New Windows 11 Insider Build Brings File Explorer and Settings Connectors for AI Agents

Microsoft has just released the Windows 11 25H2 preview build 26220.7344 for Insiders on the Dev and Beta Channels. The main change is the public preview of the Model Context Protocol (MCP), an open standard allowing AI agents to connect with apps, tools, and services in a secure manner.

Microsoft detailed native support for MCP on Windows during its Ignite conference last month, and two agent connectors are now live for Insiders with Copilot+ PCs: There’s a File Explorer Connector that AI agents on Windows 11 will be able to use to retrieve and local files, and a Windows Settings connector that can change settings and navigate the app based on users’ natural language prompts.

“With OS level integration, MCP on Windows delivers secure discoverability, consistent controls, and enterprise grade manageability—empowering developers, IT professionals, and end users to build and deploy agentic workflows at scale,” the Windows Insider team said today. This is just the beginning for AI agents on Windows 11, and we’ll soon see agents integrated right into the taskbar, where they’ll be able to do research tasks and more in the background.

Today’s build 26220.7344 also introduces the following changes:

Quick Machine Recovery: The feature is now automatically enabled on Windows 11 Professional devices that are not domain-joined, providing the same recovery features that Home users enjoy.

Unified Update Orchestration Platform (UOP): This new feature will introduce new APIs to make app updates more consistent by triggering them based on user activity and system state.

Windows MIDI Services: This major update adds full support for the MIDI 2.0 standard, a faster USB MIDI driver, automatic translation between MIDI 1.0 and MIDI 2.0, and more. It was first made available in the Canary Channel in February.

“Open with” app integration: The Open With dialog box that shows up when you try to open a file with no associated app now displays relevant Microsoft Store apps directly in the list.

If you’re on the Dev Channel, please keep in mind that this Channel will eventually move forward to higher build numbers. If you prefer to test more stable builds, you still have time to switch to the Beta Channel.