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Windows 11 KB5101684: What’s New in This July 2026 Update
Microsoft has released KB5101684, the optional July 2026 update for Windows 11 24H2 and 25H2. Among the main new features are support for external fingerprint readers in Windows Hello and the ability to remove an AI component from Windows. Here's what you need to know about this update.
This optional cumulative update brings Windows 11 24H2 to version 26100.8973 and Windows 11 25H2 to version 26200.8973. It is an optional update meant to preview the changes that will be included in the August 2026 update, which is scheduled for Tuesday, August 11, 2026. For now, Microsoft says it is not aware of any known issues with this update, unlike the July 2026 update, which was blocked on some Dell PCs.
Windows Hello ESS Finally Supports External Sensors
Let's start with a new feature added to Windows Hello ESS: Enhanced Sign-in Security. It now supports external fingerprint readers, which means it is no longer limited to machines with a built-in sensor. From now on, any PC running Windows 11 can potentially benefit from it.
But what exactly is the difference between Windows Hello and Windows Hello ESS? Standard Windows Hello replaces the password with a biometric method or a PIN code, but the entire processing chain runs within Windows. ESS mode strengthens security by adding hardware isolation. According to Microsoft documentation, biometric matching runs in VBS (Virtualization-Based Security), a protected memory area shielded by the hypervisor and out of reach of the rest of the system. If there is a match, a secure channel to the TPM 2.0 authorizes the use of Windows Hello keys.
"This feature was already announced in January 2026 (KB5074105) and is now starting to roll out," Microsoft says on its website.
Uninstall an AI Model, but Only on Copilot+ PCs
This new update makes it possible to remove the "Image Generation" AI component from Windows 11. But beware: this change affects only Copilot+ PCs where this component is installed.
This detail matters, because this is not a global switch to disable AI in Windows. Let's not get carried away. Here, we're talking about removing a specific component on a specific hardware category. Still, it is a symbolic step: Microsoft is starting to make its local AI building blocks optional, after already giving ground by allowing administrators to uninstall Copilot in the enterprise.
Other New Features and Fixes
Beyond these two major changes, this update includes the following improvements:
- Improved clipboard reliability in certain Remote Desktop and Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) scenarios.
- More reliable DHCP renewals, especially when the server returns a NACK and on devices using Modern Standby.
- Improved printing performance (pages per minute) for IPPS printers.
- Power settings are now applied to all modes, not just the active one (screen, sleep, hibernation, closing the lid action).
- The battery threshold setting for Battery Saver is back in the OS settings.
Microsoft also fixed two important issues. The first concerns DFS-based network drives: when a machine booted offline before reconnecting, files stored on these drives could be incorrectly treated as coming from the Internet. File Explorer's preview pane would then show a warning that the file being previewed could harm the computer, and files copied from the DFS drive would inherit an inconsistent Mark of the Web tag. The second fixed issue concerns File History: automatic backups to an SMB share could fail, with Windows reporting invalid credentials even though they were correct.
This update also brings two new changes on the widgets side:
- Taskbar notification badges now use your Windows accent color instead of red, which reduces alerts that draw attention unnecessarily.
- This update also simplifies widget display on the lock screen. For new users, the weather widget becomes the only widget shown by default.
Even if users likely won't notice it, Microsoft has fine-tuned Windows Update:
- Update progress calculation is more accurate in Windows Update.
- The post-install cleanup logic has been changed to improve system performance immediately after an update.
Finally, this article is also a reminder that the clock is ticking for Windows 11 24H2 in Home and Pro editions. This version will stop receiving updates starting October 13, 2026. Enterprise and Education editions will remain supported until October 12, 2027.
As usual, some features will roll out gradually: not everything will appear immediately after installation on your PC. In total, this update delivers around thirty new features and changes.
