🔄 Insider updates 🔵 Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 29683.

🔄 Insider updates

🔵 Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 29683.1000 (Experimental (Future Platforms)): Minor fixes and improvements, debug symbols restored, and two known issues remain under investigation: performance degradation over time and GSODs on VMware devices.

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🔵 Windows 11 Insider Preview build 28120.3181 (version 26H1) for the Experimental channel. The update brings a small set of fixes and improvements, plus a redesigned Windows Search interface being tested in WinUI 3. The new search experience is faster, cleaner, and includes quick actions such as turning on dark mode or Bluetooth, adjusting brightness, muting audio, and organizing windows directly from the search bar. Search also handles typos and synonyms better, though it currently supports English only.

Narrator has gained support for reading and navigating math expressions more naturally in Microsoft 365 apps like Word and PowerPoint, with a new math navigation mode and support for six languages. The feature also works on supported web content in recent versions of Edge and Chrome. Finally, Taskbar settings now persist better when multiple monitors are connected or disconnected.

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🔵 Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 28020.3172 (Beta (26H1)): This build includes a small number of minor fixes and improvements.


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🔵 Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26220.9606 (Beta): The update brings changes to the lock screen widget experience, with the Weather widget now taking priority as the main display. This reduces recommended content and creates a cleaner, more streamlined look. Microsoft has also added more personalization options, allowing users to choose which widget elements are most useful to them. These settings can be adjusted under Settings > Personalization > Lock Screen. In addition to the widget updates, the build includes a fix for an issue involving the msmpeg2ac3dec.dll component, which had been causing crashes in some apps and games in recent preview builds.

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🔵 Windows 11 Build 26340.9616 (Experimental channel) is now rolling out to Insiders in the Experimental channel, introduces a redesigned Windows Search experience built on WinUI 3. It promises faster performance, a cleaner interface, and new quick actions from the search bar, such as toggling dark mode, Bluetooth, brightness, mute, and window management. Search handling is also improving for typos and synonyms, though the feature currently supports only English.

Other additions include a Battery Status widget, default support for IAKerb in Kerberos to improve authentication without direct domain controller access, and expanded Task Manager process grouping for clearer resource tracking. Microsoft also fixed a Windows Sandbox install error, improved security key PIN entry, refined taskbar thumbnail responsiveness, adjusted the Settings UAC prompt appearance, and added font preview/install options in File Explorer. A crash issue tied to msmpeg2ac3dec.dll has also been resolved.