How To Explore the New Windows 11 Build 27871: Taskbar, Start, Settings, and Fixes

The latest Windows 11 build 27871 for the Canary channel is rolling out some pretty big updates, at least on paper. It’s got tweaks for energy management, some snazzy taskbar stuff, and a bunch of bug squashes. But yeah, not everything is smooth sailing, and some quirks still pop up.

Energy Saver Now Available in Microsoft Intune

First off, the Energy Saver feature finally made its way into Microsoft Intune. If you’re managing a fleet of devices with Intune, this is kinda huge because it lets you set power limits — which can seriously help battery life. To get this set up, you’ll want to go into the Group Policy Editor:

Open PowerShell or Run (hit Win + R), then type gpedit.msc and hit Enter. From there, navigate to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > System > Power Management. Here you should see some options for energy saving policies. If they’re missing or not applying, sometimes a reboot or running gpupdate /force helps. I’ve seen machines where it didn’t stick the first time, so a quick restart might be needed.

This setting helps cut down power drain, especially on laptops. No magic, but if you’re trying to extend battery life without disabling everything, it’s worth digging into.

Enhanced Start Menu Features

So now, the Start Menu is kinda smarter about notifications. You get a quick glance at messages from your mobile apps right in the menu — handy if you don’t want to switch apps all the time. Also, Android screen mirroring is just one click away from the Start Menu. Looks like Microsoft finally made that easier than digging through settings. Plus, for iPhone folks, recent iCloud photos now show up there for quick access.

To see the new notification grouping, just click the Start button and look for the notification badges on apps. If they’re not showing, verify that notification permissions are enabled in Settings > Privacy & Security > Notifications. For Android mirroring, make sure you’ve got the latest Amazon offers or Samsung Flow app, and that your device is compatible with the new feature. When you click the icon, it should just connect automatically — no fuss.

Taskbar Improvements for Attention-Seeking Apps

This build introduced new icons on the taskbar for apps needing your attention. If you’re one of those people constantly juggling a dozen apps (or just waiting for that message to pop up), this helps keep things visible without spammy popups. Icons like Teams or Discord might now flash or add a little badge when there’s something urgent. Fair enough — it makes sure you notice critical stuff without interruption.

Note: depending on your setup, these icons might be a little jittery or slow to update — not sure why it works, but on some setups, it’s smooth as butter, on others, not so much. Check Settings > Personalization > Taskbar to see if you can toggle attention icons or badge behaviors.

Accessibility Features: Customizable Mouse Pointer

Windows has been slowly warming up to accessibility, and now you can customize your mouse pointers with names right underneath the options — which makes picking your favorite style easier. Head over to Settings > Accessibility > Mouse Pointer > Change Mouse Pointer Style. Here, you’ll see a list of different pointers, each with a name below (which is actually new). Clicking on one updates your cursor, and if you want to reset, there’s a reset button right there.

Kind of weird, but I guess it helps folks who use high-contrast or custom pointers to see what they’re selecting. Not super complicated, but on some setups, the naming makes it clearer which style you’re about to pick.

Fixes and Stability Improvements

There’s a bunch of bug fixes in this build — mainly under the hood. For example, Windows is supposed to run better with virtualization security enabled — good if you run VMware or Hyper-V. Also, they say file explorer searches are more reliable now, especially for network drives that previously refused to show results.

If you’ve run into crashes or weird audio issues, those might be addressed here too — but don’t expect a magic fix. I’ve seen some PCs still act up, and sometimes a simple reboot or even clearing the cache helps. Also, if you use some older hardware, keep an eye out for potential conflicts or driver issues.

• Improved shortcuts for switching tasks — maybe a bit faster?
• Crash fixes when touching or clicking in file explorer — finally?
• Audio with high-end devices should play more reliably.

Potential Drawbacks and Limitations

Of course, not everything is perfect. Group Policy errors still show up sometimes — at least on some machines. The taskbar focus management is kind of flaky, especially if you use a lot of multitasking keyboard shortcuts. For example, pressing Win + T might not always highlight the right app, or the focus stays stuck. That can be frustrating if you’re used to quick switchers. Still, maybe it’s just a matter of time or more updates fixing these quirks.

Conclusion

All in all, this build feels like a mix of solid improvements and some leftovers. The energy features, some UI tweaks, and bug fixes are a step forward. Not revolutionary, but if you’re into testing new stuff, it’s worth a shot. Just remember, Windows updates often surprise you with new quirks, so keep expectations in check.