In this article, we will talk about the latest Preview Build for Windows 11 26H2 in the Dev Channel, which is the Build 26300.8289.
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 Windows Insider Program
Today is the day Microsoft is beginning to move to the new Experimental and Beta channels as announced earlier this month. As a reminder, most Insiders, those who are in the Dev and Beta channels today will transition to the new channels over time as follows:
- Beta Channel > Beta
- Dev Channel > Experimental
For those in the Canary Channel, you will also be transitioned to specific versions of the Experimental channel, depending on whether you are in the 28000 series Canary channel or took the optional 29500 series update. The transition takes place as follows:
- Canary Channel 28000 series > Experimental (26H1)
- Canary Channel 29500 series > Experimental (Future Platforms)
For more information, you can check this article from the Microsoft Blog.
New Hidden Movable Taskbar
New Startup Animation
New Modern Run Dialog
The New Modern Run Dialog has also been updated to be more compact.
New Windows Update
Microsoft is 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
New Screen Tint Feature
Microsoft is also adding a New Section in Settings, that allows you to add a Screen Tint Effect to your screen.
New Start Menu Improvement
Improved detection of clicks at the leftmost edge of the taskbar to invoke start menu when the taskbar icons are set to left aligned.
New 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..
Other Improvements
- 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.
Known Issues
[Feature flags]
- Insiders who use Feature flags to enable the new WIP experience may see the feature state incorrectly marked as current, however changing state and applying changes will work as expected.
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.
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