KB5095029

Microsoft has released cumulative update KB5095029 (Build 26220.8680) for Windows 11 version 25H2, available to insiders on the Beta channel. The main focus of this update is on reducing distracting factors in system operation, expanding accessibility features, and improving stability.

• Widgets become quiet by default. A new set of settings is being introduced for all users, designed to reduce unexpected notifications and visual interruptions. Now, by default, opening on hover is disabled, taskbar icons are disabled, and the widgets panel opens on first launch. On the lock screen, Weather remains the only default widget. The number of taskbar notifications that can be sent per day is limited, and the notifications themselves are restricted until the user opens Widgets and starts using them.
• Change of Widget icon color on the taskbar. For those who have taskbar icons enabled, the icon color now matches the Windows accent color, rather than always being displayed in red. This reduces the sense of urgency and the feeling that something requires immediate attention.
• Badges on Widgets navigation pane icons. It remains important to easily find missed information, so badges are now supported on Widgets navigation pane icons, showing the number of missed notifications from a specific dashboard. Badges are automatically cleared when leaving the dashboard, making it easier to track new items. If badges in the navigation pane are not needed at all, they can be disabled in settings.
• Interface adaptation based on user activity. The interface becomes calmer depending on how actively the user interacts with Widgets. For a user who barely uses Widgets, the interface is made calmer with taskbar icons disabled. For those who actively use Widgets and have already customized them, the changes are not applied. Features like taskbar icons can be enabled or disabled in Widgets settings, which are now a full-screen interface that simplifies reading.
• Optimization of memory usage by Widgets. As part of system-wide memory savings, Widgets now take into account device characteristics and user behavior patterns. This includes a smaller default memory footprint, faster memory release when Widgets are not in use, and limiting pre-launch on devices with less memory.

The update also introduces new features and improvements in the accessibility section.

• Screen color tint. A new accessibility setting has been added that overlays a color layer onto the entire display, softening its intensity so that eyes tire less throughout the day. If bright, saturated screens cause fatigue or increased eye sensitivity by the end of a long work session, screen color tint can help. To get started, open Settings > Accessibility (or press Win + U) and find Screen color tint under the Vision section. Here you can choose one of six preset colors or create a custom one, and adjust the tint intensity slider from light to full. Night light makes the image warmer, reducing blue glow that can interfere with sleep. Screen color tint reduces the overall intensity of the image, decreasing eye fatigue and light sensitivity during the day. They solve different tasks and can be used simultaneously: one is responsible for warmth, the other for intensity. Enabling screen color tint disables color filters, and vice versa. If you use color filters, screen color tint may need to be left turned off.
• Improved zoom in Magnifier. Magnifier gives more control over zooming. The exact zoom percentage can be entered directly on the Magnifier toolbar to reach the desired level. Preset steps (5%, 10%, 25%, 50%, 100%, 150%, 200%, and 400%) have been added to the dropdown options list, allowing you to jump to the desired level with one click.

Other changes and improvements affect input, remote recovery management, File Explorer, and Windows Update.

• Emoji Panel update. The Emoji Panel (Win + period) now uses GIPHY as the GIF provider, making browsing and sharing GIFs smoother after the discontinuation of Tenor support.
• Remote recovery management. A remote recovery management plug-in has been added, expanding WinRE management capabilities for MDM providers.
• File Explorer address bar improvements. The address bar now supports paths with double backslashes and quotes (for example, C:\Users\user or "C:\Users\user"), improving compatibility with more input formats. Mounting of large ISO files has been accelerated—File Explorer no longer hangs during SmartScreen checks. The address bar suggestion dropdown has become more reliable and now stably closes after selecting an item.
• Fixes in File Explorer. An issue on the File Explorer home page where OneDrive files could be duplicated in the Favorites section has been resolved. Improvements have been made to renaming: an issue where text was repeatedly selected when renaming items in folder views has been fixed, as well as an issue where changing the case in a file name was not immediately reflected in folder views for items stored locally or in the cloud.

Installation of the update is performed through Windows Update. To do this, go to Settings > Windows Update and click Check for updates. A computer restart is required to complete the installation.

In the previous version, error 0x800f0843, which occurred when attempting to install the past update, was also fixed.

How the new features work:

Widgets become quiet by default. A new set of default policies has been introduced, aimed at minimizing unexpected notifications and visual interruptions. The system automatically disables opening the panel on hover, hides taskbar icons, and only initializes the widget panel upon the user's first direct launch. On the lock screen, Weather remains the sole active element. Additionally, a quota on the number of daily background notifications is introduced, with sending programmatically restricted until the user commences active widget usage.

Widget icon color change on the taskbar. The icon coloring logic has been switched from a fixed red color to a dynamic binding with the Windows shell accent color. The visual rendering no longer exploits the critical red spectrum for status indication, which perceptually reduces the false sense of urgency and eliminates the cognitive load associated with requiring an immediate response to an unchecked event.

Badges on Widgets navigation pane icons. The mechanism for tracking missed events has been implemented through a badge system on navigation menu elements, where the counter displays the number of unread notifications for a specific information panel. The automatic counter reset logic is activated upon opening the corresponding panel, ensuring the relevance of the new item tracking status. A manual toggle is provided in the settings to completely disable badge rendering if the user does not require this visual indicator.

Interface adaptation based on user activity. The system analyzes behavioral patterns of interaction with widgets and dynamically adjusts the interface saturation. For profiles with zero or minimal activity, a quiet mode with automatic hiding of taskbar icons is applied. Users who have actively customized their feed and regularly interact with content retain their current configuration without alterations. Icon management has been moved to the full-screen widget settings interface, which is optimized for reading and scrolling.

Optimization of memory usage by Widgets. As part of the global strategy for saving system resources, the Widgets memory manager now considers the device's hardware characteristics and the user's behavioral model. A reduced default memory footprint has been implemented, along with an accelerated procedure for releasing memory pages when the subsystem is inactive, and a limitation on background process pre-loading on devices with low RAM, preventing excessive pressure on the swap file and the system's working set.

Screen color tint. A new accessibility setting overlays a layer of the specified color onto the entire final display frame buffer, programmatically reducing the luminous intensity of the image to decrease visual fatigue. Activation occurs via the path Settings > Accessibility > Vision > Screen color tint, where a selection of six preset spectra is available, or the creation of a custom shade with adjustable overlay strength. Technologically, this filter reduces the overall luminance component (intensity), unlike "Night Light," which shifts the color temperature into a warm range by removing the blue spectrum; they solve different physiological tasks and can operate in parallel. When tinting is enabled, color filters are deactivated to avoid color rendering transformation conflicts.

Improved zoom in Magnifier. The magnifying glass tool has gained the ability to directly input the target zoom percentage into the corresponding field on the toolbar, allowing for fractional or whole values to be achieved without stepped scrolling. Additionally, preset discretization steps have been integrated into the dropdown list: 5%, 10%, 25%, 50%, 100%, 150%, 200%, and 400%, providing a quick switch between critical zoom levels without generating extra scaling events.

Emoji Panel update. The backend provider for animated images in the panel, invoked by the Win + . combination, has been replaced from the deprecated Tenor to the GIPHY service. The integration occurs via the updated content provider API, guaranteeing a more stable streaming of previews and seamless insertion of GIF files into input fields using RichEdit or similar controls supporting OLE objects.

Remote recovery management. A remote recovery management plug-in has been added to the WinRE component registry, expanding the scope of Mobile Device Management (MDM) providers within corporate environments. The CSP interface now allows administrators to initiate recovery scenarios, reboot into the WinRE environment, and apply recovery packages without the user's physical presence, utilizing standard policy synchronization channels.

File Explorer address bar improvements. The file manager's path parser has been refined to correctly handle literals with double backslashes and quoted strings, for example, C:\Users\user or "C:\Users\user". This enhances compatibility with the clipboard and logs, where paths are often escaped. Mounting of large ISO images has been optimized: the UI thread blockage during synchronous SmartScreen checks has been eliminated, resolving window freezes. The suggestion dropdown list now stably collapses upon item selection due to a fix in input event handling.

Fixes in File Explorer. A bug with OneDrive file duplication in the Favorites section on the home page, caused by incorrect synchronization of the local cache with the cloud placeholder, has been resolved. The rename logic has been refined: a looped text selection issue when editing names in file views has been fixed, and the problem of immediate character case updates for cloud and local files has been solved — a case change now instantly invalidates the icon rendering cache.

The last 10 Windows updates: