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Joining and Leaving the Windows Insider Program ​

This article covers how to join the Windows Insider Program to get builds that are unreleased to the public.

Joining the Windows Insider Program ​

Note

You must be logged onto a Microsoft Account to be able to join the Windows Insider Program.

Joining the Windows Insider Program on Windows 11 ​

  1. Open the Settings app. You can do this by searching for it in the Start menu, clicking Win + I, or clicking the Settings button found above the Power button in Start. After that, open the Windows Update Section.

    Windows 11's Settings app.

  2. Click on Windows Insider Program, then navigate to the sign up page.

    The Windows Update section of Windows 11's Settings app. On the right side, near the bottom of the page, there is a button to open Windows Insider Program settings.

  3. Click on the Get Started button to join the Windows Insider Program.

    The Windows Insider Program settings page. A "Get started" button is shown, along with information about the program.

  4. Click on Link an account to link a Microsoft Account.

    You are prompted to link a Windows Insider account to join the program. You must link an account to continue.

  5. Select an account or login with one by clicking Microsoft Account, then click Continue.

    A screenshot of Windows' Microsoft account selector. You can choose to use a personal Microsoft account, or a work or school account.

  6. Read the Microsoft Insider Program Agreement and the Microsoft Insider Privacy Agreement. Click Continue when you finish reading and agree to the agreement.

    You are shown links to the Microsoft Insider Program Agreement and the Microsoft Insider Privacy Statement. A message is shown to confirm that by joining the Windows Insider Program, you agree to both.

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    If this prompt appears more than one time, click Continue until it moves on to the next step.

  7. Now select a channel to receive insider builds, then click Confirm. Here are some details on the details of the 3 channels:

    ChannelDescription
    Canary ChannelIdeal for highly technical users. Preview the latest platform changes early in the development cycle. These builds can be unstable and are released with limited to no documentation.
    Dev ChannelIdeal for enthusiasts. Access the latest Windows 11 preview builds as we incubate new ideas and develop long lead features. There will be some rough edges and low stability.
    Beta Channel (Recommended)Ideal for early adopters. These Windows 11 builds will be more reliable than builds from our Dev Channel, with updates validated by Microsoft. Your feedback has the greatest impact here.
    Release Preview ChannelIdeal if you want to preview and certain key features, plus get optional access to the next version of Windows before it's generally available to the world. This channel is also recommended for commercial users.

    You are prompted to select an Insider channel to join. Each channel is shown with its matching description.

    Note

    If you don't see all 4 channels, you might be limited by your hardware.

  8. Review the Microsoft Insider Privacy Statement and the Microsoft Insider Program Agreement, then click Continue.

    You are again shown links to the Microsoft Insider Program Agreement and the Microsoft Insider Privacy Statement. A message is shown to confirm that by joining the Windows Insider Program, you agree to let Microsoft collect information from your PC, and you may experience bugs and other problems.

  9. Choose to Restart Now or Restart Later, then you will start receiving insider builds in Settings> Updates & Security> Windows Update. Have fun testing Windows Builds!

    You are prompted to restart your device to finish enrollment.

Joining the Windows Insider Program on Windows 10 ​

  1. Open the Settings app. You can do this by searching for it in the Start menu, clicking Win + I, or clicking the Settings button found above the Power button in Start. After that, open the Update & Security Section.

    Windows 10's Settings app.

  2. Click on Windows Insider Program on the sidebar to navigate to the sign up page.

    The Update & Security section of Windows 10's Settings app. In the list of pages on the left, the Windows Insider Program page is at the bottom.

  3. Click on the Get Started button to join the Windows Insider Program.

    The Windows Insider Program settings page. A "Get started" button is shown, along with a quick one-sentence description.

  4. Click on Register to join the Windows Insider Program.

    You are prompted to register an account with the Windows Insider Program. You must register your account, or switch to an already-registered account, to continue.

  5. You will be prompted with a pop-up as shown below, click on Sign Up.

    A prompt is shown that describes the Windows Insider Program. You can choose to sign up, or to close the prompt and not continue.

  6. Read the Windows Insider Program Agreement and the Microsoft Insider Privacy Agreement, then check I've read and accept the terms of this agreement if you agree. Then click Submit.

    You are shown links to the Microsoft Insider Program Agreement and the Microsoft Insider Privacy Statement. A message is shown to confirm that by joining the Windows Insider Program, you agree to both.

    Shortly after that you should see a pop-up saying that you have successfully singed up for the Windows Insider Program. You now have to choose an account to signup as a Windows Insider.

    You are prompted to link an account that is registered with the Windows Insider Program.

  7. Link an account to join the Windows Insider Program, then click Continue.

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    You can choose any account to signup, but your personal Microsoft Account is recommended.

    A screenshot of Windows' Microsoft account selector. You can choose to use a personal Microsoft account, or a work or school account.

  8. Now select a channel to receive insider builds, then click Confirm. Here are some details on the details of the 3 channels:

    ChannelDescription
    Dev ChannelIdeal for highly technical users. Be the first to access the latest Windows 11 builds earliest in the development cycle with the newest code. There will be some rough edges and low stability.
    Beta Channel (Recommended)Ideal for early adopters. These Windows 11 builds will be more reliable than builds from our Dev Channel, with updates validated by Microsoft. Your feedback has the greatest impact here.
    Release Preview ChannelIdeal if you want to preview and certain key features, plus get optional access to the next version of Windows before it's generally available to the world. This channel is also recommended for commercial users.

    You are prompted to select an Insider channel to join. Each channel is shown with its matching description.

    Note

    If you don't see all 3 channels, you may be limited to certain channels by your hardware.

  9. Read the Microsoft Insider Privacy Statement and the Microsoft Insider Program Agreement, then click Confirm.

    You are again shown links to the Microsoft Insider Program Agreement and the Microsoft Insider Privacy Statement. A message is shown to confirm that by joining the Windows Insider Program, you agree to let Microsoft collect information from your PC, and you may experience bugs and other problems.

  10. Choose to Restart Now or Restart Later, then you will start receiving insider builds in Settings> Updates & Security> Windows Update. Have fun testing Windows Builds!

    You are prompted to restart your device to finish enrollment.

Leaving the Windows Insider Program ​

If you don't want to participate in the Windows Insider Program anymore, you can leave the program. Your computer will stay on the build that you are currently on until an official build that is newer than the build you have. You can also revert to an older build if you haven't deleted the Windows build and if you installed the build less than 10 days ago.

Leaving the Windows Insider Program on Windows 11 ​

  1. Open Settings, click on Updates & Security

    Windows 11's Settings app.

  2. Click on Windows Insider Program

    The Windows Update section of Windows 11's Settings app. On the right side, near the bottom of the page, there is a button to open Windows Insider Program settings.

  3. Click on Stop getting preview builds.

    The Windows Insider Program settings page on a computer that is enrolled in the Windows Insider Program.

  4. Click on Leaving the Insider Program.

    The "Stop getting preview builds" section is expanded. Two options are shown: "Unenroll this device when the next version of Windows releases", and "Unenroll this device immediately".

  5. You will be redirected to an official website. Click on Leave the Program now.

    On the Windows Insider Program website, a quick two-sentence explainer describes how you can choose to unregister your Microsoft account from the program, or you can unenroll your device but keep your Microsoft account registered. Below this, there is a "Leave the program now" button.

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    If you see You must login to leave the program, login on the top right corner of the website.

  6. Click on Stop receiving Insider Preview Builds.

    Once you click "Leave the program now", a disclaimer is shown to indicate that if you are receiving Insider Preview builds through work but are not the administrator, you will still continue to get preview builds. Below this, there is a "Stop receiving Insider Preview builds" button.

  7. You should see "This email address is not registered as a Windows Insider".

    You should now be unenrolled from the Windows Insider Program.

Leaving the Windows Insider Program on Windows 10 ​

  1. Open Settings, click on Updates & Security

    Windows 10's Settings app.

  2. Click on Windows Insider program

    The Update & Security section of Windows 10's Settings app. In the list of pages on the left, the Windows Insider Program page is at the bottom.

  3. Click on Leave the Insider Program.

    The Windows Insider Program settings page on a computer that is enrolled in the Windows Insider Program.

  4. You will be redirected to an official website. Click on Leave the Program now.

    On the Windows Insider Program website, a quick two-sentence explainer describes how you can choose to unregister your Microsoft account from the program, or you can unenroll your device but keep your Microsoft account registered. Below this, there is a "Leave the program now" button.

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    If you see You must login to leave the program, login on the top right corner of the website.

  5. Click on Stop receiving Insider Preview Builds.

    Once you click "Leave the program now", a disclaimer is shown to indicate that if you are receiving Insider Preview builds through work but are not the administrator, you will still continue to get preview builds. Below this, there is a "Stop receiving Insider Preview builds" button.

  6. You should see "This email address is not registered as a Windows Insider". If you don't see it, please re-complete step 3 and step 4.

    You should now be unenrolled from the Windows Insider Program.

Troubleshooting ​

Optional Diagnostics Data is disabled ​

If you see "To manage the Windows Insider program settings for your device and allow it to stay in the Windows Insider program, you'll need to turn on optional diagnostic data.", click on "Go to Diagnostics & Feedback settings to turn on optional diagnostic data.".

Windows 10's Settings app, opened to the Windows Insider Program screen. The above error message is displayed.

Image source: Minitool

Select Optional diagnostic data and return back the the Windows Insider Program page and continue with the procedure to join the program.

The Diagnostics & feedback section of Windows 10's Settings app. The radio button for "Optional diagnostic data" is selected.

Windows Insider Program Page not appearing ​

A registry key might be preventing the page from appearing in settings. Here is what you can do to fix it:

DANGER

Editing the registry incorrectly can cause major problems. Make sure you follow the instructions here exactly and don't proceed if anything is unusual.

  1. Press Win + R and type in regedit, then press Enter

    The Run dialog, with "regedit" typed into the "Open:" field.

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    You might be prompted with the User Account Control popup, click yes or enter an administrator's username and password to continue.

  2. Go to the following registry key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SOFTWARE/Microsoft/WindowsSelfHost/UI/Visibility

    The Registry Editor is opened to the above registry key. Several items are shown.

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    If the registry key does not exist, right click the key UI on the side bar and click New > Key and name it Visibility.

  3. Right click and create a new 32-bit DWORD value named HideInsiderPage on the right hand side. Set the value to 0.

    The Edit Value dialog is shown for the "HideInsiderPage" registry value. The number 0 is typed into the "Value data" field, and the radio button for Hexadecimal is selected.

You may now close the Registry Editor window and restart your computer. The Windows Insider Program page should appear after the restart.

Error Code ​

You may see an error code while trying to register to be a Windows Insider. There are a lot of different error codes, so you should search it on the Internet or ask in our Discord server for support in the #insiders channel.

Not associated with Microsoft.