Windows 11 Canary Build 27965: New Scrollable Start and Open Source Edit Editor

Microsoft is testing a bolder, more flexible Start experience in Windows 11 with Insider Preview Build 27965 (Canary), while quietly rearranging a few legacy pieces of the platform and adding modern tooling for command-line users — changes that matter for everyday consumers, power users, and IT managers alike.

Background​

Windows Insider builds in the Canary Channel are the place where Microsoft experiments early and broadly with platform-level ideas that may never ship to the general public. Build 27965 continues that pattern: it delivers a redesigned, single-scroll Start surface with new app‑browsing modes, adds a first‑party, open‑source command‑line text editor, and changes the packaging and delivery model for legacy .NET Framework 3.5. These changes are being rolled out gradually via control‑feature rollout and server-side gating, so visibility will vary across devices and Insiders.
The Canary Channel’s role as a sandbox means this build is not a guarantee of final form; features may change, be removed, or later surface in Dev/Beta channels or as part of a servicing update. That context matters when evaluating both the benefits and the risks of adopting these preview builds on production hardware.

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What’s new in Build 27965 — quick summary​

• A redesigned Start menu that is a single, scrollable surface combining Pinned, Recommended, and All apps.
• New “All” views: Category view (auto-grouped categories) and Grid view, in addition to the classic List view.
• Responsive Start sizing: the Start menu adapts to display size with different column counts and visible recommendations.
• Phone Link integration: a collapsible mobile device button in Start to expand/collapse phone content.
• .NET Framework 3.5: no longer delivered as a “Windows Feature on Demand” optional component; Microsoft encourages migration to modern .NET and provides a standalone installer for legacy scenarios.
• Edit: a new small, open‑source command‑line text editor shipped as part of Windows and usable via the Terminal with the command edit.
• Fixes and known issues: taskbar autohide, video playback fixes, plus several new known issues (File Explorer crash on network transfers, Settings crashes accessing drive info, lock-screen media control problems, and some power/sleep regressions). The Canary blog and community notes list these items for Insiders to triage and report.

The official Insider announcement described the Start redesign and the other changes included in this flight; independent reporting and community analyses echo the same high-level changes.

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Deep dive: the new Start menu​

A single, scrollable Start surface​

Microsoft has consolidated Pinned, Recommended, and All apps into one continuous vertical canvas. The old multi‑pane Start layout — with a separate “All apps” page — is replaced by a single-scrolling surface that reduces clicks and cognitive switching. This mirrors the way many smartphone launchers present content and makes the Start experience feel more like a one-stop app launcher.
The benefit is immediate: fewer clicks, better at-a-glance density, and more consistent discovery for users with large application sets. For Insiders running the new Start, the experience is noticeably faster when hunting for an app compared with toggling between pages. Independent coverage validated that the new Start shows up as a unified view and is adaptive to window/display size.

Multiple “All apps” views: Category, Grid, List​

Build 27965 introduces three ways to browse installed apps:

• Category view (default): Apps are automatically grouped into categories (e.g., Productivity, Games, Communication) when there are at least three apps that belong together. The system also surfaces higher‑usage apps within categories, so commonly used items “bubble up.” Categories are generated by the OS; manual creation, renaming, or reordering of categories is not supported yet.
• Grid view: An alphabetically ordered grid that uses horizontal space to reduce vertical scrolling and allow quicker visual scanning.
• List view: The classic alphabetical list retained for familiarity.

Category view is a meaningful productivity feature for people with many apps, but the lack of manual control over categories is a trade‑off that may frustrate power users and administrators seeking deterministic layouts for managed fleets. The change to category thresholds (three apps) and system control is worth noting for IT policy considerations.

Responsive sizing and section behavior​

The Start menu adapts to screen size:

• On larger devices, you may see up to 8 columns of pinned apps, 6 recommended items, and 4 columns of categories in the All section.
• On smaller devices, Start compresses to 6 columns of pinned apps, 4 recommended items, and 3 columns of categories.
• Sections (Pinned, Recommended, All) are responsive: if you have few pinned apps, the Pinned area collapses to one row and the other sections slide up. If there are no recommendations available, that entire section collapses.

These responsive rules improve density on high‑resolution and multi‑monitor configurations, an area that bothered many Windows 11 users before. The system remembers your last selected All view (List/Grid/Category), making the experience consistent across sessions.

Privacy and recommendation controls​

Crucially, Microsoft provides toggles in Settings > Personalization > Start to disable all recommendation surfaces: “Show recently added apps,” “Show recommended files in Start…,” “Show websites from your browsing history,” and “Show recommendations for tips….” When disabled, the Recommended area will be hidden. That is a significant UI‑level privacy and annoyance-control improvement that many users requested since the original Windows 11 Start launched.

Phone Link integration in Start​

A new mobile device button next to the Search box expands a Phone Link panel inside Start to surface messages, calls, photos, and battery for connected Android and iOS devices. This collapsible sidebar is intended for quick cross‑device workflows and light interactions without having to open the full Phone Link app.
The Phone Link integration is being staged for Insiders and Microsoft says general availability for connected Android and iOS devices is happening in most markets, with delayed availability for the European Economic Area. Expect server-side gating during initial rollout.

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.NET Framework 3.5: packaging and compatibility implications​

Build 27965 marks a practical shift: .NET Framework 3.5 is no longer offered as a Windows Feature on Demand optional component on this build. Microsoft encourages migration to modern .NET versions and points customers relying on legacy runtimes to a standalone .NET Framework 3.5 installer.
Why this matters:

• Many legacy desktop applications — especially older line‑of‑business apps and some legacy games — still require .NET Framework 3.5. IT teams and developers must identify whether any production workloads depend on 3.5 and plan migration or compatibility strategies.
• Microsoft’s lifecycle documentation has long treated .NET Framework 3.5 as a product with separate support rules (and, since Windows 10 1809, it’s been a standalone product rather than an OS component). That context makes the Build 27965 change operational rather than an abrupt end‑of‑support decision; it changes how the runtime is packaged and delivered.

Practical guidance:

• Audit applications for .NET 3.5 dependency (use Installer logs, application manifests, or dependency scanners).
• Where possible, plan to modernize to supported .NET 6/7/8+ for long‑term security and performance.
• For business‑critical apps that cannot be modernized immediately, use the standalone installer provided by Microsoft and validate the install process in a test environment before broad deployment.

Note: some community reports indicate intermittent installer and enabling problems for .NET 3.5 (install errors, reliance on Windows Update or matching ISO sources). Those operational issues predate Build 27965 and are still relevant to admins attempting offline installs; keep DISM and ISO-based installation methods in your troubleshooting toolbox.

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Edit: a compact, open‑source command‑line editor included with Windows​

Microsoft is shipping Edit, a small command-line text editor, with Windows and making it open‑source. The project is available on GitHub, and the Windows Command Line team has documented Edit’s design and intended rollout to Insiders. Edit provides a lightweight, approachable experience inspired by the old MS‑DOS Editor but built with modern accessibility and terminal integration in mind.
Key points:

• Invoke via Terminal: type edit <filename> to quickly open and edit files.
• Edit is open source (MIT license) on GitHub, and binaries can be installed with winget.
• The tool targets simple editing tasks inside the Terminal without the learning curve of editors like vim or emacs, filling a longstanding gap for 64‑bit Windows where the old MS‑DOS EDIT.exe was no longer present.

Why this matters:

• Developers and admins who frequently edit configs in terminal sessions get a native option that integrates with Windows Terminal workflows.
• The open‑source model enables community contributions and faster iteration than tightly coupled Windows inbox apps.

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Fixes and known issues in Build 27965​

Notable fixes​

• Taskbar autohide regression from recent flights has been addressed.
• Video playback issues where content became unexpectedly red have been fixed.
• Protected content playback issues affecting some Blu‑ray, DVD, and digital TV apps that used Enhanced Video Renderer with HDCP enforcement have been fixed.

Known issues Insiders should be aware of​

• File Explorer crash when transferring files to a network drive (new).
• Settings may crash when viewing drive information under Settings > System > Storage (new).
• Lock screen media controls may not display (new).
• Reports that sleep and shutdown may not work correctly on some machines after recent Canary builds.

Because Canary builds are experimental, several UI and stability bugs are expected; Microsoft lists these in the Insider announcement and asks Insiders to file feedback via Feedback Hub. If you rely on specific hardware (e.g., remote desktop on Arm64, video playback pipelines, or network file shares), test carefully before running this build on critical systems.

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Rollout mechanics and what Insiders should expect​

• The Canary Channel is used for early platform work and is not necessarily tied to a specific public Windows release. Build numbers in Canary won’t map directly to the next GA release and features may never ship.
• Microsoft uses Control Feature Rollout (server‑side gating) to stage features to subsets of Insiders and ramp up based on telemetry and feedback. This means two machines with identical builds could show different feature sets at the same time.
• To leave the Canary Channel and move to a lower ring, a clean install of Windows 11 is required in many cases. Plan accordingly if you decide to test Canary builds on primary hardware.

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Critical analysis — strengths, trade‑offs, and risks​

Strengths​

• Usability first: The unified, scrollable Start reduces friction and aligns discovery patterns with modern launchers—helpful for users with many apps.
• Choice and control: Multiple All‑apps views and explicit toggles to hide recommendations give users more agency over Start’s behavior.
• Cross‑device continuity: Phone Link surfaced in Start shortens common share and glance workflows, reflecting the reality of hybrid mobile/desktop usage.
• Developer ergonomics: Bundling Edit and making it open source fills a real gap for quick terminal editing on Windows.
• Modernization nudge: Shifting .NET 3.5 off the Feature on Demand track signals Microsoft’s continued push toward modern .NET runtimes and cleaner delivery models.

These are genuine, product‑level improvements that respond to long‑standing Windows 11 feedback and modern device usage scenarios. Independent reporting and Insider previews consistently observed these benefits.

Trade‑offs and risks​

• Category control vs. predictability: Auto‑grouping apps into categories helps discovery, but not allowing admins or users to edit categories reduces predictability, which matters in managed environments.
• Distribution fragmentation: Server‑side gating and phased rollout create a fragmented experience across devices; organizations that need repeatable UX across fleets will have to wait for stabilized releases or test extensively.
• Legacy compatibility complexity: Repackaging .NET Framework 3.5 changes the path to installability for edge cases. Offline installations and ISV compatibility testing may become more burdensome if organizations rely on older installers or automated image builds.
• Stability of Canary builds: Known issues involving File Explorer, Settings, sleep, and lock screen media mean this build is not suitable for mission‑critical systems without proper testing and rollback plans.
• Privacy surface changes: Phone Link integration and the inclusion of websites from browsing history as an optional recommendation source mean administrators should review privacy settings and telemetry policies where necessary.

The cumulative risk profile is manageable for hobbyists and early‑adopter Insiders, but enterprises should treat the build as an experiment — pilot, test, and enforce controls in lab environments before broad deployment.

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Practical steps for power users and IT admins​

• Create a test plan: identify business‑critical apps and features (e.g., backup tools, imaging, remote access) and validate them against the Canary build in a staged lab.
• Audit .NET dependencies: run compatibility scans or use application inventory tools to find apps that require .NET 3.5 and categorize them by migration urgency.
• Backup and image: perform full image backups before attempting a Canary upgrade; document the clean install requirement if you plan to leave Canary.
• Use Feedback Hub: file reproducible bug reports with logs and repro steps — Microsoft actively monitors Insider feedback and telemetry for these early builds.
• For developers: evaluate Edit as a lightweight editor option in terminal workflows; fetch the GitHub repo to build or track ongoing changes.

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How to participate and report problems​

• If you are a Windows Insider, check Settings > Windows Update to receive Canary builds. Use Feedback Hub (WIN + F) to file bugs under Desktop Environment > Start menu for Start‑related issues or the appropriate area for other problems.
• Capture repro steps, system logs, and steps to reproduce crashes (e.g., File Explorer transfer path, network destination, disk type) to improve the triage process.
• Be cautious with third‑party tools that enable hidden flags (e.g., ViveTool). Manual enabling bypasses Microsoft’s staged rollout and can expose you to unresolved bugs; these tools are unsupported for production devices.

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Final assessment​

Build 27965 in the Canary Channel is an important and practical maturation of Windows 11’s Start experience and developer ergonomics. The unified, scrollable Start with Category and Grid views solves long‑standing friction for users who juggle many apps and gives users meaningful privacy controls over Microsoft’s recommendation surfaces. Ship‑level choices like bundling a compact open‑source editor and changing how .NET Framework 3.5 is distributed reflect a broader shift: Microsoft is streamlining inbox tooling and nudging the ecosystem toward modern runtimes and clearer packaging models.
That said, the Canary Channel remains experimental. The lack of editable categories, the fragmentation risk from server‑side gating, and a handful of noteworthy stability regressions are real concerns for enterprise adoption. For most enthusiasts and developers, the new Start and Edit are wins that are worth testing now. For IT administrators and organizations managing production fleets, the responsible approach is measured: pilot, validate legacy dependencies (especially .NET 3.5), and wait for stabilized builds in the Dev/Beta/Release Preview pipeline before rolling changes wide.
Users and admins should monitor the Insider announcement thread, file feedback for regressions, and follow Microsoft’s Flight Hub updates to understand when these features graduate beyond Canary and arrive in broader releases.

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Build 27965 is a clear example of how Windows 11’s evolution is increasingly driven by iterative usability fixes, targeted developer tooling, and staged rollouts — a combination that can deliver noticeable daily improvements while requiring careful management for stability and compatibility at scale.

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Source: Microsoft - Windows Insiders Blog Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27965 (Canary Channel)