Windows 11 gets big performance upgrade, shared audio support, and more in new update

Microsoft is rolling out a new non-security update (also known as C-update) for Windows 11 versions 24H2 and 25H2. KB5089573 with build numbers 26200.8524 and 26100.8524 is now available for download in Windows Update and the Microsoft Update Catalog, offering a now-traditionally long list of new features, quality improvements, bug fixes, reliability enhancements, and more.

The most notable changes in KB5089573 are shared audio support for more devices (you can stream music to two headphones), improved NPU tracking in Task Manager, multi-camera support (several apps can use a single camera), the new low-latency mode, and more. Here is the changelog:

• [Shared Audio] New! Shared Audio enables two people to listen to the same audio from a single Windows 11 PC at the same time. It uses Bluetooth® LE Audio broadcast technology to make sharing easy. For example, you can watch a movie while traveling or listen to music while studying together. To start sharing audio, open Quick settings from the taskbar, select Shared Audio, choose two supported, paired, and connected devices, and then select Start sharing. To learn more about Shared Audio, see Extending Bluetooth® LE Audio on Windows 11 with Shared Audio.

[Magnifier in Windows]

• New! Magnifier now provides clearer and more consistent announcements when working with a screen reader. You’ll hear helpful announcements when you zoom in or out, switch views, turn color inversion on or off, or turn Magnifier on or off. This makes it easy to stay oriented while you work.
• New! Magnifier now supports magnification of permitted protected content.
• This update improves smoothness when moving the Magnifier in lens mode.

[Task Manager]

• New! Task Manager now offers improved visibility into NPU usage on PCs with an NPU. New optional NPU and NPU Engine columns are available on the Processes, Users, and Details pages, along with NPU Dedicated Memory and NPU Shared Memory optional columns on the Details page. Neural engines that are part of a GPU now appear on the Performance page, providing a more complete view of AI‑related activity. A new optional Isolation column on the Processes and Details pages shows which apps are running in an AppContainer. You can add any of the new columns by right‑clicking a column header in Task Manager and selecting them from the menu.
• This update improves CPU speed display on the Performance page of Task Manager for VMs, so it doesn’t show higher than expected numbers after resuming from hibernation.

[Camera] New! Windows 11’s Multi-App Camera feature allows multiple applications to access your camera stream at the same time. Basic Camera mode in Windows 11 enables simplified camera functionality, useful for troubleshooting or improving stability when your camera is not working correctly. Enterprise admin can now set Multi-App Camera mode or Basic Camera mode through Group Policy, under Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Camera > Configure Camera Options.

[Windows Setup] New! You can now choose a custom name for your user folder on the Device Name page during Windows setup. The updated experience makes it easier to select a custom name during setup only. If this step is skipped, Windows uses the default folder name and continues setup as usual. User folder names must follow standard Windows naming requirements.

[General Performance] This update accelerates app launch and core shell experiences such as Start menu, Search, and Action Center.

[Windows Hello]

• This update optimizes the Windows Biometric service (WinBio) to help improve performance when your device resumes from Modern Standby.
• This update reduces unexpected authentication blocks in Windows Hello Enhanced Sign‑in Security by resolving missing secure enrollment metadata.
• This update improves sign‑in behavior on the lock screen and sign‑in screen. When Windows Hello face or fingerprint is set up and available, it is now the default sign-in method every time you sign in, even if you used a different method previously. If you need to use your Windows PIN instead and use it three times in a row, Windows will stay with PIN until you switch to another sign-in method.

[Windows Search Box] Windows Search will now find and prioritize files with as few as two characters.

[Storage]

• The dialog box for creating a Dev Drive now supports specifying the size in gigabytes (GB) instead of only megabytes (MB). This option is also available when resizing volumes in Settings > System > Storage.
• In Settings > System > Storage, you now see a User Account Control (UAC) prompt only when you choose to view temporary files, instead of immediately when opening the page.

[USB]

• This update improves reliability for displays attached to USB4 docks and hubs. These displays now light up more consistently, particularly when coming out of standby.
• The USB3 stack is updated to have additional resiliency and recovery measures in place against certain unexpected hardware faults and conditions. Users will experience higher reliability with USB devices.

[Sensors] This update improves resiliency against apps that could keep the sensor hub powered on and drain power, impacting battery life.

[Human Interface Device (HID)] This update improves battery life related to the HID and Input stack for failed HID devices. Power hygiene is also improved against applications that might initiate HID transfers during standby.

[Input] The update improves:

• Reliability of the touch keyboard on the sign‑in screen, including when entering or changing a password.
• Reliability of explorer.exe when closing the input switcher.
• Performance when opening or navigating to the clipboard history.

[Fonts] The Times New Roman font family is updated to improve the rendering of combining diacritical marks across Greek and Cyrillic scripts. This update provides more accurate and visually consistent text by addressing mark positioning issues. These changes improve readability, reduce rendering inconsistencies, and provide better support for global language users working with Greek and Cyrillic content.

[Task Scheduler] Task Scheduler now saves column width adjustments in task list view across sessions.

[Desktop icons] This update improves the reliability of loading desktop app shortcuts.

[Microsoft Store]

• This update includes underlying changes that improve download performance and bandwidth usage.
• This update improves error reporting when downloads fail due to Windows Update group policy settings being enabled.

[Reliability] This update improves Windows reliability on the sign-in and lock screens, in File Explorer, when using touch gestures on touchscreen devices, and when changing themes in Settings.

You can download KB5089573 by heading to Settings > Windows Update or via the Microsoft Update Catalog. The update is optional, so you have to click "Download and install" manually. All the features in today's release will be available as part of the June 2026 Patch Tuesday update.