Insider Preview
The latest Insider Preview coverage — news, analysis, and updates from the WindowsNews.AI desk.
Windows 11’s Console-Style Handheld Mode Is Already Playable—Here’s How to Try It
Microsoft’s controller-friendly Xbox full-screen experience for Windows handhelds is no longer exclusive to the upcoming Asus ROG Xbox Ally. A recent Windows 11 25H2 Release Preview build now lets...
Microsoft's Xbox Mode for Handhelds Is Available in Preview, Showing Real Memory Savings
Microsoft today unlocked a console-style experience for Windows handhelds that delivers measurable memory savings—and you can try it right now, months before the official 25H2 release. By joining...
Notepad Goes Offline: On-Device AI Arrives for Copilot+ PCs, No Subscription Needed
Microsoft just did something unexpected with its oldest app: Notepad can now reason like a modern AI, entirely on your device. Starting with a preview for Windows Insiders in the Canary and Dev...
Windows 11 Insiders Get Task View on Xbox Button Long Press—Here’s How It Works
Microsoft has quietly begun remapping the Xbox button on Windows 11 controllers, adding a new middle-ground press that jumps straight to Task View. The change landed for Insiders on September 12,...
Xbox Controllers on Windows 11 Gain Task View With a Long Press in New Preview Build
A new Windows 11 preview build is giving Xbox controllers a long-press shortcut to Task View, addressing a key gap in gamepad navigation as Microsoft gears up for a wave of handheld gaming PCs. Build...
Hidden Windows 11 Feature Unlocks Native Keyboard Backlight and Repeat Controls from Settings
Microsoft's latest Windows 11 Insider preview builds are surfacing a long-awaited quality-of-life upgrade: native keyboard backlight and repeat controls are moving from the dusty corners of Control...
Xbox App Update Unifies Steam, Epic, GOG Games on Windows 11
As of September 15, 2025, the Xbox app on Windows 11 no longer limits its library to Game Pass titles. A new update rolling out to all users adds an Aggregated Gaming Library that surfaces installed...
Microsoft Silently Added a Phone Panel to Windows 11 Start Menu: What You Need to Know
Microsoft has pushed a quiet, unannounced update that fundamentally changes how Windows 11 users interact with their phones. A new Phone Link panel now lives inside the Start menu, surfacing...
Microsoft Plants a Bing Speed Test Shortcut in the Taskbar and Teases AI Oversight in New Insider Builds
A quiet update this week to Windows 11 Insider Preview builds plants a one-click internet speed test directly into the taskbar network flyout, but it’s not the native diagnostic tool power users...
Microsoft Tests Blocking Full-Screen Microsoft 365 Renewal Prompt in Windows 11
Microsoft planted a full-screen billing reminder inside the latest Windows 11 Insider Preview, reusing the Second-Chance Out-of-Box Experience (SCOOBE) to warn testers when a Microsoft 365...
Windows 11 Canary Build 27943 Repairs Storage, HDR, but Rollback Errors and Arm64 Crashes Mar Deployment
Microsoft dropped Canary build 27943 today, and while it patches several everyday annoyances—hung storage scans, duplicate taskbar previews, and flaky HDR—two showstopping regressions demand...
Windows 11 Adds a Speed Test Button to Network Flyout, But It’s a Bing Web Shortcut
Microsoft is quietly testing a one-click internet speed test shortcut in Windows 11, placed directly inside the network flyout and taskbar context menu. The feature, unearthed by sharp-eyed Insiders...