Windows Update Change Windows Insider Program Channel in Windows 11

This tutorial will show you how to change your Windows Insider Program channel to the Canary Channel, Dev Channel, Beta Channel or Release Preview Channel to get Insider preview builds of Windows 11 on your PC.

Flighting is the process of running Windows Insider Preview Builds on your device. When you run these early versions of Windows and give Microsoft feedback, you can help Microsoft shape the future of Windows. Once you've registered for the Windows Insider Program, you can run Insider Preview builds on as many devices as you want, each in the channel of your choice.

Starting April 24, 2026, Microsoft is beginning to move to the new Experimental and Beta channels as announced earlier this month. As a reminder, most Insiders, those who are in the Dev and Beta channels today will transition to the new channels over time as follows:

• Beta Channel > Beta
• Dev Channel > Experimental

For those in the Canary Channel, you will also be transitioned to specific versions of the Experimental channel, depending on whether you are in the 28000 series Canary channel or took the optional 29500 series update. The transition takes place as follows:

• Canary Channel 28000 series > Experimental (26H1)
• Canary Channel 29500 series > Experimental (Future Platforms)

Based on your feedback to have clearer definitions between channels, Microsoft has committed to updating how they use the new Beta experience to reflect what is coming to retail in the following weeks. With this, there will be a realignment of experience when Beta Channel Insiders move to the new Beta experience.

While Beta Channel Insiders can generally expect a similar experience after this transition, some may notice feature changes. Although these feature differences will be minor, users who are looking for the best continuity of all existing features should consider moving from the existing Beta Channel to Dev Channel, in preparation for the move to Experimental. For most Insiders, picking the Beta or Experimental channel will be all you need to get set up, but for those who want to go further, we are adding an advanced option to pick your Windows core version compatible with your hardware. Most users will see these options as 25H2 or 26H1 builds. While users can still move from Beta to Experimental after the changes are implemented on your device, moving beforehand ensures the best continuity of experience for those features.

The Experimental channel will also contain a further Future Platforms option which is our earliest preview build for Windows and is not aligned to a retail version of Windows. This is aimed at users who are looking to be at the forefront of platform development. Insiders looking for the earliest access to features should remain on a version aligned to a retail build.

Release Preview will continue to be an advanced option aimed at commercial customers and Insiders who want early access to production builds in the days leading up to broad release. To select Release Preview, you will need to enable it in the ‘Advanced Options’ but the content remains unchanged. We’re actively talking with our commercial Insiders about how to make it better, and we want to hear from you.

Depending on your channel today, leaving the Windows Insider Program or even moving between channels can sometimes require wiping your device and doing a clean install of Windows. That can be a barrier both for people considering the program and for Insiders who want to leave. To make this a more streamlined and consistent experience, Microsoft is making some behind the scenes changes to enable Insider builds to use an in-place upgrade (IPU) to hop between versions. This will allow in most cases Insiders to move between Experimental, Beta, and Release Preview on the same Windows core version, or leave the program without a clean install. An IPU takes a bit more time than your normal update but migrates your apps, settings, and data in-place. As Experimental Future Platforms is our earliest preview build option and does not align to a retail production build of Windows, moving to a different channel or out of the WIP program will still require a clean install.

References:

This requires you have already set to get Windows Insider builds.

You must be signed in as an administrator to change the Insider channel.

1 Open Settings (Win+I).

2 Click/tap on Windows Update on the left side, and click/tap on Windows Insider Program on the right side. (see screenshot below)



3 Do step 4 (Beta), step 5 (Experimental), step 6 (Experimental 26H1), step 7 (Experimental Future Platforms), or step 8 (Release Preview) below for what you want.

If Select your experience or Choose your Insider settings is missing from your Settings, then perform the following steps to restore it:

1) Open an elevated Windows Terminal, and select Command Prompt.
2) Copy and paste the bcdedit /set flightsigning on command into the elevated terminal, and press Enter.
3) Copy and paste the bcdedit /set {bootmgr} flightsigning on command into the elevated terminal, and press Enter.
4) Restart the computer to apply.

This option makes the same changes in Settings like in Option One.

1 Do step 2 (Experimental), step 3 (Experimental 26H1), step 4 (Experimental Future-Platforms), step 5 (Beta), step 6 (Release Preview 25H2), or step 7 (Release Preview 26H1) below for which Insider channel you want.





(Contents of REG file for reference)





(Contents of REG file for reference)





(Contents of REG file for reference)





(Contents of REG file for reference)





(Contents of REG file for reference)





(Contents of REG file for reference)

8 Save the .reg file to your desktop.

9 If you have Smart App Control turned on, you will need to unblock the downloaded REG file.

10 Double click/tap on the downloaded .reg file to merge it.

11 When prompted, click/tap on Run, Yes (UAC), Yes, and OK to approve the merge.

12 You can now delete the downloaded .reg file if you like.

13 Check for updates.

The Local Group Policy Editor is only available in the Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise, and Education editions.

All editions can use Option Four to configure the same policy.

1 Open the Local Group Policy Editor (gpedit.msc).

2 Navigate to the policy location below in the left pane of the Local Group Policy Editor. (see screenshot below)



3 In the right pane of Manage update offered from Windows Update in the Local Group Policy Editor, double click/tap on the Manage preview builds policy to edit it. (see screenshot above)

4 Do step 5 (default) or step 6 (specify) below for what you want.

This is the default setting to allow using Option One and Option Two.

7 You can now close the Local Group Policy Editor if you like.

8 Check for updates.





1 Do step 2 (default), step 3 (Dev), step 4 (Beta), or step 5 (Release Preview) below for what you want.

This is the default setting to allow using Option One and Option Two.

(Contents of REG file for reference)

This will override and prevent using Option One and Option Two.

(Contents of REG file for reference)

This will override and prevent using Option One and Option Two.

(Contents of REG file for reference)

This will override and prevent using Option One and Option Two.

(Contents of REG file for reference)

6 Save the REG file to your desktop.

7 If you have Smart App Control turned on, you will need to unblock the downloaded REG file.

8 Double click/tap on the downloaded REG file to merge it.

9 When prompted, click/tap on Run, Yes (UAC), Yes, and OK to approve the merge.

10 You can now delete the downloaded REG file if you like.

11 Check for updates.


That's it,
Shawn Brink