Hello Windows Insiders, today marks the release of the Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27744 to the Canary Channel. Notably, there are no plans to release SDKs for the 27xxx series builds at this time.
What’s new with Build 27744
New Processor Feature Support in Prism
This latest Canary Channel Insider Preview introduces a significant enhancement to Prism, our emulator designed for Windows on Arm. This update allows a broader range of 64-bit x86 (x64) applications to operate under emulation by incorporating support for additional CPU features.
Currently, this new functionality is already in limited deployment within the retail version of Windows 11, version 24H2, facilitating the operation of Adobe Premiere Pro 25 on Arm. With Build 27744, this support is now extended to any x64 application under emulation. Users may find that previously incompatible games or creative applications can now run smoothly using Prism.
On a technical note, the virtual CPU utilized by x64 emulated applications through Prism will now support various extensions to the x86 instruction set architecture. These extensions include AVX, AVX2, BMI, FMA, F16C, among others, which, while not essential for running Windows, have become standard expectations for many applications. Users can verify the new features through tools like Coreinfo64.exe.
It is important to note that, in this preview, only x64 applications can leverage these new CPU features. Applications that are 32-bit or those that utilize a 32-bit helper for CPU feature detection will not recognize the enhancements in Prism.
We encourage feedback from Insiders eager to explore apps and games with this early preview of Prism. Please share any insights regarding compatibility or performance issues via the Feedback Hub (Win + F) under Apps, specifying the relevant application (if the app is not listed, select “All other apps”) to assist us in refining the emulation experience on Windows.
We appreciate your contributions to enhancing emulation on Windows and look forward to seeing more users able to enjoy their favorite applications and games on Windows on Arm.
Changes and Improvements
[Start menu]
- The “All apps” section has been simplified to just “All” on the Start menu.
[Input]
- A new Gamepad keyboard layout is being rolled out for the on-screen keyboard in Windows 11, enabling users to navigate and type using their Xbox controller. This layout includes button accelerators (for example, the X button for backspace and the Y button for spacebar), with keys vertically aligned for improved navigation.
[Task Manager]
- The Disconnect and Logoff dialogs in Task Manager have been redesigned to support dark mode and text scaling.
- In the Performance section, listed disks are now labeled with their respective types.
[Settings]
- The detach virtual hard disk (VHD/VHDx) button, introduced in Build 27686, has returned in this build after a temporary removal starting with Build 27718.
Fixes
[General]
- Resolved an issue affecting some Insiders with older NVIDIA GPUs (such as the GTX 970 and Quadro K620), which caused displays to become unresponsive or display errors in Device Manager.
[Input]
- Fixed an issue that prevented the Emoji Panel and Clipboard History from opening in certain applications, including Registry Editor.
- Addressed an underlying problem that could lead to clipboard history not displaying copied items.
[Windows Sandbox]
- Improved performance issues in Windows Sandbox that affected some Insiders following recent updates.
[Graphics]
- Corrected a problem that caused the dynamic refresh rate to remain stuck at 60Hz upon first boot.
[Other]
- Fixed a bugcheck issue with error PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA that began in Build 27723.
- Resolved a crash issue with remote desktop connection (mstsc.exe) in the previous flight.
- Addressed a problem related to msmpeg2vdec.dll that was causing some applications to crash.
- Fixed an issue preventing rotation information about JPGs from being queried via APIs (e.g., PowerShell).
- Resolved an underlying issue causing the Get-WindowsCapability command to fail unexpectedly until the PC was rebooted.
- Fixed an issue where mica did not function correctly when using a slideshow for the desktop background.
- Addressed a problem that could prevent certain apps from detecting a connected scanner.
Known issues
[General]
- [IMPORTANT NOTE FOR COPILOT+ PCs] If you are joining the Canary Channel on a new Copilot+ PC from the Dev Channel, Release Preview Channel, or retail, you may lose access to your Windows Hello PIN and biometrics, encountering error 0xd0000225. You can recreate your PIN by selecting “Set up my PIN.”
- We are investigating reports of some Insiders experiencing rollbacks (error code 0xc190010) when attempting to install the latest Canary builds.
[Desktop]
- [NEW] We are working on a fix for an issue where the desktop background may not display correctly across multiple monitors, resulting in large black areas.
Reminders for Windows Insiders in the Canary Channel
- The builds released to the Canary Channel represent the latest platform changes early in the development cycle and should not be viewed as aligned with any specific Windows release. Features and experiences in these builds may never be released, as we explore various concepts and gather feedback. Features may evolve, be removed, or replaced without ever being released beyond Windows Insiders. Some may appear in future Windows releases when they are ready.
- Many features in the Canary Channel are rolled out using Control Feature Rollout technology, starting with a subset of Insiders and gradually expanding as we monitor feedback.
- Some features may debut in the Dev and Beta Channels before arriving in the Canary Channel.
- Features in active development may not be fully localized initially, with localization occurring over time as features are finalized. Please report any localization issues via the Feedback Hub.
- To exit the Canary Channel, a clean installation of Windows 11 is required. Insiders cannot switch to a channel receiving builds with lower build numbers without performing a clean installation due to technical setup requirements.
- The desktop watermark in the lower right corner of the desktop is a standard feature for these pre-release builds.
- For a comprehensive overview of build statuses across Insider channels, please visit Flight Hub.
Thank you, Amanda & Brandon
