KB5083631

Microsoft has released preview update KB5083631 (26200.8313) for Windows 11, versions 25H2/24H2. The cumulative update package KB5065426 (Build 26200.8313) is intended for Windows 11, version 25H2 (Windows 11 2025 Update) and (Windows 11 2024 Update) and Windows 11 LTSC 2024 based on x64 (amd64) and ARM64 processors.

Updated: 01.05.2026. The KB5083631 (Build 26100.8328) Preview update for Windows 11, version 24H2 is available for installation in Windows Update as a preview update and for manual download from the Microsoft Update Catalog.

• Xbox Mode. New: Xbox Mode is now available on Windows 11 PCs — laptops, desktops, and tablets. The interface is inspired by the Xbox console: full-screen mode puts games front and center and removes unnecessary distracting background elements. The mode is designed for situations where the user wants to lean back in a chair, pick up a gamepad, and focus on the game. Xbox Mode can be launched in three ways: through the Xbox app, through Game Bar settings, or by pressing Win + F11.
• Folder display consistency in File Explorer. Improvement: increased consistency of folder display. View settings (sort by name, icon size) now apply in all folder-opening scenarios. If you open the same folder from another application — for example, from a web browser — the set parameters are automatically preserved. The improvement is especially noticeable in the Downloads folder when grouping by date is turned off.
• File Explorer performance. Improvement: increased speed and performance of File Explorer startup. Improvement: fixed a white flash when launching File Explorer in dark theme if This PC is selected as the start page, as well as when resizing the details pane.
• Preview anyway button. New: a Preview anyway button has been added to the File Explorer preview pane for files downloaded from the internet. The button appears after the warning is displayed.
• New archive formats. New: the list of supported archive formats has been expanded. File Explorer now works with uu, cpio, xar, and NuGet packages (nupkg).
• Reliability of explorer.exe. Improvement: increased reliability of terminating related explorer.exe processes after closing File Explorer windows.
• Haptic feedback. New: on compatible input devices, haptic feedback now works for certain actions — for example, when aligning objects in PowerPoint, attaching or resizing windows. You can enable or disable haptic signals in Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Mouse, Touchpad, or Pen > Haptic signals. The feature is supported on Surface Slim Pen 2, ASUS Pen 3.0, and MSI Pen 2 with haptic feedback. Support for other compatible devices, including certain mice (e.g., Logitech MX Master 4), may appear as hardware manufacturers release updates.
• Voice input on the touch keyboard. New: voice input on the touch keyboard has received a simpler and more intuitive interface. The updated design has abandoned the full-screen overlay — voice input animations are now displayed directly on the dictation key, helping you stay focused on your work.
• Arabic 101 Legacy layout. New: a new Arabic 101 Legacy layout has been added. It can be selected when setting up the keyboard for the Arabic language in Time & language > Language & region. The layout is intended for those who prefer to use a keyboard design that existed before recent changes to the AltGr key behavior.
• Reliability of tool and emoji panel settings. Improvement: increased reliability of custom tool settings in Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Wheel. Improvement: improved preservation of Fluid Dictation settings when using voice input. Improvement: increased reliability of keyboard navigation on the emoji panel (Win + Period). Improvement: increased reliability of text input when using the ADLaM layout.
• Drop Tray (formerly Drag Tray). New: the Drag Tray panel has been renamed to Drop Tray. Feature settings have been moved from the Nearby sharing section to Settings > System > Multitasking. Drop Tray now uses a reduced preview area. This prevents accidental triggers and makes it easier to close the panel when working near the top edge of the screen.
• Agents on the taskbar. New: Windows gets a new way to monitor agent work directly from the taskbar. The feature supports agents in both native and third-party applications. The first to implement it was Researcher in the Microsoft 365 Copilot app. When Researcher prepares a report, Windows shows progress on the taskbar so you can quickly check the work status. When you hover over the Microsoft 365 Copilot icon, real-time progress is displayed. After the work is complete, Windows sends a notification. Clicking the notification or the app icon opens Copilot to view and use the finished report. Developers can utilize the new API in their applications through the Windows.UI.Shell.Tasks API.
• Enterprise State Roaming (ESR). New: the Enterprise State Roaming feature is now managed through Windows Backup for Organizations policies. This simplifies configuration for IT administrators.
• Policy for removing preinstalled Microsoft apps. New: support for a dynamic list of removable apps has been added to the Remove Default Microsoft Store packages policy for Windows Enterprise and Education editions. Administrators can remove additional MSIX/APPX format applications by specifying their package family names via Group Policy. The dynamic list is not yet available in the Intune settings catalog. Configuration must be done via Group Policy or a custom OMA-URI.
• Windows driver policy update. New: the update improves Windows security by changing the kernel's trust rules for third-party drivers. By default, the kernel no longer trusts cross-signed drivers. Only drivers from the Windows Hardware Compatibility Program (WHCP) and a list of trusted legacy drivers are allowed. Windows checks driver compatibility for at least 100 hours and three reboots before enforcing restrictions.
• Security and performance improvements for batch files. New: administrators and Application Control for Business policy authors gain additional control over batch file and command-line script (CMD) processing. You can now enable a more secure processing mode that prevents batch files from being modified during execution. To activate the mode, add a registry parameter: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Command Processor, LockBatchFilesWhenInUse (DWORD): 0 (disabled) or 1 (enabled). Policy authors can also enable the mode via the LockBatchFilesWhenInUse control element in the application manifest.
• Microsoft Store. Fixed: reduced number of unexpected errors when downloading and installing applications from the Microsoft Store. Specifically, errors 0x80070057, 0x80240008, and 0x80073d28 have been fixed.
• Leelawadee UI fonts. Improvement: the Leelawadee UI font family for Thai, Lao, Khmer, and the Lontara script has been refined. Glyph sequence, positioning, and rendering have been improved.
• Audio and midisrv.exe. Improvement: increased compatibility of third-party drivers with the midisrv.exe process.
• Taskbar and system tray. Improvement: increased reliability of loading the system tray area on the taskbar.
• Windows Hello Face and Fingerprint. Improvement: increased reliability of Windows Hello Face (facial recognition). Improvement: improved preservation of Windows Hello Fingerprint (fingerprint login) data during system updates.
• Disk and volume management. Improvement: increased performance when navigating to the large volume management section via Settings > System > Storage > Advanced storage settings > Disks & volumes. Change: increased the FAT32 formatting limit via the command line — from 32 GB to 2 TB.
• Delivery Optimization. Improvement: optimized RAM usage. Reduced likelihood that the Delivery Optimization service will consume an unexpectedly large amount of memory.
• Display, graphics, and color profiles. Improvement: improved preservation and accessibility of color profile settings for supported monitors.
• Kiosk mode. Improvement: simplified configuration of allowed packaged applications in kiosk mode in cases where Microsoft Edge is included in the allowed applications list.
• Startup performance. Improvement: increased performance of startup applications after system boot — referring to applications shown in Settings > Apps > Startup.
• Overall reliability of explorer.exe. Improvement: made fundamental changes that increase the reliability of explorer.exe. Improvements affect system sign-in, interaction with taskbar pop-up menus and Task View, unpinning items from the Quick Access area in File Explorer, and other scenarios. Feature availability may vary depending on device and market.

After activating the new driver trust rules, a small number of cross-signed drivers may become blocked. The dynamic list of removable apps in the Remove Default Microsoft Store packages policy is not yet available in the Intune settings catalog — configuration must be done via Group Policy or a custom OMA-URI.

This non-security update includes quality improvements. Below are the main changes that apply after installing the update. [Secure Boot] Improvement: additional data on point sampling of highly reliable devices has been added to Windows quality updates. This expands the set of devices eligible to automatically receive new Secure Boot certificates. New certificates are delivered to devices only after a sufficient number of successful update installation signals have been accumulated — rollout remains controlled and phased. [Windows Security] Improvement: improved logging of events related to CVE-2024-30098. The log now indicates the name of the affected application. This simplifies identification of applications that use smart card certificates and may require updating due to recent security changes.

Installation: go to Settings > Windows Update and click Check for updates. A system restart is required to complete installation. After the update, the Windows 11 build number will change to 26200.8313.

How the new features work:

Xbox Mode: When activated via Win+F11, Xbox app or Game Bar, the system switches the shell (explorer.exe) to full-screen mode with game rendering priority. It uses an isolated environment via GameInput and Xbox Game Bar API. Background notifications and desktop visual effects are disabled, reducing input latency. The mode works even on tablets without a keyboard.

Folder display consistency in File Explorer: File Explorer now saves view settings (e.g., Sort by name) in the registry under HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Streams. When opening a folder from an external app, Explorer calls the same view-mounting logic as normal startup, ensuring consistent icon sizes and grouping settings.

File Explorer performance: Startup of explorer.exe is accelerated by asynchronous loading of shell extensions. Dark theme no longer causes a white flash — the list pane (SysListView32) now initializes with the correct background color before the first render. Resizing the details pane delay has been fixed.

Preview anyway button: When trying to preview a file with Mark-of-the-Web (MotW), Explorer inspects the :Zone.Identifier alternate stream. If ZoneId=3 (internet), instead of automatic blocking, a button appears. Clicking it temporarily removes the block for the current preview session but never removes MotW from the file.

New archive formats: Explorer uses the libarchive library (or built-in ArchiveExtractor) to parse new formats: .uu, .cpio, .xar, .nupkg. Extraction works via WinRT API Windows.Storage.Compression. For .cpio, header variants (ASCII, CRC, binary) are supported.

Reliability of explorer.exe: When closing Explorer windows, the system correctly terminates child explorer.exe processes launched for separate tabs (e.g., via Shell Experience Host). Improved synchronization with DCOM and response timeouts prevents handle leaks and hangs.

Haptic feedback: On a compatible device (e.g., Surface Slim Pen 2), the driver receives vibration commands via HID I²C from the Windows.UI.Input.Preview API. When aligning objects in PowerPoint, it calls TryGenerateHapticFeedback with HapticFeedbackType.Alignment. Frequency is controlled in the registry under HKCU\Software\Microsoft\InputPersonalization\Haptics.

Voice input on the touch keyboard: Voice input no longer uses a full-screen overlay. Instead, recognition animation is embedded into the dictation icon inside TouchKeyboard.exe. The background SpeechRuntime.exe service processes the microphone stream and passes results via TextInputHost.exe directly to the active input field.

Arabic 101 Legacy layout: In the keyboard layouts registry (HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Keyboard Layouts), an entry for 00000401 named "Arabic (101 Legacy)" has been added. This layout does not use the new AltGr-as-Ctrl+Alt behavior, reverting to old scancode handling for right Alt. Selected via GetKeyboardLayoutName.

Reliability of tool and emoji panel settings: Mouse wheel settings now save correctly to isolated storage ms-settings:wheel via ApplicationData.LocalSettings. The emoji panel (Win + .) got focus protection during fast navigation. Fluid Dictation settings are saved to HKCU\Software\Microsoft\InputPersonalization\FluidDictation.

Drop Tray (formerly Drag Tray): The file drop tray activates only when dragging to the top edge zone. Preview area reduced from 80 to 32 pixels from the edge. Settings moved to System > Multitasking (previously in Nearby sharing). Internally, IDropTarget handling with modified sensitivity thresholds.

Agents on the taskbar: Via the Windows.UI.Shell.Tasks API, an app (e.g., Copilot) reports a long background job. Windows shows progress on the taskbar icon using ITaskbarList3::SetProgressState and SetProgressValue. On hover, detailed info appears. On completion, a Toast notification is sent via ToastNotificationManager.

Enterprise State Roaming (ESR): ESR is no longer managed by separate GPOs. Roaming policies for user settings (themes, passwords, languages) are configured via Windows Backup for Organizations in Settings > Accounts > Windows Backup. Roaming data is written to an Azure AD container EnterpriseStateRoaming, not personal OneDrive.

Policy for removing preinstalled Microsoft apps: An administrator can specify a list of PackageFamilyNames (e.g., Microsoft.BingWeather_8wekyb3d8bbwe) in the Group Policy Remove Default Microsoft Store packages. Windows removes these MSIX/APPX packages via DISM.exe or Remove-AppxPackage during the next maintenance. Not yet supported in Intune.

Windows driver policy update: The kernel (ntoskrnl.exe) checks driver digital signatures. By default, cross-signed drivers (signed by a non-WHCP third party) are rejected. Only WHCP drivers and a trusted legacy driver list (registry DriverDatabase\TrustedDrivers) are allowed. The system observes stability for ≥100 hours before full enforcement.

Security and performance improvements for batch files: When LockBatchFilesWhenInUse=1 is enabled (registry HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Command Processor), cmd.exe opens .bat/.cmd files with an exclusive LockFileEx lock. This prevents script modification during execution. In App Control for Business, the element activates the same protection via CI (Code Integrity).

Microsoft Store: Fixed download errors: 0x80070057 (invalid parameter) – fixed in package URI handling; 0x80240008 (queue error) – changed synchronization in WindowsUpdateSession; 0x80073d28 (dependency) – improved dependency resolution via AppxManifest.xml. Also reduced network failures.

Leelawadee UI fonts: Updated DirectWrite engine. Fixed glyph kerning sequence for Thai, Lao, Khmer, and Lontara. Improved diacritic positioning and ClearType antialiasing. Font files updated in C:\Windows\Fonts\LeelawadeeUI*.ttf.

Audio and midisrv.exe: Improved compatibility with midisrv.exe (MIDI service). When sending system exclusive (SysEx) messages, third-party drivers now correctly handle buffers via IRP_MJ_WRITE without hangs. Fixed a thread race during MIDI port initialization.

Taskbar and system tray: The system tray (Shell_TrayWnd) now loads after explorer.exe initialization, not in parallel. Fixed missing clock, network, or sound icons. Improved WM_PAINT handling for the notification area, reducing empty trays.

Windows Hello Face and Fingerprint: During system updates, biometric data is preserved in the protected NGC (Next Generation Credentials) container. Fixed a bug that reset face data after cumulative updates. For fingerprint, improved sensor driver compatibility (e.g., Synaptics WBDI) via stable Windows Hello Face Service operation.

Disk and volume management: Accelerated loading of the "Disks & volumes" page by caching calls to VDS (Virtual Disk Service). Increased FAT32 limit from the command line from 32 GB to 2 TB – changed ClusSize parameter when calling format /FS:FAT32. Now supports large volumes, but not more than 2 TB.

Delivery Optimization: Optimized RAM usage in DoSvc (Delivery Optimization Service). When downloading peer-to-peer updates, the memory block cache reduced from 512 MB to 64 MB by default. Improved cleanup of unused segments via IDODownloadStatusCallback. Reduced peak memory leaks.

Display, graphics, and color profiles: ICC/ICM color profiles now persist when switching monitors or display modes via Windows Color System (WCS). Calibration parameters are written to the registry HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ICM\Profile and no longer reset after graphics driver updates.

Kiosk mode: When configuring kiosk mode (Assigned Access), if Microsoft Edge is listed as allowed, the system automatically permits its related packages (e.g., MicrosoftEdge.Stable), preventing launch errors. Simplified the AssignedAccessConfiguration XML schema — no longer need to list all AppX dependencies manually.

Startup performance: Startup programs (registry Run) load faster by changing scheduler priority: at system boot, apps from the Startup folder receive lower I/O priority (BACKGROUND) so the desktop appears sooner. Changes visible in Task Manager.

Overall reliability of explorer.exe: Refactored memory management and message handling in explorer.exe. Fixed rare hangs when pinning/unpinning items from Quick Access, Task View, and taskbar context menus. Implemented automatic shell restart on fatal error without losing Explorer window state.

The last 10 Windows updates: