Microsoft creates new test channel designed for Windows 12 and future functionality

Microsoft has created a new channel for publicly testing key new Windows features. The Canary channel will present the latest changes to the operating system with releases in early development, allowing you to get a first-hand look at the big changes to the platform.

However, the new channel will target highly technical users. This is because builds will be published with little or no documentation and can be quite unstable. The developer channel will go through a refresh, but will continue to receive the latest Windows 11 builds.

Existing users of this program will be migrated to Canary automatically, new entrants should be OS enthusiasts who don’t mind the low stability of the versions. An Insider Dev channel contributor should perform a clean install of Windows 11 if they don’t want to migrate.

This way Microsoft will have four testing levels for Windows: Canary, Dev, Beta and Release Preview. Users in these last two groups get more stable versions of the system, while the first two get more up-to-date features that are still in development but less stable.

Windows 12

For example, users of the new Canary channel should be the first to check out the Windows 12 features. It looks like Intel and Microsoft are gearing up for the launch of the new version of the platform, possibly as early as 2024.

A leak has revealed that the company’s upcoming Meteor Lake processors will be compatible with the new version of Microsoft’s operating system.

Although Microsoft did not reveal any plans for Windows 12, it did mention that future versions of the platform could integrate artificial intelligence features. Both Intel and Microsoft declined to comment on the rumors.