Windows Insider builds are on hold until 2026

If you like to stay on the bleeding edge of Windows updates, you're probably well aware of the Windows Insider program, which rolls out pre-release builds for those interested in testing new features ahead of general rollout. And if you've been a member of the program for a long time, you probably also know that the development team tends to take a break during the Christmas and New Year holiday period.

This is once again the case this year after releasing a few Insider builds last week. Both the Dev and Beta Channels netted build 26220.7523 for Windows 11, version 25H2 Insiders. It brought a boatload of new features and fixes, including Ask Copilot powered by Microsoft 365 Copilot and Agents on the Taskbar, along with the Agent Launchers framework on Windows. Many of these capabilities are being rolled out in a staggered manner. You can check out the massive change log here, but it's obvious that Microsoft wants AI to become a core component of its numerous Windows experiences.

Prior to that, Windows 11, version 26H1 Insiders on the Canary Channel received build 28020.1362. This was a rare, but equally significant build in terms of new capabilities, as it finally brought the Xbox full screen experience (FSE) to more Windows 11 handheld devices, enhancements for Click To Do, and more configuration in the Settings app, among other things. Check out the full change log for this Canary build here.

With all that said, the Windows Insider team has let users on X (formerly Twitter) know that these were the last flights for this year, which essentially means that we won't be getting new builds until at least 2026. While there is no concrete date known for resumption of Insider builds yet, based on past trends, we expect them to begin quite early in 2026.

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Posted Tuesday 23 December 2025 at 3:36 am AEST (my time).

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