Microsoft Drops New Windows 11 Builds for Canary and Release Preview Testers

Microsoft has just released two new Windows 11 preview builds for Insiders on the Canary and Release Preview Channels. The Canary build 27881 brings various new features that Microsoft previously tested on other Insider Channels, including Speech recap in Narrator and the ability to edit images from the Windows Share window. The 24H2 build 26100.4482 for Release Preview testers, however, brings a new option to automatically resize taskbar icons to fit more apps, and more.

Let’s start with the main new features included in the Windows 11 Canary build 27881:

Speech recap in Narrator: Narrator users can now keep track of what Narrator has spoken, follow along with live transcription, and copy the last strings Narrator has spoken.

Profanity filter setting for voice typing: This new option will let Windows 11 users disable the profanity filter so that voice typing will type out profanity like any other words, instead of masking it with asterisks.

Needy state pill UI for taskbar icons: Microsoft has adjusted the needy state pill under apps on the taskbar that need attention to be wider and more visible.

Accessibility flyout in quick settings: Assistive technologies are now grouped by vision, hearing, motor, and mobility for easy identification.

Windows Share improvements: It’s now possible to quickly edit and enhance images from the Windows Share window. Moreover, Insiders can now share with apps directly through the context menu in File Explorer or on the desktop.

New FAQs section in Settings: This new section on the ‘About’ settings page provides answers to common questions about the system and Windows 11.

Touch Input: This new build changes the design of the touch visual when dragging your finger on the screen. The Windows Insider team described the new design as “animating bubbles.”

If you want to perform a clean install, ISOs for the Windows 11 Canary build 27881 are available to download from Microsoft’s website. All Insiders on the Canary and Dev Channel can also download a Snipping Tool update that introduces GIF export for screen recordings.

Let’s move on to the Windows 11 24H2 build 26100.4482 for Insiders on the Release Preview Channel. This new build provides early access to new features that will be included in the June optional update and the July Patch Tuesday update for Windows 11 version 24H2.

Here are the main new features included in this build:

Taskbar icons: There’s a new option to make the taskbar automatically resize icons to fit more apps when space runs low. Microsoft also adjusted the pill indicator under taskbar apps to make it wider and more visible, and it added text descriptions for the assistive technologies in Quick Settings.

Windows Share: Share links or web content via Windows Share will now show a visual preview for that content. The new option to edit images is also adding three compression levels (High, Medium, or Low Quality).

Screen Curtain in Narrator: This privacy-focused feature will black out the screen while Narrator reads content aloud.

Settings homepage on managed PCs: The homepage now includes cards tailored for enterprise use, such as “Recommended settings” and “Bluetooth devices.”

App defaults in the EEA: Microsoft is changing the default behavior of the “Set Default” button for choosing a new default browser in Settings. Additional file and link types will now be set for the new default browser, if it registers them. The new default browser will also be pinned to the Taskbar and Start menu, unless Insiders choose not to.

New PC-to-PC migration experience: This new experience will let Windows 11 users transfer their files and settings from their old PC to a new one during the PC setup process. However, only the landing and the pairing page are currently available in the Windows Backup app, with the full experience coming in a future update.

Lastly, Microsoft also released today the Windows 11 23H2 Build 22631.5548, which is a small update for Release Preview Insiders still on the 23H2 bandwagon. The new bits address some issues in the build 22631.5545 released on the Release Preview Channel on June 12. For Windows 10 Insiders users, the build 19045.6033 is also available to download, and it addresses some issues in the build 19045.6029 released on June 12.