Microsoft is Shutting Down the Beta Channel for Windows 10 Insiders

Microsoft is shutting down the Windows 10 Insider Beta Channel just five months after launching it. Yesterday, the company released the Windows 10 preview build 19045.5194 on the Beta and Release Preview Channels, and the Windows Insider team said on this occasion that this would be the last flight for the Beta Channel.

“The Beta Channel and Release Preview Channel will receive the same Windows 10 build today just like we’ve been doing since June,” the team explained. “However, this will be the last time we release a Windows 10 build to the Beta Channel as we will be shutting down the Beta Channel for Windows 10. Insiders on Windows 10 in the Beta Channel will be moved over to the Release Preview Channel, and we will continue to release builds for Windows 10 in the Release Preview Channel only going forward.”

Windows 10 Insiders who are currently on the Beta Channel can already switch to the Release Preview Channel by going to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Insider Program. This process will still happen automatically for all Beta Channel testers, as Microsoft explained yesterday.

When Microsoft launched the Beta Channel for Windows 10 in June, the company explained that its main purpose was to “do active feature development” for people still using the OS released in 2015. In practice, Microsoft released the same Windows 10 builds for testers on the Beta and Release Preview channels and used Control Feature Rollouts (CFRs) to test new features with select Beta testers.

While Windows 10 didn’t receive any “major” update since the release of the version 22H2 in October 2022, Microsoft continues to tweak the OS with minor additions such as Copilot on Windows, new lock screen widgets, and a new account manager on the Start menu. However, with the OS about to reach end of support in October 2025 (unless you pay for Extended Security Updates), the Beta Channel had probably become redundant.

One last note about the Windows 10 Insider build 19045.5194 that was released yesterday: The only new feature that’s rolling out first to Beta Channel testers is new app suggestions in the “Recommended” section of the Start Menu. Yes, this is probably not something Windows 10 are really eager to test.