What We Know About Windows 11's New Xbox and Search Shortcuts

Two new Windows Insider builds — Beta Build 26220.9836 and Experimental Build 26340.9843 — ship with reworked Xbox quick settings and an overhauled search box, Microsoft said in a blog post cited by The Verge. Both builds are available now to Windows Insiders, the program Microsoft uses to test features before they reach the general Windows 11 release.

What Xbox Shortcuts Does Windows 11 Add?

The update lets players adjust Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and power settings without leaving Xbox gaming mode, according to The Verge's report on the builds. Previously, toggling those settings required backing out of full-screen gaming mode on Windows 11 handhelds and PCs, a step Microsoft's change is designed to remove.

How Does the New Search Feature Work?

The search box now supports filters that narrow results to files, actions, or web content, The Verge reported. Beyond filtering, the box can execute commands directly — changing screen brightness or volume — and reach into a connected phone to place calls, per the same reporting.

Results themselves carry more detail. A file result can show when it was last modified and who authored it. Non-file queries can surface charts, such as stock prices or weather forecasts, embedded in the result card rather than requiring a separate app or browser tab.

Which Builds Include These Changes?

The features are split across two concurrent test tracks:

• Beta Build 26220.9836 — available now to Windows Insiders on the Beta Channel
• Experimental Build 26340.9843 — available now to Windows Insiders on the Dev/Experimental Channel

Running features across both tracks simultaneously is typical for Microsoft when a change is close to broad rollout but still being monitored for bugs, though the company's blog post, as summarized by The Verge, does not give a timeline for general availability outside the Insider program.

How Does Windows 11 Learn From Search Feedback?

Each search result includes inline thumbs-up and thumbs-down icons, letting testers rate whether a result was useful, The Verge noted. Microsoft has not published figures on how much feedback volume is needed to retrain ranking, but the mechanism mirrors feedback loops the company has used in Bing and Copilot to tune relevance over time.

When Will These Features Reach All Windows 11 Users?

Insider builds routinely take weeks to months to graduate to the stable channel that ships to every Windows 11 PC, and Microsoft's post does not commit to a date. For now, access is limited to testers enrolled in the Windows Insider Program who have opted into the Beta or Experimental channels and updated to the two builds named above.

Microsoft's full change list for both builds is detailed in the company's own blog post, which The Verge linked directly in its coverage of the update.