Build 28000.2605: Windows Insider Release Preview Channel, July 2026. Widgets, Bluetooth audio and Windows Update controls

For: Windows 11 PCs receiving the gradual rollout

• Widgets no longer open when you hover over them. Notifications and taskbar badges are minimized by default, and first use opens the Widgets dashboard.¹
  Dashboard icons show alert counts, and badges clear when you leave a dashboard. Some defaults are preserved based on usage; others change to reduce interruptions.

• Magnifier lets you enter a zoom percentage directly and change zoom in increments.²
  You can also change zoom increments from the Magnifier bar.
• On touch-enabled devices, the horizontal and vertical bars for panning the magnified view are off by default so they do not cover magnified content.⁴¹
  You can turn the bars back on in Settings > Accessibility > Magnifier.

For: Windows 11 PCs receiving the gradual rollout

• File Explorer opens faster.³
• File Explorer responds more quickly when mounting disk images.⁴
• The address bar accepts paths that contain double backslashes or quotation marks.⁵
  The examples in the notes are C:\Users\user and "C:\Users\user".

• Some Bluetooth audio devices work more reliably; AirPods appear faster in pairing mode and Beats Studio Pro microphone reliability improves.⁶
• Windows is more stable with certain PC manufacturer drivers.⁷
  Addresses bug checks associated with error code 0x9F.
• Bluetooth voice calls are more reliable with Classic Audio devices.⁸
  The improvement applies when using the Hands-Free Profile (HFP).
• LE Audio accessories start playing audio sooner when their microphone is in use.⁹
• Classic Bluetooth audio devices reconnect sooner after Windows resumes from hibernation.¹¹
• LE Audio accessories are more reliable when they disconnect, including when another device such as a phone connects.¹²
• LE Audio streaming is more reliable after a connection is lost and restored.¹³

For: Windows 11 PCs receiving the gradual rollout

• The Bluetooth & devices settings page is more stable to use.¹⁰

• When you dial an outgoing call from a paired phone, its audio stays on the phone while it rings and moves to the PC only if you answer on the PC.¹⁴
• Incoming calls from a paired phone no longer ring on the PC when Do Not Disturb is on in Windows.¹⁵

For: Windows 11 PCs receiving the gradual rollout

• The built-in HD Audio driver is more reliable.¹⁶

• The Start menu opens more reliably when you select the taskbar’s left edge with left-aligned icons.¹⁷
• The taskbar system tray loads more reliably.⁴⁴

• Confidential virtual machines use hardware acceleration by default for better network throughput.¹⁸
  Confidential Virtual Machines (CVMs) use SR-IOV hardware acceleration.
• Wi-Fi power-related blue-screen errors occur less often.¹⁹
  This is an improvement to the Windows networking stack.
• Cellular connectivity improves, including support for IPv6 VPNs.²⁰
  The change affects WWAN connectivity.
• Compatibility improves with third-party VPN software and SR-IOV configurations on server hardware.²¹
• Network adapter settings and bindings are preserved when the operating system is upgraded.²²

For: People using WSL with VPNs

• WSL works better with VPNs when mirrored networking mode is used.²³

• Some apps spanning multiple monitors render content more reliably while you scroll.²⁴
• Color profiles apply more reliably and remain in place.²⁵

For: People using location settings

• Location options that do not take effect while location services are off appear grayed out, making their status clearer.²⁶
  This applies to settings such as Default location and Allow location override under Settings > Privacy & Security > Location.

For: Administrators configuring Search policies

• Search-related group policies are set more reliably.²⁷

• Japanese handwriting input recognizes English characters more accurately.²⁸

For: Windows 11 PCs receiving the gradual rollout

• BITS shuts down sooner when you turn off your PC.²⁹

• Sign-in and lock screens work more reliably with third-party credential providers.³⁰
  Improves explorer.exe reliability.
• Taskbar icons are less likely to appear as blank gray placeholders.³¹
  Improves explorer.exe reliability.
• Navigating to Home in File Explorer is more reliable during OneDrive sync.³²
  Improves explorer.exe reliability.
• File Explorer works more reliably when switching between desktops.³³
  Improves explorer.exe reliability.
• Apps launch more reliably when they use shell extensions.³⁴
  Improves explorer.exe reliability.
• Acrylic blur effects work more reliably in Start, Settings and the lock screen.³⁵
  Improves explorer.exe reliability.
• File Explorer works more reliably when opening jump lists and recent files.⁵³
  Improves explorer.exe reliability.
• Sharing files and folders is more reliable.⁵⁴
  Improves explorer.exe reliability.
• Task View and multiple desktops work more reliably.⁵⁵
  Improves explorer.exe reliability.
• Windows sign-in and lock screens are more reliable, especially when system memory is low.⁵⁶
• Start and the taskbar work more reliably during startup.⁵⁷

For: People enabling Remote Desktop

• The dialog for turning on Remote Desktop has a refreshed design.³⁶
  Find it in Settings > System > Remote Desktop.

For: People running local AI models on PCs with more than 32 GB of memory

• Memory management changes let PCs with more than 32 GB of memory run larger local AI models.³⁷

• The Start menu keeps the view preference you selected.³⁸
• Keyboard navigation improves when focus is on the Start menu app list.³⁹

For: New voice typing users

• Fluid dictation is off by default for new users, and a teaching tip appears the first time they use it.⁴⁰

• Mongolian Baiti text is shaped and rendered more accurately and consistently.⁴²

For: People signed in with a Microsoft account

• Start menu account control has a refreshed design and displays a badge showing subscription status.⁴³
  Available to users signed in with a Microsoft account. Open Start and select your account picture in the lower-left corner.

For: Everyone receiving the normal rollout

• Power settings changed in Settings now apply across all power plans, helping your choices persist.⁴⁵
  This covers display, sleep and hibernate timeouts, power and sleep button actions, and lid-close actions.

• Update progress is calculated more reliably in Windows Update settings.⁴⁶
• Update cleanup changes improve system performance immediately after an update.⁴⁷

• System sounds improve when you use Windows in dark mode.⁴⁸

For: Everyone receiving the normal rollout

• Windows more reliably detects when to show time zone change notifications.⁴⁹

• DHCP renewals are more reliable in some situations, especially after a DHCP server sends a NACK or on devices using Modern Standby.⁵⁰

• IPPS printers print more pages per minute.⁵¹

For: People using Remote Desktop or Azure Virtual Desktop

• Clipboard use is more reliable in some Remote Desktop and Azure Virtual Desktop scenarios.⁵²

For: Windows 11 PCs receiving the gradual rollout

• A calendar in Windows Update lets you pause updates until a chosen date, for up to 35 days.⁵⁸
  You can extend the pause by choosing a different end date.

For: Windows 11 PCs receiving the gradual rollout

• You can apply a full-screen color tint to adjust screen appearance, including choosing a preset, changing intensity or setting it to turn on automatically.²
  Find screen tint in Settings > Accessibility.

For: People using work or school accounts

• Hovering over a file in File Explorer Home shows quick actions such as Open file location and Ask Copilot, including for work and school accounts.⁵⁹
  The experience supports Entra ID accounts.

• Bluetooth headphones with mute buttons or indicators show a more consistent microphone mute state between Windows and the headphones.⁶⁰
  Windows keeps the audio mixer mute state in sync with the Hands-Free Profile (HFP).

For: People using French, German or Spanish voice input

• You can use voice access and voice typing in French, German and Spanish. Dictation improves text in real time by correcting grammar, punctuation and recognition errors, including with background noise.⁶¹

For: People installing supported printers

• New printer installations use Internet Printing Protocol by default when the printer supports it.⁶²
  You can control this in Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners > Default install printers using Windows Ready Print.

For: People using supported touchpads

• You can choose how large the bottom-right touchpad area is for a single-finger right-click: Default, Small, Medium or Large.⁶³
  The setting is available on touchpads with a pressable surface. A Custom option appears when the device maker provides settings in its own app.

For: People with a supported peripheral fingerprint reader

• Enhanced Sign-in Security supports compatible external fingerprint readers, including on desktops and Copilot+ PCs.⁶⁴
  Connect a supported ESS fingerprint reader and enroll under Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options. The feature was previously disclosed in January 2026 (KB5074105) and is beginning to roll out.

For: People using supported Copilot+ PCs with the component installed

• You can remove the Image Generation AI component from supported Copilot+ PCs where it is installed.⁶⁵

For: People setting up Windows

• Windows setup includes a notice about available family safety features and parental controls.⁶⁶

For: Windows 11 PCs receiving the gradual rollout

• The address bar suggestion list closes reliably after you select an item.⁶⁷
• OneDrive files no longer appear duplicated in the Favorites section of File Explorer Home.⁶⁸
• Text is no longer repeatedly selected while renaming items in folder views.⁶⁹
• Folder views immediately reflect file or folder name changes that only alter letter case, for both local and cloud items.⁷⁰

For: People removing Bluetooth devices in those circumstances

• Windows no longer shows a “Remove failed” message when you try to remove a Bluetooth device while the Bluetooth radio is unavailable or has changed since pairing.⁷¹

• Network provisioning works reliably in nested Hyper-V virtualization setups.⁷²
  Corrects a configuration issue in nested Hyper-V network setup.

• Some installers and apps no longer show unexpected elevation prompts after KB5089549 is installed.⁷³
  Resolves unexpected User Account Control (UAC) prompts.

• The Myanmar Text font again supports Unicode variation sequences.⁷⁴

For: Windows 11 PCs receiving the normal rollout

• You can again set the battery threshold for when Energy saver turns on.⁷⁵
  Find the setting in Settings > System > Power & battery.