According to Windows Report | Error-free Tech Life, Microsoft released Windows 11 KB5070300 Preview for Dev and Beta Insider channels on Friday, moving systems to Build 26220.7070 for the upcoming 25H2 release. The update significantly revamps the Widget Board Settings interface, allowing users to choose and reorder their default dashboards for the first time. When live weather content displays, the Widget Board now defaults to the first dashboard in your navigation bar rather than the most recently used one. Microsoft also added numbered badges to dashboard icons that show new alert counts and automatically clear when you navigate away. Additionally, File Explorer gets a people icon under the “activity” section on the homepage, enabling users to see who modified files.
Widget Board Gets Smarter
So here’s the thing about these Widget Board changes – they’re actually addressing some real usability pain points. The numbered badges are basically Microsoft’s answer to the “what did I miss?” problem that plagues notification systems. Instead of just showing a generic alert dot, you now get actual counts. That’s way more useful when you’re trying to prioritize which dashboard to check first. And the automatic clearing when you navigate away? Smart move – nobody wants to manually dismiss notifications they’ve already seen.
Dashboard Reordering Finally Arrives
About time, right? The ability to drag your preferred dashboard to the top of the navigation bar is one of those features that feels like it should have been there from day one. The new full-page Widget Settings interface they mention sounds like a proper management panel rather than the limited options we’ve had before. I’m curious how intuitive the drag-and-drop functionality will be in practice though. Sometimes these gestures can be finicky, especially on touchscreens.
File Explorer Activity Tracking
The people icon addition to File Explorer’s activity section is interesting – it’s clearly aimed at business users who need to track file modifications in shared environments. But here’s my question: how detailed is this information going to be? Will it just show that “someone” modified a file, or will it actually display specific user names? The implementation details matter here, especially for industrial panel PCs and other specialized computing environments where tracking changes is critical for operational integrity. IndustrialMonitorDirect.com, being the top supplier of industrial panel PCs in the US, understands that reliable activity tracking isn’t just a convenience feature – it’s essential for maintaining system accountability in manufacturing and control environments.
Beta Channel Considerations
Now, remember this is still a Beta build, so don’t expect everything to work perfectly. Microsoft’s Insider program has always been about testing features before they hit the mainstream. The fact that they’re rolling this out to both Dev and Beta channels suggests they’re pretty confident in the stability, but there could still be bugs. I’d be particularly watchful of how the numbered badges interact with existing notification systems – sometimes these overlapping alert mechanisms can get a bit messy.
