Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.3950 (Beta Channel)

[TWF Bot]

Hello Windows Insiders, today we are releasing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.3950 (KB5055653) to the Beta Channel for Windows Insiders on Windows 11, version 24H2. REMINDER: Build 22635.5305 was the last update released to the Beta Channel based on Windows 11, version 23H2. All Insiders in the Beta Channel will be getting upgraded to Windows 11, version 24H2 soon. Until that happens, Insiders on Windows 11, version 23H2 in the Beta Channel can choose to upgrade to Windows 11, version 24H2 and this build today if they want. Changes in Beta Channel builds and updates are documented in two buckets: new features, improvements, and fixes that are being gradually rolled out for Insiders who have turned on the toggle to get the latest updates as they are available (via Settings > Windows Update*) and then new features, improvements, and fixes rolling out to everyone in the Beta Channel. For more information, see the Reminders section at the bottom of this blog post.

New features gradually being rolled out to the Beta Channel with toggle on*​

Energy saver now available in Microsoft Intune​

We are bringing the ability to manage energy saver in Windows 11 to Microsoft Intune to allow IT administrators to control the energy saver settings on Windows 11 PCs through group policies and Mobile Device Management (MDM) configurations. This feature, when enabled, intelligently balances your battery use, so it can last longer between charges. It extends battery life by managing power usage efficiently. It limits background activity and reduces screen brightness, ensuring that devices consume less power while maintaining optimal performance. By automatically managing system processes and power usage, the energy saver group policy helps reduce overall energy consumption. This not only saves costs but also contributes to environmental sustainability. IT administrators can activate the policy by using either method below:

• Local Group Policy Editor in Windows 11
• Microsoft Intune Admin Center

[caption id="attachment_177847" align="alignnone" width="639"] New group policy highlighted in a red box in Local Group Policy Editor.[/caption] The path for the new policy configuration can be found at in Local Group Policy Editor by navigating to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > System > Power Management > Energy Saver Settings and “Enable Energy Saver to Always Be On”.

Changes and Improvements gradually being rolled out to the Beta Channel with toggle on* ​

[Recall (Preview)]​

• We're trying out different treatments of the UI in Recall including trying out different locations for snapshot actions and the timeline.

[Taskbar & System Tray]​

• We have adjusted the needy state pill under apps on the taskbar that need attention to be wider and more visible.

[caption id="attachment_177848" align="alignnone" width="505"] Wider needy state pill UI showing for Microsoft Teams on the taskbar indicating the app needs attention.[/caption]

• Admins can now allow users to unpin specific pinned apps, ensuring they are not pinned again during the next policy refresh cycle. To enable this feature, use the new PinGeneration option. Learn more about configuring pinned apps on the taskbar.

[Graphics]​

We’re introducing some improvements for managing HDR capabilities of your PC via under Settings > System > Display > HDR: [caption id="attachment_177851" align="alignnone" width="629"] New HDR management settings highlighted in a red box.[/caption]

• We have changed the wording for “Use HDR” inside display capabilities to improve clarity on supported media types.

• On PCs with HDR displays, we have added the option to allow HDR video streaming even when HDR is off in settings.

• On PCs with Dolby Vision displays, we have added the option to toggle Dolby Vision mode independently from HDR. You can now enjoy HDR with Dolby Vision either on or off based on your preference.

Learn more about HDR settings in Windows.

Fixes gradually being rolled out to the Beta Channel with toggle on*​

[Taskbar]​

• Fixed an underlying issue which was causing keyboard focus to get set to widgets in the taskbar on login, which could make widgets unexpectedly invoke.
• Fixed an issue where WIN + CTRL + <number> wasn’t working to cycle between windows of open apps for that position on the taskbar.

[Audio]​

• Fixed an issue which could cause the startup sound not to play, though it was enabled.

[Graphics]​

• Fixed an issue which could cause unexpected scaling and window position changes after sleep/resume for some devices.

[Windows Update]​

• Fixed an issue where after resetting your PC, taking subsequent cumulative updates may fail with error 0x800f081f.

Known issues​

[General]​

• When joining the Beta Channel on Windows 11, version 24H2 – you will be no longer be offered Build 26120.3360 first and will be offered the most current available update in the Beta Channel.
• After you do a PC reset under Settings > System > Recovery, your build version may incorrectly show as Build 26100 instead of Build 26120. This will not prevent you from getting future Beta Channel updates, which will resolve this issue.
• We’re investigating an issue where core Windows surfaces are not able to load in safe mode (File Explorer, Start menu, and others) after the previous flight.

[Xbox Controllers]​

• Some Insiders are experiencing an issue where using their Xbox Controller via Bluetooth is causing their PC to bugcheck. Here is how to resolve the issue. Open Device Manager by searching for it via the search box on your taskbar. Once Device Manager is open, click on "View" and then "Devices by Driver". Find the driver named "oemXXX.inf (XboxGameControllerDriver.inf)" where the "XXX" will be a specific number on your PC. Right-click on that driver and click "Uninstall".

[Live Captions]​

• [NEW] We’re investigating an issue where live captions is crashing on this build.

[Recall (Preview)]​

• [REMINDER] You are always in control and can always choose to remove Recall anytime via “Turn Windows features on or off”. Removing Recall will delete entry points and binaries. Like any feature, Windows sometimes keeps temporary copies of binaries for serviceability. These Recall binaries are not executable and are eventually removed over time.
• [REMINDER] Make sure you update Microsoft 365 apps to the latest version so you can jump back into specific documents.

[Click to Do (Preview)]​

• [REMINDER] The intelligent text actions are now locally moderated to ensure the safety of prompts and responses and has replaced the cloud endpoint. Now that these intelligent text actions are fully local, they are also available in Click to Do in Recall.
• [REMINDER] If any of your actions on image entities are no longer appearing, please ensure you have the latest updates for the Photos and Paint app from the Microsoft Store.

[Improved Windows Search]​

• [REMINDER] For improved Windows Search on Copilot+ PCs, it is recommended that you plug in your Copilot+ PC for the initial search indexing to get completed. You can check your search indexing status under Settings > Privacy & security > Searching Windows.

[Start menu]​

• We’re investigating reports that clicking your profile picture isn’t opening the Account Manager for some Insiders after the last flight.

[Task Manager]​

• After adding the new CPU Utility column, you may notice that System Idle Process always shows as 0.
• The CPU graphs in the Performance page are still using the old CPU utility calculations.

Reminders for Windows Insiders in the Beta Channel​

• Windows Insiders in the Beta Channel on Windows 11, version 24H2 will receive updates based on Windows 11, version 24H2 via an enablement package (Build 26120.xxxx).
• Updates delivered to the Beta Channel are in a format that offers a preview of enhancements to servicing technology on Windows 11, version 24H2. To learn more, see https://aka.ms/CheckpointCumulativeUpdates.
• Many features in the Beta Channel are rolled out using Controlled Feature Rollout technology, starting with a subset of Insiders and ramping up over time as we monitor feedback to see how they land before pushing them out to everyone in this channel.
• For Windows Insiders in the Beta Channel who want to be the first to get features gradually rolled out to you, you can turn ON the toggle to get the latest updates as they are available via Settings > Windows Update*. Over time, we will increase the rollouts of features to everyone with the toggle turned on. Should you keep this toggle off, new features will gradually be rolled out to your PC over time once they are ready.
• Features and experiences included in these builds may never get released as we try out different concepts and get feedback. Features may change over time, be removed, or replaced and never get released beyond Windows Insiders. Some of these features and experiences could show up in future Windows releases when they’re ready.
• Some features in active development we preview with Windows Insiders may not be fully localized and localization will happen over time as features are finalized. As you see issues with localization in your language, please report those issues to us via Feedback Hub.

• Please note that some accessibility features may not work with features like Recall and Click to Do while in preview with Windows Insiders.

• Because the Dev and Beta Channels represent parallel development paths from our engineers, there may be cases where features and experiences show up in the Beta Channel first.
• Check out Flight Hub for a complete look at what build is in which Insider channel.

Thanks, Amanda & Brandon

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