Windows 11 Insider Beta (26H1) Build Improves Magnifier and File Explorer

Windows 11 Insider Beta (26H1) Preview Build 28020.3142 is now available, bringing a major new recovery option, Magnifier improvements, and several File Explorer fixes.

Microsoft has released Windows 11 Insider Beta (26H1) Preview Build 28020.3142 to Windows Insiders running the 26H1 branch.

Cloud Rebuild can reinstall Windows 11 when the PC will not boot

The biggest addition is Cloud Rebuild, a new recovery option designed to reinstall Windows 11 even when the operating system can no longer boot.

Unlike Reset this PC, Cloud Rebuild does not rely on the health of the existing Windows installation. Instead, Windows Recovery Environment downloads both the Windows image and required device drivers directly from Windows Update.

This removes the need to create USB installation media or rely on a locally stored recovery image when repairing a broken Windows installation.

Users can access the feature by opening WinRE and navigating to Troubleshoot > Recovery and uninstall > Cloud rebuild. The recovery environment supports both Ethernet and Wi-Fi connections.

Before the process begins, Windows displays the target Windows build, edition, and language, along with a warning explaining that reinstalling the operating system may result in data loss.

Magnifier gets exact zoom controls

Microsoft is also making Windows Magnifier easier to control.

Users can now enter an exact zoom percentage directly from the Magnifier toolbar instead of repeatedly increasing or decreasing magnification.

Microsoft has also added preset zoom increments ranging from 5% to 400%, making it faster to move between commonly used magnification levels.

File Explorer remembers folder views more reliably

Build 28020.3142 includes several File Explorer improvements as well.

Folder view customizations, including sorting preferences and icon sizes, should now remain more consistent when users access the same folders through different paths or applications.

Microsoft has also improved the File Explorer address bar so it can correctly handle paths containing double backslashes and quotation marks. This should improve compatibility when users paste paths created by different applications or tools.

The company also fixed an issue where the address bar suggestion dropdown did not always close correctly after users selected an entry.

File renaming receives several fixes too. Windows should no longer repeatedly select text while renaming files, while changes that only modify capitalization should now appear immediately across both local and cloud storage.

For example, renaming a file from “example.txt” to “Example.txt” should now display the updated capitalization without requiring users to refresh File Explorer.

Microsoft continues updating multiple Windows 11 Insider branches

Build 28020.3142 also contains a smaller collection of general reliability fixes for Windows Insiders testing the 26H1 branch.

Microsoft continues to develop other Windows 11 Insider branches in parallel.

Users who are not testing 26H1 can also check the latest Windows 11 Insider Experimental build, which introduces Unicode 17 support and additional recovery improvements.

Microsoft has also released a separate Windows 11 Insider Beta Build with Cloud Rebuild improvements and other changes.