Windows 11 Insider Preview build 26220.7344 (KB5070316) is now rolling out to both the Dev and Beta channels on top of version 25H2. For now, the two channels share the same build, which also means Dev users have a limited-time opportunity to drop down to the Beta channel before Dev advances to higher, less stable build numbers.
The update leans heavily on infrastructure changes: native support for the Model Context Protocol (MCP) for AI agents, a new Update Orchestration Platform (UOP) for third-party app updates, and the production release of Windows MIDI Services. There are also smaller quality-of-life tweaks and a handful of notable bugs to be aware of.
Model Context Protocol (MCP) arrives as a native Windows capability
The headline change in build 26220.7344 is native integration of the Model Context Protocol, or MCP. MCP is an open standard that gives AI agents a consistent way to connect to local apps, tools, and services.
On Windows, MCP is backed by an on-device registry (ODR). Agents can discover connectors there and ask to use them, while each connector runs in a contained, auditable environment with its own identity. The goal is to provide:
- Centralized discoverability of tools and other agents.
- Consistent permissioning and policy controls.
- Enterprise-grade management of which agents can do what on a device.
Two MCP agent connectors ship in the OS with this build:
- File Explorer connector – Lets agents manage, organize, and retrieve local files with the user’s consent. On Copilot+ PCs, it supports natural language search across file descriptions, content, metadata, and image classification so an agent can fetch “the budget spreadsheet from last week” or “the photo of the red car in the rain” without a manual search.
- Windows Settings connector – On Copilot+ PCs, allows natural language queries and changes to system settings, or direct navigation to specific Settings pages such as Display, Mouse, Keyboard, or Sound.
For developers and IT admins, this is the foundation for building and governing “agentic” workflows that can safely touch core OS features and local data. For now, the MCP support is in public preview and is gradually rolling out to Insiders who enable the optional features toggle.
Quick Machine Recovery turns on by default for most Pro devices
Quick machine recovery (QMR) is moving from an optional capability to an on-by-default safeguard for a broader set of systems. With this build, Windows 11 Pro devices that are not joined to a domain will have QMR automatically enabled.
Those PCs gain the same automatic recovery behavior that Home users already have when a critical error prevents Windows from booting. QMR handles:
- Detecting that the system is in a broken state.
- Diagnosing what went wrong at boot.
- Attempting targeted repair or recovery without user intervention.
For domain-joined enterprise machines, nothing changes: QMR remains off until an organization explicitly enables it through management policy. That separation lets IT teams decide how aggressively they want automated recovery systems to act on corporate images.
Update Orchestration Platform centralizes third-party app updates
Build 26220.7344 also starts rolling out the Unified Update Orchestration Platform, or UOP. This is a system service that coordinates app updates in a more predictable and less disruptive way.
UOP adds a new page under Settings > Apps > App Updates. When apps hook into the platform via APIs, Windows can:
- Trigger an app to scan, download, and install its own updates based on system state and user activity.
- Let the app keep using its existing backend and delivery mechanism.
- Collect update status from each app so users can see progress and take action from a single page.
Right now, UOP is infrastructure without visible app integrations. No shipped apps are registered yet, and the feature is only partially enabled for Insiders in Dev and Beta. Over time, the expectation is that more apps will participate, turning Windows Update into a clearer single pane for OS and app servicing without forcing a single update stack on every developer.
Windows MIDI Services graduate into production
Musicians and audio developers get a significant platform update with the production release of Windows MIDI Services. This is a modern MIDI stack designed to support both MIDI 1.0 and MIDI 2.0 hardware and software on Windows.
Key capabilities in this release include:
- Full WinMM and WinRT MIDI 1.0 support with in-service translation – Any supported API can talk to any MIDI 1.0 or 2.0 device through the new service. Legacy applications automatically benefit without code changes.
- Shared MIDI ports – Multiple applications can open the same MIDI port at once, rather than fighting over exclusive access.
- Custom port naming – Users can assign clearer, user-friendly names to devices and ports to untangle complex setups.
- Loopback and app-to-app MIDI routing – Software instruments, DAWs, and utilities can exchange MIDI data directly without physical hardware wiring tricks.
- Performance and reliability improvements – Latency, stability, and edge-case bugs from earlier previews are addressed.
Alongside the in-box service, there is an App SDK and tools package, versioned separately from Windows. It adds a MIDI Console and a MIDI Settings app for managing devices and routing. These tools can be downloaded from the Windows MIDI Services landing page at https://aka.ms/midi. At the moment, the tools are unsigned, so expect standard SmartScreen or browser warnings during download and install.
“Open with” now recommends Microsoft Store apps inline
Windows 11’s “Open with” dialog gets a small but practical tweak. When you try to open a file type that has no associated app, the dialog will now show relevant apps from the Microsoft Store directly in the list, marked as available to install.
Previously, you had to click through to the Store and search manually. The new behavior reduces friction for one-off file types and should make it more obvious when an app exists for a particular format.
Notable fixes in build 26220.7344
Several user-facing bugs are addressed in this build, though many of the new changes are still behind the “Get the latest updates as soon as they are available” toggle in Windows Update.
- Search – An issue where the search UI could detach and float unexpectedly above the taskbar is fixed.
- File Explorer
- The “AI Actions” section is now hidden from the context menu when there are no available or enabled actions.
- Search against certain SMB shares that stopped working after recent updates should function again.
- Windows Hello – Fingerprint recognition failures seen by some Insiders after recent flights are resolved.
- Display and graphics – Pressing
WIN + Pnow reliably brings up the Project pane when switching display modes. - Xbox full screen experience for PC – For devices with the new full-screen Xbox shell, the on-screen keyboard should now appear correctly for controller users on systems without touchscreens.
- Stability
- A DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL bugcheck triggered when using a controller in the previous flight has been fixed.
- A hang when attempting to launch Windows Terminal elevated from a non-admin account has been addressed.
Known issues and regressions to watch
Despite the fixes, there are several active regressions that may impact daily use for Insiders.
Xbox full screen experience for PC
- Some apps misbehave under the new full-screen environment, particularly those that expect fixed window sizes or spawn additional windows. That can affect overlays, launchers, or tools that open dialogs over games.
Taskbar and system tray
- The Start menu may not open when clicking the Start button for some users, even though it still opens with the Windows key. The same underlying issue can affect the notification center (
WIN + N) and quick settings (WIN + A). - Some apps fail to appear in the system tray when they should, which can make background utilities harder to access.
File Explorer
- In dark mode, when text scaling is applied, the copy dialog is missing its scrollbar and footer, showing a white block instead.
- Navigating between pages in File Explorer can produce a white flash, a regression that started in recent flights.
- On some systems, opening the context menu can crash
explorer.exe. That issue is newly listed for this build and is still under investigation.
Bluetooth
- For some Insiders, Bluetooth device battery levels no longer display, even when supported by the hardware.
These caveats are typical for Dev and Beta builds but are worth factoring in if you run Insider releases on your primary machine.
Dev vs. Beta channel: why this build matters for switching
Because Dev and Beta are currently aligned on the same 25H2-based build family (26220.xxxx), this release creates a temporary “safe” window to move from Dev to Beta without reinstalling Windows.
Once Dev jumps to a higher build number, that path closes, and Dev will again move ahead with more experimental changes and potentially more breaking issues. If you want early access to features such as MCP and UOP but prefer a somewhat more conservative update pace, the Beta channel is the better long-term choice.
To switch while this window is open, use the Windows Insider settings:
Step 1: Open Settings and go to Windows Update > Windows Insider Program.
Step 2: Under your Insider settings, choose the Beta Channel instead of Dev and confirm any prompts.
When Dev advances beyond 26220.xxxx, switching down to Beta will again require a clean install or other recovery options.
For now, build 26220.7344 is less about flashy UI changes and more about laying groundwork: a policy-aware layer for AI agents, a standardized way to orchestrate app updates, and a modernized MIDI pipeline for creators. Those systems will matter more as hardware like Copilot+ PCs becomes common and more apps start leaning on Windows itself for coordination rather than rolling their own infrastructure.
