Microsoft's August 2026 non-security preview update for Windows, released on August 27, lets users move the taskbar to any edge of the screen. That position had been locked to the bottom throughout the life of Windows 11. The same release adds Start menu size options and a cleaned-up Windows Search, but installing it is optional, and problem reports have already surfaced.
The bottom-edge restriction is finally gone
The update ships as KB5120998 for Windows 11 versions 24H2 and 25H2, and as KB5120996 for version 26H1.
The change drawing the most attention is taskbar placement. Moving the bar to the top or sides was routine in Windows 10, but Windows 11 pinned it to the bottom from launch. For anyone running a tall secondary display, or simply used to a menu bar along the top edge, that was a quietly irritating limitation.
The setting lives under Personalization, Taskbar, Taskbar behaviors, Taskbar position. Tooltips and flyouts follow the new orientation rather than staying anchored to the bottom, so this is more than a cosmetic reposition. One caveat: the search box and the new small taskbar only work in the top and bottom positions. Choosing a side edge means giving both up.
The same update adds a Small option for taskbar size. Icons and bar height both shrink, freeing up screen real estate, while access to Start, search and the system tray stays intact. The Taskbar behaviors section now expands by default as well, which makes these options easier to find in the first place.
On the Start menu side, Small and Large join the existing Automatic setting, under Personalization, Start, Start menu size. The Recommended section has been renamed to Recent, and there is a new option to hide your user name and profile picture. If you present your screen to other people often, that last one may matter more than the sizing.
Search now tells you what it is about to open
Windows Search gets a simplified home screen, and results are now labelled by source: apps, settings, files, web, or store. Knowing what a result will open before clicking cuts down on the familiar annoyance of hunting for a local file and getting a browser window instead.
Whether web and store suggestions appear at all is now controlled under Privacy and security, Search. The update also starts adding frequently used folders to the index automatically. File Explorer benefits too, with a faster home screen and touch scrolling in the Recommended section.
Administrator rights become temporary, and WMIC is retired
Not everything here is cosmetic. Administrator Protection has begun rolling out. Rather than holding administrative rights at all times, an account is granted them only for the operation that needs them, which raises the bar for privilege escalation attacks. It is off by default and enabled through Microsoft Intune OMA-URI or Group Policy, so this is one for IT administrators to evaluate first.
The other change is the removal of WMIC. It is gone from versions 24H2 and 25H2 and is no longer offered as a Feature on Demand. WMI itself remains supported, so the scripts affected are the ones that call the wmic command directly. If old batch files are still in rotation, now is a reasonable time to move them to the PowerShell CIM cmdlets.
wmic csproduct get name
Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_ComputerSystemProduct | Select-Object Name
Japanese-language environments also see fixes, including reduced hangs during Microsoft IME input, along with repairs to Japanese input in RemoteApp and search in classic Outlook.
There is no rush to install it
Keep in mind that this is a preview update. It carries no security fixes and is offered as optional. The next monthly rollup is scheduled for September 8 US time, and the same content will arrive automatically then.
There is also a catch this time. Users have reported that mouse cursor customization gets altered after installing, and Microsoft has said it is aware of the reports and is investigating. Wallpapers turning black have also been reported, though Microsoft has not confirmed that one. Affected users report that uninstalling the update restores the previous behavior.
On top of that, the new features roll out gradually. Installing the update does not guarantee that all of them appear the same day. Unless you have a pressing reason to move your taskbar to the left edge today, waiting for next month's Patch Tuesday is the safer call.
Summary
The August 2026 Windows 11 preview update (KB5120998 and KB5120996) covers taskbar placement on all four edges, size options for the taskbar and Start menu, a tidier Windows Search and File Explorer, the start of the Administrator Protection rollout, and the removal of WMIC. It loosens several of the interface restrictions that drew the most complaints about Windows 11. It is optional, though, and there are reports of cursors and wallpapers reverting. If you are not in a hurry, waiting for the September 8 monthly update is the safer path.
