This week Microsoft updated the Windows 11 experimental channel (the original development channel and the canary channel merged) and the test channel, launching Build 26300.8697 and Build 26220.8690 preview versions respectively. These preview versions have no new features but fix known problems, but the focus is that Microsoft upgraded the branch version of the experimental channel to version 26H2, which is an early preview version of Windows 11 26H2. The official version will be in 2026 Published around October.
The difference between experimental channel and test channel:
Although the experimental channel and test channel version numbers are different, the update log is the same. The difference is that the experimental channel version number has been officially updated to Windows 11 26H2 version, while the test channel is still Windows 11 25H2 version. Subsequent version updates may gradually separate functions, which means that the experimental channel will get more new features.
New features developed in the experimental channel will eventually be gradually pushed to the test channel. However, the higher frequency of the experimental channel changes also means that the stability will be worse. The test channel changes slightly slower but the overall stability is better than the experimental channel. Users who pursue new functions can switch to the experimental channel, but they may encounter unknown problems in daily use.
The update log is as follows:
Regular update: After users of the experimental channel update to the latest version, the version number will be displayed as 26H2 in Settings → System → About
Regular Updates: Microsoft continues to improve the visuals of Explorer, with color corrections and reliability improvements for the copy dialog in dark mode
Start Menu: Microsoft continues to improve the reliability of the Start Menu, showing newly installed apps or cleaning up recently uninstalled apps without logging out and restarting
Regular update: Microsoft continues to fix issues related to the taskbar, including an issue where the system tray area may be truncated or extend beyond the screen when using a smaller taskbar.
Regular updates: Microsoft continues to improve the reliability of Windows 11 Settings → Apps → Startup options
Regular update: This update solves the problem of crashes caused by virtualization during system restart, virtual machine operation or running certain applications.
Supplementary code: The crash codes are HYPERVISOR_ERROR (0x20001) and KMODE_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED (0x1E)