helps reduce clutter and improve your focus while using applications.
- Gamepad Keyboard Layout Update: We temporarily paused the rollout of the new Gamepad keyboard layout for the on-screen keyboard due to some issues. Don’t worry—it will return in a future update once we’ve resolved the current problems.
Important Fixes in This Build
Start Menu Improvements:
- Reliability Fixes: Enhanced the stability of the Start menu to prevent unexpected crashes.
- Spacing Issue Resolved: Fixed excessive spacing between items in the Start menu apps list for a cleaner look.
- Pin/Unpin Functionality: Restored the ability to pin and unpin apps from the Start menu for users who were previously experiencing issues.
File Explorer Enhancements:
- Navigation Pane Fix: Resolved an issue where items in the navigation pane were too spread out, ensuring a more compact and organized view.
- RAW Image Thumbnails: Fixed the orientation of RAW image thumbnails taken in portrait mode, ensuring they display correctly.
Taskbar Updates:
- Search Box Visibility: If your taskbar auto-hides and you have the search box enabled, it will now appear correctly instead of just showing an icon.
- Shortcut Key Fixes: Addressed issues with certain keyboard shortcuts (like WIN + number) not working as expected.
- Close Button Issue: Fixed problems where the close (X) button on app windows wasn’t responding.
- Widget Text Overlap: Corrected text overlapping on widgets for users with left-aligned taskbars on secondary monitors.
Dev Drive and System Fixes:
- Dev Drives Access: Ensured Dev Drives remain accessible within Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) after recent updates.
- Domain Joining Issues: Fixed potential problems that could prevent devices from joining a domain.
- DISM Tool Improvement: Resolved an issue where the DISM tool’s StartComponentCleanup would get stuck and show an error.
- Capability Command Stability: Fixed the Get-WindowsCapability command to prevent unexpected failures.
- JPG Rotation Info: Enabled querying rotation information for JPGs via APIs, such as PowerShell.
General Fixes for All Dev Channel Users:
- Game Launch Stability: Addressed issues that were preventing some games from launching properly.
- Task Manager Accuracy: Fixed the Task Manager to correctly display the count of running apps and processes.
- Network Stability:
- DHCP Fix: Resolved duplicate DHCP options that were causing IP address acquisition failures, ensuring your Wi-Fi remains stable.
- DirectAccess Fix: Fixed issues where DirectAccess connections were getting stuck in a connecting state.
Known Issues
While this build brings many improvements, we’re aware of a few issues and are actively working on fixes:
- Desktop Background Display: On setups with multiple monitors, some users may experience black areas where the desktop background doesn’t display correctly. Our team is working on a solution for this.
Reminders for Dev Channel Insiders
- Update Path: Dev Channel Insiders receive updates based on Windows 11, version 24H2, delivered through an enablement package (Build 26120.xxxx). These updates preview enhancements to the servicing technology of Windows 11.
- Feature Rollouts: Features in the Dev Channel are released gradually using Control Feature Rollout technology. This means new features start with a small group of Insiders and expand as we gather feedback.
- Staying Updated: To be among the first to receive new features, ensure the latest updates toggle is enabled in Settings > Windows Update. This allows you to receive updates as soon as they’re available. If you prefer a slower rollout, keep the toggle off, and features will be added over time.
- Feature Stability: Some features you see in the Dev Channel may never make it to the final Windows release. We continuously experiment with different ideas, and based on your feedback, features may evolve, be removed, or replaced.
- Localization: Features in development might not be fully translated into all languages. If you encounter localization issues, please report them through the Feedback Hub.
- Parallel Development Paths: Note that the Dev and Beta Channels are developed separately. Some features might appear in the Beta Channel before the Dev Channel.
For a comprehensive overview of which build is in each Insider channel, visit Flight Hub.
How to Provide Feedback
Your feedback is invaluable in shaping the future of Windows 11. If you encounter any issues or have suggestions, please share them through the Feedback Hub app. This helps us prioritize fixes and improvements in future updates.
Thank you for being a part of the Windows Insider Program. We appreciate your continued support and enthusiasm as we work together to make Windows 11 better for everyone.
