Windows 11 Insider Experimental Preview Build 26300.8289 (https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-insider/release-notes/experimental/preview-build-26300-8289)
New Build for the former Dev Channel, now Experimental.
Changes and Improvements gradually being rolled out[Windows Insider Program channel movement]As announced in the Windows Insider Blog (https://aka.ms/WIPChangesRollout), we will begin moving users in the Dev Channel to the new Experimental channel. This will be a phased roll out and Insiders who do not see the new experience on their device but want to, can enable the experience under
Settings >
Windows Update >
Windows Insider Program >
Feature flags.
[Windows Update]We're introducing new capabilities to enhance security and improve user control over the Windows update experience. This includes:
- Ability to skip updates immediately during the out of box experience (OOBE)
- Extend update pauses as many times as you need
- Always available options to shutdown and restart with updating
- More insight on available updates to make more informed installation decisions
See the Windows Update announce blog (https://aka.ms/WU2026update) for more details.
[Print Drivers]- The Internet Protocol Print driver (prnms012) has new hardware IDs (HWIDs) in preparation for upcoming changes in printer driver ranking order. See our third-party driver deprecation timeline: End of Servicing Plan for Third-Party Printer Drivers on Windows - Windows drivers | Microsoft Learn. (https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/drivers/print/end-of-servicing-plan-for-third-party-printer-drivers-on-windows).
[Start menu]- Improved detection of clicks at the leftmost edge of the taskbar to invoke start menu when the taskbar icons are set to left aligned.
[Other]- Removed unexpected error that was showing when opening Group Policy Editor in the last couple Insider flights.
- We're updated Times New Roman to improve support for combining diacritical marks across the Greek and Cyrillic Unicode ranges. If you notice any positioning issues with these diacritical marks, please let us know by filing feedback under Desktop Environment > Font Installation and Preview in the Feedback Hub – preferably with details about the specific Unicode character, and a screenshot highlighting the expected position.
Windows 11 Insider Experimental Preview Build 26300.8346 (https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-insider/release-notes/experimental/preview-build-26300-8346)
Changes and improvements gradually being rolled out[Widgets is quiet by default]We're working to make Widgets feel less distracting and overwhelming by making the experience quiet by default.
To do this, we're testing a new set of default settings designed to reduce unexpected alerts and visual interruptions. These changes include:
- Disabling Open on hover by default
- Turning off taskbar badging by default
- Opening to widgets experience on first launch
- Limiting taskbar alerts until you choose to open and engage with the Widgets experience
If you prefer more proactive updates, you can easily turn features like taskbar badging back on through Widgets settings.
Please share your feedback to let us know how these changes are working for you or if you encounter any issues with your quieter Widgets experience.
Feedback: Share your thoughts in
Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under
Widgets.[File Explorer]- We've eliminated a grey flash on load and unexpected scrolling to the top on the Home page in certain cases.
- We've cleaned up the Favorites section, so OneDrive files no longer appear duplicated in some cases.
- We've sharpened file thumbnails in the Recommended section on the Home page so they're crisper and easier to read.
[Run dialog update]We're rolling out a refreshed Run dialog experience designed to bring a more modern look and improved usability. This update introduces updated visuals and a cleaner interface, along with new controls that make it easier to manage the experience from within Settings. The refreshed Run dialog is currently available as an opt-in experience for Windows Insiders on the Experimental channel, where you can enable it by going to Settings > System > Advanced and turning on the new Run dialog option.
See the Dev blog announcement (https://aka.ms/rundialogupdate) for more information.
Changes and improvements gradually being rolled out[Widgets is quiet by default]We're working to make Widgets feel less distracting and overwhelming by making the experience quiet by default.
To do this, we're testing a new set of default settings designed to reduce unexpected alerts and visual interruptions. These changes include:
- Disabling Open on hover by default
- Turning off taskbar badging by default
- Opening to widgets experience on first launch
- Limiting taskbar alerts until you choose to open and engage with the Widgets experience
If you prefer more proactive updates, you can easily turn features like taskbar badging back on through Widgets settings.
Please share your feedback to let us know how these changes are working for you or if you encounter any issues with your quieter Widgets experience.
Feedback: Share your thoughts in
Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under
Widgets.[File Explorer]- We've eliminated a grey flash on load and unexpected scrolling to the top on the Home page in certain cases.
- We've cleaned up the Favorites section, so OneDrive files no longer appear duplicated in some cases.
- We've sharpened file thumbnails in the Recommended section on the Home page so they're crisper and easier to read.
[Run dialog update]We're rolling out a refreshed Run dialog experience designed to bring a more modern look and improved usability. This update introduces updated visuals and a cleaner interface, along with new controls that make it easier to manage the experience from within Settings. The refreshed Run dialog is currently available as an opt-in experience for Windows Insiders on the Experimental channel, where you can enable it by going to Settings > System > Advanced and turning on the new Run dialog option.
See the Dev blog announcement (https://aka.ms/rundialogupdate) for more information.
[Windows Share]- The Windows ShareSheet just got smarter for AAD users. You can now discover and install relevant apps right where you share - no need to jump to the Microsoft Store or interrupt your flow.
- Previously available only to MSA users, this experience now extends to AAD accounts, bringing greater flexibility and convenience. You're also in control, with a simple setting to turn promotional app recommendations on or off. The result is a faster, more seamless, and user-controlled sharing experience with helpful app suggestions exactly when you need them.
The screenshot in the referenced post shows the ShareSheet with a row of suggested apps at the bottom, each labeled "Install." A new "Settings" option is visible in the top-right overflow menu, allowing users to manage this experience.Feedback: Share your thoughts in
Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under
Desktop Environment > Share.[Windows Magnifier]- Magnifier now gives you more control over how you zoom. You can type an exact zoom percentage directly in the magnifier toolbar to land on precisely the level you need.
- We've also added preset step increments (5%, 10%, 25%, 50%, 100%, 150%, 200%, and 400%) to the Settings dropdown, so you can jump to common levels in a single click. Whether you need a subtle boost or a dramatic close-up, Magnifier adapts to how you want to zoom.
Enter an exact percentage or jump to preset steps —5% up to 400%.Feedback: Share your thoughts in
Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under
Accessibility > Magnifier[Storage]- In the latest Insider builds, we've updated the dialog when creating a Dev Drive to now support specifying the size in GB instead of only MB. This has also been added when changing the size of volumes under Settings > System > Storage.
[Feedback Hub update]Thanks Windows Insiders who have been sharing feedback about the Feedback Hub – we're now rolling out version 2.2604.301.0. This update contains a number of improvements based on what you've been telling us, including:
- Generally improved reliability.
- More tweaks to improve general design fit and finish, accessibility, and localization.
- The Community feedback section for non-English now allows you to switch view to English if you'd prefer.
- Collection titles and Official responses now will be automatically translated in top languages.
- The file upload limit when submitting feedback is back up to 500 MB.
- Improved upvote and comment count accuracy for feedback.
Please keep the feedback coming! If you want to share any thoughts, you can file them in the
Feedback Hub under
Apps > Feedback Hub.[Other]- If you were seeing a large number of APISet events in Event Viewer after the latest Insider builds, that should no longer occur after today's flight.
- Task Scheduler will now persist column width adjustments in task list view across sessions.
- Fixed accuracy of CPU speed display on the Performance page of Task Manager for VMs after resume from hibernate, so it doesn't sometimes show unexpectedly high unrealistic numbers.
Windows 11 Insider Experimental Preview Build 26300.8376 (https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-insider/release-notes/experimental/preview-build-26300-8376)
As a reminder, these release notes apply to those who are in the Experimental channel, formerly known as the Dev Channel. As we begin the transition to the new Windows Insider Program, all new build release notes will be labeled under the new channel names, even though Insiders in the Dev Channel may not yet find themselves having transitioned to Experimental. See the Windows Insider Blog (https://aka.ms/wipchangesrollout) for more details.
Changes and improvements gradually being rolled outTouchpad]We're adding new gesturing-related functionality to precision touchpads in Settings. The new features should be widely available across applications, with the exception that WinUI3-based UI requires new WinAppSDK versions for complete functionality - we're in the process of bringing the necessary changes to versions 1.8 and 2.0.
- Scroll / zoom speed: control the baseline speed for these gestures
- Automatic scrolling: scrolling continues indefinitely without lifting your fingers. Activate by either bringing your fingers near the edge of the touchpad while scrolling, or holding them still and pressing harder (requires hardware support).
- Accelerated scrolling: repeatedly scrolling increases their speed, allowing quick traversal of long documents.
- Single-finger scrolling: perform a vertical scroll with a single finger starting from the left or right side of the touchpad.
Touchpad improvements bring new gesture capabilities including automatic scrolling, gesture speed controls, accelerated scrolling, and optional single-finger scrolling support.[File Explorer]We've made several updates to improve reliability, readability, and overall usability in File Explorer:
- Address Bar improvements
- The address bar now supports paths containing double backslashes and quotation marks (for example, C:\Users\user or "C:\Users\user"), improving compatibility with a wider range of inputs.
- Improved reliability of the Address Bar suggestion dropdown so it now consistently closes after an item is selected.
- More readable file size formatting
- File sizes in the Details view now display using appropriate units (KB, MB, GB) instead of KB-only, making them easier to understand at a glance.
- Refinements to the rename experience
- Fixed an issue where text would be repeatedly selected while renaming items in folder views.
- Fixed an issue where updated names (case-only changes) were not immediately reflected in folder views across local and cloud storage.
- Improved keyboard navigation of File Explorer context menu in flyouts.
Feedback: Share your thoughts in
Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under
Files, Folders, and Online Storage > File Explorer.[EDU]Free upgrade path to Windows 11 Pro Education for K-12Windows Insiders in K–12 education environments can now experience a seamless upgrade path from Windows 11 Home to Windows 11 Pro Education edition—at no additional cost. This enables educational organizations to procure Windows 11 Home devices, upgrade them to Windows 11 Pro Education, and bring devices under school management.
Instructions:
- Sign in to the device using a local account
- Launch an elevated Command Prompt and initiate the upgrade by running Clipupgrade.exe
- Sign in with your K–12 organization account to validate eligibility
- The device prepares the upgrade and completes after a restart
Please note: This upgrade is one-way only. Reverting to Windows Home is not supported without a clean OS reinstall.Feedback: Share your thoughts in
Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under
Windows Installation.[Administrator Protection]- Improved reliability of Japanese IME usage when Administrator Protection is enabled.
[Other]- Fixed a WPN hang in the previous flight, which was leading to notification issues and certain apps hanging on launch.
- Improved reliability of loading desktop app icon shortcuts.
Windows 11 Insider Experimental Preview Build 26300.8493 (https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-insider/release-notes/experimental/preview-build-26300-8493)
Changes and improvements gradually being rolled out[Taskbar]- Alternate Taskbar Position
- You can now change the position of taskbar on your screen. In Settings > Personalization > Taskbar > Taskbar Behaviors, you can select the side of the screen you want your taskbar on: bottom, top, left, or right. In these other positions, tooltips, flyouts, and animations will still come from the taskbar, and most customization settings like small taskbar and never combine taskbar icons will work with all locations.
- Support for touch gestures, Search box, and Ask Copilot in alternate locations is in progress. Auto-hidden taskbar and touch optimized taskbar are not yet supported.
Smaller Taskbar- We're introducing a smaller taskbar for users who want to maximize screen space, especially on smaller devices. While the default taskbar remains unchanged, this setting provides a more compact experience with smaller icons and a reduced taskbar height, giving you more room for your apps. Core elements like Start, Search, and the system tray scale appropriately to stay aligned and consistent.
- To change your taskbar size, go to Settings > Personalization > Taskbar > Taskbar behaviors > Show smaller taskbar buttons. When set to Always, both the icons and the taskbar height become smaller.
- We're also working on improving taskbar settings to make resizing easier, these enhancements are currently in progress.
Feedback: Share your thoughts in
Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under
Desktop Environment > Taskbar.
See the in-depth blog (https://aka.ms/WIPTaskbarImprovements) for more information about Taskbar improvements.
- As we continue to make Widgets feel less distracting, we've made a small but meaningful visual update to taskbar badging. For those that have taskbar badging on, the badge color will now match your Windows accent color instead of always appearing red, reducing the sense of urgency that something needs your immediate attention.
- The Taskbar badge color will now match your Windows accent color instead of always appearing red.
- We're also testing out quieting down a user's experience based on their level of engagement. For example, a user who highly engages with Widgets likely has their settings set to a state that works best for them, as compared to a user who barely engages with it and would benefit from having the experience quieted down with taskbar badging turned off as it is for new users who experience it as quiet by default.
- Please share your feedback to let us know how these changes are working for you or if you encounter any issues with your quieter Widgets experience.
Feedback: Share your thoughts in
Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under
Widgets.
[Windows Search Box]We've started making changes to make Windows Search Box more relevant, starting with making it easier to find your files and apps:
- Files and apps more reliably appear ahead of web suggestions when your content is a stronger match
You can expect to see additional relevance improvements in upcoming releases.
[Voice access and Voice typing]- Fluid Dictation is now available in Spanish & French for Windows Insiders! It makes voice-based dictation smoother and smarter by automatically correcting grammar, punctuation, and filler words as you speak, reducing the need for manual editing. This experience is powered by on-device small language models (SLMs) to ensure fast and private processing. You can try out fluid dictation from Windows voice access or Voice typing (Win +H).
[Windows design]- We are introducing consistent solid (donut) spinners across key Windows scenarios including Boot, Logon, Restart, Shutdown, and Update. This update replaces legacy spinner visuals to deliver a more cohesive and modern experience aligned with Windows design standards. Users will now see a unified spinner behavior with corresponding status text (e.g., "Restarting", "Working on updates", "Welcome") across these flows, improving perceived reliability and visual consistency.
[File Explorer]- Fixed an issue in the previous flight where Properties wasn't invoking correctly for the Recycle bin and some other scenarios.
[Run]- Fixed an issue where the refreshed Run dialog didn't navigate through your history if you pressed the up / down arrow keys on first launch.
[Other]- This flight contains the first of a set of optimizations to improve logon performance that we expect to flight in the Windows Insider Program over the next few months. Note that this is part of an ongoing effort – we plan to flight additional logon optimizations to WIP, measure real impact, and use that data to drive the next round of improvements.
- Improved reliability when switching between multiple desktops.
- This update improves the reliability of Simple Service Discovery Protocol (SSDP) notifications to help prevent the service from becoming unresponsive.
- Improved reliability of running dism /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth command.
- Improved reliability of PC remaining asleep if it had been asleep prior to an update
Windows 11 Insider Experimental Preview Build 26300.8497 (https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-insider/release-notes/experimental/preview-build-26300-8497)
Changes and improvements gradually being rolled out[Narrator]Braille displays now connect instantly with Narrator- We're making refreshable braille displays easier to use in Windows. Narrator now supports displays that use the HID standard — an open industry standard for braille displays. If your display supports HID, simply connect it via USB and start reading — true plug-and-play with no additional setup required. For Bluetooth, pair your HID braille display in Settings > Bluetooth & devices just like any other accessory, and you can work wirelessly without being tethered to your PC.
- Compatible HID displays include models like the Orbit Reader 20, Orbit Slate 340, Freedom Scientific Focus 40, and APH Mantis Q40.
- HID braille displays now work during the initial Windows setup experience (OOBE) over USB — meaning users who are deaf-blind can set up their PC independently, right from the first screen. You can customize braille input and output options anytime in Settings > Accessibility > Narrator > Braille.
[Accessibility]New accessibility setting: Screen tint- We're introducing screen tint, a new accessibility setting that applies a color overlay across your entire display, softening its intensity so it's easier on your eyes throughout the day. If bright, saturated screens leave you with tired or sensitive eyes by the end of a long session, screen tint can help.
- To get started, open Settings > Accessibility (or press Win + U) and look for screen tint under the Vision section. From there you can:
- Pick from six preset colors or choose a custom color of your own.
- Adjust the tint strength slider from a subtle wash to full intensity.
- Night light warms your display to reduce blue light that can interfere with sleep. Screen tint reduces overall screen intensity to ease eye fatigue and light sensitivity during the day. They tackle different problems and you can use both at the same time, one working on warmth and the other on intensity.
- Note that turning on screen tint will disable color filters, and vice versa. If you currently rely on color filters, you may need to keep screen tint turned off.
Feedback: Share your thoughts in
Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under
Accessibility > Narrator.
[Magnifier]- Touch bars for panning in Magnifier are now off by default. Hiding them gives you a cleaner, less distracting magnified view on touchscreen devices.
- If you use a touch screen device and prefer on-screen bars for navigating your magnified view, you can turn them back on anytime in Settings > Accessibility > Magnifier.
Feedback: Share your thoughts in
Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under
Accessibility > Magnifier.
[Windows Ready Print]- Last month, we introduced a change where new printer installations use IPP by default when supported to simplify setup and improve reliability (see our third-party driver deprecation timeline: End of Servicing Plan for Third-Party Printer Drivers on Windows (https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/drivers/print/end-of-servicing-plan-for-third-party-printer-drivers-on-windows)). This month, we're adding a new toggle in Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners > Default install printers using Windows Ready Print to give you control over this behavior.
- When enabled, Windows installs supported printers using IPP by default. When turned off, Windows may use other available installation methods.
- This experience is part of our modern print platform, now called Windows Ready Print, designed to deliver a more consistent, reliable, and simplified printing experience.
[Voice Access]Voice Isolation in Voice Access- We're introducing Voice Isolation, a new option in Voice Access that helps it focus on your voice, even when others are speaking nearby. Whether you're in a shared office, an open floor plan, or at home with family around, Voice Isolation filters out other voices and background noise so Voice Access can better understand you. All processing happens privately on your device.
- Getting started
Voice Access now offers three speech recognition modes under Voice Access settings > Improve speech recognition:
- Voice Isolation — Filters out other speakers and background noise (one-time voice setup required)
- Remove background noise only — Filters out non-speech sounds like typing or door slams. No additional setup needed.
- No filtering — Default microphone input with no additional processing.
- To set up Voice Isolation, select it from the menu and follow the short, guided setup where you'll read a brief paragraph aloud so Voice Access can learn your voice. It only takes a minute, and your voice data never leaves your device.
[Input]- Fixed an issue in the previous flight causing the IME candidate window not to display for some Insiders when typing in Japanese or Chinese.
[Other]- If you were experiencing a cyclical explorer.exe crash after the previous flight (which may have looked like the screen or taskbar blinking and repeatedly refreshing), that should be resolved after updating to this build.
- Fixed issue causing the Energy Saver quick setting to show twice for some Insiders in recent flights.
- Fixed issue causing Win + X / right-click on Start in Taskbar to not work for some Insiders in the previous flight.
- Fixed an issue resulting in the audio volume being unexpectedly muted on certain devices in recent flights.
- This update improves the reliability of Simple Service Discovery Protocol (SSDP) notifications to help prevent the service from becoming unresponsive.
- Improved reliability of running dism /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth command.
Windows 11 Insider Experimental Preview Build 26300.8553 (https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-insider/release-notes/experimental/preview-build-26300-8553)
Changes and improvements gradually being rolled out[Start menu]This update brings a number of improvements for the Start menu as first outlined in the Making Taskbar and Start more personal Insider blog (//'https://blogs.windows.com/windows-insider/2026/05/15/improving-windows-quality-making-taskbar-and-start-more-personal/'). This includes:
- Renamed "Recommended" section to "Recent" in Start and Settings page
- Section-level toggles to independently show or hide Pinned, Recommended, and All.
- Choose between a small and large Start menu, in addition to "Automatic (default)" setting option that's already available today
- The option to hide your name and profile picture in Start
- Redesigned Start menu settings page
Feedback: Share your thoughts in
Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under
Desktop Environment > Start[Search]- Search by Substring: Files with compound names or content (e.g., MeetingNotesApril, ProjectStatusReport) are now easily discoverable by typing "april" or "status".
[Taskbar]- Fixed a few small visual polish issues when using the taskbar in alternate positions. Thanks Insiders that have been sharing feedback so far!
- You can now use a touch swipe to invoke the taskbar when using alternate taskbar positions.
From Announcing new builds 8 June 2026 (https://blogs.windows.com/windows-insider/2026/06/08/announcing-new-builds-8-june-2026-2/)
There is not a new build for this channel today.
Windows 11 Insider Experimental Preview Build 26300.8687 (https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-insider/release-notes/experimental/preview-build-26300-8687)
Changes and improvements gradually being rolled out[Windows Update]- As announced in the Windows Update announce blog (//'https://blogs.windows.com/windows-insider/2026/04/24/your-windows-update-experience-just-got-updated/'), we are now bringing a new unified update experience to reduce the number of reboots you see per month. We are starting by coordinating driver, .NET, and firmware updates to align with the monthly quality update, reducing the update experience to a single monthly restart. See the blog for more information.
[File Explorer]- Middle click to open a folder in a new tab is now supported in the Address Bar and the Home page for a more consistent and efficient tabbed navigation experience across File Explorer.
- Improved screen reader announcements for conflict resolution dialog ("Which files do you want to keep?") when moving / copying files.
- Made some more improvements to how File Explorer responds to increased text scaling.
[Search]- Finding apps is more forgiving. Search is better at handling typos, dropped letters, extra letters, and partial words for apps. Queries like "utlook" can still find Outlook.
- Settings results are improving. We've made ranking improvements to help more relevant settings appear higher in results.
[Taskbar]- Improved reliability of loading the system tray area of the taskbar.
- Fixed an issue where tooltips might unexpectedly appear on top of the Start menu icon in the taskbar when using the taskbar in an alternate position. Also fixed a few other visual polish issues when using the taskbar with small icons.
[Windows setup]- The digital safety of users and supporting families is central to how we think about the Windows experience. We're improving information on parental controls and their availability during Windows setup, so families can more easily understand available protections and make informed choices from the very beginning.
[Input]- Update: The emoji panel (Windows key + period (.)) now uses GIPHY as the GIF provider, delivering a smoother GIF browsing and sharing experience following the deprecation of Tenor.
- Fixed an issue which was causing the mouse cursor to potentially move in the wrong direction in recent Insider builds on secondary monitors when set to portrait mode.
[Remote Recovery Management]- Adding recovery remote management plug-in for extending WinRE management capabilities for MDM providers
[Audio]- Fixed an issue resulting in audio not working for some Insiders after the latest flights.
[Settings]- Fixed an issue impacting the reliability of Settings > Apps > Installed Apps after the latest flights.
[General Reliability]- If you were experiencing freezes in the previous flight when interacting with search, Notepad, or certain other scenarios, that should be resolved now.
[Other]- When using dark mode, if you open "Run new task" from Task Manager it will now show in dark mode too.