Windows 11 Gets New Taskbar Settings, Other Improvements In Latest Build
Microsoft dropped a fresh pair of Windows 11 Insider Preview builds on June 26th, one each for the Experimental and Beta channels. While neither one is a major departure from previous builds, both carry meaningful refinements for different audiences.
Microsoft has introduced a proper Taskbar Size setting inside the Settings app on Experimental Build 26300.8758, based on Windows 11 version 26H2, so users can resize the taskbar. That's a small quality-of-life win that a lot of user has been hoping for. Microsoft also smoothed out the transition animations when switching between taskbar sizes. The only downside is that Microsoft is using its Controlled Feature Rollout system for this option, so it might take a little time before it activates on your specific Insider machine. Patience, as always, is the unofficial membership requirement for the Insider program.
File Explorer also picks up a handful of welcome fixes in that same build. Finding file properties is now much faster thanks to a rearranged Details layout, and you'll notice fewer broken or missing thumbnail previews for your cloud-stored data. Two bugs also got squashed: one that caused the OneDrive shortcut to break when File Explorer ran with administrator privileges, and another that displayed an internal Recycle Bin filename in the permanent-delete confirmation dialog instead of the actual file's name.
Beta channel Build 26220.8754, running on Windows 11 version 25H2, takes a different approach and leans into enterprise reliability. Microsoft improved how the system tray loads during startup, fixed that same OneDrive-in-admin-mode bug, and polished system sounds when dark mode is active. The latter crosses both builds, so apparently dark mode audio needed attention across the board.
The more substantive addition in the Beta build targets IT administrators. If a user removes a redirected smart card during an Azure Virtual Desktop or Windows 365 session authenticated with Microsoft Entra ID, administrators can now configure Windows to automatically disconnect that session instead of leaving it active. The feature helps organizations extend existing smart card security policies more consistently to virtual desktop environments
Beyond the new builds themselves, Microsoft is continuing to refine the Windows Insider experience for retail Windows 11 users by making participation less cumbersome and giving users greater control over how users can move between preview and stable releases. As with everything in the Insider pipeline, none of these features are guaranteed to ship in a final release. The direction Microsoft is tahough, though, is hard to misread with steadier reliability, fewer annoyances, and stronger enterprise controls.
Microsoft has introduced a proper Taskbar Size setting inside the Settings app on Experimental Build 26300.8758, based on Windows 11 version 26H2, so users can resize the taskbar. That's a small quality-of-life win that a lot of user has been hoping for. Microsoft also smoothed out the transition animations when switching between taskbar sizes. The only downside is that Microsoft is using its Controlled Feature Rollout system for this option, so it might take a little time before it activates on your specific Insider machine. Patience, as always, is the unofficial membership requirement for the Insider program.
File Explorer also picks up a handful of welcome fixes in that same build. Finding file properties is now much faster thanks to a rearranged Details layout, and you'll notice fewer broken or missing thumbnail previews for your cloud-stored data. Two bugs also got squashed: one that caused the OneDrive shortcut to break when File Explorer ran with administrator privileges, and another that displayed an internal Recycle Bin filename in the permanent-delete confirmation dialog instead of the actual file's name.
Beta channel Build 26220.8754, running on Windows 11 version 25H2, takes a different approach and leans into enterprise reliability. Microsoft improved how the system tray loads during startup, fixed that same OneDrive-in-admin-mode bug, and polished system sounds when dark mode is active. The latter crosses both builds, so apparently dark mode audio needed attention across the board.
The more substantive addition in the Beta build targets IT administrators. If a user removes a redirected smart card during an Azure Virtual Desktop or Windows 365 session authenticated with Microsoft Entra ID, administrators can now configure Windows to automatically disconnect that session instead of leaving it active. The feature helps organizations extend existing smart card security policies more consistently to virtual desktop environments
Beyond the new builds themselves, Microsoft is continuing to refine the Windows Insider experience for retail Windows 11 users by making participation less cumbersome and giving users greater control over how users can move between preview and stable releases. As with everything in the Insider pipeline, none of these features are guaranteed to ship in a final release. The direction Microsoft is tahough, though, is hard to misread with steadier reliability, fewer annoyances, and stronger enterprise controls.
