Here is the what’s changed notes for both releases, they’re identical.

• Update 8.0.13.md
• Fixed lint warnings on the markdown files
• Update CODEOWNERS
• Rewrite URLs to builds.dotnet.microsoft.com
• Rewrite domain in releases.json
• .NET 10 Preview 1 - Release Notes
• Update README.md
• Update 10.0 README.md
• Update support files
• update links
• Update README.md
• Update broken links inside .NET 10 preview 1 Release Notes
• .NET 10 is not "Unknown"
• Update release date
• Add Ubuntu Chiseled tags to containers release notes for .NET 10 Preview 1
• Update wpf.md
• API diff between .NET 10 Preview1 and .NET 10 Preview2
• Add known issue for Microsoft.AspNetCore.Components.CustomElements 9.0.3
• Artifacts for .NET 3B 2025 Servicing Release
• Update releases-index.json

To get started using these new versions, head over to Microsoft Devblogs, here you can find installers and binaries, container images, Linux binaries, and view the known issues.

Speaking of updates, you can check out Neowin's coverage of Microsoft's March Patch Tuesday updates for Windows 11 and Windows 10.

Source: Microsoft

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Here's what's new:

24H2

Highlights

This update addresses security issues for your Windows operating system.

Improvements

This security update includes improvements that were a part of update KB5052093 (released February 25, 2025). This security update includes quality improvements. The following summary outlines key issues addressed by the KB update after you install it. Also, included are available new features. The bold text within the brackets indicates the item or area of the change.

 

• This update makes miscellaneous security improvements to internal OS functionality. No additional issues were documented for this release.

   

If you installed earlier updates, your device downloads and installs only the new updates contained in this package.

 

For more information about security vulnerabilities, see the Security Update Guide and the March 2025 Security Updates.

Windows 11 servicing stack update (KB5052915)- 26100.3321

This update makes quality improvements to the servicing stack, which is the component that installs Windows updates. Servicing stack updates (SSU) ensure that you have a robust and reliable servicing stack so that your devices can receive and install Microsoft updates. To learn more about SSUs, see Simplifying on-premises deployment of servicing stack updates.

Known issues in this update

Roblox

Applies to: All users

 

Symptoms

 

We’re aware of an issue where players on Arm devices are unable to download and play Roblox from the Microsoft Store on Windows.

 

Workaround

 

Roblox is working on a resolution to address this issue. Please refer to the Roblox support site for updates. Until the resolution is available, players on Arm devices can play Roblox by downloading the title directly from www.Roblox.com.

Citrix

Applies to: IT Admin

 

Symptoms

 

Devices that have certain Citrix components installed might be unable to complete installation of the January 2025 Windows security update. This issue was observed on devices with Citrix Session Recording Agent (SRA) version 2411. The 2411 version of this application was released in December 2024.

Affected devices might initially download and apply the January 2025 Windows security update correctly, such as via the Windows Update page in Settings. However, when restarting the device to complete the update installation, an error message with text similar to “Something didn’t go as planned. No need to worry – undoing changes” appears. The device will then revert to the Windows updates previously present on the device.

This issue likely affects a limited number of organizations as version 2411 of the SRA application is a new version. Home users are not expected to be affected by this issue.

 

Workaround

 

Citrix has documented this issue, including a workaround, which can be performed prior to installing the January 2025 Windows security update. For details, see Citrix’s documentation.

 

Microsoft is working with Citrix to address this issue and will update this documentation once a resolution is available.

23H2 and 22H2

Improvements

Windows 11, version 23H2

Important: Use EKB KB5027397 to update to Windows 11, version 23H2.

 

This security update includes quality improvements. Key changes include:

 

• This build includes all the improvements in Windows 11, version 22H2.

• No additional issues are documented for this release.

Windows 11, version 22H2

This security update includes improvements that were a part of update KB5052094 (released February 25, 2025). The following summary outlines key issues addressed by the KB after you install it. Also, included are available new features. The bold text within the brackets indicates the item or area of the change.

 

• This update makes miscellaneous security improvements to internal OS functionality. No additional issues were documented for this release.

   

If you are using Windows Update or Windows Server Update Services (WSUS), the latest SSU installs with this update.

 

For more information about security vulnerabilities, see the Security Update Guide and the March 2025 Security Update.

Windows 11 servicing stack update (KB5052107) - 22621.4963 and 22631.4963

This update makes quality improvements to the servicing stack, which is the component that installs Windows updates. Servicing stack updates (SSU) ensure that you have a robust and reliable servicing stack so that your devices can receive and install Microsoft updates. To learn more about SSUs, see Simplifying on-premises deployment of servicing stack updates.

Known issues in this update

Citrix

 

Applies to: All users

 

Symptoms

 

Devices that have certain Citrix components installed might be unable to complete installation of the January 2025 Windows security update. This issue was observed on devices with Citrix Session Recording Agent (SRA) version 2411. The 2411 version of this application was released in December 2024.

Affected devices might initially download and apply the January 2025 Windows security update correctly, such as via the Windows Update page in Settings. However, when restarting the device to complete the update installation, an error message with text similar to “Something didn’t go as planned. No need to worry – undoing changes” appears. The device will then revert to the Windows updates previously present on the device.

This issue likely affects a limited number of organizations as version 2411 of the SRA application is a new version. Home users are not expected to be affected by this issue.

 

Workaround

 

Citrix has documented this issue, including a workaround, which can be performed prior to installing the January 2025 Windows security update. For details, see Citrix’s documentation.

 

Microsoft is working with Citrix to address this issue and will update this documentation once a resolution is available.

These updates will be available from Windows Update and should install automatically in most cases. If you would like to download these updates for offline installation, you can get them from the Microsoft Catalog website. You can find the update for 24H2 here, and 23H2 and 22H2 here.

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The new updates are being distributed under KB5053606, bumping up the builds to 19044.5608 and 19045.5608. You can find standalone links to download the new update on the Microsoft Update Catalog at this link.

The major highlight of the release is security patches.

Highlights

 

• This update addresses security issues for your Windows operating system.

This release has the following known issues:

Known issues in this update

Some of the older Windows 10 versions have also received updates today, which have been listed below with their respective release notes (KB) linked as well as links to download them at Microsoft's Update Catalog:

It is noteworthy that Windows 10 20H2 and Windows 10 1909 reached the end of servicing. Non-LTSC editions of 21H2 have also reached the end of servicing.

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This situation affects customers with Firefox versions earlier than 128 and ESR 115.13 on Windows, macOS, Linux, and Android (iOS is not affected). It also applies to unsupported operating systems with ESR releases, namely Windows 7, 8, and 8.1 and macOS 10.12, 10.13, and 10.14. Newer Firefox releases have a newer root certificate, hence Mozilla's call to update to Firefox 128/ESR 115.13 or newer.

In a support document published in late 2024, Mozilla says the following:

If you don’t update, Firefox features that rely on remote updates will stop working, and your installed add-ons will be disabled. DRM-protected content, such as streaming services, may also stop playing due to failed updates. Additionally, systems dependent on content verification could stop functioning properly.

Although you can continue using Firefox with an expired root certificate, Mozilla recommends not doing so, as you will lose access to important systems and remain vulnerable to unpatched security issues. Note that operating systems that no longer support the primary release channel can still update to a newer ESR release with a valid root certificate.

By the way, Mozilla still supports Firefox ESR 115 on unsupported Windows and macOS versions. It even recently expanded support by another six months.

If you want to read more about the expiration of the root certificate in older Firefox releases, see Mozilla's official support document here. You can also check your Firefox version by heading to Menu > Help > About Firefox. By the way, today, Mozilla released a new update for its browser, and you can check out all the details here.

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The first bug addresses a problem with a cookie size limit, which could cause all sorts of issues with keeping you logged in on websites or other page state-related problems. The second bugfix will please keyboard shortcut lovers: Version 136 apparently broke the Ctrl + L / Cmd + L shortcut (set focus to the address bar) on new browser windows. Firefox 136.0.1 fixes that.

Here is the official changelog:

• Fixed an issue where a cookie size limit caused problems with website cookie management when using the CookieStore API. This could cause login and other state-related issues. (Bug 1950565)
• Fixed an issue where Control/Command+L did not focus the address bar in new windows. (Bug 1947723)

You can download Firefox 136.0.1 by heading to Menu > Help > About Firefox. Alternatively, get the browser from the official website or the Microsoft Store if you use Windows 10 or Windows 11.

In case you missed it, the recently released Firefox 136 introduced quite a lot of new stuff. The browser received an updated sidebar, the long-expected vertical tabs, an improved "Clear browsing data" menu, hardware-accelerated playback of HEVC video on macOS, hardware video decoding on Linux systems with AMD graphics cards, and more. Firefox also reminded users that it does not plan to ditch Manifest V2 extensions in light of Chrome carpet-bombing all MV2 extensions in its store. The latter can be quite easily bypassed, though.

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Microsoft delivered the latest security definitions for Windows images via security intelligence update version 1.423.160.0. The Defender package version is also the same.

In the support document describing the new update, Microsoft explains:

The first hours of a newly installed Windows deployment can leave the system vulnerable because of a Microsoft Defender protection gap. This is because the OS installation images may contain outdated antimalware software binaries.

 

[..] Devices using either the Windows built-in antivirus or another security solution can benefit from these updates. Defender updates also contain critical performance fixes that will improve the user experience.

 

[..] This article describes antimalware update package for Microsoft Defender in the OS installation images (WIM and VHD files). This feature supports the following OS installation images:

 

• Windows 11
• Windows 10 (Enterprise, Pro, and Home editions)
• Windows Server 2022
• Windows Server 2019
• Windows Server 2016

 

Version information

 

• Defender package version: 1.423.160.0

   

This package updates the anti-malware client, anti-malware engine, and signature versions in the OS installation images to following versions:

 

• Platform version: 4.18.25010.11

• Engine version: 1.1.25010.7

• Security intelligence version: 1.423.160.0

From Microsoft's security bulletin, we learn that the security intelligence update version 1.423.160.0 was released last month. It adds threat detections for various backdoor exploits, trojans, and ransomware, among others. For those wondering, the latest intelligence update is version 1.423.337.0 at the time of writing.

On the topic of security, Microsoft thinks you will be better off updating from Windows 10 to 11 via a clean install so you can avoid unwanted and potentially malicious apps.

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A new chipset driver was recently rolled out with version 7.02.13.148 and it has a bunch of new features baked in. For example, a new PPKG functionality makes it possible to change processors now without a need for OS reinstallation. There is also a new feature called AMD app compatibility database driver that boosts gaming performance in select titles which were previously hard to optimize for. You can read about them in full in this article.

Besides these, the latest chipset driver also brings an updated 3D V-cache performance optimizer. About it, AMD says:

Optimizes Ryzen 9 X3D processors for both gaming and non-gaming tasks by dynamically changing the "favoured" processor cores

What the 3D V-cache performance optimizer driver essentially does is help Windows schedule gaming tasks to the CCD (core compute die) that has the 3D vertical cache. Unlike the app compatibility database driver though, this is not new and has been around since 5800X3D days.

About the updated 3D V-cache performance optimizer, the changelog notes that it is a "minor update" that fixes a VBS-related issue on Windows 10. AMD does not go into much detail on this and only states that it should now "properly work" on Windows 10 with VBS enabled.

I looked online for some more details regarding this and found that there is an L3 cache reporting issue on Windows 10 that has been around since at least 2023:

Windows® 10 works with Virtualization-based security (VBS) running but the L3 cache reporting may be incorrect.

We have reached out to AMD on this to see if more details about the said issue are available. We will update the post if we get more information.

Unfortunately, for anyone hoping for a performance patch for VBS, that is unlikely to happen. VBS, or virtualization-based security, even on some of the newest Windows versions, exhibits performance drops. Thankfully, Microsoft does not enable it by default on Windows 10.

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Using previous AMD-provided data, we also worked out how the 9950X3D would compare to the 9800X3D and found that on several occasions the single-CCD 9800X3D was significantly ahead of the 9950X3D.

Today AMD has provided more numbers and has now stated that in overall performance difference, the 8-core and 16-core Ryzen X3D CPUs are just 1% apart from one another.

The company gives examples of Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, Hitman 3, and Metro Exodus, among others, in which it says that the 9950X3D is significantly better than the 9800X3D. However, it also highlights where it loses and that includes Call of Duty Black Ops 6, Starfield, F1 23/24, and other titles.

Besides that, Team Red has also highlighted how it has re-engineered its X3D processors so that the cores themselves, which run hotter than the V-cache portion, have now been placed on top such that they are nearer to the processor IHS (integrated heat spreader), thus making it easier to cool than 7000 series X3D. AMD claims up to 46% better thermal efficiency as a result.

In our Ryzen 9 9950X3D review, we saw this in action with the SKU being cooler despite being more power-hungry than 7950X3D.

AMD has also shared performance numbers of the Ryzen 9900X3D and compared it with the 7900X3D, 7950X3D, and the Intel 285K with claims of up to 48% better and 18% performance vs Intel at gaming and productivity tasks, respectively.

AMD also adds that both the 9900X3D and 9950X3D are perfect upgrades for both gamers as well as creators like streamers from something like the 12-core Ryzen 7900X3D and 16-core 7950X3D, with the 9950X3D showing the more consistent performance bump out of the two new X3D SKUs:

The prices and availability of these parts were announced a few days ago, and they are $699 and $599, respectively, for the Ryzen 9 9950X3D and 9900X3D. Both of them will be available starting tomorrow, March 12.

Finally, AMD shared the full Ryzen 9000 and 8000 series lineup for Socket AM5 that has launched so far till the first half of 2025:

To get the best out of its 3D V-cache CPUs, AMD has also released a couple of new major optimizations that are rolling out via its chipset driver. You can read about it in this dedicated article.

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We speculated in our original article that this could have to do with improving app compatibility across Windows 11/10.

Today, alongside the launch of the Ryzen 9 9950X3D and 9900X3D (check out our review of the former), AMD has also detailed the new features and capabilities of the chipset driver.

First up, the company talks about "updated provisioning packages service." AMD says that this "optimizes Ryzen 9 processor gaming with a combination of power/frequency optimization and core parking."

For those not familiar, a provisioning package (.ppkg) file is a container for a collection of configuration settings that helps configure a PC without the need for fresh imaging. Thus with this new feature, AMD makes it easy to change and upgrade processors without the need for an OS reinstallation.

This should help system builders immensely as 16-core and 12-core X3D processors have an asymmetric design wherein only one of the two CCDs (Core Compute Dies) has the 3D V-cache and thus games must be scheduled to run on this CCD only. In the past, for Windows to know and understand this, an OS reinstallation was necessary when a CPU was changed.

AMD is calling this feature "Automatic Processor Detection" and it will run automatically at every boot. It writes:

Automatic Processor Detection

 

Automatically checks the system at boot and changes the provisioning packages if the processor has been changed. Because of this change, users are no longer required to re-install windows when swapping out processors.

We mentioned AMD Application Compatibility Database Driver above and the company has also explained what that is.

Essentially, this is a whitelist of titles and games that do not work properly with PPKG and AMD's 3D V-cache performance optimizer. The Application Compatibility Database driver effectively works by reducing the thread pool size. The company adds that it already uses a similar technique for its Threadripper CPUs and it was developed together with Microsoft as a performance optimization method for lightly threaded applications.

Currently, it works with Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, Dying Light 2, Far Cry 6, Metro Exodus and the Enhanced Edition, Total War: Three Kingdoms, Total War: Warhammer III, and Wolfenstein: Youngblood.

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The last time Apple made such a major UI change was in 2013 with iOS 7, which abandoned skeuomorphic elements in favor of a flatter design. Now, with iOS 19 and iPadOS 19, codenamed "Luck," Apple is once again planning a significant visual overhaul.

On the Mac side, this revamp, codenamed "Cheer," will be part of the upcoming macOS 16. It is expected to be the biggest refresh since macOS Big Sur. That update, aside from a redesigned UI, introduced the Control Center to macOS for the first time, as well as privacy enhancements.

Alongside the upcoming UI revamp, the company also plans to make navigation and controls easier, taking some ideas from VisionOS. Things like circular app icons, translucent panels, and a simpler way to manage windows could appear in iOS and macOS. However, features like hand gestures and immersive 3D depth will remain unique to the Vision Pro.

Apple plans to showcase the updated designs at WWDC in June. The goal is to make transitioning between devices in its ecosystem more seamless by adopting a more consistent user interface. Right now, there are noticeable differences in how icons, menus, and applications appear across Apple's operating systems.

Apple is also hoping that this redesign will help boost its sluggish iPhone sales, especially after the unexpected 5% decline during the last holiday season.

That said, this refresh should not be seen as a merger of Apple's major OSes. As Gurman notes:

The company believes it can make better Macs and iPads by keeping their operating systems separate. Another benefit for Apple is it encourages consumers to buy both devices rather than getting by with one.

Apple has been facing some turbulence lately. Aside from declining iPhone sales, the company has reportedly postponed the launch of its Smart Home Hub due to delays in the development of Siri upgrades.

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While search engines use sponsored links, Copilot and similar AI assistants haven't yet found a strong monetization method. To address this, Microsoft Advertising is introducing new ad formats specifically for Copilot's chat interface. These new ad formats are interactive and adapt based on user input.

The first format is called Microsoft Advertising Showroom ads. People generally visit showrooms to ask questions and understand the product. Microsoft is trying to emulate the same with Microsoft Advertising Showroom ads. Using this immersive ad experience, users can explore what they are searching for. For example, when a user starts asking questions about a particular product to purchase, they will be presented with this new Showroom ads experience. Rich sponsored content will showcase the product benefits, and users can also further ask questions about the product in this new experience.

In the future, brand agents will be integrated into the Showroom ads, which will allow users to connect directly with a virtual brand representative. Microsoft is planning to start a pilot of the Showroom ads in April with select clients. You can check out the demo of this experience below.

The second ad format is called Dynamic filters. When users are searching for products, product ads will appear based on the query. This new ad format will allow users to easily narrow down the product they are looking for based on their individual preferences. Dynamic filters will begin piloting in English language markets this March.

These new ad formats represent a significant step in the evolution of advertising for chat-based UIs. By leveraging interactive and adaptive experiences, Microsoft is exploring ways to effectively monetize AI assistants while delivering value to both users and advertisers.

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Another classic Microsoft app will stop receiving support in the near future. After over three decades, Microsoft Publisher will reach its end of life in October 2026.

We've known about the end of support for Publisher for quite a while. Eagle-eyed commenters in our forums saw the news back in June 2024.

But Publisher's death has made the news rounds because Microsoft updated a support document with guidance on how to prepare for the end of Publisher support.

According to the Wayback Machine, Microsoft updated the support document sometime between February 15 and March 8.

Unlike Skype, which will stop working in May of this year, Publisher users have until October 2026 to transition to another app.

A support document from Microsoft states:

"In October 2026, Microsoft Publisher will reach its end of life. After that time, it will no longer be included in Microsoft 365 and existing on-premises suites will no longer be supported. Microsoft 365 subscribers will no longer be able to open or edit Publisher files in Publisher. Until then, support for Publisher will continue and users can expect the same experience as today."

Microsoft appears to be working on a big update to the system wide share UI on Windows 11 that will introduce image editing and compression features when attempting to share an image using the OS share function. Spotted as a hidden feature in the latest Windows 11 preview build, when enabled you'll be able to crop, rotate, highlight, draw, and even compress an image before sending it to the app of your choice.

The Windows 11 share UI has been tweaked and updates quite a bit in the last couple of years. Most recently, it was updated with a refined interface and integration with Windows Phone Link, letting you share files between your PC and phone with just a few clicks. Additionally, Microsoft has been working on new ways to access the share tool, including via a new drop-down interface that appears at the top of your screen when you grab a file in the File Explorer app.

It has been quite a while since the last ViVeTool update, and now, we finally have a new version.

ViVeTool 0.3.4 is now available for download from GitHub. It is not a very big release, and it primarily focuses on Windows 11 version 24H2 users. The update fixes a problem with the fullreset command that reverts all the changes back to their default states. As explained by the developer, @thebookisclosed, that happens because more priorities in Windows 11 version 24H2 are now immutable, resulting in an error when changing certain features.

Here is the changelog:

• Support for handling new 24H2 priorities (fixes #137)
• Feature dictionary update (data as of 3/10/2025)
  • All custom suffixes were removed in favor of suffixing with ID in case the name occurs multiple times
  • Big thanks to @riverar and @phantomofearth for their symbol scanning work

In addition to releasing version 0.3.4, the developer announced that ViVeTool passed two million downloads—quite an achievement.

You can download ViVeTool 0.3.4 from its GitHub repository. It is available for x86 systems with Intel and AMD processors, plus there is an ARM64 version for PCs with Snapdragon and Microsoft SQ processors.

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Here is the changelog:

New features gradually being rolled out to the Dev Channel with toggle on

 

Recommended files in File Explorer

 

Recommended files in File Explorer Home are now available to all Windows Insiders who are signed in with their personal Microsoft account (and local accounts). These files will provide you quick access to relevant files based on your activity in the Recommended section which is displayed as a carousel with thumbnail previews. This includes content such as files you frequently use, have recently downloaded, or added to your File Explorer Gallery. Users with a work/school account (Entra ID) will have additional types of recommendations available with this update. This change is not yet rolling out in the EEA (European Economic Area). Quick access folders will continue to be available in the navigation pane for easy access to pinned folders.

 

Changes and Improvements gradually being rolled out to the Dev Channel with toggle on

 

[Live captions]

 

• On AMD and Intel®-powered Copilot+ PCs, we’re beginning to roll out the ability to do real-time translation to Chinese (Simplified). Supported languages include Arabic, Bulgarian, Czech Danish, German, Greek English Spanish, English, Estonian, Finnish, France, Hindi, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Lithuanian, Norwegian, Dutch, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Slovak, Slovene, and Swedish.

 

[Start menu]

 

• We are trying out a new change where we will recommend a snap group in the Recommended section of the Start menu based on two apps that are most likely to be snapped together. Let us know what you think if you see this!

  

[Search on the Taskbar]

 

• Improved support for web search providers in Windows Search for the EEA, including with increased discoverability.

 

[Notifications]

 

• To ensure you never lose access to your Microsoft account, we are introducing a new toast notification that will prompt you to add a secondary email or recovery phone number to your account. This will only appear if you’re signed in to your PC with your Microsoft account and this information is missing from your profile. Adding these account proofs will help you recover your Microsoft account if you ever forget your password or get locked out for any reason.

 

[Widgets]

 

• In this flight, we’re introducing the ability for web developers to easily utilize their existing web content to build dynamic and interactive widgets that can be added to the widgets surfaces in Windows 11. For more information, click here.

 

[Input]

 

• We are trying out a new experience to improve the discoverability of the emoji and more panel in Windows 11 with the introduction of a new system tray icon on the taskbar. With this new system tray icon, you can easily express yourself by using emojis, GIFs, Kaomoji etc. across all apps and surfaces in Windows in addition to using the WIN + . keyboard shortcut which is also now shown on the emoji and more panel. This new system tray icon for the emoji and more panel shows can be changed by right-clicking on the icon to go to taskbar settings page.

  

[Settings]

 

• We are rolling out “top cards” under Settings > System > About. These top cards provide an easy way to view your PC’s key specifications—processor, RAM, storage, and GPU—helping you understand your PC’s capabilities at a glance. This is designed to simplify decision-making by highlighting potential areas for hardware improvements while giving you a clear snapshot of your PC. Top Cards won’t appear yet on managed commercial PCs. Note this change appears only on specific PC form-factors such as desktops.

  

Other fixes and improvements include the following:

[File Explorer]

 

• As part of our ongoing commitment to improving File Explorer accessibility, this release includes increased support for the text scaling (via Settings > Text size) across File Open/Save dialogs and Wizard dialogs.

 

[Windowing]

 

• Fixed an issue where the Snap Bar at the top of the screen was unexpectedly showing corners on the side closest to the screen.

 

[Input]

 

• Fixed a high hitting ctfmon.exe crash, which could impact the ability to type.

 

[Settings]

 

• Fixed an underlying issue which could lead to Settings crashing when adding a color profile in Settings > System > Display.
• Fixed an issue where Settings might crash after using Settings to sign into an MSA.
• Fixed an issue for Japanese users, where the name displayed at the top of Settings > Accounts showed First Name Last Name instead of Last Name First Name.

 

[Other]

 

• Fixed an issue which could lead to a bugcheck with PDC_WATCHDOG_TIMEOUT when resuming from sleep.
• Fixed an issue with windows.storage.dll in the last few flights, where trying to open files from an app could lead to the app crashing.

And here is the list of known bugs:

[General]

 

• After you do a PC reset under Settings > System > Recovery, your build version may incorrectly show as Build 26100 instead of Build 26120. This will not prevent you from getting future Dev Channel updates which will resolve this issue.

 

[Recall]

 

[REMINDER] Make sure you update Microsoft 365 apps to the latest version so you can jump back into specific documents.

 

The following known issues will be fixed in future updates to Windows Insiders:

 

• [NEW] If you are trying out Recall on a PC managed by an IT administrator in your organization (signed in with a Microsoft Entra ID), you will see your Recall snapshots get deleted after installing this build and then continue to get deleted each time you reboot. As a temporary work around until we fix this issue, you can follow these steps before installing this update to prevent your snapshots from being deleted (you may need to do these steps prior to each reboot as well after installing this update):
  • Type gpedit.msc in the search box on your taskbar to open Group Policy Editor.
  • Navigate down to the following: Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows AI.
  • AI-generated content may be incorrect.
  • Set “Allow Recall to be enabled” to Enabled.
  • Set “Turn off saving snapshots for use with Recall” to Disabled.
• Some Insiders may experience an issue where Recall is unable to automatically save snapshots, and the setting can’t be turned on in Settings. We’re working on a fix for this issue.
• Recall can be enabled or disabled from “Turn Windows features on or off”. We are caching the Recall binaries on disk while we test add/remove. In a future update we will completely remove the binaries.

 

[Click to Do]

 

[REMINDER] If any of your actions on image entities are no longer appearing, please ensure you have the latest updates for the Photos and Paint app from the Microsoft Store.

 

[REMINDER] The intelligent text actions leverage the power of Microsoft’s secure cloud to improve your text results by ensuring prompts and responses are safe and appropriate. This data is automatically deleted. Local moderation to ensure the safety of prompts and responses will be added in the future, replacing this cloud endpoint.

 

The following known issues will be fixed in future updates to Windows Insiders:

 

• Sometimes additional context is given when using more intelligent text actions powered by Phi Silica.

 

[Improved Windows Search]

 

• [REMINDER] For improved Windows Search on Copilot+ PCs, it is recommended that you plug in your Copilot+ PC for the initial search indexing to get completed. You can check your search indexing status under Settings > Privacy & security > Searching Windows.

 

[File Explorer]

 

• We’re working on the fix for an issue causing File Explorer to be very slow to close for some Insiders when closing using the X button. This may also have an impact on the other title bar buttons.

 

[Task Manager]

 

• After adding the new CPU Utility column, you may notice that System Idle Process always shows as 0.
• The CPU graphs in the Performance page are still using the old CPU utility calculations.

As usual, you can find the announcement post in the official Windows Blog.

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All users are now urged to move from the Remote Desktop app to the Windows App if they want to continue using Windows 365, Azure Virtual Desktop, and Microsoft Dev Box. After May 27, 2025, access to those features will be cut, leaving users no option other than to switch.

Microsoft says there are several benefits to using the Windows App over the old Remote Desktop app. They include the following:

• Unified access to multiple Windows services, including Cloud PCs and virtual desktops from a single, streamlined interface.
• Customizable home screens, multimonitor support, and dynamic display resolutions.
• Enhanced remote work experiences with features such as device redirection, Microsoft Teams optimizations, and easy account switching.

Of course, the Remote Desktop app is not just for accessing Windows 365, Azure Virtual Desktop, and Microsoft Dev Box. As the name suggests, it is also a tool that lets you connect to remote PCs. If you use the program primarily for this purpose, Microsoft recommends switching to Windows' built-in Remote Desktop Connection. Those who do not know how to use RDC can check out Microsoft's official guide.

Microsoft also reminded users that Windows App has its own limitations and a list of known bugs on all supported platforms, such as the inability to use it in certain environments with proxy authentication. You can find the complete list here.

Microsoft's transition from the Remote Desktop app started several months ago when the company announced the same change but on macOS. It will be interesting to see Windows users reacting to the change.

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The recently redesigned Copilot app for Windows (now a fully native WinUI 3 app) has been updated to version 1.25024.100.0 for Windows Insiders. After installing the update, you will be able to speak to Copilot by holding Alt + Space for two seconds (pressing Alt + Space opens a mini window with your dialog).

After invoking Copilot, you will see a small UI with a microphone icon. At this moment, you can talk to Copilot and get nearly instant responses. Pressing Esc ends the conversation, plus you can click the settings icon to tweak Copilot Voice. Also, Copilot will dismiss itself after a few seconds of inactivity.

From the announcement post:

Press to talk: Allows you to interact with Copilot using your voice by using a hotkey, providing instant responses while staying in your current workflow and continuing tasks without interruption. To start a voice conversation with Copilot, hold the Alt + Spacebar for 2 seconds on your PC. To end your conversation, press the Esc key. If there is no speaking for several seconds Copilot will automatically end the conversation. When the conversation is over the microphone on the screen will disappear.

Although Copilot version 1.25024.100.0 is now available to insiders across all channels, the updated shortcut and the new UI for voice interactions are rolling out gradually. Microsoft also encourages all insiders to file their feedback about the feature by pressing Win + F under Apps > Copilot.

If you are outside the Insider program, you can get the updated Copilot app by sideloading it as described in our separate post.

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Microsoft has updated Windows 11 24H2's documentation, confirming that the latest AutoCAD 2022 update resolved the problem with launches on the latest Windows 11 update:

Resolution: This issue is resolved by Autodesk in the software update S182.0.0 AutoCAD 2022.1.4 or higher updates. You can check your AutoCAD software version at the AutoCAD About Box. Once you install this latest update for AutoCAD 2022, the safeguard hold 56211213 will not be applicable to your device, and you will be able to install Windows 11, version 24H2.

As usual, lifting an upgrade block takes some time. Microsoft says Windows Update might take up to 48 hours to detect that the problem was resolved, but you can speed things up a bit by restarting your system.

It is worth noting that users with other AutoCAD versions, such as 2023, 2024, and 2025, can still update to Windows 11 version 24H2 without any issues. Microsoft said that only the 2022 release was affected, and only on Windows 11 version 24H2.

In other Windows 11 24H2 news, users recently discovered very odd behavior on certain PCs, with the operating system quietly throttling down and aggressively lowering CPU clocks. You can learn more about that in our dedicated article. Other standing issues that Microsoft is still resolving include bugs with integrated cameras, compatibility problems with anti-cheat software in certain games, and more. You can find the complete list here.

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Apple plans to significantly redesign the look of iOS, iPadOS, and macOS later this year, Bloomberg reports.

The changes, which are set to arrive with iOS 19, iPadOS 19, and macOS 16, will touch many parts of the operating systems, including “updating the style of icons, menus, apps, windows and system buttons,” Bloomberg says. The updates are also intended to simplify how people use Apple devices and make things more consistent across its software. The new design apparently takes some inspiration from the Vision Pro’s visionOS.

Bloomberg says the design updates will be the biggest for the Mac since macOS Big Sur and the biggest for iOS since iOS 7. However, Bloomberg notes that Apple isn’t going to merge its operating systems.

Apple is expected to announce the changes at its Worldwide Developers Conference, which typically happens in June. It hasn’t announced a date for this year’s show.

The company didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

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The first patch fixes the problem with the RTX 5080 and 5090 not being able to operate at proper clock speeds after overclocking and rebooting your system. The second bug affects the entire RTX 50 series, and it causes the graphics cards to crash to a black screen.

Interestingly, this is not the first black screen issue in the RTX 50 lineup. Several days ago, Nvidia released another hotfix to resolve a bug causing RTX 50-powered PCs to boot into a black screen.

Here is the changelog for Nvidia GeForce Hotfix Display Driver 572.75:

GeForce Hotfix Display Driver version 572.75 is based on our latest Game Ready Driver 572.70:

 

• [GeForce RTX 5080/5090] Graphics cards may not run at full speeds on system reboot when overclocked [5088034]
• [GeForce RTX 50 series] GeForce RTX 50 series GPUs crashes with black screen [5120886]

The new hotfix is based on the latest driver 572.70, which arrived earlier this week with the RTX 5070 support and a fix for the aforementioned bug with PCs booting into a black screen when connected to monitors via DisplayPort. Downloading the latest hotfix will get you all the fixes and changes included in driver 572.70 as well.

You can get Nvidia GeForce Hotfix Display Driver 572.75 on the official support website. Release notes are available on the same page. As usual, changes in 572.75 will be included in the next Game Ready WHQL driver in the upcoming days or weeks.

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Over time, the company has tried various things to entice users. For example, in February 2024, an advert was released highlighting the benefits of an upgrade to Windows 11. Later in the year in June, Microsoft also busted the various "myths and misconceptions" surrounding its newest OS.

There have also been some rather ridiculous performance-related claims from the company, as well as emphasis on the various gaming features on Windows 11 that users may not find on 10.

While a lot of the above reasons may not be all that significant for users, Microsoft has also pointed out a reason related to security as to why the jump to Windows 11 could benefit users.

In a support article about Windows 10 PC security, the company has listed several ways that users can avoid getting unwanted software which is labelled as potentially unwanted apps (PUA).

Today, while browsing, Neowin noticed that Microsoft has recently updated that page to also include Windows 11's smart app control feature as a way to avoid that. Here's what the previous version of the support page said:

Reduce the chances of getting unwanted software

 

• Download apps only from trusted sources, such as Microsoft Store, and be thoughtful about which apps you install.
• Make sure you're running a regularly updated antivirus product such as Microsoft Defender Antivirus, which is built into all modern versions of Windows.
• Use a modern browser, such as the new Microsoft Edge. Microsoft Edge uses Microsoft Defender SmartScreen, which helps block potentially unwanted apps.
• Keep your device up-to-date with the latest updates for Windows, your browser, and your apps

And here is what the new version of the page says:

Reduce the chances of getting unwanted software

 

• Download apps only from trusted sources, such as Microsoft Store, and be thoughtful about which apps you install.
• Make sure you're running a regularly updated antivirus product such as Microsoft Defender Antivirus, which is built into all modern versions of Windows.
• Windows 11 includes Smart App Control which can help to protect your device from potentially unwanted apps.
• Use a modern browser, such as the new Microsoft Edge. Microsoft Edge uses Microsoft Defender SmartScreen, which helps block potentially unwanted apps.
• Keep your device up-to-date with the latest updates for Windows, your browser, and your apps.

For those who may not be familiar with it, Smart App Control uses cloud-powered security and blocks unsigned (untrusted) and potentially malicious software and PUA. The feature had a rocky start though over time it has gotten better.

A quirk, if you may call it, of the Smart App Control feature is that it requires a clean installation and thus an in-place upgrade from Windows 10 to 11 won't work, you will need to reset. Besides that, during OOBE (initial OS set-up), optional diagnostic data needs to be kept enabled.

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Here is the changelog:

Gaming Highlights:

 

Intel Game On Driver support on Intel Arc B-series, A-series Graphics GPUs for:

 

• Rise of the Ronin

 

Fixed Issues:

 

Intel Arc B-Series Graphics Products:

 

• Cyberlink Power Director may experience tearing and lag in the preview window and exported video.

 

Intel Arc A-Series Graphics Products:

 

• Cyberlink Power Director may experience tearing and lag in the preview window and exported video.

 

Intel Core Ultra Series 1 with built-in Intel Arc GPUs:

 

• Cyberlink Power Director may experience tearing and lag in the preview window and exported video on certain Intel Core Ultra Series 2 Mobile Processors.

 

Intel Core Ultra Series 2 with built-in Intel Arc GPUs:

 

• Cyberlink Power Director may experience tearing and lag in the preview window and exported video on certain Intel Core Ultra Series 2 Mobile Processors

Intel 32.0.101.6647 WHQL is available on PCs with 64-bit Windows 10 and Windows 11 with the following graphics products from Intel:

You can download the driver from the official website here. Full release notes are available here (PDF).

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Here is the changelog:

Feature updates

 

• Removal of “Add account” option in Profile menu for Entra ID users. The option to add a linked personal account directly from Edge is no longer available in the Edge profile menu. The LinkedAccountEnabled policy is also obsolete in Microsoft Edge version 134.
• Microsoft Search in Bing deprecation and policy updates. Microsoft Search in Bing, the work search experience available on Bing.com, will be retired, such that the last day of availability is on March 31, 2025. The AddressBarMicrosoftSearchInBingProviderEnabled policy, used to configure Microsoft Search in Bing results in the Edge for Business address bar, will be deprecated and obsoleted (non-functional) in a future Microsoft Edge version. The new policy to replace this is AddressBarWorkSearchResultsEnabled which is available in Microsoft Edge version 134.
• Edge on macOS now seamlessly opens links in Teams. When Microsoft Edge is configured as the browser to open web links in Teams, then links in Teams chat will be opened through Edge, and Edge launches in the profile that matches with the authenticated profile, users can benefit from a seamless browsing experience that integrates their identity and user data across Microsoft apps. Administrators can control the availability of this feature using the "Choose Which Browser Opens Web Links" Microsoft 365 policy.
• Scareware blocker policy. Scareware blocker in Microsoft Edge is your AI powered shield designed to protect you and your users from scareware attacks. Scareware blocker is currently in preview and admins can control availability to this feature using the ScarewareBlockerProtectionEnabled Policy. For more information, see Stand up to scareware with scareware blocker, now available in preview in Microsoft Edge - Microsoft Edge Blog.
• Edge Settings Improvements. Edge Settings is migrating to WebUI2 to boost page responsiveness and introducing a series of minor visual and content upgrades to improve overall usability and utility. This includes optimizing for concise wording of individual settings, simplifying the number of pages and reorganizing content, and creating a cohesive user interface. Note: This feature is a controlled feature rollout. If you don't see this feature, check back as we continue our rollout.

Microsoft Edge 134 also includes all the changes and updates Microsoft added to the browsers when it was available for testing in the Dev Channel. You can find all the details using the following links:

• Microsoft Edge Dev Channel update to 134.0.3081.2
• Microsoft Edge Dev Channel update to 134.0.3096.1
• Microsoft Edge Dev Channel update to 134.0.3109.0
• Microsoft Edge Dev Channel update to 134.0.3124.5

Microsoft Edge will update itself automatically in the background, but you can always speed things up by heading to edge://settings/help.

The next big update for Microsoft Edge, version 135, is expected on the week of April 3, 2025.

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As such, Niels Laute, an engineer at Microsoft working on WinUI and PowerToys, proposed back in 2022 the following changes:

Windows 11 introduces a new direction of Fluent Design - it would be great if all PowerToys features would look and feel native to the OS. WinUI 3 should make this an easy transition. Some things that come to mind:

 

• General
• Combining the remap key and shortcut into a single experience, making it a true "Keyboard Manager".
• Ability to (temporarily) turn on / off certain remappings.
• Adopting WinUI 3 (and it's default styling for Windows 11)
• Resolve common accessibility issues by adopting standard UI elements and colors
• Modern input (touch / pen)

Laute said that this UI redesign would help address various issues that had been reported.

Early last year in January, Microsoft published a mockup of the redesigned Keyboard Manager. However, it has been well over a year now and the tech giant is still asking people for feedback on it and looking for ways to improve, and it doesn't seem like all that has changed since then. Perhaps the project may finally be approaching completion and Microsoft is gauging public reaction before releasing it.

Kayla Cinnamon, a Senior Product Manager at Microsoft for PowerToys and Windows developer experiences, posted on her official X handle:

Hopefully, it shouldn't be too long before Microsoft finally releases this.

Speaking of releases, the latest PowerToys update released a couple of days ago brings a performance boost to the Always On Top (AoT) utility and fixes various bugs including one that wouldn't let users create shortcuts. You can check that in our dedicated piece here.

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First the Recommended files option is now available to all Insiders, second, Microsoft has a new feature in the Start menu that will snap recommended apps together when the OS feel that they may be snapped together by the user.

Aside from these, a File Explorer performance issue has been fixed. The full changelog is given below:

New features gradually being rolled out to the Beta Channel with toggle on*

Recommended files in File Explorer

 

Recommended files in File Explorer Home are now available to all Windows Insiders who are signed in with their personal Microsoft account (and local accounts). These files will provide you quick access to relevant files based on your activity in the Recommended section which is displayed as a carousel with thumbnail previews. This includes content such as files you frequently use, have recently downloaded, or added to your File Explorer Gallery. Users with a work/school account (Entra ID) will have additional types of recommendations available with this update. This change is not yet rolling out in the EEA (European Economic Area). Quick access folders will continue to be available in the navigation pane for easy access to pinned folders.

 

FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Files Folders and Online Storage > File Explorer.

Changes and Improvements gradually being rolled out to the Beta Channel with toggle on*

[Start menu]

 

• We are trying out a new change where we will recommend a snap group in the Recommended section of the Start menu based on two apps that are most likely to be snapped together. Let us know what you think if you see this!

[Search on the Taskbar]

 

• Improved support for web search providers in Windows Search for the EEA, including with increased discoverability.

Fixes gradually being rolled out to the Beta Channel with toggle on*

[File Explorer]

 

• Fixed an issue causing File Explorer to be very slow to close for some Insiders when closing using the X button. This may have also impacted the other title bar buttons.

 

Known issues

 

[Start menu]

 

The following are known issues for Windows Insiders with the new grid and category views on the All” page in the Start menu:

 

• There’s sometimes a delay in app icons showing in grid and category views after installing an app.
• When right-clicking on an app, the “Start settings” context menu flashes before the app’s context menu appears.
• Windows Tools related apps are broken out into folders instead of being in one single app.

 

[File Explorer]

You can find the official blog post here on Microsoft's website.

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