Build 26340.9616 for Windows 11 26H2 adds new AI search experience – Experimental

• Windows 11 build 26340.9616 is rolling out through the Experimental channel for version 26H2 with several quality improvements.
• Windows Search gets a major upgrade with inline actions to change settings, manage windows, and perform other tasks directly from Search.
• A new Battery Status widget brings PC and connected peripheral battery levels together in one place.
• Task Manager and authentication improve with process grouping and IAKerb enabled by default to reduce reliance on NTLM.

Microsoft is making the Windows 11 Insider Preview Quality Update (26340.9616) available for version 26H2 through the Experimental experience in the Windows Insider Program. In this release, the company is improving existing features and includes various fixes as part of the Windows K2 initiative.

According to the official notes, Windows 11 build 26340.9616 introduces a new Windows Search experience built with WinUI 3 that is faster, easier to scan, and can perform actions directly from the search box. Users can turn on Bluetooth or dark mode, adjust brightness, mute the device, and arrange windows without opening Settings.

Microsoft is also testing a new Battery Status widget that shows the battery levels of the computer and connected devices in one place. The build enables IAKerb by default for Windows clients to improve authentication when a domain controller isn’t directly reachable, while Task Manager can now group related background processes to make resource usage easier to understand.

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The update also includes several fixes and smaller improvements, including resolving the 0x80073712 update error related to Windows Sandbox, reducing lag with Taskbar app previews, improving security key PIN sign-in, adding font preview and installation options to File Explorer and desktop context menus, and fixing crashes caused by msmpeg2ac3dec.dll.

What’s new on Windows 11 build 26340.9616 (Experimental)

These are the new features and improvements rolling out in the Experimental channel:

Windows Search gets AI integration

Windows Search is getting a new WinUI 3 experience that promises faster, more efficient results with a cleaner design that makes information easier to scan. The bigger change is inline actions, which let you perform tasks directly from Search, including turning on dark mode or Bluetooth, adjusting screen brightness, muting the device, or arranging windows.

Search is also getting better at understanding what you mean, with improved matching for typos and synonyms. Microsoft will continue fine-tuning these improvements over the coming weeks.

The initial release supports English only, and you’ll need to restart your device after installing the build before the New Windows Search Experience feature flag appears.

New Battery Status widget

The new Battery Status widget makes it easier to track your devices’ battery levels. It gives users a unified view of battery levels for their device and connected peripheral devices, so they don’t need to hunt through different parts of Windows to check power status.

You can add the widget from Widgets board > Add widgets > Battery Status.

Windows reduces its reliance on NTLM

Windows clients now have IAKerb enabled by default, giving Windows authentication another way to work when traditional Kerberos can’t be used because a direct connection to a domain controller isn’t available.

The Kerberos extension also helps reduce reliance on NTLM while improving compatibility with modern authentication scenarios.

Task Manager makes app resource usage easier to understand

Task Manager is getting smarter about how it groups processes, allowing apps to combine separate background processes into a single unified category instead of relying only on traditional parent-child process trees.

This change should make it easier to see how an app is using system resources, with Microsoft Defender the first app to take advantage of the new capability.

Security key sign-in gets a cleaner look

The security key PIN entry experience is getting a small but welcome cleanup.

Windows 11 now removes the “other user” icon from the sign-in screen, creating a clearer and more streamlined experience when entering a security key PIN.

Other fixes

Windows 11 build 26340.9616 also introduces some smaller fixes and improvements:

• Taskbar: Fixed an issue that made app window previews slower and noticeably lag over time.
• Settings: Removed the backplate from the Settings icon when User Account Control (UAC) is triggered from within Settings.
• File Explorer: Added font preview and installation options to the File Explorer and desktop context menus.
• Windows Update: Fixed an issue causing some Insiders with Windows Sandbox enabled to encounter error 0x80073712 when installing the latest updates.
• Other: Fixed an issue with msmpeg2ac3dec.dll that was causing some apps and games to crash.

Download Windows 11 update 26340.9616

To download and install these Windows 11 builds, enroll your Devices in the Experimental channel through the “Windows Insider Program” settings from the “Update & Security” section. Once you enroll the computer in the program, you can download the build from the “Windows Update” settings by turning on the “Get the latest updates as soon as they’re available” option and clicking the “Check for Updates” button.

Alternatively, you can download the ISO files from the Windows Insider Preview Downloads page. Specific preview builds are available for a limited time only.