Microsoft dropped Windows 11 Build 26100.5061 (KB5064081) into the Release Preview Channel on August 14, 2025, packing a suite of AI-driven features, interface overhauls, and a critical enterprise change that IT admins must address before year’s end. The update, for Windows 11 version 24H2, marks another step in the company’s aggressive push to weave Copilot and on-device intelligence throughout the operating system—while simultaneously retiring a nearly two-decades-old scripting engine.
AI features take center stage, but not all at once
The build introduces two flagship AI experiences—Recall and Click to Do—both delivered under Microsoft’s “gradual rollout” model. Insiders may not see them immediately; instead, the features appear on a subset of devices and expand over days or weeks. Recall, the controversial snapshot-based timeline tool, receives a redesigned homepage. A new left navigation bar organizes Home, Timeline, Feedback, and Settings, and the main pane now surfaces “Recent Snapshots” and “Top Apps and Websites.” Crucially, snapshot collection remains opt-in and encrypted behind Windows Hello, with built-in filters for apps, websites, and sensitive information—though early independent tests have flagged that the default sensitive-content filter can still miss some cases.
Click to Do, which surfaces contextual AI actions on selected text or images, now launches with an interactive tutorial. The feature runs analysis locally on-device, offering summarization, visual search, background removal, and object erasing. However, several actions still require a Copilot+ PC and, for business users, a Microsoft 365 Copilot license. Microsoft also warns that choosing web-based actions like visual search sends content to the cloud.
File Explorer gets its own AI injection: right-click a supported image and you’ll see Blur Background, Erase Objects, Remove Background, and Visual Search. Document files can be summarized via the context menu, but that relies on Microsoft 365 Copilot and an active subscription. Not to leave out enterprise identity, File Explorer now displays persona and activity indicators when signed in with a work or school (Entra) account.
The gradual rollout also refreshes system permission dialogs for location, camera, and microphone access. The prompts now appear centered with a subtle screen dimming effect, making them harder to miss. Taskbar tweaks include an optional larger clock with seconds and fixes for thumbnail peeking behavior.
Broad fixes and a redesigned Advanced settings page
Alongside the staggered AI features, Build 26100.5061 delivers a raft of fixes available to all Insiders upon installation. Microsoft tackled ReFS memory exhaustion when backing up extremely large files, slow installer performance on ARM64 devices, and several explorer.exe crash scenarios tied to dbgcore.dll. Windows Hello sign-in has been modernized visually, and a nagging bug where facial recognition would succeed but still refuse sign-in has been squashed.
Input improvements cover Chinese IME text entry issues and touch keyboard reliability. Task Manager now standardizes CPU workload metrics but offers an optional “CPU Utility” column to display the older metric for those who prefer it.
The most noticeable UI change for tinkerers is the consolidation of the old For Developers page into a new Advanced settings hub at Settings > System > Advanced. Long-path toggles, virtual workspaces, and File Explorer version control integration now live here. A new device card on the Settings home page shows key PC specifications, though it requires a U.S.-based Microsoft account. Another addition is the Text and Image Generation page, which lists third-party apps that have recently tapped Windows’ generative models and lets users permit or deny that access.
Copilot+ hardware demands and account requirements
Microsoft is drawing a clear line with this update: many AI features require Copilot+ PC hardware. The recommended baseline includes an NPU capable of at least 40 TOPS, 16 GB of RAM, 8 logical processors, and 256 GB of storage. Some SoC families—likely Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite and future Intel/AMD designs—will get features first before broader silicon support. Several on-device AI models, such as Phi Silica for text rewrites and summarization, execute locally on the NPU, minimizing cloud roundtrips but not eliminating them entirely for actions that explicitly search the web.
A Microsoft account or Entra account is necessary for certain features, and File Explorer’s document summarization demands both a Microsoft 365 subscription and a Copilot license. For business users, the license must be correctly provisioned through Entra and M365 admin centers. This tiered approach means that even on supported hardware, the full feature set may remain locked behind subscriptions and organizational settings.
Privacy spotlight: Recall and Click to Do
Recall continues to generate unease. The feature automatically captures screen snapshots—encrypted, local, and gated by Windows Hello—but its very nature alarms privacy advocates. Microsoft emphasizes that it is opt-in, with filter lists for apps, websites, and sensitive content. Still, testers have shown the built-in sensitive-content filter can fail to block credit card numbers or passwords under certain conditions. Enterprise administrators can disable Recall entirely via policy, and Microsoft recommends keeping snapshot saving off on any device handling regulated data until compliance teams approve.
Click to Do’s local processing model is less invasive: analysis runs on-device, and only when a user explicitly triggers a cloud-dependent action does data leave the machine. Temporary files created during transfers are not stored long-term. Even so, organizations should inventory where Click to Do might be used with sensitive documents and configure appropriate policies if needed.
Enterprise bombshell: PowerShell 2.0 removal begins
For IT departments, the biggest headline may not be AI at all. Starting with Windows 11 version 24H2, Microsoft is stripping out Windows PowerShell 2.0. The engine was deprecated in 2017 but has lingered as an installable component. Its removal reduces legacy attack surface but breaks any script, installer, or management tool that explicitly calls PowerShell with -Version 2. Microsoft urges immediate audits: search scheduled tasks, vendor installers, and custom automation for PS 2.0 dependencies. Mitigations include migrating to PowerShell 5.1 or 7.x, or isolating legacy workflows in virtual machines that retain older builds.
Meanwhile, Windows Backup for Organizations is approaching general availability. The solution backs up user environment settings—not applications—for Entra-joined devices, with restore orchestrated through Intune. IT teams should pilot the feature in non-production tenants to verify which settings categories it actually preserves, as coverage can vary. Microsoft positions it as a tool for device refreshes and migrations, but organizations with complex customizations may find gaps.
Installation and rollback guidance
Insiders in the Release Preview Channel can fetch the update via Settings > Windows Update. Like all phased rollouts, it may not appear immediately. Before installing, Microsoft and community veterans advise creating a system restore point or full disk image, updating GPU and chipset drivers (earlier 26100-series builds had performance regressions with outdated drivers), and testing in a pilot group for business environments. If something breaks, the quality update can be uninstalled through Settings > Windows Update > Update History > Uninstall Updates, or via Windows Recovery Environment if the system won’t boot.
The road ahead
Build 26100.5061 demonstrates Microsoft’s two-track strategy: accelerate AI integration while tidying up legacy components that drag on security and maintenance. For users on Copilot+ PCs, Click to Do and File Explorer AI actions offer tangible productivity enhancements, but the subscription gating and hardware requirements will exclude a vast installed base. Recall, however polished, remains a lightning rod, and its real-world privacy performance will be scrutinized before broad deployment. The PowerShell 2.0 removal timeline is firm—August 2025—and IT teams must act now to avoid unexpected software breakage. As the 24H2 release cycle progresses, expect more features to shift from gradual to broad rollout, and for enterprise admins to press Microsoft on clearer policy controls for AI data flows.