How to Join Windows Insider Program on Windows 11 PC

In this guide, you’ll learn about the Windows Insider Program, Insider Channels, and how to join Windows Insider Program on a Windows 11 PC. It’s free to join the Windows Insider Program.

The Windows Insider Program lets you test the latest Windows 11 updates and features before they’re made available to the public. Microsoft has announced that Windows 11 is now available to everyone, and if you are running Windows 10, you can upgrade Windows 10 to Windows 11 using multiple methods.

Compared to Windows 10, Windows 11 has different system requirements. It is recommended that you run the Windows 11 PC health check app to determine whether your PC running Windows 10 can be upgraded to Windows 11 or not.

You must also read the minimum system requirements for installing Windows 11 on your PC. If your PC doesn’t meet the requirements for Windows 11, you cannot install it. Once Windows 11 has been installed on your computer, you can sign up for the Windows Insider Program to receive the newest features and updates.

As a Windows 11 Insider, you can use corporate credentials to deploy Windows 11 Insider Preview Builds and provide feedback to Microsoft. Before we examine the procedures for joining the Windows 11 Insider Program, let’s go over some fundamentals and comprehend what the “Windows Insider Program” is and how to join it.

Learn: Guide on Windows 11 Activation Methods

What is Windows Insider Program?

The Windows Insider Program is a community of Microsoft enthusiasts who get to see the latest updates and features. There is no cost to join the Insider program as joining the program is free. The “Windows Insider Program” lets you test new Windows 11 updates and features before they’re available to the public. As a Windows Insider, you can provide feedback to Microsoft.

Windows Insiders run previews of the platform, called Windows Insider Preview Builds, then provide feedback and engage directly with Microsoft engineers to help shape the future of Windows. As a Windows Insider, the new builds you get are based on your chosen insider channel. Please keep in mind that Insider builds aren’t as stable as the public release versions of Windows. So don’t install Windows 11 insider preview builds on your work laptop or production workstations.

Read: Getting started with the Windows Insider Program

Windows Insider Channels

Let’s take a brief look at the available Windows Insider Channels. There are three Windows Insider Channels namely.

1. Dev Channel – This channel is for highly technical users. Opting this channel for insider program will give you access to the latest Windows 11 builds. You’ll get builds earliest in the development cycle. That’s the reason this build has more bugs and overall stability issues.
2. Beta Channel – Microsoft recommends selecting the beta channel for Insiders. This channel is ideal for early adopters. The Windows 11 insider preview builds that you get here is more stable and reliable than Dev Channel. If you want to provide feedback on latest Windows 11 builds, this channel is for you as your feedback has the greatest impact here.
3. Release Preview Channel – The Release Preview Channel is an ideal choice for those who want new features, advanced quality updates, and relatively few bugs.

Note: To join the Windows Insider Program on Windows 11, you must select one of the channels listed above. You can later switch to other channels from the Windows 11 insider options.

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SKU Languages for Windows Insider Builds

The Windows Insider Preview Builds are available in the following SKU languages:

• Arabic (Saudi Arabia)
• Bulgarian (Bulgaria)
• Chinese (Simplified, China)
• Chinese (Traditional, Taiwan)
• Croatian (Croatia)
• Czech (Czech Republic)
• Danish (Denmark)
• Dutch (Netherlands)
• English (United Kingdom)
• English (United States)
• Estonian (Estonia)
• Finnish (Finland)
• French (Canada)
• French (France)
• German (Germany)
• Greek (Greece)
• Hebrew (Israel)
• Hungarian (Hungary)
• Italian (Italy)
• Japanese (Japan)
• Korean (Korea)
• Latvian (Latvia)
• Lithuanian (Lithuania)
• Norwegian Bokmål (Norway)
• Polish (Poland)
• Portuguese (Brazil)
• Portuguese (Portugal)
• Romanian (Romania)
• Russian (Russia)
• Serbian (Latin, Serbia)
• Slovak (Slovakia)
• Slovenian (Slovenia)
• Spanish (Mexico)
• Spanish (Spain, International Sort)
• Swedish (Sweden)
• Thai (Thailand)
• Turkish (Turkey)
• Ukrainian (Ukraine)

Steps to Join the Windows Insider Program on Windows 11

We will now look at the steps to join the Windows Insider Program on Windows 11. If you haven’t already, signing up for the Insider program is simple.

Step 1. Install the latest Windows 11 updates

Before you register for the Windows Insider Program, install the latest Windows 11 updates.

• On Windows 11 PC, click Start and open Settings app.
• Select Windows Update option from the left menu.
• Click Check for Updates to see if there are any applicable updates.
• Install all the updates and restart Windows 11 PC.

Read: How to deploy Windows 11 updates using ConfigMgr ADR

Step 2. Register for the Windows Insider Program

This is an important step where you enroll or register for the Windows Insider Program. You need a Microsoft account to register for the Windows Insider Program. To accomplish that, launch the Microsoft Edge browser on your Windows 11 PC and visit the Join the Windows Insider Program link.

To register, you must sign in with your Microsoft account or work account in the Azure Active Directory. Click “Sign in now.” Enter the Microsoft account credentials and complete the registration.

Once the registration is complete, in the next step, you can begin to start flighting. Microsoft gives clear instructions on what should be done before you set up flighting.

Note: To install Windows Insider Preview Builds on Windows 11, you must be running a licensed version of Windows on your device.

Step 3. Link your Microsoft Account in Windows 11

Perform the below steps on your Windows 11 PC to link your Microsoft account.

• On your Windows 11 PC, click Start and open the Settings app.
• In the Settings window, from the left pane, click Accounts.
• To add a new Microsoft account, select Email & Accounts.

On the Email & Accounts window, click Add a Microsoft account. If you have registered to Windows Insider Program with work or school account, use that option.

You must sign in with the same account that was used to register to Windows Insider Program. On the next screen, sign in and complete the process.

If the account sign in is successful, you should see the newly added Microsoft account on the Email & Accounts screen. Now that you have linked a Microsoft account on Windows 11, this will make it easier to join the Windows Insider program.

Step 4. Join the Windows Insider Program on Windows 11

In this step, we will join Windows Insider Program on Windows 11 PC. Click Start and launch the Settings app. Click Windows Update option and under more options, select Windows Insider Program.

On Join the Windows Insider Program box, click Get Started.

You must link an account to join the program. To associate a Windows Insider account, click Link an account.

Now you will be prompted to sign in with your Microsoft account or Work/School account. Sign in with the same account that used while registering to Windows Insider Program.

Now choose an Insider Channel. You can select Dev, Beta, or Release Preview. The Beta channel is recommended for early adopters of preview builds. Compared to Dev Channel, Beta channel builds are stable.

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Click Continue.

Click Continue to agree to the terms of service for the Insider program.

You must restart the device to finish the process. Click Restart Now.

After the restart, sign in to your PC and manually update Windows 11 by pressing Start > Settings > Windows Update > Check for Updates. Certain updates might require another Windows 11 restart.

Note: If you have selected Insider channel as Beta, it may take some time to download the latest Windows 11 insider preview. If you have selected Dev channel, the insider preview builds download sooner.

To speed up the update download process, I have changed the release channel from Beta to Dev.

Now we see that the latest Windows 11 Insider preview 22543.1000 builds is downloading via Windows Update.

After the download is complete, the Windows 11 Insider Preview build installs, and it should prompt for a PC restart. Restart your computer and in the next step we will verify the build number of Windows 11.

Step 5. Verify Windows 11 Insider Preview Build

We will now check the Windows 11 build number after installing the insider preview build. On your Windows 11 PC, click Start > Settings > System > About.

Under Windows Specifications, check the Edition and Version. The edition here shows it’s a Windows 11 Pro Insider Preview and Version as Dev.

You can also check the build number of Windows 11 Insider preview build by going to Settings > Windows Update > Windows Insider Program. You can see the installed build: 22543.1000 rs_prerelease.

The final method to check the Windows 11 Insider Preview build is by running “winver” command. On Windows 11, right-click Start > Run. Enter the command winver and press enter key.

The About Windows shows the insider channel and build number of Windows 11 insider preview.

Windows 11 Insider Program FAQ’s

Some frequently asked questions related to Windows Insider program for Windows 11.