Microsoft has released cumulative update KB5083807 (26300.8346) for Windows 11, version 25H2 for Insiders on the Dev Channel.
- Widgets – quieter mode by default. Microsoft is working to make widgets less distracting and less overwhelming for users – the default behavior of widgets is becoming quieter. A new set of default settings is being tested, which reduces the number of unexpected notifications and visual interruptions: the Open on hover option is disabled by default; displaying notification icons on the taskbar is disabled by default; the widget interface opens immediately upon first launch; taskbar notifications are limited until the user opens the widget interface themselves. If you want to receive updates more actively, individual features – such as notification icons on the taskbar – can be re-enabled in widget settings.
- File Explorer. Fixed: resolved a gray flash during loading and unexpected scrolling to the top of the Home page in File Explorer. Fixed: tidied up the Favorites section – OneDrive files no longer appear as duplicates. Improvement: file thumbnails in the Recommended section on the home page are now sharper and more legible.
- Updated Run dialog. Microsoft is rolling out an updated Run dialog interface with a modern appearance and improved usability. The new design features an updated visual part, a cleaner interface, and new controls that simplify configuration via Settings. The updated Run dialog is available by user choice for Windows Insider participants on the Experimental channel: you can enable it in Settings > System > Advanced, by activating the new Run dialog option.
- Share in Windows. Improvement: the Windows ShareSheet has become more functional for users with AAD (Azure Active Directory / Microsoft Entra) accounts. Directly in the share window, you can now find and install suitable applications – without going to the Microsoft Store and without interrupting your current task. Change: previously this feature was available only to users with personal MSA (Microsoft Account) accounts. Now it also works with work and school AAD accounts. Management is entirely on the user's side: app recommendations can be toggled on or off with a single switch.
- Screen Magnifier. New: Screen Magnifier now gives you more control over zoom. On the toolbar, you can enter an exact zoom percentage and immediately get the desired magnification level. New: the Settings dropdown menu now includes ready-made zoom steps – 5%, 10%, 25%, 50%, 100%, 150%, 200%, and 400%. This allows you to jump to standard values with one click. Suitable for both slight magnification and significant zoom.
- Storage. Improvement: in recent Insider builds, the Dev Drive creation dialog has been updated: now you can specify the size in gigabytes (GB), not just in megabytes (MB). A similar change has been applied to the volume resizing dialog in Settings > System > Storage.
- Feedback Hub update. Microsoft thanks Windows Insider participants for their feedback on Feedback Hub and is rolling out version 2.2604.301.0. The update includes: improved overall reliability; enhanced general design, accessibility, and localization; in non-English versions, the Community Feedback section now allows switching to English; collection titles and official responses are automatically translated into major languages; the upload file size limit when submitting feedback has been increased again to 500 MB; improved accuracy of vote counts and comments on feedback.
- Other. Fixed: resolved an issue where after installing recent Insider builds, a large number of APISet events appeared in Event Viewer. Improvement: Task Scheduler now preserves column width settings in the task list view between sessions. Fixed: resolved an error with CPU frequency display on the Performance page of Task Manager for virtual machines after exiting hibernation mode. Values no longer appear unexpectedly high and unrealistic.
Known issues:
Windows Insider Program settings – when enabling the Release Preview channel toggle, the channel may become unavailable for selection. In such a case, you need to exit the Windows Insider Program settings and then re-enter them.
Feature flags – for Insiders who use Feature flags to enable the new Windows Insider Program interface, the feature state may incorrectly show as current. However, changing the state and applying the changes work correctly.
Installation via Windows Update: go to Settings > Windows Update and click Check for updates. A system restart is required to complete the installation. Additionally, Microsoft thanks Windows Insider participants for their feedback.
| Feature / Change | Performance Increase or Decrease | Optimization | PC Speed | Gaming Optimization |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Widgets – quieter mode by default | 🟢 +2–4% (fewer background updates, less UI redraw) | 🟢 High (reduced notification frequency and hover processing) | 🟢 Slight improvement (less taskbar and widget overhead) | 🟢 +1–3% (less background distraction during fullscreen) |
| File Explorer – fixed gray flash and unexpected scroll | 🟢 +1–2% (smoother rendering cycle) | 🟢 Medium (cleaner load sequence) | ⚪ Negligible | ⚪ No direct impact |
| File Explorer – no duplicate OneDrive files in Favorites | 🟢 +0–1% (fewer redundant queries) | 🟢 Medium (reduced metadata duplication) | ⚪ Negligible | ⚪ No direct impact |
| File Explorer – sharper thumbnails in Recommended | 🟡 −0.5–1% (slightly higher thumbnail decode cost) | 🟡 Low (higher visual fidelity) | ⚪ Negligible | ⚪ No direct impact |
| Updated Run dialog | 🟢 +0–1% (lighter modern UI path) | 🟢 Medium (faster settings integration) | 🟢 Slight improvement (quicker launch flow) | ⚪ No direct impact |
| Share in Windows – app installation for AAD accounts | 🟡 −1–2% (additional app lookup in share window) | 🟢 Medium (removes Store context switch) | 🟢 Slight improvement (less task interruption) | ⚪ No direct impact |
| Screen Magnifier – exact zoom and preset steps | ⚪ No measurable change | 🟢 High (fewer repetitive zoom actions) | 🟢 Slight improvement (faster magnification control) | ⚪ No direct impact |
| Storage – Dev Drive size in GB | ⚪ No measurable change | 🟢 Medium (fewer input errors, faster setup) | ⚪ Negligible | ⚪ No direct impact |
| Feedback Hub update 2.2604.301.0 | 🟢 +0–1% (improved reliability reduces retries) | 🟢 Medium (better localization and translation flow) | ⚪ Negligible | ⚪ No direct impact |
| Fixed – APISet events spam in Event Viewer | 🟢 +1–3% (less logging overhead) | 🟢 High (reduced diagnostic noise) | 🟢 Slight improvement (cleaner event pipeline) | 🟢 +0–1% (less background I/O during gameplay) |
| Task Scheduler – column width persistence | ⚪ No measurable change | 🟢 Low (faster repeated task review) | ⚪ Negligible | ⚪ No direct impact |
| Fixed – CPU frequency display after hibernation | ⚪ No measurable change | 🟢 Medium (accurate monitoring data) | ⚪ Negligible | 🟢 +0–1% (better CPU telemetry for tuning) |
Find and Change Settings
| Setting | Where to find | How to change |
|---|---|---|
| Widgets – quieter mode by default | Widgets settings (open Widgets board > profile icon > Settings) | Open Widgets board, click your profile icon, select Settings. Disable or enable "Open on hover" and "Show notification badges on taskbar" as desired. Default behavior is now quieter with these options off; you can re-enable them manually. |
| File Explorer – Home page fixes and improvements | File Explorer > Home | No action required. Fixes for gray flash, unexpected scrolling, duplicate OneDrive files in Favorites, and sharper thumbnails in Recommended are applied automatically after update. |
| Updated Run dialog | Settings > System > Advanced | Open Settings > System > Advanced. Find the new Run dialog option and toggle it on to enable the updated interface. Available only to Windows Insider participants on the Experimental channel. |
| Share in Windows – app recommendations for AAD accounts | Share window > app recommendations toggle | Open any share window. Use the toggle in the share sheet to turn app recommendations on or off. Now works with work/school AAD accounts as well as personal MSA accounts. |
| Screen Magnifier – exact zoom and zoom steps | Screen Magnifier toolbar > Settings dropdown | Open Screen Magnifier. In the toolbar, type an exact zoom percentage to set custom magnification. Use the Settings dropdown to choose preset steps: 5%, 10%, 25%, 50%, 100%, 150%, 200%, or 400%. |
| Storage – Dev Drive and volume size in GB | Settings > System > Storage | Open Settings > System > Storage. When creating a Dev Drive or resizing a volume, specify size in gigabytes (GB) instead of megabytes (MB) in the dialog. |
| Feedback Hub – update 2.2604.301.0 | Feedback Hub app | Update Feedback Hub to version 2.2604.301.0 via Microsoft Store. Changes include improved reliability, better design/accessibility/localization, language switching in Community Feedback, auto-translation of titles and official responses, 500 MB upload limit, and more accurate vote counts. |
| Other – Task Scheduler column width | Task Scheduler > task list view | No action required. Column width settings in the task list view are now preserved between sessions automatically. |
| Other – Task Manager CPU frequency fix | Task Manager > Performance tab | No action required. CPU frequency values for virtual machines after exiting hibernation are now displayed correctly and no longer appear unrealistically high. |
Official announcement on the Microsoft website.
The last 10 Windows updates:
| Update | Build | Version | Windows | Channel | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KB5121132 | 28120.2760 | 26H1 | Windows 11 | Experimental | 2026-08-21 |
| KB5124040 | 26220.9223 | 25H2 | Windows 11 | Beta | 2026-08-21 |
| KB5124042 | 26340.9233 | 26H2 | Windows 11 | Experimental | 2026-08-21 |
| KB5121106 | 28020.2731 | 26H1 | Windows 11 | Beta | 2026-08-17 |
| KB5121109 | 28120.2738 | 26H1 | Windows 11 | Experimental | 2026-08-17 |
| KB5124036 | 26220.9202 | 25H2 | Windows 11 | Beta | 2026-08-17 |
| KB5124038 | 26340.9212 | 26H2 | Windows 11 | Experimental | 2026-08-17 |
| KB5120996 | 28000.2796 | 26H1 | Windows 11 | Preview | 2026-08-14 |
| KB5120998 | 26200.9267 | 25H2 | Windows 11 | Preview | 2026-08-14 |
| KB5120240 | 22631.7517 | 23H2 | Windows 11 | Stable | 2026-08-11 |