Download Windows 11 22H2 KB5026446 Optional Non-Security Preview Update [May 2023]

Microsoft has now published KB5026446 for Windows 11 22H2 as an optional non-security update for the month of May 2023. Although it was supposed to be released on the 4th Tuesday of the month as a Type D update, this time, it came a day late. Regardless, this preview update includes some exciting new features.

KB5026446 is the “Moment 3” update, which has essentially replaced the older release schedule “23H1.” Moment 3 is the third significant update since the original release of Windows 11.

That said, installing this update today will upgrade your operating system’s build to 22621.1778.

The highlights of KB5026446 are that it introduces Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) feature to your computer (if it is supported by the hardware), and you will now be able to see the full amount of OneDrive storage space from all your accounts on the Accounts Settings page. This update also includes a plethora of other features and improvements.

You can choose to install this update on your Windows 11 PC today, or wait for June’s Patch Tuesday release when the update will install automatically.

KB5026446 Release Summary

• KB Article: KB5026446
• OS Version: Windows 11 version 22H2
• Build: 22621.1778
• Size: 287.4 MB
• Release Date: 24th May 2023

What’s New in KB5026446

The following list of features, improvements, and fixes have been included in KB5026446:

• This update provides the full amount of storage capacity of all your Microsoft OneDrive subscriptions. It also displays the total storage on the Accounts page in the Settings app.
• This update adds Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) Audio provided that your computers support it. This update improves audio fidelity and battery life when you pair your computer with Bluetooth LE Audio earbuds and headphones.
• This update addresses an issue that affects the Narrator. It now announces text attributes correctly for words, such as “misspelled,” “deletion change,” and “comment.”
• This update addresses an issue that affects access to Tab settings for IE mode sites.
• This update addresses a multi-function label printer installation issue.
• This update addresses an issue that affects audio playback. It fails on devices that have certain processors.
• This update addresses an issue that affects the touch keyboard. It shows the wrong layout for the French-Canadian language.
• This update addresses an issue that affects the touch keyboard. Sometimes, it does not show the correct layout based on the current input scope.
• This update addresses an issue that affects the Chinese and Japanese Input Method Editor (IME). When you search within the Emoji Panel (Windows key + period (.) ), the search might fail for some of you.
• This update addresses an issue that affects searchindexer.exe. It stops working after you sign out. This issue occurs after you upgrade your machine to Windows 11 Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) and sign in to that machine.
• This update addresses an issue that affects Server Message Block (SMB). You cannot access the SMB shared folder. The errors are, “Not enough memory resources” or “Insufficient system resources.”
• The update addresses an issue that sends unexpected password expiration notices to users. This occurs when you set up an account to use “Smart Card is Required for Interactive Logon” and set “Enable rolling of expiring NTLM secrets.”
• This update addresses an issue that affects the Local Security Authority Subsystem Service (LSASS). It stops working. This occurs when you use Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD).
• This update addresses an issue that affects the Storage Spaces Direct (S2D) cluster. It might not come online. This occurs after a periodic password rollover. The error code is 1326.
• This update addresses an issue that affects dot sourcing. It fails files that contain class definitions in Windows PowerShell.
• This update addresses an issue that affects the use of the Event Viewer. The issue limits the number of event sources that users who are not administrators can access.
• This update addresses an Event Viewer issue. It affects the rendering of a forwarded event log.
• This update addresses a memory leak. It occurs every time you print a rich text document.
• This update addresses an issue that affects a computer when it renders a halftone bitmap. The computer stops working.
• This update addresses an issue that affects devices that have multiple, discreet GPUs. You cannot choose high-performance GPUs from the default graphics settings page.
• This update addresses an issue that stops your device from working when it resumes from Modern Standby. The error is 0x13A KERNEL_MODE_HEAP_CORRUPTION.
• This update addresses an issue that affects applications that perform certain actions in a callback. The applications might stop working. These actions include closing a Window (WM_CLOSE).
• This update changes the support phone number for Microsoft India for Windows activation.
• This update changes the international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI) ranges for certain mobile providers.
• This update addresses an issue that affects the Windows Firewall. The firewall drops all connections to the IP address of a captive portal. This occurs when you choose the Captive Portal Addresses option.
• This update addresses an issue that affects devices that are joined to Azure Active Directory (Azure AD). The Windows Firewall cannot apply the correct domain and profile for them.
• This update addresses an issue that affects Windows Defender Application Control (WDAC). It might create audit events that you do not need. This occurs when you choose the Disabled: Script Enforcement option.
• This update addresses an issue that affects the Chinese and Japanese Handwriting Panel. It does not show text prediction candidates or stop responding. This occurs when you select a word from the candidate list of the Handwriting Panel.
• This update addresses an issue that affects the runas command. It stops working. The device behaves as if you did not sign in to your account.
• This update addresses an issue that might affect a large reparse point. You might get a stop error when you use NTFS to access it. This issue occurs after a canceled FSCTL Set operation changes the reparse tag.
• This update addresses a known issue that might affect some speech recognition apps. They might have sporadic speech recognition, expressive input, and handwriting issues. This occurs when the display language is Chinese or Japanese. The apps might not recognize certain words. They might not receive any input from speech recognition or affected input types. This issue is more likely to occur when the apps use offline speech recognition. For app developers, this issue only affects speech recognition that uses Speech Recognition Grammar Specification (SRGS) in Windows.Media.SpeechRecognition. This issue does not affect other types of speech recognition.

With these fixes and improvements, there are also some known issues with this update. Read about the issues with Windows 11 here:

Windows 11 Known Issues and Fixes

Download and Install Windows 11 KB5026446

This optional non-security update can be installed through Windows Update and standalone installers.

We have given the direct download links to the standalone installers below, using which you can install the update on your respective Windows 11 version, or you can simply update to the latest build using Windows Update through the given guide below.

Offline Installers

Download KB5026446 Cumulative Update Preview for Windows 11 Version 22H2 64-Bit [287.4 MB]

Download KB5026446 Cumulative Update Preview for Windows 11 Version 22H2 ARM64 [400.5 MB]

To install the update, simply run the downloaded MSU file and Windows will automatically install the update. To download any other updates related to any of the above, please check the Microsoft Catalog.

Windows Update

To install this update via Windows Update, you need to be running Windows 11 version 22H2. To check your version of the operating system, type in winver in the Run Command box and press Enter.

Once ensured you have the right OS version, perform the following steps to install KB5025305:

1. Navigate to the following:

   Settings app >> Windows Update

2. Here, click “Check for updates.”

   

3. Click “Download and install” under the available optional update.

   

   You will see the following update available under Optional quality update available:

   2023-05 Cumulative Update Preview for Windows 11 Version 22H2 for x64-based Systems (KB5026446) is available

   Click “Download and install” under it.

4. [Conditional] If you haven’t opted to get the latest Windows updates as soon as they are available, you may see a dialog box pop up. Choose whether you want to opt in or not.

   

5. Once the update is downloaded and installed, click “Restart Now.”

   

Once the computer reboots, the update will be successfully installed. To confirm this, check the updated build number by typing in winver in the Run Command box.

Rollback/Remove Windows 11 Cumulative Update

If you do not wish to keep the installed update for some reason, you can always roll back to the previous build of the OS. However, this can only be performed within the next 10 days after installing the new update.

To roll back after 10 days, you will need to apply this trick.

Cleanup After Installing Windows Updates

If you want to save space after installing Windows updates, you can run the following commands one after the other in Command Prompt with administrative privileges:

dism.exe /Online /Cleanup-Image /AnalyzeComponentStore
dism.exe /Online /Cleanup-Image /StartComponentCleanup

Block KB5026446 from Installing

Although this is an optional update, which means that it won’t install without you manually pressing any buttons. However, you can completely block it from installing, both temporarily or permanently, using these steps:

1. Download the “Show or hide updates” tool from Microsoft.

2. Run the utility and click Next to start the scanning process.

   

3. Next, click the “Hide updates” button.

   

4. Select the updates you want to block and click Next.

   

   This automatically hides the update from Windows Update and it will not be installed during the next update process.

5. Click the Close button.

If you want to unhide or show hidden updates, run the tool again and select Show hidden updates instead of “Hide updates.” The rest of the process is the same.

Final Analysis

Microsoft changing its approach for releasing optional preview updates might just be a good thing. Previously, the end-users (us included) were uncertain when the next update may be released. Now, we are certain that the “Optional Non-Security Preview Release” will be released on the 4th Tuesday of every month.

This will enable all of us to test out the new features and improvements anticipated in next month’s Patch Tuesday.

That said, KB5026446 is a major optional update that we believe you should install right now, and not wait for the Patch Tuesday. We say so because it addresses major issues with the Windows 11 operating system, and introduces minor yet useful features.

Windows 11 Optional Non-Security Update History

KB Article	OS Version	Build	Release Date	Significant Changes	Announcement
KB5026446	22H2	22621.1778	24-May-23	– Fixes speech recognition known issue, adds total OneDrive storage view in Accounts Settings page, adds Bluetooth LE to supported hardware. – Introduces a new issue with 32-bit apps while saving, attaching, and moving them.	Microsoft Announcement of KB5026446