Microsoft Starts Controlled Feature Rollouts (CFRs) on Windows Insider Dev Channel

Microsoft has just released two new Windows 11 preview builds for Insiders on the Dev and Beta channels. The Dev Channel is moving on from the build 26100.268 to the 24H2 build 26120.461 today, and going forward, the Windows Insider team will be using Controlled Feature Rollouts (CFRs) on the Dev Channel to test new features with a subset of Insiders.

As you probably know, this is something the team has already been doing on the Beta Channel for quite some time. By turning on the “Get the latest updates as soon as they’re available” in Windows Update, Dev and Beta Channel testers download an enablement package to get early access to new features, which will roll out gradually to early enthusiasts with the toggle on.

With today’s Dev Channel build 26120.461, Insiders with the Windows Update toggle on will get “a small set of general improvements and fixes that improve the overall experience.” And again, these undisclosed improvements will be rolling out gradually to Insiders.

The release notes for today’s Dev Channel build also mention two Copilot-related changes: First of all, the Windows Insider team is pausing the experiment that made Copilot in Windows act like a normal application window. The Copilot actions that made the Copilot icon animate after copying text or images will also be disabled.

“We have decided to pause the rollouts of these experiences to further refine them based on user feedback. Copilot in Windows will continue to work as expected while we continue to evolve new ideas with Windows Insiders,” the Windows Insider team explained.

Additionally, Microsoft has fixed the issue causing Copilot on Windows to auto-launch after a restart. This fix is rolling out to all Insiders on the Canary, Dev, and Beta channels.

If you’re on the Beta Channel, the build 22635.3570 is available for you today. Insiders on this channel with the Windows Update toggle on will get a new option to duplicate a tab by right-clicking on it in File Explorer. Microsoft is also rolling out a different set of bug fixes to Beta Channel testers with and without the Windows Update toggle on.

While updates released to the Dev Channel are now based off Windows 11 version 24H2, Canary Channel testers recently moved to the more advanced build 26200. There was no new flight for the Canary Channel this week, but if you’ve been paying attention, you should know that new Windows features and experiences sometimes show up first in the Dev and Beta Channel. Yes, this has been Microsoft’s way of beta-testing things for a while, whether you like it or not.