Articles about Windows Insider Preview

Windows 11 Preview builds are like buses. You wait a while for one, and two arrive at once. Today the software giant releases two separate builds -- one for the Beta and Release Preview Channels, and another for those on the Dev Channel.

Dev Channel flights, like Build 22454, deliver new features and changes separate from the version of Windows 11 which is set to begin rolling out next month.

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With Windows 11 set to start rolling out to compatible PCs from next month, Microsoft is hard at work identifying bugs and other problems with the new OS, as well as adding some further polish.

Windows 11 Build 22000.184 adds some improvements to the first version of the operating system, and it’s different from the new build released to Dev Insiders today.

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People who have signed up for the Windows Insider program are among the first to be able to get hands on with Windows 11, but the preview builds that have been released so far are not complete. Microsoft is still working away on the operating system ahead of next month's rollout, and CPO Panos Panay has given us a glimpse of the new Photos app that is coming.

In typically dramatic style, a "pumped" Panay describes the updated app as being "beautifully redesigned" -- and this is something you can judge for yourself thanks to the video he has shared.

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If you’re a Windows Insider in the Dev Channel, you’re about to start getting less stable, more experimental builds of Windows 11.

Build 22449, released today, follows on from Build 22000.168 released last week. The big leap in version numbers is because this new build is the first to come from the active development branch (RS_PRERELEASE). Future builds will no long match the Windows 11 that is set to roll out to users starting October 5.

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With the great (and lengthy) Windows 11 rollout set to begin at the start of next month, most of the attention is on that operating system, but Microsoft is still developing Windows 10 and rolling out new Insider builds on a regular basis.

Windows 10 21H2 Build 19044.1202 (KB5005101) is available in the Release Preview Channel now and as with previous recent releases how you’ll get it will depend on a number of things.

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People who are enrolled in the Windows Insider program who have installed Windows 11 on hardware that is not officially supported are being told by Microsoft that they need to switch back to Windows 10.

Windows 11's system requirements have been a source of confusion and frustration, but for those eager to try out the operating system, Microsoft had provided something of a loophole. For a little while now, it has been possible to install Windows 11 preview builds on hardware that does not meet the minimum requirements, but now the company is clamping down and notifying Insiders with incompatible systems to downgrade to Windows 10.

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When Microsoft first announced Windows 11, users turned to the company’s PC Health Check app to see if their systems would be able to run the new OS.

For a lot of users, the answer turned out to be no, although the app didn’t explain why. Because this was far from helpful, Microsoft two months ago took the step of removing the app. Now, today it makes it available once again, with the promise that it will actually do what it’s supposed to this time around -- tell you if your PC can run Windows 11, and if not, why not.

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Although Microsoft is expected to release Windows 11 this October, there’s still plenty of work to be done on the new operating system between then and now.

Today the software giant releases Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22000.168 to everyone in the Dev and Beta Channels, but with the warning that Dev Channel builds are set to become less stable in the future and Insiders who aren’t prepared to take that risk should consider switching to the Beta Channel.

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The official launch of Windows 11 is just two months away, but Microsoft is not done with tweaking and testing the operating system yet. Windows Insiders have already been treated to a number of increasingly interesting preview builds, and these have proved to be surprisingly stable.

But this is about to change. As development of Windows 11 ramps up ahead of the October launch, Microsoft has issued a warning that future builds are likely to be less stable -- at least for people who are part of the Dev channel.

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If you want to do a fresh Windows 11 install you can now grab ISO files for Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22000.132.

That isn’t the latest version however, as Microsoft today rolls out Build 22000.160 to everyone in the Dev and Beta Channels with some useful additions, including a new Clock app with Focus Sessions.

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Windows 11 is set to be released later in the year, but you can already run it now as part of the Windows Insider Program.

If you would like to try out the new operating system in a virtualized environment, or on a spare PC, the good news is the tech giant has made ISO files for Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22000.132 available to download now.

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Windows 11 might be on its way, but before it gets here there’s another feature update for Windows 10 set to arrive. Today, Windows 10 21H2 gets a little nearer to release with Microsoft making Build 19044.1200 (KB5005101) available to Insiders in the Release Preview Channel.

If you’re already on Windows 10, version 21H2 this update will be offered automatically. If not, you’ll need to get it via the 'seeker' experience in Windows Update, although it will only be offered to Insiders who were moved from the Beta Channel to the Release Preview Channel because their PC did not meet the hardware requirements for Windows 11.

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It’s not only the Windows operating system that’s getting a makeover, some popular Microsoft apps are also getting updated for inclusion in Windows 11.

These include the Snipping Tool, Calculator, and Mail & Calendar. Today the software giant rolls out new builds of these to Windows Insiders in the Dev Channel.

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As we inch ever nearer to the release of Windows 11, Microsoft is making its Insider builds for that OS more widely available. Case in point being Build 22000.132 which is being made to everyone in the Dev and Beta Channels.

With this build, Chat from Microsoft Teams is now available for Insiders in the Beta Channel, and one-to-one and group audio and video calling is starting to roll out too.

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With a rumored RTM date of sometime in October, Microsoft is hard at work on Windows 11 and today rolls out a new build to Insiders in the Dev Channel.

There aren’t any major new features in Build 22000.120 but there is a new Family widget and some minor tweaks to File Explorer.

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