KB5070311 (build 26200.7296) for Windows 11 drops as the December 2025 update (preview)

Windows 11 builds 26100.7296 and 26200.7296 (KB5070311) arrive in the Release Preview Channel as the first preview of the last cumulative update in 2025 for version 25H2 and 24H2.
This preview rolls out File Explorer dark mode changes, Windows Hello external sensor support, an option to disable Drag Tray, Quick Machine Recovery changes, and more.
Windows 11 build 22631.6269 (KB5070312) is now available in the Release Preview Channel for version 23H2, as part of the December 2025 update with non-security fixes.

UPDATED 11/17/2025: Microsoft is rolling out Windows 11 builds 26100.7296 and 26200.7296 (KB5070311) in the Release Preview Channel as the first preview of the December 2025 Security Update. In addition, Windows 11 build 22631.6269 (KB5070312) for version 23H2 is also available in the Release Preview Channel of the Windows Insider Program as part of the next cumulative update.

According to the change logs, the update KB5070311 ships with dark mode improvements for File Explorer, support for external fingerprint sensors with Windows Hello, Mobile Devices settings now accessible within the Settings app, and the ability to disable the Drag Tray feature from the Nearby Sharing settings page.

In addition, you’ll find changes for Quick Machine Recovery, Widgets, keyboard, and much more.

Furthermore, the KB5070312 update for Windows 11 brings the Country and Operator Settings Asset (COSA) to the latest update for specific mobile operators, and introduces fixes for File Explorer and Group Policy and Configuration.

It’s important to note that version 23H2 reached end of support on November 11, 2025, but extended support for organizations will continue until November 10, 2026.

Microsoft does not reveal the final names of updates intended for the Stable Channel during early development. While in preview, these are labeled as non-security updates. The official name, such as the “December 2025 Security Update,” is assigned only after the update is released on Patch Tuesday.

What’s new on Windows 11 25H2 and 24H2 update (KB5070311)
What’s new on Windows 11 23H2 update KB5068865
Windows 11 December 2025 Patch Tuesday – Manual installation process
Windows 11 December 2025 Patch Tuesday – Update history

Important: Usually, Microsoft doesn’t release new features immediately. When a feature is announced as part of an update, it usually signals the start of a gradual rollout using the Controlled Feature Rollout (CFR) technology. Availability can vary based on region, hardware, and software configuration. For instance, some features take longer to reach users in Europe due to regulatory requirements.

What’s new on Windows 11 25H2 and 24H2 update (TBD)

Microsoft is currently rolling out these new features, improvements, and fixes as part of the December 2025 Security Update for Windows 11 24H2 and version 25H2.

Desktop Spotlight new options

When Windows Spotlight is set as your desktop background, the context menu now includes options such as “Learn more about this background” and “Next desktop background.”

Disable the Drag Tray feature

In this release, on Settings > System > Nearby sharing, you’ll find a new option to disable the Drag Tray feature.

Drag Tray disable feature option / Image: Mauro Huculak

Furthermore, Drag Tray now supports multi-file sharing, shows more relevant apps, and makes it easy to transfer files to another folder.

Keyboard improvements

Keyboard backlight performance has improved on supported HID-compliant keyboards. For example, keyboards will now display keys clearly in low-light environments, and the backlight adjusts to help conserve power.

File Explorer dark mode improvements

File Explorer is getting a visual refresh with a more consistent dark mode experience. Specific dialogs, such as copy, move, delete, and error messages, now better match the dark theme, with updated progress bars, charts, and confirmation prompts for actions like skip and override.

File Explorer new dark mode elements / Image: Mauro Huculak

The updated version of the file manager also includes bug fixes, including thumbnails that now display correctly for video files with certain EXIF metadata. A legacy white toolbar will no longer appear at random. And the “File” context menus now show the correct app icon next to “Open,” instead of a generic placeholder.

Windows Hello with external fingerprint sensors support

Until now, the Windows Hello Enhanced Sign-in Security (ESS) experience has only supported built-in biometric sensors. However, starting with builds 26100.7296 and 26200.7296, you can now connect and configure any supported Windows Hello ESS fingerprint reader from the “Sign-in options” settings page.

Enhanced Sign in security option / Image: Mauro Huculak

Windows Share improvements

The share experience has been updated to share OneDrive files through other apps using the Copy link option under the “Share using” section.

Mobile Device settings

Although you have been able to control the mobile device settings from the Settings app, this action required you to open a secondary page detached from the experience.

Settings Mobile Devices entry point / Image: Mauro Huculak

However, starting with this rollout, Microsoft is incorporating the option to connect your mobile devices from within the “Mobile devices” page.

Windows 11 Mobile Devices new settings / Image: Mauro Huculak

Settings app changes

Starting with builds 26100.7296 and 26200.7296, the Settings app ports more features from Control Panel, including character repeat delay and rate, and cursor blink rate, which you can now configure from Settings > Accessibility > Keyboard, and cursor blink rate available through Settings > Accessibility > Text cursor.

A new “Device Card” now appears on the Settings home page (United States only, when signed in with a Microsoft account), showing key specs and usage info at a glance, with quick access to the full “About” page.

The “About” page itself has also been redesigned, grouping device details and related options like “Storage” settings for faster navigation.

Also, a bug that could cause Settings to freeze when opening the “Network & Internet” section has been fixed.

In the Home page of the Settings app, the Game Pass card description has been updated to reflect the new branding and benefits.

Settings Home new Game Pass card / Image: Microsoft

Taskbar improvements

Taskbar app group animations have been refined. When hovering and sliding between apps, you’ll now see smoother preview transitions.

Also, this update resolves an issue where the “Automatically hide the taskbar” setting could turn off unexpectedly after a message about a hidden toolbar, and addresses a problem where voice access commands didn’t reliably trigger Taskbar items when using number-based interactions.

Quick Machine Recovery changes

In this release, on devices with the “Quick Machine Recovery” and “Automatically check for solutions” settings enabled, the feature will now run a one‑time scan by default, rather than running scans in a loop.

Enable Quick machine recovery

If a resolution to the problem isn’t available right away, you won’t be left waiting. Quick Machine Recovery will list the most appropriate recovery options.

Widgets’ new design for feed and settings

Starting with the KB5070311 update, Windows 11 introduces a new dashboard design with a settings page rather than a page overlay, making the dashboard feel more like an app.

Widgets dashboard new settings / Image: Mauro Huculak

Also, when live weather is visible, launching the Widget board now opens the first dashboard in your navigation bar (rather than the last one you used) for a more consistent experience.

If you want to change the behavior, from the Widgets settings, re-arrange your preferred default dashboard to the top position.

Finally, from the left navigation page, you’ll notice badges in the page icons showing the number of corresponding unseen alerts.

Haptic feedback for digital pens

Builds 26100.7296 and 26200.7296 also bring haptic feedback support for digital pens with new tactile responses during certain interactions with the system elements.

Camera (Copilot+ PC)

Windows Studio Effects brings AI-powered camera enhancements to secondary cameras (such as a USB webcam or your device’s built-in rear camera).

To enable it, open Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Cameras, select your preferred camera from the list, then open Advanced camera options and turn on the “Use Windows Studio Effects” toggle switch.

Once enabled, you can change the effects directly from the camera’s settings page or via the quick settings menu on the taskbar.

Click to Do new actions menu (Copilot+ PC)

In this release, the company is also updating the Click to Do actions menu that now matches more closely the design of the File Explorer context menu with inline options for Copy, Save, Share, and Open, as well as with the Copilot prompt box and the content-specific features.

Agent in the Settings app (Copilot+ PC)

The search results menu now shows more results with a scroll bar for easier navigation. Recommended settings offer faster adjustments through inline agent options for recently modified items. In addition, when a setting can’t be changed further, a new dialog explains why and offers alternatives.

File Explorer (Copilot+ PC)

In the File Explorer for Copilot+ PCs, the search box placeholder text now reflects the upgraded Windows Search, making its enhanced capabilities more visible.

Other fixes and changes

In addition to the new features and improvements, Windows 11 builds 26100.7296 and 26200.7296 ship various fixes, including:

OneDrive: The new icon design is now in Accounts and Homepages in the Settings app.
Advanced: Virtual Workspaces can now be enabled through Settings > System > Advanced. This feature lets you toggle virtual environments, such as Hyper-V, Windows Sandbox, and others.
Smart Cards: Fixed a logon error where the ECC Smart Card Logon Credential could trigger STATUS_NOT_SUPPORTED (0xc00000bb).
Graphics: Improved performance when apps query monitor mode lists and resolution displays. Fixed brightness slider issues on all-in-one devices where changes could revert unexpectedly. Also resolved a bug causing some games to incorrectly report “Unsupported graphics card detected” despite using a supported GPU.
Lock Screen: Fixed an issue where logging into a new account could be very slow the first time. Also addressed a memory leak that could occur when the lock screen is set to slideshow, which may impact performance or reliability over time.
Security: Fixed an issue where the Local Security Authority Subsystem Service (LSASS) could become unstable due to an access violation.

What’s new on Windows 11 23H2 update KB5070312

The company has also released security fixes and improvements for Windows 11 23H2, as part of the update KB5070312 (build 22631.6269).

Country and Operator Settings Asset (COSA): Profiles are now up to date for specific mobile operators.
File Explorer: Fixed issues where the app became unresponsive to mouse clicks until restarted, and where extracting “.tar” files failed if file or folder names included more than 34 commonly used Chinese characters.
Group Policy and Configuration: Resolved a problem where the HideRecommendedSection policy failed to suppress recommendations in Windows 11 Enterprise multi-session environments like Azure Virtual Desktop, even when applied via Group Policy or Configuration Service Provider (CSP)

Also, this version of the operating system won’t receive any new features, as this release has reached the end of support.

Windows 11 December 2025 Patch Tuesday – Manual installation process

To download and install this Windows 11 update, open the “Windows Update” settings, and from the “Windows Insider Program” page enroll the computer in the Release Preview Channel, and then from the main update settings, turn on the “Get the latest updates as soon as they’re available” option, and click the “Check for Updates” button.

If your computer is having issues after installing this package, you can use these instructions to uninstall the December 2025 update.

Windows 11 December 2025 Patch Tuesday – Update history

Initial Release – Release Preview Channel:
- Windows 11 25H2 build 26200.7296 release date: November 17, 2025. Official notes.
- Windows 11 24H2 build 26100.7296 release date: November 17, 2025. (same).
- Windows 11 23H2 build 22631.6269 release date: November 13, 2025. Official notes.
Second Release – Optional Install (Stable Channel):
- Windows 11 25H2 build 26200.xxxx release date: TBD.
- Windows 11 24H2 build 26100.xxxx release date: TBD.
- Windows 11 23H2 build 22631.xxxx release date: TBD.
Final Release – Patch Tuesday (Stable Channel):
- Windows 11 25H2 build 26200.xxxx release date: December 9, 2025. Official notes.
- Windows 11 24H2 build 26100.xxxx release date: December 9, 2025. (same).
- Windows 11 23H2 build 22631.xxxx release date: December 9, 2025. Official notes.

Update November 17, 2025: This content has been updated with new information, and it’s been revised to ensure accuracy.