Build 26300.9032: Windows Insider Experimental Channel, July 2026. Activity-based Search indexing and a Start menu crash fix

For: Windows Insiders

• The renewed flight certificate helps your device stay on a supported Insider build and continue receiving future Insider Preview updates. Update to this build or a later one before August 11, 2026, when the current certificate expires.¹

For: Experimental Channel Insiders

• Settings search finds results in more areas of the app and ranks relevant settings higher.²

For: Experimental Channel Insiders

• Your device can resume instantly from Modern Standby more often and preserve battery better at low charge. It hibernates less when the battery is above 80% and sooner when it is below 10%.³

For: Experimental Channel Insiders

• File Explorer Home remembers which sections you expanded or collapsed, so you can return to the same layout.⁴

For: Experimental Channel Insiders

• Underlying changes aim to make Windows Spotlight on the lock screen more reliable.⁵

For: Some Experimental Channel Insiders

• The Start menu no longer crashes for some Insiders when they drag apps.⁶

For: Experimental Channel Insiders

• When the taskbar is in overflow mode, hovering over an app window's preview thumbnail no longer immediately dismisses it.⁷

• The address bar no longer clears its contents when you enter edit mode by clicking near its right end.⁸
• Dragging files to a disconnected network drive is more reliable.⁹
• Files on a DFS mapped drive are no longer incorrectly treated as internet files in the described reconnect scenario. This prevents the Preview pane warning that a file could harm your computer and unexpected Mark of the Web labels on copied files.¹⁰
  Addresses the case where a device starts while disconnected from the network and later reconnects to a DFS mapped drive.

For: Experimental Channel Insiders using File History backups to SMB shares

• File History automatic backups to network shares using SMB work again instead of failing with a false invalid-credentials error.¹¹
  Addresses connections to Server Message Block (SMB) shares.

For: Experimental Channel Insiders

• Windows Search can expand its indexing scope based on your activity, including recent files and frequently accessed locations, so more relevant files can be found without manual indexing setup.¹²

For: Experimental Channel Insiders with Phone Link build 1.26021.3.0 or later

• Hover over a recent message or notification in the Start menu's Recent section to preview its content without opening it on your phone.¹³
  Requires Phone Link build 1.26021.3.0 or later. Go to Phone Link > Settings > Start menu personalization.