Build 27959 for Windows 11 brings new features to Canary Channel

Windows 11 build 27959 allows you to reposition on-screen hardware indicators (such as brightness and volume) to the top-left or center, while also introducing new keyboard shortcuts for en-dash and em-dash, and addressing various UI and performance issues.

Microsoft has released Windows 11 build 27959 in the Canary Channel, featuring several new features already available in other channels, as well as fixes. This preview is rolling out alongside Windows 11 build 26220.6772 and 26120.6772 in the Dev and Beta Channels, which introduce new features but also block users from creating a local account during the Out-of-box Experience (OOBE).

According to the official changes, build 27959 for Windows 11 introduces a new setting to change the location of the hardware indicators, adds a new pin option in the Windows Share interface, and rolls out new keyboard shortcuts.

Additionally, this preview includes various fixes for File Explorer, Taskbar, Start menu, Windows Hello, Windows Security, and more.

What’s new on Windows 11 build 27959

These are the most significant changes being rolled out in the latest preview of Windows 11 for the Canary Channel.

On-screen hardware indicator setting

In Settings > System > Notifications, Microsoft is introducing a new “Position of on-screen indicators” setting that enables you to position hardware indicators (such as brightness, volume, airplane mode, and virtual desktops) at the bottom center, top left, or top right of the screen.

Windows Share with pin option

When using the Windows Share interface, you now have the ability to pin your frequently used or favorite apps to share content in the “Share using” section.

Simply hover over the button and click the “pin” button.

Input new shortcuts

Instead of having to open the Emoji Panel to access the symbols section to enter an En dash (–) or an Em dash (—), Windows 11 is updating its shortcut system so that you can use the “Windows key + Minus” to insert En dash, and “Windows key + Shift + Minus” to insert Em dash.

Other fixes and changes

The development team is also pushing several fixes and changes in the preview build that is available on the Canary Channel.

File Explorer: Improved icon visibility in the “Open With” context menu and boosted performance for cloud file launches and menu loading.
Taskbar: Fixed battery icon desync and ensured app preview clicks reliably bring windows to the foreground.
Start menu: Addressed a bug where using “Windows key + Shift + S” to screenshot the Start menu would cause it to close unexpectedly.
Graphics: Fixed rendering glitches where onscreen content could appear stuck when background apps updated.
Windows Hello: Corrected PIN setup failures with error 0x80090010 on Entra-domain joined devices.
Voice Access: Resolved error 9001, preventing Voice Access from functioning properly.
For Developers: PIX on Windows now correctly plays back GPU captures on the latest operating system builds.
Windows Security: Fixed display issues with apostrophes in app text for improved readability.

Microsoft also notes a known issue where sleep and shutdown aren’t working correctly.

Furthermore, the company recently rolled out Windows 11 build 27954 in the Canary Channel, featuring general improvements and fixes for shared files and folders using the Server Message Block (SMB) v1 protocol over NetBIOS on TCP/IP.

Preview build download

To download and install this Windows 11 build, enroll your devices in the Canary Channel through the “Windows Insider Program” settings from the “Update & Security” section. Once you enroll the computer in the program, you can download the build from the “Windows Update” settings by turning on the “Get the latest updates as soon as they’re available” option and clicking the “Check for Updates” button.