Windows news you can use: May 2026

First, as we head into June and the first set of Secure Boot certificates start to expire, there will be another Secure Boot Ask Microsoft Anything (AMA) on Thursday, June 4. Do save the date and post your questions early or at any time during the live stream if you need assistance. You can also watch the May edition on demand.

For more general questions around Windows deployment, updates, and management, you can join the chat-based Windows Office Hours every third Thursday. The next event will be June 18 at 8:00 AM PDT.

Now let's dive in to more Windows news you can use you might have missed this past month.

New in Windows update and device management

• [AUTOPATCH] [GCC] – Windows Autopatch is now included automatically for Government Community Cloud (GCC) customers using Microsoft 365 G3 GCC, Microsoft 365 GCC G5, or Microsoft 365 GCC G5 without WDATP/CAS Unified. The $0 Windows Enterprise (OLS) activation SKU is no longer required. For guidance on how to get started, read Windows Autopatch for the US government.
• [HOTPATCH] – Starting with the May 2026 Windows security update, hotpatch updates are now on by default for those using Windows Autopatch through Microsoft Intune or the Windows updates API in Microsoft Graph. The default tenant setting; however, is only applied to devices that aren't members of a quality update policy. Windows Autopatch respects your configuration of quality update policies.
• [BACKUP] – Start managing Enterprise State Roaming (ESR) through Windows Backup for Organizations policies. By the end of June, you'll no longer be able to access ESR policies through the Microsoft Entra portal and will instead need to use Microsoft Intune.
• [W365] – Admin Insights for Windows 365, now in public preview, brings together important signals from existing reporting, monitoring, and alerting from Intune. Quickly understand what's happening in your environment and where to focus.
• [ARM] – Does your organization use, or plan to adopt, Arm-based Windows devices? Check out a snapshot of companies that have recently delivered or expanded print solutions supporting Windows on Arm.
• [SKILLING] – Still have devices running Windows 10? Need advice on optimizing how you roll out new versions of Windows and Microsoft 365 apps in your organization? Use the updated Stay current with Windows learning path to plan, prepare for, and deploy for updates across your organization.

New in Windows security

• [SECURE BOOT] – The updated Secure Boot status report in Windows Autopatch provides better device-level visibility into certificate status, trust configuration, and readiness for Secure Boot certificate updates. New interactive certificate-level details fit directly into your certificate rollout workflow.
• [SECURE BOOT] – Microsoft Defender now provides centralized visibility into Secure Boot 2023 certificate readiness across your device fleet. A new assessment categorizes your devices automatically as exposed, compliant, and not applicable.
• [FIREWALL] [NETWORKING] – Have devices that experience difficulties receiving updates? New guidance is available to help you identify potential causes and implement solutions to ensure updates roll out smoothly moving forward.
• [PRINTING] – A new icon appears on the Printers & scanners settings page. It helps you easily understand which devices support a more secure printing experience with Windows protected print mode.
• [PASSKEYS] – World Passkey Day was May 7. Learn how Microsoft is Advancing passwordless authentication.

To explore what's new in security across the Microsoft platform, see What's new in Microsoft Security: May 2026.

New in AI

• [DEVELOPERS] – Microsoft Build runs June 2-3! It features sessions on building, modernizing, and optimizing Windows apps and developer experiences. Check out especially AI-powered capabilities, cloud integration, and next‑gen tooling like Copilot, WinUI, and GitHub Copilot.
• [AGENTS] – Windows is adding a new way to monitor your agents from the taskbar. This experience supports agents across first- and third-party apps, with Researcher in the Microsoft 365 Copilot appas the first adopter.
• [COPILOT] [M365] – The Copilot app has been redesigned to be faster and more responsive. What do you think about the way Copilot shows up across Microsoft 365 apps?
• [COPILOT] [M365] – New Microsoft 365 Copilot resources are now available to help you get started with adopting Copilot capabilities across your organization.

To learn about latest capabilities for Copilot+ PCs, visit the Windows Roadmap and filter Platform by “Copilot+ PC Exclusives.”

New in Windows Server

For the latest features and improvements for Windows Server, see the Windows Server 2025 release notes and Windows Server, version 23H2 release notes.

• [HOTPATCH] – Hotpatch updates enabled by Azure Arc are now available at no additional cost for Windows Server 2025. Read the announcement for details on eligibility and guidance on how to get started.
• [SKILLING] – All 19 sessions from Windows Server Summit 2026 are now available on demand. Learn and improve your skills on your schedule.

New in productivity and collaboration

Install the May 2026 security update for Windows 11, versions 25H2 and 24H2 to get these and other capabilities, which will be rolling out gradually:

• [FILE EXPLORER] – View and Sort preferences are now preserved in folders such as Downloads and Documents when apps launch File Explorer directly to those locations. File Explorer also now supports uu, cpio, xar, and NuGet Packages (nupkg) archive formats.
• [INPUT] – Voice typing on the touch keyboard now looks simpler and more intuitive. The updated design removes the full‑screen overlay and shows voice typing animations directly on the dictation key.

New features and improvements are coming in the June 2026 security update. You can preview them by installing the May 2026 optional non-security update for Windows 11, versions 25H2 and 24H2. This update includes the gradual rollout of:

• [AUDIO] – Shared audio enables two people to listen to the same audio from a single Windows 11 PC at the same time.
• [CAMERA] – Windows 11's Multi-App Camera feature allows multiple applications to access your camera stream at the same time.
• [MAGNIFIER] – Magnifier now provides clearer and more consistent announcements when working with a screen reader. You'll hear helpful announcements when you zoom in or out, switch views, turn color inversion on or off, or turn Magnifier on or off. In addition, Magnifier now supports magnification of permitted protected content.
• [SEARCH] – Windows Search will now find and prioritize files with as few as two characters.
• [PERFORMANCE] – Task Manager now provides enhanced visibility into NPU usage, including new metrics and AI activity insights.

Lifecycle reminders

Check out our lifecycle documentation for the latest updates on Deprecated features in the Windows client and Features removed or no longer developed starting with Windows Server 2025.

Additional resources

Looking for the latest news and previews for Windows, Copilot, Copilot+ PCs, the Windows and Windows Server Insider Programs, and more? Check out these resources:

• Windows Roadmap for new Copilot+ PCs and Windows features – filter by platform, version, status, and channel or search by feature name
• Microsoft 365 Copilot release notes for latest features and improvements
• Windows Insider Blog for what's available in the Beta and Experimental channels
• Windows Server Insider for feature preview opportunities
• Understanding update history for Windows Insider preview features, fixes, and changes to learn about the types of updates for Windows Insiders

Join the conversation

We are always looking to improve this monthly summary. Drop us a note in the Comments and let us know what we can do to make this more useful for you!

Continue the conversation. Find best practices. Bookmark the Windows Tech Community, then follow us @MSWindowsITPro on X and on LinkedIn. Looking for support? Visit Windows on Microsoft Q&A.