Insider Builds
The latest Insider Builds coverage — news, analysis, and updates from the WindowsNews.AI desk.
Windows 11 Users Want Folder Sizes, Smoother Virtual Desktops, and Custom Menus in Microsoft Feedback Push
Rudy Huyn, a Microsoft partner architect for Windows and the Store, took to X this week with a straightforward question: “What do you miss most in Windows?” The responses, pouring in during the...
Windows 11’s Console-Style Handheld Mode Is Already Playable—Here’s How to Try It
Microsoft’s controller-friendly Xbox full-screen experience for Windows handhelds is no longer exclusive to the upcoming Asus ROG Xbox Ally. A recent Windows 11 25H2 Release Preview build now lets...
Classic File Explorer Title Bars Are Back in This ExplorerPatcher Pre-Release
The latest pre-release build of ExplorerPatcher restores the classic File Explorer title bar on Windows 11 22H2 and later, fixes a broken weather widget, and improves compatibility with other...
You Don't Need a New Xbox Ally to Get Its Console Experience—Windows 11 Has It Built In
Microsoft’s Xbox handheld ambitions are no longer locked behind new hardware. A feature-laden build of Windows 11—currently rolling out in the Release Preview channel—includes a full-screen,...
Microsoft's Console-Like Xbox UI Is Already Running on Windows Handhelds—Here's How
Microsoft’s upcoming Xbox mode for Windows handhelds—a full-screen, controller-first interface designed to transform devices like the ROG Ally into console-like gaming machines—has already been...
Microsoft Paint Adds Photoshop-Like Project Files So You Never Lose Your Layers
Microsoft is testing a new project file format in Paint that saves your layers, letting you reopen compositions exactly as you left them—a shift that makes the free Windows 11 app behave more like...
Windows 11’s Speed Test Shortcut Opens Bing: What It Means and How to Use It
A new “Perform speed test” option has appeared in recent Windows 11 Insider builds, tucked into the taskbar network flyout and right-click menu. Tap it, and instead of a native diagnostic, your...
Windows 11’s Dark Mode Slog: What Microsoft’s Fixing and What Still Needs Your Help
Microsoft’s latest Insider builds are finally darkening some of the most jarring bright-white elements in Windows 11, but the progress is so slow and piecemeal that it leaves the vast majority of...
Microsoft Plants a Bing Speed Test Shortcut in the Taskbar and Teases AI Oversight in New Insider Builds
A quiet update this week to Windows 11 Insider Preview builds plants a one-click internet speed test directly into the taskbar network flyout, but it’s not the native diagnostic tool power users...
Windows 11 Insider Builds Surface Long-Awaited Keyboard Repeat Controls and Haptic Touchpad Overhaul
Microsoft’s methodical chipping away at the legacy Control Panel has unearthed two fresh treasures for input customization: a live keyboard repeat tester and a revamped haptic touchpad tuning page,...
Windows 11 Adds a Speed Test Button to Network Flyout, But It’s a Bing Web Shortcut
Microsoft is quietly testing a one-click internet speed test shortcut in Windows 11, placed directly inside the network flyout and taskbar context menu. The feature, unearthed by sharp-eyed Insiders...
Windows 11's Dynamic Lighting Relies on HID LampArray Standard to Unify Fragmented RGB Peripherals
After years of rumors and half-starts, Windows 11 is finally gaining a system‑level RGB control panel that doesn’t require a separate app for every keyboard, mouse, or case light. Microsoft calls...