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Windows 11 Windows 11 Insider 26H1 Insider Preview, Experimental Channel
Windows Insider

Build 28120.3302

Build 28120.3302: Windows Insider Experimental Channel, October 2026. Customizable Start menu and per-screen Magnifier controls

In short

Adds Start menu options, desktop-app privacy controls, and new Magnifier features. A clean install might leave Recall missing or unable to launch on some Copilot+ PCs.

Does it affect you? Applies to: Devices enrolled in the Windows Insider Experimental (26H1) Channel. The listed changes are rolling out gradually.

Build
28120.3302
Review notes Additional details from the official release notes (1) Read note
  • Known issues After a clean install of this build, Recall may be missing or unable to launch on some Copilot+ PCs. Microsoft says it is working to resolve the issue.

The official sources are linked at the end of the page.

This is a test build for people in the Windows Insider Program. Features in it can change, be removed, or never reach regular Windows releases.

What changes

New features 6 changes

Start menu

Gradual rollout 2 items

For: Insiders in the Experimental (26H1) Channel

  • You can choose a small or large Start menu, or keep the default Automatic size.1
    Set the size at Settings > Personalization > Start > Start menu size.
  • You can hide your name and profile picture in Start.2
    The option is at Settings > Personalization > Start > Hide your name and profile picture on Start.

Camera, microphone, and location access for desktop apps

Gradual rollout

For: Insiders in the Experimental (26H1) Channel

  • You can allow or deny camera, microphone, and location access for each desktop app. Apps that have not used a resource prompt for permission the first time they request it.3
    Manage permissions at Settings > Privacy & security > Camera, Microphone, or Location. Existing permission choices are preserved, and existing enterprise policies continue to function.

Recovery

Gradual rollout

For: Insiders in the Experimental (26H1) Channel

  • Settings adds a new entry point for Cloud Rebuild.4
    Find it at Settings > System > Recovery.

Magnifier

Gradual rollout 2 items
  • A contrast theme toggle can make the screen less glaring while leaving photos, videos, and charts in their original colors. Color inversion remains available separately.5
    The dark theme is applied by default. Choose the contrast theme at Settings > Accessibility > Magnifier.
  • You can lock a display's magnified view in place while moving your pointer to another screen. The locked screen stays live and interactive.6
    Point to a display and press Ctrl + Windows key + K to lock or unlock its view. Press Windows key + Esc to release all locks. The shortcut can be changed to Ctrl + Alt + P in Accessibility > Magnifier.

Improvements 5 changes

Start menu

Gradual rollout 2 items

For: Insiders in the Experimental (26H1) Channel

  • The Recommended section is renamed Recent in Start and on the Start settings page.7
  • The Start settings page has separate controls to show or hide Pinned, Recent, and All.8

File Explorer

Gradual rollout

For: Insiders in the Experimental (26H1) Channel

  • File thumbnails in the Recommended section on the Home page look sharper and easier to read.9

Magnifier

Gradual rollout

For: Insiders who use multiple displays

  • Each display can have its own zoom level, so magnification no longer spills from one screen into another. This works when displays are set to Extend, not Duplicate.10
    Per-monitor zoom is on by default. Adjust it from the Magnifier toolbar or Accessibility > Magnifier; turn it off there to return to one zoom level across displays.

Unicode

Gradual rollout

For: Insiders in the Experimental (26H1) Channel

  • Windows can correctly display and shape more newly encoded characters and scripts.11
    Adds text shaping support for Unicode 17.0, including 4,803 characters and the Beria Erfe, Sidetic, Tai Yo, and Tolong Siki scripts.

Technical details

Data sheet · Security · Downloads · Components Click to collapse or expand

Data sheet

Released
2026-10-23
Type
Windows Insider build
VersionBuildChannel
— 28120.3302 Experimental Channel

Security

No vulnerabilities are listed for this update.

Sources

Updated
Cited passages from Microsoft's official notes (11)
  1. 1. You can choose between a small or large Start menu, in addition to the Automatic (default) option that's available today. learn.microsoft.com
  2. 2. You can now hide your name and profile picture in Start by going to Settings > Personalization > Start > Hide your name and profile picture on Start. learn.microsoft.com
  3. 3. Allow or deny access for each desktop app individually. learn.microsoft.com
  4. 4. We're adding a new entry point for Cloud Rebuild under Settings > System > Recovery, making it easier to access the feature from Settings. learn.microsoft.com
  5. 5. Unlike color inversion, the contrast theme recolors the interface without touching your photos, charts, or videos, so they keep their real colors. learn.microsoft.com
  6. 6. Viewport locking keeps that view in place. learn.microsoft.com
  7. 7. The Recommended section is renamed Recent in the Start menu and on the Start settings page (Settings > Personalization > Start). learn.microsoft.com
  8. 8. The Start menu settings page is now redesigned with section-level toggles to independently show or hide Pinned, Recent, and All. learn.microsoft.com
  9. 9. We've sharpened file thumbnails in the Recommended section on the Home page so they're crisper and easier to read. learn.microsoft.com
  10. 10. With this update, each monitor's boundary is respected, and each monitor can have its own zoom percentage. learn.microsoft.com
  11. 11. This update provides Windows text shaping support for Unicode 17.0, helping Windows correctly display and shape newly encoded characters and scripts. learn.microsoft.com
Checked automatically: 8 of 8 checks passed, 11 quoted passages
  • Quotes found in the official pages: passed
  • Numbers found in the sources: passed
  • Vulnerabilities from the dossier only: passed
  • Links to allowed domains only: passed
  • Every official change covered: passed
  • Readable plain text: passed
  • Changes confirmed by the file list: passed
  • Sources agree: passed

A second AI read the text against the sources: correctness 5/5, clarity 5/5, completeness 4/5. How we work

Published by The Update Bureau. Written with AI from Microsoft's own documents, checked by rules and a second AI. How we work · Report a mistake