Microsoft has released several Windows 11 Insider builds with changes to File Explorer and system recovery. An experimental 26H2 build lets users reach their home directory by typing a tilde.
Build 26340.9596 in the Windows 11 26H2 Experimental channel treats the tilde as a shortcut to the user directory, enabling paths such as one pointing to AppData. The convention has long been familiar to users of Unix systems.
The 25H2 Beta build 26220.9587 adds Unicode 17.0, speeds up the Settings home page and provides a new route to cloud-based reinstallation in recovery settings. Builds 28020.3142 and 28120.3151 for 26H1 also improve the Windows Magnifier.
Microsoft says Cloud Rebuild downloads a Windows image and device drivers through Windows Update, allowing a full reinstall without USB media even when Windows cannot start. An experimental build can securely wipe drives before reinstalling, and administrators can initiate the process remotely. File Explorer also gains fixes for paths containing double backslashes or quotation marks. A Future Platforms build, 29680.1000, addresses problems affecting USB Audio Class 1.0 devices.