Windows 11 Build 27924: New Copilot+ PC AI & Advanced Settings
Microsoft has released Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27924 to the Canary Channel, offering an early glimpse into the operating system’s evolving capabilities. This latest build, also available as an ISO download, introduces a suite of features primarily focused on Copilot+ PCs, alongside significant updates to system settings and the Snipping Tool.
For users with Copilot+ PCs, Build 27924 begins to enable a range of advanced experiences. These include “Recall (Preview),” designed to provide an expansive memory for PC activities, and “Click to Do (Preview),” which streamlines task execution. Enhanced Windows Search capabilities and Live Captions with real-time translation are also rolling out, aiming to improve accessibility and productivity. Furthermore, an “Agent in Settings” feature is being gradually introduced, along with ongoing work to enable image descriptions within Narrator. It’s important to note that features in the Canary Channel are in their nascent stages, meaning their quality may not match those in the Dev or Beta Channels, and users should anticipate some functionalities not working as expected.
Beyond Copilot+ PC enhancements, the build redesigns the “For Developers” page, now accessible as “Advanced Settings” under Settings > System > Advanced. This change aims to make these settings more discoverable for a broader audience. New features within this section include the ability to “Enable long paths,” which removes traditional MAX_PATH limitations for file and directory functions, and “Virtual workspaces” for managing virtual environments like Hyper-V and Windows Sandbox. Developers will also appreciate “File Explorer + version control,” a new integration that displays Git information—such as current branch, diff count, and last commit message—directly within File Explorer when navigating repository folders.
Other notable changes in Build 27924 include adjustments to the pointer indicator, making it more transparent for better visibility, and a new keyboard shortcut (CTRL + WIN + ALT + X) to prevent accidental activations. For developers utilizing Windows MIDI Services, a feedback-driven breaking change has been implemented in the inbox preview MIDI Service and API, allowing for optional waiting for messages to be fully sent before function returns. Apps built against previous versions of the MIDI 2.0 SDK will require an update and recompilation to ensure continued functionality.
The release also addresses several bugs. Fixes include resolving an issue where the progress wheel appeared as a rectangle glyph during upgrades, rectifying a problem causing widgets to disappear or malfunction, and correcting a remote desktop issue that limited use to only the primary monitor despite multi-monitor configurations. An underlying crash in webauth.dll that impacted passkey usage has also been resolved.
However, users should be aware of several known issues. A critical problem affects new Copilot+ PCs joining the Canary Channel from other channels or retail, where users may lose Windows Hello PIN and biometric sign-in capabilities, encountering error 0xd0000225. While a PIN can typically be recreated, this remains a significant inconvenience. Other known issues include unexpected error pop-ups in Group Policy Editor and potential app crashes due to an underlying problem with dao360.dll. The “Click to Do (Preview)” feature also has known issues, with text and image actions potentially not working and the application crashing; a fix for this is anticipated in a future update.
In a separate update rolling out to both Canary and Dev Channels, the Snipping Tool (version 11.2507.14.0 and higher) gains a new “window mode screen recording” feature. This allows users to easily capture activity within a specific application window. Upon selecting window mode, the Snipping Tool automatically sizes the recording region to match the chosen app window precisely. While convenient for setup, the recording region remains fixed once initiated, meaning it won’t follow the application if it moves or is obscured by other windows. This provides a focused way to record defined screen areas without post-capture cropping.
Microsoft emphasizes that builds released to the Canary Channel represent the earliest stages of development and are not tied to any specific Windows release. Features and experiences introduced here are experimental, subject to change, removal, or replacement, and may never be released publicly. Many features are rolled out gradually using control feature rollout technology, starting with a subset of Insiders and expanding as feedback is monitored. Users should also anticipate potential localization issues in these early builds. Finally, a clean installation of Windows 11 is required to switch off the Canary Channel, and the desktop watermark indicating a pre-release build is normal.