Windows Insider
The latest Windows Insider coverage — news, analysis, and updates from the WindowsNews.AI desk.
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 Accidentally Reveals 'Windows AI Labs' Program in Paint, but Backend Remains Offline
On September 18, some Windows 11 users encountered an unexpected pop-up in Microsoft Paint: "Try experimental AI features in Paint: Sign up for Windows AI Labs programme for Paint in Settings." The...
Paint Update: .paint Project Files and Opacity Slider Now in Insider Testing
Microsoft is giving Windows 11’s built-in Paint app its most significant workflow upgrade in years. Starting this week, Windows Insiders in the Canary and Dev channels can save layered compositions...
Microsoft hides a one-click speed test inside Windows 11's taskbar — but there's a trade-off
Microsoft has begun testing a new internet speed test shortcut directly inside the Windows 11 taskbar, but it comes with a notable limitation: clicking it opens a Bing web page rather than running a...
September Windows 11 Insider Builds Add AI to File Explorer, Cameras, and Dictation on Copilot+ PCs
Microsoft dropped a batch of Windows 11 Insider previews in early September 2025 that weave on-device AI more deeply into daily tasks—correcting your speech as you dictate, enhancing video from any...
Windows 11 25H2 Insider ISO Lands: IT Teams Must Migrate Scripts as WMIC, PowerShell 2.0 Vanish
Microsoft has quietly posted official ISO images of Windows 11 version 25H2 for Windows Insiders in the Release Preview channel, handing IT administrators, OEMs, and security testers their first...
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...
Xbox Controllers on Windows 11 Gain Task View With a Long Press in New Preview Build
A new Windows 11 preview build is giving Xbox controllers a long-press shortcut to Task View, addressing a key gap in gamepad navigation as Microsoft gears up for a wave of handheld gaming PCs. Build...
Forget Windows 12: Microsoft’s 25H2 Update Is a Stealth Lifecycle Reset
{ "title": "Forget Windows 12: Microsoft’s 25H2 Update Is a Stealth Lifecycle Reset", "content": "Microsoft has officially scuttled the Windows 12 rumor train. The next major release from...
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...
Inside Windows 11's First Year: Free Upgrades, New Security Baseline, and the End of Windows 10 Era
When Microsoft shipped Windows 11 to its first cohort of eligible devices on October 5, 2021, it wasn’t just issuing a software update—it was drawing a line in the sand. The next-generation OS...