Windows 11 version 24H2 just received a substantial preview update that ships a long-awaited expansion of the controversial Recall feature to European users, introduces an AI agent to Settings, and sounds the alarm on a looming Secure Boot certificate deadline. Released on July 22, 2025, KB5062660 bumps the OS build to 26100.4770 and packs dozens of fixes and enhancements that touch everything from File Explorer reliability to gamepad typing. This optional, non-security update is now available through Windows Update, Windows Update for Business, and manual catalog downloads, and it signals Microsoft's intent to push hard on AI-powered productivity and baseline security hygiene in the same stroke.

Secure Boot Certificates Expire June 2026 – Check Your Device Now

The most urgent takeaway from KB5062660 isn't a new feature but a ticking clock. Microsoft warns that Secure Boot certificates used by the vast majority of Windows devices will start expiring in June 2026. Over the past months, newer certificates have been deployed to consumer and non-managed business devices via routine updates, but administrators and power users can't afford to ignore this. Devices that haven't received the fresh certificates will still boot and run normally for now, and standard Windows updates will continue to install. However, the company stresses that certificate renewal must happen well before the deadline to avoid potential boot failures down the road. Users can verify their PC's status inside the Windows Security app, while IT admins should consult the official Secure Boot Playbook for Windows clients and Windows Server to plan their rollout. This update itself includes the latest servicing stack and cumulative patches, which may help push those certificates to eligible machines.

Recall Lands in the European Economic Area, Reset Capability Arrives

Recall, the AI-powered snapshot timeline that sparked privacy debates when first unveiled, is now expanding to users in the European Economic Area. With this preview, EEA users can opt into the feature and, crucially, export and decrypt their snapshots for use in third-party applications. Microsoft provides a unique code for decryption, and it's made abundantly clear that users must safeguard this code – there's no recovery path if it's lost. In a nod to control, all Recall users now get a dedicated Reset option inside advanced settings. Selecting it deletes every stored snapshot and resets the feature to its factory state, giving users a clean slate if they feel the data footprint has grown too large or sensitive.

Click to Do Gains Reading Coach, Immersive Reader, Copilot Drafting, and Teams Actions

The Click to Do overlay, accessible from the taskbar on Copilot+ PCs, gains four new actions that blur the line between system shell and productivity apps. The "Practice in Reading Coach" action fires up Microsoft's Reading Coach application and immediately begins fluency and pronunciation feedback for any selected text. "Read with Immersive Reader" opens the distraction-free reading environment complete with text customization and audio narration. Users with an active Copilot subscription can select the "Draft with Copilot in Word" action, and the system will take highlighted text and spin up a Word document with a full draft. Finally, Click to Do now interprets recognized email addresses and calendar dates, offering one-click options to send Teams messages or schedule meetings directly – without ever launching Outlook manually.

Navigating the modernized Settings app becomes easier across the board. On Copilot+ PCs equipped with Snapdragon chipsets (English only for now), a new AI-powered agent bar appears that can interpret natural language requests to find and change settings, and – in a step toward true automation – can even execute multi-step tasks on the user's behalf. For all other PCs without a dedicated NPU, the search box in Settings now sits in a more prominent, always-visible position, cutting the hunt time for niche toggles. Microsoft also squeezed in reliability fixes: no more crashes when closing the laptop lid on a Settings page, and Wi-Fi credential saving works reliably again.

Windows Resiliency Initiative: Quick Recovery and a Modern Restart

Two pillars of the Windows Resiliency Initiative make their preview debut. Quick Machine Recovery targets the painful minutes (or hours) of downtime after an unexpected failure. When a device stumbles into a boot loop or driver conflict, this feature automatically launches Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) and applies known fixes without human intervention. IT administrators can govern the behavior through Microsoft Intune policies, tailoring which recovery scenarios trigger the auto-fix. The second pillar is a redesigned restart experience. Those jarring blue screens that appear during critical updates or recovery operations now sport a modern, less alarming UI that explains what's happening in plain language, aiming to make the wait feel faster and the process feel under control.

Start Menu Policy, Snap Tips, and Gamepad Keyboard

Enterprise admins get a new Boolean policy option for the Start menu. They can now push a set of pinned tiles and then step back – once applied, the user can freely reorganize, unpin, and personalize the menu without the policy snapping everything back on next login. For everyday multitaskers, Snap layouts now come with inline tips and keyboard shortcut hints that appear when dragging windows, reducing the learning curve for Snap groups. Input sees a refresh too: the touch keyboard now responds better to controller navigation, and a brand-new Gamepad keyboard layout lets gamers type using their controller sticks and buttons. Significantly, this Gamepad keyboard works on the lock screen for PIN entry, a small but mighty quality-of-life improvement for living-room PCs and handhelds.

File Explorer, Desktop Icons, and Notification Fixes

A handful of long-standing annoyances are squashed. File Explorer no longer shows just a single folder on the Home page after waking from sleep or after a Quick Access refresh – the full set of folders returns. Performance and sync delays when opening OneDrive-backed folders are also reduced. Desktop icons that previously swapped to generic placeholders after app updates now stay correct. And a particularly maddening bug where clicking a notification wouldn't bring the source app to the foreground is resolved, so emails, chat messages, and reminders actually pop into view when you interact with them.

Under-the-Hood Improvements: Authentication, ReFS, Thunderbolt eGPUs, IME, and Stability

The update list doesn't stop at features. IT departments will appreciate a fix for LSASS.exe crash conditions triggered during domain password changes when specific audit settings are enabled – a stability sore spot that could lock users out. For those toying with enormous ReFS volumes, backing up multi-terabyte files no longer causes memory exhaustion and system unresponsiveness. Thunderbolt-connected external graphics docks that refused to be recognized after boot should now appear reliably in Device Manager. Input method editors get targeted love: the Microsoft Changjie IME for Traditional Chinese no longer glitches during phrase input, and users typing in Hindi or Marathi using the phonetic keyboard no longer encounter broken characters after installing previous cumulative updates. Finally, Microsoft addressed a rare scenario where devices could become unresponsive following the May 2025 security patches, and a false-positive "Config Read Failed / More data is available" event in Windows Firewall event logs is silenced for good.

AI Components Updated (Copilot+ PC Only)

Underpinning many of the new AI-driven features are updated component packages, all tagged with version 1.2507.793.0. They include:
- Image Search
- Content Extraction
- Semantic Analysis

These are delivered automatically with the update on Copilot+ PCs and are required for Recall, Click to Do, and the Settings agent to function correctly.

Known Issues and Support

As of the release date, Microsoft says it is not currently aware of any issues with this update. The build qualifies as a preview and is optional; it will roll into the mandatory Patch Tuesday update in August unless critical problems surface during this early-adopter phase.

How to Install or Remove

To grab the update, head to Settings > Windows Update and manually select "Check for updates." Once offered, it will appear as "2025-07 Cumulative Update Preview for Windows 11 Version 24H2 for x64-based Systems (KB5062660)." It's also available in the Microsoft Update Catalog for offline deployment and through Windows Server Update Services. The package combines the latest servicing stack update (SSU) and cumulative update (LCU) into a single MSU file that can be installed with DISM or PowerShell. If you need to roll back, the LCU can be removed using DISM /online /Remove-Package pointed at the package name, but the SSU is permanent.

Looking Ahead

KB5062660 is a preview in name but feels substantial enough to hint at Microsoft's second-half priorities for Windows 11. The Secure Boot warning puts a concrete deadline on a security fundamental that many consumers ignore; the Recall expansion signals that the feature is here to stay despite early pushback; and the Settings AI agent offers a glimpse of a future where asking Windows to "turn on dark mode and disconnect VPN" actually works. For now, the update is an optional test drive, but its mix of polish, AI ambition, and proactive hardening makes it one of the more noteworthy previews in recent months. As the June 2026 certificate clock ticks, expect Microsoft to keep nudging devices toward the update through the rest of the year.