New Features in Windows 11 Release Preview Build 26100.3025: Studio Effects Indicator and More

New Windows 11 Build 26100.3025 Available for Insiders

Microsoft has recently unveiled a new preview build for Windows Insiders, designated build 26100.3025 (KB5050094), specifically for those in the Release Preview Channel. This update introduces several enhancements, including taskbar improvements, the addition of a Windows Studio Effects indicator, various fixes within File Explorer, and other notable changes.

Overview of the Update

As is customary with Windows updates, this release features a mix of enhancements that will be rolled out gradually and those that are immediately accessible to users. Below is a detailed changelog outlining these updates:

Gradual Rollout Features

Some features might not be available for all users right away. The following enhancements will be rolled out progressively:

[Taskbar] New! This update enhances taskbar app previews, providing smoother animations when users hover over applications.

[Windows Studio Effects] New! An icon appears in the system tray when utilizing apps that support Windows Studio Effects, specifically on devices equipped with a neural processing unit (NPU). Clicking this icon opens the Studio Effects page in Quick Settings. Hover over the icon to see which app is accessing the camera.

[Fonts] New! Introduced is the Simsun-ExtG font for simplified Chinese, which incorporates the character for Biangbiang noodles. However, some applications may not yet support displaying these new extension characters. This font includes 9,753 ideographs supporting Unicode Extensions G, H, and I:

Unicode range G: 30000-3134A (4,939 chars)

Unicode range H: 31350-323AF (4,192 chars)

Unicode range I: 2EBF0-2EE5D (622 chars)

[File Explorer]

New! Access shared items, such as files, emails, and Teams chats, using your Microsoft account or Microsoft Entra ID account. Navigate to the File Explorer Home page and select the Shared tab. Those logged in with a Microsoft Entra ID will also see files they have shared with others. Additionally, the Recent, Favorites, and Shared sections will display a wider variety of file types.

New! The context menu in the left pane now includes the “New Folder” command for ease of access.

Fixed: Resolved an issue where search functionality could inadvertently repeat.

Fixed: The date and time properties of copied files will now update accurately.

Fixed: Resolved an issue where icons on the details pane might not refresh correctly when changing themes.

Fixed: Addressed the problem of the search box losing input focus while typing.

[Mobile Hotspot] New! Windows Mobile Hotspot now supports 6 GHz connections, pending the use of compatible chips and updated drivers. To access this feature, navigate to Settings > Network & Internet > Mobile Hotspot and select Edit.

[Settings] New! Easily adjust time zones without needing admin rights through Settings > Time & Language > Date & Time.

[Domains] Fixed: Addressed an issue where devices might fail to join a domain.

[Mouse]

Fixed: Resolved instances where the mouse cursor might disappear, particularly in text fields within some applications.

Fixed: The mouse cursor remains visible when pointer trails are enabled, eliminating issues with transparency.

Fixed: Addressed stuttering of the mouse cursor while moving across the screen, even under low resource use.

[Pinyin Input Method Editor (IME)] Fixed: Addressed the IME language inadvertently switching from Chinese to English when changing app windows.

[Snipping Tool] Fixed: Resolved distortion issues with screenshots taken across multiple monitors with different display scaling.

[Task Manager] Fixed: Improved the responsiveness when closing the application.

[Microsoft Excel 2016] Fixed: Resolved loading screen issues that occurred when opening certain files.

[Dam.sys] Fixed: Addressed a watchdog timeout error that appeared upon resuming from sleep mode.

[Windows Update Installation] Fixed: Resolved an installation failure for cumulative updates (error code 0x800736b3) related to features on demand.

Normal Rollout Features

This update includes features that are rolling out as part of the overall enhancements:

[Windows Backup] New! Upon restoring from a backup via the Windows Setup experience (OOBE) on a new device, users will enjoy a standard Windows 11 taskbar. Users can still find their applications in the Start menu and pin them to the taskbar. Note that this change is not yet applicable in the European Economic Area (EEA).

[High Dynamic Range (HDR)] Fixed: Addressed oversaturation issues observed in some games when using Auto HDR.