In this article, we will talk about the latest Preview Build for Windows 11 26H2 in the Dev Channel, which is the Build 26300.8142.
Starting recently, the Dev Channel is jumping ahead to receive 26300 series builds. This means that the window to switch from the Dev Channel to the Beta Channel is closed once Build 26300.7674 is installed. If you are in the Dev Channel today and still want to switch to the Beta Channel at the last minute, when Build 26300.7674 is offered you can pause updates in Windows Update and switch your channel to the Beta Channel and un-pause updates.
These 26300 series builds will contain many of the same features and improvements as the 26220 series builds that will continue to be released in the Beta Channel. Over time, we will be making behind-the-scenes platform changes in each build so they may have different known issues because of those changes.
New Features in this Build
Administrator Protection
After resuming the rollout of Administrator Protection as enabled by IT admins, we are also now rolling out the ability to enable Administrator Protection in Settings under Privacy & security > Windows Security > Account protection and switching the toggle to on. A restart will be required.
Touchpad
Microsoft is adding a new setting in Settings > Bluetooth & Devices > Touchpad so you can choose how large the right-click zone size is (this is the portion in the bottom-right of your touchpad where pressing a single finger will result in a right-click), between default, small, medium, and large. Note – this setting only appears for touchpads that have a pressable surface for this. Some manufacturers may provide customization for this in their own apps – if you’ve customized your setting using an app like this, a “Custom” entry will be added to the dropdown, which preserves that value.
Task Manager
Microsoft is making a few improvements to Task Manager:
- They’re updating Task Manager to provide better insight into NPU usage for PCs that include an NPU. New optional NPU and NPU Engine columns are now available on the Processes, Users, and Details pages. The Details page also adds NPU Dedicated Memory and NPU Shared Memory optional columns to give you deeper visibility into how workloads are using NPU resources. Additionally, if there are neural engines that are part of a GPU, they will now appear on the Performance page, providing a more complete view of AI‑related system activity.
- They’re also adding a new optional Isolation column to the Processes and Details pages, allowing you to see which apps are running in an AppContainer.
Once these changes are available to you, you can add any of the new columns by right‑clicking a column header in Task Manager and selecting them from the menu.
Windows Protected Print Mode
Microsoft is also adding a new icon to show where a printer supports Windows Protected Print Mode in print settings.
New AI Switch
In this Build, there is also a hidden feature in Settings, AI assistant permissions, which will probably allow us to customize how AI works in Windows. (Thanks to phantomofearth for discovering this)
Fixes in this Build
Accessibility
- Addressed an issue impacting the use of Braille for Insiders in the last few flights.
For more information about this Build, you can check this article from the Microsoft Blog.
For a more in-depth presentation of the New Build, you can watch the video below from the youtube channel.
9
20
