Windows 11 on ARM can finally run more 64-bit x86 (x64) applications thanks to new enhancements to Prism

Tech enthusiasts and Windows Insiders are in for a treat. Microsoft has announced a new Windows 11 Insider Preview Build, numbered 27744, available now for those in the Windows Insider Program’s Canary Channel.

The most significant addition to Windows 11 in Build 27744 is a new set of features for Prism, Microsoft’s Arm app-emulation solution. These features allow users to run 64-bit x86 apps on Arm-based devices like the Surface Pro X and Lenovo Flex 5G.

Specifically, the update supports more CPU features under emulation, which Microsoft says will allow previously failed apps to start running on Windows 11 for Arm. The company notes that the new features are already in use in the retail version of Windows 11 (version 24H2), allowing Adobe Premiere Pro 25 to run on Arm. However, with Windows 11 Build 27744, Microsoft enables the features for any x64 app under emulation.

Microsoft says the virtual CPU used by x64 emulated apps through Prism now supports additional extensions to the x86 instruction set architecture, including AVX and AVX2, as well as BMI, FMA, F16C, and others. This should allow apps that require these features to run in Windows on Arm.

At the same time, Microsoft is implementing a restriction. In Windows 11 Build 27744 and later, only x64 apps can use the new CPU features. If you have a 32-bit or 64-bit app that uses a 32-bit helper to detect CPU feature support, the app won’t detect the new features in Prism.

Other changes in Windows 11 Build 27744 include:

• The Start menu now has a renamed “All” app list, just labeled “All.”
• A new gamepad keyboard layout for the on-screen keyboard in Windows 11 that supports the ability to use your Xbox controller to navigate and type.
• We have updated the designs for the disconnect and logoff dialogs in Task Manager to support dark mode and text scaling. In the Performance section, the listed disks are labeled with their type.
• The detach virtual hard disk (VHD/VHDx) button under Settings > System > Storage > Disks & Volumes, which Microsoft temporarily disabled in an earlier build, is back.

As usual, alongside the new enhancements to Prism, Windows 11 Build 27744 also includes a long list of bug fixes, which you can check out in Microsoft’s full release notes.

In other news, regarding Windows on Arm, Telegram has made its Desktop version of the app available for this architecture.