On October 23, 2026, Microsoft added a native āSpeed testā to Windows 11 Quick Settings in Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26340.9767, released to the Experimental channel of the Windows Insider Program (Windows Insider Blog).
If youāre on regular Windows 11 and donāt see it, thatās consistent with whatās documented: the feature appears in this specific Insider build, and the release notes we reviewed donāt mention a general-availability date for the stable channel.
What Happened
Microsoftās October 23, 2026 Insider blog post describes a new way to check your internet speed without leaving the taskbar. Quick Settings is the small panel that opens when you click the network, volume, and battery icons in the bottom-right corner of the screen.
The new test measures three things:
- Download speed
- Upload speed
- Ping (latency, the delay before your connection responds)
Results show up directly inside Quick Settings. While the test runs, the panel shows live progress, and the final numbers stay in place when it finishes. You donāt get sent to a browser tab or a third-party website.
According to Microsoftās post, there are three ways to start the test:
- Click the new Speed test tile in Quick Settings.
- Open the Wi-Fi or Cellular flyout inside Quick Settings and start it from there.
- Right-click the network icon in the system tray and choose Test internet speed.
Windows Central framed the change as Microsoft āfinallyā replacing its Bing shortcut with a real speed test tool. Thatās the key point. Earlier versions of this feature were just a link out to a web-based test.
Who this affects
Right now, Microsoft documents the feature only for this group, and even there itās rolling out gradually:
- Windows 11 devices enrolled in the Windows Insider Program
- On the Experimental channel
- Running Build 26340.9767, the build where Microsoft introduced this feature
If you run the standard, generally available version of Windows 11, you likely donāt have this feature yet ā the sources we reviewed describe it only in this Insider build. Windows 10 isnāt part of this announcement at all.
For Insiders who get it, the feature is simply part of the Windows update itself, with no separate app to install.
Microsoftās release notes list the speed test under changes āgradually being rolled out,ā and say many Experimental channel features use Controlled Feature Rollout, starting with a subset of Insiders and ramping up over time. So a PC on the right build might not show the tile right away.
How It Stacks Up
Microsoft has put a speed test in the network menus before, but Build 26340.9767 is the first Insider build where Microsoft says the test and its results run directly inside Windows rather than in a browser.
Against earlier Insider builds
| Build | Channel | What the speed test did | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Earlier 2025ā2026 Insider builds | Dev / Beta / Canary | Opened the default browser to run the test, according to Windows Centralās reporting | Windows Central |
| 26340.9767 | Experimental | Runs in Quick Settings and shows download, upload, and ping in place | Windows Insider Blog |
In earlier Insider builds, the āspeed testā was really just a shortcut, according to Windows Centralās reporting. If youāve seen a right-click option that dumps you into a browser tab, you were likely on one of those older builds. The October 2026 build is the one that keeps everything inside the Windows UI.
The table above only shows how the feature has changed in testing. None of those earlier builds mean the feature reached stable Windows 11.
Against the speed tests you can use today
| Tool | Available on regular Windows 11 now? | How it works | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quick Settings Speed test | Not on the standard release ā Insider Experimental channel only, per current documentation | Built into the OS, results in Quick Settings | No published methodology, server, or accuracy data found |
| Ookla Speedtest (speedtest.net or app) | Yes | Web or app | Large server network and long benchmark history |
| Fast.com (Netflix) | Yes | Web | Simple, download-focused quick check |
| Your ISPās own speed test | Often, depending on your provider | Web or ISP app | Useful when arguing with your provider about the speeds you pay for |
On accuracy, this is the most important caveat in the whole story. Based on the release notes and reporting available, Microsoft hasnāt published how its built-in test works. We donāt know what servers it uses, its methodology, or how its numbers compare to Ookla Speedtest or Fast.com, at least not in anything we found published.
We also didnāt find any independent benchmark testing of it yet. Until that changes, treat the built-in test as a convenient quick check, not a replacement for established tools.
The real difference today is convenience. Speedtest.net and Fast.com take a browser and a few seconds. The Quick Settings version saves you the browser trip. Thatās nice, but it doesnāt change what you can diagnose.
The Reaction
Public reaction is still forming, and we didnāt find discussion threads worth citing yet. The clearest commentary so far is Windows Centralās view that the old browser shortcut was a weak substitute for a real built-in tool.
Our Take
Verdict: Donāt join the Insider Program for this. Wait for it, and use a browser-based speed test today.
This is a good change. Every āmy internet is slowā call gets easier when the first check is two clicks from the taskbar. It also helps when youāre talking a relative through it over the phone. The three entry points match where people already look when Wi-Fi acts up, and dropping the browser redirect fixes the most obvious problem with the earlier versions.
But itās a convenience feature, not a capability youāre missing. Hereās how to think about it.
How worried should you be? Not at all. Nothing changes on regular Windows 11. If you arenāt an Insider, you wonāt see the tile, and nothing you rely on has been removed.
Is it safe to join the Insider Program just for this? On your main PC, no. The Experimental channel is pre-release software. Those builds can include bugs that have nothing to do with the speed test, and youād take on all that risk to skip opening a browser tab. If you have a spare laptop or a test PC you donāt depend on, enrolling it is reasonable.
When will everyone get it? Microsoft hasnāt announced one. We didnāt find a stable-channel or general-availability date in the sources we reviewed, and Insider features sometimes change or get dropped before release. Donāt plan around a timeline.
What to do next
If you just want to check your speed right now, open a browser and use Speedtest.net, Fast.com, or your ISPās test. If the numbers look bad, pause other downloads and streams, then run the test a few times, once over a wired connection with an Ethernet cable (such as this Cat6 Ethernet cable) plugged straight into your router.
That comparison is a clue, not proof. If wired is consistently fast and Wi-Fi is slow, the bottleneck is likely your local wireless setup, and the fix is often router placement, a mesh Wi-Fi system, or a better USB Wi-Fi adapter for an older PC. If both are slow, the cause could be the router, the line, or your ISPās network, and thatās when your ISPās own test is worth running.
If you want to try the feature on a spare PC, check that the device meets the Insider Programās requirements and back it up first. Enrollment lives under Settings > Windows Update > Windows Insider Program, where youād pick the Experimental channel. Even then, Microsoft is rolling the speed test out gradually, so being on Build 26340.9767 doesnāt guarantee youāll see the tile right away.
If you do get it, look for the Speed test tile in Quick Settings, or right-click the network icon and choose Test internet speed.
If you want to stay away from preview builds on a work or family machine, donāt enroll in the Insider Program. Windows Updateās pause control also lets you temporarily hold off normal updates. Microsoftās Windows Update for Business documentation covers how pausing and deferring work in managed setups.
Wrapping Up
Windows 11 is finally getting a real speed test in Quick Settings, with download, upload, and ping shown right in the panel instead of a browser tab. For now, though, it only exists in Insider Preview Build 26340.9767 on the Experimental channel.
Our opinion: itās a welcome quality-of-life fix, but itās not worth putting a preview build on a PC you depend on. Keep using Speedtest.net or Fast.com, and let this arrive on its own whenever Microsoft decides itās ready.
| Situation | What to do | Applies to |
|---|---|---|
| You want a speed check today | Use Speedtest.net, Fast.com, or your ISPās test | Any Windows 11 PC |
| You have a spare test PC | Back it up, then consider the Experimental channel, knowing the tile rolls out gradually | Insider-enrolled Windows 11 |
| You want to avoid preview builds | Donāt enroll, and use Windows Update pause if needed | Work and family PCs |