After a long wait, Microsoft has released Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26040 to the Canary Channel Windows Insiders. You will be able to instantly access new photos and screenshots from your mobile device after the installation of this new flight. You can easily edit recent photos and screenshots from your Android device from within the Snipping Tool.
Windows 11 displays instant notifications on your PC when a new photo or screenshot is captured on your Android device. To work with this new experience, you should navigate to Settings | Bluetooth & devices | Mobile devices and select Manage devices option. The next step is to enable your PC to access your Android phone. You should install a Cross Device Experience Host Update from the Microsoft Store. This new feature haas replaced the Phone Link remote capture experience previously announced in September. Microsoft is currently rolling out this feature to select Canary and Dev Channel Windows Insiders.
Voice Clarity
Windows 11 has borrowed the Voice Clarity feature that is currently available on Surface devices. The Windows 11 improved Voice Clarity experience will be enhanced with the help of AI technology with the help of Voice Clarity. This feature cancels echo, suppresses background noise, and reduces real-time reverberation via low-complexity AI models.
The Windows 11 improved Voice Clarity is enabled by default and can be used by apps such as Phone Link and WhatsApp, which provide support for Communications Signal Processing Mode. The Windows 11 Voice Clarity functionality is supported on x64 and Arm64 CPUs without additional hardware. You should note that apps that make use of Communications Signal Processing Mode do not require any additional modifications.
The Windows 11 improved Voice Clarity will work automatically when the OEM device does not provide support for Communications Mode processing. This feature will also be beneficial to PC games that make use of Communications Signal Processing Mode for online communications. Your voice will be clearly audible during online meetings with the help of Voice Clarity.
Updated Windows Setup Experience
IN addition to refreshed Voice Clarify functionality, Microsoft has modified the Windows Media Setup process with a cleaner, fluid, and modern design. The feature will be consistent with the current upgrade and installation experience that are available for devices running the Windows OS. You can experience the refreshed Windows Setup experience by downloading the ISOs for Build 26040. You can also perform a clean installation of Windows 11. Even though this modification does not affect the DISM OS deployment, some of your current workflows will be affected. Microsoft urges Windows Insiders to file feedback after testing this feature.
Integration of USB 80Gbps
The Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26040 has provided support for the next-generation USB 80Gbps standard. The USB 80Gbps will be initially available on select devices that are powered by Intel Core 14th Gen HX-series mobile processors. The newly launched Razer Blade 18 includes USB 80Gbps support. The USB 80Gbps can be used with high-performance displays, storage, and connectivity. Moreover, the USB 80Gbps is backwards compatible with older generations of USB and Thunderbolt.
Narrator Imaging Experience
Microsoft has improved the image consumption experience with Narrator. A new keyboard command – G or Shift+G has been introduced to simplify navigation between the images/graphics on a screen/page. The recognition of text content in images including handwriting has been improved. To work with this feature, you just need to navigate to the image and press Narrator + CTRL + D keyboard shortcut when the foucs in on the relevant image. You should enable Image Descriptions in Narrator Settings and the service requires active Internet connectivity.
Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26040: Screen casting Improvements
Microsoft has introduced enhancements to screen casting including improving its discoverability in Windows 11. The system displays suggestion to Cast via a notification toast while performing multitasking activities on your PC. This includes switching between windows to complete the relevant task, using Snap Assist to prioritize your screen space, and much more. The Cast flyout in Quick Settings has been updated in case you need assistance in discovering nearby displays, fixing connections, and much more.
Automated Account Management Functionality
The Windows Local Administrator Password Solution (LAPS) has been enhanced with an automated account management feature. You will be able to configure Windows LAPS to create the managed local account automatically. You can also configure the account name in addition to enabling and disabling of the account. This flight has also added improved integration with existing Microsoft local account management policies. Microsoft revealed that the Windows LAPS CSP documentation will be updated in the future.
Improving Readability Password Dictionary with Windows LAPS
Microsoft has improved Windows Local Adminstrator Password Solution with a new PasswordComplexity setting. You can easily configure Windows LAPS to generate less confusing passwords after the installation of this flight. This is identical to the existing complexity setting 4 comprising upper case letters, lower case letters, special characters, and numbers. The Windows LAPS tab in the Microsoft Management Console has also been improved. The password box has been modified to use a new font for improved readability. The Windows LAPS CSP also provides support for the new PasswordComplexity setting configuration.
Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26040: Enhanced Passphrase Feature
Windows Local Administrator Password Solution (LAPS) has been improved with a new passphrase feature. You can easily configure Windows LAPS to generate readable passphrases instead of complicated traditional-style passwords. The existing PasswordComplexity policy can be configured to select one out of three different passphrase word lists. You need not have to download any passphrase word lists because they are included with Windows. The configured words are randomly selected from the list and the first letter of each word is automatically capitalized for enhanced readability. Windows LAPS does not provide support for customer-configured word lists or integrated word lists customization.
Addition of Image Rollback Detection Feature
Windows Local Administrator Password Solution (LAPS) has added an Active Directory attribute msLAPS-CurrentPasswordVersion. A random GUID will be created by Windows LAPS every time a new password is persisted in Active Directory. The GUID will be queried and compared to the local persisted copy. You should run the latest version of the Update-LapsADSchene PowerShell cmdlet to enable this functionality.
Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26040: General Improvements
After the installation of Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26040, you will not be able to work with WordPad because the app will be removed. The app will also not be available during clean installation and you will not be able to install it from Microsoft Store as well. The Copilot icon has been relocated to the right side of the system tray on the Taskbar. The icon is placed adjacent to the Notifications panel, which is the default. This update is currently being rolled out to select group of Windows Insiders in the Canary Channel. The tooltip will display a clock when you hover over the date and time in the system tray.
The Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26040 has added a new compression wizard using which you can pick several formats. You can also modify the compression level and specify the type of data that are stored in each archive.
The Windows share window provides an ability to share website links directly to WhatsApp, Gmail, X, LinkedIn and Facebook. You can activate the window by selecting the share icon located at the top right side in the toolbar, selecting the Windows share options from within Microsoft Edge.
You can share directly to specific Microsoft Teams Channels if you are signed in with a Microsoft Entra ID. The Task Manager icon has been updated to match the design of other Windows 11 icons. This flight also resolved few issues related to Narrator. The update has added the Colemak and Hebrew keyboard layout. The problem related to Magnifier settings page has been resolved including the print spooler crash. Microsoft also acknowledged that some popular games will not work correctly and cause a bugcheck resulting in green screen.
