Windows 11 Build 26120.3585 (Beta) improves File Explorer and adds some Copilot+ goodies

Microsoft has released a new preview Windows 11 (version 24H2)  build 26120.3585 (KB5053644) to Windows Insiders in the Beta channel. It adds much improved search on Copilot+ devices, and several quality and reliability improvements made to File Explorer, Settings, and login screen.

New for PC Copilot+

Improved Windows Search

Local Semantic Search

On devices with the Copilot+ PC label and AMD and Intel processors, finding documents, photos, and settings is simplified thanks to the introduction of "Enhanced Windows Search," which is based on semantic models in addition to traditional lexical indexing.

Whether you're searching in File Explorer, the search box on the taskbar, or Settings, just type what you think to find it on your PC. No more remembering file names, exact words in document content, or setting names.

With over 40 TOPS of performance from the Neural Processing Unit (NPU) built into Copilot+ PC devices, improved search is available even without an internet connection.

In Settings > Privacy & Security > Windows Search, you can specify which folders should be indexed on your PC. There, you can also enable the Advanced mode to index all data on your PC.

Currently, searching for settings, such as "change my theme," only works inside the Settings app. In future builds, you’ll be able to search for settings using the search box on the taskbar.

Improved search works in Chinese, English, French, German, Japanese and Spanish. Supported file formats: .txt, .pdf, .docx, .doc, .rtf, .pptx, .ppt, .xls, .xlsx for documents and .jpg/.jpeg, .png, .gif, .bmp, .ico for images.

For detailed information on how semantic search works on Copilot+ PCs, please refer to the documentation at this link.

Improved cloud photo search

Also, on devices with the Copilot+ PC label with AMD and Intel processors, it’s easier to search for photos in the cloud storage. You can use natural language queries in the search bar in the upper-right corner of File Explorer to find photos in the cloud by describing their content, for example, "European castles" or "summer picnics."

In addition, photos from the cloud will now be displayed in search results along with images saved on your local computer. You will also find exact matches for your keywords in the text of your cloud files in the results.

The feature only works with personal OneDrive cloud storage. To try out the improved search, you need to sign in to a Microsoft account and have an active Internet connection. If you sign in to OneDrive with a work or school account (Entra ID), then in the search results you will only see matches by keywords in the texts of cloud files. Third-party cloud storage will also be able to implement support for improved Windows search, documentation is promised to be published later.

Improved search features are gradually rolling out to Windows Insiders on Copilot+ PCs, so they may not be available on your device yet.

Note: You may need to restart your computer 1-2 times to get the "Improved Windows Search" feature.

For detailed information on how semantic search works on Copilot+ PCs, please refer to the documentation at this link.

For Insiders with the "Get the latest updates as soon as they're available" toggle turned on

Changes and improvements

File Explorer

• • The performance of extracting archived files in Explorer has been improved. This will be especially noticeable when unpacking a large number of small files.
  • Fixed an issue where File Explorer would close very slowly for some Insiders when clicking the X button in the title bar. This issue may also affect other buttons in the title bar.

Login screen

• • Updated the web login icon to better match the other icons in the login options menu.

Settings

• • Fixed an issue where the navigation bar labels were misaligned in the previous flight.

For all insiders

Fixes

General

• • Fixed an issue where attempting to reinstall a build using the Windows Update troubleshooter in Settings > System > Recovery would result in error code 0x80070005.
  • Fixed an issue where the "Get the latest updates as soon as they're available" toggle was not displayed correctly and would sometimes turn off on its own.

Known issues

General

• • [Reminder] When you join the Dev and Beta channels, you will be offered Windows 11 24H2 Build 26120.3360. Once you install it, you will be on the latest build. The two-step update to get the latest build is a temporary mechanism.
  • After resetting the system settings in Settings > System > Recovery, the build number may change to 26100 instead of 26120. This will not affect receiving future updates on the Dev channel, which will fix the issue.

Recall

• • [Reminder] Be sure to update your Microsoft 365 apps to the latest version so you can get back to certain documents.
  • [New] Some Insiders may encounter an issue where Recall is unable to automatically save photos, and the feature cannot be enabled in Settings. Working on a fix.
  • Recall can be enabled or disabled in the "Turn Windows features on or off" section. At the moment, Recall files remain on the disk even after the feature is disabled. In future updates, these files will be completely removed from the system.

Click to Do

• • [Updated 03/17/2025] Intelligent text actions now use local suggestion and response moderation instead of a cloud-based solution. Since intelligent text actions are now fully local, they are now available in Click to Do in Recall.
  • [Reminder] If some actions with objects in images are not displayed, check for updates to the Photos and Paint apps in the Microsoft Store.
  • Sometimes, intelligent text actions based on Phi Silica may provide unnecessary context. This issue will be fixed in future Windows Insider builds.

Improved search

• • [Reminder] To improve the Windows Search experience on Copilot+ PC devices, it is recommended that you connect your computer to a power source to complete the initial indexing. You can check the search indexing status in Settings > Privacy & Security > Windows Search.

Settings

• • [New] Working on a fix for an issue where some Insiders were experiencing a crash in Settings when going to System > Power & Battery.
  • [New] Text in the advanced camera settings under Bluetooth & Devices > Cameras may not load correctly.

File Explorer

• • Working on a fix for an issue where the Home page in File Explorer crashes for some Insiders. If you launch File Explorer with a different folder (such as through Search or the Run dialog), you'll be able to navigate your folders.
  • Working to fix an issue that causes File Explorer to crash when moving or renaming certain files.

Taskbar

• • Working to fix an issue where taskbar icons don't expand as much as they should when using your PC in tablet mode.

Task Manager

• • After adding the new "CPU Load" column, you may notice that the load for the "System Idle" process is always 0.
  • The CPU graphs on the Performance page still use the old CPU usage calculations.

Source