Windows 11 is getting a 'highly requested feature from Windows 10' - an in-your-face clock

If you'd like a larger clock in Windows 11, then Microsoft has decided it's time your wish came true - this is now happening in a new preview release.

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Microsoft has a new preview build (27938) in the Canary channel and one of the changes is something that's apparently been asked for a lot, we're told - the larger clock from Windows 10.

Microsoft notes:

"We're starting to roll out a highly requested feature from Windows 10, the option to show a bigger clock with seconds above the date and calendar in notification center."

In a nutshell, the notification center gets an expanded version of the clock, complete with seconds and also the full date (including day name, as opposed to the shortform date in the taskbar's system tray).

You don't have to opt for this bigger clock display, of course, but should you want it, the slider to 'Show time in the Notification Center' is found in the Time & language > Date & time panel in Windows 11's Settings app (just for testers at the moment, of course).

Another change in build 27938 is the introduction of new AI actions to File Explorer which have already been seen in other previews (the Canary channel doesn't always get fresh features first, despite being the earliest avenue for Microsoft's testing).

These include right-click shortcuts to blur a background or erase an object in the Photos app, or strip out a background in Paint. You can also initiate a visual search in Bing with an AI action.

The final noteworthy move with this preview build is that Microsoft now lists the third-party apps that use Windows 11's generative AI models, providing transparency and allowing you to block any software you don't want to access said models. That functionality is provided in Settings > Privacy & security > Text and image generation in the new build.