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**Windows 11 Insider Preview build 26120.4520 a 26200.5670 ukazují novinky. **Tou hlavní je integrace se správcem hesel 1Password. **Microsoft naplňuje loňský slib, že do nich budeme moct ukládat přístupové klíče.

A Chinese national was arrested in Milan, Italy, last week for allegedly being linked to the state-sponsored Silk Typhoon hacking group, which responsible for cyberattacks against American organizations and government agencies. [...]

Researchers have released proof-of-concept (PoC) exploits for a critical Citrix NetScaler vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2025-5777 and dubbed CitrixBleed2, warning that the flaw is easily exploitable and can successfully steal user session tokens. [...]

Hackers stole nearly $140 million from six banks in Brazil by using an employee's credentials from C&M, a company that offers financial connectivity solutions. [...]

Malware analyst discovered a new version of the Atomic macOS info-stealer (also known as 'AMOS') that comes with a backdoor, to attackers persistent access to compromised systems. [...]

Qantas has confirmed that it is now being extorted by threat actors following a cyberattack that potentially exposed the data for 6 million customers. [...]

A previously undocumented spyware called 'Batavia' has been targeting large industrial enterprises in Russia in a phishing email campaign that uses contract-related lures. [...]

Historically, when companies roll out new capabilities, they start out lenient to encourage usage. Take facial biometrics for example. When they first went into use, the initial settings were chosen to make it easier for the biometrics to work. Yes, it meant more imposters would get a green light, but it sharply limited friction for legitimate users. 

Google and many certificate authorities used a similar playbook with web server certificates, allowing them to be used for all kinds of authentication functions instead of just the web server function they were designed for.

That all ends, in theory, on June 15, 2026, according to Google. 

The online post explaining the change is quite technical, but the upshot is that Google is finally trying to put an end to the sometimes sloppy way in which certs are being used.

Earlier this year, various groups debated shortening the expiration time frame of web certs to six weeks, a move that was ultimately made official in April. That move dealt with how long web certs could be used. The new Google effort focuses on what they can (and cannot) be used for.

The decision “marks a critical shift in how digital trust is governed and it has serious implications for enterprises, particularly in financial services,” said Timothy Hollebeek, industry technology strategist for DigiCert. The change “will flag such certificates as misconfigured or non-compliant, leading to significant outages for legitimate applications of this EKU. For organizations still using multipurpose certificates, this is a wake-up call. Financial institutions may no longer rely on certificates intended for browsers and web servers.”

Hollebeek argued that this is the right move, given that “many of these applications need no communication outside of the company network and will therefore be more securely protected on an internal PKI, where the organization can configure certificates as they see fit.”

Erik Avakian, a technical counselor at consulting firm Info-Tech, agreed. “Google is actually doing the right thing,” he said. “This is good because it goes back to the concept of least privilege” where certs are used “only for the intended purpose. It’s about zero trust” when “certificates are separated like this.”

Avakian said most users will do whatever is convenient, unless they’re required to do otherwise. “It helps to be forced to do better security,” he said. “Users want to get things done quickly and easily. It comes down to culture, to costs, to ease.”

Hollebeek said the change comes down to using different certificates for server authentication and client authentication. “Cryptographic separation between domains is a well-known security principle,” he said. “You should only be using Web PKI certs if there is a browser involved.”

Another certificate expert, Jason Soroko, agreed with the others that taking the easy route with certs —rather than correct one — is behind this problem. 

“Client authentication certificates should be coming from a private certificate authority,” said Soroko, who is a senior fellow at Sectigo. “It was just easier to go to some CA [certificate authority] and get your client authentication.”

The Google statement is written in a language the cert community should certainly understand:

“To align all PKI hierarchies included in the Chrome Root Store on the principle of serving only TLS server authentication use cases, the Chrome Root Program will phase-out multi-purpose roots from the Chrome Root Store. Beginning June 15, 2026, the Chrome Root Program will set an SCTNotAfter constraint on root CA certificates included in the Chrome Root Store for any PKI hierarchy found in violation of the below requirements,” Google wrote. “To reduce negative impact to the ecosystem, the Chrome Root Store may temporarily continue to include a multi-purpose root CA certificate in the Chrome Root Store without an SCTNotAfter constraint on a case-by-case basis, but only if the corresponding CA Owner has submitted a Root Inclusion Request to the CCADB for a replacement root CA certificate before June 15, 2026.”

The upshot? If your operation has been using certs in a lazy, lackadaisical manner, you’ve got less than a year to clean things up.

Shellter Project, the vendor of a commercial AV/EDR evasion loader for penetration testing, confirmed that hackers used its Shellter Elite product in attacks after a customer leaked a copy of the software. [...]

Even though threats of additional fines mean it has been forced to make so many changes to bring its business into compliance with Europe’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), Apple has always said it would appeal Europe’s $570 million fine for violating the DMA. Today, it did just that against, accusing the European Commission of going beyond what the law requires.

In a statement provided to Computerworld, Apple said: “Today we filed our appeal because we believe the European Commission’s decision, and their unprecedented fine, go far beyond what the law requires. As our appeal will show, the EC is mandating how we run our store and forcing business terms which are confusing for developers and bad for users. We implemented this to avoid punitive daily fines and will share the facts with the Court.”

Beyond what the law requires

The company has identified multiple instances in which regulators agreed to one thing and then demanded more, effectively dictating and micro-controlling Apple’s business to the detriment of the company and its customers. The company seems to have two strands to its argument:

• The recently introduced tiered service scheme Apple reluctantly brought to market in Europe is one facet. It seems the two sides agreed that Apple could seek compensation for App Store services provided to developers through a Store Services Fee, which Apple announced last year. The regulators then changed their minds, insisting the fee structure include tiers so developers could opt out of some services. This forced Apple to introduce a new model quite recently — even though no other App Store provider offers such services in this way.
• In the days following Apple’s latest changes, I saw complaints about the tiered system Apple put in place. But the company was required to split them this way by the regulators, who dictated which services had to be optional. Given regulators don’t actually make anything, it’s no surprise some of their decisions seem somewhat clumsy. 

Lack of clarity and consistency

Apple is also challenging the “steering” concept the regulators seemingly insist should be applied against its business. Announcing its record fine against Apple, Europe also redefined some of the components to justify the move. 

That meant the European Commission changed its stance to say steering wasn’t just about publicizing offers and promotions on external sites, but also about free promotion of offers and services such as alternative app payments within apps. Apple was also forced to permit links from inside apps to third-party app stores. 

Apple’s claim is that in making these changes, the regulators moved beyond the law, redefining the notion of steering in a way that exceeded what the DMA actually required. 

Win or lose, we’ve already lost

Apple will use its time in court to try to prove these claims, but the action will probably stretch across years — unless Commissioners change their approach or the political intention in the EU and/or US shifts.

While we wait, European customers will be able to enjoy the full benefits of the new arrangements, in the form of sketchy in-app pester advertising to use unregulated third-party payment services, a loyalty war as some big apps attempt to use their own market reach to create their very own app store fiefdoms, slow or no appearance of some operating system features and a less-effective search system for applications. 

It won’t all be good news, as I expect some millionaires with the cash to build and maintain App Stores of their own might carve out a couple of bucks from within this inevitable chaos. If you play games, for example, you’ll gain the pleasure of giving money for existentially inconsequential in-game digital boosts direct to the publisher, rather than via the platform. (This does also mean you’ll only have the games publisher to help you when things go wrong, including when your kids purchase in-game currency when using the app. Good luck with that.)

That’s progress I suppose, a change that will give some users a real sense of freedom from the so-called Apple Tax, and will no doubt give Europe’s current neo-liberal leadership a cozy, fuzzy feeling. Perhaps Commissioners should focus their intention elsewhere.

You can follow me on social media! Join me on BlueSky,  LinkedIn, and Mastodon.

IT consulting firm Capgemini wants to beef up its agentic AI expertise with its planned $3.3 billion acquisition of business process management specialist WNS.

The deal is an indicator of the rapid expansion of the business process services (BPS) market driven by the surging demand for automation powered by agentic AI, said Industry experts and analysts.

“Hybrid automation with agentic AI is a key priority for enterprise decision-makers in the next three years,” said Charlie Dai, vice president and principal analyst at Forrester.

The global business process outsourcing (BPO) market, including BPS, was valued at $300 billion in 2024 according to Grand View Research,  which projects the market will surge to $525 billion in 2030, driven by demand for new technologies such as generative AI.

Capgemini has reached a definitive agreement to acquire WNS, and plans to it into its Global Business Services portfolio when the deal closes some time before the end of the year. It expects the deal to help it serve enterprise clients seeking intelligent automation and digital transformation.

Forrester’s Dai said WNS’s domain-specific AI agents and agentic AI platforms, especially the customer experience tool WNS Expirius, will effectively help Capgemini enhance its agent-driven business process services and offer the same to its existing customers.

For Gartner vice president analyst DD Mishra, WNS’s investments in intelligent automation, analytics, and agentic solutions including its TRAC analytics suite and Malkom knowledge management platform will complement Capgemini’s existing technology and consulting strengths.

Sharath Srinivasamurthy, research vice president at IDC, pointed to the acquisitions WNS has itself made in recent months, including Kipi.ai, Smart Cube, and OptiBuy to enhance its data, analytics, and procurement stack and extend its proficiency in business process operations, said.

Less about agentic tools and more about process operations expertise?

However, Rajesh Ranjan, managing partner at Everest Group, views the WNS acquisition as more of a strategic play rather than being focused on garnering more agentic tools or capabilities.

“The key driver behind the acquisition is less to do with the tools or software but rather the access to business process operations expertise that WNS brings to the table, a pre-requisite to develop and deploy real-world AI solutions,” Ranjan said, adding that agentic AI is still in its infancy and are largely locked in pilot stages across enterprises. 

WNS’s 600 clients should expect to receive sales calls Capgemini once the deal closes, said IDC’s Srinivasamurthy: “This a huge opportunity for Capgemini to cross-sell technology services to them and position as a true technology driven end-to-end service provider.”

Changing dynamics for BPS

The WNS acquisition may trigger similar acquisitions in the BPS market as Capgemini rivals are also eying BPS vendors to increase their footprint and operations, as these vendors undergo operational transformation driven by the demand for AI, said Everest Group’s Ranjan.

Huawei’s AI research division has rejected claims that its Pangu Pro large language model copied elements from an Alibaba model, marking a significant escalation in China’s AI ecosystem as tech giants abandon their collaborative approach in favor of bitter public disputes.

The telecommunications giant’s Noah Ark Lab issued a denial Saturday, after an entity called HonestAGI published a technical analysis claiming Huawei’s Pangu Pro Mixture of Experts (MoE) model showed extraordinary correlation with Alibaba’s Qwen 2.5 14B model, reported Reuters. The analysis alleged the model was derived through “upcycling” rather than being trained from scratch.

The public confrontation represents a dramatic shift from China’s previous unity in challenging Western AI dominance. Industry analysts say the infighting could undermine China’s ability to present a consolidated front against US-led competitors like OpenAI, Google DeepMind, and Anthropic.

HonestAGI’s GitHub analysis claimed a correlation coefficient of 0.927 between the two models, using what it called “model fingerprinting” to identify patterns that supposedly revealed one model’s derivation from another.

Noah Ark Lab responded that its model was “not based on incremental training of other manufacturers’ models” and featured “key innovations in architecture design and technical features.” The company emphasized that Pangu Pro was the first large-scale model built entirely on Huawei’s Ascend chips, the report added.

“This dispute actually points to changing dynamics of the Chinese AI ecosystem’s speed of maturity and pressure to remain relevant and compete to foster innovation faster than the traditional collaborative approach, which we have seen,” said Neil Shah, VP for research and partner at Counterpoint Research.

Competition reaches fever pitch

The controversy escalated when an alleged Huawei insider posted detailed accusations about systematic model copying within the company. The anonymous whistleblower, claiming to be a Pangu team member, accused leadership of “cloning” both Alibaba’s Qwen and startup DeepSeek’s models while presenting them as original work.

“They had ‘cloned’ Qwen‑1.5 (110B), wrapped it in extra layers and changes — creating a pseudo‑135B ‘V2’ model,” the whistleblower wrote in the paper. “This rebranded model, with code still named ‘Qwen,’ was rolled out to clients.”

The allegations couldn’t be independently verified, and the whistleblower’s identity remains unknown.

The dispute comes as Chinese AI companies scramble after DeepSeek’s breakthrough R1 model release in January stunned Silicon Valley with its low-cost, high-performance approach. Alibaba rushed out its Qwen 2.5-Max model just weeks later, claiming superior performance across multiple benchmarks.

“What once was a state-aligned innovation drive is now being reshaped by market-led competition, where speed-to-scale often overrides transparency,” said Sanchit Vir Gogia, chief analyst and CEO at Greyhound Research.

Trust deficit emerges

This development has raised uncomfortable questions about credibility on all sides. Technical analysis of HonestAGI’s methodology revealed potential flaws, with researchers finding similar correlation patterns between unrelated models using the same fingerprinting technique. Critics also discovered fabricated references to non-existent research in HonestAGI’s paper.

“Also, this is a double-edged sword for China’s strategy to drive openness of the models where there could be potential derivations of the best models out there,” Shah added. “We have seen this happen with OpenAI-DeepSeek as well.”

The dispute highlights broader challenges facing the AI industry as development costs soar and model reuse becomes common. Vershita Srivastava, practice director at Everest Group, said the sector needs better tools to handle such controversies.

“The industry must adopt a comprehensive framework that includes advanced fingerprinting and watermarking techniques that can reliably trace model lineage,” Srivastava said.

The public nature of this dispute marks a turning point for China’s AI sector, which previously maintained at least a veneer of collaboration.

Gogia warned that the infighting could have lasting consequences beyond China’s borders. “This episode underscores that Chinese vendors are now operating under public scrutiny, and any erosion of trust could have lasting geopolitical and commercial consequences,” he said. The controversy may force enterprise buyers, especially in Southeast Asia and the Middle East, to reevaluate partnerships with Chinese AI providers.

The allegations have also exposed what Gogia calls the “growing inadequacy of conventional IP frameworks when applied to LLMs.” Parameter-level fingerprinting techniques offer promise but remain scientifically contested and legally untested.

Market divide

The feud highlights how China’s AI leaders target different markets while chasing the same prize. Alibaba’s Qwen family focuses on consumer applications with ChatGPT-like services and has been downloaded more than 40 million times since going open-source. Huawei’s Pangu models target enterprise clients in government, finance, and manufacturing.

Despite entering the large language model arena early with Pangu’s 2021 debut, Huawei has struggled to keep pace with rivals. The company open-sourced its Pangu Pro MoE models in June, hoping to boost adoption through free developer access.

The latest controversy underscores the urgent need for industry-wide standards. “Without agreed-upon definitions of derivation — particularly in models trained on shared corpora — vendors face an unclear compliance landscape,” Gogia noted. “This ambiguity creates space for weaponized accusations and erodes open-source collaboration.”

Srivastava emphasized the need for legal frameworks, saying it’s “imperative to establish clear definitions for derivative models and implement nuanced licensing frameworks that support responsible reuse, enforce appropriate attribution, and uphold usage restrictions.”

How this controversy resolves will set important precedents for intellectual property disputes in an increasingly competitive AI landscape. The success of nimble operations like DeepSeek has upended assumptions about what it takes to build cutting-edge AI, making bloated bureaucracies look more like liabilities than advantages.

Alibaba did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Linux admins, take a moment to breathe. We all know the mantra''full-disk encryption is the gold standard for safeguarding data at rest. But what if I told you there's a crack in the armor, lurking in the boot process itself? It's subtle, it's sneaky, but it's effective. A flaw in how Linux handles the early stages of booting can let an attacker sidestep your full-disk encryption and bring your system to its knees. No need for fancy malware or remote exploits''just a bit of physical access and a dash of clever manipulation.

It's no exaggeration to call sudo the cornerstone of Linux privilege management. It's one of the first utilities we configure on fresh installs, and it's baked into almost every Linux distribution by default. Which is precisely why reports of two significant vulnerabilities in sudo ''CVE-2025-32462 and CVE-2025-32463''are grabbing headlines and raising red flags. These are local privilege escalation flaws, and if they're exploited, an attacker could jump from a non-privileged user account straight into the shoes of the almighty root user.

Ingram Micro is facing a major cybersecurity crisis as a ransomware attack has triggered a multi-day IT outage, disrupting services for customers and partners across the globe. The outage, which reportedly began on July 3, has impacted several of the company’s core platforms and left it unable to process or ship orders.

Days after the incident occurred, on July 6, the global IT distribution giant officially confirmed detecting a ransomware attack. “Promptly after learning of the issue, the company took steps to secure the relevant environment, including proactively taking certain systems offline and implementing other mitigation measures,” the company said in a statement.

Once upon a time, signing into sites and apps was simple.

You remember those days, right? (They really weren’t that long ago, though by tech standards, it’s been roughly seven centuries.) All you’d do is remember a single username and password — or maybe put it on a Post-it and stick it to the bottom of your 11″ oatmeal-gray 7,000-lb. monitor monster, if you were really feeling fancy — and that’s it: You’d be ready to rush into whatever site or service you wanted, whenever the need arose.

Now, it’s a whole other story. If you’re following best practices, you’ve got unique, complex alphanumerical passwords for every single site and service you visit — managed by a password manager and supplemented by two-factor authentication. And if that isn’t enough, you’re increasingly being prompted to drop all of those elements and instead rely on a newer and even more mystifying method of authentication called a passkey.

Whether you’re a gadget-loving technophile or a perpetually befuddled technophobe — and whether you’re an individual tech user or part of a broader corporate organization — the one consistent reality about passkeys is that they’re confusing as all get-out. Their aim may be to simplify security around sign-ins, but in actuality, they create all sorts of uncertainty and unanswered questions.

Think of this as your one-stop spot to find those elusive answers.

Time to dive deep into passkeys and explore all the pressing questions about what they are, how they work, and how you can put ’em to proper use — without putting yourself in harm’s way.

First: What are passkeys, anyway?

Let’s start at the beginning: Passkeys are a relatively recent security feature that let you log in to an account simply by authenticating on a device with your fingerprint or face scan — or, in some cases, another screen lock mechanism (e.g., the PIN or passcode you put into your device when first firing it up).

In a sense, it’s kind of like two-factor authentication — only instead of typing in a traditional password and then verifying it’s you as a second step, you’re basically just jumping right to that second step with the knowledge that such action shows you’ve already unlocked an approved device and demonstrated your identity.

So how is that better than a password, in terms of security?

The idea is that passwords are inherently vulnerable, since they’re text-based codes that you type in or store somewhere and thus that someone else could potentially access or figure out (or find in one of the endless series of breaches we hear about these days).

With a passkey, that risky variable is eliminated. Instead, you’re signing in solely based on the fact that you’ve already unlocked your phone or computer — ideally using some manner of biometric authentication but at the very least using a PIN or passcode there — and thus have already proven who you are. And you set up a different passkey for each site or service, eliminating the possibility of reused credentials.

Plus, you personally have that device in front of you, which means a hacker couldn’t crack the code and pretend to be you without physically taking your device and being able to get past its lock screen.

That also means the long-standing issue of phishing — where someone tricks you into sharing your sign-in credentials so they can steal ’em — isn’t really even possible anymore (unless you’re tricked into skipping the passkey entirely and entering a traditional password somewhere along the way). And it means you’re no longer going through a cumbersome multistep process every time you need to sign into something, too, since passkeys streamline those steps and take the burden off of your shoulders.

How are passkeys even stored? Couldn’t someone still steal them?

On a technical level, the bits and bytes that make up a passkey are encrypted with public key cryptography — a fancy way of saying they rely on a pair of keys, one that’s public and one that’s stored privately on your local device — which makes them exceptionally difficult to crack or plunder.

That’s in large part because of the way the private key piece of the puzzle works: In short, the site you’re signing into never sees your private key and only receives confirmation that it’s present and valid. The key itself remains on your device, with encryption keeping it unreadable until the moment you authenticate. The actual passkey data is never transferred during the login, and there’s no real mechanism to even copy and paste it anywhere, like you would with a password, so the potential for a hacker to exploit it is pretty darn slim.

The one extra wrinkle is that for most people and purposes, the underlying (and encrypted) passkey data is synced to a service that’s connected to a secure account you own and thus can use to sign back in and restore the passkey on a different device. That’s the case with the Google Password Manager system associated with Android, with the iCloud Keychain system associated with iOS, and with most third-party password managers such as 1Password and Bitwarden, too.

But the version of the passkey stored in any such service is securely wrapped and not in any raw, readable, or exportable form. It’s only when the data is on your authenticated device that decryption occurs (locally, on the device) and the signing operation is able to take place — with your device’s secure hardware elements and your on-device authentication serving as key elements that couldn’t be replicated in any cloud environment.

As with any security system, one can’t say it’s 100% foolproof or impossible to be compromised. But, again, with all the layers in place and the reliance on local on-device mechanisms, the odds of any hack taking place seem fairly small — certainly much smaller than they’d be with a more conventional password or even password-plus-two-factor-authentication approach and the added points of vulnerability those situations present.

What about two-factor authentication, then? Does that still exist?

Two-factor authentication is absolutely still advisable in any traditional sign-in scenario, but with a passkey, nope: It’s not needed — since that first step (the password) is no longer relevant and the second factor (the passkey) is already built in and present.

If I lose the device where a passkey is stored, couldn’t someone else then use it?

An excellent question indeed. Since the device is already protected by a lock screen — which requires your authentication to get past — no one else should be able to get into the device at all, let alone get to a point where they’d be authenticating as you a second time and signing into something with your passkey.

And, of course, if you ever do lose a device, you’d be well-advised to tap into systems for remotely resetting it as soon as possible to erase all stored data and essentially eliminate any (even mostly theoretical) risk.

But if I lose the device — or even just reset it, or move into a new device — wouldn’t I then lose access to the passkeys stored on it?

It’s possible — and that’s where passkeys can get particularly perplexing.

Remember: In most situations, the underlying data is stored securely in a service that handles the passkey creation — Google Password Manager, iCloud Keychain, or any number of third-party password managers. That data isn’t usable or accessible in those places, but it is available for syncing to a secured device once you’re signed in and authenticated.

That means if you ever change devices for any reason, you can simply sign back in to the appropriate service and access your passkeys as needed in that new environment. Most services also allow you to create and manage multiple passkeys across multiple devices — as is the case with Google, for instance, via its universal Google Account website. And, if all else fails, most services will still allow you to sign in with your traditional password as a backup.

That aside, you can often opt to have a passkey stored on a physical security key (cue the confusion!), which is a USB or Bluetooth stick like the ones made by Yubico and Google. In those instances, the key is limited to that one single apparatus and can be used anywhere it’s connected, but if you lose it, it’s lost — so you’d want to be extra-cautious and aware of the risks (as well as extra-cognizant of any available backup methods) if you opt to go that route.

Speaking of options, can I have multiple passkeys for a single site?

Generally speaking, you can! It all depends on the specific device or service you’re using to create and store your passkeys, but with your Google account, for instance, you can create as many passkeys as you want across multiple secure devices so you always have options available.

Google allows you to create and manage multiple passkeys so you have plenty of ways to sign into an account.

JR Raphael / Foundry

All right — so where exactly can I use a passkey?

This is another area of complication: It’s a bit of a Wild West out there as far as passkey support is concerned right now, and there’s no great way to know if a service does — or doesn’t — let you create and use a passkey without just digging through its settings or waiting to see if it offers up the opportunity.

That being said, more and more professional-oriented apps and services are starting to add passkey support, and many of the common business-software contenders are already on board. You can create and use passkeys with apps by Apple, Google, Microsoft, Adobe, and HubSpot, for instance. Docusign, Notion, Stripe, LinkedIn, and Zoho are among the other companies also offering support.

It’s almost certainly not a comprehensive or up-to-the-minute database, but a crowdsourced site called Passkeys.directory has a helpful list of places where passkeys are presently available.

How do I even create a passkey in the first place?

Alas, there’s no simple, consistent process — as it really just depends on the specific site or service.

But generally speaking, if something supports passkeys in the first place, it’ll either automatically prompt you to create one as you’re signing in or encourage you to make your way into its security or sign-in settings to find the option to create a passkey there.

For a smattering of specific examples, here are the passkey-creating instructions for:

• Google
• Microsoft
• Apple
• Adobe
• HubSpot
• Notion

Got it. Once I have one, then, how do I actually use it?

My, you’re full of astute questions, aren’t you?

Again, the answer here varies somewhat depending on the specific site or service — as it’s up to each individual entity to determine how, exactly, its sign-in setup works. (Sensing a theme here yet?)

In general, though, once you’ve set up a passkey, you’ll either see an option to use it as a part of the standard sign-in process or see a confirmation automatically pop up confirming its presence at some point along the way.

Signing in with a passkey is typically just a matter of clicking a button and confirming your identity.

JR Raphael / Foundry

Is this all the same if I’m using an enterprise or company-connected account?

Mostly — and maybe. If your account is part of a company-associated team, there could be certain restrictions in place as to how and when you can put passkeys to use. If something isn’t working in the way you’d expect, you may need to check with your organization’s IT department or administrator to see what options are available and if any special permissions need to be granted.

In an enterprise environment, you may run into even more requirements about what specific sorts of apps or devices can be used to store your passkeys, especially if your organization is relying on a single-site sign-on (SSO) solution such as Microsoft Entra or Google’s SSO setup. Your company may require you to use a physical key, for instance, or a specific app such as Microsoft Authenticator.

But that aside, the actual setup and sign-in process for passkeys in enterprise and/or SSO environments shouldn’t be any different from setting up and signing in with a passkey in any other scenario.

Is it possible to say ‘passkey’ 10 times fast without slurring?

If you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything. I believe in you! (But please, for the sake of your professional future, limit your practicing to after-work hours.)

Does anyone ever request a passkey and accidentally get a pasty instead?

If only, my friend. If only.

In the latest episode of First Person we meet Daniel Avancini, an academic turned entrepreneur, analyst and business person turned coder. He tells us about how he doesn’t always know his final destination, but he understands the direction in which he wishes to travel and makes decisions so he heads that way. How he hedged (in his parlance) by keeping one foot in academia and one in corporate life.

Most of all Daniel has great advice for those starting out who are challenged by the impact of AI on the future of work: understand your passion and what you are great at, and add value by doing things that AI can’t do. Namely build relationships and generate insights in order to devise winning strategies. You can watch the interview here, listen to it here, or watch it in the box below:

First Person Meets… Daniel Avancini: Stay curious

“I’m a very curious person,” says Daniel Avancini. “I always loved to really understand deeply different subjects.”

He’s not lying. Daniel is an academic turned entrepreneur, an analyst and business person who shifted into writing code. When we met recently to record our episode of First Person he told us that he doesn’t always know his final destination, but he understands the direction in which he wishes to travel and makes decisions so he heads that way. In our chat he explains how he hedged (in his parlance) by keeping one foot in academia and another in corporate life. And from this comes wisdom. (See also: Where AI IT skills are needed most.)

AI plus human insights

“It’s a hard, hard time to start because of AI,” says Daniel. “You really need to understand what makes you different from everyone else. You can’t be just one more person because you could be replaced by AI as much as by another person. Understand what are your qualities, what you’re especially good at, and use that as a lever.”

It’s sound advice, but easy to say from the vantage point of a successful established career. I asked Daniel to give more context.

“If you like to write a lot, can you use that to be a better IT professional? Can you use those skills to build better sales pitches? I don’t know, but you have to understand how what do you connects with the organization’s goal and makes you different from everyone else,” says Daniel.

If an AI can do it, it’s going to do it. Which might mean letting go of skills and tactics at which you are good to focus on where you can add value. It requires a human to generate insights from data, to devise strategies, which is why organizations need the right people to be successful. Something that matters to Daniel as a founder and CEO of an organization in the services industry.

“What makes me proud is the team. Our leadership team started with us when they were really young, and now they lead projects with major corporations. To succeed we had to build a culture where people grow and learn a lot.”

From a business perspective this is a smart hedge against AI. Daniel believes he has the right people, they’re enthusiastic, and they’re pulling in the right direction because they like what they do and who they work with. Supported by judicious use of AI tools and data this may be what the future of the knowledge industry looks like. The question is: how do you become part of that future?

How to start a career in the AI age

“It’s a very challenging time for everyone. Especially people that are at university right now,” says Daniel, who has a positive spin on the impact of AI. “There will be a lot of work for most people.”

But those people will have to be flexible and adapt. “There were magazines, then there were digital magazines. Then there’s blogging, then there’s no blogging. Then there’s social media.”

“Technology changes, but the human aspiration – what people like, what people do, what people consume – doesn’t change that quickly. Focus on those things, and see how AI or technology in general will help you get there – and adapt. I don’t want to write a 50-page report every week, I’ll leave AI to do that. I want to do the analysis,” says Daniel. “I want the insights. Process insights and think about actions, don’t just do the reports.” (See also: How to train your staff for AI.)

A significant number of workplace managers are using generative AI (genAI) tools — particularly OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, and Google Gemini — to make critical personnel decisions, including who gets promoted, who gets a raise and who gets fired, a new survey found.

The online survey by Resume Builder was conducted in late June and included 1,342 US managers; it showed 60% of them now use genAI tools to make critical decisions about their direct reports. Among those managers, 78% use the technology to determine raises, 77% for promotions, 66% for layoffs, and 64% for terminations, with more than one in five frequently allowing genAI to make final decisions without human input.

Those surveyed by Resume Builder needed a college degree, had to be over 25, work in management, and work at a company with 12 or more employees.

About 65% of managers said they use genAI tools at work, and among them, nearly all (94%) use them to make decisions about the people who report to them. Nearly half of managers surveyed said they use genAI all the time or often for several workplace tasks.

Despite that growing use, two-thirds of managers lack genAI training, and nearly half have been asked whether genAI could replace their teams, the survey found.

Resume Builder

About 46% of respondents using genAI in people management said they were tasked with evaluating whether the technology could replace a position. Among those managers, 57% determined it could — and 43% followed through and replaced the human position with genAI, according to Resume Builder.

Employers and job seekers are increasingly using genAI to streamline tasks like candidate short-listing and resume writing, and data shows it boosts success in landing jobs or finding the right hire. For overworked human resources and hiring managers, genAI can create a short list of potential candidates in seconds — and automate much of the onboarding process.

On the downside, genAI can sometimes overlook qualified candidates due to biased or narrow criteria.

Another recent study by TestGorilla revealed one in five US and UK employers now use genAI tools for initial candidate interviews, making genAI-based hiring mainstream.

Seven in 10 of employers use genAI in hiring, but only 38% seek AI-specific skills — that’s down from 52% last year — as they now value human talents such as critical thinking and communication. Fifty-seven percent of US employers have dropped college degree requirements; 74% use skills tests, according to TestGorilla.

When managers surveyed by Resume Builder were asked which tool they rely on most, ChatGPT took the top spot (53%), Microsoft’s Copilot was second with (29%), while 16% said they mostly use Google’s Gemini. Just 3% said they primarily use a different genAI tool.

Managers use genAI to manage teams in a variety of ways. Nearly all (97%) use it to create training materials, 94% to build employee development plans, 91% to assess performance, and 88% to draft performance improvement plans (PIPs), Resume Builder found. Among managers who use AI to help manage their teams, fully 71% express confidence in its ability to make fair and unbiased decisions about employees.

More than a fifth of the managers allow genAI to make decisions without human input either all the time (5%) or often (16%), while another 24% sometimes do. However, nearly all said they are willing to step in if they disagree with an AI-driven recommendation.

Even so, only 32% of those using the technology to manage people said they’ve received formal training on ethically using it, while 43% have received informal guidance. And 24% said they’ve received no training at all.

Stacie Haller, chief career advisor at Resume Builder, said risks arise when managers rely on genAI to make decisions without proper training. While it can aid decision-making, genAi lacks empathy and context. Its outputs also reflect potentially flawed data, so ethical use is key to avoiding liability and preserving trust, according to Haller.

“It’s essential not to lose the ‘people’ in people management,” she said. “Organizations have a responsibility to implement AI ethically to avoid legal liability, protect their culture, and maintain trust among employees.”

Haller said companies encourage managers to use genAI to improve efficiency, enable faster decision-making, reduce overhead, and support data-driven insights that enhance productivity and scalability. But for it to be truly effective in people management, it must be implemented thoughtfully, used responsibly, and always paired with human oversight.

“Organizations must provide proper training and clear guidelines around AI, or they risk unfair decisions and erosion of employee trust,” she said.

Windows 11 24H2 has been released, but behind the scenes, Microsoft is constantly working to improve the newest version of Windows. The company frequently rolls out public preview builds to members of its Windows Insider Program, allowing them to test out — and even help shape — upcoming features.

Skip to the latest builds

The Windows Insider program is divided into four channels:

• The Canary Channel is where platform changes (such as major updates to the Windows kernel and new APIs) are previewed. These changes are not tied to a particular Windows release and may never ship at all. Little documentation is provided, and builds are likely to be very unstable. This channel is best for highly technical users.
• The Dev Channel is where new features are introduced for initial testing, regardless of which Windows release they’ll eventually end up in. This channel is best for technical users and developers and builds in it may be unstable and buggy.
• In the Beta Channel, you’ll get more polished features that will be deployed in the next major Windows release. This channel is best for early adopters, and Microsoft says your feedback in this channel will have the most impact.
• The Release Preview Channel typically doesn’t see action until shortly before a new feature update is rolled out. It’s meant for final testing of an upcoming release and is best for those who want the most stable builds.

The Beta and Release Preview Channels also receive bug-fix builds for the currently shipping version of Windows 11. See “How to preview and deploy Windows 10 and 11 updates” for more details about the four channels and how to switch to a different channel.

Not everyone can participate in the Windows 11 Insider program, because the new operating system has more stringent system requirements than Windows 10. If your PC fails to meet the minimum hardware requirements for Windows 11, you cannot join the Windows 11 Insider Program. (See “How to check if your PC can run Windows 11.”)

Below you’ll find information about the Windows 11 preview builds that have been announced by Microsoft in the past six months. (For the Release Preview Channel, we cover builds released for the current version of Windows 11, not for earlier versions.) For each build, we’ve included the date of its release, which Insider channel it was released to, a summary of what’s in the build, and a link to Microsoft’s announcement about it.

Note: If you’re looking for information about updates being rolled out to all Windows 11 users, not previews for Windows Insiders, see “Windows 11: A guide to the updates.”

The latest Windows 11 Insider preview builds Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27891 

Release date: July 3, 2025

Released to: Canary Channel

In this build, Windows PowerShell 2.0 has been removed. A number of bugs have also been fixed, including one in which the “Reset this PC” option under Settings > System > Recovery did not work.

There are three known issues in this build, including one in which if you are joining the Canary Channel on a new Copilot+ PC from the Dev Channel, Release Preview Channel, or retail, you will lose Windows Hello PIN and biometrics to sign into your PC. You should be able to re-create your PIN by clicking Set up my PIN.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27891.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.4520

Release date: June 27, 2025

Released to: Beta Channel

Those in the Beta Channel who have turned the toggle on to receive the latest updates get new features being rolled out gradually, including 1Password passkey integration in beta.

The same group also gets a variety of bug fixes rolled out gradually, including one for a bug in which File Explorer Home crashed, potentially also making File Explorer crash on launch, since Home is the default section for File Explorer.

There are seven known issues in this build, including one in which using touch to navigate the new Start menu may not work reliably. For example, it currently does not support the swipe-up gesture.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.4520.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26200.5670

Release date: June 27, 2025

Released to: Dev Channel

Those in the Dev Channel who have turned the toggle on to receive the latest updates get new features being rolled out gradually, including 1Password passkey integration in beta.

The same group also gets a variety of bug fixes rolled out gradually, including one for a bug in which File Explorer Home crashed, potentially also making File Explorer crash on launch, since Home is the default section for File Explorer.

Everyone in the Dev Channel gets two bug fixes, including one that addresses the Windows Vista boot sound playing instead of the Windows 11 boot sound.

There are seven known issues in this build, including one in which using touch to navigate the new Start menu may not work reliably. For example, it currently does not support the swipe-up gesture.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26200.5670.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.4452

Release date: June 23, 2025

Released to: Beta Channel

In this build, Copilot+ PCs get a new Windows Recall homepage, which shows you your most recent snapshots so you can quickly return to what you were previously doing, and also displays the top three apps and websites you have spent the most time on in the past 24 hours.

In addition, those in the Beta Channel who have turned the toggle on to receive the latest updates get new features being rolled out gradually, including the option to move the hardware indicators for brightness, volume, airplane mode, and virtual desktops to different positions on your screen.

Some additional improvements are being gradually rolled out to the same group, including the addition of a Boolean to the Configure Start Pins policy to allow admins to apply Start menu pins once. This means that a user will receive admin pins on day 0 but can then make any changes to their Start pinned layout and have those safeguarded. These changes can be optionally applied through the existing configuration service provider (CSP).

A handful of bug fixes are rolling out to the same group, including one that addresses an issue in which File Explorer Home only showed a single folder (like Desktop) and nothing else for some people.

Several bugs have been fixed for everyone in the Beta Channel, including one in which the Windows Vista boot sound played instead of the Windows 11 boot sound.

There are 10 known issues in this build, including one in which 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.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.4452.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26200.5661

Release date: June 23, 2025

Released to: Dev Channel

In this build, Copilot+ PCs get a new Windows Recall homepage, which shows you your most recent snapshots so you can quickly return to what you were previously doing, and also displays the top three apps and websites you have spent the most time on in the past 24 hours.

In addition, those in the Dev Channel who have turned the toggle on to receive the latest updates get new features being rolled out gradually, including the option to move the hardware indicators for brightness, volume, airplane mode, and virtual desktops to different positions on your screen.

The same group also gets a variety of bug fixes rolled out gradually, including one for a bug in which the File Explorer Home only showed a single folder (like Desktop) and nothing else for some people.

Everyone in the Dev Channel gets several bug fixes, including for one in which the Windows Vista boot sound played instead of the Windows 11 boot sound.

There are 10 known issues in this build, including one in which after you do a PC reset under Settings > System > Recovery, your build version may incorrectly show as Build 26100 instead of Build 26200. This will not prevent you from getting future Dev Channel updates, which will resolve this issue.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26200.5661.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27881 

Release date: June 19, 2025

Released to: Canary Channel

This build introduces speech recapto Narrator. It lets you keep track of what Narrator has said and offers access to it for quick reference. With it, you can quickly access spoken content, follow along with live transcription, and copy what Narrator last said, using keyboard shortcuts.

A number of bugs have also been fixed, including one in which File Explorer crashed when the user tapped the View button using touch.

There are four known issues in this build, including one in which if you are joining the Canary Channel on a new Copilot+ PC from the Dev Channel, Release Preview Channel, or retail, you will lose Windows Hello PIN and biometrics to sign into your PC. You should be able to re-create your PIN by clicking Set up my PIN.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27881.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26100.4482 (KB5060829)

Release date: June 19, 2025

Released to: Release Preview Channel

This build gradually rolls out a number of new features, including automatic icon resizing in the taskbar to fit more apps, and a new Screen Curtain feature that blacks out the screen while Narrator reads content aloud. Also new is the ability add custom words to the dictionary in voice access.

In addition, several bug fixes are being immediately rolled out, including one that improves the Copilot key’s reliability and resolves an issue that prevented users from restarting Copilot after using the key.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26100.4482.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.4441

Release date: June 13, 2025

Released to: Beta Channel

In this build, those with Copilot+ PCs in the European Economic area get the option to export their Recall snapshots to be shared with third-party apps and websites. When they open Recall for the first time and opt into saving snapshots, they will be shown their unique Recall export code. The Recall export code will be needed if they ever choose to export their Recall snapshots to share with a trusted app or website in the future.

Those in the Beta Channel who have turned the toggle on to receive the latest updates get a variety of new features being gradually rolled out, including a bigger clock with seconds in the notification center.

The same group also gets a variety of bug fixes rolled out gradually, including one for an issue in which folders opened outside of File Explorer would open it in a new File Explorer tab, but the tab wasn’t put in focus.

There are nine known issues in this build, including one in which 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.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.4441.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26200.5651

Release date: June 13, 2025

Released to: Dev Channel

In this build, Copilot+ PCs get agents that can help make it easier to find and change settings on PCs. Rather than dig through settings, you’ll be able to simply describe what you need help with like, “how to control my PC by voice” or “my mouse pointer is too small” and an agent will recommend the right steps you can take to address the issue.

In addition, those in the Dev Channel who have turned the toggle on to receive the latest updates get a variety of new features being gradually rolled out, including a bigger clock with seconds in the notification center.

The same group also gets a variety of bug fixes rolled out gradually, including one for an issue in which folders opened outside of File Explorer would open it in a new File Explorer tab, but the tab wasn’t put in focus.

There are 13 known issues in this build, including one in which after you do a PC reset under Settings > System > Recovery, your build version may incorrectly show as Build 26100 instead of Build 26200. This will not prevent you from getting future Dev Channel updates, which will resolve this issue.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26200.5651.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.4250 

Release date: June 9, 2025

Released to: Beta Channel

Those in the Beta Channel who have turned the toggle on to receive the latest updates get a variety of new features being gradually rolled out, including a larger scrollable Start menu. The menu automatically resizes itself according to the size of your screen, and offers two views, category and grid. In addition, the “Search permissions” and “Searching Windows” settings pages have been combined so you can access all the Windows Search settings under a single page via Settings > Privacy & security > Search.

The same group also gets a variety of bug fixes rolled out gradually, including one for a bug in which input did not work for some Insiders, including when typing into Search, and with the Chinese pinyin IME candidate window, clipboard history, and the emoji panel.

For everyone in the Beta Channel, the build fixes a bug in which some people might have seen severe discoloration when connecting their PC to some older Dolby Vision displays.

There are nine known issues in this build, including one in which 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.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.4250.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26200.5641

Release date: June 9, 2025

Released to: Dev Channel

Those in the Dev Channel who have turned the toggle on to receive the latest updates get a variety of new features being gradually rolled out, including a larger scrollable Start menu. The menu automatically resizes itself according to the size of your screen, and offers two views, category and grid. In addition, the “Search permissions” and “Searching Windows” settings pages have been combined so you can access all the Windows Search settings under a single page via Settings > Privacy & security > Search.

The same group also gets a variety of bug fixes rolled out gradually, including one for a bug in which input did not work for some Insiders, including when typing into Search, and with the Chinese pinyin IME candidate window, clipboard history, and the emoji panel.

For everyone in the Dev Channel, the build fixes a bug in which some people might have seen severe discoloration when connecting their PC to some older Dolby Vision displays.

There are 12 known issues in this build, including one in which after you do a PC reset under Settings > System > Recovery, your build version may incorrectly show as Build 26100 instead of Build 26200. This will not prevent you from getting future Dev Channel updates, which will resolve this issue.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26200.5641.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27871 

Release date: June 4, 2025

Released to: Canary Channel

In this build, IT administrators can use Microsoft Intune to control the energy saver settings on Windows 11 PCs through group policies and MDM configurations.

A number of bugs have also been fixed, including one in which when Virtualization Based Security was enabled, applications dependent on virtualization, such as VMware Workstation, lost the ability to run unless the “Windows Hypervisor Platform” Windows optional component was installed on the system.

There are two known issues in this build, including one in which if you are joining the Canary Channel on a new Copilot+ PC from the Dev Channel, Release Preview Channel, or retail, you will lose Windows Hello PIN and biometrics to sign into your PC. You should be able to re-create your PIN by clicking Set up my PIN.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27871.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.4230 

Release date: June 2, 2025

Released to: Beta Channel

Those in the Beta Channel who have turned the toggle on to receive the latest updates get a new dedicated settings page for quick machine recovery, which can be found under System > Recovery > Quick machine recovery. This makes it easier to manage recovery options directly from Settings. This is being gradually rolled out.

A variety of bug fixes are being rolled out gradually to the same group, including one addressing a bug that caused File Explorer to crash performing various actions, such as when deleting files. 

For everyone in the Beta Channel, a bug is fixed in which when Virtualization Based Security was enabled, applications dependent on virtualization, such as VMware Workstation, would lose the ability to run unless the “Windows Hypervisor Platform” Windows optional component is installed on the system.

There are nine known issues in this build, including one in which 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.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.4230.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26200.5622 

Release date: June 2, 2025

Released to: Dev Channel

In this build, those with Copilot+ PCs get a new action in Click to Do, Draft with Copilot in Word. Select text, press the Windows key and click simultaneously, and choose Draft with Copilot in Word. Copilot will create an initial draft based on the text.

Those in the Dev Channel who have turned the toggle on to receive the latest updates get new features being rolled out gradually, including quick machine recovery, designed to help Windows 11 devices recover from widespread boot issues by applying remediations through the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE).

The same group also gets several bug fixes, including for an issue in which File Explorer crashed when performing various actions, such as deleting files.

There are eight known issues in this build, including one in which taskbar icons may appear small even though the setting to show smaller taskbar buttons is configured as “never.”

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26200.5622.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27868 

Release date: May 29, 2025

Released to: Canary Channel

In this build, voice access has been redesigned to help you more easily discover and learn about new features. You can launch or dismiss this new experience from the settings menu.

Several bugs have been fixed, including one that was causing pen input to be non-responsive on some PCs.

There are six known issues in this build, including one in which if you are joining the Canary Channel on a new Copilot+ PC from the Dev Channel, Release Preview Channel, or retail, you will lose Windows Hello PIN and biometrics to sign into your PC. You should be able to re-create your PIN by clicking Set up my PIN.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27868.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.4161 

Release date: May 23, 2025

Released to: Beta Channel

This build begins the rollout of a new Click-to-Do action that uses Microsoft’s Copilot AI assistant to rewrite or elaborate on selected text. To get started, select text, then press the Windows key and click, then choose the Draft with Copilot in Word action. (This feature requires a Microsoft 365 Copilot license.)

In addition, those in the Beta Channel who have turned the toggle on to receive the latest updates get several new features, including the ability to add, remove, and rearrange lock screen widgets such as Weather, Watchlist, Sports, Traffic, and more. Any widget that supports the small sizing option can be added here. To customize your lock screen widgets, navigate to Settings > Personalization > Lock screen. Note that these features are being rolled out gradually.

Those in the Beta Channel who have turned the toggle on to receive the latest updates also get a variety of bug fixes rolled out gradually, including one for a bug in which the Describe image feature of narrator wasn’t working.

There are nine known issues in this build, including one in which 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.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.4161.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27863 

Release date: May 23, 2025

Released to: Canary Channel

This build adds support for post-quantum signature algorithm ML-DSA in NCrypt and BCrypt cryptography API surfaces, as well as Crypt32 certificate APIs. Three variants are supported, ML-DSA 44, 65, and 87. 

Several bugs have been fixed, including one in which Windows Sandbox was not working and showed error 0xc0370106 on launch.

There are six known issues in this build, including one in which if you are joining the Canary Channel on a new Copilot+ PC from the Dev Channel, Release Preview Channel, or retail, you will lose Windows Hello PIN and biometrics to sign into your PC. You should be able to re-create your PIN by clicking Set up my PIN.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27863.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.4151

Release date: May 19, 2025

Released to: Beta Channel

Those in the Beta Channel who have turned the toggle on to receive the latest updates get several new features, including AI actions in File Explorer, which offers a set of AI-related tools when you right-click a file. For now, the only AI tools available are for image files, including Bing Visual Search for searching the web using an image instead of text, as well as several AI-related image-editing capabilities. Eventually, other features will be added, such as summarizing documents using Copilot. These features, including the ones related to images, are being rolled out gradually.

The same group also gets a variety of bug fixes being rolled out gradually, including one that addresses a bug in which if File Explorer was maximized and you clicked the new tab button, it would unmaximize the window.

There are 12 known issues in this build, including one in which 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.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.4151.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26200.5603

Release date: May 19, 2025

Released to: Dev Channel

Those in the Dev Channel who have turned the toggle on to receive the latest updates get several new features, including AI actions in File Explorer, which offers a set of AI-related tools when you right-click a file. For now, the only AI tools available are for image files, including Bing Visual Search for searching the web using an image instead of text, as well as several AI-related image-editing capabilities. Eventually, other features will be added, such as summarizing documents using Copilot. These features, including the ones related to images, are being rolled out gradually.

The same group also gets a variety of bug fixes being rolled out gradually, including one that addresses a bug in which if File Explorer was maximized and you clicked the new tab button, it would unmaximize the window.

There are 13 known issues in this build, including one in which after you do a PC reset under Settings > System > Recovery, your build version may incorrectly show as Build 26100 instead of Build 26200. This will not prevent you from getting future Dev Channel updates, which will resolve this issue.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26200.5603.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26100.4188 (KB5058499)

Release date: May 19, 2025

Released to: Release Preview Channel

This build gradually rolls out a wide variety of new features, including a new Copilot action in Click to Do. When you highlight text or an image, Click to Do offers an Ask Copilot option. Selecting it opens Microsoft Copilot with your content in the prompt box. You can send the selected text or image directly to the Copilot app to complete your prompt.

In addition, IT admins can manage energy saver settings on Windows 11 PCs through group policies and MDM configurations using Microsoft Intune. This feature helps extend battery life by limiting background activity, dimming the screen, and contributing to environmental sustainability. To configure the policy, go to the Local Group Policy under Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > System > Power Management > Energy Saver Settingsand select Enable Energy Saver to Always Be On.

A number of bug fixes are also being gradually rolled out, including one for a bug in which Settings crashed at times when loading information about Bluetooth devices.

Several bugs are being fixed immediately, including one in which some devices with BitLocker on removable drives encountered a blue screen error after resuming from sleep or hybrid-booting.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26100.4188.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27858

Release date: May 16, 2025

Released to: Canary Channel

This build includes a new system tray icon on the taskbar that makes it easier to find and use emojis, GIFs, Kaomoji, etc. It also fixes a variety of bugs, including an explorer.exe crash related to snap layouts, which happened when dragging a window or hovering over the maximize button in a window.

There are four known issues in this build, including one in which if you are joining the Canary Channel on a new Copilot+ PC from the Dev Channel, Release Preview Channel, or retail, you will lose Windows Hello PIN and biometrics to sign into your PC. You should be able to re-create your PIN by clicking Set up my PIN.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27858.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.3964

Release date: May 12, 2025

Released to: Beta Channel

This build introduces a new agent in Settings on Snapdragon-powered Copilot+ PCS. Using it, you can describe what you need help with, such as “how to control my PC by voice” or “my mouse pointer is too small,” and the agent will recommend steps you can take to address the issue. Support for AMD- and Intel-powered Copilot+ PCs is coming soon.

Those in the Beta Channel who have turned the toggle on to receive the latest updates get new features being rolled out gradually, including a new FAQs section on the Settings > System > Aboutpage to provide help with using your PC.

The same group also gets a variety of bug fixes being rolled out gradually, including for an issue that caused live captions to crash and another that could make some apps like Word hang when trying to print.

There are 12 known issues in this build, including one in which 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.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.3964.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26200.5600

Release date: May 12, 2025

Released to: Dev Channel

This build introduces a new set of intelligent text actions using Click to Do on AMD- and Intel-powered Copilot+ PCs. You can Use Win key + mouse-click or Win key + Q to select a text block and drag to select the text that you want. You’ll see options to summarize, create a bulleted list, or to help you rewrite your text so it sounds more causal, more formal, or more polished.

A wide variety of bug fixes are being rolled out gradually to those in the Dev Channel who have turned the toggle on to receive the latest updates, including for an issue that caused File Explorer Home to hang when loading and another that caused live captions to crash.

There are 10 known issues in this build, including one in which after you do a PC reset under Settings > System > Recovery, your build version may incorrectly show as Build 26100 instead of Build 26200. This will not prevent you from getting future Dev Channel updates, which will resolve this issue.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26200.5600.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.3950

Release date: May 5, 2025

Released to: Beta Channel

Those in the Beta Channel who have turned the toggle on to receive the latest updates get new features being rolled out gradually, including one that gives IT administrators the ability to use Microsoft Intune to control energy savings on Windows 11 PCs through group policies and MDM configurations.

The same group also gets a variety of bug fixes, including for a bug in which Windows’ startup sound would not play, even though it was enabled.

There are nine known issues in this build, including one in which 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.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.3950.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26200.5581

Release date: May 5, 2025

Released to: Dev Channel

In this build, those in the Dev Channel who have turned the toggle on to receive the latest updates get new features being rolled out gradually, including one that gives IT administrators the ability to use Microsoft Intune to control energy savings on Windows 11 PCs through group policies and MDM configurations.

The same group gets several new bug fixes, including for a bug in which Windows’ startup sound would not play, even though it was enabled.

There are seven known issues in this build, including one in which live captions have been crashing.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26200.5570.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.3941

Release date: April 25, 2025

Released to: Beta Channel

In this build, those in the Beta Channel who have turned the toggle on to receive the latest updates get several new features and minor improvements, including a new profanity filter setting for voice typing. This group will also have several bugs fixed, including one that caused apps to appear blank, and another in which Windows Hello facial recognition would not work for login for some Insiders. The new feature and bug fixes are gradually rolling out.

Everyone in the Beta Channel gets a fix for a bug that caused Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) to not work and the option “Fix problems using Windows Update” option under Settings > Recovery to also not work.

There are 13 known issues in this build, including one in which 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.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.3941.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26200.5570

Release date: April 25, 2025

Released to: Dev Channel

In this build, those in the Dev Channel who have turned the toggle on to receive the latest updates get several new features and minor improvements, including a new profanity filter setting for voice typing. This group will also have several bugs fixed, including one that caused apps to appear blank, and another in which Windows Hello facial recognition would not work for login for some Insiders.

Everyone in the Dev Channel  gets a fix for a bug that caused Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) to not work and the option “Fix problems using Windows Update” option under Settings > Recovery to also not work.

There are six known issues in this build, including one in which Windows Sandbox may fail to launch with a 0x800705b4 error. If this occurs, try reinstalling Sandbox by unchecking Sandbox under “Turn Windows features on or off” to uninstall it, then reboot, go back to “Turn Windows features on or off” and check Sandbox to reinstall it and reboot again.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26200.5570.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27842

Release date: April 23, 2025

Released to: Canary Channel

This build previews a new UI that is used when a PC unexpectedly restarts. It also fixes a variety of bugs, including one in which the Smart App Control icon wasn’t displaying correctly in the Windows Security app.

There are four known issues in this build, including one in which if you are joining the Canary Channel on a new Copilot+ PC from the Dev Channel, Release Preview Channel, or retail, you will lose Windows Hello PIN and biometrics to sign into your PC. You should be able to re-create your PIN by clicking Set up my PIN.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27842.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26200.5562

Release date: April 21, 2025

Released to: Dev Channel

In this build, those with Copilot+ PCs get two new text actions in Click to Do, including the “Practice in Reading Coach” Click to Do action that can increase fluency and pronunciation.

In addition, those in the Dev Channel who have turned a toggle on to receive the latest updates get new features being rolled out gradually, including several improvements in voice access and to the notification widgets settings page, so that they can control the number of notifications per feed or dashboard. 

Those in the Dev Channel who have turned a toggle on to receive the latest updates get several bugs fixed, including one that was causing Start menu to crash when creating folders. Everyone in the Dev Channel gets additional bug fixes, including for a bug that didn’t allow some apps like Spotify to install from the Microsoft Store.

There are 14 known issues in this build, including one in which Windows Recall is unable to automatically save snapshots, and the setting can’t be turned on in Settings.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26200.5562.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.3872

Release date: April 21, 2025

Released to: Beta Channel

In this build, those with Copilot+ PCs get two new text actions in Click to Do, including the “Practice in Reading Coach” Click to Do action that can increase fluency and pronunciation.

In addition, those in the Beta Channel who have turned a toggle on to receive the latest updates get new features being rolled out gradually, including several improvements in voice access.

Those in the Beta Channel who have turned a toggle on to receive the latest updates get several bug fixes, including one that was causing Start menu to crash when creating folders. Everyone in the Beta Channel gets one bug fix, for a bug that didn’t allow some apps like Spotify to install from the Microsoft Store

There are 13 known issues in this build, including one in which 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.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.3872.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26200.5551

Release date: April 11, 2025

Released to: Dev Channel

This build begins the rollout of natural language search for settings in the Windows search box on the taskbar for users with Copilot+ PCs. For example, you can use your own words to find settings like “change my theme” or “about my PC.” You no longer need to remember the exact setting name you are looking for.

In addition, those in the Dev Channel who have turned the toggle on to receive the latest updates get new features being rolled out gradually, including one in which you can read content such as full articles, slideshows, and videos directly within your MSN feed in the widgets board.

Those in the Dev Channel who have turned the toggle on to receive the latest updates get several bug fixes, including for a bug that caused File Explorer Home to crash for some Insiders. Everyone in the Dev Channel gets a fix for Windows Sandbox, which was not working.

There are 12 known issues in this build, including one in which Windows Recall is unable to automatically save snapshots, and the setting can’t be turned on in Settings.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26200.5551.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.3863

Release date: April 11, 2025

Released to: Beta Channel

This build begins the rollout of natural language search for settings in the Windows search box on the taskbar for users with Copilot+ PCs. For example, you can use your own words to find settings like “change my theme” or “about my PC.” You no longer need to remember the exact setting name you are looking for.

In addition, those in the Beta Channel who have turned the toggle on to receive the latest updates get new features being rolled out gradually, including one in which you can read content such as full articles, slideshows, and videos directly within your MSN feed in the widgets board.

Those in the Beta Channel who have turned a toggle on to receive the latest updates get several bug fixes, including for a bug that caused File Explorer Home to crash for some Insiders. Everyone in the Beta Channel gets a fix for Windows Sandbox, which was not working.

There are 14 known issues in this build, including one in which 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.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.3863.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26100.3902 (KB5055627)

Release date: April 10, 2025

Released to: Release Preview Channel

This build gradually rolls out several new features for Copilot+ PCs, including Windows Recall (preview) in which you can quickly find and get back to any app, website, image, or document by describing its content. To use Recall, you need to opt in to saving snapshots, which are images of your activity, and enroll in Windows Hello to confirm your presence so only you can access them. Those with Copilot+ PCs can also search by describing what they’re looking for, without having to remember file names, exact words in file content, or settings names. 

A number of new features are being rolled out immediately for all PCs, not just Copilot+ PCs, including one in which you get an estimated time for how long your PC will be offline to install updates from Windows Update. Several bugs are also being fixed, including one in which some content pages with JPEG images were not displaying.

There is one known issue in this build, in which Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) may not work, and you may not be able to use the “Fix problems using Windows Update” option under Settings > Recovery.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26100.3902.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26200.5518

Release date: April 3, 2025

Released to: Dev Channel

Those in the Dev Channel who have opted to receive the latest updates get several new features that are being rolled out gradually, including taskbar icon scaling — when your taskbar starts to get crowded with pinned or open apps, the icons automatically scale down to a smaller size. This lets you keep more apps visible and accessible without having to use a secondary menu.

Dev Channel users who have opted to receive the latest updates get three bug fixes, one in which external graphics cards connected over Thunderbolt were unexpectedly not discoverable in some cases; another in which Hyper-V Manager erroneously reported 0% CPU usage for VMs in some scenarios; and another for those with Copilot+ PCs who saw semantic search stop working until their PCs were rebooted.

There are 11 known issues in this build, including one in which Recall is unable to automatically save snapshots, and the setting can’t be turned on in Settings.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26200.5518.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.3671

Release date: April 3, 2025

Released to: Beta Channel

Those in the Beta Channel who agreed to receive the latest updates get several new features being rolled out gradually, including taskbar icon scaling — when your taskbar starts to get crowded with pinned or open apps, the icons automatically scale down to a smaller size. This lets you keep more apps visible and accessible without having to use a secondary menu.

Those in the Beta Channel who get the latest updates get two bug fixes, one in which external graphics cards connected over Thunderbolt were unexpectedly not discoverable in some cases, and another in which Hyper-V Manager erroneously reported 0% CPU usage for VMs in some scenarios.

There are 12 known issues in this build, including one in which 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.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.3671.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26200.5516

Release date: March 28, 2025

Released to: Dev Channel

This build includes improved search tools for AMD and Intel-powered Copilot+ PCs. When searching in File Explorer, the Windows search box on the taskbar, or in Settings, you can type plain-English searches without having to remember file names, exact words in file content, or settings names. In addition, those with AMD and Intel-powered Copilot+ PCs can find photos in the cloud by using plain-English searches.

Those who have turned on the toggle to receive changes as soon as they come out get a speech recap in Narrator which keeps track of what Narrator has spoken and access it for quick reference. They also get a variety of changes and improvements, including one in which on Copilot+ PCs, they can now access Click to Do from the Start menu and can pin it to Start and the taskbar.

They also receive a variety of bug fixes, including one in which File Explorer was very slow to close for some Insiders when closing it using the X button.

Everyone in the Dev Channel gets a bug fixed in which the toggle to get the latest updates as soon they are available via Settings > Windows Update didn’t render correctly and turned itself off.

There are 13 known issues in this build, including one in which Windows Recall is unable to automatically save snapshots, and the setting can’t be turned on in Settings.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26200.5516.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.3653

Release date: March 28, 2025

Released to: Beta Channel

Those in the Beta Channel who have turned a toggle on to receive the latest updates get several new features being rolled out gradually, including a speech recap feature in Narrator that keeps track of what Narrator has spoken and lets you access it for quick reference. There are also a variety of changes and improvements, including one in which on Copilot+ PCs, users can now access Click to Do from the Start menu and can pin it to Start and the taskbar.

Those in the Beta Channel who have turned a toggle on to receive the latest updates get several bug fixes, including for a bug in which the taskbar icons weren’t increasing in size as they should when using your PC in a tablet posture.

Two bugs are fixed for everyone in the Beta Channel, including one in which the toggle to get the latest updates as soon they are available via Settings > Windows Update did not render correctly and automatically turned itself off.

There are 13 known issues in this build, including one in which 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 that will resolve this issue.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.3653.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27823

Release date: March 26, 2025

Released to: Canary Channel

This update, in the words of Microsoft, “includes a small set of general improvements and fixes that improve the overall experience” of using Windows. It also includes new “top cards” under Settings > System > About. Top cards provide an easy way to view your PC’s key specifications—processor, RAM, storage, and GPU.

The build fixes a variety of bugs, including one in which Settings could crash when interacting with Bluetooth & Devices > Cameras.

There are three known issues in this build, including one in which if you are joining the Canary Channel on a new Copilot+ PC from the Dev Channel, Release Preview Channel, or retail, you will lose Windows Hello PIN and biometrics to sign into your PC. You should be able to re-create your PIN by clicking Set up my PIN.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27823.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.3585

Release date: March 24, 2025

Released to: Beta Channel

This build includes improved search tools for AMD and Intel-powered Copilot+ PCs. When searching in File Explorer, the Windows search box on the taskbar, or in Settings, you can type plain-English searches without having to remember file names, exact words in file content, or settings names. In addition, those with AMD and Intel-powered Copilot+ PCs can find photos in the cloud by using plain-English searches.

Those in the Beta Channel who have turned the toggle on to receive the latest updates get several bug fixes, including for a bug in which File Explorer was very slow to close via the X button.

Two bugs are fixed for everyone in the Beta Channel, including one in which the toggle to get the latest updates as they are available via Settings > Windows Update did not render correctly and automatically turned itself off.

There are 16 known issues in this build, including one in which Windows Recall is unable to automatically save snapshots.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.3585.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26200.5510

Release date: March 24, 2025

Released to: Dev Channel

In this build the Dev Channel is jumping ahead to receive 26200 series builds. This means that once you install it, you cannot switch to the Beta Channel. If you are in the Dev Channel and want to switch to the Beta Channel, don’t install this build. Instead, pause updates in Windows Update, switch your channel to the Beta Channel and then un-pause updates.

There are 11 known issues in this build, including one in which Windows Recall is unable to automatically save snapshots, and the setting can’t be turned on in Settings.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26200.5510.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26100.3624 (KB5053656)

Release date: March 24, 2025

Released to: Release Preview Channel

This build gradually rolls out several new features for Snapdragon-powered Copilot+ PCs, including natural-language search in Windows Search. Just describe what you’re looking for without having to remember specific file names, exact words in file content, or settings names.

In addition, the build includes the same set of improvements and bug fixes as a previous build, Build 26100.3613, such as Natural Language Commanding in voice access, available initially on Snapdragon-powered Copilot+ PCs.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26100.3624.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27818

Release date: March 19, 2025

Released to: Canary Channel

This update, in the words of Microsoft, “includes a small set of general improvements and fixes that improve the overall experience” of using Windows.

The build also fixes a variety of bugs, including one in which Remote Desktop sometimes froze when connecting.

There are two known issues in this build, including one in which if you are joining the Canary Channel on a new Copilot+ PC from the Dev Channel, Release Preview Channel, or retail, you will lose Windows Hello PIN and biometrics to sign into your PC. You should be able to re-create your PIN by clicking Set up my PIN.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27818.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26100.3613 (KB5053656)

Release date: March 18, 2025

Released to: Release Preview Channel

This build gradually rolls out a number of new features, including Natural Language Commanding in voice access, which lets users speak commands naturally, using filler words and synonyms, rather than rigid, predefined commands. It is available initially on Snapdragon-powered Copilot+ PCs.

Several bug fixes are also being rolled out gradually, including one in which the “see more” (…) menu in the File Explorer command bar opened in the wrong direction in some cases.

A variety of new bug fixes are being rolled out immediately, including one for a bug in which critical PowerShell modules required for device configuration were not executed under Windows Defender Application Control (WDAC) policies.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26100.3613.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.3576 

Release date: March 17, 2025

Released to: Dev and Beta Channels

In this build, those in the Dev Channel who have turned the toggle on to receive the latest updates get several new features, including one in which on Snapdragon-powered Copilot+ PCs, you can use natural language commands during voice access, rather than having to remember specific voice commands.

The same group gets several bug fixes, including one addressing a bug for users in managed environments, in which your Windows Recall snapshots would get deleted after installing Build 26120.3380 and after each reboot on that build.

There are 16 known issues in this build, including one in which Recall is unable to automatically save snapshots and the setting can’t be turned on in Settings, and another in which Recall is no longer able to save new snapshots or modify settings.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.3576.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27813

Release date: March 12, 2025

Released to: Canary Channel

This update, in the words of Microsoft, “includes a small set of general improvements and fixes that improve the overall experience” of using Windows.

The build also fixes two bugs, one which the WDMAud system driver was causing some app crashes, and the other in which Settings > System > Display > Color Management did not always display the expected color profile list for the selected monitor.

There are two known issues in this build, including one in which if you are joining the Canary Channel on a new Copilot+ PC from the Dev Channel, Release Preview Channel, or retail, you will lose Windows Hello PIN and biometrics to sign into your PC. You should be able to re-create your PIN by clicking Set up my PIN.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27813.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.3380 

Release date: March 10, 2025

Released to: Dev and Beta Channels

In this build, those in the Dev Channel who have turned the toggle on to receive the latest updates get several new features, including one in which File Explorer displays a new Recommended section that is displayed as a carousel with thumbnail previews. This includes content such as files you frequently use, have recently downloaded, or added to your File Explorer Gallery. Users with a work/school account (Entra ID) will have additional types of recommendations available with this update.

Those in the Dev Channel who have turned the toggle on to receive the latest updates get several bug fixes, including for a bug in which windows.storage.dll led caused some apps to crash when files were opened in them.

There are 10 known issues in this build, including one in which Windows Recall is unable to automatically save snapshots, and the setting can’t be turned on in Settings.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.3380.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27808

Release date: March 7, 2025

Released to: Canary Channel

In this update, a change is being rolled out in the way Task Manager calculates CPU utilization for the Processes, Performance, and Users pages. Task Manager will now use the standard metrics to display CPU workload consistently across all pages and aligning with industry standards and third-party tools. For backward compatibility, a new optional column called CPU Utility is available (hidden by default) on the Details tab showing the previous CPU value used on the Processes page.

The build also fixes a number of bugs, including one that caused the search window to go blank for some Insiders when searching from the taskbar, due to a background crash.

There are two known issues in this build, including one in which if you are joining the Canary Channel on a new Copilot+ PC from the Dev Channel, Release Preview Channel, or retail, you will lose Windows Hello PIN and biometrics to sign into your PC. You should be able to re-create your PIN by clicking Set up my PIN. In the other, a d3d9.dll crash is causing multiple apps to fail to launch starting with Build 27802 for some Insiders.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27808.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22635.5015

Release date: February 28, 2025

Released to: Beta Channel

In this build, those in the Beta Channel who have turned the toggle on to receive the latest updates will see a new system tray icon on the taskbar, which lets you use emojis, GIFs, Kaomoji, etc. across all apps and surfaces in Windows in addition to using the Win + . keyboard shortcut. This new system tray icon can be changed by right-clicking on the icon to go to taskbar settings page.

Those in the Beta Channel who have turned the toggle on to receive the latest updates get a number of new bug fixes, including for a bug in which File Explorer Home crashed for some Insiders.

There are four known issues in this build, including one in which File Explorer is very slow to close for some Insiders when closing using the X button. This may also affect the other title bar buttons.

Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22635.5015.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.3360 

Release date: February 28, 2025

Released to: Dev and Beta Channels

In this build, those in the Dev Channel who have turned the toggle on to receive the latest updates get two new features being gradually rolled out, including one in which Task Manager changes the way it calculates CPU utilization for the Processes, Performance, and Users pages. Task Manager will now use the standard metrics to display CPU workload consistently across all pages and aligning with industry standards and third-party tools. Also being added is the ability to share directly to apps that support sharing in Windows when right-clicking on local files in File Explorer or the desktop.

Those in the Dev Channel who have turned the toggle on to receive the latest updates get several bug fixes, including for a bug which some people experienced Remote Desktop freezes on login, or frequent disconnect.

There are 11 known issues in this build, including one in which Windows Recall is unable to automatically save snapshots, and the setting can’t be turned on in Settings.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.3360.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27802

Release date: February 28, 2025

Released to: Canary Channel

In this update, new battery icons in Windows 11 communicate the battery status of your PC with a quick glance. Key changes include colored icons to indicate charging states, simplified overlays that don’t block the progress bar, and an option to turn on battery percentage.

The build also fixes several bugs, including one that was causing the login screen to crash when clicking the “sign-in options” link for some Insiders.

There are six known issues in this build, including one in which if you are joining the Canary Channel on a new Copilot+ PC from the Dev Channel, Release Preview Channel, or retail, you will lose Windows Hello PIN and biometrics to sign into your PC. You should be able to re-create your PIN by clicking Set up my PIN.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27802.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.3291

Release date: February 21, 2025

Released to: Dev and Beta Channels

In this build, those with Copilot+ PCs can search photos saved in the cloud by using your own words to describe what you’re looking for in the Windows search box on the taskbar.

Those in the Dev Channel who have turned the toggle on to receive the latest updates get several bugs fixed, including one in which switching languages crashed live captions if audio was playing or the microphone was enabled.

There are 11 known issues in this build, including one in the Recall feature in which some users may see a message to “Make sure Recall is saving snapshots,” while the Settings page for Recall shows saving snapshots is enabled. Reboot your device to resolve this issue.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.3291.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26100.3321 (KB5052093)

Release date: February 18, 2025

Released to: Release Preview Channel

This build gradually rolls out a number of new features, including one in which you can share files directly from a jump list on the taskbar, and another in which you can find out more information about a background image by hovering over the image or clicking the “Learn about this picture” icon.

A variety of bug fixes are also being gradually rolled out, including one in which when you enter a URL in the File Explorer address bar, it might not go to the location.

The build also immediately fixes a number of bugs, including one in which Remote Desktop stopped working.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26100.3321.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.3281

Release date: February 14, 2025

Released to: Dev and Beta Channels

In this build, those in the Dev Channel who have turned the toggle on to receive the latest updates have the ability to resume working on OneDrive files from your phone (iOS and Android) on your Windows 11 PC with a single click. In addition, when “Restore previous folder windows at logon” is enabled in File Explorer, you can now restore all the extra tabs that you previously had open in each File Explorer window. 

Those in the Dev Channel who have turned the toggle on to receive the latest updates get several bug fixes, including for a bug in which if you tried to reset your password from the login screen, it wouldn’t work due to an underlying crash. Another fix addresses a bug for users who have a Snapdragon-powered Copilot+ PC, in which File Explorer search was unresponsive and required a reboot to start working.

There are 12 known issues in this build, including one in the Recall feature in which some users may see a message to “Make sure Recall is saving snapshots,” while the Settings page for Recall shows saving snapshots is enabled. Reboot your device to resolve this issue.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.3281.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27788

Release date: February 5, 2025

Released to: Canary Channel

This update includes the first in-box public preview of Windows MIDI Services, a complete rewrite of MIDI on Windows for musicians. Windows MIDI Services handles MIDI 2.0 and improves MIDI 1.0 implementation, with automatic translation between the two. It works on 64-bit operating systems on all supported processors, including Arm64.

The build also gradually rolls out the ability to resume working on OneDrive files from your phone (iOS or Android) on your Windows 11 PC with a single click.

The build also fixes several bugs, including one that prevented scanning apps from detecting a connected scanner.

There are six known issues in this build, including one in which if you are joining the Canary Channel on a new Copilot+ PC from the Dev Channel, Release Preview Channel, or retail, you will lose Windows Hello PIN and biometrics to sign into your PC. You should be able to re-create your PIN by clicking Set up my PIN.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27788.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22635.4870

Release date: February 3, 2025

Released to: Beta Channel

In this build, IT administrators in the Beta Channel who have turned the toggle on to receive the latest updates as soon as they are available get a new group policy called “Disable Widgets On Lock Screen,” which allows them to disable lock screen widgets without disabling widgets elsewhere on PCs they manage. 

Those in the Beta Channel who have turned the toggle on to receive the latest updates get several bug fixes, including for a bug in which the Start menu crashed for some Insiders when they interacted with the letters in the apps list.

Several bugs have been fixed for everyone in the Beta Channel, including one in which PCs did not recognize that USB cameras were on after installing the January 2025 security update.

There are three known issues in this build, including one in which the home page of Settings may crash. If you are impacted by this, you should still be able to open specific Settings pages directly by searching for them from the taskbar.

Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22635.4870.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.3073

Release date: January 31, 2025

Released to: Dev and Beta Channels

In this build, those who have Copilot+ PCs get a new feature in Windows Search, in which you can use your own words to find photos stored and saved in the cloud by describing what they are, such as “European castles” or “summer picnics.” In addition to photos stored locally on your Copilot+ PC, photos from the cloud will now show up in the search results as well. Exact matches for your keywords within the text of your cloud files will show in the search results.

The build also includes changes being gradually rolled out for all Windows 11 PCs. Those in the Dev Channel who have turned the toggle on to receive the latest updates will see a Settings home page for commercial customers on PCs managed by an IT administrator. The feature will show some existing cards relevant to enterprise-managed PCs like “Recommended settings” and “Bluetooth devices,” as well as two new enterprise-specific device info and accessibility preferences cards. For commercial customers who also use their Microsoft account on their managed PC, there will also be a new accounts card indicating the presence of both work/school and Microsoft account types. 

Those in the Dev Channel who have turned the toggle on to receive the latest updates also get several bug fixes, including for a bug in which minimized File Explorer windows might not have rendered correctly when restored.

Everyone in the Dev Channel gets several bug fixes, including for one in which the display of some games appeared oversaturated when you used Auto HDR.

There are 18 known issues in this build, including one in the Recall feature in which some users may see a “Make sure Recall is saving snapshots” message while the Settings page for Recall shows saving snapshots is enabled. Reboot your device to resolve this issue.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.3073.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27783

Release date: January 29, 2025

Released to: Canary Channel

In this update, users signed into Windows with a Microsoft account will be able to view files that have been shared with the account, such as email, Teams chat, etc., in File Explorer. Commercial customers signed in with a Microsoft Entra ID account will also be able to view files that they have shared with others. You can access this feature by launching File Explorer Home and clicking on the ‘Shared’ tab item.

The build also fixes several bugs, including one in which taskbar preview windows sometimes didn’t display when hovering over open apps in the taskbar.

There are four known issues in this build, including one in which if you are joining the Canary Channel on a new Copilot+ PC from the Dev Channel, Release Preview Channel, or retail, you will lose Windows Hello PIN and biometrics to sign into your PC. You should be able to re-create your PIN by clicking Set up my PIN.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27783.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22635.4805

Release date: January 24, 2025

Released to: Beta Channel

In this build, those in the Beta Channel who have turned the toggle on to receive the latest updates as soon as they are available get a change to Snap in Windows 11 in which inline messaging will now appear when you accidentally invoke the Snap Bar when dragging an app to the top middle of your desktop or Snap Flyout when hovering over the Minimize or Maximize button of an app. This is designed to provide guidance on snapping app windows and educating users on the keyboard shortcuts for quickly snapping app windows in the future.

This group also gets new keyboard shortcuts in Narrator scan mode for quickly jumping to list items and to the beginning or end of large elements such as tables or lists. These changes are gradually rolling out.

There are five known issues in this build, including one in which the Home page of Settings may crash. If you are impacted by this, you should still be able to open specific Settings pages directly by searching for them from the taskbar.

Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22635.4805.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.3000

Release date: January 24, 2024

Released to: Dev Channel

In this build, those in the Dev Channel who have turned the toggle on to receive the latest updates get new battery icons, including colored icons to indicate charging states, simplified overlays that don’t block the progress bar, and an option to turn on battery percentage. The same group also gets several bug fixes, including for a bug in File Explorer in which you sometimes would be unable to navigate by entering a path in the address bar. These changes are gradually rolling out.

There are 18 known issues in this build, including one in the Recall feature in which some users may see a message to “Make sure Recall is saving snapshots” while the Settings page for Recall shows saving snapshots is enabled. Reboot your device to resolve this issue.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.3000.)

Windows 11 Build 26100.3025 (KB5050094)

Release date: January 21, 2025

Released to: Release Preview Channel

This build gradually rolls out a number of new features, including one in which an icon will appear in the system tray when you use an app that supports Windows Studio Effects. This only occurs on a device that has a neural processing unit (NPU). Select the icon to open the Studio Effects page in Quick Settings.

The update also improves the previews that show when your cursor hovers over apps on the taskbar. In addition, the Windows Mobile Hotspot now supports 6 GHz connections. This new band requires chips that support the feature and updated drivers. 

A variety of bug fixes are also being rolled out, including for a bug in which the Snipping Tool screenshots were distorted when you used two or more monitors that have different display scaling.

The build also immediately rolls out a change in which you will now have a standard Windows 11 taskbar after restoring from a backup via the Windows Setup experience (OOBE) on a new Windows PC.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26100.3025.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22635.4800

Release date: January 17, 2025

Released to: Beta Channel

In this build, those in the Beta Channel who have turned the toggle on to receive the latest updates as soon as they are available get a standard Windows 11 taskbar after restoring from a backup via the Windows Setup experience (OOBE) on a new Windows PC. You can still find your apps in the Start menu and Search, and you can pin apps to your taskbar. In addition, the build starts the rollout of the Settings home page for commercial customers on PCs managed by an IT administrator. 

Those in the Beta Channel who have turned the toggle on to receive the latest updates get one bug fix, which includes increased support for text scaling in File Explorer, File Open/Save dialogs, and copy dialogs.

There are three known issues in this build, including one in which the Home page of Settings may crash. If you are impacted by this, you should still be able to open specific Settings pages directly by searching for them from the taskbar.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22635.4800.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27774

Release date: January 16, 2025

Released to: Canary Channel

This update includes a small set of tweaks that Microsoft says improves the overall experience of Windows 11. In addition, the Administrator protection can now be enabled from Windows Security settings under the Account Protection tab, which allows users to enable the feature without requiring help from IT admins.

The build also fixes several bugs, including one in which accent colored window borders were not displayed when enabled, shadows around windows were not displaying when enabled, and window launching (and other) animations were not showing.

There are three known issues in this build, including one in which Insiders joining the Canary Channel on a new Copilot+ PC from the Dev Channel, Release Preview Channel, or retail will lose Windows Hello PIN and biometrics to sign into the PC. You should be able to re-create your PIN by clicking Set up my PIN.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27774.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27768

Release date: January 9, 2025

Released to: Canary Channel

This update includes a small set of general changes that Microsoft says improve the overall experience of Windows 11. It also fixes several bugs, including one in which File Explorer sometimes lost focus on the search box while typing.

There are three known issues in this build, including one in which if you are joining the Canary Channel on a new Copilot+ PC from the Dev Channel, Release Preview Channel, or retail, you will lose Windows Hello PIN and biometrics to sign into your PC. You should be able to re-create your PIN by clicking “Set up my PIN.”

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27768.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22635.4660

Release date: January 3, 2024

Released to: Beta Channel

In this build, those in the Beta Channel who have turned the toggle on to receive the latest updates as soon as they are available get labels added to previously unlabeled actions on File Explorer’s context menu such as cut, copy, paste, rename, share, and delete.

Those in the Beta Channel who have turned the toggle on to receive the latest updates also get several bug fixes for issues that impacted File Explorer’s performance and reliability.

Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22635.4660.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27766

Release date: January 3, 2024

Released to: Canary Channel

This update includes a small set of general improvements and fixes that Microsoft says improve the overall experience of Windows 11. It also fixes several bugs, including one in which some Insiders experienced frequent explorer.exe crashes after they clean-installed or reset their PC.

There are two known issues in this build, including one in which if you are joining the Canary Channel on a new Copilot+ PC from the Dev Channel, Release Preview Channel, or retail, you will lose Windows Hello PIN and biometrics to sign into your PC. You should be able to re-create your PIN by clicking Set up my PIN.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27766.)

This secret for agents

Despite the hype, IT leaders tell us that there’s an approaching reset of agentic AI expectations. We recently reported that said reset may be underway, and now CIOs can get down to serious AI integration and production-grade implementations. We said that CIOs are looking to use agentic AI to execute tasks and orchestrate workflows going deep into enterprise processes, such as CRM, supply chain, enterprise resource planning, HR, finance, and more. 

This prompted readers of CIO.com to ask Smart Answers a more general question: how can they use agentic AI to drive positive outcomes for their organizations? According to our generative AI chatbot – fueled by only our trusted human journalism – the answer is to fundamentally change the way an organization operates.  

Organizations should automate processes and decision making. Empower systems to act independently, execute tasks, and make decisions with minimal human intervention. Augment human capabilities across functions including sales, customer service, HR, and IT.  

Simple, really. 

Find out: How can agentic AI drive strategic business outcomes for my organization? 

Will AI take your job?

As more companies cite AI as a main driver for layoffs, IT pros are left to wonder whether career anxieties are being realized, or the industry is simply adjusting to another new paradigm. This week we reported that AI is beginning to reshape the IT job landscape as layoffs rise. 

Unsurprisingly our readers had one question: will it affect me? Smart Answers has insights. 

Midlevel IT support, QA testing, and some software engineering jobs are seeing increased automation which means reduction in some roles. But there is good news: although companies are reducing legacy roles, they are also creating new positions focused on AI augmentation. 

Strap in. 

Find out: Which IT roles are most vulnerable to AI replacement?  

Cost of cloud

As these AI strategies and tactics mature, CIOs are rethinking their commitment to public cloud. This week we reported that concerns about cost and data privacy mean IT leaders increasingly see private cloud or on-prem as the better alternative for AI, once workloads stabilize and experimentation is done. 

This caused our CIO readers to ask why it is expensive to run AI on public cloud? Smart Answers points out that electricity costs, crucial for AI infrastructure, account for 40-60% of total operational expenses and may be somewhat to blame. It also points out that 40% of cloud budgets are wasted due to preventable mistakes and inefficient processes. 

Find out: How is AI impacting cloud infrastructure spending?  

About Smart Answers 

Smart Answers is an AI-based chatbot tool designed to help you discover content, answer questions, and go deep on the topics that matter to you. Each week we send you the three most popular questions asked by our readers, and the answers Smart Answers provides. 

Developed in partnership with Miso.ai, Smart Answers draws only on editorial content from our network of trusted media brands—CIO, Computerworld, CSO, InfoWorld, and Network World—and was trained on questions that a savvy enterprise IT audience would ask. The result is a fast, efficient way for you to get more value from our content.