Windows 11 gets improved privacy controls, better Windows Hello, and more in new builds

Windows 11 builds 26220.8271 and 26300.8276 are out with improved Settings, Windows Hello, and a new File Explorer search bar.

Microsoft has released the latest Friday Windows 11 preview builds in the Dev and Beta Channels for Windows Insiders. Build 26300.8276 is out in the Dev Channel, while build 26220.8271 is available in the Beta Channel.

Today's updates include improvements to the Settings app and privacy settings, Windows Hello enhancements, a new search bar for File Explorer, faster clipboard history, and better font rendering for certain languages.

Here is the changelog with all the features that are rolling out gradually (Microsoft is ditching gradual rollouts soon😞

[Settings]

• Based on feedback, we’re providing clarity regarding location options in Settings > Privacy & Security > Location. When Location Services is turned off, options like Default location and Allow location override are unavailable because apps and services aren’t receiving location info. To make that clearer, these options will now appear disabled (greyed out) until Location Services is turned back on.
• We have improved the reliability of navigating to Settings > Apps > Installed apps.

[File Explorer]

• We have updated iconography placement in the File Explorer search box to be more consistent across different PCs.

  

   

• Improved File Explorer reliability.
• Improved navigation pane usage for Voice Access users.

[Windows Hello]

• Improved reliability and performance of Windows Hello fingerprint after your PC wakes from sleep.

[Input]

• Improved performance of opening the clipboard history.

[Fonts]

• We’ve made some font improvements, including updating the Leelawadee UI font family for the Thai, Lao, Khmer, and Lontara scripts to help improve glyph sequencing, positioning, and rendering for these scripts.

You can find the announcement post for the Dev Channel here and the Beta Channel here.

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Posted Saturday 18 April 2026 at 7:40 am AEST (my time).

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