Microsoft Releases First Windows 11 26H1 Build for Canary Testers

Microsoft has just released the first 26H1 build of Windows 11 for Insiders on the Canary Channel. The company continues to use the Canary Channel to test platform changes rather than new features, and that’s exactly what Windows 11 version 26H1 is about.

“26H1 is not a feature update for version 25H2 and only includes platform changes to support specific silicon. There is no action required from customers,” the Windows Insider team said today, adding that Windows 11 remains on an annual feature update cadence.

Even though Microsoft isn’t saying it explicitly, it’s highly likely that Windows 11 version 26H1 will only ship on new Copilot+ PCs powered by next-gen ARM silicon from Qualcomm and possibly other chip makers. That’s what Windows Central’s Zac Bowden previously suggested, even though today’s 26H1 build 28000 can also be installed on x86-based PCs.

As you may remember, Qualcomm already revealed its Snapdragon X2 Elite chips back in September, and the company said that the first devices using its next-gen silicon would be released in the first half of 2026. Qualcomm may no longer be the only supplier of chips for Windows on ARM PCs, however: Nvidia’s ARM-based N1X chip leaked earlier this year, and we also saw MediaTek releasing an ARM chip for Chromebook Plus devices in April.

There’s nothing to be excited about Windows 11 version 26H1 right now, as today’s build 28000 includes no new features. “25H2 remains the primary place for new features,” the Windows Insider team emphasized today, and there’s indeed a new 25H2 preview build today for Insiders on the Dev and Beta Channel.

The main changes in the new 25H2 build 26220.7070 include the ability to re-arrange dashboards in the settings for the Widgets Board. The Widget Board navigation bar also adds numbered badges to indicate the number of alerts for each dashboard.

Today’s 25H2 build also streamlines the Quick Machine Recovery experience to help users get back up and running faster. The Smart App Control feature, which helps to block untrusted or potentially harmful apps, can also be disabled without requiring users to go through a clean install.