On October 7, 2026, Windows Latest reported two hidden Windows 11 features in the Insider Experimental channel. The first is a taskbar option that shows a list of window titles instead of thumbnails. The second is a āMobile devicesā Quick Settings tile that can ring a misplaced Android phone. The short answer to āCan I get this now?ā is no. Neither feature is on regular Windows 11 PCs, and Microsoft hasnāt announced either one.
What Happened
Windows Latest found both features switched off inside Experimental channel builds of Windows 11. It says the code is hidden in build 26340.9577 (released September 25) and build 26340.9596 (October 2), and that it turned both features on in build 26340.9596 on its test PC. Microsoft didnāt list either feature in the release notes for those builds, including the build 26340.9596 notes.
Hereās what the report says each feature does.
1. A āListā option for taskbar previews. A new setting called Show taskbar previews as reportedly appears under Settings > Personalization > Taskbar. It has two choices:
- Thumbnail: todayās default. Hover over a taskbar icon and you get a small image of each open window.
- List: a compact list of window titles with app icons, and no images.
Thumbnail reportedly stays the default even on builds where List exists.
2. A āMobile devicesā tile in Quick Settings. Quick Settings is the flyout you open with Windows + A. When an Android phone is linked to the PC, the reported tile shows three controls for it:
- Do Not Disturb
- Volume
- Play sound, which rings the phone so you can find it nearby
How the features are hidden. Windows Latest says each feature sits behind an internal Microsoft feature ID: 62932453 for the taskbar list and 62103454 for the Mobile devices tile. Microsoft uses these IDs to keep unfinished features turned off inside a build. Enthusiasts turn them on with a third-party tool called ViveTool. Microsoft doesnāt make or support ViveTool, and forcing hidden features on can cause glitches.
What Microsoft has said: nothing yet. Microsoft hasnāt announced either feature, and as of October 7, 2026, neither the Windows message center nor the Windows Insider release notes hub mentions them. This is a third-party discovery of hidden code, not a product announcement.
Who This Affects
- Regular Windows 11 PCs (no Insider enrollment): Not affected. Your taskbar and Quick Settings wonāt change because of this report.
- Release Preview, Beta, and Dev Insiders: Not affected, as far as the report shows. Windows Latest found the code only in Experimental channel builds.
- Experimental channel Insiders: The code may be on your PC, but itās switched off by default. You wonāt see it in Settings unless the feature ID is turned on.
- Phone owners: The Mobile devices tile only matters if your phone is linked to Windows. Windows Latest says Mobile devices works with Android phones and iPhones, but it tested the controls only with an Android phone, so it couldnāt confirm whether iPhone owners get them.
Whatās the Experimental channel? Microsoft describes it as the channel that āprovides early access to new ideas and features that are still in active developmentā in its Insider release notes. Itās part of the Windows Insider Program. Microsoft says features in these builds may change, be removed, or never be released beyond Windows Insiders. If youāve never touched Insider builds, read up on which Insider channel fits you before you enroll anything.
How It Stacks Up
The taskbar list: an old idea returns
Older Windows users may recognize the List option. In Windows XP, the taskbar could group several windows from one app into a single button. Clicking that button opened a plain text menu of window titles. Windows Vista added live thumbnail previews, and Windows 7 built its grouped-window hover previews around those images. Thumbnails have been the default experience ever since.
The trade-off hasnāt changed much in 20 years. Thumbnails help when windows look different, like a photo editor next to a spreadsheet. Theyāre far less helpful when you have eight Edge windows or six Word documents that all look alike at that size. A text list lets you read the title and click. Windows Latest frames this as a fix for people who find thumbnails slow or hard to read with many windows open.
| Taskbar preview style | Where it lives | What you see on hover or click | Status (October 7, 2026) | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Windows XP grouped button | Windows XP | Text menu of window titles | Retired | Historical Windows behavior |
| Thumbnail (current default) | Windows 11, all channels | Small image of each window | Supported, stays default | Windows Latest |
| List (reported) | Windows 11 Experimental, hidden behind ID 62932453 | Window titles with app icons | Unannounced, off by default | Windows Latest |
This is also not the only taskbar change Microsoft is working on. Microsoftās own Release Preview build 28000.3079 notes cover taskbar position and size changes. Thatās documented, official work. The List option, for now, isnāt.
The phone-ringing button vs. what already works
Ringing a lost Android phone isnāt new. Whatās new is putting the button one click away in Windows Quick Settings.
| Option | Rings a lost Android phone? | Needs an Insider build? | Status (October 7, 2026) | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google Find Hub (formerly Find My Device) | Yes, with Play sound | No | Available now from a web browser | Google Android Help |
| Phone Link | Yes, per Windows Latest, but you open the app first | No | Available now | Windows Latest |
| Mobile devices tile, Play sound (reported) | Yes, per report | Yes, Experimental only | Hidden behind ID 62103454 | Windows Latest |
Do you need Phone Link? You need a linked phone. The report ties the tile to an Android phone thatās already connected to the PC through Phone Link or Windowsā mobile device linking. Phone Link today handles calls, messages, and notifications, and Microsoftās Release Preview 28000.2605 notes cover changes to Phone Link call audio. Windows Latest says Phone Link already offers Do Not Disturb, volume, and Play sound controls, but you have to open the app first. The reported tile doesnāt add a new ability. It moves those controls into Quick Settings, next to the PCās own volume slider and Do Not Disturb.
The main benefit is convenience. If your phone is under a couch cushion, you can already sign in to Googleās Find Hub in a browser on your PC and choose Play sound, which rings the phone at full volume for 5 minutes even if itās set to silent or vibrate. For that to work, the phone needs power, a Wi-Fi or mobile data connection, a signed-in Google account, and Find Hub turned on.
The Reaction
Reaction is still forming. That fits the story: hidden code in an Experimental build rarely draws much attention until Microsoft ships it to a wider channel.
What to Do Next
If youāre on regular Windows 11, do nothing. No setting is waiting to be found, and no update will change your taskbar because of this report.
If youāre curious and already run Insider builds, use a spare machine, not your main PC. The Experimental channel is the wrong place for a computer you rely on for work, school, or family photos. Forcing hidden IDs on with ViveTool adds another layer of risk that Microsoft wonāt support. If you test anyway, take a full backup to an external SSD first. Better still, use a separate test device, like an old laptop or a cheap mini PC, so a broken build doesnāt cost you a working day.
If you want to ring a lost Android phone from your PC today, use Phone Link or Googleās Find Hub in a web browser. Neither needs an Insider build.
Our Take
Verdict: Wait. Donāt chase it. Worry level: none.
These are two small, sensible features. The List option fixes a real annoyance for anyone who works with a lot of similar windows. Itās easy to argue it should have stayed in Windows all along. The ring button is a nice shortcut, but it adds nothing you canāt already do with Phone Link or Find Hub.
Whatās actually confirmed is thin, though. One third-party report found code in Experimental builds, and Microsoft hasnāt said a word. Features found this way sometimes ship months later and sometimes never ship at all. Joining the Experimental channel and running a third-party tool to see a text list on hover isnāt worth an unstable PC.
Your taskbar wonāt change on its own. If List ever reaches regular Windows 11, the report suggests Thumbnail stays the default and List is opt-in. Youād have to go into Settings > Personalization > Taskbar and pick it yourself.
Wrapping Up
Microsoft appears to be testing an XP-style window list for the taskbar and a Quick Settings button to ring a linked Android phone. For almost everyone, the right move is to wait for Microsoft to put them in official release notes. Until then, Phone Link and Googleās Find Hub already ring your phone. The List option is the one worth watching, because it could save real time for anyone who works with lots of windows open.
| Step | Action | Applies To |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Do nothing; nothing has changed on your PC | Regular Windows 11 users |
| 2 | Use Phone Link or Google Find Hub to ring a lost phone today | Android phone owners |
| 3 | Watch the official Windows Insider release notes for the features | Anyone curious |
| 4 | Test only on a spare, backed-up machine | Experimental channel Insiders |