KB5089574

Microsoft released cumulative update KB5089574 (Build 26220.8544) for Windows 11, version 25H2 for insiders on the Beta Channel. The update is distributed based on Windows 11 version 25H2 through a feature enablement package (build 26220.8544).

• Unified loading indicators (donut spinners). The company is introducing new cohesive ring-shaped indicators in key Windows scenarios: boot, sign-in, restart, shutdown, and update installation. This update replaces legacy visual effects of indicators, providing a more integrated and modern experience consistent with Windows design standards. Now users will see a unified indicator behavior with corresponding status text (e.g., Restarting, Working on updates, Welcome) across all these stages, enhancing visual consistency.
• Search by Substring. Files with compound names or content (e.g., MeetingNotesApril, ProjectStatusReport) are now easily discovered when typing queries like April or status.
• Windows Ready Print (printer installation switch). Last month, a change was announced where new printers default to using IPP to simplify setup. This update adds a new switch in Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners > Install printers by default using Windows Ready Print to let users control this behavior. When the feature is enabled, Windows installs supported printers via IPP by default. When disabled, Windows may use other available installation methods. This experience is part of the modern printing platform, now called Windows Ready Print, designed for a more consistent, reliable, and simplified printing experience.

Installation via Windows Update: go to Settings > Windows Update and click Check for updates. A computer restart is required to complete the installation. To update Windows 11, version 25H2 to build 26220.8544, you can also download update KB5089574 and install it manually using the links above.

How the new features work:

Unified loading indicators (donut spinners): A unified rendering of animated ring-shaped progress indicators has been introduced at key stages of the system lifecycle (boot, sign-in, restart, shutdown, and update installation). Replacing legacy visual effects (legacy GDI or XAML animations), a component uses the DirectComposition layer for smooth rendering. The indicator synchronizes with the Session Manager, dynamically retrieving the corresponding status text from system localization resources to ensure UI flow consistency.

Search by Substring: The Windows Search indexing mechanism has been extended to support arbitrary substring search instead of only prefix matching. The system filter (Search Filter Host) tokenizes file name and property content (via IFilter), populating the index database (Windows.edb) with n-grams. When a query such as April or status is entered, the full-text search engine performs a predictive lookup against the inverted index, matching the substring against any fragment of compound names like MeetingNotesApril, returning results without requiring an exact beginning-of-word match.

Windows Ready Print (printer installation switch): A toggle has been added in the Settings app to control the automatic printer installation logic using the IPP (Internet Printing Protocol). When the option is enabled, the Print Spooler forces the PnP-X contract and the Microsoft IPP Class Driver for new devices via Win32 print queue installation APIs, bypassing legacy vendor v3/v4 installers. Disabling it triggers a fallback mechanism prioritizing WSD (Web Services on Devices) or TCP/IP ports with manual driver selection, realizing the Windows Ready Print platform to unify the printing stack.

The last 10 Windows updates: