Build 26340.9212 for Windows 11 26H2 brings customizable context menu and major changes – Experimental

• Windows 11 build 26340.9212 is rolling out to the Experimental channel for version 26H2 with an enablement package.
• Microsoft is rolling out a redesigned File Explorer context menu that gives users much more control over which commands and options appear.
• The update adds several smaller improvements, including Emoji 17 support, a refreshed Magnifier, better wallpaper customization, easier Camera Roll Backup setup, and new Get Started pages.
• Microsoft is also removing WMIC and Drag Tray, while addressing several reliability and input issues across Windows 11.

Microsoft is releasing the Windows 11 Insider Preview Quality Update (26340.9212) for version 26H2 through the Experimental channel in the Windows Insider Program. This flight introduces improvements to existing features, along with various fixes, as part of the Windows K2 initiative.

According to the official notes, Windows 11 build 26340.9212 begins rolling out the redesigned context menu, which lets you customize virtually everything about it.

This flight makes it easier to set up Camera Roll Backup and automatically back up your pictures in the cloud. Microsoft is also removing the Windows Management Instrumentation Command-line (WMIC), introducing Emoji 17, and updating the Get Started app.

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There are also improvements to the Magnifier, Start menu, Run, the Personalization experience, Settings, and more.

Finally, starting with this release, Microsoft is removing the Drag Tray experience from Windows 11 based on feedback.

Microsoft also notes that the update is based on Windows 11 26H2 and is delivered through an enablement package. The update brings the system to build 26340.9212.

What’s new on Windows 11 build 26340.9212 (Experimental)

These are the new features and improvements rolling out in the Experimental channel:

New customizable context menu

Microsoft is beginning to roll out the redesigned context menu in File Explorer, and this is more than a visual cleanup. The new experience reduces clutter in the main menu while keeping commonly used actions easier to reach. It also adds a “Customize menu” option that opens a new Context menu page under Settings > Personalization, where users can control which commands appear.

The new settings include individual “File actions” (such as Send to), controls for App extensions, and an option to arrange primary actions inline so commands like Cut, Copy, Rename, Share, and Delete appear directly in the menu.

You can also keep or hide the App extensions entry point, restore “Show more options” for quicker access to the legacy menu, and choose whether “Properties” appears at the bottom.

Microsoft is also moving OneDrive commands into their own submenu, preventing options such as “Always keep on this device” from crowding the main menu. The modern menu now includes “Refresh,” while File Explorer is reorganizing commands such as “Open file location” to make them easier to find. The result is a menu that feels less crowded and more responsive while finally giving users a say in what appears when they right-click.

The company is also fixing an annoying visual glitch from the previous build where previews in File Explorer could display an unexpected thick band across the middle.

Desktop background settings get a series of improvements

The software giant is also rolling out several improvements to the Personalization > Background experience, addressing some of the rough edges that can make changing wallpapers more frustrating than it should be.

The Background settings page is getting reliability improvements, along with sharper previews when selecting a wallpaper and better preview rendering for users with portrait-oriented monitors. Microsoft is also improving how the system handles wallpaper changes made in quick succession and fixing reliability issues with desktop slideshow transitions, particularly on newly created accounts.

There are a couple of useful additions, too. Windows 11 can now use DIB (Device Independent Bitmap) image files as desktop backgrounds, while slideshow wallpapers can work across multiple desktops without automatically switching the background mode back to “Picture.”

Magnifier gets a visual refresh

The Magnifier is getting a small but welcome visual makeover. Microsoft is refreshing the tool’s toolbar with updated icons that better match the operating system’s current design language, along with refined spacing and padding for a cleaner, more polished layout.

The important part is that nothing changes about how Magnifier works. Your existing views, zoom controls, keyboard shortcuts, and Read Aloud feature will continue to behave exactly as before. It’s a visual upgrade, not a feature overhaul, so you get a more modern interface without having to relearn the tool.

Camera Roll Backup gets easier to find

This update is making Camera Roll Backup easier to discover with new entry points on the Settings > Home and Accounts pages. From either location, you can quickly set up the feature to automatically back up photos and videos from your mobile device to OneDrive, giving you a simpler way to keep your memories backed up without digging through Settings.

Get Started app gets new personalization pages

The Get Started app is becoming more useful to help users personalize their devices and discover features they might otherwise overlook. Microsoft is adding new pages to the app that can guide users through different setup and personalization options, although the pages shown can vary depending on the device.

The new experience includes an app install page for discovering and installing apps, a site pinning page for adding websites to the Taskbar or Start menu, and a personalized theme page for customizing the look of Windows 11.

WMIC is removed from Windows 11

Microsoft is taking another step toward retiring the Windows Management Instrumentation Command-line (WMIC) by removing it from this release. The legacy command-line tool has been deprecated for some time, and this change continues Microsoft’s gradual effort to remove WMIC from Windows.

WMIC was commonly used by administrators and scripts to query and manage system information through WMI. Microsoft recommends moving to PowerShell and other modern WMI-based tools as part of the transition.

Windows 11 gets new Emoji 17.0 characters

Windows 11 is expanding its emoji collection with support for Emoji 17.0, bringing several new characters to the built-in emoji picker. The additions include distorted face, fight cloud, and hairy creature, among others.

You can try the new emoji by pressing the “Windows key + Period (.)” keyboard shortcut to open the emoji panel and selecting them from the picker.

Microsoft is also making a handful of existing emoji look more consistent across platforms. The refreshed designs include the saluting face, face with peeking eye, goose, lotus, and kissing cat emoji, giving some familiar characters a subtle visual cleanup.

Other fixes

In addition, Windows 11 build 26340.9212 also pushes several fixes and improvements.

• Settings: Fixed a crash that could occur when interacting with items on the “Date & Time” page.
• Run: Improved first-launch reliability and adjusted the amount of information announced by screen readers.
• Start menu: Microsoft is adjusting the rollout of the personalized Start menu, so some users may temporarily lose access to the features. If they disappear, users can re-enable them through feature flags.
• Input: Fixed an issue where some third-party keyboard input methods, including certain Chinese IMEs, could fail to display their status window correctly while typing in File Explorer and other parts of the operating system. Microsoft also improved the Japanese IME by reducing potential hangs and deadlocks.
• Other: Fixed an xtajit64.dll crash that was causing problems with certain apps for Insiders on Arm64 PCs.

In addition, Microsoft is removing the Drag Tray feature from this build after listening to feedback from Windows Insiders.

Download Windows 11 update 26340.9212

To download and install these Windows 11 builds, enroll your Devices in the Experimental channel through the “Windows Insider Program” settings from the “Update & Security” section. Once you enroll the computer in the program, you can download the build from the “Windows Update” settings by turning on the “Get the latest updates as soon as they’re available” option and clicking the “Check for Updates” button.

Alternatively, you can download the ISO files from the Windows Insider Preview Downloads page. Specific preview builds are available for a limited time only.