Microsoft releases Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26220.7271 with new context menu, Xbox full screen experience for PC and more

Microsoft continues to release the same preview builds of Windows 11 to Insider on the Beta and Dev channels, and has just pushed out Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26220.7271. While the company focuses on the introduction of the Xbox full screen experience for PC – and this is certainly a big addition – it may not be the highlight for most people.

Certainly more useful is the arrival of the recently announced Point-in-time restore for Windows, and the expansion of the resume across devices feature. Also of note is a significant redesign of the context menu for improved efficiency.

To help with app management, there is a new option to uninstall Store-managed apps from the library page of the Microsoft Store, and this is something that will be welcomed. Microsoft is seen returning to a slightly more experimental way of working when it says:

We’re exploring preloading File Explorer in the background to help improve File Explorer launch performance. This shouldn’t be visible to you, outside of File Explorer hopefully launching faster when you need to use it. If you have the change, if needed there is an option you can uncheck to disable this called “Enable window preloading for faster launch times” in File Explorer’s Folder Options, under View. Looking forward to your feedback! If you do encounter any issues, please file them in the Feedback Hub under Files Folders and Online Storage > File Explorer Performance, or Files Folders and Online Storage > File Explorer.

There have been complaints for quite some time that the right-click menu is starting to get a little out of hand in Windows 11, and Microsoft is taking steps to rein it in a bit. The company says:

• We’ve moved Compress to ZIP file, Copy as Path, Set as Desktop Background, and Rotate Right, and Rotate Left into a new Manage file flyout.
• We’ve moved cloud provider options, like Always Keep on this Device and Free Up Space, into their relevant cloud provider flyout.
• We’ve moved Send to My Phone next to the cloud provider options.
• We’ve moved Open Folder Location to now be next to Open and Open with.

Originally introduced to handheld devices, Microsoft is now expanding the availability of the Xbox full screen experience to PCs as well. “Designed with console-style navigation in mind, the Xbox full screen experience delivers a clean, distraction-free interface for controller-first gaming. Pair a controller to your PC for smooth task switching and a streamlined gaming experience on your desktop, laptop, or tablet.”

Microsoft also draws attention to a fairly lengthy list of fixes in this build:

[Taskbar and System Tray]

• Fixed an issue which could cause the taskbar to hang after receiving certain notifications.
• Fixed an issue where the battery icon in the taskbar might unexpectedly show its own backplate when hovering over the icon in the system tray (instead of combined with wi-fi and volume).

[Internet]

• Made some underlying improvements to help address an issue which could lead to not having internet after resuming from disconnected standby. Please don’t hesitate to file feedback under Network and Internet in the Feedback Hub if you continue experiencing issues.

[File Explorer]

• Fixed an issue where if you opened the Recycle bin and had “Empty recycle bin” visible in the command bar, it might stay showing after you navigated away.

[Settings]

• Fixed an issue where Settings might crash when navigating to Privacy & Security > Camera, Location, or Microphone.

[Display and Graphics]

• Fixed an issue where recently certain games might show a message saying “Unsupported graphics card detected”, although a supported graphics card was being used.

[Task Manager]

• If you’re using Die or CAMM memory form factor, Task Manager will now show that in Performance under Memory > Form Factor, instead of a blank.

[.NET Framework and Visual Studio]

• The issue causing Insiders with ARM64 PCs to potentially observe crashes with Visual Studio or applications that depend on .NET Framework should be resolved if you have installed the latest .NET Framework update.

Known issues

[Xbox full screen experience for PC]

• [NEW] The virtual keyboard is not shown for controller users on devices without a touch screen. Please use the physical keyboard as a workaround for now.
• [NEW] Some apps may behave unexpectedly when using FSE, particularly those that expect to be locked to a given size or launch additional windows.

[Taskbar & System Tray]

• We’re investigating an issue which is causing the Start menu to not open for some Insiders on click, although it will open if you press the Windows key. It’s believed this issue may also potentially impact the notification center (which you can open with WIN + N).
• We’re investigating an issue where for some Insiders apps aren’t showing in the system tray when they should be.

[File Explorer]

• Scrollbar and footer are missing and showing a white block instead when text is scaled in dark mode version of the copy dialog.
• [NEW] We’re investigating an issue where File Explorer has started showing a white flash when navigating between pages after the previous flight.

[Bluetooth]

• [NEW] We’re investigating an issue causing Bluetooth device battery level to not show for some Insiders.

Full details of this latest build can be found here in the release notes.