Hello Windows Insiders, today marks the release of Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27938 to the Canary Channel.
What’s new in Build 27938
Introducing AI actions in File Explorer
The latest update brings an exciting feature to File Explorer: AI actions. This enhancement allows users to engage more intuitively with their files. By right-clicking on a file, you can now access a range of AI-driven actions such as editing images or summarizing documents, all without the need to open the file itself. This seamless integration is designed to keep your workflow uninterrupted while harnessing the power of AI.
To explore these AI actions, simply right-click on a file and look for the new AI actions entry in the context menu. Here are four image actions currently available for effortless editing and web searches:
- Bing Visual Search: Search the web using an image instead of text. This feature helps you find similar images, products, and even identify landmarks or famous faces.
- Blur Background: This action opens the Photos app, automatically detecting the background of your photo. With a single click, you can blur the background while highlighting your subject, with options to customize the effect.
- Erase Objects: Using the Photos app, you can select unwanted elements in your images, and the Generative Erase feature will make them disappear, allowing for cleaner photos.
- Remove Background: This Paint feature lets you alter images with a single click, creating a smooth cutout of the subject by detecting it automatically.
These actions support file types including .jpg, .jpeg, and .png. We invite you to share your thoughts on these new capabilities in File Explorer!
FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Files, Folders, and Online Story > File Explorer.
Bringing back the bigger clock with seconds option in notification center
In response to user requests, we are reintroducing a feature from Windows 10: the option to display a larger clock with seconds in the notification center. To enable this feature, navigate to Settings > Time & language > Date & time and toggle the switch for Show time in the Notification Center.
Changes and Improvements
[Settings]
- You can now access Settings > Privacy & security > Text and image generation to monitor which third-party applications have recently utilized generative AI models provided by Windows. This feature enhances your control over which apps can leverage these AI capabilities.
Fixes
[Reset & Recovery]
- Resolved an issue that prevented the “Reset this PC” option from functioning correctly in Build 27934.
[File Explorer]
- Corrected an issue where the red indicator for low disk space in dark mode appeared too light.
- Fixed a bug causing File Explorer to fail to display thumbnails for certain video files with specific EXIF metadata.
[Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI)]
- Implemented performance improvements related to WMI Registry scanning.
[Login and Lock screen]
- Addressed an issue where some sign-in options displayed a blank icon.
[Search]
- Made enhancements to reduce instances of search getting stuck in a loading state.
[Input]
- Fixed a problem where typing on the touch keyboard with specific IMEs would not function correctly after switching back to a previous version.
[Task Manager]
- Resolved an issue causing Task Manager to freeze when accessing the performance section.
[Other]
- Fixed issues leading to bugchecks (green screens) with error IRQLNOTLESSOREQUAL and CRITICALPROCESSDIED in the latest Canary builds.
Known issues
[General]
- [IMPORTANT] Some users may encounter a rollback when attempting to install this build, resulting in errors 0xC1900101-0x20017 or 0xC1900101-0x30017. We are actively working on a resolution.
- We are addressing an issue causing the Temporary files section in Storage settings to get stuck during scans.
[For developers]
- [NEW] PIX on Windows cannot play back GPU captures on this OS version. A new PIX release is expected by the end of September to resolve this.
[Graphics]
- We are investigating reports of screen flickers experienced by some users when using the browser and potentially in other scenarios.
[Audio]
- [NEW] Some users are facing audio issues, with Device Manager indicating problems with devices such as “ACPI Audio Compositor.” Instructions for troubleshooting are provided to help restore functionality.
Reminders for Windows Insiders in the Canary Channel
- The builds released to the Canary Channel represent early-stage platform changes and should not be equated with any specific Windows release. Features may evolve, be removed, or never be released beyond the Insider program.
- Many features are rolled out gradually using Control Feature Rollout technology, starting with a subset of Insiders.
- Some features may debut in the Dev and Beta Channels before appearing in the Canary Channel.
- Localization for features in active development will occur over time, and feedback on localization issues is encouraged.
- To exit the Canary Channel, a clean installation of Windows 11 is required. Insiders cannot switch to a channel with lower build numbers without a clean install.
- The desktop watermark in the lower right corner is standard for these pre-release builds.
- For a comprehensive overview of current builds, refer to Flight Hub.
Thank you, Amanda & Brandon
