Windows 11's optional July update is worth a look - it speeds up the Start menu and taskbar

Microsoft slipped out an optional Windows 11 update on July 28, and for once the headline isn't a bug - it's speed. KB5101684 is the end-of-month preview build (build 26100.8973 on 24H2, 26200.8973 on 25H2), and its most useful change is a genuine performance boost for the Start menu and taskbar - the two things you tap dozens of times a day.

There's more in the 42-item change list. File Explorer finally shows file sizes in sensible units - MB and GB instead of endless kilobytes - and Windows Search got better at handling typos and half-remembered filenames. Windows Hello now works with plug-in fingerprint readers, not just the ones built into laptops, which is handy if you use a desktop. The update also carries the latest Secure Boot certificates Microsoft has been rolling out ahead of a 2026 expiry (we explained that here).

One thing to be clear about: this is an optional, non-security preview. It's a sneak peek at fixes headed for August's Patch Tuesday, and it contains no security patches of its own. If the speed-ups appeal, you can grab it from Settings > Windows Update by clicking "Download and install" under the optional update. If you'd rather not play early tester, do nothing - the same changes arrive automatically in August's cumulative update, which is the safer bet for most people.

Optional or not, a preview build occasionally brings its own quirks. Tendvane's check-for-updates confirms whether your monthly update actually installed, and if one ever jams halfway, its Windows Update repair wizard clears the cache and gets things moving again.