Microsoft began making the security update for Windows 11 available for August 2026. After analyzing the changes implemented and carrying out tests, no new features of great impact were identified, but rather a package aimed at usability improvements and a series of minor adjustments and refinements.
This package is distributed as Windows 11 KB5121003 (OS builds 26200.9168 and 26100.9168) for system versions 25H2 and 24H2. The update incorporates all content from the optional preview KB5101684, released on July 28, to the mandatory security update for the month of August.
Windows 11 August 2026 Update is now available for users.
Among the main new features, the Voice Access feature received its biggest recent redesign, and the File Explorer now correctly displays file sizes. Additionally, Windows Hello has gained compatibility with external fingerprint readers, and several reliability improvements have been applied to the taskbar, Start menu, network, and power settings.
As with previous releases, the distribution of this update occurs in two stages. A rolling rollout releases functionality to devices over time using Microsoft’s Controlled Feature Release system, which means that some new features may take a few additional days to appear after installation. Regular deployment covers all eligible devices at once, including essential security features like Secure Boot.
Microsoft has confirmed that 2011 Secure Boot certificates will continue to progressively expire until 2026. Computers still waiting for the latest 2023 certificates will continue to boot and be updated normally during this period. To ensure system security, it is prudent to check the Secure Boot status periodically.
Windows 11 devices that do not already have Secure Boot 2023 certificates will continue to boot smoothly and will receive them in future system updates.
The Home and Pro versions of Windows 11 24H2 will end updates on October 13, 2026, while the Enterprise and Education editions will be supported until October 2027. The 24H2 version is already part of the list of 15 products that Microsoft plans to discontinue in 2026, and the company is promoting the installation of the 25H2 version on eligible Home devices to keep them up to date.
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Key features of the Windows 11 August 2026 security update
Below is a quick list of the main features and improvements coming to your PC with the mandatory August update:
- Voice Access now includes Voice Isolation, Korean language support, and more stable startup.
- File Explorer now displays file sizes in KB, MB or GB, instead of showing everything just in KB.
- A middle mouse button click now opens a folder in a new tab, both in the address bar and on the File Explorer home page.
- Windows Hello Enhanced Sign-In Security works with external and plug-in fingerprint readers.
- Gestures on the touchpad allow you to adjust the scrolling and zooming speed, as well as accelerated scrolling.
- Taskbar notification icons change their color from red to the accent color set in Windows.
- You can remove the imaging AI component from PCs that support Copilot+.
- Windows Search has demonstrated improvements in how it handles typos and incomplete app names.
- Power and battery settings are applied more consistently across sleep, hibernation, and closing the lid.
- The Secure Boot certificate rollout continues to expand to a larger number of eligible devices.
New features in Voice Access with emphasis on Voice Isolation
This month’s main change is in Voice Access, indicating Microsoft’s focus on voice technology as a priority area for 2026. Voice Access now has three speech recognition options, accessible from Voice Access Settings > Improve speech recognition.
The Voice Isolation option has the ability to filter out other voices and background noise. To use this function, it is necessary to perform initial configuration in Voice Access Settings > Improve speech recognition, selecting Voice Isolation.
The “Remove background noise” feature only eliminates non-speech sounds, such as the noise of typing or the sound of a door closing, without the need for prior configuration.
In the “No filtering” option, the default microphone audio input remains unchanged without any additional processing.
Testing indicated a noticeable difference when using Voice Isolation with background audio, such as a podcast. Voice Access did not capture any unwanted words in the audio, a common issue before this update.
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Voice Access has also received support for the Korean language, and Microsoft has improved the functionality’s initialization reliability. Windows chief Pavan Davuluri mentioned in his July update on Windows quality that voice had been one of the team’s areas of focus since March.
File Explorer now displays file sizes correctly
For many years, File Explorer’s “Details” view showed the size of each file in kilobytes, regardless of whether it was 10 KB or 10 GB.
With the August update, file sizes are displayed using the most appropriate units, such as KB, MB or GB, depending on the file size. This way, a 10 MB file will no longer be shown as 10,000 KB.
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File Explorer details view now presents file size more appropriately for the user.
This improvement aims to optimize the user experience by avoiding the need to mentally convert kilobytes to gigabytes while browsing the hard drive.
The functionality is being rolled out gradually, which may mean it may not be visible to all users immediately.
Address bar navigation has also been improved. Now, a middle mouse click opens a folder in a new tab, both in the address bar and on the File Explorer home page, replicating the tabbed browsing behavior in other areas of Windows.
Microsoft also fixed an issue with gray flashing during page loading and unexpected scrolling to the top of the home page in certain situations, as well as making thumbnails for files in the “Recommended” section clearer.
Windows search improvements with typo handling
The August update includes improvements to search functionality, which Microsoft had been testing for months. Application search now demonstrates greater tolerance for typos, omitted letters, extra characters, and incomplete names. This increases the likelihood that a mistyped application name will still display the desired program.
A practical example is the search for terms like “Outlook” which now returns the application correctly even with small variations in typing.
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The Windows Settings search has also been improved in this regard, resulting in more relevant settings appearing higher in the results list.
Typo tolerance in search was first observed in an experimental version of Insider in June, where searching for “pwerp” correctly returned PowerPoint. It’s a notable improvement that this functionality is now available on all PCs.