- Windows 11 build 25188 rolls out in the Dev Channel.
- The update introduced new touch keyboard settings.
- And it makes Windows Terminal the default app for Windows 11.
- Microsoft Store receives an update to test ads in search results.
Microsoft is now rolling out build 25188 for Windows 11 devices enrolled in the Dev Channel of the Windows Insider Program. This minor update introduces a lot of fixes, improvements, and small updates for existing features.
Windows 11 build 25188, according to the company’s announcement, delivers new touch keyboard settings, makes the Windows Terminal the default command-line experience, updates the Microsoft Store, and pushes a long list of fixes.
Although the official ISO file isn’t available, you can still download the latest image for build 25188 using the UUP Dump tool.
Windows 11 build 25188
As part of the new visual improvements, Windows 11 build 25188 introduces a new “Show the touch keyboard when there’s no keyboard attached” touch keyboard setting inside the “Typing” settings page.
The new settings include three options to control whether tapping an edit control should launch the touch keyboard:
- “Never” suppresses the touch keyboard even when no hardware keyboard is attached.
- “When no keyboard attached” will show the touch keyboard only when the device is used as a tablet without the hardware keyboard.
- “Always” will show the touch keyboard even when the hardware keyboard is attached.
In the “Network & internet” section of the Settings app, the Wi-Fi and VPN properties now include a link to open the advanced properties for that specific network. Also, the Windows Terminal is the new default command-line application on Windows 11.
In addition, this flight includes various fixes for File Explorer, Taskbar, and Settings.
Taskbar
- Fixed an issue related to the taskbar overflow, which was impacting explorer.exe reliability.
Start menu
- Fixed an issue causing Start’s recommendation to show only one column instead of two.
- Fixed Narrator mistakenly reading out the search box in Start twice.
- Fixed an issue where the access keys (underlined letters) in WIN + X had duplicate definitions when an update was on pending reboot.
File Explorer
- Fixed an issue causing a small percentage of Insiders to experience repeated explorer.exe crashes after attempting to access certain folders on their systems in the last couple Dev Channel builds.
- Fixed a recent issue where if File Explorer was open when you switched between light and dark mode, you could end up with some unreadable text / UI showing the wrong color.
- Fixed an issue that was causing explorer.exe to crash when opening folders with certain images.
- The up arrow should no longer be misaligned in File Explorer.
- Fixed an issue that could lead to not being able to unpin Desktop, Pictures, or Documents folders from Quick access.
- Fixed an underlying explorer.exe crash which could happen when File Explorer launch was aborted, for example, if you were attempting to access a network share from the Run dialog, was prompted for credentials, and then clicked cancel instead of entering them.
- If the tab title is too long to display completely in the available space, hovering your mouse over it will show a tooltip with the full name.
- Fixed an issue that could lead to explorer.exe crashing when File Explorer was closed.
- Fixed an issue causing the delete key to unexpectedly not work on files in File Explorer sometimes.
- Removed the toolbar some people unexpectedly saw (with View / Edit / etc) after the introduction of tabs in File Explorer. As part of this, the “always show menus” option in Folder Options was also removed, which didn’t do anything.
Windows Search
- Fixed an underlying crash that could lead to the search not launching.
- Searching for “detect displays” will now return Display Settings.
Input
- Updated emoji keywords based on feedback, including fixing that searching for apple didn’t return the red apple emoji in Korean or Polish (in the respective languages), searching for trash or garbage in English should now return the wastebasket emoji, searching for roger in English should now return the saluting face emoji, and searching for bug will now return the ladybug emoji.
Settings
- Fixed an issue where removing a printer from Settings wouldn’t work in certain cases.
- Fixed an issue where the DNS suffix search list entry wasn’t displaying correctly in Settings.
- Fixed an issue where the buttons changing the current view in Settings > Apps > Installed apps might unexpectedly show arrows overlaid on top.
Task Manager
- Updated the positioning of the View button tooltip position so it shouldn’t block the close button in the title bar anymore.
- The arrow shown when sorting processes by CPU should no longer be black on black in certain cases when using dark mode.
- Updated the selection highlight color when you select rows on the Details or Services page to be less bright and more aligned with the other colors used with the updated Task Manager design.
Other fixes
- Fixed an issue leading to missing/broken characters on the Bitlocker screen when using the Japanese display language.
- Fixed an issue where the Advanced Settings of an application pool on a remote IIS server would display a blank screen.
- Fixed an issue where Steps Recorder wouldn’t close when you pressed ALT + F4.
In this release, there are also a bunch of known issues with File Explorer, Widgets, printing, and more.
Furthermore, the Microsoft Store also receives an update to add support for advertisements in search results.
Install build 25188
If you want to download and install the Windows 11 build 25188, enroll your device in the Dev Channel using the “Windows Insider Program” settings from the “Update & Security” section.
Once you enroll the computer in the program, you can download build 25188 from the “Windows Update” settings by clicking the Check for Updates button. However, you will need a device that meets the minimum system requirements to receive the update if you are new to the Windows Insider Program.
Mauro Huculak is a Windows expert and the Editor-in-Chief who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He is also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 12 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows, software, and related technologies, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 20 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me.