Microsoft shipped two Windows 11 Beta builds on July 20, 2026, and the marquee addition is a Start menu you can shrink, enlarge, or let Windows size automatically. Build 26220.8925 doesn’t stop there. It overhauls precision touchpad controls, makes File Explorer easier on the eyes, and introduces HID braille display support that works from the moment you first set up a PC. A companion Beta for the 26H1 track, Build 28020.2539, extends voice access to more languages and polishes the interface in small but meaningful ways.
A Start Menu That Finally Fits Your Screen
The Start menu has been a sore point since Windows 11 launched with a fixed, single-size design in 2021. Build 26220.8925 gives you three layout options: Small, Large, or Automatic. The Automatic setting—still the default—lets Windows pick based on your display, but enthusiasts and anyone on a cramped laptop or ultrawide monitor can now choose a size that suits their workflow. A compact Start leaves more desktop visible; a large one shows extra app icons and recent files without scrolling.
More profound than size are the independent toggles for each section. You can now hide the Pinned apps grid, the Recent list (formerly Recommended), or the All apps view—without disabling anything else. That means you can build a minimal launcher that shows only pinned items, a recent-activity dashboard, or a full index of installed software. The old setup forced you into an all-or-nothing relationship with content you might not want.
Microsoft also renamed the Recommended section to Recent. It’s a small text change, but it signals a shift away from the perception that the area was a promotional feed. The new label more accurately describes what you’ll find there: recently opened files and freshly installed apps, not algorithmic suggestions. For extra privacy, there’s now a switch to hide your account name and picture from the Start menu—useful when presenting, streaming, or sharing a screen.
Touchpad Controls That Feel Like a Real Upgrade
Build 26220.8925 grants precision touchpads their own speed controls for scrolling and pinch-to-zoom. You can slow things down for design work or speed them up for long web pages. The system even learns when you’re flinging repeatedly and accelerates the scroll, helping you race through thousand-line spreadsheets without lifting your finger.
Those new settings mark a quiet but significant improvement for laptop users. For years, Windows offered basic gesture support without exposing granular control. Now you can finally match your touchpad’s responsiveness to your muscle memory. A single-finger scrolling option also joins the settings, which can be a boon for accessibility or anyone moving from an older edge-scrolling touchpad.
One crucial asterisk: WinUI 3 applications won’t immediately respect every new touchpad feature. Microsoft is working to backport the required changes into Windows App SDK versions 1.8 and 2.0, so expect a transitional period where gestures feel inconsistent between older Win32 programs and modern WinUI apps.
A Braille Breakthrough That Deserves Attention
Both Beta builds introduce native support for braille displays that follow the HID (Human Interface Device) standard. Compatible USB models—including the Orbit Reader 20, Orbit Slate 340, Freedom Scientific Focus 40, and APH Mantis Q40—can connect straight to Narrator without extra drivers. Bluetooth displays pair through the same Settings pane as any other wireless accessory.
The most transformative piece: USB HID braille works during the out-of-box experience. That means a deaf-blind user with a supported display can set up a Windows PC independently, from choosing a region to signing in, without needing sighted assistance. Historically, assistive technology often didn’t kick in until after account creation. This closes a critical gap and brings Windows closer to genuine zero-assistance deployment.
File Explorer’s Quiet Productivity Wins
File Explorer gets several craft-level improvements. The Details view now shows file sizes in KB, MB, or GB instead of raw kilobytes—no more squinting at a 9,437,184 KB download and doing mental math. Middle-clicking a folder in the address bar or Home page opens it in a new tab, matching browser behavior and making multi-location copying less tedious. And when you do hit a file conflict during copy or move operations, Narrator gives clearer announcements about what’s happening and what choices you have.
The Smaller Beta: 26H1 Build 28020.2539
Build 28020.2539 belongs to the newer 26H1 development branch and shares the HID braille support. It also adds Voice Access commands for Portuguese (Portugal), Portuguese (Brazil), and Korean, broadening hands-free PC control. Gamepad navigation comes to Bluetooth quick settings—a nod to handheld gaming PCs and living-room setups—and Microsoft fixed a crash in the Graphics Settings page. System sounds have been tuned to feel more natural when dark mode is active, though the company hasn’t yet explained the acoustic engineering behind that.
What It Means for Your Workflow
If you’re a home user, the Start menu redesign is the most visible change. A compact layout can declutter a small laptop screen, while section toggles let you delete distractions. Laptop owners will appreciate the touchpad refinements: dialing in scroll speed can make web browsing or document editing feel instantly more responsive. And if you rely on a braille display, the HID support could eliminate a major setup hurdle on new machines.
IT administrators should watch these builds closely, even if they never deploy a Beta in production. The resizable Start menu and privacy toggle may need companion Group Policy settings in final releases—admins will want to lock a default layout for shared kiosks while allowing personalization on assigned laptops. Braille support during OOBE could simplify device provisioning for adaptive technology labs and reduce help-desk tickets. Developers maintaining WinUI 3 apps need to test their software with the new touchpad controls once the updated Windows App SDK bits ship; nested scroll panels and custom gesture handling are likely to expose gaps.
How We Got Here: Two Years of Feedback
Windows 11’s Start menu launched with a simplified, centered design that removed resizable live tiles in favor of a static grid. Power users immediately clamored for more control. Microsoft spent the next two years slowly reintroducing lost functionality—badges for notifications, folders for pinned apps, and now, with Build 26220, configurable sections and sizing. It’s not a return to the Windows 10 Start, but a modernized take that acknowledges one size doesn’t fit every device or workflow.
The touchpad improvements follow a similar arc. Precision drivers have been around since Windows 8.1, but the settings remained minimal. Now Microsoft is finally exposing the kind of knobs that seasoned trackpad competitors like Apple’s MacBooks have offered for years—an overdue step for a platform that runs on everything from 2-in-1s to gaming laptops.
How to Try These Features Now
Both builds are available to Windows Insiders in the Beta Channel. If you’re not already enrolled, join the program from Settings > Windows Update > Windows Insider Program and select the Beta Channel. Keep in mind that two Beta branches are currently active: 25H2 (Build 26220.8925) and 26H1 (Build 28020.2539). Features differ between them, so check your installed build number after updating.
These are pre-release builds. Even with the mention of a fix for update error 0xc0000409, installation can fail, and some features may be gated behind controlled rollouts. Insiders should back up important files and avoid using a Beta build on a daily-driver PC.
What to Watch Next
The central question is when these features will land in stable Windows 11 releases. Microsoft’s componentized servicing model means some could arrive via cumulative updates to version 25H2, while others—especially those requiring the Windows App SDK—may wait for a full feature update. Five signals will indicate readiness: broader rollout within the Beta channel, an appearance in the Release Preview ring, updated administrative templates, Windows App SDK support for touchpad changes, and expanded validation of HID braille devices beyond the initial compatibility list.
Microsoft’s July 20 Beta releases don’t reinvent Windows 11, but they address several of the operating system’s most persistent usability weaknesses with practical, technically meaningful changes. A configurable Start menu, better touchpad behavior, more coherent File Explorer navigation, and standards-based braille support all point toward a Windows strategy built around flexibility and craft. If the company can preserve that direction while controlling promotional clutter and framework fragmentation, these modest-looking improvements could collectively make Windows 11 feel substantially more mature.