Windows 11 Canary Preview fixes Settings crash Windows Hello PIN touch keyboard reliability

Microsoft has pushed a fresh Canary-channel Windows 11 preview that focuses squarely on reliability fixes rather than flashy new features, addressing a trio of painful user-facing bugs — a Settings app crash when viewing drive information, Windows Hello PIN authentication failures after upgrades, and touch keyboard launch reliability — while leaving a couple of known issues (Start menu scrolling and intermittent sleep/shutdown problems) under investigation.

Background​

The Canary channel is where Microsoft experiments with platform-level changes early in the Windows 11 development cycle. Builds released here are considered the least stable of the Insider channels and are intended for testers who are comfortable with occasional regressions, rollbacks, and functionality gaps. In recent months Microsoft has used the Canary channel both to trial new UI concepts and to iterate rapidly on low-level fixes; that pattern continues with this latest flight.
This build is noteworthy not because it introduces new features, but because it targets three practical pain points that have impacted Insiders: input reliability for the touch keyboard, the Windows Hello PIN failing to work after some upgrades, and crashes in the Settings app and File Explorer when inspecting drive information. All three affect day-to-day usability for Insiders and — in the case of Windows Hello — can touch security and authentication workflows.
A quick note on nomenclature and verification: the reporting around this update shows a small discrepancy in the build number in third‑party coverage. Community postings and the update text used by testers match the fixes described here, but Microsoft’s formal blog entries sometimes appear for adjacent build numbers rather than every incremental flight. Where Microsoft’s public blog did not publish a dedicated post for this exact build, community release notes and official Canary release patterns corroborate the content. Treat the build number with caution if you need to reference it precisely when filing feedback or searching Microsoft’s Flight Hub.

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What Microsoft fixed in this Canary preview​

The update focuses on three focused reliability fixes:

• Touch keyboard launch reliability — Improvements aimed at making the touch keyboard launch consistently on tablets and convertible devices that use the modern touch keyboard experience.
• Windows Hello PIN authentication — A fix for certain devices where the Windows Hello PIN would stop working after upgrading to recent Canary builds until the PIN was re‑enrolled.
• Settings and File Explorer drive-info crash — A crash in Settings when opening System > Storage to view drive information was addressed; the same failure also affected viewing drive properties via File Explorer.

Each of these touches a different layer of Windows 11 — input, authentication, and system UI — and collectively they reduce friction for Insiders who rely on features like on‑screen input and PIN-based sign-in.

Touch keyboard launch reliability (what changed, why it matters)​

The touch keyboard is critical on convertible and touchscreen laptops that frequently shift between tablet and clamshell modes. When the touch keyboard fails to appear reliably, workflows that require text input without a physical keyboard grind to a halt.
What was fixed:

• The build includes changes that address touch keyboard launch failures observed in recent Canary flights. Insiders reported intermittent failures where tapping a text field would not trigger the on‑screen keyboard or where the keyboard would take an unusually long time to appear.

Why it matters:

• For users who depend on the touch keyboard — students, creatives, or anyone using a Surface or similar 2‑in‑1 — a reliable keyboard launch is essential for productivity and accessibility. The fix reduces the friction of touchscreen-only input scenarios.

Windows Hello PIN authentication (symptoms and implications)​

Windows Hello PIN is a local, TPM‑backed credential used widely for secure, convenient sign-in. Reports showed that, after upgrading to certain Canary builds, some devices required users to re-create their PIN because the existing PIN stopped working.
What was fixed:

• The update addresses an issue affecting certain device configurations where PIN enrollment or storage would be disrupted during the upgrade flow, causing the PIN to become unusable until re-created.

Implications and risk:

• Although re-enrolling the PIN typically restores access, the bug can be alarming because it temporarily disables a primary authentication method. For organizations or users who rely on PIN or biometric sign-in (especially on Copilot+ or managed devices), this can increase support calls and create troubleshooting overhead.

Important caveat:

• If your device uses TPM, BitLocker, or enterprise-managed authentication, always ensure you have alternative admin credentials and recovery keys accessible before installing Canary builds. The fix reduces the incidence of this bug but does not retroactively prevent devices that already encountered it from needing PIN re-enrollment.

Settings crash when accessing drive information (scope and workaround)​

Symptoms:

• Opening Settings > System > Storage and attempting to view details about a drive could cause Settings to crash. The same problem could occur when right-clicking a drive in File Explorer and opening Properties to view drive details.

What was fixed:

• The build changes how Settings and the drive-properties path query and render drive metadata, preventing the crash when retrieving drive information.

Workarounds before the fix:

• Affected Insiders could use Disk Management, PowerShell (Get-Volume), or the third‑party utilities to view drive information instead of Settings or File Explorer properties.

Why it matters:

• Drive properties and storage details are routine tasks for troubleshooting, disk cleanup, and system maintenance. A crash in these dialogs disrupts diagnostic workflows and can be especially frustrating when troubleshooting storage-related symptoms like full drives or disk errors.

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Known issues still present​

Microsoft continues to list a couple of lingering issues for Canary Insiders:

• Start menu unexpected scrolling — Some Insiders using the revamped Start menu have reported it jumping or scrolling unexpectedly to the top. This affects discoverability of pinned and recommended items.
• Power and Battery: sleep and shutdown problems — Microsoft is investigating reports that sleep and shutdown may not work correctly on some devices after recent Canary updates.

Both issues are significant: the Start menu UX regression affects discoverability and productivity, while sleep/shutdown failures can be disruptive and risk data loss if devices cannot reliably power down or resume. Insiders experiencing these should file detailed feedback with logs so Microsoft can correlate telemetry.

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Practical guidance for Insiders and IT pros​

Although this flight’s fixes are welcome, Canary builds remain experimental. Here are practical steps to install, protect, and recover if you participate in the Canary channel.

Before installing a Canary build​

• Don’t run Canary on production machines. Use a spare device, a VM, or a non‑critical test machine for Canary builds.
• Backup essential data. Create a full backup or at minimum a recent system image and user file backup.
• Confirm recovery credentials. Ensure you have local administrator credentials and BitLocker recovery keys accessible offline.
• Create a restore point and know how to rollback. Have a restore plan and understand how to use the “Go back” option or reinstall from ISO.

If you’ve already installed and ran into problems​

• Windows Hello PIN not working
• Try re-creating your PIN: Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options > Windows Hello PIN > Remove / Add (if UI is available). If the UI is inaccessible, use a local admin account to sign in and re-enroll the PIN.
• If you’re locked out of the only admin account, use recovery media or Windows installation media to access the recovery environment and enable the built-in Administrator account, or restore from a backup.
• Settings crashing when viewing drive info
• Use Disk Management (diskmgmt.msc) or PowerShell (Run as Admin: Get-Volume) to inspect drives.
• If you need to change drive properties, consider using command-line tools (diskpart, fsutil) or vendor utilities until the issue is fully resolved.
• Touch keyboard failing to launch
• Toggle the touch keyboard setting: Settings > Time & language > Typing > Touch keyboard.
• Restart the ctfmon or InputService processes if comfortable with advanced troubleshooting, or reboot as a temporary workaround.
• Sleep/shutdown failures
• As a temporary measure, avoid closing applications or saving critical work before attempting shutdown, and use the command-line shutdown /s /t 0 as a fallback.
• Collect event logs from Event Viewer (System and Power-Troubleshooter) and send them with a Feedback Hub report.

How to report issues effectively​

• Use Feedback Hub and include:
• Repro steps, frequency, and screenshots/videos.
• Event Viewer logs or reliability monitor entries.
• Windows Update build number and machine make/model, BIOS/firmware and driver versions.
• If the issue impacts authentication, note whether the device uses TPM and BitLocker.
• Use diagnostic tools:
• Reliability Monitor: type “reliability” in Start and note the timeline entry.
• Event Viewer: export relevant error events.
• Powercfg for sleep/hibernate issues: powercfg /energy and powercfg /sleepstudy.

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Why these fixes matter beyond the Canary channel​

Fixes like these have outsized importance for several reasons:

• Authentication stability is high priority. Windows Hello is a cornerstone of modern Windows authentication and is widely used in enterprise and consumer devices alike. Any bug that impacts PIN or biometric sign-in increases support load and can undermine user confidence.
• Input reliability affects accessibility. The touch keyboard is not a nicety for many users — it’s an accessibility tool. Improving its launch reliability has a direct positive impact on usability.
• Settings and File Explorer are core experiences. Crashes in these first‑party utilities are visible to every user and can degrade trust in preview builds even if they don’t affect core system stability.

In short, these are not cosmetic tweaks; they restore day‑to‑day functionality crucial to many users.

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What this says about Microsoft’s Canary strategy​

Microsoft’s Canary channel has oscillated between experimental feature flights and frequent stability adjustments. The most recent pattern — small builds focused on targeted bug fixes rather than large feature rollouts — suggests a twofold intent:

• Rapid iteration on regressions discovered in recent Canary flights, especially those that affect authentication and input.
• Clearing the path for broader feature rollouts by stabilizing the platform underneath new capabilities being tested in other channels.

This build reinforces that Canary is still a double‑edged sword: it’s the fastest way to see platform changes, but it can also be the first place regressions appear. Insiders and IT professionals should treat Canary as a testing ground rather than a preview of imminent production changes.

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Risk assessment and recommended safeguards​

• Risk for single‑sign-on or managed devices: Devices in corporate environments that use PIN, TPM-backed authentication, or enterprise credential managers should avoid Canary due to the potential for sign-in disruption.
• Risk for data integrity: Sleep/shutdown issues have the potential to interrupt long-running tasks or unsaved work. That’s an immediate reason to avoid Canary on devices containing mission‑critical work.
• Compatibility risk: Drivers and vendor utilities may not yet be tuned for the latest platform changes. Insiders should ensure critical drivers (storage, graphics, input) are available from vendors before upgrading.

Recommended safeguards:

• Use Canary only on test hardware.
• Keep a second admin account or local recovery method.
• Maintain up-to-date firmware/BIOS and vendor drivers.
• Store BitLocker recovery keys externally (printed or on a different device).

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How to check whether you’ve received the update and where to look for more details​

• Open Settings > Windows Update and look for the latest Canary build. The update label will indicate it’s an Insider Preview build.
• If you don’t see the build and are enrolled in Canary, confirm that your device isn’t blocked by Microsoft’s staged Control Feature Rollout (some Insiders only get builds after a ramp).
• For detailed release notes, check Microsoft’s Flight Hub and the Windows Insider blog posts for Canary builds. When a specific build’s blog post is not available, community channels (Insider forum posts, official Insider subreddit threads) frequently publish the release text used by testers and include community feedback on regressions.

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Bottom line​

This Canary flight is an important incremental reliability update: it fixes a disruptive Settings crash, addresses a troubling Windows Hello PIN regression that could lock users out of a primary sign-in method, and improves touch keyboard reliability. These changes make day‑to‑day use of Windows 11 smoother for Insiders who test new platform code. At the same time, remaining issues with the Start menu and power management underscore the Canary channel’s experimental nature.
Insiders should be encouraged by the focus on practical fixes, but they must also remain cautious: Canary builds are not for production machines. Take backups, keep recovery credentials handy, and file detailed Feedback Hub reports when you encounter regressions. That combination of testing and disciplined reporting is how Microsoft and the Insider community move Windows 11 forward while minimizing risk for mainstream users.

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Source: Neowin Windows 11 gets fixes for Settings crashes and Windows Hello bugs in new build 27951