The FAT32 partition size limit was increased, and functionality to detach the Virtual Hard Disk (VHD) was added in Microsoft’s latest Windows 11 Canary build. The build now allows for a maximum size of 2TB.
Microsoft announced new changes in the Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27686 for Windows Insiders in the Canary channel on Thursday. When the changes come to the stable channel and are made publicly available, all users on Windows 11 will be able to create up to 2TB partitions from the command line using the format command without needing third-party apps, and PowerShell prompts with an admin account.
Despite the expansion of the size limit, GUI-based Windows disk formatting tools will continue to have the artificial 32GB limit for FAT32 file systems.
In the Canary build, Microsoft introduced the Windows Sandbox Client Preview, which adds improvements and features such as folder sharing, audio/video input control, and command-line support and receives updates directly from the Microsoft Store. However, as it is an early version of command-line support, the commands may change over time. Users can use the ‘wsb.exe—help’ command to learn more.
The Windows Insider team stated, “As part of this preview, we’re introducing runtime clipboard redirection, audio/video input control, and the ability to share folders with the host at runtime. You can access these via the new “…” icon at the upper right on the app.”
The build also made optimizations to improve the battery life of systems on Build 27686+ in the Canary channel and fixed the issue that caused the lock screen battery icon to be out of sync with the battery level. It also added the functionality to detach VHD in Windows settings. The setting can be found in the properties of VHD under Settings > System > Storage > Disks & Volumes.
Devices on the latest Canary build and higher, enrolled in the Windows Insider program, will execute background network tests to deliver Microsoft diagnostic data for efficient evaluation of network performance improvements. The tests will consume up to 10MB per day only on Ethernet and Wi-Fi connections that are not marked as metered.
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