Build 27881 for Windows 11 finally brings new features to Canary Channel

Windows 11 build 27881 is now available in the Canary Channel with several improvements.
The update introduces a filter toggle for Voice Typing, the new Speech Recap feature in Narrator, and UI refinements across the Taskbar, Settings, and Share interface.
It also brings fixes for bugs affecting input, File Explorer, and Start menu stability.

Microsoft just dropped Windows 11 build 27881 in the Canary Channel, and while it’s not packed with flashy features, there are definitely a few noteworthy updates that are worth highlighting.

According to the official changes, build 27881 brings a handful of updates, including the ability to block bad words for Voice Typing and a Speech Recap feature on Windows Narrator that shows transcriptions of spoken output, which is great for accessibility and reference.

You’ll also find UI refinements like a wider “needy” app pill on the Taskbar, reorganized Accessibility settings, and inline image editing in the Windows Share interface. A bunch of bugs got squashed, and as per usual, the company has also published a few known issues.

Windows 11 build 27881 changes

These are the new features and changes rolling out for Windows 11 devices enrolled in the Canary Channel.

Voice Typing with new filter

Starting with this release, the context menu for Voice Typing will include a toggle switch to filter improper words. When the feature is turned on, it marks those words with asterisks, and when it’s off, words are spelled out.

Voice Typing new filter / Image: Microsoft

Windows Narrator speech recap

Microsoft is adding the Speech Recap feature to keep track of the spoken words from Windows Narrator for quick reference.

You can access the feature using the “Narrator key + Alt + X” keyboard shortcut. On the page, you will find the last 500 strings produced by the feature. However, the system will delete the saved text every time the Windows Narrator starts.

If you want to copy the strings directly into the clipboard without opening the experience, you can use the “Narrator key + Control + X” keyboard shortcut.

FAQs section in Settings

The “About” page in the Settings app, under “Device specifications,” now includes a “Frequently Asked Questions” section, providing users with additional information about their operating system and hardware regarding compatibility, performance, and more.

About page with Frequently Asked Questions / Image: Mauro Huculak

If the “About” page doesn’t include the FAQs section, you may be able to enable it manually using the ViveTool. To activate it, run the command vivetool /enable /id:55305888.

As part of the Settings app improvements, the dialog to rename a printer on the “Printers & scanners” page has been updated to match the style of Windows 11.

Taskbar improvements

The needy state pill (indicator for apps needing attention) is now wider and more visible.

Taskbar new needy state pill / Image: Microsoft

Windows Share new features

As part of the file-sharing feature, the Windows Share interface is adding an “Edit” button to make edits (such as cropping, rotating, and applying filters) to an image before sharing.

In addition, you can now select the compression scale from High, Medium, or Low Quality.

Windows Share compression option / Image: Mauro Huculak

If the setting isn’t available, you may be able to enable it manually by running this ViveTool command: vivetool /enable /id:55390938

The edition feature is only available for local images and only for these formats: .jpg, .jpeg, .dib, .png, .tif, .tiff, and .bmp.

Furthermore, the context menu has been updated with a new “Share with” menu that supports sharing a file directly to an app.

File Explorer new Share with menu / Image: Mauro Huculak

Accessibility grouping in Quick Settings

Another small change is happening on the Accessibility page, where the company is now grouping assistive features by vision, hearing, and mobility. Voice Access has also been added to the list.

Taskbar Accessibility flyout with categories / Image: Microsoft

Taskbar search

In this release, to comply with the Digital Market Act, users in Europe will receive better support for web search providers, which will increase discoverability.

Other changes and fixes

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

Security Certificate: Canary build signing certs renewed through 8/11/2026.
Touch Input: Finger drag now shows animated bubble trails.
PnPUtil: Now shows driver type and signing status with /enum-drivers.

As part of the fixes, this flight resolves:

Text encoding errors in non-English languages (for example, Polish, German, Chinese).
Safe Mode PIN error message.
Crashes in File Explorer (touch), Start menu, and Voice Access (Spanish).
Bugs in the Taskbar, including stuck keyboard focus, flickering media controls, and broken keyboard shortcuts.
Japanese and Chinese input issues with touch and voice typing.
UI slider alignment is on the “Color Filters” settings page.
Unexpected “Windows.old” folder after clean installs.

Finally, if you’re using a Copilot+ PC and planning to join the Canary Channel, be aware that this release may break PIN and biometric sign-in, triggering error 0xd0000225. You might need to set up your PIN again manually. Additionally, the “Reset this PC” feature currently doesn’t work, some visual elements are missing acrylic material after the update, and opening the microphone properties in Settings may cause the app to crash.

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.