Windows 11 First Insider Preview Now Available: Download & Getting Started

Microsoft has launched the first Insider Preview of Windows 11, allowing anxious users to start testing the new OS ahead of its official release. Although this first build is intended for developers and isn’t representative of the final Windows 11 experience, many of the headline features are here and ready to be used.

Microsoft announced Windows 11 on June 24, showcasing the update through a 45-minute video presentation that ran through its biggest features, changes, etc. It served as a good introduction of what’s to come later this year when Windows 11 is ready for the public. Furthermore, with Windows 11 expected to land this fall, there’s not too long of a waiting period to get there. For people that need to use Windows 11 today — whether because they’re a developer or a die-hard Microsoft fan — that’s where the Insider Preview comes into play.

The first build of Windows 11 is available through the Insider Preview as of June 28, showing up in the Dev Channel as Build 22000.51. Microsoft notes that anyone can sign up for the Insider Preview for free using nothing but their Microsoft account, and if they have a supported PC, they’re able to download and test Windows 11 right now. While that’s certainly exciting, keep in mind that Windows 11 builds on the Dev Channel are bound to be quite buggy and lack some features. Things should become much more stable when Windows 11 goes to the Beta Channel later this summer, followed by its public release in the fall. In other words, don’t install this Insider Preview of Windows 11 on a machine that’s needed for work, school, or anything else like that.

Everything Included In The First Windows 11 Insider Preview

For people that are OK with the risks associated with using Windows 11 this early on, what can they expect from this first Insider Preview? For starters, the all-new interface of Windows 11 is here as it was demoed during Microsoft’s announcement. The Start menu is completely redesigned, allowing users to pin apps and see recommended apps/files “from both your PC and across your devices like your smartphone with OneDrive.” The Taskbar is also centered by default and features new animations for launching apps, minimizing them, and more. Users can move the taskbar back to the left if they really can’t stand the centered placement, but it’s clear this is where Microsoft thinks it should live. Other interface changes include new designs for Notification Center and Quick Settings, a modernized File Explorer with new context menus, new themes to quickly change the look of a computer, and new system sounds that are “lighter and more atmospheric.”

Widgets are another big change for Windows 11, and they’re available to use in Insider Preview 1. Simply click the widgets icon on the Taskbar (or press WIN + W on the keyboard) to see the new widgets panel. Widgets can be added, removed, re-arranged, and resized to the user’s content, with more coming soon as developers support the feature. In Windows 11 Insider Preview 1, users can access all of the following Microsoft widgets: OneDrive photos, Microsoft To Do, weather, calendar, local traffic, stock watchlist, and sports/esports activity.

The all-new Microsoft Store is also live in this Insider Preview, and while not all of its functionality is available quite yet, users can still go hands-on with the upgraded design and check it out for themselves. Other available features include the ability to automatically snap windows to sectioned parts of the desktop, an improved docking experience that allows windows/apps to be more organized when docking/un-docking a laptop from a monitor, better touch gestures, a redesigned Settings app, Wi-Fi 6E support, and a ton more. Microsoft has already outlined quite a few bullet points of know issues with this Windows 11 Insider Preview, and there are bound to be even more that are discovered over the coming days/weeks.

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