Microsoft has released preview update KB5074105 (build 26200.7701) for Windows 11 version 25H2 (2025 update). This cumulative package is intended for devices with x64 (amd64) and ARM64 processors and includes quality improvements, new features, and fixes. Changes are divided into two categories: gradual rollout (not available to all devices at once) and regular rollout (available to all devices immediately).
- Agent in the Settings app. Expanded language support for the agent: the feature is now available in German, Portuguese, Spanish, Korean, Japanese, Hindi, Italian, and Simplified Chinese. This change applies only to Copilot+ PC devices and falls under the gradual rollout category.
- Cross Device Resume. Users can continue on their PC tasks started on an Android smartphone, including Spotify playback, working in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and web sessions. Vivo owners can continue pages from the Vivo browser. HONOR, OPPO, Samsung, Vivo, or Xiaomi users can work with online files from the Microsoft Copilot app on their phone — they will open in the Microsoft 365 app on the PC or in the browser. Offline files stored only on the smartphone are not supported.
- Windows MIDI Services. Improved work with MIDI 1.0 and MIDI 2.0, including automatic conversion, sharing MIDI ports between applications, custom port names, app-to-app interaction, as well as bug fixes and performance enhancements. The App SDK package and tools (MIDI Console, MIDI Settings) are distributed separately and are currently unsigned.
- Narrator. More flexible settings for announcing UI elements: users can choose which details to announce and in what order. Settings apply globally and help reduce redundant announcements.
- Device card on the Settings home page. Displays key PC characteristics and usage, along with a quick link to System > About. The card appears when signing in with a Microsoft account. The feature rollout has resumed after a pause in August 2025.
- Smart App Control (SAC). The feature can now be turned on or off without a clean reinstall of the system via Windows Security > App & browser control > Smart App Control. SAC helps block untrusted or potentially dangerous applications.
- Voice Access. The initial setup process has been simplified: an updated interface helps download the speech recognition language model, select a microphone, and learn to control Windows by voice.
- Voice Typing. Added a Delay before action setting, allowing users to adjust the pause before executing a voice command. This improves recognition accuracy and convenience for users with different speaking speeds.
- Windows Hello with Enhanced Sign-in Security (ESS). The feature now supports external fingerprint scanners, bringing more secure sign‑in to desktop PCs and other Windows 11 devices, including Copilot+ PCs. To set it up, connect a compatible scanner and go to Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options.
- Fixes in the Start menu. Resolved an issue where the sign-out warning when other users were logged in could be cut off by the edge of the Start menu. Also fixed a bug where, when using Arabic or Hebrew, the Start menu opened on the wrong side of the screen if taskbar icons were not center-aligned.
- Fixes in kiosk mode. Removed the error message Operation was canceled due to restrictions on this computer that could appear after signing into a multi-app kiosk.
- Fixes in Windows Update. Resolved an issue where attempting to join the Windows Insider Program via Settings > Windows Update could hang.
- Improvements in File Explorer. Increased responsiveness of File Explorer when working with network locations.
- Sign-in fixes. Resolved an issue where explorer.exe could hang during first sign-in if some applications were configured to start automatically, which could lead to the taskbar missing.
- Windows activation fixes. Fixed cases where proper license transfer during update failed because the device could not register with the activation server (required running the troubleshooter).
- Desktop icons. Icons no longer move spontaneously when working with files (e.g., when opening or renaming).
- Keyboard input fixes. Labels for adjusting character repeat delay in Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Keyboard are no longer displayed in reverse order.
- User Account Control (UAC) fixes. Resolved an issue where the PC could hang when attempting to launch Windows Terminal with elevated privileges from a non‑administrator account.
- Secure Boot. On Windows 11 version 24H2, Boot Manager updates are performed on devices where the Windows UEFI CA 2023 certificate is already present in the Secure Boot signature database. The bootmgfw.efi file signed in 2011 is replaced with a version signed in 2023. Resetting the database or re‑enabling Secure Boot may lead to a Secure Boot violation error; in rare cases, creating a Secure Boot recovery media may be required.
- Domain backup key management for DPAPI. Administrators can configure the automatic key rotation frequency for Data Protection API, improving cryptographic strength and reducing reliance on legacy encryption algorithms.
- Display and graphics fix. Resolved an issue with a black screen in isolated multi‑user environments, typically after a Windows update.
- Narrator startup fix. Fixed an error where Narrator might not start when installing Windows from an ISO image.
- iSCSI boot failure fix. Resolved an error where booting from iSCSI could fail with the message Inaccessible Boot Device.
Known issues. In this update, when installing Windows MIDI Services packages, a security warning may appear because the distributed packages are currently unsigned. Also, when resetting the Secure Boot database or re‑enabling Secure Boot, a Secure Boot violation error may occur, which in rare cases will require creating a special recovery media.
To install the update, go to Windows Update. Navigate to Settings > Windows Update and click Check for updates. After downloading the package, a system restart is required. After installation, the Windows 11 build will change to 26200.7701.
This update does not include changes related to the regular rollout for the Copilot+ PC category (gradual rollout), nor some other features that will be released separately. The App SDK package and MIDI tools (MIDI Console, MIDI Settings) are distributed separately and are available for download from the Windows MIDI Services page and on GitHub.
| Feature / Change | Performance Increase/Decrease | Optimization | PC Speed Impact | Gaming Optimization |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agent in Settings app — expanded language support (DE, PT, ES, KO, JA, HI, IT, ZH-CN) on Copilot+ PCs | ⚪ No direct impact | 🟢 High — AI assistant available to more users natively | ⚪ Neutral | ⚪ No impact |
| Cross Device Resume (Android to PC: Spotify, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, web; Vivo browser; Microsoft Copilot app files) | 🟢 Slight increase — faster task continuation | 🟢 High — reduces time to resume work across devices | 🟢 Improved workflow speed | ⚪ No impact |
| Windows MIDI Services (MIDI 1.0/2.0, auto conversion, port sharing, custom names, app-to-app, bug fixes, performance enhancements) | 🟢 Medium increase — lower latency, better audio pipeline | 🟢 High — modern MIDI stack, shared ports | 🟢 Improved for audio/music production | 🟢 Medium — better audio device handling in games/media |
| Narrator — flexible UI element announcement settings | ⚪ No impact | 🟡 Medium — reduces redundant announcements | ⚪ Neutral | ⚪ No impact |
| Device card on Settings home page (PC specs, usage, link to About) | ⚪ No direct impact | 🟡 Medium — quicker access to system info | ⚪ Neutral | ⚪ No impact |
| Smart App Control (SAC) — toggle without clean reinstall | 🟡 Slight increase — less overhead vs reinstall | 🟢 High — easier security management | 🟢 Improved — blocks untrusted apps from consuming resources | 🟡 Low — prevents malicious background processes |
| Voice Access — simplified initial setup (speech model, mic selection, voice control tutorial) | ⚪ No impact | 🟡 Medium — faster onboarding | ⚪ Neutral | ⚪ No impact |
| Voice Typing — Delay before action setting | ⚪ No impact | 🟡 Medium — better recognition accuracy for different speaking speeds | 🟢 Slight improvement — fewer correction cycles | ⚪ No impact |
| Windows Hello ESS — external fingerprint scanner support | ⚪ No impact | 🟡 Medium — faster, more secure sign-in | 🟢 Slight improvement — quicker logins | ⚪ No impact |
| Start menu fixes — sign-out warning cutoff, RTL taskbar alignment | ⚪ No impact | 🟡 Low — UI correctness | ⚪ Neutral | ⚪ No impact |
| Kiosk mode — removed false “Operation was canceled…” error | ⚪ No impact | 🟡 Low — stability for kiosk devices | 🟢 Slight improvement — less time troubleshooting | ⚪ No impact |
| Windows Update — fixed hang when joining Insider Program via Settings | ⚪ No impact | 🟡 Low — smoother update enrollment | ⚪ Neutral | ⚪ No impact |
| File Explorer — increased responsiveness with network locations | 🟢 Medium increase — faster network file browsing | 🟢 High — reduced latency in network I/O | 🟢 Improved — less waiting on network shares | 🟡 Low — faster loading of game files from NAS |
| Sign-in fixes — explorer.exe hang with auto-start apps fixed | 🟢 Medium increase — avoids startup freeze | 🟢 High — stable first sign-in | 🟢 Improved — no missing taskbar delays | 🟡 Low — faster to desktop for gaming |
| Windows activation fixes — proper license transfer during update | ⚪ No impact | 🟡 Low — removes need for troubleshooter | ⚪ Neutral | ⚪ No impact |
| Desktop icons — no longer move spontaneously | ⚪ No impact | 🟡 Low — UI stability | ⚪ Neutral | ⚪ No impact |
| Keyboard input fixes — repeat delay labels order corrected | ⚪ No impact | 🟡 Low — settings clarity | ⚪ Neutral | ⚪ No impact |
| UAC fixes — no hang launching Windows Terminal elevated from non-admin | 🟢 Slight increase — avoids system freeze | 🟡 Medium — stability under elevation | 🟢 Improved — no hang risk | ⚪ No impact |
| Secure Boot — Boot Manager updated to 2023-signed bootmgfw.efi on 24H2 | 🟢 Slight increase — modern firmware code | 🟢 High — stronger cryptographic chain | 🟢 Improved boot integrity | 🟡 Low — more secure anti-cheat environment |
| Domain backup key management for DPAPI — automatic key rotation frequency | ⚪ No direct impact | 🟢 High — stronger encryption, less legacy algorithm reliance | ⚪ Neutral | ⚪ No impact |
| Display/graphics fix — black screen in isolated multi-user environments | 🟢 Medium increase — eliminates post-update black screen | 🟢 High — multi-user session stability | 🟢 Improved — no display recovery time | 🟡 Low — avoids GPU-related session crashes |
| Narrator startup fix — no longer fails when installing from ISO | ⚪ No impact | 🟡 Low — accessibility reliability | ⚪ Neutral | ⚪ No impact |
| iSCSI boot failure fix — “Inaccessible Boot Device” resolved | 🟢 Medium increase — prevents boot failure | 🟢 High — enterprise boot reliability | 🟢 Improved — avoids downtime | ⚪ No impact |
| Known issue: Windows MIDI Services packages unsigned — security warning during install | ⚪ No impact | 🟡 Low — temporary warning, no functional block | ⚪ Neutral | ⚪ No impact |
| Known issue: Secure Boot database reset may cause violation error, rare recovery media needed | 🔴 Slight decrease — rare boot failure risk after reset | 🟡 Low — requires manual recovery in rare cases | 🔴 Slight decrease — potential downtime if reset performed | 🔴 Low — rare risk for gaming PCs with Secure Boot reset |
Find and Change Settings
| Setting | Where to find | How to change |
|---|---|---|
| Agent in the Settings app | Settings app (Copilot+ PC only) | Open the Settings app and locate the Agent feature. The expanded language support (German, Portuguese, Spanish, Korean, Japanese, Hindi, Italian, Simplified Chinese) is applied automatically based on your Windows display language. No separate toggle is required for language selection. |
| Cross Device Resume | Settings > Accounts > Windows backup > Remember my preferences (or via Microsoft account sync settings) | Sign in with the same Microsoft account on both your Android phone and PC. Ensure sync is enabled in Settings > Accounts > Windows backup. Tasks started on the phone (Spotify, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, web sessions) can then be continued on the PC via the taskbar or notification prompt. |
| Windows MIDI Services | Separate App SDK package; tools available as MIDI Console and MIDI Settings | Install the Windows MIDI Services App SDK package and tools separately. Use the MIDI Console or MIDI Settings to configure MIDI 1.0/2.0 ports, custom port names, and app-to-app interactions. Note: the packages are currently unsigned and may show a security warning during installation. |
| Narrator | Settings > Accessibility > Narrator | Open Settings > Accessibility > Narrator. Under "Verbosity" or "Announcement settings", choose which UI element details are announced and in what order. Adjust the toggles to reduce redundant announcements. |
| Device card on Settings home page | Settings > Home | Sign in to Windows with a Microsoft account. The device card appears automatically on the Settings home page. To view full details, click the card or go to Settings > System > About. |
| Smart App Control (SAC) | Windows Security > App & browser control > Smart App Control | Open Windows Security, go to App & browser control, then select Smart App Control. Turn the feature On or Off. No clean reinstall is required. |
| Voice Access | Settings > Accessibility > Speech | Open Settings > Accessibility > Speech. The updated setup will guide you through downloading the speech recognition language model, selecting a microphone, and learning voice commands. Follow the on-screen prompts to complete setup. |
| Voice Typing | Settings > Accessibility > Speech > Voice Typing | Open Settings > Accessibility > Speech > Voice Typing. Locate the "Delay before action" setting and adjust the pause duration before a voice command is executed. |
| Windows Hello with Enhanced Sign-in Security (ESS) | Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options | Connect a compatible external fingerprint scanner. Then open Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options, select Fingerprint recognition (Windows Hello), and follow the prompts to enroll your fingerprint with ESS. |
| Start menu sign-out warning | Start menu (fix applied automatically) | No user action required. The fix prevents the sign-out warning from being cut off by the edge of the Start menu. |
| Start menu wrong side (Arabic/Hebrew) | Settings > Personalization > Taskbar > Taskbar alignment | If taskbar icons are not center-aligned and the Start menu opens on the wrong side in Arabic or Hebrew, the fix is automatic after the update. To change alignment manually, go to Settings > Personalization > Taskbar > Taskbar alignment and select Center or Left. |
| Kiosk mode error | Settings > Accounts > Other users > Kiosk (or Intune kiosk profile) | The error message is removed automatically. To configure a multi-app kiosk, go to Settings > Accounts > Other users > Set up a kiosk and choose Multi-app kiosk. |
| Windows Insider Program | Settings > Windows Update > Windows Insider Program | Open Settings > Windows Update > Windows Insider Program. The hang issue during joining is fixed; you can now sign in with your Microsoft account and choose an Insider channel. |
| File Explorer network responsiveness | File Explorer (automatic) | No user action required. Performance improvements when accessing network locations are applied automatically with the update. |
| explorer.exe hang at first sign-in | Automatic fix | No user action required. The fix prevents explorer.exe from hanging when auto-start applications run at first sign-in. |
| Windows activation | Settings > System > Activation | The update fixes license transfer failures. To check activation, go to Settings > System > Activation. If needed, run the Activation troubleshooter from the same page. |
| Desktop icons | Desktop (automatic) | No user action required. Icons no longer move spontaneously when opening or renaming files. |
| Keyboard repeat delay labels | Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Keyboard | Open Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Keyboard. The labels for character repeat delay are now displayed in the correct order. Adjust the slider as desired. |
| User Account Control (UAC) | Automatic fix | No user action required. The PC no longer hangs when launching Windows Terminal with elevated privileges from a non-administrator account. |
| Secure Boot | System firmware / UEFI settings (Boot Manager update) | The Boot Manager update is applied automatically on Windows 11 24H2 devices with the Windows UEFI CA 2023 certificate. If you reset the Secure Boot database or re-enable Secure Boot and see a violation error, you may need to create Secure Boot recovery media from the Microsoft website. |
| Domain backup key management for DPAPI | Group Policy or Intune (Administrative Templates) | Administrators can configure automatic key rotation frequency for DPAPI via Group Policy or Intune. Look for Data Protection API settings under Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > System > DPAPI. |
| Black screen in isolated multi-user environments | Automatic fix | No user action required. The display and graphics fix resolves black screen issues after Windows updates in isolated multi-user environments. |
| Narrator startup from ISO | Automatic fix | No user action required. Narrator now starts correctly during Windows installation from an ISO image. |
| iSCSI boot | Automatic fix | No user action required. Booting from iSCSI no longer fails with "Inaccessible Boot Device". |
The last 10 Windows updates:
| Update | Build | Version | Windows | Channel | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KB5121157 | 28020.2818 | 26H1 | Windows 11 | Beta | 2026-08-31 |
| KB5121158 | 28120.2824 | 26H1 | Windows 11 | Experimental | 2026-08-31 |
| KB5121794 | 26300.9278 | 26H2 | Windows 11 | Preview | 2026-08-27 |
| KB5121132 | 28120.2760 | 26H1 | Windows 11 | Experimental | 2026-08-21 |
| KB5124040 | 26220.9223 | 25H2 | Windows 11 | Beta | 2026-08-21 |
| KB5124042 | 26340.9233 | 26H2 | Windows 11 | Experimental | 2026-08-21 |
| KB5121106 | 28020.2731 | 26H1 | Windows 11 | Beta | 2026-08-17 |
| KB5121109 | 28120.2738 | 26H1 | Windows 11 | Experimental | 2026-08-17 |
| KB5124036 | 26220.9202 | 25H2 | Windows 11 | Beta | 2026-08-17 |
| KB5124038 | 26340.9212 | 26H2 | Windows 11 | Experimental | 2026-08-17 |