Microsoft is taking another step toward weaving artificial intelligence (AI) into everyday PC tasks. In its latest Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27938, rolling out now to the Canary Channel, the update brings two key highlights: new AI-powered features in File Explorer and the return of a fan-favorite clock option.
Smarter File Explorer With AI Actions
The standout addition is AI actions in File Explorer, which allows users to perform quick edits of images and even summarize documents without ever opening them. By right-clicking on a file, Windows will now display a new option called “AI actions” in the context menu that will offer tailored tools depending on the file type.
For seamless editing or web searches with images, four new AI-powered features are available:
- Bing Visual Search – Search the web using an image instead of text to find similar photos and products, landmarks, or even identify plants and famous faces.
- Blur Background – Opens the Photos app and quickly highlights the subject of a photo and blurs out the background in one click, with sliders for fine-tuning.
- Erase Objects – Select or highlight to remove unwanted elements from pictures using generative AI.
- Remove Background – Instantly cut out the subject of an image in Paint with a single click.
Currently, these features work with common image formats like JPG, JPEG, and PNG, making it super handy for quick edits.
Microsoft says the goal is to help users “stay in their flow,” letting them make quick edits or run searches without juggling multiple apps. The update reflects the company’s broader effort to weave Copilot and other AI capabilities more deeply into Windows.
Fan-Favorite Clock Feature
Microsoft is also reintroducing a much-requested feature from Windows 10: the larger clock with seconds in the Notification Center. Users can enable it by navigating to Settings > Time & language > Date & time and switching on Show time in the Notification Center.
Insiders can also share their feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Desktop Environment > Clock and Calendar Flyout.
More AI Controls
Beyond File Explorer, Build 27938 also introduces a new privacy setting, which shows third-party applications recently used generative AI models provided by Windows, giving users more control over permissions.
Not Ready For Everyone Yet
For now, these AI-powered tools are limited to Windows Insiders testing Canary builds, and Microsoft will continue refining them based on user feedback.
For more information, you can check out Microsoft’s official blog post.
