Try Windows 11’s 2026 Features Today: Which Insider Channel to Pick and How to Enable Sysmon, AI Narrator, WebP Backgrounds, and Camera Controls

Pick the right Insider channel (and builds) to get the new features

If you want hands-on time with Windows 11’s 2026-bound features, the single most important choice is your Windows Insider channel. Up to build 26220.7653, Dev and Beta machines were aligned on the same base. Starting with 26300.7674, Microsoft split the tracks: Dev moved to the 26300 series, which is expected to evolve into version 26H2. Beta remains on the 26220 series and is generally more stable, while Canary is out on 28020.x tied to 26H1—a version existing consumer PCs won’t receive—but it’s where Microsoft drops early experiments like the updated OneDrive Share flow.

Practically, that split determines where you’ll find new additions: security-focused features like the built-in Sysmon and camera pan/tilt controls show up in both Dev and Beta in specific builds, while the updated Windows Share UI for OneDrive is Canary-only today. If your goal is to test 26H2-bound improvements with fewer surprises, choose Beta. If you want the earliest look at 26H2 features (and don’t mind sharper edges), pick Dev. Use Canary only when you accept higher risk and are okay with a different base version.

To enroll or switch channels: open Settings > Windows Update > Windows Insider Program, click Get started, link your Microsoft account, then select Dev (26300 series) or Beta (26220 series). Canary (28020 series) is optional and riskier. After you reboot and check for updates, confirm your OS build via Settings > System > About (look under “Windows specifications”) or press Win + R, type winver, and press Enter. You want to see 26220.x, 26300.x, or 28020.x depending on the feature you’re targeting below.

Before you hop channels, make a backup. Insider builds are preview software and can regress drivers or apps. At a minimum, back up documents and a system image. If a build misbehaves, you can try Settings > System > Recovery > Go back to revert (there’s a limited window after an upgrade). On laptops, keep your OEM recovery partition intact, and on desktops consider a separate test SSD you can reimage easily.

Enable and use the new built-in Sysmon (System Monitor)

Windows 11 now includes Sysmon as a native optional component starting in 26300.7733 (Dev) and 26220.7752 (Beta). It’s also present in Canary. Historically a Sysinternals tool, Sysmon extends Windows event logging with granular telemetry—process creations, network connections, driver loads, registry changes—used by blue teams and incident responders to spot suspicious activity and perform forensics. The built-in version means fewer external dependencies and better integration with the OS.

If you previously installed the Sysinternals Sysmon, uninstall it first to prevent conflicts between binaries and services. Use an elevated terminal and run the uninstall command:

Sysmon -u

Next, add the native Sysmon component. In the GUI, go to Settings > System > Optional features > More Windows features, check Sysmon, and click OK. If you prefer the command line (and to verify the exact feature name for your build), use DISM in an elevated terminal:

DISM /Online /Get-Features | findstr /I Sysmon
REM Note the returned feature name, then:
DISM /Online /Enable-Feature /FeatureName:<returned-name>

Initialize Sysmon and start capturing events. At minimum, this installs the service and begins logging:

Sysmon -i

For help and switches, run Sysmon -?. To confirm it’s running, check services or query via PowerShell:

Get-Service -Name sysmon*

If Sysmon -i fails, make sure the optional feature is enabled, you’re on a supported build (26300.7733 or 26220.7752+), and you launched the terminal “Run as administrator.” If DISM returns “feature not found,” you’re likely still on an earlier Insider build; switch to the channel/build listed above, update, and try again. To roll back the built-in Sysmon, disable the Windows feature via Settings or run DISM /Online /Disable-Feature /FeatureName:<feature-name> and then Sysmon -u.

Try camera pan/tilt controls in Settings

Windows is adding OS-level pan/tilt controls for compatible USB cameras, rolling out starting with 26300.7760 (Dev) and 26220.7755 (Beta). This is especially handy for UVC PTZ webcams mounted above or beside your display: you can reframe without physically moving the device. The controls live in the Cameras section of Settings—no third-party utility required.

To test the feature, go to Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Cameras, select your camera, then open Basic settings. If your hardware supports pan and tilt, you’ll see new sliders. Make adjustments, then open the Camera app or your conferencing client (Teams, Zoom, etc.) to validate the change. If your camera has vendor “auto-framing,” disable it temporarily to evaluate Windows’ manual frame control.

If the sliders are missing or grayed out, you’re probably on an older build or the camera lacks UVC pan/tilt support. Update to one of the builds mentioned above or newer. Then update the camera driver from the manufacturer. You can try Device Manager: press Win + X > Device Manager > expand Cameras > right-click your device > Update driver. For pro-grade PTZ cameras, install the latest firmware and check the vendor utility for UVC/PTZ toggles (some devices expose pan/tilt only after enabling UVC control in their app).

If framing changes don’t reflect in apps, check the app’s video settings (many cache camera parameters), restart the app, or unplug/replug the camera. Also verify that no other app is locking exclusive access to the camera; close background utilities that ship with the webcam and test again.

Use AI-powered image descriptions in Narrator on any PC

AI-generated image descriptions in Narrator are now available to all PCs starting with build 26220.7535. On Copilot+ PCs, the feature runs on-device using the NPU. On other machines, Narrator uses Copilot’s cloud processing. The upshot: whether you have a neural processor or not, you can ask Windows to describe the focused image or even the entire screen—useful for accessibility, quick comprehension, and reviewing visuals without opening the file deeply.

Turn on Narrator with Windows + Ctrl + Enter, or visit Settings > Accessibility > Narrator. To get a description of the focused image, press Narrator key + Ctrl + D (the default Narrator key is Caps Lock). To describe the whole screen context, press Narrator key + Ctrl + S. Expect concise text summaries that capture prominent objects, context, and layout.

On non‑NPU systems, descriptions are processed in the cloud. If privacy is a concern, avoid invoking the shortcuts on sensitive content. For reliable results on cloud mode, ensure you have an internet connection, and that services aren’t blocked by your firewall. If shortcuts don’t produce output, open Settings > Accessibility > Narrator and verify Narrator is enabled, then try restarting Narrator with Windows + Ctrl + Enter. On Copilot+ hardware, keep your OEM AI features and drivers up to date for best performance.

Practically, this is one of the easiest improvements to test on any Insider system. Use it when browsing image-heavy pages, reviewing photos in File Explorer’s preview pane, or scanning presentation slides. If you rely on screen readers professionally, consider creating hotkey remaps (via PowerToys or your reader’s keymap) to make the description commands instantly accessible.

Set WebP images as your desktop background

WebP desktop background support is live starting in 26220.7653 and later, and also in Canary from 28020.1495. That means you can use high-quality, smaller wallpapers without converting them to JPEG or PNG. For 4K/5K displays or multi-monitor setups, WebP’s compression often saves hundreds of megabytes across a wallpaper library while keeping perceptual quality intact.

To set a WebP wallpaper via Settings, open Settings > Personalization > Background, click Browse photos, select a .webp file, and choose a fit mode (Fill, Fit, Stretch, Tile, Center). From File Explorer, you can also right‑click any .webp file and choose Set as background to apply it directly.

If a WebP file doesn’t appear in the picker, confirm you’re on 26220.7653 or newer (or Canary 28020.1495+). When using HDR or wide-gamut images, test fit modes to avoid banding or unintended cropping. For dynamism, keep multiple WebP wallpapers in one folder and select Personalize your background > Slideshow to rotate them automatically at your preferred interval.

If setting the background fails, verify the file isn’t corrupted by opening it in the Photos app, and ensure policy restrictions aren’t blocking personalization (common on managed PCs). On multi-user systems, check that you’re changing the background for the right account and desktop profile.

Use the updated OneDrive Share UI from the Windows Share menu

The Windows Share interface has been updated in Canary starting with build 28020.1611 for files stored in OneDrive. When you right-click and choose Share on a OneDrive file, the Windows Share UI now includes the apps you can use to share the file’s link directly—streamlining the handoff to your preferred communication tools.

To try it, place a file in your OneDrive folder and make sure it’s synced (in File Explorer’s “Status” column, look for a cloud or check mark). Right‑click the file and choose Share. The refreshed Share panel should list apps that can send the OneDrive link. You can then adjust link permissions—view or edit, expiration, and who can access—inside the flow, ensuring recipients get the right level of access without visiting the web.

If you don’t see the new UI, confirm your device is on 28020.1611 or newer in the Canary channel, that OneDrive is signed in and syncing, and that the file is actually inside your OneDrive folder (local-only files won’t use the OneDrive share workflow). Updating the OneDrive client can help; sign out/in to refresh your auth context and restart File Explorer to ensure the shell extensions reload.

This change is subtle but meaningful if you share frequently: fewer context switches, fewer clicks, and consistent permissions controls closer to where you work. It’s also a window into how Windows intends to unify sharing across storage providers and apps in future releases.

Troubleshooting and pro tips

Feature rollouts in Insider builds are often phased and A/B tested server-side. Even on a “correct” build, you may not see a feature immediately. Keep your device updated, reboot after enabling optional features, and allow a day or two for flighting toggles to land on your machine. If you manage several test devices, try both Dev and Beta to maximize coverage for 26H2-bound features and keep one Canary box for experiments.

When experimenting with Sysmon, consider a basic configuration file to filter noise and capture high-signal events. While Windows’ built-in Sysmon will start with defaults, advanced users typically tailor logging via rulesets. Start small, validate event volumes, and watch CPU/disk overhead on low-power systems. For camera pan/tilt, pair with good lighting and disable aggressive auto-exposure in your app to avoid fighting the camera’s processing pipeline while you reframe.

For Narrator’s AI descriptions, teach your workflow to trigger descriptions contextually—e.g., while tabbing through a gallery—and keep an eye on network conditions if you’re on a non‑NPU device. With WebP wallpapers, store originals if you edit often; repeated recompression of lossy files can degrade quality. And for OneDrive sharing, set organization-wide defaults (if applicable) to prevent accidental overexposure when sharing links externally.

Finally, document your Insider configuration per device: channel, target build, features under test, and known risks. This simple habit saves time when comparing behavior across machines, rolling back a problematic build, or advising teammates which path to take for a specific feature preview.

Quick commands and paths recap

• Confirm your build: Settings > System > About or Win + R → winver.
• Enroll in Insider: Settings > Windows Update > Windows Insider Program → Get started → link account → choose Dev/Beta/Canary.
• Rollback: Settings > System > Recovery > Go back (limited time window).
• Enable Sysmon (GUI): Settings > System > Optional features > More Windows features → check Sysmon.
• Enable Sysmon (CLI): DISM /Online /Get-Features | findstr /I Sysmon → DISM /Online /Enable-Feature /FeatureName:<returned-name>.
• Sysmon commands: Sysmon -i (install/start), Sysmon -? (help), Sysmon -u (uninstall).
• Camera controls: Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Cameras → select camera → Basic settings.
• Narrator: Windows + Ctrl + Enter (toggle). Descriptions: Narrator key + Ctrl + D (focused image), Narrator key + Ctrl + S (screen).
• WebP wallpaper: Settings > Personalization > Background → Browse photos → choose .webp, or right‑click WebP → Set as background.
• OneDrive Share UI: right‑click a OneDrive file in File Explorer → Share (Canary 28020.1611+).

Bottom line

With the Dev/Beta split and Canary experiments, you can already use several of Windows 11’s 2026 features today. Pick the channel that matches your risk tolerance, land on the right build, and you’ll be able to turn on the native Sysmon, reframe your webcam with pan/tilt, get AI descriptions in Narrator on any PC, set WebP wallpapers, and try the updated OneDrive Share UI. These are small, practical improvements that add up—especially for power users—and they’re a strong signal of where 26H2 is headed. Happy testing.