In the latest development from Microsoft, the company has rolled out preview updates for Windows 11 versions 24H2, 25H2, and 26H1 as part of its Week D schedule, paving the way for the forthcoming October Patch Tuesday releases. Users of Windows 11 versions 24H2 and 25H2 can opt to install the preview cumulative update KB5124010, which elevates their systems to builds 26100.9550 and 26200.9550, respectively. These updates align with the Release Preview builds that were made available approximately ten days ago.
Noteworthy Enhancements
The recent updates introduce a variety of enhancements and features aimed at improving user experience:
- Refinements to File Explorer, including updates to the preview pane, Home section, thumbnail reliability, and address bar functionality.
- Support for Emoji 17.0.
- A new Tips widget for both the Widgets board and Lock screen.
- Improvements to desktop backgrounds.
- Enhanced Bluetooth functionality.
- Upgrades to the Settings app.
- Additional touchpad gesture controls for greater navigation ease.
- New options for key remapping in Copilot, specifically for the Right Ctrl and Context menu keys.
- Wi-Fi support now available in the Windows Recovery Environment.
- Fixes addressing issues with File History, Camera, and System Monitor (sysmon).
It is important to note that this will be the final monthly update for Windows 11 version 24H2, which is set to ship in stable next month, as it will reach the end of its support lifecycle on October 13, 2026. This indicates that Windows 11 version 26H2 is expected to be broadly available prior to that date.
For those utilizing version 26H1, the preview cumulative update KB5124006 can be installed to upgrade the operating system to build 28000.3086. This version is currently a month behind its counterparts, and thus this Week D update addresses the significant “pain points” that 24H2 and 25H2 received in stable earlier this month. Key features and changes include:
- A resizable Taskbar that can be repositioned to various sides of the screen.
- A customizable Start menu that can also be resized for user convenience.
- A revamped Windows Search offering a clean, distraction-free Home view, improved results filtering, and the option to disable web and Store app suggestions.
- Improvements to File Explorer, including touch scrolling support and updates aimed at enhancing performance and reliability.
- Enhanced progress indicators throughout the system, including during startup, sign-in, restart, shutdown, and update installations.
- Improved app update support to synchronize with Windows Update-based updates.
- Fixes for File History functionality.
