Announcing new builds for 21 August 2026

Hello Windows Insiders,

Today, we’re releasing new Windows 11 Insider Preview builds to the Beta and Experimental Channels.

Experimental Feature Flags

We’ve fixed the issue causing the Feature Flags list to show empty for Insiders in the Experimental channel. You should now see Feature Flags reappear after installation of the latest Experimental build.

New builds this week

We’re releasing new Windows 11 Insider Preview builds today. Select your channel below to view its release notes:

• Beta: Build 26220.9223
• Experimental: Build 26340.9233

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

• Experimental (26H1): Build 28120.2738

Notable new features:

[Modernized Autoplay experience]

Release channel: Experimental

• We’ve updated the AutoPlay dialog that helps you choose the preferred experience when devices are connected to your PC (e.g., a phone, camera, or removable drive). Rebuilt with WinUI, the refreshed experience is more consistent with the rest of Windows, supports dark mode, and continues to provide the familiar AutoPlay actions you use today. The experience is also more responsive to text scaling and display settings. Notifications for this dialog will now be docked in the notification center for easy access.

[Accessibility]

Release channel: Experimental, Beta

A simpler way to open apps maximized

• We are introducing a new accessibility setting, “Open apps maximized”, that automatically maximizes app windows when they open — so you no longer have to do it yourself every time. This is a small change that removes a bit of everyday friction, whether you use a screen reader or magnification, work in tablet mode, or simply prefer a consistent, full-screen workspace.
• To turn it on, go to Settings > Accessibility > Visual effects and switch on Open apps maximized. Once enabled, Windows maximizes app windows for you as they open. Give it a try and let us know how it works for you.

Thanks,

Stephen and the Windows Insider Program team