By: Daniel Dunne Written: 17/9/2026 It’s becoming an annual feature now that sees Microsoft releases scheduled feature updates to it’s popular Windows 11 Operating System. Every feature update brings new tools and improvements to the platform and this Autumn 2026 feature updates are no different. Let’s take a look at what we can expect from it: Maximised Apps – Ever open an App, like Microsoft Word or Notepad and it appears in a reduced size window with half the desktop still visible around the sides? It can be quite annoying visually and for screen reader users it sees some apps change layout when not in full-window making navigation ‘different’ from normal. Thankfully, Microsoft will be adding a new feature that you can instruct Windows 11 26H2 to open all apps maximised or in ‘full-window’ mode. This option will be available under the Settings, Accessibility Menu, Visual Effects. Screen Tint – A new accessibility tool that allows the user to select from six presets or customise their own. These ‘tints’ are an overlay colour that is applied to the screen, regardless of app, and is designed to reduce eye strain and help improve viewing comfort for the user. It will be available in the Settings, Accessibility Menu, Vision, Screen Tint. Windows Magnifier Improvements – Magnifier for Windows is getting a new feature too! Up until now, you had a decent, but limited list of magnification increment presets you could choose from when adjusting between the levels you wanted. In the next release, you will be able to manually set the increment levels you prefer when zooming in and out. Also in magnifier will be the ability to turn off those annoying touch-bars around the edges of the screen when using a touchscreen – one I’m particularly grateful to see added as I did (amongst many others) request this option to be included. Braille Support Improvements – A fantastic new improvement coming in Windows 11 26H2 is the improvements to Braille device recognition. If your Braille device is HID-Compliant (many devices are) it will simply plug-and-play via USB just like a USB Mouse or Keyboard would. No more messing around with device drivers and configurations. In addition, connecting by Bluetooth will also see improvements, once paired with your Windows 11 26H2 machine, it will work according to Microsoft who have also promised that HID-Compliant Braille devices will work during Windows Setup too – so if you’ve bought a brand new PC or Laptop it should work at the initial setup screen. Voice Access Improvements – Controlling your Windows 11 device using your voice is set to see improvements too as Microsoft introduces Voice Isolation. This feature will require a one-time voice setup so Windows can learn your voice and isolate your voice from others. It will also see improvements whereby background noises are filtered out and overall, voice recognition will be improved according to the software giant. Other improvements worth mentioning – The above accessibility improvements are very welcome and there is much more in general coming too. These improvements while not accessibility related, they should also prove useful to users with low vision or those who require screen-reader access. Start Menu – You will be able to customise the size of the start menu in Windows 11 26H2. The recommended section is getting renamed to recents and you can customise what appears here. Searches – Searching from the Start Menu or the search icon beside the start button has been the source of loud complaints from many users for quite a while now. Searching for an app currently (for example) will see it come up in a list of web search links, Microsoft Store ads, etc… In the next feature update you will be able to disable web suggestions and Bing results from appearing. The option to ‘search my computer only’ will be much faster and as what users really want, is only their information! Improvements to file name searching are coming too – say for example you saved a file last Spring called SalesReportMarch, if you search for ‘March’ it will show this file in the results. Very handy for those of us with muddled memories! Windows Ready Print – As wireless printers get more and more popular, Windows has developed Windows Ready Print which will take advantage of compatible printers that use the Internet Printing Protocol (IPP). This will allow for seamless installation of printers by not having to rely on manufacturers device drivers for initial setup and install. This really is a welcomed improvement for printer setup which often can be quite cumbersome – even for the more seasoned IT user. In conclusion, these improvements are definitely a good step forward – and while the above list is not exhaustive on all new features coming in Windows 11 26H2, the selection covered above will be of particular interest to blind and visually impaired users. Windows 11 26H2 is expected to be rolled out gradually this Autumn – so keep an eye on your Windows 11 Update screen over the coming couple of months.
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