Am not receiving Windows 11 beta update

Copper Contributor

Thank you for helping. So I signed up with the windows insider program, signed up for the Windows 11 beta, and my machine says it's "up to date", but I have not received an update to get Windows 11's Beta.

33 Replies

Windows 11 hasn't yet hit the Beta Channel. It's in the Dev Channel right now. If you want Windows 11 Insider Program you'll have to go into Dev or at least try to go into Dev Channel. Dev gives you earlier access to builds that come before Beta, but can sometimes be buggy, glitchy, or can be unstable builds at times as the builds haven't yet hit Beta Channel. However unlike Beta once you're in Dev you can't exit the Insider Program or go back down to Beta Channel or the Release Preview Channel unless you do a Windows 10 clean install. You can go Release Preview to/or Beta and/or to Dev, but you can't go from Dev to Beta or Release Preview. Eventually Windows 11 will hit Beta, but at the time of this post it's still in Dev Channel builds. Here's more information about Dev vs Beta to help you decide which channel of Windows Insider Program might be best for you: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-insider/flighting

@Anthony  What about when the Beta comes out, can I update to it then. If I can't- what about the release of Windows 11- Can I just use that?

If you're presently in Beta Channel, you can just stay in Beta and wait for Windows 11 to eventually arrive to Beta Channel in which case your Windows Update will just update you to the Windows 11 Beta. I'm not sure when it'll reach Beta Channel...I hear sometime this summer. But, it'll eventually arrive to Beta. Windows 11 won't be in the Release Preview Channel as that's staying Windows 10 updates. You can exit Beta if you like and try again in Beta later on or exit Beta and just wait for the general stable release (if you're computer meets the system requirements) or stay in Beta and just wait for Windows 11 to arrive to Beta and your computer to do a Windows Update at that point in time.
Ok. So I'm using the Dev build now, it's pretty cool. You said I can't go back without doing a clean install.

When the full version releases this Fall, can I switch to that out of the Dev build?

If you're just joining the Insider Program from Windows 10 or coming out of Windows 10 Beta to Windows 11 Dev, you have ten days to go back to Windows 10 without clean install. It'll simply roll you back to Windows 10 as if you never left (any changes made or files added while on Windows 11 won't come with you) and it should show you as being in Beta again (because you rolled back before you joined Dev). However, you only have ten days. If you just went from Windows 10 to Windows 11 it starts as soon as you updated over. After ten days you can't go back without a clean reinstall of the full version of Windows 10. To do this go to Settings, Windows Updates, Advanced Options, Recovery, Go Back and click that option and it should allow you to revert back to Windows 10 without clean install. This will allow you to roll back to Windows 10 where you left off before upgrading if you just came from Windows 10. HOWEVER if you're not sure yet and want to play around with Windows 11 for a day or two in the mean time do not use Disk Cleanup to remove any files that references Windows Updates or Old Windows Files, and do not delete the file "windows.old" from your C drive. If you delete windows.old from C drive and/or disk cleanup any Windows Update or Old Windows files even an hour after upgrading from Windows 10 to Windows 11 than you won't be able to roll back even within the ten days. After ten days the files will delete themselves. You can also do what you mentioned. Stay in Dev into Windows 11 comes out in full general release later this year. Then find the full Win 11 ISO on Microsoft website and clean install out of Dev with the new full general version of Windows 11 just as you would if you were in Windows 10 Dev and wanted out of Dev or Insider Program and cleaned install full version of Windows 10. From there you can stay in non-insider program version or simply go back into Beta. Dev builds usually come out every week (around Wednesday or Thursday), so make sure your Windows Update is on automatic. To see what build of Windows 11 Dev you're on go to run and type in winver. Each new build works to fixes reported bugs, glitches, and comes with any new added features to Windows 11 that's being tested out.

Also don't forget to get the Feedback Hub app. It should already be on your Windows 10/11 under all apps of your start menu. But if not you can get it from the Microsoft Store. This is where you can read people's reports of any issues they're having with Windows 11 builds or bugs or whatever or see any suggestions people are making and you can report on it too. You can also talk to other Windows 11 users to about current builds or features you like or want to suggest. You should already have it on your Windows but if not this is it: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/p/feedback-hub/9nblggh4r32n?activetab=pivot:overviewtab

 

And if you're really like being a Windows Insider you can go into the Edge (browser) Canary, Dev, or Beta channels too (it'll work on Windows 11 and will work separate from your regular Edge browser): More info: https://www.microsoftedgeinsider.com/en-us/download

 

If not, then you're Edge will be the standard general release one that came with your Windows 11. Internet Explorer has been removed from Windows 11.

May I know will I update and upgrade to the official release version of Windows 11 if I decided stay at Beta?
Means without clean install

If your computer meets the requirements for Windows 11 and you're in the Beta Channel already getting Windows 11 beta builds, then you'll continue to get the the beta builds of Windows 11 even after the stable general version is released to the public. If you no longer want the beta builds of Windows 11 and just want the general stable release version of Windows 11 after it's released then you'll go in and unenroll via Windows Update / Windows Insider Program settings in which case the next time a major release build of Windows 11 comes out you'll stop receiving beta builds after that and be out of the Insider Program, and on just the general release version without having to uninstall. This is only for Beta Channel though. Dev Channel you'll have to do a clean install to get out of Insider Program back into general release version. Here's a picture of that screen option from my own computer which explains it (it says Windows 10 because we aren't yet on Windows 11 in beta or general release.) The reason it's grayed out for me is because I'm in the Dev Channel. After ten days of going from Windows 10 to Windows 11 you won't be able to go back to Windows 10 without a clean install no matter what insider channel you're on.

 

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@Anthony Ok, understood. 

Cool, cool! :)

That's not totally correct, you can roll back to the last build.

Just to make sure...
If i stay in Beta till the stable release in October, i can still go back to stable without clean install and all my files safe? Also files made in Windows 11 Beta will stay or not ?
Please tell if you knoww

@livelycorpse if you join in at beta level you will be able to leave. However you need to opt back out of windows insider and wait until the RTM update as when you leave the insider program you effectively freeze updates until the official version passes the beta build you were in. Then you update past your beta version to the final build.

 

I have the same problem. I keep click on windows update since last week when saw the build blog, not receive any windows 11 on beta channel, receive all defender update. any fix ?

@John_Bloggsbyu 

 

Same here . . . however, I was able to create a VM in Hyper-V on my Windows 10 Pro lab machine and have Win 11 Pro OS 22000.100 working there just fine there for ~ 10 days now (started in the Dev channel on the VM, then changed back to Beta, once installed and activated). 

 

On the underlying Hyper-V "host" machine, it’s still a no-go within the Beta Channel.  I'm also checking updates several times daily . . . but no luck thus far.  Elsewhere, I've read about changing up "privacy settings" to be more permissive, but that has not made any differences that I can see.  So, for now, I'm guessing that the beta channel rollouts are being gradually phased in?  I'll continue to wait it out on my lab machine within the Beta channel. 

 

If you don't want to test W11 within a VM, then just switch over to Dev Channel for the moment to get 22000.100 now.  Download, install, activate 11 on your machine and then switch back to the Beta Channel soon thereafter.  However, know the risks!   While all systems appear to be running just fine for me, it’s still BETA software!   I would not be doing this on a live production PC at this early juncture, thus a VM scenario might be a more viable option if you have the underlying hardware resources to do so.  


Windows 11 build 22000.120 out for the Dev and Beta channels today, received on dev, still not received on beta.

@John_Bloggsbyu 

I too am not seeing the beta version in windows update either. It shows up if I switch to Dev channel but I thought the Beta was slightly more stable..

Should we just wait??

@SkyJohn I dont know why beta channel not received the builds as Microsoft blog said send to both dev and beta, I see the same not receive on other PCs in my household even signed into different msn account same beta channel.  I received dev on a seperate hard drive no problem, but see not stable sometimes.  maybe should we should wait see whats happen in coming builds.