The latest KB5043168 to the Dev Channel significantly improves hotspot Internet connections

Microsoft released the Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.1912 (KB5043168) to the Dev Channel, which brings several changes and a variety of fixes, though many of them are still being slowly rolled out.

The update includes a small set of general improvements and fixes that improve the overall experience for Insiders running this build on their PCs.

By far, the most significant improvement is the enhanced 6 GHz connection, now supported by the Windows Mobile Hotspot. The new band requires chips that support the feature and updated drivers; not all chips that support 6 GHz Wi-Fi will support the 6 GHz mobile hotspot.

The change will be visible under Settings > Network & internet > Mobile hotspot when you edit the mobile hotspot properties, as seen in the featured image. The mobile hotspot will only use 6 GHz when explicitly enabled for compatibility with existing devices.

This new enhancement will allow faster Internet speeds when connecting to hotspots. So, if you’re connecting your Windows 11 laptop to a mobile phone with 5G speeds, you’ll see significant improvements.

The new 6 GHz connection can now be enabled with ViveTool using a special command, according to popular Windows Insider, @phantomofearth, who also provided it:

vivetool /enable /id:40466470

To enable support for 6 GHz mobile hotspot connections on devices with the right hardware and drivers in the latest Dev CUs (started rolling out in .1912), run:

vivetool /enable /id:40466470 pic.twitter.com/K5A5bmElA2

— phantomofearth 🎃 (@phantomofearth) October 7, 2024

KB5043168 also includes the following fixes: attribution has been added to .txt files for Rust OSS components. The Settings page in Task Manager will no longer display a white background. Task Manager used to stop responding when switching from a high-contrast theme to a normal one, but now it’s fixed.

KB5043168 also fixes the WebView2 apps; they wouldn’t detect input from Xbox 360 and Bluetooth controllers.

However, it’s worth mentioning that the patch has known errors: if you click or tap on a letter on the Start menu’s All Apps list, the All Apps list may break. Microsoft recommends rebooting or restarting explorer.exe to fix it.

You can read KB5043168’s full changelog here.

In other news, the most recent build to the Dev Channel also introduced a new (and easier, if you ask us) way to sign out of Windows 11.