Announcing new builds for 26 June 2026, retail launch of new WIP improvements

Hello Windows Insiders,

We have new releases today with builds across Beta and Experimental, and are excited to begin rolling out the new Windows Insider experience to retail Windows 11 builds this week!

New Windows Insider Program changes launching into retail

After validating through the Windows Insider channels, and receiving much feedback from the Insider community, we are excited to begin rolling out the new program changes into retail. This means those on standard retail Windows 11 builds (i.e. non-Windows 11 Insider Preview Builds) will begin seeing the new channel experience in the WIP UI settings. This can be found under Settings > Windows Update > Windows Insider Program.

Please note this will be a gradual roll out, so don’t worry if you are on a retail build and do not see the new channel options just yet – these will roll out to everyone over the coming weeks.

For more information about the changes that the new WIP experiences bring, read the original announcement blog here. We have also updated the Windows Insider Program website, as well as the Windows Insider Program Documentation Hub to reflect the new program changes.

If you are not currently running a Windows 11 Insider Preview Build, there has never been a better time to start flighting – you’ll get early access to new Windows 11 features, enhance your say in the development of Windows, and now in most cases, you will be able to switch channels or exit the program without having to do a full reinstall of Windows if you find it’s not working for you. See the WIP Documentation Hub for more information.

Thank you to everyone who has provided feedback on the new WIP experiences – we continue to listen to your feedback and look forward to providing more resources and updates in the coming weeks!

New builds this week

Today we are releasing new Windows 11 Insider Preview Builds. See your channel release notes here:

For those on other specific build versions, here are today’s new builds and release notes:

• Beta (26H1): Build 28020.2366
• Experimental (26H1): Build 28120.2374
• Experimental (Future Platforms) – Including Canary 29600 series: Build 29617.1000
  • Please note we have not yet launched the new Windows Insider program changes for those in Experimental (Future Platforms), currently Canary 29600 builds. We will be providing an update on this in the very near future.

Notable new features:

[Taskbar]

New Taskbar size setting

Release channel: Experimental

• Taskbar customization just got easier. As we continue to make improvements to the Taskbar experience mentioned last month, we’ve introduced a dedicated Taskbar Size setting, making it simpler to find, understand, and personalize your ideal taskbar experience.

Thanks,

Stephen and the Windows Insider Program team