KB5079381

Microsoft has released cumulative update KB5079381 (Build 28020.1685) for Windows 11 version 26H1, available for Insiders on the Canary channel.

• Storage. Improved reliability of deleting Windows update files and the windows.old folder through Settings > System > Storage.
• File Explorer. When renaming files in File Explorer, you can now use voice input (Win + H) to dictate the new file name using the Windows voice input feature.

Installation is done through Windows Update: go to Settings > Windows Update and click "Check for updates", after which a computer restart is required.

Canary channel builds represent the latest platform changes in early development stages and are not tied to a specific Windows release. Features and capabilities from these builds may never make it to the final version, as Microsoft experiments with various concepts and gathers feedback; features may change, be removed, or replaced, and some of them may never become available outside the Windows Insider program, but when they are ready, they may appear in future Windows releases.

Many features in the Canary channel are rolled out using Control Feature Rollout technology: they initially become available to a small group of Insiders, and then their availability expands as feedback is collected and analyzed to assess reception before becoming available to all participants in this channel.

How the new features work:

Storage: The system uses an enhanced hardlink tracking mechanism and the USN Journal to verify if files belong to updates or old installations. Deletion employs SetFileInformationByHandle with the FileDispositionInfoEx flag, preventing removal of foreign files. This avoids conflicts with active services and ensures safe cleanup without corrupting current system data.

File Explorer: During rename, the name editing context captures input from the Windows voice engine via the ISpRecognizer API. The recognized phrase is converted to a string and validated for forbidden characters and length using PathValidatePath. After confirmation, IFileOperation::RenameItem is called, enabling Undo (Ctrl+Z).

The last 10 Windows updates: