Windows 11 Insider Channels: Canary, Dev, Beta and Release Preview

If you want to test drive Windows 11 Insider Preview builds but can’t decide which Windows Insider channel should you choose, this article will help you in understanding all channels available to join Windows Insider program.

There are many channels available to download and test new Windows 11 Insider Preview builds but many users find it difficult to select the best channel for them. In this article, we’ll try to discuss all Windows 11 Insider channels in details and will try to provide answers to all frequently asked questions (FAQ) related to these channels.

This exclusive article contains everything you want to know and you need to know about Windows 11 Insider channels.

So let’s start the article!

What is Windows Insider Program?

Microsoft provides users early testing builds of Windows 11 operating system to test them and provide feedback to Microsoft. These builds are testing builds and contain features which are under development, so these builds might contain bugs and issues.

Microsoft releases these testing builds to fix all known bugs and issues before making these builds available to public. Testers test these Insider Preview builds and submit feedback. It helps Microsoft in fixing the known issues and improving Windows 11 OS.

Once a build is finalized, it’s released to general public in form of a feature update or new moment update for Windows 11.

To test early testing builds, users are required to join the free Windows Insider program. After joining the program, users can download Windows 11 Insider Preview build and install it in their devices.

Windows 11 Insider Preview builds are similar to the Beta, Dev or Canary versions provided by Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge web browsers. All are released to a set of testers for testing purposes before releasing the final product to public.

How to Join Windows Insider Program?

Interested users can join Windows Insider program using their Windows 11 device.

Open Settings app from Start Menu or by pressing WIN+I keys together and go to Windows Update -> Windows Insider Program page. Follow the instructions and you’ll be able to join the testing program.

You can also direct register to join Windows Insider program using official Microsoft website:

Register to Join Free Windows 11 Insider Program

Which Windows Insider Program Channel to Choose?

Now the main question arises, which testing channel should you choose? Actually Microsoft provides 4 different channels or branches to join Windows Insider program:

• Windows Canary channel
• Windows Dev channel
• Windows Beta channel
• Windows Release Preview channel

When you join or register Windows Insider program, you need to select one channel which can be changed later from Windows 11 Settings.

If you are familiar with Chrome or Edge testing channels, you’ll have no problem in understanding these channels.

Windows 11 Insider Canary Channel:

Canary channel is a high risk channel which will provide the very early testing builds of Windows 11 which will be released to public after several months. These builds will contain several new features and changes which might or might not be a part of future Windows 11 versions.

Microsoft releases testing builds to Canary channel to test early ideas and their effects on the whole operating system.

If you are brave enough and ready to test very early testing builds of Windows 11 to test drive new features and changes, you can select Canary channel.

Windows 11 Insider Dev Channel:

Dev channel is very similar to Canary channel but a little bit more stable. If you feel uncomfortable in selecting Canary channel but still want to test drive early Windows 11 builds, you can choose Dev channel.

The Canary channel will receive new features first before going out to the Dev channel.

Windows 11 Insider Beta Channel:

Beta channel provides more stable builds of Windows 11 compared to Canary and Dev channels. You can safely select Beta channel to test drive new Windows 11 builds. You’ll receive new features on this channel only if the feature has been selected to provide to public.

Windows 11 Insider Release Preview Channel:

This is the safest channel available in Windows Insider program. You can consider it as the final version of Windows 11 which will be delivered to public. If you want to receive Windows 11 new versions a few days or months before they arrive to public, you can select this channel.

Difference Between Canary, Dev, Beta and Release Preview Channels

Following information will clear all your doubts about all 4 channels of Windows Insider program:

Stability of Windows 11 testing builds:

The testing builds of Windows 11 provided to Canary and Dev channels will be less stable and can face crash issues. You’ll find more bugs and issues in these builds. On the other hand, Windows 11 builds delivered to Beta and Release Preview channels will be more stable and can be used for daily tasks by tech experts.

Stability: Canary < Dev < Beta < Release Preview

New features for testing:

The Canary and Dev channels will receive new features and changes to test drive even if the features are not ready to release to public but Beta and Release Preview channels will receive only those new features which are scheduled to release to public.

New features: Canary > Dev > Beta > Release Preview

Technical knowledge required for testing:

You must be a tech expert to use the Canary and Dev channel builds as you might need to format and clean install Windows 11 builds on these channels. If you have less technical knowledge and experience, you should select Beta or Release Preview channels.

Official announcements about new testing builds:

Microsoft announces release of new Windows 11 testing builds to Dev, Beta and Release Preview channels. There will be no announcement of new builds released to Canary channel.

Release frequency of new testing builds:

The Canary and Dev channels receive new Windows 11 builds frequently. On the other hand, there are less frequent Windows 11 builds released to Beta and Release Preview channels.

Windows 11 builds number released to testing channels:

The Canary channel builds start from 25000 series, Dev channel builds start from 23000 series, Beta channel builds start from 22000 series and the Release Preview channel contains the final build of Windows 11 which is going to release to public. The build number of Windows 11 can be checked using winver command in RUN dialog box as mentioned here.

How to Install Windows 11 Insider Preview Builds?

Check out following important articles to learn more about new Windows 11 Insider Preview builds and channels:

Here is What’s New in Latest Windows 11 Dev Insider Preview Build

Here is What’s New in Latest Windows 11 Canary Insider Preview Build

Windows 11 Dev Insider Preview Builds Changelog

Windows 11 Canary Insider Preview Builds Changelog

Download Windows 11 Insider Preview Build Offline ISO Files