As part of the Windows Insider Program, Microsoft released several preview builds of Windows 11 in early October, some of which rolled out new features and improvements, while others played catch-up by bringing already announced changes to other channels.

During the first two weeks of October, the software giant made available the first preview of the new Windows Search experience. We also saw the new Battery widgets and more.

Microsoft also revealed a new option to sanitize the hard drive when using the Cloud Rebuild feature, plus improvements to File Explorer, Share, and more.

In the Experimental channel, we've seen builds 28120.3181, 26340.9616, 26340.9596, 28120.3151, 29683, and 29680. In the Beta channel, the company released builds 26220.9606, 28020.3172, 26220.9587, and 28020.3142.

In this recap, I'll highlight the latest and most noteworthy changes available through the Windows Insider Program.

In this recap, I'll highlight the latest and most noteworthy changes available through the Windows Insider Program.

Starting with the release of build 26340.9616 for version 26H2, Microsoft began the gradual rollout of the new Windows Search experience.

The new experience features an entirely new interface using WinUI 3, designed to make search faster and more efficient while using less memory.

Perhaps the most notable change is the new inline actions that let you perform tasks directly from the Search box. For example, you can switch between the light and dark mode, enable Bluetooth, adjust brightness, arrange windows, and more.

In addition, the company is adding improvements to help Windows Search understand you better, including better handling of typos and synonyms.

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