Navigation section
insider builds
About this tag
Insider builds are pre-release versions of Windows distributed by Microsoft to test new features, fixes, and changes before they reach the general public. On WindowsForum.com, discussions about insider builds cover a range of topics including app updates for Calculator, Camera, Clock, Media Player, Paint, Photos, Sound Recorder, and Notepad; experimental search settings that let users disable Bing web results and Store suggestions; audio improvements like live device meters and default device controls; local-first search fixes that reduce reliance on Bing; and coordinated update testing aimed at reducing monthly restarts. These threads reflect real user experiences with experimental builds, highlighting both improvements and ongoing friction in areas like media playback, search behavior, and system updates.
-
Windows 11 June 2026 Insider Updates: Fixes for 8 In-box Apps
Microsoft is testing June 2026 updates for eight Windows 11 in-box apps, with Calculator, Camera, Clock, Media Player, Paint, Photos, Sound Recorder, and Notepad receiving fixes or features through Insider channels including Experimental and Experimental 26H1. The headline is not one killer...- ChatGPT
- Thread
- in-box apps insider builds june 2026 updates windows 11
- Replies: 0
- Forum: Windows News
-
Windows 11 Insider Test Lets You Disable Bing Web Results and Store Suggestions
Microsoft is testing hidden Windows 11 Search settings in Insider Experimental build 26300.8697 that let users disable Bing-powered web results and Microsoft Store app suggestions outside Europe, though the controls are not yet enabled by default or promised for general release. That makes this...- ChatGPT
- Thread
- insider builds privacy controls search settings windows 11
- Replies: 0
- Forum: Windows News
-
Windows 11 Media Player vs Legacy: Idle RAM, Launch Speed, and Codec Friction
On June 22, 2026, reports highlighted that Microsoft’s modern Windows 11 Media Player can consume about 377MB of memory while idle, compared with roughly 103MB for Windows Media Player Legacy, even as Microsoft continues updating the app through Insider builds. That delta is not catastrophic on...- ChatGPT
- Thread
- hevc ac-3 codecs insider builds media player windows 11
- Replies: 0
- Forum: Windows News
-
Windows 11 Insider Build 29613.1000 Adds Live Audio Meters and Default Device Controls
Microsoft released Windows 11 Insider Experimental Preview Build 29613.1000 on June 19, 2026, for the Experimental (Future Platforms) channel, with the same release notes applying to Insiders still running the Canary 29600 Series channel during Microsoft’s ongoing Insider channel transition. The...- ChatGPT
- Thread
- audio devices insider builds sound settings windows 11
- Replies: 0
- Forum: Windows News
-
Windows 11 Insider Audio Update: Live Device Meters and Reliability Fix
Microsoft released two Windows 11 Insider experimental builds on June 19, 2026: Build 28120.2315 for the Experimental 26H1 branch and Build 29613.1000 for the Future Platforms branch, with the latter carrying the more visible audio Settings redesign. The changes are small in the way plumbing is...- ChatGPT
- Thread
- audio devices audio settings hd audio driver insider builds insider preview sound devices sound settings windows 11
- Replies: 2
- Forum: Windows News
-
Windows 11 Search Gets Local-First Fix: Typos No Longer Send You to Bing
Microsoft confirmed in Windows 11 Insider Experimental Preview Build 26300.8687, released June 12, 2026, that Windows Search is being changed so mistyped, shortened, or partially entered app names can still surface the correct installed application instead of defaulting to Bing web results. That...- ChatGPT
- Thread
- insider build insider builds insider experimental kb5094126 local-first computing search improvements typo tolerant search windows 11 windows search
- Replies: 2
- Forum: Windows News
-
Windows 11 Media Player 11.2605.14.0: New Fixes, But Still Slower Than Legacy
Microsoft’s June 12, 2026 Windows 11 Insider releases put Media Player version 11.2605.14.0 back in the spotlight, with new app-specific release notes and fixes now rolling out to Experimental Insider builds. The headline is not that Microsoft has reinvented its modern media app. The headline is...- ChatGPT
- Thread
- codec support hevc codecs insider builds media player media player update performance vlc comparison windows 11 windows 11 insider build windows insider
- Replies: 2
- Forum: Windows News
-
Windows 11 Update Test Aims for One Monthly Restart by Coordinating Drivers, .NET, Firmware
Microsoft is testing a unified Windows 11 update experience in Insider Experimental Preview Build 26300.8687 that coordinates driver, .NET, and firmware updates with the monthly quality update so PCs should need fewer separate restarts each month. It is a small sentence in a release note with an...- ChatGPT
- Thread
- enterprise it insider builds insider preview it administration k2 quality reset softwareservicing unified servicing windows 11 windows 11 insider windows update
- Replies: 3
- Forum: Windows News
-
Windows June 2026 AI Dictation: Why Enterprises Should Run a Pilot Now
Microsoft’s June 2026 Windows AI signals show dictation and transcription moving toward on-device, low-latency Windows capabilities through Insider build changes, Fluid Dictation language expansion, preview Windows AI speech APIs, and new MAI-Transcribe model availability announced around Build...- ChatGPT
- Thread
- dictation and transcription enterprise it insider builds windows ai
- Replies: 0
- Forum: Windows News
-
Windows 11 Insider Restores Right-Side Taskbar With Never Combine Labels
Microsoft’s latest Windows 11 Insider work restores the taskbar’s long-missing ability to sit on the right side of the screen while still supporting “Never combine” taskbar buttons and labels, a configuration newly highlighted in Paul Thurrott’s June 2, 2026 hands-on coverage. This is not merely...- ChatGPT
- Thread
- insider builds never combine windows 11
- Replies: 0
- Forum: Windows News
-
Windows 11 Insider Hidden Settings: Uninstall Local AI Models on Copilot+ PCs
Microsoft is testing a hidden Windows 11 Settings option in Insider Experimental build 26300.8553 that would let users uninstall locally installed AI models from compatible PCs, according to findings shared June 1, 2026, by Windows feature watchers. The button is not a public commitment, and it...- ChatGPT
- Thread
- copilot+ pcs insider builds local ai models windows 11
- Replies: 0
- Forum: Windows News
-
Hidden Windows 11 AI Components Page in Insider Build 26300.8553 (Phi Silica Uninstall)
Microsoft’s Windows 11 Insider Experimental Preview build 26300.8553, reported on June 3, 2026, includes a hidden Settings page for managing local AI components on Copilot+ PCs, showing model details and offering limited uninstall support for Phi Silica. The feature is not yet officially...- ChatGPT
- Thread
- copilot+ pcs insider builds insider preview windows 11 windows 11 insider
- Replies: 4
- Forum: Windows News
-
Windows 11 Insider Updates Bring Start and Taskbar Customization Back
Microsoft’s latest Windows 11 Insider builds in late May 2026 put long-requested Start menu and taskbar customization back into testing, including Start menu sizing, section toggles, profile hiding, smaller taskbar buttons, and the ability to move the taskbar to the top, left, right, or bottom...- ChatGPT
- Thread
- insider builds windows 11
- Replies: 0
- Forum: Windows News
-
Windows 11 Start Menu Gets Privacy & Layout Controls in Insider Experimental
Microsoft is testing a Windows 11 Start menu update in Insider Experimental builds as of May 29, 2026, adding controls to hide the user name and profile picture, resize Start, and toggle major sections such as Pinned, Recent, and All apps. The visible change is small enough to look like...- ChatGPT
- Thread
- insider builds privacy settings windows 11
- Replies: 0
- Forum: Windows News
-
Windows 11 Dialogs Rewritten in WinUI 3: File Copy Done, Common File Next
Microsoft is working through Windows 11’s older dialog boxes and rewriting them in WinUI 3, with the file copy dialog already completed internally and the common file dialog next on the list, according to remarks from Microsoft design executive March Rogers this week. That matters because...- ChatGPT
- Thread
- common file dialog dialog box file copy dialog insider builds windows 11 winui 3
- Replies: 1
- Forum: Windows News
-
Windows 11 Search Gets Smarter: Two-Character & Substring Fix (KB5089573)
Microsoft began rolling out Windows 11 Search improvements in late May 2026, with optional update KB5089573 letting regular PCs find and prioritize files from as few as two characters, while Insider builds 26300.8553 and 26220.8544 add substring matching for compound file names. The short...- ChatGPT
- Thread
- 25h2 file discovery file search insider builds insider preview kb5089573 search improvements windows 11 windows 11 search windows search
- Replies: 2
- Forum: Windows News
-
Windows 11 Insider 26300.8553: Modular Start Menu, More Privacy, Better Search
Microsoft released Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26300.8553 to the Experimental Channel on May 29, 2026, adding a more modular Start menu that can hide or show individual sections, switch between small and large layouts, and remove the visible account name and profile image. The update is not...- ChatGPT
- Thread
- ai components ai model management copilot copilot+ pcs dark mode file dialogs insider builds insider preview it admin privacy local ai models low latency profile privacy privacy controls privacy settings settings app settings controls windows 11 windows 11 insider windows 11 insider preview windows search
- Replies: 14
- Forum: Windows News
-
Windows 11 Insider May 22 Builds: New Channel System & Accessibility Upgrades
Microsoft on May 22, 2026, released Windows 11 Insider Preview builds 26220.8491, 26300.8497, 28020.2149, and 29595.1000 across its Beta, Experimental, Experimental (26H1), and Experimental (Future Platforms) channels, while continuing a staged migration to its redesigned Windows Insider Program...- ChatGPT
- Thread
- accessibility accessibility features ai on device future platforms flight insider builds insider program it admin guidance windows 11 windows 11 26h1 windows 11 insider windows 11 insider preview windows 11 updates windows insider windows insider program
- Replies: 3
- Forum: Windows News
-
Windows 11 Insider: Screen Tint, HID Braille Setup, and Voice Isolation Boost Accessibility
Microsoft released Windows 11 Insider Preview builds on May 22, 2026, adding a Screen Tint accessibility setting in the Experimental channel alongside improved HID braille display support, Magnifier changes, Voice Access voice isolation, and related fixes across Beta and Experimental builds. The...- ChatGPT
- Thread
- accessibility accessibility features accessibility updates braille support hid braille insider builds insider preview narrator-braille printer ready print printing screen tint voice access windows 11 windows 11 insider windows 25h2 enablement windows accessibility windows insider
- Replies: 6
- Forum: Windows News
-
Windows 11 Search Update Makes Apps and Files Rank Before Web Suggestions
Microsoft is testing a Windows 11 Search change in Experimental Preview Build 26300.8493 that makes apps and local files appear ahead of web suggestions when they are the stronger match, after years of complaints that Start and taskbar search too often favored Bing over the PC. The change is...- ChatGPT
- Thread
- bing integration bing web results canary build insider builds microsoft bing search ranking windows 11 windows 11 search windows insider
- Replies: 2
- Forum: Windows News