The update brings a redesigned Windows Search, a new Run dialog and several accessibility features. It also extends web sign-in to Microsoft Entra hybrid-joined devices, which matters to enterprise admins, and fixes problems ranging from TPM boot failures on Arm PCs to unexpected crashes in Sage 50 Accounting.
This is a preview build, so it does not mean every Windows 11 PC is getting these changes today. Where each change sits in the rollout matters, and that is covered below.
Where KB5132057 fits in the November update cycle
The build numbers explain the timing. Microsoft released the November 2026 Patch Tuesday cumulative update for Windows 11 on November 10, 2026. That update was KB5132061, which shipped as builds 26300.9974 and 26200.9974. KB5132057 arrived three days later, so it is the Release Preview build that follows this month's security baseline. It is not a replacement for that baseline.
The two build families map to versions as follows:
- Build 26200 is Windows 11 version 25H2. For the original release of version 25H2, the OS build number is 26200.
- Build 26300 is Windows 11 version 26H2. For the original release of version 26H2, the OS build number is 26300.
- The number after the dot is the revision. For Windows 11 26H2, the build number stays at 26300 while the revision number goes up with every update. Both versions use revision .10066 here.
Microsoft splits the update into two phases:
- Gradual rollout. Features arrive in waves, so whether a feature appears depends on the device. Most of the new features are in this phase, along with two fixes.
- Normal rollout. This is the broad release to all eligible devices, and it usually lines up with general availability. Most of the bug fixes are here.
In short: KB5132057 is a Release Preview update for 25H2 and 26H2 that follows the November Patch Tuesday release. Installing it does not guarantee you will see every new feature right away.
Windows Search gets rebuilt
The biggest change is a new Windows Search. According to Microsoft's release notes, it has three main parts:
- A single results list. Results appear in one simplified list. Microsoft says this improves performance and memory efficiency.
- Inline actions. You can do common tasks straight from Search, including turning on dark mode or Bluetooth, adjusting brightness, muting the device and arranging open windows.
- Richer results. Search can preview files and show when a file was last modified, where it is stored and who created it. It also gives quick answers about weather, stocks and general facts, and handles typos and synonyms better.
The new experience is available only in English for now.
Microsoft explained the reasoning in an October 7 Windows Insider blog post. The new Search is built on WinUI 3. Microsoft said its data showed that nearly all clicks in the old design came from the results list on the left rather than the large preview pane on the right, so it dropped the two-pane layout.
What the redesign does not prove yet:
- Microsoft says early testing showed "substantial improvements" in performance and memory use, but it has not published any benchmarks. Treat speed claims as unconfirmed until independent testing is available.
- In October, Microsoft said it was still working on bringing the new Search to the Start menu. At that point, searching from Start still opened the old experience. The KB5132057 notes do not say whether that has changed.
- The Experimental-channel feature flags and build numbers mentioned in the October post applied to earlier test builds. They are not instructions for installing KB5132057.
In short: Search moves to a single list with quick actions and file previews, English only for now. Microsoft says it is faster but has published no numbers.
Run dialog, Windows Hello and Xbox Mode
| Feature | What changes | Where to find it |
|---|---|---|
| Run dialog | A modern design with better usability | Settings > System > Advanced > New Run dialog |
| Windows Hello face sign-in | The screen brightens briefly in dark or dim rooms to help face recognition | Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options > Facial recognition (Windows Hello) > Automatically adjust screen brightness during face recognition |
| Xbox Mode | The full set of taskbar Quick Settings is available from the Gaming Task View navigation bar | Inside Xbox Mode |
The new Run dialog is opt-in. If you have years of Win+R muscle memory, the old dialog stays in place until you turn the new one on.
File Explorer, Widgets, Settings and screen capture
- File Explorer search. Searching from This PC now uses the Windows indexer. Microsoft says this makes it "much faster" and consistent with searching from File Explorer Home. Before, This PC and Home could return different results, so consistency may matter more than raw speed.
- Widgets. After you install an app that offers a new widget, Windows can notify you. Selecting the notification opens the Widgets Board with that widget highlighted.
- Microsoft account benefits. Settings makes it easier to find services and benefits tied to your Microsoft account. The notes do not list which ones appear, so we can't say whether this is useful or mostly marketing.
- Screen capture. The border shown during an active capture changes from yellow to red. Microsoft also says the mouse pointer now lags less during screen captures, for example while game streaming.
Accessibility updates
Several of the new features are aimed at accessibility:
- Pointer indicator. This helps people with low vision find the mouse pointer. Turn it on at Settings > Accessibility > Mouse pointer and touch > Pointer indicator. After that, press Windows logo key + Ctrl + Shift + X to turn it on or off.
- Magnifier shortcut setting. A new setting at Settings > Accessibility > Magnifier controls whether Windows logo key + Plus (+) starts Magnifier. The shortcut is on by default, so existing users won't notice a difference unless they change it.
- Magnifier help. Magnifier now has a help menu and can open Feedback Hub directly.
- Narrator math reading in more languages. Narrator can now read math in Greek, Hungarian, Indonesian, Norwegian (Bokm??l), Polish, Russian, Swedish and Vietnamese.
- Dismissing Sticky, Filter and Toggle Keys. If you trigger one of these shortcuts by accident, you can turn it off from the prompt that appears. Notification and sound settings are still at Settings > Accessibility > Keyboard > Notification preferences.
- Voice typing. Microsoft says configuring voice typing settings is now more reliable.
Web sign-in now supports hybrid-joined devices
For IT teams, this is the most important change. Microsoft's release notes say web sign-in now works on Microsoft Entra hybrid-joined devices, not just Entra-joined ones.
Users can sign in at the lock screen without a password, using any of these:
- a FIDO2 security key
- a passkey on their phone
- a Temporary Access Pass (TAP)
After sign-in, Windows gets a Kerberos ticket. That means access to on-premises file shares and internal websites keeps working, which has often been a sticking point for passwordless sign-in in mixed environments.
Microsoft's general web sign-in documentation adds some points to plan for before deployment:
- It requires an internet connection. Authentication happens online. Cached credentials are not supported, so a user who is offline can't sign in with the web sign-in credential provider.
- It has to be configured by policy. Admins turn it on through an Intune Settings catalog policy (the Authentication > Enable Web Sign In setting) or with a provisioning package. Users can't simply switch it on themselves.
- Supported editions are Windows Pro, Enterprise, Pro Education/SE and Education.
- It becomes the default credential provider. Once enabled, web sign-in is the default for new users on the device. Admins can change that with the DefaultCredentialProvider policy.
- The documentation is out of date on hybrid join. As of its last update in March 2026, it still says hybrid-joined and domain-joined devices are not supported. For this build, the newer KB5132057 release note takes precedence, but expect the documentation to lag for a while.
Practical advice: Test hybrid web sign-in on a pilot group of laptops before it reaches general availability. In particular, check how it behaves when a device is offline, and confirm that Kerberos access to file shares works on your own network.
Fixes in KB5132057
Gradual rollout:
- TPM on Arm. Fixes possible boot failures or TPM initialization errors on Arm-based systems that use a TPM 2.0 Command Response Buffer (CRB) interface. For affected Arm devices, this may be the most important fix in the update.
- RemoteApp. Fixes an extra character that could appear at the start of Japanese text typed into RemoteApp applications.
Normal rollout:
- Miracast. Fixes connections that could fall back to a lower resolution with certain wireless display receivers.
- Microsoft 365 upgrade option. Fixes an upgrade option in Settings that stayed visible after a successful subscription upgrade and caused an error if selected again.
- Shutdown and restart warning. Fixes the "Someone else is using this PC" warning appearing when no other user was signed in.
- Sage 50 Accounting. Fixes the app closing unexpectedly when certain options were selected.
- Android passkeys. Fixes cross-device passkey authentication on Android showing a "Something went wrong" error.
The release notes do not describe any of these as security fixes. They also do not list any known issues for this build, though that does not mean the build has none.
Should you install it?
- Home users who are curious about the new Search and Run dialog can try Release Preview. Because features roll out gradually, you may install the update and still not see them.
- Admins should use this build to test hybrid web sign-in and the Arm TPM fix in a pilot ring, not across the whole fleet.
- Anyone affected by the Sage 50 crashes, the false shutdown warning or the Android passkey error should expect those fixes when the normal-rollout phase reaches general availability.
KB5132057 is mostly practical changes rather than a single headline feature: faster file searches, fewer accidental Sticky Keys prompts and passwordless sign-in that still reaches on-premises file shares. The test before general availability is whether Microsoft can back up its Search performance claims and update its web sign-in documentation to match.