- Windows 11 build 25931 arrives for testers in the Canary Channel.
- This flight introduces some changes for File Explorer, Dynamic Lighting, and Spotlight.
- Microsoft also pushes DC locator algorithm changes to help some networking feature deprecations.
Microsoft is now rolling out Windows 11 build 25931 for devices enrolled in the Canary Channel of the Windows Insider Program with some additional changes and improvements.
Build 25931 for Windows 11, according to the official changes, introduces more information for the “Details” page in File Explorer, including image dimensions for pictures, number of pages for .docx, storage usage for drives, and many others. The Dynamic Lighting page now includes the “Match my Windows accent color” option under the “Effects” settings to sync the current accent color with your RGB devices.
Also, as part of the Windows Spotlight changes, when updating to a newer version of the operating system and you’re using the default desktop wallpaper or solid color, the Spotlight feature may turn on automatically. If you don’t want this behavior, you can turn off Spotlight from the Personalization settings, and then, in future updates, the system won’t change your settings.
On Windows 11 builds 25931, as a result of the deprecation of Windows Internet Name Service (WINS) and Remote Mailslots, the company is blocking by default the use of NetBIOS\WINS\mailslot-based methods for DC discovery. Even further, the company notes that this behavior can be reverted using the new Group Policy setting (BlockNetBIOSDiscovery). In addition to disabling the new BlockNetBIOSDiscovery policy, reversion to default behavior also requires enabling the EnableMailslots SMB configuration option.
Finally, the development team has fixed a major issue where you could no longer connect over SMB to a third-party storage device using guest (no username or password) credentials.
Installing builds
To download and install the Windows 11 build 25931, you must enroll your device 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 clicking the “Check for Updates” button.
Mauro Huculak is a Windows How-To Expert who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He has also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 15 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows and software, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 21 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me. Email him at [email protected].