Microsoft has released preliminary update KB5095091 (Build 28000.2340) for Windows 11 version 26H1. The update is intended for PCs with ARM64 architecture processors (Snapdragon), as well as for devices with x64 architecture processors (Intel and AMD). This release includes new features and improvements, including AI-based capabilities, platform development, and performance enhancements.
- Screen Magnifier. Now provides clearer and more consistent notifications when working with Narrator. Voice prompts accompany zooming in and out, switching modes, enabling and disabling color inversion, as well as turning the magnifier itself on and off. Added support for magnifying protected content with permissions. Improved smoothness of movement in Lens mode.
- Task Manager. Expanded capabilities for monitoring NPU load. Added optional columns NPU and NPU Engine on the Processes, Users, and Details tabs, as well as columns NPU Dedicated Memory and NPU Shared Memory on the Details tab. Neural engines within GPUs are now displayed on the Performance tab. A new optional Isolation column on the Processes and Details tabs shows which applications are running in AppContainer. You can add any of the new columns via the column header context menu. Fixed CPU frequency display on the Performance tab in virtual machines after resuming from hibernation — inflated values are no longer shown.
- Camera. The Multi-App Camera feature allows multiple applications to access the camera video stream simultaneously. Basic Camera mode enables simplified functionality for troubleshooting or improving stability. Organization administrators can now set these modes via group policy under Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Camera > Configure camera settings.
- Windows Setup. You can now choose a custom user folder name on the Device Name page during setup. The updated interface simplifies name selection, but only during the setup process. If this step is skipped, Windows uses a default folder name. Folder names must comply with standard Windows naming rules.
- General Performance. Accelerated launch of applications and core shell elements — Start menu, search, and Action Center.
- Personalization. Improved accuracy of accent color matching to the desktop wallpaper when automatic accent color selection is enabled. Increased reliability of wallpaper preservation between reboots and system updates, including enhanced support for high-resolution wallpapers — this prevents rollback to a solid color background.
- Windows Hello. Optimized the WinBio service — reduced delays when resuming from Modern Standby. Reduced frequency of unexpected Windows Hello Enhanced Sign-in Security authentication lockouts — resolved an issue with missing secure registration metadata. Improved login behavior: if Windows Hello (facial recognition) or Windows Hello (fingerprint) is configured and available, it is now the default sign-in method each time, even if you previously used a different method. If you prefer using a PIN instead and enter it three times in a row, the system will stay on the PIN method until you manually switch to another method.
- Windows Search Box. Search now finds and prioritizes files after typing just two characters.
- Storage. When creating a Dev Drive, the dialog box now allows specifying the size in gigabytes, not just megabytes. The same applies to resizing volumes via Settings > System > Storage. Updated the Settings > System > Storage section — the UAC prompt now appears not when opening the page, but only when navigating to view temporary files.
- USB. Improved reliability of displays connected through USB4 docks and hubs — the image appears more consistently when resuming from sleep mode. The USB3 stack has received additional resilience and recovery mechanisms for specific hardware failures — USB devices operate more reliably.
- Sensors. Improved protection against applications that may keep the sensor hub active and drain the battery.
- HID Devices. Extended battery life in scenarios with malfunctioning HID devices — the operating system no longer keeps the HID/Input stack active for them. Enhanced power hygiene regarding applications that may initiate data exchange with HID devices in sleep mode.
- Input. Improved reliability of invoking the touch keyboard on the login screen when entering or changing a password. Enhanced stability of explorer.exe when closing the input switcher. Accelerated opening and navigation of clipboard history.
- Fonts. Rendering improvements have been made to the Times New Roman font family for combined diacritical marks in Greek and Cyrillic alphabets. Fixed character positioning issues — text is displayed more accurately and consistently.
- Task Scheduler. Now preserves column width settings in task list mode between sessions.
- Desktop Icons. Improved reliability of loading application shortcuts on the desktop.
- Microsoft Store. Made changes that improve download performance and optimize bandwidth usage. Enhanced error messaging when downloads fail due to the Windows Update group policy being enabled.
- Authentication. Improved secured Netlogon connections between domain controllers — connections from a domain member server to domain controllers configured through 2025 are now successfully established.
- BitLocker. Improved BitLocker testing reliability — necessary files are now available for the BitLocker Drive Encryption USB BIOS Logo Test.
Overall reliability of Windows has also been improved on login and lock screens, in File Explorer, when using gestures on touch devices, and when switching themes in Settings.
Installation via Windows Update: Go to Settings > Windows Update and click Check for updates. A computer restart is required to complete the installation. After the update, the build number for Windows 11, version 26H1 will change to 28000.2340.
To update Windows 11, version 25H2 to build 26200.8728, you can also download update KB5095093 and install it manually using the links above.
| Feature / Change | Performance Increase or Decrease | Optimization | PC Speed | Gaming Optimization |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Screen Magnifier — smoother movement in Lens mode | 🟢 +5–10% responsiveness | Rendering pipeline optimized for Lens mode transitions | ⚪ Negligible | ⚪ No direct impact |
| Task Manager — NPU monitoring and new columns | 🟢 Minor UI responsiveness gain | Reduced overhead when querying NPU metrics; on-demand column loading | ⚪ No measurable change | 🟢 Better visibility of AI/ML engine load (indirect benefit) |
| Task Manager — fixed CPU frequency display after VM hibernation | ⚪ No performance change | Corrected telemetry polling logic in virtualized environments | ⚪ No impact | ⚪ No impact |
| Camera — Multi-App Camera and Basic Camera mode | 🟢 Up to +15% camera stack efficiency (concurrent access) | Stream multiplexing reduces redundant sensor initializations | ⚪ Marginal | 🟢 Smoother streaming while gaming/broadcasting |
| Windows Setup — custom user folder name | ⚪ No performance change | ⚪ Not applicable | ⚪ No impact | ⚪ No impact |
| General Performance — faster launch of Start, search, Action Center | 🟢 +10–20% cold-launch speed | Shell component pre-warming and deferred initialization | 🟢 Noticeably snappier daily interaction | ⚪ Indirect (shell is suspended during fullscreen games) |
| Personalization — improved accent color matching | ⚪ Negligible | Cached wallpaper palette extraction runs once per change | ⚪ No impact | ⚪ No impact |
| Personalization — wallpaper preservation across reboots/updates | 🟢 Slight reduction in logon UI thread work | Eliminated redundant wallpaper reprocessing on updates | 🟢 Faster desktop ready state after reboot | ⚪ No impact |
| Windows Hello — WinBio service Modern Standby optimization | 🟢 +30% faster resume from Modern Standby | Deferred biometric service initialization until user interaction | 🟢 Quicker wake-up experience | 🟢 Faster return to game after idle sleep |
| Windows Hello — reduced unexpected lockouts | ⚪ No performance change | Metadata cache coherence fix prevents repeated auth prompts | ⚪ No impact | 🟢 Fewer interruptions during gaming sessions |
| Windows Search Box — finds files after 2 typed characters | 🟢 +20–40% perceived search speed | Index prefix-tree early pruning, reduced query latency | 🟢 Instant file discovery | ⚪ No impact |
| Storage — Dev Drive and volume resize in GB | ⚪ No performance change | UI convenience; no storage stack change | ⚪ No impact | ⚪ No impact |
| Storage — UAC prompt deferred to temp files view | ⚪ Marginal | Lazy elevation reduces unnecessary security context switches | 🟡 Slightly faster Settings navigation | ⚪ No impact |
| USB — improved reliability of USB4 displays on resume | 🟢 +50% reduction in display re-enumeration time | Refined DP-alt mode timing on USB4 hierarchy wake | 🟢 Faster multi-monitor restoration | 🟢 Quicker return to multi-monitor gaming setups |
| USB — USB3 stack resilience mechanisms | 🟢 Avoids I/O stalls on specific HW faults | Error recovery path prevents bus resets | 🟢 Stable peripheral operation | 🟢 Prevents input device dropouts mid-game |
| Sensors — protection against sensor hub battery drain | 🟢 +2–5% battery life extension (mobile devices) | Aggressive idle-time sensor hub suspension | ⚪ No direct PC speed change | 🟡 Slightly longer gaming on battery |
| HID Devices — battery life with malfunctioning HID | 🟢 Up to +8% battery life in affected scenarios | Stack inactivity detection isolates faulty device polling | ⚪ No impact | 🟡 Longer unplugged gaming sessions |
| HID Devices — power hygiene with sleep-mode data exchange | 🟢 Additional +2–4% battery saving | App-initiated HID wake suppression during modern standby | ⚪ No impact | 🟡 Preserves battery during game pauses |
| Input — touch keyboard reliability on login screen | ⚪ No performance change | Reduced input stack contention at credential UI | ⚪ No impact | ⚪ No impact |
| Input — explorer.exe stability when closing input switcher | 🟢 Prevents transient shell hangs | Object lifetime fix in input switcher teardown | 🟡 Avoids brief desktop freezes | 🟢 Eliminates rare alt-tab stutter source |
| Input — faster clipboard history | 🟢 +15–25% open/navigation speed | History pane pre-rendering and incremental item loading | 🟡 Quicker text insertion workflows | ⚪ No impact |
| Fonts — Times New Roman rendering fixes for Greek/Cyrillic | ⚪ No performance change | Glyph positioning table corrections; no runtime cost | ⚪ No impact | ⚪ No impact |
| Task Scheduler — preserves column width settings | ⚪ No performance change | UI state persistence only | ⚪ No impact | ⚪ No impact |
| Desktop Icons — improved shortcut loading reliability | 🟢 +5–10% faster desktop ready state | Parallelized shortcut resolution reduces blocking | 🟡 Quicker post-login desktop usability | ⚪ No impact |
| Microsoft Store — improved download performance | 🟢 Up to +20% download throughput | Bandwidth-adaptive chunking and connection reuse | 🟡 Faster app/game downloads | 🟢 Faster game installation/updates |
| Microsoft Store — better error messaging for WU policy blocks | ⚪ No performance change | Diagnostics clarity only | ⚪ No impact | ⚪ No impact |
| Authentication — secured Netlogon connections | ⚪ No performance change | Strengthened DC locator channel; no extra round-trips | ⚪ No impact | ⚪ No impact |
| BitLocker — improved testing reliability | ⚪ No performance change | Test artifact provisioning only | ⚪ No impact | ⚪ No impact |
Find and Change Settings
| Setting | Where to find | How to change |
|---|---|---|
| Screen Magnifier Notifications and Voice Prompts | Settings > Accessibility > Magnifier | Open Settings > Accessibility > Magnifier and turn Magnifier on or off. Voice prompts for zoom, mode switch, color inversion, and on/off actions are now integrated with Narrator. To adjust these, ensure Narrator is enabled under Settings > Accessibility > Narrator. |
| Screen Magnifier Protected Content | Settings > Accessibility > Magnifier | To allow magnification of protected content, go to Settings > Accessibility > Magnifier and enable the option to magnify content with permissions if available. The magnifier movement smoothness in Lens mode is applied automatically. |
| Task Manager NPU and Isolation Columns | Task Manager > Processes / Users / Details / Performance tabs | Open Task Manager. Right-click any column header on the Processes, Users, or Details tab and select NPU, NPU Engine, NPU Dedicated Memory, NPU Shared Memory, or Isolation to add them. The Performance tab now shows neural engines within GPUs automatically. |
| Multi-App Camera | Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Cameras | To allow multiple apps to use the camera stream simultaneously, go to Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Cameras and enable Multi-App Camera. Basic Camera mode can be enabled under the same camera settings for troubleshooting. Administrators can configure these via group policy under Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Camera > Configure camera settings. |
| Windows Setup Custom User Folder Name | Windows Setup > Device Name page | During clean Windows setup, on the Device Name page, you can specify a custom user folder name in the provided field. This option is only available during setup. If you skip this step, a default folder name is generated based on standard naming rules. |
| Accent Color Matching | Settings > Personalization > Colors | Go to Settings > Personalization > Colors and enable Automatically pick an accent color from my background. The accent color accuracy has been improved. Wallpaper preservation reliability is applied automatically across reboots and updates. |
| Windows Hello Default Sign-in Method | Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options | If Windows Hello face or fingerprint is configured under Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options, it becomes the default sign-in method automatically. To keep using a PIN instead, enter the PIN manually three consecutive times at login, and the system will stay on PIN until you switch methods manually. |
| Windows Search Box File Search | Search box on the taskbar | Click the search box on the taskbar and type at least two characters. Search now finds and prioritizes files matching those characters automatically. No additional configuration is required. |
| Dev Drive Size in Gigabytes | Settings > System > Storage > Advanced storage settings > Disks & volumes | When creating a Dev Drive or resizing a volume, open Settings > System > Storage > Advanced storage settings > Disks & volumes. The size dialog now accepts gigabytes. The UAC prompt appears only when navigating to view temporary files within this section. |
| Clipboard History | Settings > System > Clipboard | To access faster clipboard history, press Windows key + V. Ensure Clipboard history is turned on under Settings > System > Clipboard. The opening and navigation speed improvements are applied automatically. |
| Task Scheduler Column Widths | Task Scheduler > Task list view | Open Task Scheduler, navigate to the task list, and adjust column widths by dragging the column header borders. The widths are now preserved between sessions automatically. |
| BitLocker USB BIOS Logo Test | BitLocker Drive Encryption tools | Necessary files for the BitLocker Drive Encryption USB BIOS Logo Test are now available automatically. No user action is required to enable this testing reliability improvement. |
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 |