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Release date: 8 May 2026
As a reminder, these release notes apply to those who are in the Experimental channel, formerly known as the Dev Channel. As we begin the transition to the new Windows Insider Program, all new build release notes will be labeled under the new channel names, even though Insiders in the Dev Channel may not yet find themselves having transitioned to Experimental. See the Windows Insider Blog for more details.
Changes and improvements gradually being rolled out
[Touchpad]
We’re adding new gesturing-related functionality to precision touchpads in Settings. The new features should be widely available across applications, with the exception that WinUI3-based UI requires new WinAppSDK versions for complete functionality - we're in the process of bringing the necessary changes to versions 1.8 and 2.0.
- Scroll / zoom speed: control the baseline speed for these gestures
- Automatic scrolling: scrolling continues indefinitely without lifting your fingers. Activate by either bringing your fingers near the edge of the touchpad while scrolling, or holding them still and pressing harder (requires hardware support).
- Accelerated scrolling: repeatedly scrolling increases their speed, allowing quick traversal of long documents.
- Single-finger scrolling: perform a vertical scroll with a single finger starting from the left or right side of the touchpad.
Touchpad improvements bring new gesture capabilities including automatic scrolling, gesture speed controls, accelerated scrolling, and optional single-finger scrolling support.
[File Explorer]
We’ve made several updates to improve reliability, readability, and overall usability in File Explorer:
- Address Bar improvements
- The address bar now supports paths containing double backslashes and quotation marks (for example, C:\Users\user or "C:\Users\user"), improving compatibility with a wider range of inputs.
- Improved reliability of the Address Bar suggestion dropdown so it now consistently closes after an item is selected.
- More readable file size formatting
- File sizes in the Details view now display using appropriate units (KB, MB, GB) instead of KB-only, making them easier to understand at a glance.
- Refinements to the rename experience
- Fixed an issue where text would be repeatedly selected while renaming items in folder views.
- Fixed an issue where updated names (case-only changes) were not immediately reflected in folder views across local and cloud storage.
- Improved keyboard navigation of File Explorer context menu in flyouts.
Feedback: Share your thoughts in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Files, Folders, and Online Storage > File Explorer.
[EDU]
Free upgrade path to Windows 11 Pro Education for K-12
Windows Insiders in K–12 education environments can now experience a seamless upgrade path from Windows 11 Home to Windows 11 Pro Education edition—at no additional cost. This enables educational organizations to procure Windows 11 Home devices, upgrade them to Windows 11 Pro Education, and bring devices under school management.
Instructions:
Sign in to the device using a local account
Launch an elevated Command Prompt and initiate the upgrade by running Clipupgrade.exe
Sign in with your K–12 organization account to validate eligibility
The device prepares the upgrade and completes after a restart
Please note: This upgrade is one-way only. Reverting to Windows Home is not supported without a clean OS reinstall.
Feedback: Share your thoughts in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Windows Installation.
[Administrator Protection]
- Improved reliability of Japanese IME usage when Administrator Protection is enabled.
[Other]
Fixed a WPN hang in the previous flight, which was leading to notification issues and certain apps hanging on launch.
Improved reliability of loading desktop app icon shortcuts.
Reminders for Windows Insiders in the Experimental channel
Updates are based on Windows 11, version 25H2 via an enablement package (Build 26300.8376).
Many features are rolled out using Controlled Feature Rollout technology, starting with a subset of Insiders and ramping up over time as we monitor feedback to see how they land before pushing them out to everyone in this channel.
For Windows Insiders who want to be the first to try new features, see the available list of features to toggle on at the Feature flags page under Settings > Windows Update > Windows Insider Program.
The desktop watermark shown at the lower right corner of the desktop is normal for Windows Insider pre-release builds.
Features and experiences included in these builds may never get released as we try out different concepts and get feedback. Features may change over time, be removed, or replaced and never get released beyond Windows Insiders. Some of these features and experiences could show up in future Windows releases when they’re ready.
Some features in active development we preview with Windows Insiders may not be fully localized and localization will happen over time as features are finalized. As you see issues with localization in your language, please report those issues to us via Feedback Hub.
Check out Flight Hub for a complete look at what build is in which Insider channel.