Computerworld.com [Hacking News]

There are important accounts to secure, and then there are important accounts to secure. Your Google account falls into that second category, maybe even with a couple of asterisks and some neon orange highlighting added in for good measure.

I mean, really: When you stop and think about how much stuff is associated with that single sign-in — your email, your documents, your photos, your files, your search history, maybe even your contacts, text messages, and location history, if you use Android — saying it’s a “sensitive account” seems like an understatement. Whether you’re using Google for business, personal purposes, or some combination of the two, you want to do everything you possibly can to keep all of that information locked down and completely under your control.

And guess what? Having a password that you hastily set seven years ago isn’t enough. With something as priceless as your personal data, that single key is only the start of a smart security setup. And even it might be due for an upgrade.

Take 10 minutes to go through these steps, then rest easy knowing your Google account is as guarded as can be.

Part I: Reinforce your front door Step 1: Check up on your Google account password

We’ll start with something simple but supremely important — that aforementioned Google account password. Consider the following questions:

• Is your Google password based on your name, the name of your partner or child, your birthday, your street address, or anything else someone could easily figure out by Googling you?
• Does your Google password revolve around a common word or easily guessable pattern?
• Is your Google password short — less than eight characters, at a minimum?
• Do you use your Google password (or any variation of it) to sign into any other app, website, or service?

If the answer to any of those questions is yes, first, bop yourself firmly on the nose. Then use this link to go change your password immediately — preferably to something long, complex, and not involving any easily discoverable personal info, any common words or patterns, or anything you use anywhere else.

(And note: This is also where a reliable password manager — whether the basic Google Password Manager or a more fully featured third-party option — can make all the difference in the world.)

Got it? Good. Next:

Step 2: Give your Google account a second layer of protection

No matter how strong your Google account password is, there’s always still the chance someone could crack it — but you can exponentially reduce the risk of anyone actually getting into your virtual property by enabling two-factor authentication on your account.

With two-factor authentication, you’ll be prompted for a second form of security in addition to your password — ideally something that requires a physical object that’d only ever be in your presence. In its simplest effective form, that could be a prompt or a code generated by your phone. If you want to get really fancy, it could be a button pressed on an actual key you carry (which could be a special USB- or Bluetooth-based dongle or even something built into your phone) — sometimes even called a “passkey,” which is basically just a confusing and overcomplicated way to say the same thing. There’s also an option to have codes sent to you via text message, but that method is relatively easy to hijack and thus not generally advisable to use.

Whatever path you choose, having that second layer in place will make it incredibly difficult for anyone to get into your Google account, even if they do somehow know your password.

Two-factor authentication makes it significantly more difficult for anyone to get into your Google account.

JR Raphael / Foundry

If you don’t have it set up yet, go to Google’s 2-Step Verification page to get started.

Step 3: Make sure you’re prepared to prove your identity

If Google ever detects some sort of suspicious activity on your account, it might require you to verify your identity before it lets you sign in. And if you haven’t looked at your account verification settings in a while (or ever, for that matter), there’s a decent chance the necessary info might be out of date or missing altogether.

Take a minute now to open up Google’s account security site and look in the section labeled “How you sign in to Google.” There, among other things, you should see two options:

• Recovery phone
• Recovery email

If the value next to either option is not current and correct, click it and update it immediately.

And with that, we’re ready to move on to our next level of Google account protection.

Step 4: Get by with a little help from your friends

Effective online security is all about an endless array of “what if”-style scenarios, and this next Google account security strengthener is no exception. Now that we’ve confirmed you are set up to recover your own Google account if you ever got locked out, it’s time to ponder one more possible path out of that nightmare and allow someone else you know to lend a helping hand.

Specifically, if you’re ever locked out of your Google account and for some reason unable to confirm your own identity via the email and/or phone number we just went over, you can now authorize a trusted friend or family member to step in and confirm your identity for you.

It’s something Google just recently launched called Recovery Contacts, and it’s incredibly easy to set up:

• First, open up the official Google Recovery Contacts settings page.
• Follow the prompt to confirm your password and authenticate.
• Then click the button to add a new recovery contact onto the account.

The person you specify will have to acknowledge and accept the request within a week before they’re confirmed and active — but once that happens, if you’re ever locked out, they’ll be able to confirm a special one-time recovery code on their secured device to authenticate for you.

(In short: After failing to sign in, Google would allow you to select the contact, and you’d then see a random number on your screen. At the same time, your contact would receive three different numbers on their device. In order to confirm and authenticate, they would have to select which of those numbers matches the number you’re seeing and relaying to them — while communicating with you and thus verifying that the request was actually legitimate and triggered by you — in order to complete the authentication.)

Again, this would only come up if you were completely locked out of the account and unable to receive the same sort of code directly on your own. And your contact wouldn’t actually have access to any of your Google account info. They’d just be an extra pathway for you to confirm your identity and get back into your own account in a worst-case scenario.

Setting up a Recovery Contact is possible only on an individual Google account — not a company-managed Workspace account, since in that situation, your company’s admin would already be able to help facilitate any account recovery for you.

Part II: Clamp down on connections Step 5: Review the third-party services with access to your account

When you set up an app that interacts with Google in some way — on your phone, on your computer, or even within a Google service such as Gmail or Docs — that app gets granted a certain level of access to your Google account data.

Depending on the situation, that could mean it’s able to see some of your activity within specific Google services; it could mean it’s able to see everything in your Gmail, Google Calendar, or Google Drive; or it could mean it’s able to see everything across your entire Google account.

It’s all too easy to click through confirmation boxes without giving it careful thought — so look back now and see exactly what apps have access to what types of information. Visit Google’s third-party app access overview and look through the list of connected services. If you see anything there you no longer use or don’t recognize, click its line and then click the button to remove it.

Review your third-party app list and remove any items that no longer need access to your Google account.

JR Raphael / Foundry

Allowing apps you know and trust to access your account is perfectly fine, but you want to be sure to revisit the list regularly and keep it as current and concise as possible.

Step 6: Review the devices with access to your account

In addition to apps, you’ve almost certainly signed into your Google account on a variety of physical devices over the past several months (and beyond). And often, once you’ve signed in at the system level, a device remains connected to your account and able to access it — no matter how long it’s been since you’ve actually used the thing.

You can close that loop and take back control by going to Google’s device activity page. If you see any device there that you no longer use or don’t recognize, click the three-dot menu icon within its box and sign it out of your account right then and there.

Step 7: Look over app permissions on your phone

Another important app-related consideration: If you’re using Android, some system-level permissions — such as those connected to your contacts and calendar — can effectively control access to areas of your Google account data, since services such as Google Contacts and Google Calendar sync that data between your phone and the cloud.

Head into the Security & Privacy section of your phone’s system settings and look for the line labeled “Permission manager.” (Depending on your device, you might have to tap a line labeled “Privacy controls” before you see it.) If you can’t find it, try searching your system settings for the phrase permission manager instead.

Once you get there, you can look through each type of permission and see which apps are authorized to access it — and, with a couple more taps, revoke the permission from any apps where that level of access doesn’t seem necessary.

Android makes it easy to review and adjust an app’s permission, if you know where to look.

JR Raphael / Foundry

Step 8: Look over extension permissions in your browser

On the desktop, extensions added into Chrome or any other browser have the potential to expand your browser’s capabilities — but they also have the potential to put your privacy at risk.

Extensions could require access to anything from your complete browsing history to your system clipboard. They can often read and change data on sites you’re actively viewing, too — either any and all sites or only specific pertinent URLs, depending on the specific permissions requested.

None of this is necessarily bad, so long as the extension in question is reputable and requesting only the permissions it genuinely requires for the function it provides. But sometimes, even the most well-intending developers can get lazy and go with a broader permission than what their software actually needs. And in such an instance, an extension that does something as simple as enhancing the Gmail interface or allowing you to save articles for later could have access to everything you do in your browser — and the sort of broad data that’s typically kept under lock and key inside your Google account could be shared with external entities for no good reason.

So let’s do a quick little assessment, shall we? If you’re using Chrome, type chrome:extensions into your browser’s address bar. If you’re using another browser, look in its main menu to find the equivalent option for managing extensions or add-ons, as they’re sometimes also called.

Once you’re looking a list of all your installed extensions, click the “Details” or “Options” button for every extension on the page. Peek at the “Permissions” section within each one and then take a close look at the “Site access” section, in particular. Think carefully about the level of access that’s granted there and whether it’s genuinely needed — or whether it’d make sense to bring it down a notch and make it more limited in nature.

With Chrome and other Chrome-based browsers — like Microsoft Edge and Vivaldi — if the extension seems like it really only needs access to a specific site or domain and it’s requesting access to your activity on all sites, click the dropdown menu in that area and change its setting from “On all sites” to “On specific sites” (which lets you provide a specific, limited list of URLs on which the extension will have full visibility).

Chrome and other Chrome-based browsers make it easy to view and adjust the permissions for any browser extension you’re using.

JR Raphael / Foundry

Just remember that many extensions do legitimately need certain levels of access in order to operate — so make these changes cautiously and only after carefully thinking through the potential implications. Worst-case scenario, though, if you bring an extension’s access down and then find it’s no longer working as expected, you can always come back to this same area of your browser’s settings later and change it back.

Firefox, incidentally, doesn’t allow this level of granular permission-granting — so if you find an extension there is accessing more than you’re comfortable with, your only real option is to uninstall it entirely.

Speaking of which…

Step 9: Get rid of any mobile apps and browser extensions you don’t need

While you’re thinking about third-party add-ons for your computer and phone, take a moment to review everything you have installed on both fronts and consider how many of those programs you actually still use. The fewer cracked windows you allow on your Google account, the better — and if you aren’t even using something, there’s no reason to keep it connected.

And with that, we’re ready for our final two parts of account-protecting possibilities.

Part III: Plan for the worst Step 10: Set up or confirm your virtual Google will

Thinking about worst-case scenarios is never particularly pleasant — I’d much rather be eating crumpets, myself — but just as it’s important to have a plan in place for your physical and financial possessions, creating a virtual will for your Google account will make matters infinitely easier for your loved ones if and when you ever develop a mild case of death.

For company-managed Google Workspace accounts, someone at your organization would be able to take control of your account in the event that you were no longer able to access it. But with an individual Google account, no such system for passing along access exists.

Google has a simple system in place to manage this: Open up the Inactive Account Manager, and you’ll find tools for determining exactly what should happen if your account ever becomes inactive for a certain period of time. You can specify the number of months that must go by without any sign of your presence, along with the email addresses and phone numbers Google should use to contact you for confirmation. And then, you can give Google the email addresses of any people you want to be notified once it’s clear that you’re no longer available.

From there, you can specify exactly what types of information your chosen contacts will be able to access. You’ll even be able to leave a message for those people, if you want, and optionally create a broad autoreply that’ll be sent to anyone who emails you once your inactive period has begun (creepy!).

Google’s Inactive Account Manager is like a virtual estate planning tool for all of your account-associated data.

JR Raphael / Foundry

Even if you’ve gone through this process before, it’s worth going back in and revisiting your preferences occasionally to confirm the info is all still complete and accurate — not only in the specific contacts you have set to be notified but also in what specific areas of your account those people will be able to access, if this situation ever actually arises.

For that latter piece of the puzzle, be sure to click the email address of each person you have listed, then click the “Edit apps & services” option on the screen that comes up next. That’ll show you a list of account-related areas — everything from Contacts and Calendar to Google Chat, Google Photos, and even your location history (if you’re using a device that contributes to such a collection) — and let you both see which areas are currently selected and add or remove any areas you want from the list.

Virtually every time I’ve ever looked at that, I’ve found a handful of newer account-related areas weren’t selected to be shared — presumably because they didn’t exist when I had last reviewed the options. I had to manually check them all to be sure they’d be included in any post-consciousness account sharing.

Part IV: Turn your protection up to the max Step 11: Think about Google’s Advanced Protection Program

Last but not least is a step that won’t be right for everyone but could be hugely consequential for certain types of Google users. For anyone at a higher risk of a targeted attack, Google offers an elevated form of account security called the Advanced Protection Program.

The program is described as being appropriate for business leaders, IT admins, activists, journalists, and anyone else who’s in the public eye and likely to be sought out by someone looking to do damage. It puts a series of heavy-duty restrictions on your Google account to make it especially difficult for anyone else to gain access — but as a result, it also makes things a bit more difficult for you.

The core part of the Advanced Protection Program is a requirement to have a physical security key the first time you sign into your account on any new device. That means in addition to your password, you’ll need that specific form of two-factor authentication — either an approved key built into your phone or a standalone dongle — in order to access your email, documents, or any other area of your Google account.

As part of the added security, you also won’t be able to connect most third-party apps to your Google account — including those that require access to your Gmail or Google Drive in order to operate. That could create some challenges (such as signing into an Android TV device, curiously enough) and require some compromises (such as no longer being able to use most third-party email clients with Gmail). And if you ever can’t get into your account for any reason, you’ll have to go through an extra-involved, multiday recovery process in order to restore access. You can read more about what the Advanced Protection Program is like to live with in this thoughtful overview.

Ultimately, only you can decide if the added inconveniences are worth the extra assurance. If you want the utmost in security for your Google account, though — and particularly if you’re someone who’s at a higher-than-average risk of being targeted — it’s something well worth considering.

If you do want to make the leap and add this extra layer of intense security onto your Google account, head over to Google’s Advanced Protection Program website to get started. With a personal account, you’ll be able to get yourself up and running in a matter of minutes. With an account that’s part of a paid company Workspace plan, your plan administrator will have to enable Advanced Protection for the organization before you’re able to do it. Once you start the enrollment process, you’ll see pretty quickly if it’s already available for your account or not — and if not, you can contact your company admin to ask about the possibility of allowing it.

And with that, give yourself a pat on the back: Now that these 11 steps are behind you, your Google account security is officially in tiptop shape — and you shouldn’t have to devote an ounce of thought to this area again anytime soon.

Just set yourself a reminder to revisit this page and review the steps within it once a year for good measure. (I’ll continue to update and expand the specific instructions as needed over time.) Do the same with security smarts in other areas — like your Android security settings, if you’re using an Android device of any sort — and then rest easy knowing your most important digital info is as secure as it can possibly be.

This article was originally published in February 2020 and most recently updated in February 2026.

A new fine-tuning technique aims to solve “catastrophic forgetting,” a limitation that often complicates repeated model updates in enterprise deployments.

Researchers at MIT, the Improbable AI Lab, and ETH Zurich have introduced a fine-tuning method designed to let models learn new tasks while preserving previously acquired capabilities.

To prevent degrading existing capabilities, many organizations isolate new tasks into separate fine-tuned models or adapters. That fragmentation increases costs and adds governance complexity, requiring teams to continually retest models to avoid regression.

The new technique, called self-distillation fine-tuning (SDFT), is designed to address that tradeoff.

The researchers said that SDFT “leverages in-context learning by using a demonstration-conditioned model as its own teacher, generating on-policy training signals that preserve prior capabilities while acquiring new skills.”

They added that it consistently outperforms Supervised Fine Tuning (SFT) “across skill learning and knowledge acquisition tasks,” achieving higher new-task accuracy “while substantially reducing catastrophic forgetting.”

In experiments, the researchers found the method enables models to accumulate new skills sequentially while preserving performance on prior tasks, a capability that could simplify how enterprises update and specialize production models over time.

The need and the solution

Despite rapid advances in foundation models, most enterprise AI systems remain static once deployed. Prompting and retrieval can adjust behavior at inference time, but the model’s parameters do not change to internalize new skills or knowledge.

As a result, each new fine-tuning cycle risks catastrophic forgetting, where gains on a new task degrade performance on earlier ones.

“To enable the next generation of foundation models, we must solve the problem of continual learning: enabling AI systems to keep learning and improving over time, similar to how humans accumulate knowledge and refine skills throughout their lives,” the researchers noted.

Reinforcement learning offers a way to train on data generated by the model’s own policy, which reduces forgetting. However, it typically requires explicit reward functions, which are not easy in every situation.

SDFT suggests an alternative. Instead of inferring a reward function, it uses the model’s in-context learning ability to generate on-policy learning signals from demonstrations.

During training, the same model plays two roles. A teacher version is conditioned on both the query and expert examples. A student version sees only the query, reflecting real-world deployment. The student updates its parameters to align with the teacher’s predictions on its own generated outputs.

“In sequential learning experiments, SDFT enables a single model to accumulate multiple skills over time without performance regression, establishing on-policy distillation as a practical path to continual learning from demonstrations,” the researchers said.

Challenges to overcome

SDFT appears quite realistic as the technique removes the need for maintaining “model zoos” of separate adapters or fine-tuned variants, according to Lian Jye Su, chief analyst at Omdia.

However, whether this translates to commercial deployment remains to be seen as certain challenges persist.

For instance, SDFT requires significantly more training time and roughly 2.5 times the computing power of standard SFT. It also depends on sufficiently capable base models with strong in-context learning ability.

Sanchit Vir Gogia, chief analyst at Greyhound Research, also warned that SDFT does not eliminate the need for regression infrastructure. Because the model learns from its own generated rollouts, enterprises must ensure reproducibility through strict version control and artifact logging.

“Consolidation shifts operational complexity from model count to governance depth,” Gogia said.

The costs can be offset, according to Su, by avoiding catastrophic forgetting of key context and complex reward functions in reinforcement learning. But it may be a while before this reaches enterprises. “SDFT will most likely be experimented with first for internal developer tools and general assistants where the risk of a ‘self-taught error’ will be lower than in regulated domains like financial or medical decision-making,” said Faisal Kawoosa, founder and lead analyst at Techarc.

That handy ‘Summarize with AI’ button embedded in a growing number of websites, browsers, and apps to give users a quick overview of their content could in some cases be hiding a dark secret: a new form of AI prompt manipulation called “AI recommendation poisoning.”

So says Microsoft, which this week released research on a currently legal but extremely sneaky AI hijacking technique that appears to be spreading like wildfire among legitimate businesses.

While most ‘Summarize with AI’ buttons are exactly what they seem to be – a time-saving way to generate a summary of a website or document – a small but growing number appear to have strayed from that purpose.

Here’s how the manipulation works: a user innocently clicks on a website Summarize button. Unbeknownst to them, this button also contains a hidden prompt telling the user’s AI agent or chatbot to favor that company’s products in future responses. The same instruction can also be concealed in a specially crafted link sent to a user in an email.

Microsoft highlights how this tactic could be used to skew enterprise product research without that bias being detected before it influences decisions. Over a two-month period, its researchers identified 50 examples of the technique being deployed by 31 different companies in dozens of industry sectors, including finance, health, legal, SaaS, and business services. In an ironic twist, this even included an unnamed vendor in the security sector.

The technique is widespread enough that, last September, MITRE added it to its list of known AI manipulations. 

AI leverages user preferences

AI recommendation poisoning is made possible by user AIs that are designed to ingest and remember prompts as signals of the user’s preferences; if the user says that they favor something, the AI will helpfully remember that preference as part of its profile for that user.

Unlike prompt injection, in which an attacker manipulates an AI using a one-off instruction, recommendation poisoning has the added advantage of achieving longer-term persistence across future prompts. The AI, of course, has no way of distinguishing genuine preferences from those injected by third parties along the way:

“This personalization makes AI assistants significantly more useful. But it also creates a new attack surface; if someone can inject instructions or spurious facts into your AI’s memory, they gain persistent influence over your future interactions,” said Microsoft.

To the user, everything will seem normal, except that, behind the scenes, the AI keeps pushing the bogus or poisoned responses when they ask it questions in a  relevant context.

“This matters because compromised AI assistants can provide subtly biased recommendations on critical topics including health, finance, and security without users knowing their AI has been manipulated,” said the researchers.

Pushing falsehoods

A factor driving the recent popularity of recommendation poisoning appears to be the availability of open-source tools that make it easy to hide this function behind website Summarize buttons.

This raises the uncomfortable possibility that poisoned buttons aren’t being added as an afterthought by SEO developers who get carried away. More likely, the intention from the start is to contaminate users’ AIs as a form of self-serving marketing.

In Microsoft’s view, the dangers go beyond over-zealous marketing, and could just as easily be used to push falsehoods, dangerous advice, biased news sources, or commercial disinformation. What’s certain is that if legitimate companies are abusing the feature, cybercriminals won’t be shy about using it too.

The good news is that the technique is relatively easy to spot and block, even if you don’t use Microsoft’s Microsoft 365 Copilot or Azure AI services, which the company says contain integrated protections.

For individual users, this involves studying the saved information a chatbot has accumulated (how this is accessed varies by AI). For enterprise admins, in contrast, Microsoft recommends checking for URLs containing phrases such as ‘remember,’ ‘trusted source,’ ‘in future conversations,’ ‘authoritative source,’ and ‘cite or citation.’  

None of this should be surprising. Once, URLs and file attachments were seen as convenient rather than inherently risky. AI is simply following the same path that every new technology must endure as it moves into the mainstream and becomes a target for misuse.

As with other new technologies, users should educate themselves on the dangers posed by AI. “Avoid clicking AI links from untrusted sources: Treat AI assistant links with the same caution as executable downloads,” Microsoft recommended.

This article originally appeared on CIO.com.

As developers begin using Claude and Codex to help create Mac, iPhone, and iPad apps in Xcode, spare a moment to consider a recent JumpCloud survey that shows most businesses aren’t really ready for AI — though many think they might be.

Among the highlights from the survey:

• 40% of IT leaders self-assess as mature in their AI practices, yet only 22% meet the rigorous objective standards for leading AI readiness.

• 90% of leaders see productivity gains from AI, but 74% remain concerned about security risks, specifically around unauthorized data access and AI-generated phishing.

• 61% of organizations report the use of unsanctioned AI tools, creating significant visibility and governance gaps.

• 85% of IT leaders agree that secure identity and access management (IAM) is critical for scaling AI safely. (Note that JumpCloud calls itself an AI-powered IT management platform.)

JumpCloud argues that enterprises must deploy IT processes to help protect the identity layer as AI impacts their business, “consolidating identity and access controls for both humans and bots to turn AI from a potential liability into a sustainable engine for growth.”

To support that transition, JumpCloud this week introduced a new investment arm to invest in companies building solutions around AI, security, identity and IT productivity. To an extent, this mirrors competitors in the burgeoning Apple-related IT space (Jamf Ventures, for example) even as it highlights the looming impact AI will have on this side of the market.

One of the first JumpCloud investments, Tofu, uses AI as part of its package of protections against identity fraud during the hiring and onboarding process, an emerging problem for some businesses. You could see Tofu’s tools as indicative of the speed at which AI is evolving. 

Between the thought and the action lies the shadow

People don’t seem prepared for the consequences of the rapid evolution even though business leaders think they are. This gap between perceived preparedness and actual readiness comes after over a decade of rapid digital transformation. That transformation saw the iPhone-driven evolution of mobile business, the collapse of the former hegemonic Microsoft dominance of the enterprise, and an algorithmic assault on some of the principles that underpinned international trade. 

The impact has been felt by every business, and entire business sectors have already been replaced by digitized alternatives. Our century so far has seen an avalanche of change, (remember “1,000 songs in your pocket”?) and enterprise leaders are struggling to keep pace, the JumpCloud survey shows.

Thought leaders have been discussing the need to adopt a new business mindset in which enterprises accept they live in an environment of constant change. These people say creative thinking and a willingness to embrace constant change will be the hallmarks of business success, but when technology moves faster than business leaders, the business environment itself becomes inevitably unstable. 

When it comes to AI deployment, that means confidential data leaks, legal battles as regulators challenge those leaks, and the need to invest in managing digital transformation. 

Faster than progress

AI development is accelerating. New models like GPT-5.3 Codex or Claude Opus 4.6 are insanely powerful and have now evolved something like autonomous discretion. That’s why they can create and iterate application code, which Xcode developers will be exploring now that tools have been made available to them.

It won’t end with code. You can see the direction of travel for yourself at METR, an organization that tracks how long it takes AI models to complete long tasks. 

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei tells it like it is when he says AI models “substantially smarter than almost all humans at almost all tasks” could arrive as soon as this year. He also says it might only be a couple of years until AI autonomously builds its own AI successors. 

In the background, the leader of Anthropic’s Safeguards Research Team, Mrinank Sharma, just quit, warning the “world is in peril” from a series of interconnected crises, including AI. Think about that, think about the extent to which you and your business truly meet the standards of AI preparedness, and then consider the challenge it poses to IT decision makers working to keep their heads afloat amid this tsunami of change. 

The gap between perceived and actual readiness is not just a statistic, it is a call to action for every leader. In a world where AI evolves so very quickly, true leadership requires us to prepare for the unknown. The experts say those who manage to stay afloat will be the ones who experiment today, and adapt tomorrow. While you do that, note that AI will be adapting at the very same time and probably faster, and is already in use, sanctioned, or unsanctioned, across your company.

Are you ready? Probably not yet.

Yes, the image to this story was created using AI.

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The digital workplace has outgrown the simple project checklists you may have once associated with task management apps. The software has moved from passive repositories for to-do lists to active participants in workflows.

In 2026, the biggest shift in task management applications is the rise of agentic AI. The category has moved from simple automation (e.g., if this, then that logic) to autonomy. By integrating AI agents that can reason, plan, and execute, these platforms are delivering on a decade-old promise of eliminating work about work.

Keeping projects on track remains a challenge for enterprises of all sizes, but the stakes are getting even higher. Recent data from the Project Management Institute (PMI) suggests that while organizations have improved, the average project performance rate still hovers around 74%, leaving lots of room for improvement.

However, the PMI reports a massive divide between teams that prioritize “power skills” and AI-driven business acumen and those that stick to traditional methods, with the former seeing 27% lower failure rates.

The goal of task management apps has moved beyond mere visibility. Analyst firm Gartner predicts that by the end of 2026, 40% of enterprise applications will deploy task-specific AI agents, a whopping leap from less than 5% just a year ago.

“AI agents will evolve rapidly, progressing from task- and application-specific agents to agentic ecosystems,” Anushree Verma, a senior director analyst at Gartner, said in a company statement. “This shift will transform enterprise applications from tools supporting individual productivity into platforms enabling seamless autonomous collaboration and dynamic workflow orchestration.”

What are task management tools?

Task management software, also referred to as collaborative work management tools or work coordination platforms, has a variety of uses. These range from personal task lists or ad-hoc projects with small teams up to complex projects involving numerous stakeholders, such as the launch of a new product that touches several business departments.

Compared to sophisticated project portfolio management (PPM) tools, task management apps have a gentler learning curve and tend to be more accessible for all types of employees, not just trained project managers. At the same time, collaborative task management apps offer more functionality than basic to-do list apps.

In many cases, task management apps are available under “freemium” payment models, enticing users with limited free versions and offering more features with paid plans. This approach has made the tools popular among small businesses and startups, as well as within small pockets of larger companies.

Task management software vendors are also focused on building out features that appeal to IT teams at large enterprise organizations. This means adding security and administration tools required by IT, as well as compliance with certain data protection regulations.

What do look for in task management software

According to software review site G2, these are the features you should expect in task management applications:

• Task creation and assignment
• Task list management
• Task interdependencies
• Start/end dates
• Status editing
• Progress reporting
• Collaboration tools
• Workflow automation
• AI integration
• Time tracking
• Document creation
• OKR (objectives and key results)
• No-code platforms
• Client onboarding
• Kanban project management

7 task management apps to consider

While not an exhaustive list of all task management products on the market, below are seven popular options available today, including information about the tools, how they work, their notable features, and their pricing. (Prices are broken down by month but reflect annual billing; fees are typically higher if paid monthly.)

Asana

Asana has evolved from a tracking tool into what the company describes as an orchestration engine. Its “AI teammates” are designed to identify risks and draft project briefs. Smart Goals use AI to predict if a project will miss its deadline based on real-time team velocity.

• Plans and pricing
  • Personal plan: free for individuals (doesn’t include AI features)
  • Starter plan: $11/user/month
  • Advanced plan: $25/user/month
  • Enterprise plan: contact sales

ClickUp

ClickUp aims to replace your tech stack, offering native AI agents, whiteboards, docs, and time tracking in a single interface. Its Universal Search is designed to find any file or task across ClickUp and integrated apps like Slack or Google Drive.

• Plans and pricing
  • Free version available (limited AI features)
  • Unlimited plan: $7/user/month
  • Business plan: $12/user/month
  • Enterprise plan: contact sales

Microsoft Planner

Now integrated with Teams, Microsoft Planner is designed to combine the simplicity of to-do lists with the power of Project, with an assist from Microsoft 365 Copilot. Its Task Chat replaces comments with threaded, real-time Teams messaging directly inside a task.

• Plans and pricing
  • Included with Microsoft 365 Business and Enterprise plans

Monday.com

Known for its flexibility, Monday.com is designed to allow teams to build no-code “work operating systems” for any department. Its AI-Powered Triage is designed to categorize and assign incoming work requests based on team capacity.

• Plans and pricing
  • Free plan available for individuals (doesn’t include AI features)
  • Basic plan: $9/seat/month
  • Standard plan: $12/seat/month
  • Pro plan: $19/seat/month
  • Enterprise plan: contact sales

Notion

Notion is designed to merge documentation and task management, for a single source of truth for users. Its Notion Agent is an AI that can answer questions about your project history and documentation.

• Plans and pricing
  • Free for personal use (limited trial of AI features)
  • Plus plan: $10/user/month (limited trial of AI features)
  • Business plan: $20/user/month
  • Enterprise plan: contact sales

Trello

Still considered the gold standard for simplicity, Atlassian’s Trello has remained competitive by doubling down on its “smart canvas” visual roots. Its AI Board Builder creates an entire project framework from a single sentence prompt.

• Plans and pricing
  • Free plan for up to 10 collaborators (doesn’t include AI features)
  • Standard plan: $5/user/month (limited AI features)
  • Premium plan: $10/user/month
  • Enterprise plan: $17.50/user/month
    

Wrike

Wrike is designed for high-scale, cross-functional teams that need rigorous resource management and financial tracking. Its Multi-Action AI Agents are designed to independently route work and prompt for missing data without human input.

• Plans and pricing
  • Free plan available (doesn’t include AI features)
  • Team plan: $10/user/month (limited AI features)
  • Business plan: $25/user/month
  • Pinnacle and Apex plans: contact sales

The future of task management

For IT leaders, the challenge is no longer just choosing the right tool but mastering the collaboration between humans and algorithms. Those who successfully bridge this gap won’t just keep their projects on track — they will redefine what their team goals.

Driving that collaboration will be task intelligence. According to Forrester principal analyst Betsy Summers, task intelligence offers insights about automation potential, duplication across teams, transferability,  and cost to outsource.

“This level of task intelligence will be key to unlocking meaningful workforce optimization,” Summers writes in a recent blog post. “It’s a lens for understanding how work happens now — and how it can happen better.”

This article was originally published in April 2019 and most recently updated in February 2026.

Related reading:

• Asana puts ‘AI teammate’ agents to work
• Monday.com’s agent builder promises to automate work management tasks
• Buyer’s guide: How to choose the right project collaboration software

If I told any average person that my Android phone’s notifications could now be sticky, shareable, and extra-smart about snoozing, they’d probably look at me like I was a lunatic.

And, let’s be honest: They’d probably be justified in that conclusion — even if it weren’t for what I’d just told them. (In case we haven’t met before, hi! I’m JR, and I dress like this on a daily basis.)

Be that as it may, though, the statement is spot on — and as an optimization-obsessed Android enthusiast, I couldn’t be more excited to have that flock of fresh superpowers at my fingertips.

Lemme explain a little more and then show you how you can grant yourself the same advantage (minus the awesome wardrobe).

[Don’t stop here: Come check out my free Android Intelligence newsletter for three new things to try in your inbox every Friday — and my Android Notification Power-Pack as a special welcome bonus!]

3 Android notification advances, illustrated

The easiest way to understand these new notification niceties is to see ’em in action for yourself — so, without further ado…

1. The sticky notification

When I have a notification that’s especially important and that I want to make sure not to dismiss until it’s been properly handled, it now gets set to be sticky — which means even if I accidentally swipe it away or hit the button to dismiss all notifications, it comes right back instead of vanishing into the ether.

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JR Raphael, Foundry

2. The shareable notification

Sometimes, a notification has info in it that’d be helpful to save or share somewhere without just having to snag a screenshot. Now, whenever I’m in such a scenario — with an app where I’ve noticed I tend to see notifications that call for such a command — I can actually have an Android system share option right there within those notifications. And, with a single tap on it, I can share the entire contents of the notification into any other app or service on my phone.

The new notification sharing option lets you share any notification anywhere with a single tap.

JR Raphael, Foundry

3. The smart snoozing notification

Android’s notification-snoozing system is great, in theory, but it’s also much more limited than it should be — with options only to snooze a notification for 15 minutes, 30 minutes, one hour, or two hours. So what if you want to snooze something so that it returns at the end of your work day, as often comes up with alerts received during daytime hours? With this addition in place, you can snooze any notification to a specific set time, like 5:30 p.m., and it comes back exactly when you want it — no matter how far away that moment may be.

A single simple command to snooze a notification to a specific set time — now, that’s helpful!

JR Raphael, Foundry

So there’s our trio of goodies. Now let’s get into how you can get ’em going for yourself.

60 seconds to smarter notifications

All right, clear out approximately one minute in your schedule:

The secret to this nifty notification enhancement all comes down to a supremely useful Android power-user tool and one of my own personal productivity essentials — and that’s a powerful little app called BuzzKill.

BuzzKill is essentially a way to create Gmail-like filters for your Android notifications. I’ve mentioned it before when talking about avoiding back-to-back notification annoyances, creating simple notification summaries, setting up condition-specific custom notification vibration patterns, and more.

Today, though, it’s some recently added abilities within BuzzKill around the three possibilities we just went over that are commanding our attention.

Here’s how to find ’em, if you’re so inspired:

• Go download BuzzKill from the Play Store, if you don’t already have it.
  • The app costs four bucks as a one-time purchase, which — believe me — is nothing compared to the ongoing value it’ll give you.
  • It doesn’t require any unusual permissions, doesn’t collect any form of data from your phone, and doesn’t have any manner of access to the internet — meaning it’d have no way of sharing your information even if it wanted to. 
• Once you’ve gone through the app’s initial setup and made your way to its main screen, tap on the circular button in the lower-right corner of the screen to create a new rule.

1️⃣ Now — for the sticky notification setup (a feature that isn’t technically new within BuzzKill but that only started working consistently well in the relatively recent past):

• Tap the text that says “any app” and change it to the app whose notifications you want to remain persistent.
• If you want to get even more specific and specify a certain type of notifications within that app that should be affected, tap the text that says “contains anything” and change it accordingly.
• Next, tap the text that says “do nothing” and scroll down until you see “Sticky.” Tap it, then tap “Pick action” to confirm.
• Now just tap “Save rule” — and that’s it! The next notification you receive that meets the conditions you just specified should remain sticky and resilient, even if it’s dismissed, and only marking it as done or completed within the app will get rid of it.

You can set up sticky notifications to be as broad or specific as you like.

JR Raphael, Foundry

2️⃣ For the shareable notification addition:

• Start with the same first two steps from above: Tap the text that says “any app” and change it to the app whose notifications you want to be affected.
• If you want to get even more specific and specify a certain type of notifications within that app, tap the text that says “contains anything” and change it accordingly.
• Next, tap the text that says “do nothing” and this time, scroll down until you see “Add share button” and select that followed by the “Pick action” bar.
• Tap “Save rule” to finish, then watch for the next relevant notification to find and try your snazzy new sharing button.

The behind-the-scenes view of BuzzKill’s share button setup.

JR Raphael, Foundry

3️⃣ And, finally, for the smart snoozing enhancement:

• One more time, the same first two steps from above: Tap the text that says “any app” and change it to the app whose notifications you want to be affected.
• If you want to get even more specific and specify a certain type of notifications within that app, tap the text that says “contains anything” and change it accordingly.
• Next, tap the text that says “do nothing” and for this one, scroll down until you see “Add snooze button.” Select that, then tap “Pick action” to wrap it up.
  • Just note that as of now, at least, you can’t add both a sharing button and a snooze command to the same sort of notification — so you’ll need to pick one or the other for any given notification type.
• Tap “Save rule” and stay tuned for the next notification you get to test out your newly improved snoozing.

The smart new snooze button option is impressively useful once you figure out how to use it.

JR Raphael, Foundry

Not bad, right?! Now you know — and now you, too, can tell all the weirdos around you about your newly sticky, shareable, and extra-smart-snoozing Android notifications and enjoy their quizzical stares.

Damn, it’s good to be a geek sometimes.

Geek out with your beak out with my free Android Intelligence newsletter — three things every Friday and my Android Notification Power-Pack this instant.

Microsoft 365 (and Office 365) subscribers get more frequent software updates than those who have purchased Office without a subscription, which means subscribers have access to the latest features, security patches, and bug fixes. But it can be hard to keep track of the changes in each update and know when they’re available. We’re doing this for you, so you don’t have to.

Following are summaries of the updates to Microsoft 365/Office 365 for Windows over the past year, with the latest releases shown first. We’ll add info about new updates as they’re rolled out.

Note: This story covers updates released to the Current Channel for Microsoft 365/Office 365 subscriptions. If you’re a member of Microsoft’s Office Insider preview program or want to get a sneak peek at upcoming features, see the Microsoft 365 Insider blog.

Version 2601 (Build 19628.20204)

Release date: February 10, 2026

This build fixes a bug that sometimes prevented users from opening emails with the Encrypt Only label in Outlook.

It also plugs a number of security holes. For details, see Release notes for Microsoft Office security updates.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

Get more info about Version 2601 (Build 19628.20204).

Version 2601 (Build 19628.20166)

Release date: February 3, 2026

This build includes, in Microsoft’s words, “various fixes to functionality and performance.”

Get more info about Version 2601 (Build 19628.20166).

Version 2601 (Build 19628.20150)

Release date: January 27, 2025

In this build, OneNote applies your chosen proofing language more consistently, so you don’t have to reset it for every paragraph when writing in multiple languages. In addition, the build fixes several bugs, including one that caused Office applications to become unresponsive when profile card-related activities were performed.

Get more info about Version 2601 (Build 19628.20150).

Version 2512 (Build 19530.20184)

Release date: January 21, 2025

This build includes, in Microsoft’s words, “Various fixes to functionality and performance.”

Get more info about Version 2512 (Build 19530.20184).

Version 2512 (Build 19530.20144)

Release date: January 13, 2026

This build fixes a number of bugs, including one that caused Excel, PowerPoint, and Word to become unresponsive when profile card-related activities were performed.

It also plugs a number of security holes. For details, see Release notes for Microsoft Office security updates.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

Get more info about Version 2512 (Build 19530.20144).

Version 2512 (Build 19530.20138)

Release date: January 8, 2025

This build offers, in Microsoft’s words, “Various fixes to functionality and performance.”

Get more info about Version 2512 (Build 19530.20138).

Version 2511 (Build 19426.20218)

Release date: December 16, 2025

This build offers, in Microsoft’s words, “Various fixes to functionality and performance.”

Get more info about Version 2511 (Build 19426.20218).

Version 2511 (Build 19426.20186)

Release date: December 9, 2025

This Patch Tuesday build offers, in Microsoft’s words, “Various fixes to functionality and performance.” The build also has a variety of security updates (see details).

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

Get more info about Version 2511 (Build 19426.20186).

Version 2511 (Build 19426.20170)

Release date: December 3, 2025

This build includes, in Microsoft’s words, “Various fixes to functionality and performance.”

Get more info about Version 2511 (Build 19426.20170).

Version 2510 (Build 19328.20244)

Release date: November 20, 2025

This build fixes a bug in Outlook that caused users to see “Contacting the server for information” repeatedly when loading some emails.

Get more info about Version 2510 (Build 19328.20244).

Version 2510 (Build 19328.20232)

Release date: November 18, 2025

This build includes, in the words of Microsoft, “various fixes to functionality and performance.”

Get more info about Version 2510 (Build 19328.20232).

Version 2510 (Build 19328.20190)

Release date: November 11, 2025

This Patch Tuesday build fixes a bug in Outlook that caused some recipients to be unable to access OneDrive links shared with them via email. The build also has a variety of security updates (see details).

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

Get more info about Version 2510 (Build 19328.20190).

Version 2510 (Build 19328.20178)

Release date: November 4, 2025

This build fixes a single bug, in which @mention searches produced no results in Office apps.

Get more info about Version 2510 (Build 19328.20178).

Version 2510 (Build 19328.20158)

Release date: October 30, 2025

This build introduces a new Get Data dialog in Windows that simplifies finding and using external data, and adds Analyze Data to the Data tab.

The build also fixed an bug in Outlook that prevented users from downloading web add-ins in some virtualized environments.

Get more info about Version 2510 (Build 19328.20158).

Version 2509 (Build 19231.20216)

Release date: October 21, 2025

This build has, in Microsoft’s words, “various fixes to functionality and performance.”

Get more info about Version 2509 (Build 19231.20216).

Version 2509 (Build 19231.20194)

Release date: October 14, 2025

This build has a variety of security updates (see details), along with various fixes to functionality and performance.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

Get more info about Version 2509 (Build 19231.20194).

Version 2509 (Build 19231.20172)

Release date: October 7, 2025

This build has, in Microsoft’s words, “various fixes to functionality and performance.”

Get more info about Version 2509 (Build 19231.20172).

Version 2509 (Build 19231.20156)

Release date: October 1, 2025

This build fixes two bugs, one in Excel in which ribbon controls were not rendered when rejoining Office sessions in a virtual machine, Azure Virtual Desktop, or remote desktop environment, and another that caused Outlook to terminate unexpectedly when starting.

Get more info about Version 2509 (Build 19231.20156).

Version 2508 (Build 19127.20264)

Release date: September 23, 2025

This build has, in Microsoft’s words, “various fixes to functionality and performance.”

Get more info about Version 2508 (Build 19127.20264).

Version 2508 (Build 19127.20240)

Release date: September 16, 2025

This build has, in Microsoft’s words, “various fixes to functionality and performance.”

Get more info about Version 2508 (Build 19127.20240).

Version 2508 (Build 19127.20222)

Release date: September 9, 2025

This build has multiple security updates (see details), along with various fixes to functionality and performance.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

Get more info about Version 2508 (Build 19127.20222).

Version 2508 (Build 19127.20192)

Release date: September 3, 2025

This build fixes a bug in which some Outlook add-ins were getting “Office.auth.getAccessToken is not a function” errors.

Get more info about Version 2508 (Build 19127.20192).

Version 2508 (Build 19127.20154)

Release date: August 26, 2025

This build fixes a bug that caused Outlook to terminate unexpectedly when sending a meeting invite with an encryption label. It also adds support for pixelated rendering of embedded images in SVG assets for the entire Office suite.

Get more info about Version 2508 (Build 19127.20154).

Version 2507 (Build 19029.20208)

Release date: August 19, 2025

This build fixes a variety of bugs.

Get more info about Version 2507 (Build 19029.20208).

Version 2507 (Build 19029.20184)

Release date: August 12, 2025

This build fixes a bug which required users to restart Outlook to open a .msg file after initially accessing it once. The build also includes a variety of security updates (see details).

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

Get more info about Version 2507 (Build 19029.20184).

Version 2507 (Build 19029.20156)

Release date: August 5, 2025

This build fixes a single bug, in which users had to restart Outlook to open a .msg file after initially accessing it once.

Get more info about Version 2507 (Build 19029.20156).

Version 2507 (Build 19029.20136)

Release date: July 30, 2025

This build fixes a wide variety of bugs, including in which Outlook closed unexpectedly shortly after launch, and another in Word in which the word count sometimes displayed incorrectly.

Get more info about Version 2507 (Build 19029.20136).

Version 2506 (Build 18925.20184)

Release date: July 22, 2025

This build fixes two bugs, one that caused the Copilot Command Center to continue to be visible after disabling the Copilot user interface, and another in which when creating handouts in PowerPoint, certain characters (full-width numbers) couldn’t be properly transferred to the handout.

Get more info about Version 2506 (Build 18925.20184).

Version 2506 (Build 18925.20168)

Release date: July 15, 2025

This build fixes two bugs, one that caused Visio 32-bit to close unexpectedly when using the Drawing control, particularly in setups involving COM components or .NET integrations, and another in Word in which copying and pasting content between documents sometimes changed the applied style unexpectedly.

Get more info about Version 2506 (Build 18925.20168).

Version 2506 (Build 18925.20158)

Release date: July 8, 2025

This Patch Tuesday build fixes several bugs in Outlook, PowerPoint, Word, and the whole Office suite, including one that caused the Copilot icon to unexpectedly display in Outlook when Copilot had been disabled by the admin in government cloud.

The release also includes a variety of security updates (see details).

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

Get more info about Version 2506 (Build 18925.20158).

Version 2506 (Build 18827.20176)

Release date: July 1, 2025

This build fixes a wide variety of bugs, including one in Word in which print preview sometimes stopped working when printing long emails.

Get more info about Version 2506 (Build 18827.20176).

Version 2505 (Build 18827.20176)

Release date: June 26, 2025

This build introduces several new features, including one in Excel in which the PivotTables dialog box interface has been replaced by a redesigned panel, making it easier to view all of your options and simpler to change your data selection before inserting a recommended PivotTable.

Get more info about Version 2505 (Build 18827.20176).

Version 2505 (Build 18827.20164)

Release date: June 17, 2025

This build fixes a bug that caused the “Try the new Outlook” toggle to be enabled when working in Classic Outlook side by side with the new Outlook.

Get more info about Version 2505 (Build 18827.20164).

Version 2505 (Build 18827.20150)

Release date: June 10, 2025

This build fixes several bugs, including one for the entire Office suite in which a Save As attempt on an existing file didn’t complete successfully, and subsequent attempts continued to encounter issues when trying to save to a file that no longer existed.

This Patch Tuesday release also includes a variety of security updates: see details.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

Get more info about  Version 2505 (Build 18827.20150).

Version 2505 (Build 18827.20140)

Release date: June 3, 2025

This build offers a variety of bug and performance fixes.

Read about Version 2505 (Build 18827.20140).

Version 2504 (Build 18730.20186)

Release date: May 20, 2025

This build introduces a new PowerPoint feature: Notification emails for mentions, tasks, comments, and replies will now contain context previews even when the source document is encrypted, and the email will inherit the document’s security policies.

Get more info about Version 2504 (Build 18730.20186).

Version 2504 (Build 18730.20168)

Release date: May 13, 2025

This build fixes a bug in which users were seeing high CPU usage when typing in Outlook. It also includes a variety of security updates: see details.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

Get more info about Version 2504 (Build 18730.20168).

Version 2504 (Build 18730.20142)

Release date: May 6, 2025

This build includes various bug and performance fixes.

Get more info about Version 2504 (Build 18730.20142).

Version 2504 (Build 18730.20122)

Release date: April 29, 2025

This build fixes a wide variety of bugs, including one in which PowerPoint was unable to open a file from a network mapped drive from File Explore, another in which Word closed unexpectedly when opening .doc files, and another for the entire Office suite in which large 3D files couldn’t be inserted.

Get more info about Version 2504 (Build 18730.20122).

Version 2503 (Build 18623.20208)

Release date: April 17, 2025

This build fixes a bug that could cause Excel to stop responding.

Get more info about Version 2503 (Build 18623.20208).

Version 2503 (Build 18623.20178)

Release date: April 8, 2025

This build fixes a single bug in Word in which users may have encountered an issue with saving, seeing the message “saving…” in the title bar. It  also includes a variety of security updates. Go here for details.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

Get more info about Version 2503 (Build 18623.20178).

Version 2503 (Build 18623.20156)

Release date: April 2, 2025

This build lets you use Dark Mode in Excel, which darkens your entire sheet, including cells, and may reduce eye strain. It also fixes several bugs, including one in Word in which opening specific files that contain many tracked changes and comments resulted in poor performance, and one in PowerPoint in which the app was not displaying the icon for an inserted PDF object.

Get more info about Version 2503 (Build 18623.20156).

Version 2502 (Build 18526.20168)

Release date: March 11, 2025

This build fixes several bugs, including one in which some Word files with numerous tracked changes and comments were slow. It also includes a variety of security updates: see details.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

Get more info about Version 2502 (Build 18526.20168).

Version 2502 (Build 18526.20144)

Release date: March 5, 2025

This build fixes a wide variety of bugs, including one in Word in which the default font size may not be 12pt as expected, and another in which PowerPoint automatically closed when the system went into hibernate or sleep mode.

Get more info about Version 2502 (Build 18526.20144).

Version 2501 (Build 18429.20158)

Release date: February 11, 2025

This build removes the option to display Track Changes balloons in left margin in Word. It also includes a variety of security updates. See “Release notes for Microsoft Office security updates” for details.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

Get more info about Version 2501 (Build 18429.20158).

Windows serves as the backbone of enterprises around the world, powering more than a billion devices and supporting millions of apps. However Microsoft acknowledges that apps are increasingly going rogue, overriding settings, installing additional components, or altering critical Windows capabilities without user awareness or approval.

In response, the tech giant plans to roll out what it calls a “consent‑first” model. This new default baseline will grant access only to explicitly approved apps, although users will retain full control to permit, deny, or reverse permission decisions. They will also be given full visibility into app and agent behavior.

“This is a direct response to real-world abuse of misconfigured endpoints, credential theft via user-level execution, and post-exploitation living-off-the-land techniques,” said Ensar Seker, CISO at SOCRadar.

More control, without losing transparency

With Windows Baseline Security Mode, runtime safeguards will be enabled by default and will only allow “properly signed” apps, services, and drivers to run. However, users and admins will be able to override these safeguards for specific apps when needed, and they will have visibility into what protections are active and whether any exceptions have been granted. The goal, Microsoft notes, is to help protect the system from “tampering or unauthorized changes.”

In addition, through new transparency and consent measures, users will receive prompts when apps attempt to access their sensitive data and resources, such as files, cameras, or microphones, or when they attempt to install other “unintended software.” Users can grant or deny app requests to access their protected data and hardware, and can also choose to revoke previously-granted permissions.

Microsoft calls this a “more consistent and intuitive approach” to how Windows communicates security decisions. The company says these new measures are a direct response to customers calling for “stronger, more consistent security foundations” in the company’s operating system (OS).

“Windows must both remain an open platform and be secure by default — protecting the integrity of your experience regardless of the apps installed,” Logan Iyer, Windows Platform developer, wrote in a blog post.

Microsoft emphasized that it has a “long-standing tradition as an open platform,” and will “continue to preserve what has made it successful: Freedom to install any app and openness to every developer.”

Microsoft is in early stages with partners, devs

Microsoft says it will roll out these new measures in a “phased approach guided by clear principles,” although the company doesn’t provide more specific details on what that will look like for enterprises, or when they might expect the changes to take effect. The tech giant declined to provide further details to Computerworld.

Microsoft did say that it will provide tools and APIs to streamline adoption, and give users and IT admins visibility into how apps and agents behave in their systems. Existing “well-behaved” apps will work as usual, giving devs “the time and runway” to adhere to stronger security and privacy measures. The company is working with developers and partners, including CrowdStrike, OpenAI, Adobe, 1Password, and Raycast, on these initiatives.

“Microsoft is moving security posture left and down the stack by making baseline protections the default rather than an opt-in,” noted SOCRadar’s Seker. What stands out, he noted, is the “[explicit pairing of a] hardened default configuration with user-visible transparency and consent,” rather than silent control enforcement.

“This signals a shift from ‘security by policy’ to ‘security by design and expectation,’ especially at the OS level where many organizations historically under-invest,” said Seker.

Baseline security is no longer invisible

David Shipley of Beauceron Security called Microsoft’s new security and visibility measures a great idea.

“This is going to help curtail a whole world of hurt that threat actors are able to access way too easily, which is a huge win,” he said. Default secure behavior is critical, particularly given the agentic AI gold rush, which would be 10 times worse if the standard was non-secure by default.

“I think it’s that agentic AI push that’s finally caused someone to go, ‘Hey we need to put this fire out before we start another one,’” said Shipley.

By locking down common attack paths early, Microsoft is aiming to reduce the blast radius of phishing, initial access malware, and unmanaged privilege escalation, noted SocRadar’s Seker. This is particularly important in hybrid work and BYOD-adjacent environments, where endpoint consistency is weak.

“The biggest advantage is eliminating the ‘secure but never deployed’ problem,” said Seker. On by default baselines can dramatically reduce time-to-protection and decision fatigue for IT teams, he noted.

However, he pointed out, enterprises must be wary of challenges with friction: legacy apps, power users, and niche workflows may break or require exceptions. And, if those exceptions aren’t tightly governed, the same security gaps may be recreated and become even more complex.

Leaders should treat this shift as a “forcing function” to clean up endpoint sprawl, undocumented dependencies, and informal admin privileges, Seker advised. Preparation means testing baselines in realistic pilot groups, mapping exception workflows in advance, and aligning helpdesk teams so security controls don’t roll back due to user pressure.

“Strategically, this is less about a Windows feature and more about accepting that baseline security is no longer optional or invisible,” said Seker.

There is a clear gap between the theoretical medical knowledge of large language models (LLMs) and their practical usefulness for patients, according not a new study from the Oxford Internet Institute and the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences at the University of Oxford. The research, conducted in collaboration with MLCommons and other institutions, involved 1,298 people in the UK.

In the study, one group was asked to use LLMs such as GPT-4o, Llama 3, and Command R to assess health symptoms and suggest courses of action, while a control group relied on their usual methods, such as search engines or their own knowledge.

The results showed that the group using generative AI (genAI) tools performed no better than the control group in assessing the urgency of a condition. They were also worse at identifying the correct medical condition, according to The Register.

The researchers point to two main problems. First, users had difficulty providing chatbots with relevant and complete information. Second, the models sometimes gave contradictory or flat-out wrong advice.

The study also shows that traditional AI tests, such as medical test questions, do not reflect how people actually use the systems in real life. Passing a theoretical test is not the same as functioning safely in an interactive healthcare situation. As a result, the researchers believe today’s AI chatbots are not yet ready to be used as reliable medical advisors for the general public.

When Microsoft patched a vulnerability last summer that allowed threat actors to use Windows’ shortcut (.lnk) files in exploits, defenders might have hoped use of this tactic would decline.

They were wrong.

According to researchers at Forcepoint, a new high-volume phishing campaign spreading the Global Group ransomware has been detected that hopes to sucker employees into clicking on an attachment in an email with the subject line ‘Your document.’

The trigger is a weaponized .lnk file.

“By combining social engineering, stealthy execution, and Living-off-the-Land (LotL) techniques, the file silently retrieves and launches a second stage payload without raising suspicion,” says report author Lydia McElligott, noting that the ‘Your document’ subject line has been heavily used in large scale phishing campaigns throughout 2024 and 2025.

The warning about this campaign follows an IBM detection last month of a similar campaign distributing the Aware ransomware strain, a variant of the Global Group strain used in this attack.

In both cases, the threat actors behind the campaigns were leveraging the Phorpiex botnet, sometimes called Trik by researchers.

Worries about a .lnk vulnerability go back to March 2025, when Trend Micro reported thousands of malicious .lnk files containing hidden command line arguments being used in campaigns dating back to 2017. Mitja Kolsek of 0Patch reported that this particular hole (CVE-2025-9491) was quietly plugged last summer.

However, McElligott doesn’t believe this vulnerability is being used in the latest Global Group campaign, because the target isn’t hidden in the .lnk shortcut file properties.

Who is Global Group?

Global Group is a ransomware as a service (RaaS) operation that emerged in June 2025. Many researchers believe it’s a rebranding of the BlackLock and Mamona operations. Within its first month, it claimed approximately 17 victims across multiple industries and geographic regions. According to researchers at EclecticIQ, as of July 2025, Global Group operated a dedicated leak site on the Tor network. The real IP address of the site went to a Russia-based virtual private server (VPS) provider previously used by Mamona RaaS gang.

McElligott said in an email that, while notable as a newcomer with rapid growth, it wasn’t especially prolific compared to top-tier ransomware operations during the same period.

Why LNK files?

An .lnk file is a Windows Shortcut that serves as a pointer to open a file, folder, or application. It is based on the Shell Link binary file format, which holds information used to access data objects.

Windows shortcut files are still one of the simplest ways to turn a single click into code execution, Forcepoint’s McElligott wrote in her blog. In inboxes, a .lnk can be disguised as a normal document by using double extensions (for example, Document.doc.lnk) and relying on Windows default settings that hide known file extensions. To most users, she wrote, the filename reads like a Word document, not a shortcut that can launch commands.

According to McAfee, when Microsoft disabled Office macros from running by default, threat actors increasingly turned to finding ways to exploit .lnk files, and in a June 2025 report, researchers at Palo Alto Networks also noted that the flexibility of .lnk files “makes them a powerful tool for attackers, as they can both execute malicious content and masquerade as legitimate files to deceive victims into unintentionally launching malware.”

Attackers also lean on familiar visual cues. By borrowing icons from legitimate Windows resources like shell32.dll, the attachment can look like a trusted file type at a glance. That mix of “a document-looking name” plus a recognizable icon reduces user hesitation about clicking, especially useful in high volume phishing where the goal is speed and scale.

Once clicked, McElligott wrote, a shortcut can execute cmd.exe or PowerShell directly, pass arguments quietly, and chain actions without dropping an obvious installer. That low-friction path is why .lnk lures keep showing up in commodity campaigns: they are easy to generate, easy to theme, and they reliably bridge the gap between a phishing email and a payload download.

The phishing messages Forcepoint has seen should easily be deemed suspicious. The message simply reads, “Hello, you can find your document in the attachment. Please reply as soon as possible. Kind regards, GSD Support.” Unlike more sophisticated phishing messages, there isn’t a fake lure (“This is in response to your message”) or pressure for a response (“Urgent,” or “Please look at this and reply by end of day,”).

The attachment in the sample email showed it was named ‘Document.zip’, when in fact it was really named ‘Document.doc.lnk.’ The idea is to hide the .lnk extension. Clicking on the file launches cmd.exe with embedded arguments that invokes PowerShell to download ransomware, write it to disk as a binary masquerading as a legitimate Windows executable, for example windrv.exe, and execute it.

Uncommon tactic

Interestingly, the Global Group ransomware operates in a fully mute mode – that is, instead of communicating through a command and control server, it performs all activity locally on the compromised system. “This tactic is very uncommon,” McElligott said in an email. “Typically, modern ransomware relies on network communication to enable encryption, data exfiltration, double extortion tactics, leak sites, and negotiation infrastructure. Stolen data is used to increase pressure on victims to pay the ransom demands.”

The ransomware doesn’t retrieve an external encryption key; instead, it generates the key on the host machine itself. As a result, despite the claims made in its ransom note, data isn’t exfiltrated.

Exfiltrating data can slow attacks and leave more forensic artifacts, McElligott explained. By focusing on encryption only, ransomware attacks can be deployed faster, hit more victims, and be less likely to be detected. In many cases, she added, data exfiltration isn’t necessary to force payment, as encryption alone can cause significant downtime.

Because Global Group ransomware can operate entirely offline, she said, it is less likely to trigger detection based on network traffic. In fact, the ransomware can execute in air-gapped environments.

“This offline‑only design also increases its likelihood of evading detection in networks where monitoring efforts rely primarily on observing suspicious or anomalous traffic,” said McElligott.

To frustrate detection, the ransomware uses a ping command as a simple timer, giving the malware time to finish executing and terminate cleanly from memory before removing itself from disk to impede forensic analysis. 

The malware also includes anti-virtualization and anti-analysis functionality, enumerating running processes on the host system, and checking for processes associated with virtualized environments used in malware analysis and sandboxing, and for common analysis tools. Additionally, it identifies database-related processes and terminates them to release file locks, thereby increasing the volume of data available for encryption.

Mitigation techniques

Security pros should adopt a layered approach to address the threat of all ransomware attacks, combining prevention, detection, rapid recovery, and user awareness to reduce the likelihood of being victimized, McElligott said.

To blunt an attack by Global Group she recommends that IT:

• impose strong email security to detect the phishing email.
• restrict access to built-in tools like PowerShell, WMI, LolBins, as well as restricting script execution, macros, and unsigned binaries;
• rely on behavioural endpoint detection and remediation (EDR) to detect suspicious process chains;
• segment IT networks to limit lateral movement; 
• enforce least‑privilege access while rotating credentials, and monitoring for anomalous authentication;
• maintain isolated, immutable backups for rapid recovery if files are encrypted.

Security awareness training is key

In addition, security awareness training instructing employees not to click on what should be seen as suspicious attachments is a first line of defense. Too many organizations do security awareness training and phishing tests just to check a compliance box rather than as a key part of a security culture-based approach, warned David Shipley, head of Canadian-based awareness training provider Beauceron Security.

Compliance programs just want to show that an activity has been performed, he told Computerworld. A firm with  a security culture should show that not only has phishing risk been reduced (click rate lowered) and report rate of suspicious activity increased, but also that resiliency has also improved. This is done by measuring how many people clicked a link, and, of that group, how many reported it. It’s known as the post-click report rate (PCRR).

“It’s a fantastic measure of both willingness to admit a mistake and psychological safety,” Shipley said. 

He added that security pros should note that Microsoft’s latest Digital Defense report says AI-powered phishing is 4.5 times more effective than previous phishing efforts, with a 54% click through rate, compared to the previous average click through rate of 12%. 

Research shows the right education, delivered quarterly alongside difficult phishing simulations that reward positive behaviors like reporting suspicious emails, is needed if an organization wants to reduce click rates, Shipley said. 

When Microsoft patched a vulnerability last summer that allowed threat actors to use Windows’ shortcut (.lnk) files in exploits, defenders might have hoped use of this tactic would decline.

They were wrong.

According to researchers at Forcepoint, a new high-volume phishing campaign spreading the Global Group ransomware has been detected that hopes to sucker employees into clicking on an attachment in an email with the subject line ‘Your document.’

The trigger is a weaponized .lnk file.

“By combining social engineering, stealthy execution, and Living-off-the-Land (LotL) techniques, the file silently retrieves and launches a second stage payload without raising suspicion,” says report author Lydia McElligott, noting that the ‘Your document’ subject line has been heavily used in large scale phishing campaigns throughout 2024 and 2025.

The warning about this campaign follows an IBM detection last month of a similar campaign distributing the Aware ransomware strain, a variant of the Global Group strain used in this attack.

In both cases, the threat actors behind the campaigns were leveraging the Phorpiex botnet, sometimes called Trik by researchers.

Worries about a .lnk vulnerability go back to March 2025, when Trend Micro reported thousands of malicious .lnk files containing hidden command line arguments being used in campaigns dating back to 2017. Mitja Kolsek of 0Patch reported that this particular hole (CVE-2025-9491) was quietly plugged last summer.

However, McElligott doesn’t believe this vulnerability is being used in the latest Global Group campaign, because the target isn’t hidden in the .lnk shortcut file properties.

Who is Global Group?

Global Group is a ransomware as a service (RaaS) operation that emerged in June 2025. Many researchers believe it’s a rebranding of the BlackLock and Mamona operations. Within its first month, it claimed approximately 17 victims across multiple industries and geographic regions. According to researchers at EclecticIQ, as of July 2025, Global Group operated a dedicated leak site on the Tor network. The real IP address of the site went to a Russia-based virtual private server (VPS) provider previously used by Mamona RaaS gang.

McElligott said in an email that, while notable as a newcomer with rapid growth, it wasn’t especially prolific compared to top-tier ransomware operations during the same period.

Why LNK files?

An .lnk file is a Windows Shortcut that serves as a pointer to open a file, folder, or application. It is based on the Shell Link binary file format, which holds information used to access data objects.

Windows shortcut files are still one of the simplest ways to turn a single click into code execution, Forcepoint’s McElligott wrote in her blog. In inboxes, a .lnk can be disguised as a normal document by using double extensions (for example, Document.doc.lnk) and relying on Windows default settings that hide known file extensions. To most users, she wrote, the filename reads like a Word document, not a shortcut that can launch commands.

According to McAfee, when Microsoft disabled Office macros from running by default, threat actors increasingly turned to finding ways to exploit .lnk files, and in a June 2025 report, researchers at Palo Alto Networks also noted that the flexibility of .lnk files “makes them a powerful tool for attackers, as they can both execute malicious content and masquerade as legitimate files to deceive victims into unintentionally launching malware.”

Attackers also lean on familiar visual cues. By borrowing icons from legitimate Windows resources like shell32.dll, the attachment can look like a trusted file type at a glance. That mix of “a document-looking name” plus a recognizable icon reduces user hesitation about clicking, especially useful in high volume phishing where the goal is speed and scale.

Once clicked, McElligott wrote, a shortcut can execute cmd.exe or PowerShell directly, pass arguments quietly, and chain actions without dropping an obvious installer. That low-friction path is why .lnk lures keep showing up in commodity campaigns: they are easy to generate, easy to theme, and they reliably bridge the gap between a phishing email and a payload download.

The phishing messages Forcepoint has seen should easily be deemed suspicious. The message simply reads, “Hello, you can find your document in the attachment. Please reply as soon as possible. Kind regards, GSD Support.” Unlike more sophisticated phishing messages, there isn’t a fake lure (“This is in response to your message”) or pressure for a response (“Urgent,” or “Please look at this and reply by end of day,”).

The attachment in the sample email showed it was named ‘Document.zip’, when in fact it was really named ‘Document.doc.lnk.’ The idea is to hide the .lnk extension. Clicking on the file launches cmd.exe with embedded arguments that invokes PowerShell to download ransomware, write it to disk as a binary masquerading as a legitimate Windows executable, for example windrv.exe, and execute it.

Uncommon tactic

Interestingly, the Global Group ransomware operates in a fully mute mode – that is, instead of communicating through a command and control server, it performs all activity locally on the compromised system. “This tactic is very uncommon,” McElligott said in an email. “Typically, modern ransomware relies on network communication to enable encryption, data exfiltration, double extortion tactics, leak sites, and negotiation infrastructure. Stolen data is used to increase pressure on victims to pay the ransom demands.”

The ransomware doesn’t retrieve an external encryption key; instead, it generates the key on the host machine itself. As a result, despite the claims made in its ransom note, data isn’t exfiltrated.

Exfiltrating data can slow attacks and leave more forensic artifacts, McElligott explained. By focusing on encryption only, ransomware attacks can be deployed faster, hit more victims, and be less likely to be detected. In many cases, she added, data exfiltration isn’t necessary to force payment, as encryption alone can cause significant downtime.

Because Global Group ransomware can operate entirely offline, she said, it is less likely to trigger detection based on network traffic. In fact, the ransomware can execute in air-gapped environments.

“This offline‑only design also increases its likelihood of evading detection in networks where monitoring efforts rely primarily on observing suspicious or anomalous traffic,” said McElligott.

To frustrate detection, the ransomware uses a ping command as a simple timer, giving the malware time to finish executing and terminate cleanly from memory before removing itself from disk to impede forensic analysis. 

The malware also includes anti-virtualization and anti-analysis functionality, enumerating running processes on the host system, and checking for processes associated with virtualized environments used in malware analysis and sandboxing, and for common analysis tools. Additionally, it identifies database-related processes and terminates them to release file locks, thereby increasing the volume of data available for encryption.

Mitigation techniques

Security pros should adopt a layered approach to address the threat of all ransomware attacks, combining prevention, detection, rapid recovery, and user awareness to reduce the likelihood of being victimized, McElligott said.

To blunt an attack by Global Group she recommends that IT:

• impose strong email security to detect the phishing email.
• restrict access to built-in tools like PowerShell, WMI, LolBins, as well as restricting script execution, macros, and unsigned binaries;
• rely on behavioural endpoint detection and remediation (EDR) to detect suspicious process chains;
• segment IT networks to limit lateral movement; 
• enforce least‑privilege access while rotating credentials, and monitoring for anomalous authentication;
• maintain isolated, immutable backups for rapid recovery if files are encrypted.

Security awareness training is key

In addition, security awareness training instructing employees not to click on what should be seen as suspicious attachments is a first line of defense. Too many organizations do security awareness training and phishing tests just to check a compliance box rather than as a key part of a security culture-based approach, warned David Shipley, head of Canadian-based awareness training provider Beauceron Security.

Compliance programs just want to show that an activity has been performed, he told Computerworld. A firm with  a security culture should show that not only has phishing risk been reduced (click rate lowered) and report rate of suspicious activity increased, but also that resiliency has also improved. This is done by measuring how many people clicked a link, and, of that group, how many reported it. It’s known as the post-click report rate (PCRR).

“It’s a fantastic measure of both willingness to admit a mistake and psychological safety,” Shipley said. 

He added that security pros should note that Microsoft’s latest Digital Defense report says AI-powered phishing is 4.5 times more effective than previous phishing efforts, with a 54% click through rate, compared to the previous average click through rate of 12%. 

Research shows the right education, delivered quarterly alongside difficult phishing simulations that reward positive behaviors like reporting suspicious emails, is needed if an organization wants to reduce click rates, Shipley said. 

Under pressure from UK regulators, Apple and Google have reached an agreement to change how they operate their app stores in the UK, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) announced on Tuesday.

The agreement means both companies will not discriminate against apps that compete with their own apps and services. They pledged to be more transparent with the app approval process and not to discriminate against third-party apps in App Store search engines.

Both tech firms also committed not to use data derived from third-party apps to benefit their own apps and services. Apple also committed to providing developers with an easier system with which to request access to platform features such as NFC for payments or Live Translation support in their apps. These commitments aim to provide app developers with confidence that they will be treated fairly in the future.

What Apple said

In a statement provided to Computerworld, Apple said: “Apple faces fierce competition in every market where we operate, and we work tirelessly to create the best products, services and user experience. The commitments announced today allow Apple to continue advancing important privacy and security innovations for users and great opportunities for developers. We appreciate the positive and ongoing dialogue with UK officials.”

Sarah Cardell, the chief executive of the CMA, explained: “These are important first steps while we continue to work on a broad range of additional measures to improve Apple and Google’s app store services in the UK, for example by enabling more choice and innovation in digital wallets, boosting the UK’s fintech sector and potentially supporting the roll out of digital IDs.”

Google said that while it believes its existing developer practices were already fair and transparent, “We welcome the opportunity to resolve the CMA’s concerns collaboratively.”

These promises follow a decision by the UK regulator to designate both US companies as holding Strategic Market Status (SMS) in the mobile market. That status means the CMA can force both to make changes to their business operations in favor of more open competition. But the regulator also committed to reaching negotiated compromises around enforcement, which is what has taken place here. 

A pragmatic, rather than dogmatic, regulatory approach

What is interesting is the enormous difference in how regulators in the UK approached the problem. Unlike regulators in the EU, the UK regulator engaged in extensive discussion to identify and pragmatically achieve a better balance that meets the needs of markets, developers, customers, and Apple. 

The CMA is still considering its approach to the fees Apple charges developers for access to its platforms, ecosystem, customer base, operating systems, developer tools, and App Stores. 

This contrasts dramatically with a far more dogmatic approach taken by European regulators, who in a triumph of ideological hubris and technological idiocy have taken unto themselves the power to dictate platform design choices no one wanted, generating huge privacy and security risks to Apple and its customers.

From here, the UK approach seems much closer to that taken by regulators in Japan under the Mobile Software Competition Act, and those in Brazil in line with demands from the Administrative Council for Economic Defense. In all three cases, a more constructive dialogue between Apple and regulators seems to have reached a better balance around competitive need, while also showing it is possible to adopt a pragmatic, measured approach. 

In all three cases, it has been proved that the opportunity to take a regulatory approach that balances the privacy, security, and safety of all the stakeholders against the need to maintain competitive markets exists. It’s only in Europe where the regulatory outcomes seem almost completely aligned against the interests of all parties — except Apple’s competitors.

Why it matters

Also unlike Europe, the CMA seems far happier to recognize the vast importance of the app market to the overall UK economy, conceding it generates an estimated 1.5% of UK GDP. Since the App Store launched in 2008, UK developers have earned nearly £9 billion from selling digital goods and services, while Apple also supports more than 550,000 UK jobs. 

While these agreements are at present voluntary, the CMS does have the power to enforce change if Apple or Google fail to keep to their commitments. At the same time, it could easily be argued that Apple does much of this already; it has always claimed to operate a fair and objective app review process and says its App Store search tools don’t self-preference its own apps. The company will also continue to respect data privacy, including safeguarding data developers may provide for app review. The one big change might be in opening up more of its platforms to developers for use in their own products and services.

To remain compliant, Apple will also introduce new mechanisms to monitor the delivery of these commitments.

This is not the end of the story, as the CMA is also engaged in other work around the regulation of Apple. The regulator expects to announce agreements on steering and digital wallets for Apple in the first half of 2026, and to “progress work in relation to Apple on browsers, and interoperable access to functionality for connected devices, as well as continuing to closely monitor developments in relation to mobile platforms, particularly the emergence and adoption of AI,” wrote Will Hayter, executive director for digital markets at the CMA.

Next steps

The CMA is now seeking feedback on the agreements with the big tech firms, with views offered up by March 3. It is likely that at least some competitors will turn to the feedback process to try to force further change from Apple and Google, but the CMA otherwise anticipates these new commitments will take effect on Apple’s 50th anniversary, April 1, 2026.

While I doubt this will form much of Apple CEO Tim Cook’s birthday reflection message that day, it’s funny to consider the extent to which the existence and implementation of regulations against the company reflects just how far Apple has come since the Apple-1 was but a glimmer in the eye of Steves Wozniak and Job.

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Among a range of factors leading to a wave of tech sector layoffs in 2026 is the rapid rise of artificial Intelligence (AI) and automation. Companies are reconfiguring their workforces to leverage AI for increased efficiency and reduced operating costs. This realignment and reduction is often implemented even by companies reporting strong financial performance.

But it’s not just AI leading to workforce cuts. Complementing this technological shift are ongoing economic uncertainty, inflation, and higher interest rates. This combo is driving companies to cut costs and streamline operations for increased efficiency.

According to data compiled by Layoffs.fyi, an online tracker that keep tabs on job losses in the technology sector, 123,941 tech employees were laid off at 269 companies in 2025. The site also reports that 71,981 government employees were laid off by DOGE alone, with 182,528 total federal workers laid off.

Here is a list — to be updated regularly — of some of the most prominent technology layoffs the industry has experienced recently.

Tech layoffs in 2026

• Salesforce
• Oracle
• Amazon
• Ericsson
• Meta

February 10, 2026: Salesforce lays off staffers as executive leadership churn continues

Salesforce has reduced close to 1,000 roles earlier this month across teams, including marketing, product management, data analytics, and its Agentforce AI unit, Business Insider reported, quoting employees familiar with the matter.

January 30, 2026: Oracle may slash up to 30,000 jobs to fund AI data-center expansion as US banks retreat

Oracle is considering cutting 20,000 to 30,000 jobs and selling some of its activities as US banks pull back from financing the company’s AI data-center expansion, according to investment bank TD Cowen. The job cuts would free up $8 billion to $10 billion in cash flow.

January 23, 2026: Amazon layoffs expected to disproportionately hit AWS and tech talent

As the market slows down, AWS and other Amazon units are preparing for another round of layoffs, which is expected to overwhelmingly impact tech talent. An email from HR leader Beth Galetti on Jan. 28 confirmed 16,000 job cuts.

January 15, 2026: Ericsson plans to shed 1,600 jobs in Sweden

 Ericsson lans to cut some 1,600 jobs in Sweden, the telecommunications equipment maker said doubling down on recent cost-saving measures that have helped it weather a prolonged downturn in telecoms spending, Reuters reports.

January 13, 2026: Meta Plans to Cut Around 10% of Employees in Reality Labs Business

Meta plans to cut around 10 percent of the employees in its Reality Labs division who work on products including the metaverse, according to three people with knowledge of the discussions, according to The New York Times.

January 8, 2026: Multiverse cut dozens of jobs as losses widened

Kaseya laid off 5 percent of its global workforce, about 250 employees, according to CRN, as it says it is redesigning its go-to-market approach to better serve partners through “intelligent, customer-led execution and clearer customer segmentation.”

January 5, 2026: Multiverse cut dozens of jobs as losses widened

London-based edtech Multiverse cut dozens of jobs amid widening losses, company filings show, according to Sifted.

Layoffs in 2025

• Cisco
• Oracle
• Windsurf
• Intel
• Microsoft
• Crowdstrike
• HPE
• Autodesk
• HPE
• CISA
• Workday
• Salesforce
• Meta

October 28, 2025: Amazon to cut 14,000 jobs across company

Amazon will reduce its overall workforce by 14,000, cutting layers of management across the company and hiring in some areas to support its “biggest bets”.

August 18, 2025: Cisco and Oracle to cut hundreds of Bay Area jobs

Tech companies Cisco and Oracle are cutting hundreds of jobs across the Bay Area. Cisco will eliminate 221 positions at its Milpitas and San Francisco offices, effective Oct. 13. Oracle is reducing 101 positions in Santa Clara on the same date 

August 5, 2025: 3 weeks after acquiring Windsurf, Cognition offers staff the exit door

Cognition, the AI coding startup that acquired rival company Windsurf three weeks ago, laid off 30 employees last week and is offering buyouts to the roughly 200 remaining employees on the team, reports The Information.

July 25, 2025, Intel to lay off 22% of workforce, CEO Tan signals ‘no more blank checks’

Intel will reduce its workforce to 75,000 employees by the end of 2025 as new CEO Lip-Bu Tan implements sweeping changes designed to transform the struggling chipmaker

July 8, 2025, Intel layoffs begin: Chipmaker is cutting many thousands of jobs

Intel has begun laying off employees across the company. CEO Lip-Bu Tan told workers back in April to expect major layoffs at Intel in the coming months as the chipmaker slashes costs and overhauls its organization after years of technical setbacks and falling sales.

July 2, 2025: Microsoft will cut 9,000 workers

Microsoft will lay off about 9,000 employees, a source familiar with the workforce cut told CNBC.  The cuts will reportedly affect less than 4% of Microsoft’s global workforce and will impact different teams, geographies and levels of experience. This is the latest in a string of cuts the tech giant has made this year.

June 17, 2025: Intel looks to factory layoffs to return to profitability

Intel will lay off up to 20% of its manufacturing sector employees starting in July, according to media reports, as the company looks for options as it seeks a return to profitability. The cuts reportedly will be made around the world, but some of the layoffs will be closer to home, according to a report in The Oregonian citing an internal company memo from Intel manufacturing Vice President Naga Chandrasekaran.

May 7, 2025: CrowdStrike to lay off 5% of staff

CrowdStrike announced a plan to cut about 500 roles, roughly 5% of its workforce, to streamline operations and reduce costs. The cybersecurity company will incur about $36 million to $53 million in charges related to the layoffs

March 6, 2025: HPE cuts 2,500 jobs, remains committed to Juniper buy

CEO Antonio Neri told Wall Street analysts that HPE would begin implementing a cost-cutting program involving layoffs of about 2,500 employees over the next 18 months. HPE employs about 61,000 people worldwide.

Feb. 27, 2025: Autodesk to lay off 9% of workforce

Software maker Autodesk is laying off 1,350 staff. With the rise of subscription and multi-year contracts billed annually, and self-service enablement, it finds it needs fewer sales staff, CEO Andrew Anagnost said in a message to employees. And with its cloud, platform, and AI products proving most profitable, it’s concentrating its staff and investments there.

Feb. 27, 2025: HP to lay off 2,000 more

As part of an ongoing restructuring, HP plans to lay off up to another 2,000 workers. In recent weeks, the company has tried — unsuccessfully — to do away with telephone support staff by forcing callers to wait for at least 15 minutes if they refuse to use self-service support resources online. The company swiftly backtracked, but wider job cuts are still on.

Feb. 21, 2025: CISA lays off 130

Government employees get laid off too: In this case, 130 workers at the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency are being shown the door as a result of a DOGE decision. Cybersecurity experts are concerned that the cuts will harm the international collaborations that CISA has fostered, quite apart from their concerns about the security of the DOGE layoff process itself.

Feb. 5, 2025: Workday lays off 1,750

As it moves to invest more in AI and international growth, Workday is laying off 8.5% of its workforce and disposing of unused office space. Some analysts fear the cutbacks will affect the company’s customer service — unless AI can pick up the slack.

Feb. 4, 2025: Salesforce lays off over 1,000

At the same time as it’s hiring sales staff for its new artificial intelligence products, Salesforce is laying off over 1,000 workers across the company, according to Bloomberg. As of June, 2024, the company had over 72,000 employees, according to its website. Salesforce did not comment on the report. In 2024 the company reportedly laid off around 1,000 staff too, in two waves: January and July.

Jan. 14, 2025: Meta will lay off 5% of workforce

Mark Zuckerberg told Meta employees he intended to “move out the low performers faster” in an internal memo reported by Bloomberg. The memo announced that the company will lay off 5% of its staff, or around 3,600 staff, beginning Feb. 10. The company had already reduced its headcount by 5% in 2024 through natural attrition, the memo said. Among those leaving the company will be staff previously responsible for fact checking of posts on its social media platforms in the US, as the company begins relying on its users to police content.

Tech layoffs in 2024

• Equinix
• AMD
• Freshworks
• Cisco
• General Motors
• Intel
• OpenText
• Microsoft
• AWS
• Dell

Nov. 26, 2024: Equinix to cut 3% of staff

Despite intense demand for its data center capacity, Equinix is planning to lay off 3% of its workforce, or around 400 employees. The announcement followed the appointment of Adaire Fox-Martin to replace Charles Meyers as CEO and the departures of two other senior executives, CIO Milind Wagle and CISO Michael Montoya.

Nov. 13, 2024: AMD to cut 4% of workforce

AMD will lay off around 1,000 employees as it pivots towards developing AI-focused chips, it said. The move came as a surprise to staff, as the company also reported strong quarterly earnings.

Nov. 7, 2024: Freshworks lays off 660

Enterprise software vendor Freshworks laid off around 660 staff, or around 13% of its headcount, despite reporting increased revenue and profits in its fourth fiscal quarter. The company described the layoffs as a realignment of its global workforce.

Sept. 17, 2024: Cisco lays off 6,000

After laying off around 4,200 staff in February, Cisco is at it again, laying off another 6,000 or around 7% of its workforce. Among the divisions affected were its threat intelligence unit, Talos Security.

Aug. 20, 2024: General Motors lays off 1,000 software staff

More than 1,000 software and services staff are on the way out at General Motors, signalling that it could be rethinking its digital transformation strategy. In an internal memo, the company said that it was moving resources to its highest-priority work and flattening hierarchies.

August 1, 2024: Intel removes 15,000 roles

Intel plans to cut its workforce by around 15% to reduce costs after a disastrous second quarter. Revenue for the three months to June 29 stagnated at around $12.8 billion, but net income fell 85% to $83 million, prompting CEO Pat Gelsinger to bring forward a company-wide meeting in order to announce that 15,000 staff would lose their jobs. “This is an incredibly hard day for Intel as we are making some of the most consequential changes in our company’s history,” Gelsinger wrote in an email to staff, continuing: “Our revenues have not grown as expected — and we’ve yet to fully benefit from powerful trends, like AI. Our costs are too high, our margins are too low. We need bolder actions to address both — particularly given our financial results and outlook for the second half of 2024, which is tougher than previously expected.”

July 4, 2024: OpenText to lay off 1,200

OpenText said it will lay off 1,200 staff, or about 1.7% of its workforce, in a bid to save around $100 million annually. It plans to hire new sales and engineering staff in other areas in 2025, it said.

June 4, 2024: Microsoft lays off staff in Azure division

Microsoft laid off staff in several teams supporting its cloud services, including Azure for Operations and Mission Engineering. The company didn’t say exactly how many staff were leaving.

April 4, 2024: Amazon downsizes AWS in a fresh cost-cutting round

Amazon announced hundreds of layoffs in the sales and marketing teams of its AWS cloud services division — and also in the technology development teams for its physical retail stores, as it stepped back from efforts to generalize the “Just Walk Out” technology built for its Amazon Fresh grocery stores.

April 1, 2024: Dell acknowledges 13,000 job cuts

Dell Technologies’ latest 10K filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission disclosed that the company had laid off 13,000 employees over the course of the 2023 fiscal year; it characterized the layoffs and other reorganizational moves as cost-cutting measures. “These actions resulted in a reduction in our overall headcount,” the company said. A comparison to the previous year’s 10K filing, performed by The Register, found that Dell employed 133,000 people at that point, compared to 120,000 as of February 2024. Dell announced layoffs of 6,650 staffers on Feb. 6, but it is unclear whether those cuts were reflected in the numbers from this year’s 10K statement.

See news of earlier layoffs.

European organizations will nearly double their spending on sovereign cloud infrastructure as a service (IaaS) this year, as geopolitical tensions cause them to rethink their reliance on US hyperscalers.

European investments in sovereign IaaS are expected to grow from $6.9 billion in 2025 to $12.6 billion in 2026, according to a forecast by Gartner published Monday — an increase of 83%. The figure will almost double again in 2027, Gartner predicts, reaching $23.1billion, as geopolitical uncertainty persists.

It’s not just Europe: overall, businesses will spend $80.4 billion on sovereign cloud IaaS this year, according to Gartner, with that number rising to $110 billion in 2027. The majority of demand will come from public sector organizations, followed by heavily regulated industries and critical infrastructure such as energy and telecoms firms.

Digital sovereignty has been discussed for years in Europe, but concerns around the dependence on US cloud providers – which account for the majority of the European cloud market – have sharply risen as the relationship between the US and Europe becomes strained.  

“What started to happen in ‘25 is now going into ’26,” said Rene Buest, senior director analyst at Gartner, with ongoing uncertainty from European organizations about how political changes could affect the IT and digital landscape.

Many European organizations are worried they could be shut off from vital cloud services for political reasons — as happened to senior staff at the International Criminal Court last year. 

Some also view investment in sovereign cloud services as a way to boost the domestic cloud provider landscape. There’s a growing number of European organizations committing to spend a certain percentage of annual revenue on local IT providers, according to Buest.

At the same time, a mass exodus isn’t expected or even realistic, said Buest. That’s because it’s too expensive and complicated for the vast majority of organizations to decouple entirely from existing providers, even if they want to. 

As a result, much of the forecast spending increase on sovereign cloud IaaS (80%) will involve either new applications or older on-prem workloads/applications that were previously earmarked for hyperscalers, according to Gartner. 

Still so-called “geopatriation” is likely to occur to some extent. Gartner predicts that businesses globally will move 20% of their existing workloads off hyperscalers’ clouds and on to local cloud providers by 2029 because of sovereignty concerns. (The figure is slightly higher for Europe.) 

There are a variety of conceivable scenarios here: a bank could move its core banking systems off a hyperscaler, for instance, or a SaaS provider might want to run on local infrastructure. 

This is bad news for hyperscalers, of course, yet US-owned sovereign cloud services are expected to attract some of the reallocated IaaS spend, according to Gartner — even if local providers are likely to benefit most. 

US-based IaaS vendors have been busy building and launching “sovereign” cloud services billed as an alternative for European customers. 

Yet, there are questions around the level of real sovereignty afforded by hyperscaler-owned services. 

Take AWS’s European Sovereign Cloud (ESC), for example, which launched in Germany last month. The data center is run by European residents and citizens, and technically separate from wider public cloud systems. It also operates under a subsidiary incorporated in Germany. Ultimately, it remains part of AWS, a US-owned company that’s subject to laws such as the Cloud Act or Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. 

Google, Microsoft, Oracle, also market cloud services as sovereign. 

A better approach for US hyperscalers might be to partner with local providers. There are already several examples of this. Google licenses its technology to S3NS, a French subsidiary of Thales, for example, while Bleu, a joint venture between Capgemini and Orange, uses Microsoft technology.

These arrangements are not fully sovereign, as they involve a reliance on software updates from a US technology provider, for instance. But they remove questions about ownership and the potential for a “kill switch.”

It’s not enough for hyperscalers to treat digital sovereignty purely as a security, regulatory or compliance topic, said Buest. “This is a mistake they are making, and because of that, they will also lose market share,” he said.

A Windows launch isn’t the end a process — it’s really just the beginning. Microsoft continually works on improving Windows 11 by fixing bugs, releasing security patches, and occasionally adding new features.

In this story we summarize what you need to know about each update released to the public for the most recent version of Windows 11 — currently version 25H2 — over the past year. For each build, we’ve included the date of its release and a link to Microsoft’s announcement about it. The most recent updates appear first.

The easiest way to install updates is via Windows Update. Not sure how? See “How to handle Windows 10 and 11 updates” for full instructions. Note that Windows 11 version 25H2 is being released as a phased rollout and may not be available to you in Windows Update yet.

If you’re still using Windows 10, see “Windows 10: A guide to the updates.” And if you’re looking for information about Insider Program previews for upcoming feature releases of Windows 11, see “Windows 11 Insider Previews: What’s in the latest build?”

Updates for Windows 11 25H2 and 24H2 KB5077181 (OS Builds 26200.7840 and 26100.7840)

Release date: February 10, 2025

This Patch Tuesday build fixes several bugs, including one that prevented some devices from connecting to certain WPA3‑Personal Wi‑Fi networks. It also includes a broad set of targeting data that identifies devices and their ability to receive new Secure Boot certificates. Devices will receive the new certificates only after they show sufficient successful update signals, which helps ensure a safe and phased rollout.

It also has a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and February 2026 Security Updates.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about KB5077181.)

KB5074105 (OS Builds 26200.7705 and 26100.7705) Preview

Release date: January 29, 2025

In this build, several new features are immediately available, including one for Data Protection Application Programming Interface (DPAPI) domain backup key management. Administrators can now set how often keys rotate automatically. This strengthens cryptographic security and reduces reliance on older encryption algorithms.

One new feature is being gradually rolled out: The Settings Agent now supports more languages, with expanded support for German, Portuguese, Spanish, Korean, Japanese, Hindi, Italian, and Chinese (Simplified).

A variety of bugs have been fixed, including one that caused some systems to stop responding during startup when Windows Boot Manager debugging was enabled.

Get more info about KB5074105 Preview.)

KB5078127 (OS Builds 26200.7628 and 26100.7628) Out-of-band

Release date: January 24, 2026

This update fixes a bug in which some applications were unresponsive or encountered unexpected errors when opening files from or saving files to cloud-based storage, such as OneDrive or Dropbox. In certain Outlook configurations that store PST files on OneDrive, Outlook sometimes hung and failed to reopen unless the process was terminated or the system was restarted. Users may have also experienced missing sent items or previously downloaded emails.

(Get more info about KB5078127 Out-of-band.)

KB5077744 (OS Builds 26200.7627 and 26100.7627) Out-of-band

Release date: January 17, 2026

This update fixes a bug in which some users experienced sign-in failures during Remote Desktop connections. This issue affected authentication steps for different Remote Desktop applications on Windows such as the Windows App.

There is one known issue in this build, in which the password icon might be missing or invisible in the lock screen sign-in options.

Get more info about KB5077744 Out-of-band.)

KB5074109 (OS Builds 26200.7623 and 26100.7623)

Release date: January 13, 2026

This build fixes several bugs, including one in which you might experience RemoteApp ​​​​​​​connection failures in Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) environments. This might occur after installing KB5070311. It also updates the Windows core component, WinSqlite3.dll. Previously, some security software might have detected this component as vulnerable. 

It also has a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and January 2026 Security Updates.

It has one known issue, in which you might notice that the password icon is not visible in the sign-in options on the lock screen. If you hover over the space where the icon should appear, you’ll see that the password button is still available. Select this placeholder to open the password text box and enter your password. After entering your password, you can sign in normally. People using Windows Home or Pro editions on personal devices are very unlikely to experience this issue. This issue primarily affects enterprise or managed IT environments.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about KB5074109.)

KB5072033 (OS Builds 26200.7462 and 26100.7462)

Release date: December 9, 2025

This build fixes several bugs, including one in which File Explorer briefly flashed white when you navigated between pages.

It also has a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and December 2025 Security Updates.

It has one known issue, in which the password icon might not be visible in the sign-in options on the lock screen. If you hover over the space where the icon should appear, you’ll see that the password button is still available. Select this placeholder to open the password text box and enter your password. After entering your password, you can sign in normally. People using Windows Home or Pro editions on personal devices are very unlikely to experience this issue — it primarily affects enterprise or managed IT environments.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about KB5072033.)

KB5070311 (OS Builds 26200.7309 and 26100.7309) Preview

Release date: December 1, 2025

A variety of new features are being gradually rolled out in this build, including several for Copilot+ PCs. The Click to Do context menu in Copilot+ PCs now has a streamlined design that makes it easier to access frequently used actions such as Copy, Save, Share, and Open. In Copilot+ PCs you can now also use Windows Studio Effects, which provide AI-powered camera enhancements, on an additional camera such as a USB webcam or your laptop’s built-in rear camera.

New features being rolled out gradually to all Windows 11 PCs include a simplified File Explorer context menu for easier navigation. Common actions like Share, Copy, and Move now appear in a single organized menu.

A variety of bugs have been fixed for all PCs, including one in which the Local Security Authority Subsystem Service (LSASS) could become unstable due to an access violation.

There are two known issues in this build, one in which when opening File Explorer in dark mode, the window might briefly display a blank white screen before loading files and folders. In addition, the password icon is missing or invisible in the lockscreen sign-in options on some PCs. (Here’s a workaround for the latter bug.)

Get more info about KB5070311 Preview.)

KB5068861 (OS Builds 26200.7171 and 26100.7171)

Release date: November 11, 2025

This Patch Tuesday build fixes several bugs, including one in which closing Task Manager with the Close button didn’t fully end the process, leaving background instances that could slow performance over time.

It also has a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and November 2025 Security Updates.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about KB5068861.)

KB5067036 (OS Builds 26200.7019 and 26100.7019) Preview

Release date: October 28, 2025

A variety of new features are being gradually rolled out in this build, including several for Click to Do on Copilot+ PCs — notably a streamlined interaction between Click to Do and Copilot. You can now type a custom prompt directly into the text box, which sends your prompt and selected on-screen content to Copilot. Suggested prompts appear below the text box and are available for text selections in English, Spanish, and French. 

New features are being gradually rolled out for all Windows 11 PCs as well, including a redesigned Start menu, which includes scrollable “All” section and category and grid views. The menu now adapts to your screen size.

A variety of bugs have been fixed, including one in which text sometimes didn’t render correctly when editing content within a multiline text box in certain apps.

Get more info about KB5067036 Preview.)

KB5070773 (OS Builds 26200.6901 and 26100.6901) Out-of-band

Release date: October 20, 2025

This build fixes one bug, in which USB devices, such as keyboards and mice, did not function in the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE). This issue prevented navigation of any of the recovery options within WinRE.

This build has one known issue: some digital TV and Blu-ray/DVD apps might not play protected content as expected after installing the August 29, 2025, Windows non-security preview update (KB5064081) or later updates. Apps that use Enhanced Video Renderer with HDCP enforcement or Digital Rights Management (DRM) for digital audio might show copyright protection errors, frequent playback interruptions, unexpected stops, or black screens. Streaming services are not affected. 

(Get more info about KB5070773 Out-of-band.)

KB5066791 (OS Builds 19044.6456 and 19045.6456)

Release date: October 14, 2025

This build fixes several bugs, including one that caused the print preview screen to stop responding in Chromium-based browsers.

It also has a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and October 2025 Security Updates.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about KB5066791.)

KB5065789 (OS Builds 26200.6725 and 26100.6725) Preview

Release date: September 29, 2025

This build gradually rolls out a wide variety of new features, including one in which you can use AI actions in File Explorer to edit images or summarize documents. To do it, right-click (or press Shift + F10 on the keyboard) on the file and select AI actions. 

Several bugs have also been fixed, including one in which you might not have been able to connect to shared files and folders if you were using the Server Message Block (SMB) v1 protocol on NetBIOS over TCP/IP NetBIOS (NetBT).

(Get more info about KB5065789 Preview.)

Windows 11 25H2

At the end of September, Microsoft upgraded Windows 11 from version 24H2 to 25H2, in a slow rollout that could take months to complete. Typically in the past, Microsoft would introduce new features in a once-a-year update like this. That’s not the case with 25H2, though.

Microsoft has been introducing new features in smaller updates all year round, so 25H2 doesn’t include any major new features. Rather, it includes all the new features that have accumulated in all those smaller updates.

As the company explains, “While this update doesn’t introduce major new features, it activates enhancements that have been gradually rolled out over the past year ensuring your device is up to date with the latest refinements.”

Here are some of the most important features in 25H2 that have been introduced for end users and IT pros since 24H2 was released last fall:

New features for users:

• File Explorer has several useful new features, notably AI actions, which can edit images or summarize documents. AI options such as Blur background, Erase objects, and Remove background are all now displayed in the context menu.
• Task Manager gets a number of minor tweaks, including performance improvements when changing the sort order of processes.
• You can now display the apps that have recently used on-device generative AI models provided by Windows. You can also choose which apps are permitted to use the generative AI technologies. To do that and more, go to Settings > Privacy & security > Text and Image Generation.

New features for IT:

• IT admins can use policy-based tools to easily remove preinstalled Microsoft Store apps from Enterprise and Education editions of Windows 11, version 25H2 and later. This can streamline device provisioning and prevent removed apps such as Microsoft Clipchamp, Media Player, and Microsoft Teams from being reinstalled. For more information, see Policy-based removal of preinstalled Microsoft Store apps and RemoveDefaultMicrosoftStorePackages in the ApplicationManagement Policy CSP.
• Enterprise access points now support Wi-Fi 7, which enables increased speeds, greater throughput, improved reliability, and enhanced security. For details, see https://aka.ms/WiFi7forEnterprise.
• Windows Backup for Organizations is now generally available.
• A new feature called Quick Machine Recovery can recover Windows devices when they encounter critical errors that prevent them from booting. Quick machine recovery searches for remediations in the cloud and recovers from widespread boot failures, reducing the burden on IT admins on cases when multiple devices are affected. For more information, see Computerworld’s Quick Machine Recovery explainer.

Updates for Windows 11 24H2 KB5068221 (OS Build 26100.6588) Out-of-band

Release date: September 22, 2025

This update fixes a bug that affected Microsoft Office applications running in Microsoft Application Virtualization (App-V) environments. The failure occurred due to a double handle closure in the AppVEntSubsystems32 or AppVEntSubsystems64 system component.

There is one issue in this build: you might fail to connect to shared files and folders using the Server Message Block (SMB) v1 protocol on NetBIOS over TCP/IP (NetBT). This issue can occur if either the SMB client or the SMB server has the September 2025 security update installed.

(Get more info about KB5068221 (OS Build 26100.6588) Out-of-band).

KB5065426 (OS Build 26100.6584)

Release date: September 9, 2025

This build fixes several bugs, including one that caused non-admin users to receive unexpected User Account Control (UAC) prompts when MSI installers performed certain custom actions, such as configuration or repair operations in the foreground or background during the initial installation of an application.

The build also has a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and September 2025 Security Updates.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about KB5065426.)

KB5064081 (OS Build 26100.5074) Preview

Release date: August 29, 2025

A wide variety of new features are being gradually rolled out in this build, including a new personalized homepage in Windows Recall that displays your recent activity and top-used apps and websites (available only in Copilot+ PCs). Among the changes rolling out to all users is a new grid view for Search from the Windows taskbar that helps you more quickly and accurately identify the desired image within your search.

Several bugs have also been fixed, including one in which some system recovery features did not work properly due to a temporary file sharing conflict. This affected certain device management tools and disrupted key functions on some devices.

(Get more info about KB5064081 Preview.)

KB5063878 (OS Build 26100.4946)

Release date: August 12, 2025

This build fixes a bug that caused delays during sign-in on new devices. The delay was due to certain preinstalled packages. It also has a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and August 2025 Security Updates.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about KB5063878.)

KB5062660 (OS Build 26100.4770) Preview

Release date: July 22, 2025

A wide variety of new features are being gradually rolled out in this build, including a new agent in Copilot+ PCs that is designed to help you find and change settings on your PC. You can describe what you need help with, such as “how to control my PC by voice” or “my mouse pointer is too small,” and the agent will suggest steps to resolve the issue. The agent uses AI on your PC to understand your request and, with your permission, can automate and complete tasks for you. It is rolling out to Snapdragon-powered Copilot+ PCs now, with support for AMD and Intel PCs coming soon. 

Several bugs have also been fixed, including one in which If you have an app pinned to your desktop and it updates, the app icon might not display correctly and instead show a white page.

(Get more info about KB5062660 Preview.)

KB5064489 (OS Build 26100.4656) Out-of-band

Release date: July 13, 2025

This update fixes a bug that prevented some virtual machines (VMs) from starting when Virtualization-Based Security (VBS) was enabled. It affected VMs using version 8.0 (a non-default version) where VBS was offered by the host. In Azure, this applies to standard (non–Trusted Launch) General Enterprise (GE) VMs running on older VM SKUs. The problem was caused by a secure kernel initialization issue.

(Get more info about KB5064489 Out-of-band.)

KB5062553 (OS Build 26100.4652)

Release date: July 8, 2025

The build fixes several bugs, including one in which notification sounds didn’t play. Affected sounds included those for on-screen alerts, volume adjustments, and sign-in. It also has a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and July 2025 Security Updates.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about KB5062553.)

KB5060829 (OS Build 26100.4484) Preview

Release date: June 26, 2025

A wide variety of new features are being gradually rolled out in this build, including a new Settings home page that includes enterprise-specific device info cards for commercial customers on PCs managed by an IT administrator. The taskbar also now resizes icons to fit more apps when space runs low.

Users in the European Economic Area will see several small changes related to default browsers, such as mapping additional file and link types to the default browser and pinning it to the taskbar and Start menu.

A variety of bugs have also been fixed, including one that prevented the automatic renewal of expiring certificates in Windows Hello for Business.

There is one known issue in this build, in which blurry or unclear CJK (Chinese, Japanese, Korean) text appears when displayed at 96 DPI (100% scaling) in Chromium-based browsers such as Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome. 

(Get more info about KB5060829 Preview.)

KB5063060 (OS Build 26100.4351) Out-of-band

Release date: June 11, 2025

This out-of-band update replaces the KB5060842 Patch Tuesday release, fixing a bug in which Windows sometimes restarted unexpectedly when users opened games that use the Easy Anti-Cheat service. Easy Anti-Cheat automatically installs with certain games to enhance security and prevent cheating in multiplayer online PC games. 

Note: In this build there are reports of blurry or unclear CJK (Chinese, Japanese, Korean) text when displayed at 96 DPI (100% scaling) in Chromium-based browsers such as Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome. The issue is due to limited pixel density at 96 DPI, which can reduce the clarity and alignment of CJK characters. Increasing the display scaling improves clarity by enhancing text rendering.

(Get more info about KB5063060 Out-of-band.)

KB5060842 (OS Build 26100.4349)

Release date: June 10, 2025

After installing this update, Windows will retain system restore points for 60 days only. Restore points older than 60 days are not available. This 60-day limit will also apply to future versions of Windows 11, version 24H2.

The build fixes a bug that prevented users from signing in with self-signed certificates when using Windows Hello for Business with the Key Trust model.​​​​​​​ It also has a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and June 2025 Security Updates.

Note: In this build there are reports of blurry or unclear CJK (Chinese, Japanese, Korean) text when displayed at 96 DPI (100% scaling) in Chromium-based browsers such as Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome. The issue is due to limited pixel density at 96 DPI, which can reduce the clarity and alignment of CJK characters. Increasing the display scaling improves clarity by enhancing text rendering.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about KB5060842.)

KB5058499 (OS Build 26100.4202) Preview

Release date: May 27, 2025

A wide variety of new features are being gradually rolled out in this build, including one in which Click to Do gets the new Ask Copilot action. When you highlight text or an image, Click to Do offers the Ask Copilot option. Selecting it opens Microsoft Copilot with your content in the prompt box. You can send the selected text or image directly to the Copilot app to complete your prompt.

A variety of bugs have also been fixed, including one in which devices with BitLocker on removable drives could encounter a blue screen error after resuming from sleep or hybrid-booting.

(Get more info about KB5058499 Preview.)

KB5061977 (OS Build 26100.4066) 

Release date: May 27, 2025

This out-of-band update fixes a bug in the direct send path for a guest physical address (GPA). This issue caused confidential virtual machines running on Hyper-V with Windows Server 2022 to intermittently stop responding or restart unexpectedly. As a result, service availability was affected, and manual intervention was required. This problem primarily impacted Azure confidential VMs.

(Get more info about KB5061977.)

KB5058411 (OS Build 26100.4061)

Release date: May 13, 2025

This update fixes two bugs, one in which your microphone might have muted unexpectedly, and the other in which the eye controller app didn’t launch. It also has a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and May 2025 Security Updates.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about KB5058411.)

KB5055627 (OS Build 26100.3915) Preview

Release date: April 25, 2025

This build gradually rolls out several new features for Copilot+ PCs, including a preview of Windows Recall. When you opt in, Recall takes snapshots of your activity so you can quickly find and go back to what you have seen before on your PC. With it, you can use a timeline to find the content you remember seeing.

Copilot+ PCs also get a new natural-language Windows search in which you can search for anything on your PC without having to remember specific file names, exact words in file content, or settings names. Just describe what you’re looking for. On Copilot+ PCs, you can also more easily find photos stored and saved in the cloud by typing your own words (like “summer picnics”) in the search box at the upper-right corner of File Explorer. 

All PCs get a number of new features, including speech recap, in which you can keep track of what Narrator has spoken and access it for quick reference. With speech recap, you can quickly access spoken content, follow along with live transcription, and copy what Narrator last said using keyboard shortcuts.

A variety of bugs are being fixed, including one in which some devices experienced intermittent internet connections when resuming from sleep mode. Several AI components have also been updated.

There are two known issues in this build, including one in which players on Arm devices are unable to download and play Roblox from the Microsoft Store on Windows.

(Get more info about KB5055627 Preview.)

KB5055523 (OS Build 26100.3775)

Release date: April 8, 2025

This update includes a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and April 2025 Security Updates. 

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

There are two known issues in this build, including one in which players on Arm devices are unable to download and play Roblox via the Microsoft Store on Windows. 

(Get more info about KB5055523.)

KB5053656 (OS Build 26100.3624) Preview

Release date: March 27, 2025

This build gradually rolls out several new features for Snapdragon-powered Copilot+ PCs, including one in which you can search for anything on your PC without having to remember specific file names, exact words in file content, or settings names. Just describe what you’re looking for.

On Copilot+ PCs you can also more easily find photos stored and saved in the cloud by typing your own words (like “summer picnics”) in the search box at the upper-right corner of File Explorer. In addition to photos stored locally on your Copilot+ PC, photos from the cloud will now show up in the search results together. 

Snapdragon-powered Copilot+ PCs also will allow you to use natural-language processing in voice access, by using your own words rather than using rigid, predefined commands.

In addition, the build includes a variety of bugs being immediately fixed, including one in which some third-party apps rendered the graphics settings page unresponsive.

There are two known issues in this build, including one in which players on Arm devices are unable to download and play Roblox from the Microsoft Store on Windows.

(Get more info about KB5053656 Preview.)

KB5053598 (OS Build 26100.3476)

Release date: March 11, 2025

This update has a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and March 2025 Security Updates.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

There are two known issues in this build, including one in which players on Arm devices are unable to download and play Roblox via the Microsoft Store on Windows.

(Get more info about KB5053598.)

KB5052093 (OS Build 26100.3323) Preview

Release date: February 25, 2025

In this build, a variety of new features are being rolled out gradually, including one that lets you snooze or turn off the “Start backup” reminder in the File Explorer address bar. This only applies if you are not already backing up your files and folder. To view this new option, right-click Start backup.

A number of bug fixes are being rolled out gradually, including one for a bug in which the address bar overlapped files in File Explorer when you used the F11 full-screen mode. A variety of bug fixes take immediate effect, including for a bug in which there were display rendering issues when you tried to connect to certain PCs.

There are two known issues in this build, including one in which Arm devices are unable to download and play Roblox via the Microsoft Store on Windows. In addition, devices that have certain Citrix components installed might be unable to complete installation of the January 2025 Windows security update. This issue was observed on devices with Citrix Session Recording Agent (SRA) version 2411.

(Get more info about KB5052093 Preview.)

KB5051987 (OS Build 26100.3194)

Release date: February 11, 2025

This update has a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and February 2025 Security Updates.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

There are three known issues in this build, including one in which players on Arm devices are unable to download and play Roblox via the Microsoft Store on Windows.

(Get more info about KB5051987.)

KB5050094 (OS Build 26100.3037) Preview

Release date: January 28, 2025

In this build, a variety of new features are being rolled out gradually, including one in which an icon will appear in the system tray when you use an app that supports Windows Studio Effects. This only occurs on a device that has a neural processing unit (NPU). Select the icon to open the Studio Effects page in Quick Settings. To view the app that is using the camera, hover over the icon for a tooltip.

A number of bug fixes are being rolled out gradually, including one for a bug in which a search would sometimes repeat when you didn’t want it to. Other bug fixes are immediately available, including one in which the display of some games appears oversaturated when you use Auto HDR.

There are three known issues in this build, including one in which Arm devices are unable to download and play Roblox via the Microsoft Store on Windows. In addition, following the installation of the October 2024 security update, some customers report that the OpenSSH (Open Secure Shell) service fails to start, preventing SSH connections. And devices that have certain Citrix components installed might be unable to complete installation of the January 2025 Windows security update

(Get more info about KB5050094 Preview.)

KB5050009 (OS Build 26100.2894)

Release date: January 14, 2025

This update has a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and January 2025 Security Updates.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

There are three known issues in this build, including one in which players on Arm devices are unable to download and play Roblox via the Microsoft Store on Windows.

(Get more info about KB5050009.)

KB5048667 (OS Build 26100.2605)

Release date: December 10, 2024

This update has a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and December 2024 Security Updates.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

There is one known issue in this build, in which players on Arm devices are unable to download and play Roblox via the Microsoft Store on Windows.

(Get more info about KB5048667.)

KB5046740 (OS Build 26100.2454) Preview

Release date: November 21, 2024

This build adds a number of interface features are being rolled out gradually. The system tray shows a shortened date and time, and there’s a new section for touchscreen edge gestures in Settings. When you right-click an app on the Start menu, a jump list will appear (if the app has a jump list). And if you hold Ctrl + Shift down when you click a jump list item, you open the item as an admin.

A variety of bugs have been fixed in this build, including one in which the users page might have caused Task Manager to stop responding when you use the keyboard.

There is one known issue in this build, in which Arm devices are unable to download and play Roblox via the Microsoft Store on Windows.

(Get more info about KB5046740 Preview.)

KB5046617 (OS Build 26100.2314)

Release date: November 12, 2024

This update has a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and November 2024 Security Updates.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about KB5046617.)

KB5044384 (OS Build 26100.2161) Preview

Release date: October 24, 2024

In this build, you can now configure the Copilot key on the keyboard. On new devices, the key opens the Copilot app. If you sign in to your account using a Microsoft Entra ID, the key opens the M365 app. You can make the key open a different app or open Search. To do this, go to Settings > Personalization > Text input. 

In addition, a variety of features are being rolled out gradually, including one in which you can stop the suggestions to turn off notifications from certain apps. Select the ellipsis (…) in the notification and turn it off. You can also go to Settings > System > Notifications and turn it off from there. 

A variety of bugs have also been fixed, including one in which you were unable to view some parts of the UI when you run certain apps.

There is one known issue in this build, in which Arm devices are unable to download and play Roblox via the Microsoft Store on Windows.

(Get more info about KB5044384 Preview.)

Windows 11 24H2 KB5044284 (OS Build 26100.2033)

Release date: October 8, 2024

This update has a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and October 2024 Security Updates.

This build also fixes one bug in which the Remote Desktop Gateway Service stopped responding when a service used remote procedure calls (RPC) over HTTP.

There is one known issue in this build, in which Arm devices are unable to download and play Roblox via the Microsoft Store on Windows.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about KB5044284.)

Windows 11, version 24H2

Release date: October 1, 2024

The Windows 11 24H2 update (also called Windows 11 2024 Update) is now being gradually rolled out. It may take some months before it reaches everyone, so you may not have it yet. As with previous annual Windows updates, it’s not a major upgrade, but does include a variety of minor new features.

Following are the highlights for end users:

• File Explorer gets several new features, including support for TAR and 7z compression and the ability to add metadata to PNG files, so you can add information to your images.
• New privacy settings for Wi-Fi networks give more control over which applications can access the list of nearby Wi-Fi networks. Limiting the applications that can access that list can make it more difficult for others to pinpoint your location.
• You can now join Wi-Fi networks by scanning QR codes, and create a QR code to allow others to share your mobile hotspot with others.
• A new Energy Saver mode reduces electric consumption on desktop PCs as well as laptops, helping you reduce your carbon footprint and improving laptop battery life. It reduces energy consumption from background tasks as well as those running in the foreground.
• Copilot now runs as a separate app, and is movable and resizable like any other app, rather than running in a sidebar panel.
• Copilot+ PCs get several new features, including Cocreator in Paint, which uses AI to generate images; enhancing video calls with AI-powered noise cancellation and improved lighting; and what Microsoft calls Auto Super Resolution, which gives games higher resolution and offers smoother gameplay.

For IT admins, highlights include:

• Policy improvements and automatic account management for Windows Local Administrator Password Solution (LAPS)
• Personal Data Encryption (PDE) for users’ Documents, Desktop, and Pictures folders
• App Control for Business
• Windows protected print mode
• Local Security Authority (LSA) protection
• Support for Wi-Fi 7
• SHA-3 support

See this blog post from Microsoft’s Harjit Dhaliwal for more information.

Windows 10 has reached the end of mainstream support, which means most users will no longer receive new features, bug fixes, or security updates. Microsoft encourages businesses and individuals to upgrade to Windows 11.

Another option is to purchase extended security updates for Windows 10. Those enrolled in the Windows 10 Extended Security Updates (ESU) program will receive monthly security updates, but no new feature releases.

In this story we summarize what you need to know about each update released for the most recent versions of Windows 10 — versions 22H2 and 21H2. (Microsoft releases updates for those two versions together.) For each build, we’ve included the date of its initial release and a link to Microsoft’s announcement about it. The most recent updates appear first.

For details about how to install and manage Windows updates, see “How to handle Windows 10 and 11 updates.”

Updates to Windows 10 versions 21H2 and 22H2

As of November 2025, only computers enrolled in the Windows 10 ESU program (or those with a Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC 2021 or 2024 license) will receive Windows 10 updates.

KB5075912 (OS Builds 19045.6937 and 19044.6937)

Release date: February 10, 2025

This Patch Tuesday update fixes a variety of bugs, including one that affected folder renaming with desktop.ini files in File Explorer. The LocalizedResourceName setting was ignored, so custom folder names did not show. Now, custom folder names appear as expected.

It also includes a broad set of targeting data that identifies devices and their ability to receive new Secure Boot certificates. Devices will receive the new certificates only after they show sufficient successful update signals, which helps ensure a safe and phased rollout.

The build also has a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and February 2026 Security Updates.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about KB5075912.)

KB5078129 (OS Builds 19045.6812 and 19044.6812) Out-of-band

Release date: January 24, 2026

This update fixes a bug in which some applications were unresponsive or encountered unexpected errors when opening files from or saving files to cloud-based storage, such as OneDrive or Dropbox. In certain Outlook configurations that store PST files on OneDrive, Outlook sometimes hung and failed to reopen unless the process was terminated or the system was restarted. Users may have also experienced missing sent items or previously downloaded emails.

Get more info about KB5078129 Out-of-band.)

KB5077796 (OS Builds 19045.6811 and 19044.6811) Out-of-band

Release date: January 17, 2026

This update fixes a bug in which some users experienced sign-in failures during Remote Desktop connections. This issue affected authentication steps for different Remote Desktop applications on Windows such as the Windows App.

(Get more info about KB5077796 Out-of-band.)

KB5073724 (OS Builds 19045.6809 and 19044.6809)

Release date: January 13, 2026

Applies to: Windows 10 ESU

This Patch Tuesday update includes a subset of high-confidence device targeting data that identifies devices eligible to automatically receive new Secure Boot certificates. Devices will receive the new certificates only after demonstrating sufficient successful update signals, ensuring a safe and phased deployment.

It also fixes one bug, in which some security software might have detected the Windows core component, WinSqlite3.dll as being as vulnerable. 

The build also has a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and January 2026 Security Updates.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about KB5073724.)

KB5074976 (OS Builds 19044.6693 and 19045.6693) Out-of-band

Release date: December 18, 2025

Applies to: Windows 10 ESU

This update fixes a bug in the Message Queuing (MSMQ) functionality. This bug also affected a clustered MSMQ environment under load. This issue could have led to message queues becoming inactive, messages about insufficient resources, applications unable to write to message queues, error messages about the message cannot be created, or messages about insufficient disk space or memory. This issue primarily affected enterprise or managed IT environments.

(Get more info about KB5074976 Out-of-band.)

KB5071546 (OS Builds 19045.6691 and 19044.6691)

Release date: December 9, 2025

Applies to: Windows 10 ESU

In this update, PowerShell’s Invoke-WebRequest command now includes a confirmation prompt with a security warning of a script execution risk. You can choose to continue or cancel the request. For additional details, see CVE-2025-54100 and KB5074596: PowerShell 5.1: Preventing script execution from web content.

The build also has a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and December 2025 Security Updates.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about KB5071546.)

KB5068781 (OS Builds 19044.6575 and 19045.6575)

Release date: November 11, 2025

Applies to: Windows 10 ESU

This update fixes a bug in which after installing the October 14, 2025 Windows update (KB5066791), the message “Your version of Windows has reached the end of support” might incorrectly display in the Windows Update Settings page. To view the page, click Start > Settings > Windows Update.

The build also has a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and November 2025 Security Updates.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about KB5068781.)

KB5071959 (OS Build 19045.6466) Out-of-band

Release date: November 11, 2025

This build fixes a bug in the Windows 10 Consumer Extended Security Update (ESU) enrollment process, where the enrollment wizard may fail during enrollment.

(Get more info about KB5071959 Out-of-band.)

KB5066791 (OS Builds 19044.6456 and 19045.6456)

Release date: October 14, 2025

This update fixes several bugs, including one in which command time in PowerShell Remoting and WinRMntime out after 600 seconds.

The build also has a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and October 2025 Security Updates.

Note that today marks the official end of support for Windows 10 Home, Pro, and Enterprise, except for organizations and individuals enrolled in Microsoft’s Extended Security Updates program.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about KB5066791.)

KB5063842 (OS Build 19045.6396) Preview

Release date: September 25, 2025

This build fixes two bugs, one in which you might not be able to connect to shared files and folders if you’re using the Server Message Block (SMB) v1 protocol on NetBIOS over TCP/IP NetBIOS (NetBT), and another in which those using Windows Autopilot to deploy Windows 10, version 22H2 to devices with the Enrollment Status Page (ESP) configured might find that the ESP doesn’t load during the Out-of-Box Experience (OOBE).

(Get more info about KB5063842 (OS Build 19045.6396) Preview.)

KB5065429 (OS Builds 19044.6332 and 19045. 6332)

Release date: September 9, 2025

This update fixes several bugs, including one that caused non-admin users to receive unexpected User Account Control (UAC) prompts when MSI installers performed certain custom actions, such as configuration or repair operations in the foreground or background during the initial installation of an application.

The build also enables auditing SMB client compatibility for SMB Server signing as well as SMB Server EPA. This allows customers to assess their environment and identify any potential device or software incompatibility issues before deploying the hardening measures that are already supported by SMB Server. For detailed guidance, see CVE-2025-55234 | Windows SMB Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability.

The build also has a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and September 2025 Security Updates.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about KB5065429.)

KB5063842 (OS Build 19045.6282) Preview

Release date: August 26, 2025

In this build, Windows Backup for Organizations is now generally available. It lets your organization back up Windows 10 settings and restore them on a Microsoft Entra joined device. You can also enable backup of the list of installed Microsoft Store apps, with the ability to restore them to the user’s Start menu as well.

A variety of bugs have also been fixed, including one in which mf.dll failed to enumerate redirected web camera devices on Remote Desktop Services (RDS) environments.

(Get more info about KB5063842 Preview.)

KB5066188 (OS Builds 19044.6218 and 19045.6218) Out-of-band

Release date: August 19, 2025

This build fixes a bug introduced by the August 2025 security update (KB5063709) in which attempts to reset and recover the device fail. This issue happens when users perform one or more of the following processes: 

• System > Recovery > Reset my PC
• System > Recovery > Fix problems using Windows Update
• RemoteWipe CSP

For more information on the issue, see Windows release health. Microsoft recommends you install this optional update if you have encountered this issue. The company also says that if your system isn’t affected or you don’t plan using the methods described above, you can choose not to install it.

(Get more info about KB5066188 Out-of-band.)

KB5063709 (OS Builds 19044.6216 and 19045.6216)

Release date: August 12, 2025

The update has a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and August 2025 Security Updates.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about KB5063709.)

KB5062649 (OS Build 19045.6159) Preview

Release date: July 22, 2025

This build adds the ability to deploy SKUSiPolicy VBS Anti-rollback protections through the Secure Boot AvailableUpdates registry key.

It also fixes a variety of bugs, including one that affected the Windows 10 Extended Security Updates (ESU) enrollment wizard. Some users experienced a problem where clicking “Enroll now” caused the wizard window to open, begin loading, and then close unexpectedly. 

(Get more info about KB5062649 Preview.

KB5062554 (OS Builds 19044.6093 and 19045.6093)

Release date: July 8, 2025

The update has a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and July 2025 Security Updates.

Note: In this build there are reports of blurry or unclear CJK (Chinese, Japanese, Korean) text when displayed at 96 DPI (100% scaling) in Chromium-based browsers such as Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome. The issue is due to limited pixel density at 96 DPI, which can reduce the clarity and alignment of CJK characters. Increasing the display scaling improves clarity by enhancing text rendering.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about KB5062554.)

KB5061087 (OS Build 19045.6036) Preview

Release date: June 24, 2025

This build fixes a variety of bugs, including one that caused jump lists to disappear from the Start menu.           

There is one known issue in this build, in which blurry or unclear CJK (Chinese, Japanese, Korean) text appears when displayed at 96 DPI (100% scaling) in Chromium-based browsers such as Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome. 

(Get more info about KB5061087 Preview.)

KB5060533 (OS Builds 19044.5965 and 19045.5065)

Release date: June 10, 2025

The update has a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and June 2025 Security Updates.

Note: In this build there are reports of blurry or unclear CJK (Chinese, Japanese, Korean) text when displayed at 96 DPI (100% scaling) in Chromium-based browsers such as Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome. The issue is due to limited pixel density at 96 DPI, which can reduce the clarity and alignment of CJK characters. Increasing the display scaling improves clarity by enhancing text rendering.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about KB5060533.)

KB5058481 (OS Build 19045.5917) Preview

Release date: May 28, 2025

This build offers several new features, including one that brings back the clock view that displays seconds on the calendar. It also fixes several bugs, including one in which in GDI/GDI+, some GB18030-2022 characters in plane 2 were not rendered.

There is one known issue in this build, in which blurry or unclear CJK (Chinese, Japanese, Korean) text appears when displayed at 96 DPI (100% scaling) in Chromium-based browsers such as Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome. 

(Get more info about KB5058481 Preview.)

KB5061979 (OS Builds 19044.5859 and 19045.5859)

Release date: May 27, 2025

This out-of-band update fixes a bug in the direct send path for a guest physical address (GPA). This issue caused confidential virtual machines running on Hyper-V with Windows Server 2022 to intermittently stop responding or restart unexpectedly. As a result, service availability was affected, and manual intervention was required. This problem primarily impacted Azure confidential VMs.

There is one known issue in this build, in which blurry or unclear CJK (Chinese, Japanese, Korean) text appears when displayed at 96 DPI (100% scaling) in Chromium-based browsers such as Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome. 

(Get more info about KB5061979.)

KB5061768 (OS Builds 19044.5856 and 19045.5856)

Release date: May 19, 2025

This out-of-band build fixes a bug in the recent May 13 Patch Tuesday build (KB5058379) that caused the Local Security Authority Subsystem Service (LSASS) process to terminate unexpectedly, triggering an Automatic Repair prompting for the BitLocker recovery key.

There is one known issue in this build, in which blurry or unclear CJK (Chinese, Japanese, Korean) text appears when displayed at 96 DPI (100% scaling) in Chromium-based browsers such as Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome. 

(Get more info about KB5061768.)

KB5058379 (OS Builds 19044.5854 and 19045.5854)

Release date: May 13, 2025

The update improves Secure Boot Advanced Targeting (SBAT) and Linux Extensible Firmware Interface (EFI) for the detection of Linux systems. It also has a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and May 2025 Security Updates.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about KB5058379.)

KB5055612 (OS Build 19045.5796) Preview

Release date: April 22, 2025

This build fixes two bugs, including one in which the check for GPU paravirtualization was case-sensitive in Windows Subsystem for Linux 2 (WSL2). This issue might have potentially caused GPU paravirtualization support to fail.

There are two known issues in this build, including one in which certain Citrix components installed might be unable to complete installation of the January 2025 Windows security update. This issue was observed on devices with Citrix Session Recording Agent (SRA) version 2411.

(Get more info about KB5055612 Preview.)

KB5055518 (OS Builds 19044.5737 and 19045.5737)

Release date: April 8, 2025

The update has a broad variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and April 2025 Security Updates. 

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

There are two known issues in this build including one in which devices that have certain Citrix components installed might be unable to complete installation of the January 2025 Windows security update.

(Get more info about KB5055518.)

Windows 10 2022 Update (version 22H2)

Release date: October 18, 2022

The Windows 10 2022 Update is, in Microsoft’s words, “a scoped release focused on quality improvements to the overall Windows experience in existing feature areas such as quality, productivity and security.” In other words, there’s not much new here, although Computerworld blogger Susan Bradley did uncover a handful of new group policies in the release.

Home and Pro editions of the 2022 Update will receive 18 months of servicing, and Enterprise and Education editions will have 30 months of servicing.

To install the update, go to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update and select Check for updates. If the update appears, select Download to install it.

(Get more info about the Windows 10 2022 Update.)

Windows 10 November 2021 Update (version 21H2)

Release date: November 16, 2021

Version 21H2, called the Windows 10 November 2021 Update, is the second feature update to Windows 10 released in 2021. Here’s a quick summary of what’s new:

• Wi-Fi security has been enhanced with WPA3 H2E standards support.
• GPU compute support has been added in the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) and Azure IoT Edge for Linux on Windows (EFLOW) deployments for machine learning and other compute-intensive workflows.

There are also a number of features designed for IT and business:

• Windows Hello for Business has a new deployment method called cloud trust that simplifies passwordless deployments.
• For increased security, there have been changes to the Universal Windows Platform (UWP) VPN APIs, which includes the ability to implement common web-based authentication schemes and to reuse existing protocols.
• Apps can now be provisioned from Azure Virtual Desktop. This allows those apps to run just like local apps, including the ability to copy and paste between remote and local apps.
• The release closes the gap between Group Policy and mobile device management (MDM) settings. The device configuration settings catalog has been updated to list more than 1,400 settings previously not available for configuration via MDM. The new MDM policies include administrative template (ADMX) policies, such as App Compat, Event Forwarding, Servicing, and Task Scheduler.
• An upgrade to Windows 10 Enterprise includes Universal Print, which now supports print jobs of up to 1GB or a series of print jobs from an individual user that add up to 1GB within any 15-minute period.
• Universal Print integrates with OneDrive for web and Excel for web. This allows users of any browser or device connected to the internet to print documents hosted in OneDrive for web to a printer in their organization without installing printer drivers on their devices.

Microsoft has also announced that starting with this release, Windows 10 will get feature updates only once a year.

Windows 10 May 2021 Update (version 21H1)

Release date: May 18, 2021

Version 21H1, called the Windows 10 May 2021 Update, is the most recent update to Windows 10. This is a relatively minor update, but it does have a few new features.

Here’s a quick summary of what’s new in 21H1:

• Windows Hello multicamera support: If you have an external Windows Hello camera for your PC, you can set the external camera as your default camera. (Windows Hello is used for signing into PCs.) Why should this change matter to you? If you have an external camera, you probably bought it because it’s superior to the built-in, internal one on your computer. So with this change, you’ll be able to use the more accurate camera for logging into your PC.
• Improved Windows Defender Application Guard performance: Windows Defender Application Guard lets administrators configure applications to run in an isolated, virtualized container for improved security. With this change, documents will open more quickly. It can currently take up to a minute to open an Office document in it.
• Better Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) Group Policy Service support: Microsoft has made it easier for administrators to change settings to support remote work.

Windows 10 October 2020 Update (version 20H2)

Release date: October 20, 2020

Version 20H2, called the Windows 10 October 2020 Update, is the most recent update to Windows 10. This is a relatively minor update but does have a few new features.

Here’s a quick summary of what’s new in 20H2:

• The new Chromium-based version of the Microsoft Edge browser is now built directly into Windows 10.
• The System page of Control Panel has been removed. Those settings have been moved to the Settings app.
• The Start menu’s tiled background will match your choice of Windows themes. So the tiled background will be light if you’re using the Windows 10 light theme and dark if you’re using the Windows 10 dark theme.
• When you use Alt-Tab, Edge will now display each tab in your browser in a different Alt-Tab window. Previously, when you used Alt-Tab, Edge would get only a single window. You can change this new behavior by going to Settings > System > Multitasking.
• When you pin a site to the taskbar in Edge, you can click or mouse over its icon to see all your browser tabs that are open for that website.
• When you detach a keyboard on a 2-in-1 device, the device will automatically switch to the tablet-based interface. Previously, you were asked whether you wanted to switch. You can change that setting by going to Settings > System > Tablet.
• The Your Phone app gets a variety of new features for some Samsung devices. When using one of the devices, you can interact with the Android apps on your phone from the Your Phone app on Windows 10.

What IT needs to know: Windows 10 version 20H2 also has a variety of small changes of note for sysadmins and those in IT.

• IT professionals who administer multiple mobile devices get a new Modern Device Management (MDM) “Local Users and Groups” settings policy that mirrors options available for devices that are managed through Group Policy.
• Windows Autopilot, used to set up and configure devices in enterprises, has gained a variety of small enhancement, including better deployment of HoloLens devices, the addition of co-management policies, enhancements to Autopilot deployment reporting, and the ability to reuse Configuration Manager task sequences to configure devices.
• Microsoft Defender Application Guard now supports Office. This allows untrusted Office documents from outside an enterprise to launch in an isolated container to stop potentially malicious content from compromising computers or exploiting personal information found on them.
• Latest Cumulative Updates (LCUs) and Servicing Stack Updates (SSUs) have been combined into a single cumulative monthly update, available via Microsoft Catalog or Windows Server Update Services.
• Biometric sign-on has been made more secure. Windows Hello now has support for virtualization-based security for certain fingerprint and face sensors, which protects, isolates, and secures a user’s biometric authentication data.

For more details, see Microsoft’s “What’s new for IT pros in Windows 10, version 20H2.”

Windows 10 May 2020 Update (version 2004)

Release date: May 27, 2020

Version 2004, called the Windows 10 May 2020 Update, is the most recent update to Windows 10. This is a relatively minor update but does have a variety of new features for both users and system administrators. For more details, see: “Review: Windows 10 May 2020 Update delivers little tweaks that add up to… well, not a lot.”

Here’s a quick summary of what’s new in 2004:

• Cortana now runs as a standalone app in a resizable window. It also loses a variety of capabilities, such as playing music, controlling home devices, and working on the lock screen.
• Task Manager now displays new information, including the temperature of your GPU and your disk type.
• Settings gets many small tweaks, including adding a header with account information, and a redone network status page that combines information that used to be found on multiple pages, such as your IP address, current connection properties and data usage.
• The Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) gets more features. It now uses a real Linux kernel, and is faster than previously.
• IT can now take advantage of Windows Hello biometrics logins rather than passwords, by setting that up as the default on enterprise devices.
• Installing and setting up Windows for others has been made easier thanks to new controls added to Dynamic Update, which can lead to less downtime during installation for users.
• A variety of new commands have been given to PowerShell for Delivery Optimization, a Windows networking service that reduces bandwidth consumption by sharing the work of downloading update and upgrade packages among multiple devices in business deployments.
• The security of the Chromium version of Edge has been improved, thanks to porting Application Guard to it.

Windows 10 November 2019 Update (version 1909)

Release date: Nov. 12, 2019

Version 1909, called the Windows 10 November 2019 Update, is the most recent update to Windows 10. There are very few new features in this update, making it more like a service pack of old than a feature update. At this point it’s not clear whether in the future there will be one full-featured update and one service-pack-like update per year or whether Microsoft will go back to its two-feature-updates-a-year schedule. For more details, see “What we know so far about the unusual Windows 10 1909” and “5 unanswered questions about Windows 10 1909.”

Here’s a quick summary of what’s new for users in 1909.

• It lets you create calendar events straight from the taskbar. To do it, click the time on the taskbar and you’ll open the Calendar view. Now click a date and time, then type the event’s name into the text box. You’ll also be able to choose the date, time and location.
• When you type a search into the search box, it will now search through files in your OneDrive account as well as on your PC. Also, as you type, a drop-down menu with suggested files appears. Click a file to open it.
• Voice assistants in addition to Cortana, including Amazon’s Alexa, will be able to run on Windows 10’s lock screen.
• Under-the-hood improvements should speed up the performance of some PCs, as well as increase the battery life in some laptops.
• The Start Menu has gotten minor tweaks. When you hover over items in the navigation pane on the left side of the menu, the items clearly show what you’re about to click.

What IT needs to know: The following features in 1909 are of note for IT staff.

• Windows containers no longer need to have their host and container versions match. That requirement restricted Windows from supporting mixed-version container pod scenarios. Previously, containers from older versions of Windows 10 couldn’t be run on newer versions of Windows 10. In this update, it’s possible, so that a container made using 1903, for example, can be run on 1909.
• Windows Defender Credential Guard, which protects enterprise users’ logins and credentials against theft, is now available for ARM64 devices. Some Windows 10 convertible PCs use ARM64.
• Enterprises can now use Microsoft’s Intune enterprise mobility management (EMM) service to allow devices running Windows 10 in S mode to install and run Win32 (desktop) apps. Before this, S Mode only allowed devices to run apps from the Microsoft Store. Microsoft Store apps don’t run on the desktop.
• The security of BitLocker encryption has been improved. Whenever BitLocker is used to encrypt a device, a recovery key is created, but before this security improvement, it was possible for an unauthorized user to get access to the recovery key and decrypt the device. Now, PCs have additional security if a key is exposed. Here’s how Microsoft explains the change: “Key-rolling or Key-rotation feature enables secure rolling of Recovery passwords on MDM managed AAD devices upon on demand request from Microsoft Intune/MDM tools or upon every time recovery password is used to unlock the BitLocker protected drive.”

There are two known issues in this update: one in which some users cannot set Win32 program defaults for certain app and file type combinations using the Open with… command or Settings > Apps > Default apps, and another in which Microsoft Notepad and other Win32 programs cannot be set as default applications.

(Get more info about KB4464455.)

Windows 10 October 2018 Update (version 1809)

Release date: October 2, 2018; paused October 5; re-released November 13, 2018

Version 1809, called the Windows 10 October 2018 Update, is the feature update that preceded the May 2019 Update. Here’s a quick summary of what’s new for users in it. (For more details, see our full review.)

• A new, powered-up Windows Clipboard can hold multiple clips, store clips permanently, let you preview clips and choose which one you’d like to paste into a document, and share clips across Windows 10 devices.
• A new screenshot and annotation tool called Snip & Sketch lets you capture and annotate the entire screen, a rectangular portion of the screen or a freehand-drawn portion of it. After you take a screen capture, you can annotate it and then save it to a file, copy it to the Clipboard, open it in another program or share it via email, social media and other methods.
• Storage Sense, which helps save storage space, now works with OneDrive Files On-Demand to clean out files you’ve downloaded from OneDrive cloud storage to your PC but that you don’t use any longer. You can choose how long you would like the cloud files to stay on your PC unused before you want them deleted, from never to 60 days.
• The Microsoft Edge browser lets you set autoplay permissions for sound and video on websites on a site-by-site basis. It also lets you look up word definitions in its built-in eReader for books and PDFs, and mark up PDFs and books using a highlighter and by adding notes.
• The new Your Phone app links Windows 10 devices to iOS and Android phones. It allows you to start web browsing on an iOS or Android device and then continue where you left off on your PC. It also lets you view photos on your Android phone from your Windows 10 PC.
• Search Previews have been powered up slightly. You no longer need to click to display the preview panel; it opens automatically. It also now shows files found on your PC.
• Smaller changes include a new dark theme for File Explorer; the addition of the SwiftKey swipe keyboard, which lets you enter text by swiping a finger across an onscreen keyboard; updates that are less intrusive; and faster sign-ins on shared PCs.

What IT needs to know: There are few significant changes that affect IT in the Windows 10 October 2018 Update, other than New Microsoft Edge Group Policies that let admins enable and disable full-screen mode, printing, the favorites bar, and browser history saves. IT can also allow or ban Edge extensions (not that there are many available) and configure the Home button and new tab page and startup options.

Windows 10 April 2018 Update (version 1803)

Release date: April 30, 2018

Version 1803, called the Windows 10 April 2018 Update, is the major update to Windows 10 that preceded the October 2018 Update. Here’s a quick summary of what’s new for users in it. (For more details, see our full review.)

• The most important new feature is Timeline, which lets you review and resume activities and open files you’ve started on your PC, or any other Windows PCs you have. It also tracks what you’ve done on iOS and Android devices if you install Microsoft’s digital assistant Cortana on them and are logged in. It shows a list of activities day by day for up to 30 days. Each activity shows up as a large tile, with the file name and document title or URL and website name across it, and the name of the application or app that created it across the top. Click any activity to reopen it. (Note that at present, Timeline only tracks activities in certain Microsoft programs such as the Edge browser and Office applications.)
• The new Diagnostic Data Viewer is supported, which Microsoft is designed to let you see the “diagnostic data collected from your Windows devices, how it is used, and to provide you with increased control over that data.” However, the information is presented in such a complex, technical way that even programmers will likely have a difficult time understanding it. The viewer isn’t built directly into the Windows 10 April 2018 Update. Instead, you have to download it from the Microsoft Store.
• The My People feature now lets you pin up to 10 contacts on the Windows taskbar. Previously, you could only pin up to three.
• Microsoft Edge gets several minor tweaks, including a revamped Hub, the ability to mute auto-playing audio in tabs, and a forms-filler for web-based forms.
• The Notebook feature of Cortana gets a new, cleaner interface for its Notebook. It now has two tabs, Organizer and Manage Skills. The Organizer makes it easier to create lists and set reminders. The Manage Skills tab lets you add “skills” to Cortana, such as controlling your home and its appliances, connecting Cortana to music services such as Spotify, tracking your fitness and more.
• You get more control over app permissions, such as whether they can access your camera, location and contacts.

What IT needs to know: IT staff should be aware of these features that are new in the Windows 10 April 2018 Update:

• Windows 10 Professional now gets the Windows Defender Application Guard, which protects Microsoft Edge. There’s also a new feature in the application guard that lets users download files inside Edge instead of directly to the operating system, as a way to increase security.
• There are new policies for Group Policy and Mobile Device Management (MDM) that can better control how Delivery Optimization is used for Windows Update and Windows Store app updates. You can also now monitor Delivery Optimization using Windows Analytics.
• Windows AutoPilot also gets a tweak that lets IT make sure policies, settings and apps are provisioned on devices before users begin using them.
• Windows gets the Linux curl and tar utilities for downloading files and extracting .tar archives built directly into Windows. Windows also now natively supports Unix sockets (AF_UNIX) with a new afunix.sys kernel driver. That will make it easier to port software to Windows from Linux as well as from other Unix-like operating systems.
• There are a host of improvements to the Windows Subsystem for Linux, which lets you run a variety of Linux distributions on Windows 10. Linux applications can run in the background, some launch settings for Linux distributions can be customized, and Linux applications have been given access to serial devices. The new Unix sockets report is available for the Windows Subsystem for Linux as well as Windows itself.
• The Windows 10 Pro for Workstations version of Windows 10 gets a new power scheme called Ultimate Performance it’s only for desktop PCs, not those that can be powered by batteries. In addition, Windows 10 Pro for Workstations no longer ships with games like Candy Crush or other similar consumer-focused apps. Instead, it features enterprise- and business-related apps.
• Administrators have been given the power to configure an enterprise’s PCs to run custom scripts during feature updates, which will make configuration and deployment easier.

For  more details, see the Microsoft blog post “Making IT simpler with a modern workplace.”

Windows 10 Fall Creators Update (version 1709)

Release date: October 17, 2017

Version 1709, called the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update, is the major update to Windows 10 that preceded the April 2018 Update. Here’s a quick summary of what’s new for users in it. (For more details, see our full review.)

• OneDrive gets a new feature called Files On-Demand that gives you access to all of your OneDrive files on every device, without having to download them first. You’ll be able to see all the files you have in OneDrive, even if they’re only in the cloud and not on your PC. Icons tell you which are local and which are in the cloud. Just open the file, and if it’s not on your PC, it gets downloaded.
• The new My People feature lets you pin three contacts to the Windows taskbar and then communicate with them instantly without having to open a separate app such as Skype or Mail. You can also click to see a list of all communications between them and you at a glance.
• You can now send web links from your iOS or Android device to your PC and have them open in Microsoft Edge.
• Cortana gets several new features, including displaying results in a scrollable flyout panel, so you don’t have to launch a web browser.
• Microsoft Edge gets some minor improvements, including better Favorites handling and the ability to mark up PDFs and e-books.
• Security has been beefed up, including the addition of Windows Defender Exploit Guard, which includes intrusion rules and policies to protect against a variety of threats, notably zero-day exploits. A new anti-ransomware feature called Controlled Folder Access has also been added; it lets only approved apps have access to Windows system files and folders.
• New privacy features include the ability to review the kinds of devices and services apps from the Microsoft Store want access to before you download them.
• The update incorporates Microsoft’s new design system and guidelines, called Fluent Design. Overall, transitions are smoother, and there are subtle changes to the transparency effect.

What IT needs to know: IT staff should be aware of these features that are new in the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update:

• The notoriously insecure SMBv1 networking protocol, exploited in recent ransomware attacks including WannaCry and Petya, won’t be included on clean installs of the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update, but SMBv1 components will remain if you do in-place upgrades on PCs that already have the component installed.
• Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection (ATP), a suite of tools introduced in Windows 10 that helps enterprise customers protect their users and networks against threats and respond to attacks, is being beefed up. Among other things, it will run on the Windows Server OS.
• ATP is also part of Windows Defender Application Guard for Microsoft Edge, available only for Windows 10 Enterprise Edition. It protects against malware attacks by confining visits to unknown or untrusted websites to a virtual machine, so that attacks can’t spread to a PC or the network.
• Windows AutoPilot, which improves self-service deployments of Windows 10 PCs, gets a variety of tweaks, including better mobile device management (MDM) services.
• Windows Analytics’ new Device Health tool gathers information on how PCs perform in an enterprise, and based on that, identifies potential issues and outlines steps to resolve them.
• Enterprises get more control over what kind of information Windows Analytics gathers for the IT staff. In order to improve users’ privacy, IT staff can limit the information collected by Windows Analytics to only diagnostic data.

For more details about new features for IT, see “What’s new in Windows 10, version 1709 IT Pro content,”  “Announcing end-to-end security features in Windows 10” and “Delivering the Modern IT promise with Windows 10” from Microsoft.

Windows 10 Creators Update (version 1703)

Release date: April 5, 2017

Version 1703, dubbed the Creators Update, is the major update to Windows 10 that preceded the Fall Creators Update. Here’s a quick summary of what’s new for users in the Creators Update. (For more details, see our full review.)

• It helps you better organize the Start menu by letting you put multiple tiles for apps into a single folder — for example, you can group all social media apps into one folder.
• Users are given a bit more control over the update process: They can delay an update for three days and keep delaying it in three-day increments, or choose specific times for updates to install.
• The Edge browser has gotten some improvements, including having Flash disabled by default for security reasons and supporting the ePub and PDF formats for reading books and other content.
• Microsoft added some 3D and virtual reality features, including running HoloLens virtual reality and mixed reality apps for the first time, and introducing a Paint 3D app for creating 3D objects.
• System settings that previously were in multiple locations have been consolidated into the Settings app.
• There’s a new all-in-one security dashboard called Windows Defender Security Center that consolidates many security and computer health settings and information.
• New gaming features include streaming gaming sessions over the internet; a Game Mode to improve gaming performance; and a Game bar to let you record your gameplay, take screenshots and perform games-related tasks.
• The Cortana personal assistant gets a few modest additions, including scheduling monthly reminders and helping you set up devices.

What IT needs to know: IT staff should be aware of these features that are new in the Windows 10 Creators Update:

• Security has been improved in a number of ways, including adding new features and insights into Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) to better investigate and respond to network threats. Among the new features are sensors in memory, better intelligence and improved remediation capabilities.
• Several new configuration service providers (CSPs) available in the Creators Update let administrators manage Windows 10 devices through Mobile Device Management (MDM) or provisioning packages. The DynamicManagement CSP, for instance, can enable or disable certain device features depending on location, network presence or time.
• New mobile application management capabilities can protect data on personal mobile devices without requiring each device to be part of the corporate MDM.
• The Windows Configuration Designer (previously called Windows Imaging and Configuration Designer) includes new wizards to make it easier to create provisioning packages, including for desktop devices, Windows mobile devices, Surface Hub devices, HoloLens devices and kiosk devices.
• Enterprise security administrators get a more comprehensive documentation library for Windows Defender Antivirus.
• If an enterprise-wide update policy hasn’t been configured, users with Windows Pro, Windows Enterprise or Windows Education editions have much more control over how Windows updates. With the Creators Update, users can now automatically delay cumulative monthly updates for up to 30 days, and can delay feature updates by up to 365 days.

For more details about new features for IT, see the Microsoft blog posts “Windows 10 Creators Update advances security and best-in-class modern IT tools” and “What’s new in Windows 10, version 1703 IT pro content.”

Microsoft and Apple have for decades been seen as the Yin and Yang of the tech world, with Microsoft’s products portrayed as being for buttoned-corporate drones, while Apple’s were for the truth seekers and rebels — the people willing to stand up to those in power. 

Those cliches reflected the way the company’s founders and long-time CEOs were depicted as well: Steve Jobs the rebel, Bill Gates the business drone.

My, how times have changed. These days Apple CEO Tim Cook has become one of tech’s Sycophants-in-Chief to US President Donald J. Trump, while Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, in his own quiet way, has been the only tech exec to face the president down when necessary. 

Apple whipsaws from 1984 to the Trump era

Jobs built Apple’s mystique in two ways: creating beautifully designed, groundbreaking products and launching ad campaigns that made people feel that if they used Apple products it would prove they were rebels, free thinkers, and creatives who fought the stultifying status quo and forged their own unique path in the world.

The most well-known Apple ad from that time was the “1984” Super Bowl ad introducing the Macintosh; it showed Big Brother and his brainwashed minions defeated by a beautiful young woman armed only with a sledgehammer. The message was clear: the about-to-be released Mac would free the world from corporate drones and dull, Windows PCs.

Thirteen years later, in 1997, Apple doubled down on the message with its “Think Different” ad campaign; it portrayed groundbreaking rebels who fought the status quo, including Martin Luther King and Mahatma Gandi. The message was the same as in  1984: use a Mac to prove that you’re one of the freethinking rebels who can change the world. 

Flash forward to today. Apple CEO Cook has proved that he’s anything but a rebel. To broadcast his support for Trump and all he represents, he was front and center at Trump’s inauguration last year. Since then, he’s been in meetings with Trump multiple times, and praised Trump’s “leadership and focus on innovation.” He knows that Trump loves bling, so he very publicly gave Trump a gift made in large part of 24 karat gold.

There’s more…and worse. Only hours after ICE agents murdered Alex Pretti in Minnesota by shooting him in the back 10 times while he lay defenseless on the ground, Cook attended the gala White House screening of the new Melania Trump documentary. All the guests, including Cook, were given commemorative popcorn boxes served by gloved waiters, and a framed screening ticket.

Conservative political strategist Rick Wilson framed the scene succinctly, “If you’re a CEO willing to sit in the company of this regime, your ‘shareholder value’ excuse feels pretty blood-soaked tonight.” (Cook did later release a statement calling for “deescalation,” saying he was heartbroken over Pretti’s death and had spoken to Trump about it.)

Cook has done more to support Trump than just praise him and stroke his ego. Under his leadership, Apple has actively supported ICE. Apple banned from its app store apps such as ICEBlock that allow people to track the movement of ICE troops and warn others when sweeps are underway. When the Trump administration asked that ICEBlock be removed from the store, Apple quickly complied. Apple wrote to tell ICEBlock creator Joshua Aaron that the app was removed because it contains “objectionable…defamatory, discriminatory, or mean-spirited content.”

Not exactly the actions one would expect of a company that once extolled leaders such as King and Ghandi.

Microsoft stands up to Trump

Unlike Apple under Cook, Microsoft under Nadella’s leadership has stood up to Trump. Nadella didn’t attend Trump’s inauguration, and unlike Cook, he hasn’t made any attempt to stroke Trump’s ego — no gold gifts, no ‘Melania’ film galas. 

In addition, Microsoft fired the law firm of Simpson Thacher & Bartlett when it agreed to give Trump $125 million in free legal work after Trump threatened it. Microsoft made abundantly clear that’s why it fired the firm – for a replacement, it hired Jenner & Block, which has sued the Trump administration instead of giving in to it.

Then came Trump’s demand that Microsoft fire Lisa Monaco, its recently appointed President of Global Affairs, a former Biden administration official. (Monaco was second in command of Biden’s Justice Department and oversaw the prosecutions of Trump for misusing classified documents and trying to overturn the 2020 presidential election.)

Trump implicitly threatened to kill Microsoft’s billions of dollars in federal contracts if the company refused to fire her. He wrote on Truth Social, “Corrupt and Totally Trump Deranged Lisa Monaco…has been shockingly hired as the President of Global Affairs for Microsoft, in a very senior role with access to Highly Sensitive Information. Monaco’s having that kind of access is unacceptable, and cannot be allowed to stand. She is a menace to U.S. National Security, especially given the major contracts that Microsoft has with the United States Government.” 

Nadella ignored Trump. Monaco remains on the job. Microsoft’s federal contracts haven’t been pulled.

Stagnation at Apple

There’s another way that Microsoft and Apple have changed roles since Job’s days. Under Gates’ and Steve Ballmer’s leadership in the early 2000s, the company stagnated, developing little new groundbreaking technology, choosing instead to milk Windows as its cash cow. 

Under Jobs, Apple was the innovator, developing products — including the iPhone, iPad and iPod — that changed not just the tech world, but the world itself.

These days, Microsoft is playing the innovator role, helping launch the generative AI (genAI) revolution by investing in OpenAI and incorporating ChatGPT into its products via Copilot. During Cook’s tenure, Apple hasn’t released a single groundbreaking product. 

Instead, it milks the iPhone as its cash cow while everyone waits for whatever “Apple Intelligence” turns out to be.

History’s verdict

History will remember Nadella as someone who resuscitated Microsoft from a decade of inertia and stood up to Trump. It won’t be so kind to Cook. It will recall him as a technocrat who kept Apple profitable while the company stagnated technically. It will also remember the many times he bowed down to Trump. 

And Cook won’t get anything other than cold comfort from the Melania Trump commemorative popcorn box he got in return. 

Windows 11 25H2 has been released, but behind the scenes, Microsoft is constantly working to improve the newest version of Windows. The company frequently rolls out public preview builds to members of its Windows Insider Program, allowing them to test out — and help shape — upcoming features.

Skip to the latest builds

The Windows Insider program is divided into four channels:

• The Canary Channel is where platform changes (such as major updates to the Windows kernel and new APIs) are previewed. These changes are not tied to a particular Windows release and may never ship at all. Little documentation is provided, and builds are likely to be very unstable. This channel is best for highly technical users.
• The Dev Channel is where new features are introduced for initial testing, regardless of which Windows release they’ll eventually end up in. This channel is best for technical users and developers and builds in it may be unstable and buggy.
• In the Beta Channel, you’ll get more polished features that will be deployed in the next major Windows release. This channel is best for early adopters, and Microsoft says your feedback in this channel will have the most impact.
• The Release Preview Channel typically doesn’t see action until shortly before a new feature update is rolled out. It’s meant for final testing of an upcoming release and is best for those who want the most stable builds.

The Beta and Release Preview Channels also receive bug-fix builds for the currently shipping version of Windows 11. See “How to preview and deploy Windows 10 and 11 updates” for more details about the four channels and how to switch to a different channel.

Not everyone can participate in the Windows 11 Insider program, because the new operating system has more stringent system requirements than Windows 10. If your PC fails to meet the minimum hardware requirements for Windows 11, you cannot join the Windows 11 Insider Program. (See “How to check if your PC can run Windows 11.”)

Below you’ll find information about the Windows 11 preview builds that have been announced by Microsoft in the past six months. (For the Release Preview Channel, we cover builds released for the current version of Windows 11, not for earlier versions.) For each build, we’ve included the date of its release, which Insider channel it was released to, a summary of what’s in the build, and a link to Microsoft’s announcement about it.

Note: If you’re looking for information about updates being rolled out to all Windows 11 users, not previews for Windows Insiders, see “Windows 11: A guide to the updates.”

The latest Windows 11 Insider preview builds Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26220.7755

Release date: February 9, 2026

Released to: Beta Channel

For those who have turned the toggle on to receive the latest updates, this build gradually rolls out several new features, including Emoji 16.0, which contains a new set of emojis, and the ability to directly control pan and tilt for supported cameras in the Settings app.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 226220.7755.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26300.7760

Release date: February 9, 2026

Released to: Dev Channel

For those who have turned the toggle on to receive the latest updates, this build gradually rolls out several new features, including Emoji 16.0, which contains a new set of emojis, and the ability to directly control pan and tilt for supported cameras in the Settings app.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26300.7760.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 28020.1546

Release date: February 4, 2026

Released to: Canary Channel

This update, in the words of Microsoft, “includes a small set of general improvements and fixes that improve the overall experience for Insiders” running Windows.

It also fixes one bug that affected apps working with files stored on OneDrive or Dropbox.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 28020.1546.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26220.7752

Release date: February 3, 2026

Released to: Beta Channel

Those who have turned the toggle on to receive the latest updates get Sysmon functionality natively in Windows. Sysmon functionality allows you to capture system events that can help with threat detection, and you can use custom configuration files to filter the events you want to monitor. The captured events are written on the Windows event log, enabling them to be used with security applications and a wide range of use cases. (This feature is being gradually rolled out.)

The same group also gets a number of bug fixes being gradually rolled out, including for a File Explorer bug in which icons/tooltips for “Add to favorites” were missing.

(Get more info about Insider Preview Build 26220.7752.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26300.7733

Release date: February 3, 2026

Released to: Dev Channel

Those who have turned the toggle on to receive the latest updates get Sysmon functionality natively in Windows. Sysmon functionality allows you to capture system events that can help with threat detection, and you can use custom configuration files to filter the events you want to monitor. The captured events are written on the Windows event log, enabling them to be used with security applications and a wide range of use cases. (This feature is being gradually rolled out.)

The same group also gets a number of bug fixes being gradually rolled out, including for a File Explorer bug in which icons/tooltips for “Add to favorites” were missing.

(Get more info about Insider Preview Build 26300.7733.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 28020.1495

Release date: January 28, 2025

Released to: Canary Channel

This build, in Microsoft’s words, “includes a small set of general improvements and fixes that improve the overall experience [of Windows 11].” It also fixes a variety of bugs, including one that led to the Windows Update settings page hanging when loading.

The build has two known issues, one that sometimes causes all open File Explorer windows and tabs to unexpectedly jump to Desktop or Home in File Explorer, and another in which the desktop watermark is showing the wrong build number.

(Get more info about Insider Preview Build 28020.1495.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Builds 26100.7701 and 26200.7701

Release date: January 27, 2026

Released to: Release Preview Channel

This build gradually rolls out a variety of new features for Copilot+ PCs, including one in which Narrator gives you more control over how it announces on‑screen controls. You can choose which details are spoken and adjust their order to match how you navigate apps. These settings apply throughout the app to help reduce extra speech and make Narrator easier to follow.

The build also immediately rolls out a variety of new features for all PCs, including one in Data Protection Application Programming Interface (DPAPI) domain backup key management. Administrators can now set how often keys rotate automatically. This strengthens cryptographic security and reduces reliance on older encryption algorithms.

(Get more info about Insider Preview Builds 26100.7701 and 26200.7701.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26220.7670

Release date: January 27, 2026

Released to: Beta Channel

For those who have turned the toggle on to receive the latest updates, this build gradually rolls out several bug fixes, including for an issue in which the Search process was showing an icon with an X instead of a magnifying glass.

The build has five known issues, including one in which some Insiders’ apps aren’t showing in the system tray when they should be.

(Get more info about Insider Preview Build 26220.7670.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26300.7674

Release date: January 27, 2026

Released to: Dev Channel

In this build, the Dev Channel jumps ahead to receive 26300 series builds. This means that the window to switch from the Dev Channel to the Beta Channel is closed once Build 26300.7674is installed on your PC. This build for the Dev Channel is identical to the Windows 11 Build 26220.7653 release (see below).

(Get more info about Insider Preview Build 26300.7674.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26220.7653

Release date: January 21, 2026

Released to: Dev Channel

This build for the Dev Channel is identical to the January 16th Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26220.7653 released to the Beta Channel. See the writeup below for details.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26220.7653.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26220.7653

Release date: January 16, 2026

Released to: Beta Channel

For those who have turned the toggle on to receive the latest updates, this build gradually rolls out several changes, including one in which you can now set .webp images for your desktop background in Settings > Personalization > Desktop Background.

The same group also gets a number of bug fixes being gradually rolled out, including for a bug in which Settings crashed when interacting with audio devices.

The build has four known issues, including one in which some Insiders’ apps aren’t showing in the system tray when they should be.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26220.7653.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 28020.1371 

Release date: January 14, 2026

Released to: Canary Channel

This build gradually rolls out a variety of bug fixes for those who have turned the toggle on to receive the latest updates, including a bug in which File Explorer showed a white flash when navigating between pages.

There is one known issue in this build: The desktop watermark shows the wrong build number.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 28020.1371.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26220.7535

Release date: January 9, 2026

Released to: Dev & Beta Channels

For those who have turned the toggle on to receive the latest updates, this build gradually rolls out Copilot-powered image descriptions to Narrator on Copilot+ PCs, making it possible for blind and low-vision users to hear detailed, AI-generated descriptions of images, charts, and graphs.

The same group also gets a number of bug fixes being gradually rolled out, including for an issue in which File Explorer was causing explorer.exe to crash for some Insiders when invoking the context menu on the desktop.

The build has seven known issues, including one in which Settings crashes when interacting with audio devices.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26220.7535.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26220.7523

Release date: December 19, 2025

Released to: Dev & Beta Channels

For those who have turned the toggle on to receive the latest updates, this build gradually rolls out a version of Copilot on the taskbar tailored for commercial customers. It uses Work IQ as contextual information that they can reference in their Copilot chats and with Microsoft 365 AI agents. In addition, the build introduces Agent Launchers, a new framework that enables Windows apps to register AI agents and make them discoverable across the system.

The same group also gets a number of bug fixes being gradually rolled out, including one that addresses an issue in which File Explorer showed a white flash when navigating between pages.

The build has nine known issues, including one in which opening the context menu is causing explorer.exe to crash for some Insiders.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26220.7523.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 28020.1362

Release date: December 15, 2025

Released to: Canary Channel

This build gradually rolls out several new features for Copilot+ PCs, including a streamlined design for the Click to Do context menu that makes frequently used actions like Copy, Save, Share, and Open easier to access. It also rolls out new features for all PCs, including improvements to the dark mode experience in File Explorer.

A variety of bug fixes are being gradually rolled out, including one for an issue in which Settings became unresponsive when attempting to navigate to the Network & Internet section.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 28020.1362.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 28000.1340 

Release date: December 9, 2025

Released to: Canary Channel

This build has, in Microsoft’s words, a “small set of general improvements and fixes” that improve Windows. It also enables more of the new features and improvements originally released with the October non-security preview update for Windows 11.

In addition, the build fixes a bug that caused some Storage Spaces to become inaccessible or Storage Spaces Direct to fail when creating a storage cluster.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 28000.1340.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26220.7344

Release date: December 5, 2025

Released to: Dev & Beta Channels

For those who have turned the toggle on to receive the latest updates, this build offers native support for the Model Context Protocol (MCP), an open standard that gives AI agents a universal way to connect with apps, tools, and services. Agents can discover and connect to these tools and other agents via a secure, manageable Windows on-device registry (ODR). By default, all agent connectors in the Windows ODR will be contained in a secure environment with their own identity and audit trail.

In addition, Quick machine recovery (QMR) will now be turned on automatically for Windows Professional devices that are not domain joined. These devices will get the same recovery features as Windows Home users. For enterprise computers that are domain joined, nothing changes — QMR will stay off unless your organization turns it on.

Those who have turned the toggle on to receive the latest updates also get a number of bug fixes, including addressing a bug in which the search window to unexpectedly started floating above the taskbar.

The build has seven known issues, including one in which File Explorer shows a white flash when navigating between pages.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26220.7344.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26220.7271

Release date: November 21, 2025

Released to:  Dev & Beta Channels

This build introduces several features being rolled out gradually for those who have turned the toggle on to receive the latest updates. These include point-in-time restore for Windows, which lets you to quickly roll your device back to a previous state to minimize downtime and simplify troubleshooting, and (on NPU devices) fluid dictation in voice typing, which automatically corrects grammar, punctuation, and filler words as you speak.

The build also expands the availability of the Xbox full-screen experience to additional Windows 11 PCs. You can add a controller to your PC for task switching and streamlined gaming on your desktop, laptop, or tablet.

Those who have turned the toggle on to receive the latest updates also get several bug fixes, including one that resolves a hung taskbar after receiving certain notifications.

The build has seven known issues, including one in which File Explorer shows a white flash when navigating between pages.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26220.7271.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 28000.1199

Release date: November 18, 2025

Released to: Canary Channel

This build has, in Microsoft’s words, a “small set of general improvements and fixes” that improve Windows.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 28000.1199.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Builds 26100.7296 and 26200.7296

Release date: November 17, 2025

Released to: Release Preview Channel

This update introduces a wide range of features being rolled out gradually, including several for Copilot+ PCs, such as Windows Studio Effects, which provide AI-powered camera enhancements on an additional, alternative camera such as a USB webcam or your laptop’s built-in rear camera.

All Windows 11 PCs get a variety of new features being gradually rolled out, including Windows Hello Enhanced Sign-in Security (ESS), now supporting peripheral fingerprint sensors. Also, on PCs with the settings “quick machine recovery” and “automatically check for solutions” both enabled, Quick Machine Recovery now runs a one‑time scan by default instead of repeating scans in a loop. If a fix isn’t available right away, QMR will quickly point you to the most appropriate recovery options to get you back up and running.

A bug fix is being immediately rolled out to all PCs to address an issue that affects Local Security Authority Subsystem Service (LSASS), when LSASS could become unstable due to an access violation.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Builds 26100.7296 and 26200.7296.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26220.7262

Release date: November 17, 2025

Released to: Beta and Dev Channels

In this build, those who have turned the toggle on to receive the latest updates get a variety of features being gradually rolled out, including using high-definition voices for English (US) in Narrator and Magnifier that use generative AI to adjust tone and pacing for more natural, expressive speech. Also rolling out is a new “Experimental agentic features” toggle in the Settings app that enables the creation of AI agent accounts and an agent workspace, and grants agentic apps access to your Documents, Downloads, Desktop, Music, Pictures, and Videos folders. (Find out more about experimental agentic features.)

The same group also gets a variety of bug fixes rolled out gradually, including for a bug in which the Task Manager process wasn’t stopping correctly after Task Manager was closed. As a result, Task Manager might have been unexpectedly open on boot.

There are four known issues in this build, including one in which the scrollbar and footer are missing in File Explorer and when text is scaled in the dark mode version of the copy dialog.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26220.7262.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26220.7070

Release date: November 7, 2025

Released to: Beta and Dev Channels

In this build, those who have turned the toggle on to receive the latest updates get a variety of features being gradually rolled out, including the ability to choose your default dashboard in an updated Widget Board Settings.

Everyone gets an updated Quick Machine Recovery in Windows, which makes it easier and quicker to get back to a working PC. The experience in both Windows Settings and the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) has been streamlined.

A variety of bug fixes are being rolled out gradually to those who have opted to receive the latest updates, including one that fixes a bug in which the “Automatically hide the taskbar” setting unexpectedly turned off after displaying a message saying, “a toolbar is already hidden on this side of your screen.”

There are five known issues in this build, including one in which the scrollbar and footer are missing in File Explorer when text is scaled in the dark mode version of the copy dialog.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26220.7070.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 28000

Release date: November 7, 2025

Released to: Canary Channel

This build has, in Microsoft’s words, a “small set of general improvements and fixes.” There are also a variety of bug fixes, including for a bug in which the credentials window was not accessible when trying to log in to Outlook.

There are two known issues in this build, one in which sleep and shutdown aren’t working correctly for some Insiders, and the other in which the new Start menu unexpectedly scrolls to the top.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 28000.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27982

Release date: November 4, 2025

Released to: Canary Channel

This build gradually rolls out several new features, including one in which you can add, remove, and rearrange lock screen widgets such as Weather, Watchlist, and Sports on the lock screen. Windows also provides suggested widgets on the lock screen. To customize your lock screen widgets, go to Settings > Personalization > Lock screen.

Also new is a “drag tray” that appears at the top of your screen when you drag a local file from File Explorer or your desktop. You can drop the file into one of the displayed apps or select More to open the Windows share window.

A variety of bugs have been fixed, including one in which if you used your PC for a while without rebooting, explorer.exe might start crashing repeatedly.

There are two known issues in this build, one in which sleep and shutdown aren’t working correctly for some Insiders, and the other in which the new Start menu unexpectedly scrolls to the top.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27982.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26220.7051

Release date: October 31, 2025

Released to: Beta and Dev Channels

In this build, those have turned the toggle on to receive the latest updates get a variety of features being gradually rolled out, including Ask Copilot in the taskbar, which gives  you one-click access to Copilot Vision and Voice, so you can search via Copilot using text, voice, or guided support with Copilot Vision. As you type, results appear and update instantly. Turn it on by going to Settings > Personalization > Taskbar > Ask Copilot.  You can also manage whether the Copilot app launches automatically at sign-in using the “Auto start on log in” toggle in the Copilot app settings.

The same group gets a variety of bug fixes being rolled out gradually, including one to address an issue in which  interacting with a folder or its contents in Start menu could result in the folder becoming invisible.

There are four known issues in this build, including one in which the scrollbar and footer are missing in File Explorer when text is scaled in the dark mode version of the copy dialog.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26220.7051.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26220.6982

Release date: October 24, 2025

Released to: Dev Channel

In this build, those have turned the toggle on to receive the latest updates get a variety of changes being gradually rolled out, including Copy & Search, which allows you to search the text in your clipboard with a single click. When you copy text anywhere in Windows, a paste gleam will appear in your search box. Click on this gleam and your copied text will appear in the search field, allowing you to search instantly.

The same group gets a variety of bug fixes, including one for a bug in which the search icon in File Explorer sometimes infinitely looped in an animation.

There are five known issues in this build, including one in which the scrollbar and footer are missing in File Explorer when text is scaled in dark mode version of the copy dialog.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26220.6982.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27975 

Release date: October 23, 2025

Released to: Canary Channel

This build has, in Microsoft’s words, a “small set of general improvements and fixes” that improve Windows.

A variety of bugs have also been fixed, including one in which Settings crashed when accessing drive information under Settings > System > Storage. This also impacted accessing the drive information from the properties when you right-clicked a drive in File Explorer.

There are two known issues in this build, one in which sleep and shutdown aren’t working correctly for some Insiders, and the other in which the new Start menu unexpectedly scrolled to the top.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27975.)

Windows 11 Builds 26100.7015 and 26200.7015

Release date: October 21, 2025

Released to: Release Preview Channel

This update includes a wide variety of new features being rolled out gradually, including a redesigned Start menu that includes a scrollable All section, has new category and grid views, and which adapts to your screen size. The build also includes new features for Click to Do, which can now translate text into other languages. File Explorer now has a recommended files feature that shows content such as files you frequently use, have recently downloaded, or have added to your File Explorer Gallery.

Two bugs are fixed in this build: one that caused an ACCESS_DENIED error when users attempted to change passwords remotely on member servers or workgroup devices, even when they had the required permissions, and another in which protected content playback failed on some machines after installing KB506408.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Builds 26100.7015 and 26200.7015.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26220.6972

Release date: October 17, 2025

Released to: Dev Channel

In this build, those who have turned the toggle on to receive the latest updates get a new feature being rolled out slowly, which lets you add and manage your mobile devices from Settings by navigating to “Mobile Devices” under the Bluetooth & Devices section. The page allows you to view your mobile devices, add new mobile devices, and manage features such as using your device as a connected camera or accessing your device’s files in File Explorer.

Those who have turned the toggle on to receive the latest updates get two bug fixes being rolled out slowly, one for a bug that caused File Explorer to show a Catastrophic Error (0x8000FFFF) when extracting large (1.5GB+) archive files, and another that sometimes caused an old white toolbar to randomly appear in File Explorer.

There are five known issues in this build, including one in which the scrollbar and footer are missing in File Explorer when text is scaled in the copy dialog in dark mode.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26220.6972.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27971 

Release date: October 16, 2025

Released to: Canary Channel

In this build, the Notification Center can be used on secondary monitors. You’ll be able to see your calendar on any of your monitors and open Notification Center on any of them by clicking the date and time in the system tray of your taskbar. Note that this functionality will be rolled out gradually.

A variety of bugs have been fixed, including one in which File Explorer crashed when transferring files to a network drive.

There are three known issues in this build, including one in which sleep and shutdown aren’t working correctly for some Insiders.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27971.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.6780 

Release date: October 10, 2025

Released to: Beta Channel

In this build, those with Copilot+ PCs who have turned the toggle on to receive the latest updates get a handful of changes and new features, including one in Settings in which more results appear in the search flyout and let you quickly modify the settings you’re searching for.

Those with any PCs who have turned the toggle on get several changes, including a new OneDrive icon in Accounts and Homepages in Settings, and the return of the ability to enable Administrator Protection via Windows Security under Account protection.

The same group gets a variety of bug fixes, including one for an issue in the previous flight in which File Explorer frequently crashed, and another that was causing the Start menu to unexpectedly scroll to the top when interacting with it.

There are four known issues in this build, including one in which the scrollbar and footer are missing in File Explorer when text is scaled in the copy dialog in dark mode.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.6780.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26220.6780 

Release date: October 10, 2025

Released to: Dev Channel

This update is identical to Build 26120.6780 for the Beta Channel, detailed above.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26220.6780.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27965

Release date: October 8, 2025

Released to: Canary Channel

This update introduces a new scrollable Start menu, with “All” on the top level, so apps are accessible without having to navigate to a secondary page. There are also new category and grid views to browse and launch your installed apps in the “All” section. The new menu adapts its size based on your device’s screen size.

There are also several bug fixes, including one in which the taskbar was not autohiding correctly.

There are four known issues in this build, including one in which Settings may crash when accessing drive information under Settings > System > Storage. This also impacts accessing the drive information from the properties when you right-click a drive in File Explorer.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27965.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27959

Release date: October 6, 2025

Released to: Canary Channel

This update introduces the option to move the hardware indicators for brightness, volume, airplane mode, and virtual desktops to different positions on your screen, including the current bottom position and new top-left and top-center positions.

There are also a variety of bug fixes, including for one in which icons and text sometimes overlapped on the desktop when using increased text scaling.

There is one known issue in this build, in which sleep and shutdown aren’t working correctly for some Insiders.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27959.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.6772

Release date: October 6, 2025

Released to: Beta Channel

In this build, those who have turned the toggle on to receive the latest updates get a variety of new features, including Image Object select for Click to Do in Copilot+ PCs, in which you can   hover over your image to preview selectable areas. Once selected, you can copy and paste your object into other apps or use it to kick off a chat with Copilot. Also included are improvements to dark mode for File Explorer for all PCs and the ability to use peripheral fingerprint sensors with Windows Hello. These changes are rolling out gradually.

The same group gets a variety of bugs fixed, including one in which Encrypted File System (EFS) related dialogs in File Explorer weren’t responding to increased text scaling. The bug fixes are rolling out gradually.

There are five known issues in this build, including one in which some searches may show unexpected text instead of the expected results and images.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.6772.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.6772 

Release date: October 6, 2025

Released to: Dev Channel

This update is identical to Build 26120.6772, detailed above.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.6772.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.6760

Release date: September 29, 2025

Released to: Beta Channel

In this build, those who have turned the toggle on to receive the latest updates get a variety of new features, including the ability to do a network speed test straight from the taskbar. You can launch it via the Wi-Fi and Cellular Quick Settings pages or by right-clicking the network icon in the system tray. The tool opens in your default browser and supports testing Ethernet, Wi-Fi, and cellular connections. It helps in assessing network performance and troubleshooting.

The same group gets a variety of bug fixes, including for an issue in which the battery icon got out of sync with the actual charging state — for example, it would show that you weren’t plugged in when you were.

Everyone in the Beta Channel gets a variety of bug fixes, including one for developers that addresses an issue in which PIX on Windows was unable to play back GPU captures. 

There are six known issues in this build, including one in which some searches may show unexpected text instead of the expected results and images.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.6760.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26220.6760 

Release date: September 29, 2025

Released to: Dev Channel

This build is for those who have already upgraded to Windows 11 version 25H2.

In this build, those who have turned the toggle on to receive the latest updates get a variety of new features, including the ability to do a network speed test straight from the taskbar. You can launch it via the Wi-Fi and Cellular Quick Settings pages or by right-clicking the network icon in the system tray. The tool opens in your default browser and supports testing Ethernet, Wi-Fi, and cellular connections. It helps in assessing network performance and troubleshooting.

The same group gets a variety of bug fixes, including for an issue in which the battery icon got out of sync with the actual charging state — for example, it would show that you weren’t plugged in when you were.

Everyone in the Dev Channel gets a variety of bug fixes, including one for developers that addresses an issue in which PIX on Windows was unable to play back GPU captures. 

There are six known issues in this build, including one in which some searches may show unexpected text instead of the expected results and images.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26220.6760.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27954

Release date: September 25, 2025

Released to: Canary Channel

This build includes, in Microsoft’s words, “a small set of general improvements and fixes that improve the overall experience for Insiders running” Windows. It also includes fixes one bug in which you might not be able to connect to shared files and folders if you were using the Server Message Block (SMB) v1 protocol on NetBIOS over TCP/IP NetBIOS (NetBT) after the latest updates.

There is one known issue in this build, in which PIX on Windows is unable to play back GPU captures on this OS version. This will be addressed by a new PIX release, estimated to arrive by the end of September. In the meantime, if you are affected, you can use the “Send Feedback” button in PIX or contact Microsoft on the DirectX Discord server and get help via private builds.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27954.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.6690

Release date: September 19, 2025

Released to: Beta Channel

For those who have Copilot+ PCs and have turned on a toggle to receive the latest update, this build gradually rolls out several new features, including one in which Click to Do can let users translate on-screen text with just a few clicks. 

All PCs that have turned a toggle on to receive the latest updates get a variety of bug fixes rolled out gradually, including one in which File Explorer became unresponsive if a UNC server name was directly typed into address bar. There are 10 known issues in this build, including one in which the placeholder text in the Settings search box may appear vertically misaligned.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.6690.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26220.6690

Release date: September 19, 2025

Released to: Dev Channel

This build is for those who have already upgraded to Windows 11 version 25H2. 

For those who have Copilot+ PCs and have turned on a toggle to receive the latest update, this build gradually rolls out several new features, including one in which Click to Do can let you translate on-screen text with just a few clicks. 

All PCs which have turned a toggle on to receive the latest updates get a variety of bug fixes rolled out gradually, including one in which File Explorer became unresponsive if a UNC server name was directly typed into address bar. There are 10 known issues in this build, including one in which the placeholder text in the Settings search box may appear vertically misaligned.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26220.6690.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27950

Release date: September 19, 2025

Released to: Canary Channel

This build includes, in Microsoft’s words, “a small set of general improvements and fixes that improve the overall experience for Insiders running” Windows. In addition, Advanced Settings will revert to the previous “For Developers” experience after updating to this build. 

There are also a number of bug fixes, including one in which the app preview windows in the taskbar became misaligned (away from the app icon you’d clicked / hovered over) after a display resolution change. 

There are two known issues in this build, including one for developers in which PIX on Windows is unable to play back GPU captures. This will be addressed by a new PIX release, estimated to arrive by the end of September. In the meantime, anyone impacted can use the “Send Feedback” button in PIX or contact Microsoft on the DirectX Discord server and Microsoft can help provide private builds.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27950.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Builds 26100.6713 and 26200.6713

Release date: September 12, 2025

Released to: Release Preview Channel

Build 26100.6713 is for those on Windows 11 24H2, and 26200.6713 is for those on Windows 25H2.

These builds gradually roll out a large number of new features, including AI actions in File Explorer for editing images or summarizing documents, and the ability to pin favorite apps in the Windows share window to quickly access them when you need them.

The builds fix several bugs immediately, including one that disrupted Windows Update for those using Windows Server Update Services (WSUS). Additionally, several bug fixes are being gradually rolled out, including for a bug in which when Windows Sandbox was enabled, the VmmemCmFirstBoot process may have consumed large amounts of CPU after login, causing your PC to become unresponsive.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Builds 26100.6713 and 26200.6713.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.6682

Release date: September 12, 2025

Released to: Beta Channel

For those who have Copilot+ PCs and have turned the toggle on to receive the latest update, this build gradually rolls out a new Copilot prompt box in Click to Do designed to streamline interaction with Microsoft Copilot.

New emoji from Emoji 16.0 are being gradually rolled out in the emoji panel for those who have turned the toggle on to receive the latest updates.

The same group also gets a variety of bug fixes rolled out gradually, including for one that caused some PCs to bug check (green screen) while hibernating, and another in which the Shared section in File Explorer Home was visible even if there was no content to display.

There are seven known issues in this build, including one in which the placeholder text in the Settings search box may appear vertically misaligned.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.6682.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26220.6682

Release date: September 12, 2025

Released to: Dev Channel

This build is for those who have already upgraded to Windows 11 version 25H2.

For those who have Copilot+ PCs and have turned the toggle on to receive the latest updates, this build gradually rolls out a new Copilot prompt box in Click to Do designed to streamline interaction with Microsoft Copilot. New emoji from Emoji 16.0 are also being gradually rolled out to the same group.

The same group also gets a variety of bug fixes rolled out gradually, including for one that caused some PCs to bug check (green screen) while hibernating, and another in which the Shared section in File Explorer Home was visible even if there was no content to display.

There are seven known issues in this build, including one in which the placeholder text in the Settings search box may appear vertically misaligned.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26220.6682.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27943

Release date: September 11, 2025

Released to: Canary Channel

This build includes, in Microsoft’s words, “a small set of general improvements and fixes that improve the overall experience for Insiders running” Windows.

There are also a number of bug fixes, including for a bug that caused Settings > System > Storage > Temporary files to get stuck when scanning files. This issue also caused the entry to clean up previous Windows Installations to not show in Storage Settings.

There are five known issues in this build, including one in which audio stops working and Device Manager shows one or more devices with a yellow exclamation mark, including “ACPI Audio Compositor” and others. Selecting Properties on these devices will show “Windows cannot load the device driver for this hardware. The driver may be corrupted or missing.”

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27943.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27938

Release date: September 8, 2025

Released to: Canary Channel

This build introduces AI actions into File Explorer. These offer new capabilities when you right-click a file, such as editing a graphic or summarizing a Word document. For now, there are four of them, all related to image files. You can perform a Bing search based on an image file, blur the background in an image, erase objects in an image, and remove the background in an image.

A number of bugs have been fixed, including one that caused Task Manager to freeze when going to the performance section, and another in which the red color used for a low space drive in This PC was unexpectedly light colored.

The build has five known issues, including one in which audio stops working and Device Manager shows one or more devices with a yellow exclamation mark.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27938.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.5790 

Release date: September 5, 2025

Released to: Beta Channel

For those who have Copilot+ PCs, this build introduces fluid dictation, which makes voice-based dictation easier. It automatically corrects grammar, punctuation, and filler words as you speak, reducing the need for manual editing. In addition, being rolled out on supported Copilot+ PCs is the ability to use Studio Effect’s AI-powered camera enhancements with an additional, alternative camera — such as a USB webcam or your laptop’s built-in rear camera.

Those in the Beta Channel who have turned the toggle on to receive the latest updates get new on-hover actions in File Manager Home for faster file management.

The same group also gets a variety of bug fixes rolled out gradually, including one for a bug in which the right-click context menu in File Explorer sometimes unexpectedly switched back and forth between the normal initial view and “Show more options” with each right-click when certain apps were installed.

There are five known issues in this build, including one in which for some users, the Shared section in File Explorer Home may be visible even if there is no content to display.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.5790.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26220.5790 

Release date: September 5, 2025

Released to: Dev Channel

This build appears to be identical to Build 26120.5790 for the Beta Channel, detailed above.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26220.5790.)

Windows 11 version 25H2

Release date: August 29, 2025

Released to: Release Preview Channel

This is an early preview of next major Windows 11 release, version 25H2. Among its improvements is allowing IT admins to remove select pre-installed Microsoft Store apps via Group Policy/MDM CSP on Enterprise/EDU devices. Version 25H2 also removes PowerShell 2.0 and Windows Management Instrumentation command-line (WMIC) from Windows 11. 

Commercial customers enrolled in the Windows Insider Program for Business can use the release to begin validating Windows 11 25H2 on PCs in their organizations. For these customers, Windows 11 25H2 is available through Windows Update for Business (WUfB) and Windows Server Update Service (WSUS).  You can get more information about deploying prerelease feature updates using these deployment methods. 

Get more info about Windows 11 version 25H2.

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.5770

Release date: August 29, 2025

Released to: Beta Channel

For those who have Copilot+ PCs, this build introduces a new text action in Click to Do that lets you highlight any simple table from a source and immediately send it to Excel, copy, or share it, without retyping a single cell. You can do this from any document with an embedded table, such as a school calendar from a photo, a table shared over Teams in a meeting, and others.

Those in the Beta Channel who have turned the toggle on to receive the latest updates get several new features and improvements, including one in Narrator called Braille viewer that allows you to see on-screen textual and Braille representation of the output shown on a refreshable Braille display.

The same group also gets a variety of bug fixes rolled out gradually, including for a bug that caused explorer.exe to crash when using Alt + Tab for some Insiders.

There are four known issues in this build, including one in which for some users, the Shared section in File Explorer Home may be visible even if there is no content to display.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.5770.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26200.5770

Release date: August 29, 2025

Released to: Dev Channel

For those who have Copilot+ PCs, this build introduces a new text action in Click to Do that lets you highlight any simple table from a source and immediately send it to Excel, copy, or share it, without retyping a single cell. You can do this from any document with an embedded table, such as a school calendar from a photo, a table shared over Teams in a meeting, and others.

Those in the Dev Channel who have turned the toggle on to receive the latest updates get several new features and improvements, including one in Narrator called Braille viewer that allows you to see on-screen textual and Braille representation of the output shown on a refreshable Braille display.

The same group also gets a variety of bug fixes rolled out gradually, including for a bug that caused explorer.exe to crash when using Alt + Tab for some Insiders.

There are four known issues in this build, including one in which for some users, the Shared section in File Explorer Home may be visible even if there is no content to display.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26200.5770.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27934

Release date: August 29, 2025

Released to: Canary Channel

This build includes, in Microsoft’s words, “a small set of general improvements and fixes that improve the overall experience” on Windows.

There are also a number of bug fixes, including one for a bug that caused an increase in DWM crashes in the previous build (which could lead to you seeing a black flash).

There are three known issues in this build, including one in which the red color used for a low space drive in This PC may be unexpectedly light colored. Some of the other colors may also be incorrect, including that black instead of a more visible color is used for space remaining.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27934.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.5761

Release date: August 22, 2025

Released to: Beta Channel

Those in the Beta Channel who have turned the toggle on to receive the latest updates get several new features rolled out gradually, including one that will let you seamlessly resume using apps from your Android phone on your Windows 11 PC, starting with the Spotify app.

The same group also gets a variety of bug fixes rolled out gradually, including one that addresses an issue in which the new “Copy current user settings to the welcome screen and system accounts” setting under Time & Language > Language & Region crashed Settings for some Insiders.

There are four known issues in this build, including one in which for some users, the Shared section in File Explorer Home may be visible even if there is no content to display.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.5761.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26200.5761

Release date: August 22, 2025

Released to: Dev Channel

Those in the Dev Channel who have turned the toggle on to receive the latest updates get several new features rolled out gradually, including one that will let you seamlessly resume using apps from your Android phone on your Windows 11 PC, starting with the Spotify app.

The same group also gets a variety of bug fixes rolled out gradually, including one that addresses an issue in which the new “Copy current user settings to the welcome screen and system accounts” setting under Time & Language > Language & Region crashed Settings for some Insiders.

There are four known issues in this build, including one in which for some users, the Shared section in File Explorer Home may be visible even if there is no content to display.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26200.5761.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27928

Release date: August 20, 2025

Released to: Canary Channel

This build includes a variety of minor changes, including moving time and language settings from Control Panel to Settings. For instance, you can change your time server in Settings > Time & language > Date & time under “Additional settings.”

A number of bugs have also been fixed, including one in which File Explorer preview windows sometimes appeared when hovering over unrelated app icons in the taskbar.

There are four known issues in this build, including one in which launching cmd non-elevated from the Run dialog may open in Windows Console Host rather than Windows Terminal, even if Windows Terminal is your default terminal app. If you’re experiencing this, you can type wt into Run to launch Windows Terminal directly.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27928.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.5751

Release date: August 15, 2025

Released to: Beta Channel

This build introduces new selection modes in Click to Do for those with Copilot+ PCs. The new modes allow you to select multiple different entity types in a single gesture.

Those in the Beta Channel who have turned the toggle on to receive the latest updates get a variety of new features rolled out gradually, including one that updates the “Open with” section of the File Explorer context menu when right-clicking a file to remove the accent colored backplate behind packaged app icons in the list (for example, for Snipping Tool). The icons should now be bigger and easier to see.

The same group gets a variety of bug fixes rolled out gradually, including one for an issue in which the “Hide this pane” option for the mobile device companion for the Start menu was difficult to see if a custom accent color had been enabled.

There are five known issues in this build, including one in which some Windows Insiders may experience a rollback trying to install this update with a 0x80070005 in Windows Update.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.5751.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26200.5751

Release date: August 15, 2025

Released to: Dev Channel

This build introduces new selection modes in Click to Do for those with Copilot+ PCs. The new modes allow you to select multiple different entity types in a single gesture.

Those in the Dev Channel who have turned the toggle on to receive the latest updates get a variety of new features rolled out gradually, including one that updates the “Open with” section of the File Explorer context menu when right-clicking a file to remove the accent colored backplate behind packaged app icons in the list (for example, for Snipping Tool). The icons should now be bigger and easier to see.

The same group gets a variety of bug fixes rolled out gradually, including one for an issue in which the “Hide this pane” option for the mobile device companion for the Start menu was difficult to see if a custom accent color had been enabled.

There are six known issues in this build, including one in which some Windows Insiders may experience a rollback trying to install this update with a 0x80070005 in Windows Update. 

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26200.5751.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27924

Release date: August 14, 2025

Released to: Canary Channel

This build includes a variety of new features for Copilot+ PCs being rolled out gradually, including previews of Recall and Click-to-Do, as well as an improved Windows Search, agents to make it easier to make changes in Settings, and live captions with real-time translation.

In addition, all PCs get new advanced settings available via Settings > System > Advanced. Notable among the additions are a new Advanced page for fine-grained control.

There are also several bug fixes, including for a bug in which Remote Desktop only used your primary monitor even if it was configured to use multiple monitors.

There are six known issues in this build, including one in which if you are joining the Canary Channel on a new Copilot+ PC from the Dev Channel, Release Preview Channel, or retail, you will lose Windows Hello PIN and biometrics to sign into your PC. You should be able to re-create your PIN by clicking Set up my PIN.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27924.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26100.5061 (KB5064081)

Release date: August 14, 2025

Released to: Release Preview Channel

This build gradually rolls out a large number of new features, including one for Copilot+ PCs in which Windows Recall opens to a personalized homepage that shows you your recent activity and top-used apps and websites, making it easy to pick up where you left off.

The build also fixes several bugs, including one that prevented some system recovery features from working properly due to a temporary file sharing conflict. This affected certain device management tools and disrupted key functions on some devices.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26100.5061.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27919

Release date: August 8, 2025

Released to: Canary Channel

This build brings several Windows Search settings into a single page, via Settings > Privacy & security > Search. It also fixes a variety of bugs, including one in which File Explorer sometimes crashed when trying to view the digital signatures tab in the properties for a file.

There are six known issues in this build, including one in which if you are joining the Canary Channel on a new Copilot+ PC from the Dev Channel, Release Preview Channel, or retail, you will lose Windows Hello PIN and biometrics to sign into your PC. You should be able to re-create your PIN by clicking Set up my PIN.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27919.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26200.5742

Release date: August 8, 2025

Released to: Dev Channel

Those in the Dev Channel who have turned the toggle on to receive the latest updates get a variety of changes being gradually rolled out, including one in which the mobile device companion gets an updated layout that lets you access more information from Start. You can now scroll to access more recent activity items, including messages, calls, photos, mobile app updates and more.

In addition, the same group gets a variety of bug fixes rolled out gradually, including for a bug in which the tooltips in File Explorer unexpectedly stayed visible.

There are nine known issues in this build, including one in which in dark mode, the colors for certain items may be incorrect — for example, the red color used for a low-space drive in This PC may be unexpectedly light colored.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26200.5742.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.5742

Release date: August 8, 2025

Released to: Beta Channel

Those in the Beta Channel who have turned the toggle on to receive the latest updates get a variety of new features rolled out gradually, including one in which six time and language settings are being moved from Control Panel to Settings.

The same group also gets a variety of bug fixes rolled out gradually, including for a bug in which the tooltips in File Explorer sometimes unexpectedly stayed visible.

There are seven known issues in this build, including one in which live captions sometimes crash when you attempt to use live translation on a Copilot+ PC.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.5742.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.5733 

Release date: August 1, 2025

Released to: Beta Channel

For Insiders in the Beta Channel who are signed in with a work or school account (Entra ID) and have turned the toggle on to receive the latest updates, File Explorer will begin showing people icons under the “Activity” column on File Explorer Home and on “Recommended” at the top of File Explorer Home. When you hover or click over a people icon, it will display the Live Persona Card for that person from Microsoft 365.

Those in the Beta Channel who have turned the toggle on to receive the latest updates also get a variety of bug fixes rolled out gradually, including one that addresses an issue that caused the Start menu to crash for some Insiders.

There are seven known issues in this build, including one in which live captions sometimes crash when you attempt to use live translation on a Copilot+ PC.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.5733.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26200.5733

Release date: August 1, 2025

Released to: Dev Channel

For Insiders in the Dev Channel who are signed in with a work or school account (Entra ID) and have turned the toggle on to receive the latest updates, File Explorer will begin showing people icons under the “Activity” column on File Explorer Home and on “Recommended” at the top of File Explorer Home. When you hover or click over a people icon, it will display the Live Persona Card for that person from Microsoft 365.

In addition, those in the Dev Channel who have opted to receive the latest updates get a variety of bug fixes rolled out gradually, including one that addresses an issue that caused the Start menu to crash for some Insiders.

There are nine known issues in this build, including one in which in dark mode, the colors for certain items may be incorrect — for example, the red color used for a low-space drive in This PC may be unexpectedly light colored.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26200.5733.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27913

Release date: July 30, 2025

Released to: Canary Channel

This build, according to Microsoft, “includes a small set of general improvements and fixes that improve the overall experience for Insiders running this build on their PCs.”

It also fixes a variety of bugs, including one in Settings in which the Windows Vista boot sound was unexpectedly being used instead of the Windows 11 boot sound.

There are two known issues in this build, including one in which if you are joining the Canary Channel on a new Copilot+ PC from the Dev Channel, Release Preview Channel, or retail, you will lose Windows Hello PIN and biometrics to sign into your PC. You should be able to re-create your PIN by clicking Set up my PIN.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27913.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.5722 

Release date: July 28, 2025

Released to: Beta Channel

In this build, AMD- and Intel-powered Copilot+ PCs get a new AI-based agent that will change your settings when you ask it to customize your PC in some way. You can describe what you need help with, such as “how to control my PC by voice” or “my mouse pointer is too small,” and the agent will recommend the right steps you can take to address the issue. The agent uses AI to understand your intent, and with your permission, it automates and executes tasks on your behalf. It works only if your primary display language is set to English.

In addition, those in the Beta Channel who have turned the toggle on to receive the latest updates get several new features rolled out gradually, including one in which Windows can apply enterprise pins more quickly to the taskbar when initiated by the IT admins. It reduces the gap between an IT admin applying the pinning policy and when their users see a pin on their taskbar. Today, the policy only applies when Explorer restarts. With this change, the gap is only up to ~8 hours (policy refresh interval) and sidesteps the Explorer restart requirement.

The same group also gets a variety of bug fixes rolled out gradually, including one that addresses problems (such as not supporting the swipe-up gesture) with using touch to navigate the new Start menu.

Everyone in the Beta Channel gets a single fix for a bug in which external graphics cards connected over Thunderbolt were unexpectedly not discoverable in some cases.

There are four known issues in this build, including one in which live captions sometimes crash when you attempt to use live translation on a Copilot+ PC.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.5722.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26200.5722 

Release date: July 28, 2025

Released to: Dev Channel

This build is identical to Build 26120.5722 for the Beta Channel. See the listing above for details.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26200.5722.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27909

Release date: July 25, 2025

Released to: Canary Channel

This build, according to Microsoft, “includes a small set of general improvements and fixes that improve the overall experience for Insiders running this build on their PCs.”

It also fixes a variety of bugs, including one in Settings in which the the battery percentage was missing from the top of System > Power & Battery.

There are five known issues in this build, including one in which if you are joining the Canary Channel on a new Copilot+ PC from the Dev Channel, Release Preview Channel, or retail, you will lose Windows Hello PIN and biometrics to sign into your PC. You should be able to re-create your PIN by clicking Set up my PIN.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27909.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.4741

Release date: July 18, 2025

Released to: Beta Channel

In this build, AMD- and Intel-powered Copilot+ PCs get a new “describe image” action in Click to Do that shows detailed descriptions of images, charts, and graphs, offering a quick overview of the visual content. Snapdragon-powered Copilot+ PCs received the feature previously.

In addition, those in the Beta Channel who have turned the toggle on to receive the latest updates get several new features rolled out gradually, including one in which you can more easily find and use lock screen widgets. The feature can be enabled or disabled with the Discover widgets toggle under Settings > Personalization > Lock screen.

The same group also gets two bug fixes rolled out gradually, including for a bug in which Notification Center content sometimes got clipped if you’d enabled the clock in Notification Center.

There are eight known issues in this build, including one in which using touch to navigate the new Start menu may not work reliably. For example, it currently does not support the swipe-up gesture.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.4741.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26200.5710

Release date: July 18, 2025

Released to: Dev Channel

In this build, AMD- and Intel-powered Copilot+ PCs get a new “describe image” action in Click to Do that shows detailed descriptions of images, charts, and graphs, offering a quick overview of the visual content. Snapdragon-powered Copilot+ PCs have already received the feature.

Those in the Dev Channel who have turned the toggle on to receive the latest updates get a variety of new features rolled out gradually, including one that offers suggestions to help you discover new widgets. The feature can be enabled or disabled using the Discover widgets toggle under Settings > Personalization > Lock screen.

In addition, a variety of bug fixes are being rolled out gradually to the same group, including one that fixes an underlying issue with dbgcore.dll, which led to explorer.exe and some other apps crashing.

There are eight known issues in this build, including one in which multiple error pop-ups about unexpected elements may appear when opening Group Policy Editor.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26200.5710.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27902

Release date: July 17, 2025

Released to: Canary Channel

This build, according to Microsoft, “includes a small set of general improvements and fixes that improve the overall experience for Insiders running this build on their PCs.”

It also fixes two bugs, including one in which the Camera app got stuck on some PCs after switching between front and back camera.

There are six known issues in this build, including one in which if you are joining the Canary Channel on a new Copilot+ PC from the Dev Channel, Release Preview Channel, or retail, you will lose Windows Hello PIN and biometrics to sign into your PC. You should be able to re-create your PIN by clicking Set up my PIN.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27902.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26200.5702

Release date: July 14, 2025

Released to: Dev Channel

In this build, Snapdragon-powered Copilot+ PCs get a new “describe image” action in Click to Do, which shows detailed descriptions of images, charts and graphs, offering a quick overview of the visual content. Support for AMD and Intel-powered Copilot+ PCs will be coming soon.

In addition, those in the Dev Channel who have turned the toggle on to receive the latest updates get a variety of bug fixes rolled out gradually, including Administrator protection, a security feature that aims to protect free floating admin rights for administrator users allowing them to still perform all admin functions with just-in-time admin privileges. This feature is off by default and needs to be enabled via Windows Security under Account protection or via group policy.

The same group gets a variety of bug fixes rolled out gradually, including one for a bug that caused random File Explorer preview windows to appear when hovering over unrelated app icons in the taskbar.

There are eight known issues in this build, including one in which multiple error pop-ups about unexpected elements may appear when opening Group Policy Editor.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26200.5702.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.4733

Release date: July 14, 2025

Released to: Beta Channel

In this build, Snapdragon-powered Copilot+ PCs get a new “describe image” action in Click to Do, which shows detailed descriptions of images, charts, and graphs, offering a quick overview of the visual content. Support for AMD and Intel-powered Copilot+ PCs will be coming soon.

In addition, those in the Beta Channel who have turned the toggle on to receive the latest updates get a variety of bug fixes rolled out gradually, including Administrator protection, a security feature that aims to protect free floating admin rights for administrator users, allowing them to still perform all admin functions with just-in-time admin privileges. This feature is off by default and needs to be enabled via Windows Security under Account protection or via group policy.

A variety of bug fixes are being rolled out gradually to the same group, including one that addresses an issue in which app updates sometimes caused the icons for app shortcuts pinned to the desktop to become white pages rather than proper thumbnail images.

There are eight known issues in this build, including one in which using touch to navigate the new Start menu may not work reliably. For example, it currently does not support the swipe-up gesture.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.4733.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27898

Release date: July 11, 2025

Released to: Canary Channel

This build introduces Quick machine recovery, a feature introduced as part of the Windows Resiliency Initiative at Ignite 2024. When enabled, it automatically detects and fixes widespread issues on Windows 11 devices using the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE). This reduces downtime and avoids the need for manual fixes. If a device experiences a widespread boot issue, it enters WinRE, connects to the internet, and Microsoft can deliver a targeted fix through Windows Update. IT admins can enable or customize this experience for their organization through the Intune Settings Catalog UI using the RemoteRemediation CSP.

There are five known issues in this build, including one in which if you are joining the Canary Channel on a new Copilot+ PC from the Dev Channel, Release Preview Channel, or retail, you will lose Windows Hello PIN and biometrics to sign into your PC. You should be able to re-create your PIN by clicking Set up my PIN.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27898.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26100.4762 (KB5062660)

Release date: July 10, 2025

Released to: Release Preview Channel

This build gradually rolls out a number of new features, including one for admins in which the Configure Start Pins policy now includes an option to apply Start menu pins only once. This means users will receive the admin Start menu pins on their first sign-in (day 0), but afterward can personalize their pinned layout, and those changes will be retained. This policy can also be applied through group policy, in addition to the existing Configuration Service Provider (CSP).

In addition, several bug fixes are being immediately rolled out, including one that addresses an issue in which File Explorer Home unexpectedly displayed only a single folder (for example, Desktop), rather than the expected content with recent files.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26100.4762.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27891 

Release date: July 3, 2025

Released to: Canary Channel

In this build, Windows PowerShell 2.0 has been removed. A number of bugs have also been fixed, including one in which the “Reset this PC” option under Settings > System > Recovery did not work.

There are three known issues in this build, including one in which if you are joining the Canary Channel on a new Copilot+ PC from the Dev Channel, Release Preview Channel, or retail, you will lose Windows Hello PIN and biometrics to sign into your PC. You should be able to re-create your PIN by clicking Set up my PIN.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27891.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.4520

Release date: June 27, 2025

Released to: Beta Channel

Those in the Beta Channel who have turned the toggle on to receive the latest updates get new features being rolled out gradually, including 1Password passkey integration in beta.

The same group also gets a variety of bug fixes rolled out gradually, including one for a bug in which File Explorer Home crashed, potentially also making File Explorer crash on launch, since Home is the default section for File Explorer.

There are seven known issues in this build, including one in which using touch to navigate the new Start menu may not work reliably. For example, it currently does not support the swipe-up gesture.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.4520.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26200.5670

Release date: June 27, 2025

Released to: Dev Channel

Those in the Dev Channel who have turned the toggle on to receive the latest updates get new features being rolled out gradually, including 1Password passkey integration in beta.

The same group also gets a variety of bug fixes rolled out gradually, including one for a bug in which File Explorer Home crashed, potentially also making File Explorer crash on launch, since Home is the default section for File Explorer.

Everyone in the Dev Channel gets two bug fixes, including one that addresses the Windows Vista boot sound playing instead of the Windows 11 boot sound.

There are seven known issues in this build, including one in which using touch to navigate the new Start menu may not work reliably. For example, it currently does not support the swipe-up gesture.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26200.5670.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.4452

Release date: June 23, 2025

Released to: Beta Channel

In this build, Copilot+ PCs get a new Windows Recall homepage, which shows you your most recent snapshots so you can quickly return to what you were previously doing, and also displays the top three apps and websites you have spent the most time on in the past 24 hours.

In addition, those in the Beta Channel who have turned the toggle on to receive the latest updates get new features being rolled out gradually, including the option to move the hardware indicators for brightness, volume, airplane mode, and virtual desktops to different positions on your screen.

Some additional improvements are being gradually rolled out to the same group, including the addition of a Boolean to the Configure Start Pins policy to allow admins to apply Start menu pins once. This means that a user will receive admin pins on day 0 but can then make any changes to their Start pinned layout and have those safeguarded. These changes can be optionally applied through the existing configuration service provider (CSP).

A handful of bug fixes are rolling out to the same group, including one that addresses an issue in which File Explorer Home only showed a single folder (like Desktop) and nothing else for some people.

Several bugs have been fixed for everyone in the Beta Channel, including one in which the Windows Vista boot sound played instead of the Windows 11 boot sound.

There are 10 known issues in this build, including one in which after you do a PC reset under Settings > System > Recovery, your build version may incorrectly show as Build 26100 instead of Build 26120. This will not prevent you from getting future Beta Channel updates, which will resolve this issue.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.4452.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26200.5661

Release date: June 23, 2025

Released to: Dev Channel

In this build, Copilot+ PCs get a new Windows Recall homepage, which shows you your most recent snapshots so you can quickly return to what you were previously doing, and also displays the top three apps and websites you have spent the most time on in the past 24 hours.

In addition, those in the Dev Channel who have turned the toggle on to receive the latest updates get new features being rolled out gradually, including the option to move the hardware indicators for brightness, volume, airplane mode, and virtual desktops to different positions on your screen.

The same group also gets a variety of bug fixes rolled out gradually, including one for a bug in which the File Explorer Home only showed a single folder (like Desktop) and nothing else for some people.

Everyone in the Dev Channel gets several bug fixes, including for one in which the Windows Vista boot sound played instead of the Windows 11 boot sound.

There are 10 known issues in this build, including one in which after you do a PC reset under Settings > System > Recovery, your build version may incorrectly show as Build 26100 instead of Build 26200. This will not prevent you from getting future Dev Channel updates, which will resolve this issue.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26200.5661.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27881 

Release date: June 19, 2025

Released to: Canary Channel

This build introduces speech recapto Narrator. It lets you keep track of what Narrator has said and offers access to it for quick reference. With it, you can quickly access spoken content, follow along with live transcription, and copy what Narrator last said, using keyboard shortcuts.

A number of bugs have also been fixed, including one in which File Explorer crashed when the user tapped the View button using touch.

There are four known issues in this build, including one in which if you are joining the Canary Channel on a new Copilot+ PC from the Dev Channel, Release Preview Channel, or retail, you will lose Windows Hello PIN and biometrics to sign into your PC. You should be able to re-create your PIN by clicking Set up my PIN.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27881.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26100.4482 (KB5060829)

Release date: June 19, 2025

Released to: Release Preview Channel

This build gradually rolls out a number of new features, including automatic icon resizing in the taskbar to fit more apps, and a new Screen Curtain feature that blacks out the screen while Narrator reads content aloud. Also new is the ability add custom words to the dictionary in voice access.

In addition, several bug fixes are being immediately rolled out, including one that improves the Copilot key’s reliability and resolves an issue that prevented users from restarting Copilot after using the key.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26100.4482.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.4441

Release date: June 13, 2025

Released to: Beta Channel

In this build, those with Copilot+ PCs in the European Economic area get the option to export their Recall snapshots to be shared with third-party apps and websites. When they open Recall for the first time and opt into saving snapshots, they will be shown their unique Recall export code. The Recall export code will be needed if they ever choose to export their Recall snapshots to share with a trusted app or website in the future.

Those in the Beta Channel who have turned the toggle on to receive the latest updates get a variety of new features being gradually rolled out, including a bigger clock with seconds in the notification center.

The same group also gets a variety of bug fixes rolled out gradually, including one for an issue in which folders opened outside of File Explorer would open it in a new File Explorer tab, but the tab wasn’t put in focus.

There are nine known issues in this build, including one in which after you do a PC reset under Settings > System > Recovery, your build version may incorrectly show as Build 26100 instead of Build 26120. This will not prevent you from getting future Beta Channel updates, which will resolve this issue.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.4441.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26200.5651

Release date: June 13, 2025

Released to: Dev Channel

In this build, Copilot+ PCs get agents that can help make it easier to find and change settings on PCs. Rather than dig through settings, you’ll be able to simply describe what you need help with like, “how to control my PC by voice” or “my mouse pointer is too small” and an agent will recommend the right steps you can take to address the issue.

In addition, those in the Dev Channel who have turned the toggle on to receive the latest updates get a variety of new features being gradually rolled out, including a bigger clock with seconds in the notification center.

The same group also gets a variety of bug fixes rolled out gradually, including one for an issue in which folders opened outside of File Explorer would open it in a new File Explorer tab, but the tab wasn’t put in focus.

There are 13 known issues in this build, including one in which after you do a PC reset under Settings > System > Recovery, your build version may incorrectly show as Build 26100 instead of Build 26200. This will not prevent you from getting future Dev Channel updates, which will resolve this issue.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26200.5651.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.4250 

Release date: June 9, 2025

Released to: Beta Channel

Those in the Beta Channel who have turned the toggle on to receive the latest updates get a variety of new features being gradually rolled out, including a larger scrollable Start menu. The menu automatically resizes itself according to the size of your screen, and offers two views, category and grid. In addition, the “Search permissions” and “Searching Windows” settings pages have been combined so you can access all the Windows Search settings under a single page via Settings > Privacy & security > Search.

The same group also gets a variety of bug fixes rolled out gradually, including one for a bug in which input did not work for some Insiders, including when typing into Search, and with the Chinese pinyin IME candidate window, clipboard history, and the emoji panel.

For everyone in the Beta Channel, the build fixes a bug in which some people might have seen severe discoloration when connecting their PC to some older Dolby Vision displays.

There are nine known issues in this build, including one in which after you do a PC reset under Settings > System > Recovery, your build version may incorrectly show as Build 26100 instead of Build 26120. This will not prevent you from getting future Beta Channel updates, which will resolve this issue.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.4250.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26200.5641

Release date: June 9, 2025

Released to: Dev Channel

Those in the Dev Channel who have turned the toggle on to receive the latest updates get a variety of new features being gradually rolled out, including a larger scrollable Start menu. The menu automatically resizes itself according to the size of your screen, and offers two views, category and grid. In addition, the “Search permissions” and “Searching Windows” settings pages have been combined so you can access all the Windows Search settings under a single page via Settings > Privacy & security > Search.

The same group also gets a variety of bug fixes rolled out gradually, including one for a bug in which input did not work for some Insiders, including when typing into Search, and with the Chinese pinyin IME candidate window, clipboard history, and the emoji panel.

For everyone in the Dev Channel, the build fixes a bug in which some people might have seen severe discoloration when connecting their PC to some older Dolby Vision displays.

There are 12 known issues in this build, including one in which after you do a PC reset under Settings > System > Recovery, your build version may incorrectly show as Build 26100 instead of Build 26200. This will not prevent you from getting future Dev Channel updates, which will resolve this issue.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26200.5641.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27871 

Release date: June 4, 2025

Released to: Canary Channel

In this build, IT administrators can use Microsoft Intune to control the energy saver settings on Windows 11 PCs through group policies and MDM configurations.

A number of bugs have also been fixed, including one in which when Virtualization Based Security was enabled, applications dependent on virtualization, such as VMware Workstation, lost the ability to run unless the “Windows Hypervisor Platform” Windows optional component was installed on the system.

There are two known issues in this build, including one in which if you are joining the Canary Channel on a new Copilot+ PC from the Dev Channel, Release Preview Channel, or retail, you will lose Windows Hello PIN and biometrics to sign into your PC. You should be able to re-create your PIN by clicking Set up my PIN.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27871.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.4230 

Release date: June 2, 2025

Released to: Beta Channel

Those in the Beta Channel who have turned the toggle on to receive the latest updates get a new dedicated settings page for quick machine recovery, which can be found under System > Recovery > Quick machine recovery. This makes it easier to manage recovery options directly from Settings. This is being gradually rolled out.

A variety of bug fixes are being rolled out gradually to the same group, including one addressing a bug that caused File Explorer to crash performing various actions, such as when deleting files. 

For everyone in the Beta Channel, a bug is fixed in which when Virtualization Based Security was enabled, applications dependent on virtualization, such as VMware Workstation, would lose the ability to run unless the “Windows Hypervisor Platform” Windows optional component is installed on the system.

There are nine known issues in this build, including one in which after you do a PC reset under Settings > System > Recovery, your build version may incorrectly show as Build 26100 instead of Build 26120. This will not prevent you from getting future Beta Channel updates, which will resolve this issue.

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.4230.)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26200.5622 

Release date: June 2, 2025

Released to: Dev Channel

In this build, those with Copilot+ PCs get a new action in Click to Do, Draft with Copilot in Word. Select text, press the Windows key and click simultaneously, and choose Draft with Copilot in Word. Copilot will create an initial draft based on the text.

Those in the Dev Channel who have turned the toggle on to receive the latest updates get new features being rolled out gradually, including quick machine recovery, designed to help Windows 11 devices recover from widespread boot issues by applying remediations through the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE).

The same group also gets several bug fixes, including for an issue in which File Explorer crashed when performing various actions, such as deleting files.

There are eight known issues in this build, including one in which taskbar icons may appear small even though the setting to show smaller taskbar buttons is configured as “never.”

(Get more info about Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26200.5622.)

More than 1,000 Google employees have signed an open letter urging the company to sever its business ties with the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP), according to CNBC.

In the letter, the employees condemn what they describe as escalating violence linked to federal immigration operations and refer to several high-profile deaths in the US. They write that they are concerned about how the company’s technology can be used by authorities. According to the letter, Google Cloud is used in connection with CBP’s surveillance system, and the company’s technology supports solutions used by ICE.

The employees demanded that management disclose all contracts and collaborations with the authorities and terminate them. In addition, the signatories want an internal information meeting about the company’s agreements with the US Department of Homeland Security and military actors. They also call for concrete protective measures for employees, including expanded opportunities for remote work and support in immigration matters.

Google did not immediately comment on the letter.

While competitors face increasing component coats and shrinking demand, Apple’s spring 2026 collection seemingly strikes a far more optimistic note. Apple is broadening its market, while others contract, and right now appears focused on delivering faster, better products at mid-range prices.

The company is on the cusp of introducing new Macs, tablets, and smartphones aimed directly at the market segment its competitors dominate, capitalizing on their woes by applying additional pricing pressure. All these devices will run all the artificial intelligence you want them to run, while remaining resolutely the systems that already lead in any user satisfaction survey you want to name. 

What’s coming?

Most of what Apple has planned has already been discussed; those plans include the first iteration of much improved Siri and Apple Intelligence services, supported by the tactical partnership with Google Gemini. And also:

• The iPhone 17e: Replacing the iPhone 16e, the $599 smartphone will carry an A19 chip along with Apple’s own networking and 5G chips. It will boast the same 6.1-in. display and 48 megapixel camera as the current model and will have MagSafe support. Given the positive reception to the base iPhone 17, the budget-friendly model should be popular as it delivers a lot of phone for the price. It’s expected to appear later this month.
• A new entry-level iPad equipped with the A18 chip — and an M4-powered iPad Air. This brings AI to the entry-level model for the first time; both will be available as an optional 5G-capable device thanks to Apple’s own 5G chip. 
• Pro Macs: Apple isn’t just about the mid-range; it’s about to apply pressure at the high-end, too, with new MacBook Pro models equipped with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips. These are expected to instantly bump Apple’s existing M5 MacBook to third place in the processor performance charts, which Apple now dominates in this price range. 

And another thing

What do you do when you sell the best PCs for most people’s needs? You work toward making those solutions available to even more people, and Apple has a plan to do just that coming down the pipe with its low-cost A-series MacBook model. 

Scheduled for later this year, the latter will deliver so much value for its price that it will put even more pressure on competitors in the mid-range. It will effectively be the ultimate mass-market AI PC — even as big competitors such as Dell quietly withdraw from promoting their products on the back of that emerging market.

Apple is also future proof, because as well as running its own AI solutions, its hardware can also support third-party services, including running AI services on device.

What happens next?

Apple is extending its reach across a much broader market than ever before. It’s doing so through a highly focused strategy of vertical integration, expanding its space across the supply chain through a pricing push enabled by its strategic investments in proprietary component manufacturing innovation.

The company’s decision to focus on making its own high-value processors and other silicon chips inside its hardware has enabled it to scale down costs, letting it reach for mid-priced markets while still offering products worthy of its name. So, while competitors must feed an array of high-value component suppliers (as well as themselves), Apple feeds a smaller number of mouths, replacing some of the most valuable pieces with its own proprietary designs now made on its behalf by contract manufacturers. 

This focus gives Apple far more business flexibility, particularly in current market conditions where component costs reach for the skies. Apple might have to pay more to its manufacturing partners, but other vendors must also pay more for those high-value chips.

Along with the popularity and reputation Apple has already built, its ability to broaden its market by tight control of manufacturing gives the company a brand-new economic advantage, something its looming mid-range product launches show the company is willing to exploit.

Whether through accident, design, or simple serendipity, the work Apple has been doing on silicon and supply chain management across the last 10 years means it now sits in the cat bird seat as the PC industry enters what seem to be “interesting times.” When it comes to the mid-range, Apple is ready to take a bite.

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