Windows 11 Insider Program Adds 'Canary Channel' to Test Experimental Features
Microsoft is changing how it distributes the alpha/beta builds of Windows 11 with the addition of a new “Canary Channel” that will let Windows Insiders try out experimental and early OS features.
The channel is intended to help Redmond test more experimental concepts for Windows 11. Features and changes will be “hot off the presses,” meaning they’ll contain “little validation and documentation,” Microsoft says(Opens in a new window).
So interested users should brace for an unstable software experience that could even require a clean reinstall. Some features may also never make it to an official release for Windows 11.
“The new Canary Channel is going to be the place to preview platform changes that require longer lead time before getting released to customers,” Microsoft says. “Some examples of this include major changes to the Windows kernel, new APIs, etc.”
The Canary Channel will function like Microsoft’s existing “Dev Channel” for the Windows Insiders. So those in the Dev Channel will be moved to the new Canary Channel starting today. “Insiders moved to the Canary Channel will receive notifications of this migration in the OS and via email and can take steps to clean install to pick a different channel if they choose,” Microsoft says.
The existing Dev Channel will stick around, though, and continue offering users access to early Windows 11 features. This includes concepts that have been incubating in Microsoft’s labs, which aren't necessarily tied to a specific Windows release. But Redmond is indicating the builds offered through the Dev Channel will be slightly more stable than those on the Canary Channel, which is designed for highly technical users.
“In some cases, features and experiences may go out to the
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