Summary
- Cortana is officially removed from Windows 11 in the latest Canary Channel build, as Microsoft had previously announced. But there are other surprising tweaks, like a scrollable view of Quick Settings and an interactive cards feature on the Settings app homepage.
- Additional changes and fixes in the build include improvements to the Windows Subsystem for Linux, resolving various issues with File Explorer crashes, fixing desktop icon glitches, and enhancing File Explorer performance.
- However, there are three known issues in this build. Rolling back to a previous build may cause issues with the Start Menu and Settings app. There are also reports of problems with the print queue and some games not loading correctly.
- Another Windows Insider build, with the ability to summon Copilot using Alt+Tab, was also released.
The end of Cortana on Windows has arrived. Microsoft has officially removed the Cortana app on Windows 11 with the latest Windows 11 Canary Channel build. The same build also brings some tweaks like a new Settings homepage and new ways to switch between your Quick Settings.
Once you update to Windows 11 Canary Channel build 25967, you should notice that Cortana will be gone entirely. Microsoft first announced this change back in August, so this isn't all too surprising. What is surprising, though, are some of the other tweaks in this build. Microsoft is trying out a scrollable view of Quick Settings. Not everyone will see it, but this is part of Microsoft's evaluating of the effectiveness of different layouts. So now, instead of having to edit the list to add new quick actions, you can simply go through the scrollable list of quick actions. Check it out below.
The other surprising thing in this build (depending on how you look at it) is the new Settings app. This has been tested with the other Windows insider channels, and it gives you interactive cards on the Settings home page. It's not new, though. Other changes and fixes in this build can be seen below.
If you're planning on downloading this build, there are three known issues. If you opt to roll back to a previous build after downloading this one, the Start Menu or Settings app might not work right. Microsoft is also looking into reports that the print queue isn't working right, and that some games might not load right. This wasn't the only Windows Insider build this week. Microsoft also rolled out Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 23560 to the Dev Channel. That build brings the option to summon Copilot with Alt+Tab.
