- Windows 11 builds 26200.8106 and 26100.8106 (KB5079391) are available in the Release Preview Channel as the April 2026 Security Update for versions 25H2 and 24H2.
- This release includes several changes to the Settings app, tweaks to existing features, adds support for monitors with 1000Hz refresh rates, and much more.
Microsoft is rolling out Windows 11 builds 26200.8106 and 26100.8106 (KB5079391) in the Release Preview Channel as the security update for April 2026. The rollout will be available starting April 14, 2026, and the company usually starts the deployment at 1PM Eastern Time.
According to the official changelog, the 2026-03 Preview Update (KB5079391) (Build 26200.8106) makes changes to the Smart App Control to manage the feature without reinstallation, updates the About settings page structure, the Device info card in the Settings app, and the Accounts settings.
Update KB5079391 also delivers fixes and improvements for File Explorer, display, printing, Windows Hello, Safe mode, Start menu, Remote Desktop, and Audio. Also, this update fixes a particular problem with the System File Checker.
In addition, this Windows 11 release includes changes to Narrator, as well as performance and reliability improvements.
- What’s new on Windows 11 25H2 and 24H2 update KB5079391
- What’s new on Windows 11 23H2 update (TBD)
- Windows 11 April 2026 Patch Tuesday – Manual installation process
- Windows 11 April 2026 Patch Tuesday – Update history
What’s new on Windows 11 25H2 and 24H2 update KB5079391
Microsoft is currently rolling out these improvements and fixes as part of the April 2026 Security Update for Windows 11 24H2 and version 25H2.
Smart App Control improvements
The Smart App Control (SAC) feature has been updated to stop requiring a complete reinstallation of the operating system to turn it on or off.
You can manage settings in Windows Security > App & Browser Control > Smart App Control.
Narrator’s new image description
Although the Windows Narrator feature already includes rich image descriptions using AI for Copilot+ PCs, starting with the release of the update KB5079391, it now uses Copilot to generate these descriptions.
In addition, the feature is available for all devices.
You can use the “Narrator key + Ctrl + D” shortcut to describe the focused image or the “Narrator key + Ctrl + S” shortcut to describe the full screen.
Device info card tweaks
On the Home page for the Settings app, the “Device info” card has now been refined to make it easier to understand. For instance, memory and processor are easier to read.
About page changes
Starting with the release, Microsoft is rolling back the top cards to show key hardware specifications on the About page.
Also, the “Device info” section shows more hardware details, including graphics card and storage, in addition to processor, memory, system type, and more.
Microsoft also notes that the April 2026 Security Update will include performance improvements when loading the Home page in the Settings app, as well as reliability improvements when downloading updates from Settings > System > Advanced.
Accounts settings changes
Subscribers with a Microsoft 365 Family plan will see an option on the “Accounts” page in the Settings app to upgrade to another Microsoft 365 subscription. If you prefer not to see this prompt, you can disable it by turning off suggested content in Settings.
In addition, the company is also updating the dialog for when changing the account type to match the design language on Windows 11.
Pen settings update
According to the official notes, the next cumulative update for Windows 11 will include a clearer and modern pen settings page that also allows you to choose the new “Same as Copilot key” option to open the same app as the “Copilot” key.
File Explorer improvements
On builds 26200.8106 and 26100.8106, you’ll find an updated version of File Explorer that allows you to use Voice Typing to rename files.
It fixes the white flash bug when launching a new window or tab with the This PC page set as the default. Furthermore, this update fixes flashes when resizing elements of File Explorer.
Finally, the company has made reliability changes to unblock files downloaded from the internet so they can be previewed in File Explorer.
Monitor specific changes
As part of the April 2026 update, the company plans to roll out various changes for displays. For example, monitors will now report refresh rates higher than 1000Hz.
When using a native USB4 monitor connection, the USB controller can now drop to its lowest power state while the computer is asleep, improving battery life.
Auto‑rotation will behave more reliably after waking from sleep after installing this update, and HDR performance has improvements for displays that include non‑compliant DisplayID 2.0 blocks. In addition, monitors that use DisplayID now report their physical size more accurately through the WMI monitor APIs.
Other changes
The company has also released security fixes and improvements for the operating system:
- Printing: Updated downlevel baseline support for printer connections to Windows 10 1607 and Windows Server 2016 (build 14393).
- Windows Hello: Improved fingerprint reliability on certain devices.
- Safe mode: Improved reliability when loading taskbar components in safe mode.
- Voice Access: Improved detection and writing of numbers when using Voice Access in English.
- Start menu: Improved reliability when applying Start menu layout via Group Policy when desktopAppLink is present in the JSON.
- Remote Desktop: The
Set‑RDSessionCollectionConfigurationPowerShell command now recognizesDisableSeamlessLanguageBar. - Audio: Improved handling of short MIDI messages when an app initializes without providing long‑message buffers.
- System File Checker: Removed an unexpected extraneous error message that could appear when running
sfc /scannow.
Furthermore, this update improves the Natural Voices experience, and it makes the setup more reliable.
Finally, in this rollout, you’ll find improved stability in the Windows Recovery Environment (Windows RE) when running x64 apps on ARM64 devices.
What’s new on Windows 11 23H2 update (TBD)
The company has also released security fixes and improvements for Windows 11 23H2, as part of the update KB5078883.
Changes to be determined.
Also, this version of the operating system won’t receive any new features, as this release has reached the end of support.
Windows 11 April 2026 Patch Tuesday – Manual installation process
Since there’s always a chance of problems during and after applying a quality update, it’s recommended to prepare your computer by creating a restore point and a full backup before proceeding with the installation.
To download and install this Windows 11 update, you have to enroll the device in the Release Preview Channel of the Windows Insider Program, and then open the “Windows Update” settings and click the “Check for Updates” button.
If your computer has issues after installing this package, follow these instructions to uninstall the April 2026 update. If you’re unable to uninstall the update, follow these steps to recover your device.
Windows 11 April 2026 Patch Tuesday – Update history
- Initial Release – Release Preview Channel:
- Windows 11 25H2 build 26200.8106 release date: March 12, 2026. Official notes.
- Windows 11 24H2 build 26100.8106 release date: March 12, 2026. (same).
- Second Release – Optional Install (Release Preview Channel):
- Windows 11 25H2 build 26200.xxxx release date: TBD. Official notes.
- Windows 11 24H2 build 26100.xxxx release date: TBD. (same).
- Final Release – Patch Tuesday (Release Preview Channel):
- Windows 11 25H2 build 26200.xxxx release date: TBD. Official notes.
- Windows 11 24H2 build 26100.xxxx release date: TBD. (same).
- Windows 11 23H2 build 22631.xxxx release date: TBD. Official notes.
Mauro Huculak is a Windows How-To Expert and founder of Pureinfotech in 2010. With over 22 years as a technology writer and IT Specialist, Mauro specializes in Windows, software, and cross-platform systems such as Linux, Android, and macOS.
Certifications: Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate (MCSA), Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP), VMware Certified Professional (VCP), and CompTIA A+ and Network+.
Mauro is a recognized Microsoft MVP and has also been a long-time contributor to Windows Central.
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