Massive Windows 11 update ships to Insiders in its last stop before rolling out to everyone

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Windows Insiders can test a ton of new features that are likely on the way to everyone this autumn.

Microsoft Edge icon in Windows 11 Start menu
The Windows 11 Start menu will soon show your Microsoft account benefits. (Image credit: Future)
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What you need to know

  • Microsoft released Windows 11 Build 26100.1297 to Insiders in the Release Preview Channel recently.
  • The update includes many new features and changes, including several improvements to Windows Share.
  • This build brings together many of the changes seen in the other Insider Channel that have been in testing over the past several months.

Windows Insiders in the Release Preview Channel have a new build of Windows 11 to install. Windows 11 Build 26100.1297 shipped this week, and it includes several new features, changes, and improvements.

While the Release Preview Channel is the final stop before shipping features to general availability, Microsoft has not shared an exact date for when these features will roll out. Our sources say Microsoft is targeting September or October for the release of Windows 11 version 24H2, so there's a good chance many of the features seen in this week's Release Preview Channel build ship this autumn.

The Release Preview Channel is the most stable of the Insider channels. Generally, it's the final stop for features in testing before those features roll out to general availability. That means that many of the changes seen in this Release Preview Channel update have been in testing in other Insider channels for a while, such as dragging files between breadcrumbs in File Explorer, and improvements to Windows backup.

Even if you're running the latest Windows 11 Insider build on your PC, you may not see all of these features. Some of them are rolling out gradually, while others are available to everyone running the latest build. Microsoft breaks all of the changes down in an Insider blog post.

Windows 11 Build 26100.1297 (gradual rollout)

Lock screen

  • New! Sports, traffic, and finance content will appear along with weather. To turn on this feature, go to Settings > Personalization > Lock screen.

Start menu

  • New! The new account manager is on the Start menu. When you use a Microsoft account to sign in to Windows, you will get a glance at your account benefits. This feature also makes it easy to manage your account settings.
  • New! You can now also pin apps from the Start menu to the taskbar by dragging and dropping items directly to taskbar from the pinned section in the Start menu.

File Explorer

  • New! You can now use your mouse to drag files between breadcrumbs in the File Explorer address bar. A breadcrumb shows the path to your current file location in the address bar. For example, there are three breadcrumbs in the path This PC > Windows (C:) > Program Files.

Emoji

  • New! This update adds support for Emoji 15.1. Windows supports Unicode symbol-like shapes for family groupings. But Windows will keep using people for them. Also, you can choose the right or left facing direction for some people emoji. The new emoji are:
    • Horizontal and vertical head shake
    • Phoenix
    • Lime
    • Brown mushroom
    • Broken chain

Windows Share

  • New! This update adds a feature that stops you from accidentally closing the Windows share window. Clicking outside of the window will no longer close it. To close it, select the close button at the upper-right corner.
  • New! You can directly share to specific Microsoft Teams channels and group chats in the Windows share window. To do so, you must sign in using a Microsoft Entra ID.
  • New! You can now create quick response (QR) codes for webpage URLs and cloud files from the Windows share window. Select the share button in the Microsoft Edge toolbar and choose “Windows share options.” Then, you can share the URLs and files across your devices.
  • New! You can now send email to yourself from the Windows share window. You will receive the email at the email address that is in your Microsoft account.
  • New! You can now copy files from the Windows Share window. Just click the new Copy

Windows Backup

  • New! Windows will now back up many of your sound settings (this includes your sound scheme). This only occurs if you turn on Remember my preferences and select the checkboxes for Personalization and Other Windows settings. To find these, go to Settings > Accounts > Windows backup. Then, you can use the Windows Backup app to restore those settings on a new device.

Settings

  • New! This update adds a new Game Pass recommendation card on the Settings home page. This home page shows on Home and Pro editions when you sign in to Windows using your Microsoft account. The card appears if you actively play games on your PC.
  • New! This update adds a page to Settings > Accounts called Linked devices. On it, you can manage your PCs and Xbox consoles. This page only shows on Home and Pro editions when you sign in to Windows using your Microsoft account (MSA).
  • New! This update puts the “Add now” button in Settings > Account. When you select it, you can add a recovery email address if you have not added one for your Microsoft account yet. The button only shows if you sign in to your Microsoft account.
  • New! This update includes updated visuals for the “Rename your PC” and “Change date and time” dialogs to match the Windows 11 visuals.

Task Manager

  • This update changes the units for DDR speed from MHz to MT/s.
  • This update addresses an issue that affects USB devices. Ejecting them using the Safely Remove Hardware option fails. This occurs when Task Manager is open.
  • This update affects process handles. Task Manager releases them more quickly when it stops a process.
  • This update makes Task Manager more reliable.
  • This update affects the sort order of processes in Task Manager. Performance is better when you change the order.
  • This update makes Task Manager more accessible by improving: Keyboard focus, Tab key navigation, Text scaling, The readout of item names by screen readers, High contrast heatmaps and more.
  • This update makes resizing the Task Manager window easier when you grab the top of its window.

Windows 11 Build 26100.1297 (normal rollout)

  • [PC Manager] New! This update adds PC Manager to devices in China.
  • [Widgets]New! The Widgets icons on the taskbar are no longer pixelated or fuzzy. This update also gives you a larger set of animated icons.
  • [Azure Virtual Desktop] New! You can now use OneDrive as a RemoteApp in Azure Virtual Desktop.
  • [Virtual Filtering Platform (VFP)] New! In Windows nodes, VFP has more support for packet drop collection. This will make it easier to troubleshoot issues.
  • [Windows Server vNext] In the latest build, the cache size display behavior is not what you expect.
  • [Group Policy Preferences Item Level Targeting (ILT) and Local Users and Groups] You cannot choose a group from the target domain for ILT. Also, you cannot choose an account from Local Users and Groups. The forest does not appear. This issue occurs when you deploy multiple forests, and the target domain has a one-way trust with the domain of the admin. This issue affects Enhanced Security Admin Environment (ESAE), Hardened Forests (HF), or Privileged Access Management (PAM) deployments.
  • [Windows Kernel Vulnerable Driver Blocklist file (DriverSiPolicy.p7b)] This update adds to the list of drivers that are at risk for Bring Your Own Vulnerable Driver (BYOVD) attacks.
  • [Share button] On USB controllers, the button might not work with Game Bar.
  • [Local Security Authority Subsystem Service (LSASS)] It fails at times when you set Field Engineering logging to 5.
  • [NetAdapterCx module] Devices that use certain WLAN cards stop responding.
Sean Endicott
Sean Endicott
News Writer and apps editor

Sean Endicott is a tech journalist at Windows Central, specializing in Windows, Microsoft software, AI, and PCs. He's covered major launches, from Windows 10 and 11 to the rise of AI tools like ChatGPT. Sean's journey began with the Lumia 740, leading to strong ties with app developers. Outside writing, he coaches American football, utilizing Microsoft services to manage his team. He studied broadcast journalism at Nottingham Trent University and is active on X @SeanEndicott_ and Threads @sean_endicott_.