What is JPEG XL? The image format promises better web compatibility than JPEG, including several features that allow webmasters and users to migrate existing images to the new format:

• Compression efficiency.
• Support for lossless and lossy compression.
• Support for transparency.
• Support for HDR and a wide range of colors.
• Progressive loading support.
• Backward compatibility.

The main downside right now is limited support for the format and a lack of hardware decoding support.

Windows 11: how to install support for JPEG XL

Microsoft published the JPEG XL Image Extension on the Microsoft Store. Windows 11 users may download the application to add support for the JPEG XL format on Windows 11.

Note: The image extension is only compatible with Windows 11, version 24H2. You get an JPEG XL Image Extension failed error when you try to install it on an earlier version of Windows 11 or on a Windows 10 system.

If you run Windows 11, version 24H2 on a device and do use the Microsoft Store, you may open the JPEG XL Image Extension page to download and install support for JPEG XL.

If you do not use the Microsoft Store, you may use this Adguard tool to download the plugin file directly from a Microsoft server. Here is how that is done:

1. Load the Adguard webpage with a click on this link.
2. Paste the following Address into the form field: https://apps.microsoft.com/detail/9mzprth5c0tb?hl=en-us&gl=en and keep everything as is (URL and RP).
3. Click the checkmark button to search for downloads.
4. Click the Microsoft.JPEG-XLImageExtension_1.2.21.0_neutral_~_8wekyb3d8bbwe.appxbundle link to download the file to the local system.
5. Double-click on the downloaded file to start the installation.

Windows supports JPEG XL natively after installation. This means that image viewing and editing tools should support the format.

Closing Words

Many image editors and viewers support JPEG XL already on Windows, either natively or as plugins. Paint.NET, for example, has supported JPEG-XL for some time as a plugin. The developer Rick Brewster has added the plugin now in the latest beta so that users do not need to install the plugin manually anymore to add support.

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According to Opera, the Browser Operator AI agent, instead of acting like a chatbot, "understands your written instructions in natural language using your browser client’s local resources, and our AI Composer Engine processes this information to complete tasks in the browser."

Notably, Opera Browser Operator will be available to users via the Feature Drop program soon. The AI agent uses local resources and doesn't upload data to the cloud servers. This ensures that your browsing data and logins remain private. Opera added that, unlike other AI assistants, Browser Operator doesn't rely on screenshots or video captures to understand web pages.

The Browser Operator accesses the whole page, without requiring manual scrolling, producing fast and efficient results. This enables the AI agent to interact with elements that might not be visible to the user, such as cookie pop-ups.

Users can simply type in commands and the AI Composer Engine handles the remaining task. If information such as credit card details or confirming an order is required, the user is prompted to take over. Notably, the AI agent does not store or access sensitive information like passwords or credit card details.

Further instructions can be given to the Browser Operator to refine or elaborate on the completed task and, tasks can be canceled at any time by pressing the cancel button. Currently, the Browser Operator is available as a Feature Preview and can be accessed from the Opera sidebar or Opera's Command Line. Opera has been working on AI features for some time, and it already has Aria AI assistant integrated into the browser.

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Note that participation in the survey is optional, and Valve picks participants randomly. The main goal of the survey is to provide platform-average data and help Valve and developers make decisions about technology investments, game optimizations, and more. It also lets us know how different Windows versions fare among those who like to play games on PCs.

In a rather unexpected move, Valve reported that Windows 11 dropped a massive chunk of users in February 2025. It went all the way back to 44.10%, which is a 9.36 points decrease (still higher than Windows 11's global market share). Windows 10, on the other hand, increased its share by 10.47 points to 53.34%. Windows 7 is still out there, even though most recent Steam versions no longer work on it. About 0.10% of all Windows users on Steam are still on Windows 7 with outdated Steam releases that still work, but probably not for very long.

Overall, Windows holds 97.58% of all Steam users, and in February 2025, its share increased by 1.03 points. Linux is second with 1.45% (-0.61 points), and macOS is third with 0.97% (-0.43 points).

On the hardware side, Intel processors remain the most popular choice. 68.89% of all participants reported that their PCs are powered by Intel chips. AMD has 31.07%, and Microsoft is at 0.05% with its own chips. As for graphics cards, 83.07% have Nvidia GPUs, 11.49% have AMD GPUs, and 5.21% have Intel GPUs. The most popular graphics card on Steam is the Nvidia RTX 4060. It dethroned the RTX 3060 and now holds 8.37%.

You can find more information about the latest Steam Hardware and Software Survey on the official website.

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However, not everyone may be so lucky and some of the recent Windows patches (KB5050094 / KB5051987) may be causing various issues like game crashes as Neowin forum member kiddingguy found it a few days ago.

But a few game crashes may be the least of the worries as a report from media outlet Borncity discusses how one of its readers came across a performance-crippling bug that can go unnoticed if the user is not paying attention.

The user noted the problem on an Intel Ultra 9 285K CPU ASRock system wherein Windows 11 will go into a sort of power-saving mode when the task like an application is minimized as the CPU enters a state of low usage and aggressive downclocking. The user confirmed this on both Prime95, which is a synthetic stress test, as well as 7-Zip benchmark, which is a real-world application for archiving files.

It is noteworthy here that Microsoft does officially support the Intel Ultra 9 285K on Windows 11 24H2 as per the latest update to its CPU support list.

The screenshot below shows the CPU usage and clock speeds on Task Manager when the app is minimized or not the focus. As you can notice, the above image clearly shows much higher clocks and usage with no throttling.

The affected user also added that the same problem was not prevalent on a previous gen Intel i9-12900K and AMD's Ryzen 9 9950X, even though the latter is still not on Microsoft's 24H2 support list.

That may also explain why we did not come across such a bug during our testing since 14700K shares a similar architectural design as the 12900K as 14th Gen still has hyperthreading (SMT).

Interestingly, this is not even the first time that such reports of Windows 11 hamstringing the performance of devices have surfaced as back in September, it was found that Microsoft's desktop OS could be incredibly inconsistent in this department.

Could this perhaps also explain the slowdown of CPU performance in 2025 that was recently highlighted by PassMark? That could be some food for thought.

Source and images: Borncity

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Now, asking Copilot for a link to activation scripts results in Copilot returning the following response:

I can't assist with that. Activating Windows 11 using unauthorized scripts is illegal and violates Microsoft's terms of service. It's always best to use legitimate methods to activate your software to ensure you receive proper updates and support.

 

If you need help activating Windows 11, you can visit the official Microsoft support page for guidance.

Any attempt to argue or convince it to reconsider yields no result. ChatGPT also refuses to provide help, and the same goes for old Windows versions, such as Windows 95 or Windows XP. Curious users once managed to trick ChatGPT into generating activation keys, but it can no longer do that for you. Microsoft's terms and services still apply even to seriously old software.

Therefore, those who want to activate Windows 11 without paying Microsoft a penny should resort to good old Google or GitHub, which hosts plenty of KMS and other activators for Windows, Office, and other products. Some former Windows engineers claim Microsoft does not care about those activators, but having its own product recommend piracy is apparently a different thing. Hence, the company patched it in no time.

In other Copilot news, Microsoft recently launched the Copilot app on macOS and made Copilot Voice and Think Deeper available for free to all users.

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Dynamic updates bring improvements to the Windows Recovery in the form of Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) updates, also called Safe OS updates, as well as to the Setup binaries in the form of Setup updates. The dynamic updates for Windows 11 24H2 also apply to Server 2025 as well.

First, we have the Setup update. Microsoft writes:

KB5053387: Setup Dynamic Update for Windows 11, version 24H2 and Windows Server 2025: February 25, 2025

 

Summary

 

This update makes improvements to Windows setup binaries or any files that setup uses for feature updates in Windows 11, version 24H2 and Windows Server 2025.

And about the WinRE updates Microsoft writes:

KB5053143: Safe OS Dynamic Update for Windows 11, version 24H2 and Windows Server 2025: February 25, 2025

 

Summary

 

This update makes improvements to the Windows recovery environment in Windows 11, version 24H2 and Windows Server 2025.

For those who may not be aware, these Dynamic Update packages are meant to be applied to existing Windows images prior to their deployment. In a Tech Community blog post about Windows 10 Dynamic Updates, Microsoft explained Dynamic Updates in more detail regarding its various components and uses. These packages include fixes to Setup.exe binaries, SafeOS updates for Windows Recovery Environment, and more:

As soon as a Windows 10 feature update initiates, whether from media or a Windows Update service-connected environment, Dynamic Update is one of the first steps invoked. Windows 10 Setup reaches out to an Internet-facing URL hosted by Microsoft to fetch Dynamic Update content, then applies those updates to your OS installation media.

 

Content acquired includes:

 

• Setup Updates: Fixes to Setup binaries or any files that Setup uses for feature updates.
• Safe OS Updates: Fixes for the "safe OS" that are used to update Windows recovery environment (WinRE).

 

In addition to these updates, Dynamic Update will preserve Language Pack (LP) and Features on Demand (FODs) content during the upgrade process. These are not updates to LPs and FODs, but reacquisition to ensure the user has these elements present with the update completes.

The Setup update is available for manual downloading from the Windows Update Catalog website. You can find them here: KB5053387. You can also avail of the WinRE updates manually there at KB5053143.

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• npm install -D typescript

While explaining TypeScript, Microsoft mentioned that if you use Visual Studio or VS Code to write JavaScript code, it turns out you’ve really been writing TypeScript code all this time. That enables TypeScript’s editor tooling to do auto-completion, code navigation, and refactorings.

TypeScript 5.8 comes with plenty of new upgrades for software developers to try out and leverage in their projects. Below, you can find a list of all the new features in TypeScript 5.8, and clicking the links will take you to Microsoft's announcement which contains a longer description of each feature plus code examples.

• Granular Checks for Branches in Return Expressions
• Support for require() of ECMAScript Modules in --module nodenext
• --module node18
• The --erasableSyntaxOnly Option
• The --libReplacement Flag
• Preserved Computed Property Names in Declaration Files
• Optimizations on Program Loads and Updates
• Notable Behavioral Changes
• lib.d.ts
• Restrictions on Import Assertions Under --module nodenext

With TypeScript 5.8 out of the door, Microsoft is turning its attention to TypeScript 5.9. The team said to be on the lookout for its TypeScript 5.9 iteration plan.

The company said that it is also possible to run nightly versions of TypeScript 5.9 via npm. Nightlies are released at midnight PST every day but it's crucial to understand that these builds may not be well tested and could feature significant bugs. If you want to have a look anyway, enter the following command:

• npm install -D typescript@next

To learn more about setting up TypeScript nightly with your IDE, check out the nightly documentation, it includes instructions for setting up with VS Code, Visual Studio, Sublime Text, and IntelliJ.

Source: Microsoft

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The app is a very popular third-party utility among Windows enthusiasts and power users since it is quite useful for managing the downloads and installations of various packages. It is also updated fairly often with new features and other improvements, so that's another positive.

Today, UniGetUI received its latest update with version 3.1.7. The list of changes is long and includes multiple performance-related fixes. These include a CPU usage-related fix, a timeout issue fix for Chocolatey and faster updates and installations for Cargo.

There are a bunch of other resolved issues, too. The full changelog is given below:

Changelog

 

• This update focuses on reliability for package operations on the following package managers:
  • WinGet:
    • Improved version detection on uninstall.
    • Improved UAC temp folder behaviour.
  • PowerShell (5 and 7)
    • Fixed an issue with the -Scope parameter and Microsoft.WinGet.Client (again).
    • Improved CLI output parsing.
  • Chocolatey:
    • Improved CLI parsing and error detection.
    • Fixed version mismatch.
    • Fixed 20second timeout.
  • Scoop
    • Improved success/error detection.
    • Fixed skip hash check not working due to cli changes.
  • Pip
    • Removed deprecated flags.
  • Vcpkg:
    • Better bootstrapping and self-update
  • .NET Tool
    • Huge improvements in autoretry procedures, mostly when installing new tools.
    • Better CLI parsing.
    • Dependency dotnet-tools-outdated has been dropped, as it is not needed anymore.
  • Cargo:
    • Faster install and update times thanks to cargo-binstall.
    • Cargo packages now can be installed in different location and skip integrity checks.
• All NuGet-based package managers (except chocolatey) will use API-based check for updates
• Version comparisons have been improved. Now, 1.10 > 1.9. This fixes issues with Chocolatey and outdated versions showing.
• CPU Usage when UniGetUI is on background has been greatly improved (~1% before, ~0% now).
• Certain UniGetUI crash scenarions have been fixed.
• Added a button to manually add desktop shortcuts to be removed.
• Better display of certain UI conditions on the titlebar
• UI layout improvements.
• Improvements to desktop shortcut detection on updates.

 

What's Changed

 

• Update icons and screenshots from the excel file by @github-actions in #3271

• Allow Manual Scanning of Desktop Shortcuts by @mrixner in #3284
• Fix issues with High CPU Usage on background by @marticliment in #3278
• Improvements to version comparsion by @marticliment in #3333
• API-Based check for updates on NuGet package managers by @marticliment in #3337
• Package list: ignore modifier key press by @tkohlmeier in #3344
• Use KeyDown instead of KeyUp to handle MainView keyboard shortcuts by @tkohlmeier in #3354
• Fix the Improved Icon Detection by @mrixner in #3347
• Move configuration to separate directory by @Layfully in #3336
• Load translations from Tolgee by @martinet101 in #3371

To download the utility, you can head over to the Neowin software stories page or its official GitHub repository.

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Recent Windows 11 versions include the following USB-related settings:

• Connection notifications: This feature alerts you when the system detects a connection problem, such as limited functionality, recognition issues, etc. By the way, Microsoft has a dedicated support page where you can find all the possible USB connection errors and their workarounds.
• Slow charging over USB: These notifications appear when the charger is not compatible or powerful enough for your PC, when the cable cannot deliver enough power, when the charger is connected to the wrong port, or when debris obstructs proper connection between the port and cable.
• USB battery saver: Most modern USB devices work well in low-power states, allowing Windows to put them to sleep when not in use to preserve energy. However, older USB devices might have compatibility issues with low-power states. If you encounter problems with your USB devices, toggling this feature off might help fix them. If not, Microsoft recommends always leaving the USB battery saver on.
• USB4 Hubs and Devices: This section provides all the details about USB4 devices and docks currently connected to your computer, including names, IDs, firmware versions, USB4 versions, etc.

Recent Windows 11 versions have all those USB toggles located in Settings > Bluetooth & Devices > USB. Note that some features are not available on all devices. Connection notifications and battery-saver toggles should be visible for all PCs while charging notifications are only available on devices with charging over USB-C support, and the USB4 Hubs and Devices section is only accessible on computers that support USB4.

Image: denvit on Pixabay

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Here is the changelog:

Added Features:

 

• Added a feature to display the active tab in collapsed groups.

 

Improved Behavior:

 

• Resolved an issue where the browser would crash silently when attempting to leave a workspace.
• Resolved an issue where browser would crash when searching for any content to enter a webpage and long pressing the address bar on Android.

 

Changed Behavior:

 

• Resolved an issue where the 'Show Vision experience from Copilot Labs' option was not appearing on the Copilot page in the settings web UI.
• Resolved an issue where some toolbar icons were hidden after taking actions in the 'More Options' menu in split screen.
• Resolved an issue where custom colors did not persist on browser relaunch under the tab groups color picker.

 

iOS:

 

• Resolved an issue where top sites with custom letter icons on the 'Replace' panel did not load immediately on iOS.
• Resolved an issue where top sites would flash when switching from Focus/Inspirational mode to Custom mode on iOS.
• Resolved an issue where, after switching wallpapers, the NTP wallpaper would not change on iOS.

 

Mac:

 

• Resolved an issue where, after selecting Firefox to import data, the data displayed was that of Safari on Mac.

 

Android:

 

• Resolved an issue where preset top sites' images were not displayed on the 'Replace' panel when there was no internet connection on Android.
• Resolved an issue where most extensions were unable to display the full panel in a normal tab on Android.
• Resolved an issue where a line was visible between the PDF toolbar and the address bar on Android.
• Resolved an issue where a download pop-up box would appear when clicking on an offline PDF from the download hub on Android.

You can update Microsoft Edge on the edge://settings/help page (it can also update itself automatically). If you want to join the Edge Insider program, head to the official website here.

Microsoft plans to release Edge 135 in the Stable Channel on the week of April 3, 2025.

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Microsoft Update (MU) is a service that provides automatic updates for Microsoft products and services. We first started using MU in PowerShell 7.2. MU provides a convenient way to automatically update PowerShell 7, which ensures you can control your update schedule, test it against your environment, and scale across your enterprise with ease.

For those wondering about how Microsoft Update is different from the Windows Update service, the idea is similar, but Windows Update only deals with operating system updates and related features like Defender while Microsoft Update deals with other Microsoft-related products like Office.

In order to control the updates, there are two options, and Microsoft recommends that both checkboxes be ticked.:

• Enable updates for PowerShell through Microsoft Update or WSUS
• Enable Microsoft Update when I check for updates

Additionally, these updates can also be deployed using command line utilities:

The PowerShell 7.2 MSI package includes following command-line options:

 

• USE_MU - This property has two possible values:
  • 1 (default) - Opts into updating through Microsoft Update or WSUS
  • 0 - don't opt into updating through Microsoft Update or WSUS
• ENABLE_MU
  • 1 (default) - Opts into using Microsoft Update the Automatic Updates or Windows Update
  • 0 - don't opt into using Microsoft Update the Automatic Updates or Windows Update

Microsoft here notes that using ENABLE_MU=0 does not disable the Microsoft Update feature.

The tech giant also adds that PowerShell update deployments via Microsoft Update will ensure users using LTS versions will stay on LTS versions, those on Stable remain on Stable, while those using release candidates or preview versions stay on previews.

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Statcounter reports that in February 2025, Microsoft Edge managed to get to 13.9% of the desktop browser market, a new all-time high (+0.11 points increase). Year-over-year growth is pretty modest, and in the last 12 months, Edge gained only 1.14 points, staying below the 14% mark the entire year.

To no one's surprise, Google is still the uncontested king of the desktop and mobile market. Its overwhelming market share of 65.55% declined by 0.21 points in February 2025, with no signs of any of its competitors getting closer any time soon, even though the US government pushes Google to sell off Chrome.

Third in the desktop browser market is Apple with Safari on macOS. It has 8.65%, and during the last month, its market share dropped by 0.19%. Firefox is fourth with 6.36% (+0.1 points). Its market share might see an increase in the coming months as Google and Microsoft are now shutting down Manifest V2-based extensions, such as uBlock Origin. In response, Mozilla published a blog post in which it promised to keep MV2 extensions to give users more choice and freedom, although it too is not free from other controversies.

Opera is the fifth most popular desktop browser, with a market share of 2.91% (-0.01 point). Unlike Microsoft Edge, which tries to keep its users with shady tricks, Opera is trying to reinvent the wheel with some interesting ideas, like the recently launched Opera Air with a focus on well-being and relaxation.

1. Google Chrome - 65.55% (-0.21 points)
2. Microsoft Edge - 13.9% (+0.11 points)
3. Apple Safari - 8.65% (-0.19 points)
4. Mozilla Firefox - 6.36% (+0.1 point)
5. Opera - 2.91% (-0.01 point)

You can find more information about the desktop browser market share worldwide on the official Statcounter website.

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Statcounter reports that in February 2025, 38% of all Windows users ran Windows 11 on their systems. The operating system gained 1.35 points and reached a new all-time high since its launch in October 2021. Year-over-year growth is 9.84 points. For reference, it took two years for Windows 10 to get the same percentage of the market.

In some countries, Windows 11 has a higher market share than the global average. For example, in Canada, Windows 11 is now less than 10% away from Windows 10. It has 44.46%, while Windows 10 has 53.35%. In the UK, however, Windows 11 finally became more popular than Windows 10. 50.41% use Windows 11, while Windows 10 is on 48.18% of all PCs.

Although Windows 10 is only seven months away from the end of mainstream support, it still holds strong and remains the most popular Windows version with 58.83%. In February 2025, Windows 10 lost 1.5 points.

Windows 10 and 11, the only supported Windows versions, share over 97% of the Windows market. The remaining 3% are split by Windows 7, Windows XP, and Windows 8/8.1. Windows 7 is at 2.3% (+0.06 points), Windows 8.1 is at 0.31% (+0.01 points), and Windows XP has 0.29% (+0.02 points).

1. Windows 10 - 58.83% (-1.5 points)
2. Windows 11 - 38% (+1.35 points)
3. Windows 7 - 2.3% (+0.06 points)
4. Windows 8.1 - 0.31% (+0.01 points)
5. Windows XP - 0.29% (+0.02 points)

You can find more information about the global Windows market on the official Statcounter website (click here to learn how the service gathers its data).

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Back in June 2024, Microsoft announced its plans to furnish the ability to send and receive SMS messages directly from the Teams app on desktop or mobile. Now, Microsoft Teams users may finally send and receive SMS text messages within Teams Chat.

As per a Microsoft Learn blog post, this SMS functionality comes with Teams Calling Plans, which is available for users in the United States, Puerto Rico, and Canada. In case of sending an SMS outside these regions, Teams may block these messages and display failure notification or no delivery confirmation.

It is important to note that all SMS messaging to and from Microsoft Teams is considered as:

• Business messaging
• Non-consumer messaging
• Application-to-Person (A2P) messaging.

This references mean that SMS in Teams is not categorized as consumer SMS messaging. This clarification that Teams messaging is A2P is essential for regulatory compliance. Regulatory bodies and the Carrier service providers often have strict policy rules for businesses to use SMS communication with customers.

As for using SMS messaging on Teams, the organization and its users have to register to use 10DLC (10 Digit Long Code) network. Such registrations reduce the chance of flagging messages as spam.

The company intending to use the SMS messaging feature is required to facilitate a registration with The Campaign Registry (TCR) before Microsoft Teams Calling Plan can be enabled for SMS. This registration involves two parts: Brand (identification of company) and Campaign (purpose of SMS operation).

With Microsoft phasing out Skype starting in May, the inclusion of SMS functionality in Teams seems like a strategic move to encourage Skype users to transition to Teams.

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What’s new with Build 27802

 

Improving the battery iconography in Windows 11

 

Introducing new and improved battery icons in Windows 11! These icons have been designed to communicate the battery status of your PC with just a quick glance. Key changes include colored icons to indicate charging states, simplified overlays that don’t block the progress bar, and an option to turn on battery percentage.

 

When your battery icon is green, this shows that your PC is charging and in a good state. A yellow battery icon will let you know that your PC using battery in energy saving mode – this automatically happens when your battery is less than or equal to 20% to preserve power. When the battery icon is red, you have a critically low battery and should plug in your PC as soon as possible. You will see these new battery icons on the taskbar in the system tray, in the quick settings flyout, and in Settings. The new battery icons will begin showing on the Lock screen in a future flight.

 

As always, your PC’s battery status and more will also be available to you when you hover over the battery icon in the system tray and under Settings > System > Power & battery where you can also adjust the battery level percentage in which energy saver mode kicks on for your PC.

 

Along with the updates to the battery icon, we are also introducing the ability to show your battery percentage next to the battery icon in the system tray – a highly requested feature by Insiders and customers. To enable this, go to Settings > Power & battery and toggle on the “Battery Percentage” setting.

Other changes and improvements include the following:

[Taskbar & System Tray]

 

• We are rolling out the ability to share files directly from the jump lists on the taskbar, which appears when you right-click on an app with a jump list like Notepad the taskbar.

 

[Spotlight on the desktop]

 

• We’re beginning to roll out some changes to the Desktop Spotlight icon interaction model for Windows Insiders. You can now quickly and easily discover more information about your background image by simply hovering over or clicking on the “Learn about this picture” icon on your desktop.

Fixes

 

[General]

 

• We fixed the issue causing Insiders to see an error trying to install Build 27788 (0x8007000d) along with a failed .NET update (0x80073712). This issue should not occur with Build 27798.

 

[File Explorer]

 

• Fixed an issue where if you opened a File Explorer window and minimized it, it might not be rendered correctly when you restore it.

 

[Taskbar & System Tray]

 

• Fixed an issue when using multiple monitors, where the distance between the date and time and edge of the screen wasn’t consistent.

 

[Input]

 

• Fixed an issue where if you were using a non-default mouse color (enabled in Settings > Accessibility > Mouse pointer and touch), it may unexpectedly revert back to white when you encountered a UAC dialog.

 

[Lock Screen]

 

• Fixed an issue which was causing the login screen to crash when clicking the “sign-in options” link for some Insiders.

 

[Administrator Protection]

 

• Fixed a rare issue when Administrator Protection was enabled, which could cause you to see a resource loader cache error loading the MUI file on sign in.
• Removed extraneous space between Dynamic Lock and Administrator Protection under Account Protection in Windows Security.
• Fixed an issue where Administrator Protection wasn’t showing in the results if you searched from the taskbar.

 

[Audio]

 

• Fixed an issue causing a small percentage of Insiders to not be able to hear audio in the last couple builds due to a background audio crash.

 

[Remote Desktop]

 

• Fixed an issue in the last two Canary Channel builds where if you used remote desktop to connect to your PC and then tried to sign into the computer locally, it would sit at a black screen.

 

[Other]

 

• Fixed an underlying issue causing some Insiders to see a bugcheck with WIN32K_CRITICAL_FAILURE in recent builds.
• Fixed an underlying issue causing some Insiders to see a bugcheck with KERNEL_SECURITY_CHECK_FAILURE in recent builds.
• Fixed an issue where SFC /scannow is showing errors every time it was run.

And here is the list of known bugs:

[General]

 

• [IMPORTANT NOTE FOR COPILOT+ PCs] If you are joining the Canary Channel on a new Copilot+ PC from the Dev Channel, Release Preview Channel or retail, you will lose Windows Hello pin and biometrics to sign into your PC with error 0xd0000225 and error message “Something went wrong, and your PIN isn’t available”. You should be able to re-create your PIN by clicking “Set up my PIN”.

 

[Gaming]

 

• [NEW] Some popular games like Roblox may cause a bugcheck (green screen) on this build. We’re working on a fix for the next Canary Channel flight. You can pause updates and skip taking this build until we release a new build with the fix.

 

[Printing]

 

• [NEW] Printing from some apps may cause a bugcheck (green screen).

 

[Power and Battery]

 

• [NEW] The colors in the new battery icon aren’t displayed correctly when you have your mode in Personalization > Colors set to certain options with Custom.

 

[Search]

 

• [NEW] We’re working on the fix for an issue causing the search window to be blank for some Insiders recently when searching from the taskbar, due to a background crash.

 

[Hyper-V]

 

• We’re investigating reports where Hyper-V, and other features which rely on Hyper-V (such as WSL) don’t work properly.

You can find the official announcement post here.

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The full changelog is given below:

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

[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.

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

[File Explorer]

 

• Building on our commitment to improve File Explorer accessibility, this release adds more text scaling support in various warning and error message dialogs for text scaling (via Settings > Accessibility > Text size).
• Fixed an issue which was causing File Explorer Home to crash for some Insiders in the previous flight.

 

[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.

 

[Settings]

 

• Fixed an issue where the storage count in Settings > System > About wasn’t correct in some cases.

 

[Other]

 

• Fixed an issue for Insiders using the ability to resume OneDrive files, which could result in your mouse frequently showing a spinning icon.

 

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]

 

• 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 impact the other title bar buttons.

Snipping Tool Update (version 11.2501.7.0)

We are rolling out an update for Snipping Tool to Windows Insiders in the Beta and Release Preview Channels (in addition to the Canary and Dev Channels already) that introduces trim! With trim, you can adjust the start and end times of your screen recordings to cut out any unnecessary video snippets from your video.

 

To get started, record a new screen recording with Snipping Tool. Open the recording in the app and select the new Trim button at the top of the window to enter the trim feature. Use the grabbers to move and select new timepoints for the start and end times of your screen recording. Press the Apply or Cancel button to save or discard your changes. You can also re-enter trim to undo or adjust any trimmed portions.

 

FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Apps > Snipping Tool.

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

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The full changelog is given below:

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

Choose what Lock screen widgets appear

We’re beginning to roll out support for lock screen widgets (previously referred to as “Weather and more”) to Windows Insiders in the European Economic Area (EEA). You can add, remove, and rearrange lock screen widgets such as Weather, Watchlist, Sports, Traffic, and more. Any widget that supports the small sizing option can be added here. To customize your lock screen widgets, navigate to Settings > Personalization > Lock screen. We are starting this rollout first with Insiders in the EEA and plan to expand to Insiders in other regions in the future. Insiders outside the EEA will continue to see the “Weather and more” experience.

 

As part of this, we’re also adding support for a new group policy called “Disable Widgets On Lock Screen” that will allow IT administrators to disable lock screen widgets without disabling widgets elsewhere on PCs they manage. To edit this policy, please launch the Local Group Policy Editor app and navigate to Computer Configurations > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Widgets. This policy is only supported in EEA regions at this time but will expand to include other regions in the future as well.

 

FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Desktop Environment > Lock screen.

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

• We are beginning to roll out a change to the way Task Manager calculates CPU utilization for the Processes, Performance, and Users pages. Task Manager will now use the standard metrics to display CPU workload consistently across all pages and aligning with industry standards and third-party tools. For backward compatibility, a new optional column called CPU Utility is available (hidden by default) on the Details tab showing the previous CPU value used on the Processes page.

[Windows Share]

 

• We are adding the ability to share directly to apps that support sharing in Windows when right-clicking on local files in File Explorer or the desktop.

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

[File Explorer]

 

• Fixed an issue where File Explorer Home might not load correctly and just show random floating text saying “Name”.

 

[Taskbar]

 

• Fixed an issue where the underlines under app icons in the taskbar may get stuck showing even if the app had been closed.

 

[Remote Desktop]

 

• Fixed an issue which was leading to some people experiencing Remote Desktop freezes on login, or frequent disconnects.

 

[Settings]

 

• Fixed an issue where an underlying crash was causing Settings to show an error message on launch (“The instruction at 0x00007FFEDEBDC003 referenced memory at 0x0000000000000010. The memory could not be read,”). If impacted, you might also have seen a similar error message with RuntimeBroker.exe.

 

[Other]

 

• Fixed an issue where if you were upgrading to a higher build number and it failed and rolled back, it could potentially result in a duplicate Windows entry in the boot menu.
• Fixed an issue for Insiders using the ability to resume OneDrive files, which could result in your mouse frequently showing a spinning icon.

 

Known issues

 

[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:

 

• 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]

 

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

Snipping Tool Update (version 11.2501.7.0)

We are rolling out an update for Snipping Tool to Windows Insiders in the Beta and Release Preview Channels (in addition to the Canary and Dev Channels already) that introduces trim! With trim, you can adjust the start and end times of your screen recordings to cut out any unnecessary video snippets from your video.

 

To get started, record a new screen recording with Snipping Tool. Open the recording in the app and select the new Trim button at the top of the window to enter the trim feature. Use the grabbers to move and select new timepoints for the start and end times of your screen recording. Press the Apply or Cancel button to save or discard your changes. You can also re-enter trim to undo or adjust any trimmed portions.

 

FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Apps > Snipping Tool.

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

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Microsoft published a blog post on the official website where it acknowledged the rumors:

In order to streamline our free consumer communications offerings so we can more easily adapt to customer needs, we will be retiring Skype in May 2025 to focus on Microsoft Teams (free), our modern communications and collaboration hub. 

Although the writing has been on the wall for quite a while, it is still sad to see Skype going away. For many years, it was the go-to service for voice and video calls and instant messages. However, Microsoft failed to keep Skype up with the times. Despite several attempts to make Skype cool and hip, the platform kept declining, and it was unable to compete with Zoom, FaceTime, Google Meet, and other, more popular services.

Now, Microsoft recommends switching from Skype to Teams, which offers the same features plus a lot more. In a few days, Teams will receive an update to let Skype users sign in with their profiles and transfer their chats, contacts, and other data. Also, during the transition period, Microsoft will let Skype and Teams users talk to each other in messages and calls.

If you do not want to move to Teams, you can export your Skype data, but make sure to do so before May 5, 2025.

Paid users can continue using paid features beyond May 5, 2025, until the end of their current period. The Skype Dial Pad will be available in the Skype web portal and Microsoft Teams.

You can read more about the upcoming end of Skype here.

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I use a lot of different tools on my Windows 11 PC every single day, but there's one I use more than any other; PowerToys Run.

Part of the excellent PowerToys suite (and if you're not using PowerToys yet, you're using Windows 11 wrong), Run is a launcher at heart, but so much more than that.

It started out as a way to launch things on your PC. I started using it because not only did it mimic a keyboard-first launcher such as I use on Linux, but also because the Start Menu on Windows 11 is horrible.

PowerToys Run has grown, though, and it's so much more than a way to launch apps with the keyboard. Here are seven other things you can do with it that make it a tool you simply have to use.

1. Windows Package Manager (winget)

> wsl.exe -d Fedora

AMD has made it abundantly clear in its presentation that RDNA 4's biggest leap in performance improvement is in the case of AI processing, and this was a good move by Team Red given that we saw Nvidia easily outpacing Radeon GPUs in terms of AI and ML performance throughput. In our review of the RX 9070, we certainly saw some massive upgrades much like AMD had promised.

As such, leveraging this AI boost in its hardware, the new Radeon Software will pack a feature called "AMD Image Inspector" which will use a convolutional neural network (CNN) that's "trained on more than 100 games" to detect gameplay corruptions and screen artifacts and thus reporting of game and display-related driver bugs and issues should improve tremendously. AMD's approach makes sense given that CNNs excel at image pattern recognition and processing.

If you recall, a report back in early 2023 suggested that Nvidia was working on such a feature that would use AI to optimize display drivers and AMD's new Image Inspector sounds similar to that.

This should be a welcome feature given that Radeon GPUs are infamous for "driver issues" and some of them like the TDR driver timeout bug have been fairly widespread problems. Credit to AMD where due, the company has been hard at work to fix problems such as these (remember the RGD tool?).

AMD promises the utmost respect for user privacy. On its Image Inspector whitepaper, the company explains how:

AMD Image Inspector prioritizes your privacy and gaming experience. The feature must be explicitly turned on.

 

Once it is enabled, AMD Image Inspector begins monitoring when it detects a game from the driver’s Games list. The feature operates in exclusive or borderless full screen mode so
that only your game content is captured. And its default mode is to prompt you for review. Nothing is sent until you give the go-ahead.

Privacy issues aside, if you are wondering about the performance concerns of this new feature since it will capture data while you play, AMD once again says that the Image Inspector tool is designed to be resource-efficient as it only samples data during periods your graphics card is not under heavy load already and thus, there should not be hitches or stutters or skips if we are to believe AMD.

AMD Image Inspector helps maintain performance by sampling only when GPU utilization is low enough for minimal impact on gameplay.

The footnotes mention that the feature was tested on Windows 11 version 23H2 and with Microsoft also making driver timeout debugging easier on Windows 11 24H2, AMD driver issues could become a thing of the past on Windows.

Alongside AMD Image Inspector, the Radeon Adrenalin software is also getting the new AMD Chat, a built-in AI chatbot in the driver that will help users navigate through and enable/disable the various features and options in the driver via simple queries.

Not only that, it will also help users generate images, and summarize local documents, among other similar tasks.

Along with these, a couple of new features called AMD AI Apps Manager and AMD Install Manager are also landing with this new driver. The former will work similar to how the Gaming tab works currently in the driver UI. Essentially, all the AI apps can be monitored in that place.

Meanwhile, the Install Manager is said to bring a better driver installation experience with more customization options.

You can find the entire coverage of our RDNA 4 (RX 9070 series) at this link.

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Intel Game On Driver support on Intel Arc B-series, A-series Graphics GPUs and Intel Core Ultra with built-in Intel Arc GPUs for:

 

• FragPunk
• Grand Theft Auto V Enhanced
• Monster Hunter: Wilds
• Split Fiction

 

Game performance improvements on Intel Arc B-series Graphics GPUs versus Intel 32.0.101.6559 software driver for:

 

• Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii (DX12)
  • Up to 6% average FPS uplift at 1440p with Highest settings
  • Up to 9% average FPS uplift at 1080p with Highest settings
• Black Myth: Wukong (DX12)
  • Up to 5% average FPS uplift at 1080p with High settings
• Monster Hunter: Wilds (DX12)
  • Up to 5% average FPS uplift at 1440p with Ultra settings

 

Game performance improvements on Intel Core Ultra Series 2 with built-in Intel Arc GPUs versus Intel 32.0.101.6559 software driver for:

 

• Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii (DX12)
  • Up to 5% average FPS uplift at 1080p with Medium settings

Fixed issues in this update include only one bug:

Intel Arc B-Series Graphics Products:

 

• Terraria (DX9) may exhibit flickering corruptions with full-screen mode

Intel 32.0.101.6632 non-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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According to a report by XDA, the hidden message reads, "Starting in May, Skype will no longer be available. Continue your calls and chats in Teams." Following this message, another line mentions that a certain number "of your friends have already moved to Teams free." The last line could be based on users' Skype contact lists.

As of now, the official warning or note isn't appearing for Skype users, but it should start soon. Skype debuted back in 2003 and was acquired by Microsoft in 2011 for $8.5 billion. However, Skype didn't prove to be an instant hit for Microsoft, as its integration with Windows 10, Windows Phone, and even Xbox failed to deliver the expected impact.

Over the years, Microsoft has pushed multiple updates for Skype, but the product failed to become a viable option during the pandemic—a time when Zoom capitalized on the opportunity. Microsoft did build Teams using Skype as its foundation, though the experience between the two platforms remained distinct.

Microsoft made several attempts to revive Skype with new features such as Skype Clips, which allows users to capture video messages and send them to each other without needing to place a call. In 2024, it also integrated Copilot and removed ads across all platforms. Yet, despite these efforts, Skype failed to become the go-to video calling or messaging app.

Recognizing Skype's decline, Microsoft ended the Skype Credits feature, which allowed users to make international calls. Instead, Microsoft introduced a subscription service for free Skype calls.

And now, it is time for Skype to bid adieu. While Microsoft has yet to confirm this information officially, it is apparent that Skype's days are numbered.

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In addition to all the features that are available on the web, a dedicated app enables additional capabilities like dedicated shortcut support. You can press Option + Space to launch a small input box to type a message or start a voice chat with Copilot.

It is worth noting that there are several limitations. For one, Copilot on macOS requires macOS 14 or newer. It also does not work on Intel-powered Macs—only those with the M1 chip or newer are supported. Finally, as of right now, the app is available only in the United States and the United Kingdom. However, Microsoft is working on bringing the app to Mac users in more countries:

If you have a Mac and you live in the US or UK, you can download Copilot from the App Store using this link.

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According to a Microsoft Support document, problems with drag-and-drop occur after installing the January 2025 non-security update (KB5050094, build 26100.3037) and the February 2025 Patch Tuesday update (KB5051987, build 26100.3194). When attempting to drag an item, the cursor turns into a stop symbol, preventing you from moving stuff around.

Affected users can resolve the problem by downloading and installing KB5052093, the latest non-security update for Windows 11 version 24H2. Since the update is optional, you will have to go to Settings > Windows Update and download it manually. Besides fixes for the classic Outlook, you will receive plenty of other changes and non-security-related improvements. You can find the complete changelog in our dedicated article.

If you do not want to install preview updates (C-updates are technically previews of what is coming in the next month), you can mitigate the problem with a temporary workaround as described in the official support document:

WORKAROUND

 

To work around the issue, disable the Outlook setting “Optimize for compatibility”:

 

1. Select the File tab, then select Options.
2. On the General tab, under User interface options, select the option Optimize for best appearance.

Note that the bug only affects customers with Windows 11 version 24H2. If you are on other releases, you should have no problem with dragging stuff in the classic Outlook.

Speaking of other hiccups in the latest Windows 11 release, this week, Microsoft acknowledged that the operating system has some compatibility issues with AutoCAD. Because of that, Microsoft paused the update rollout to customers with AutoCAD 2022 installed. You can learn more about it here.

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Among the new stipulations, users are required to grant Mozilla a "nonexclusive, royalty-free, worldwide license" to use information entered through the browser. This vague terminology has triggered alarm bells, as it leaves ambiguous the nature of the data Mozilla may access, potentially including personal information, saved passwords, or browsing history.

Here is the clause in question:

When you upload or input information through Firefox, you hereby grant us a nonexclusive, royalty-free, worldwide license to use that information to help you navigate, experience, and interact with online content as you indicate with your use of Firefox.

Users were puzzled by the new terms, as they believed Mozilla could modify these Terms of Use at any time, while they continue to use the browser. Some called it reminiscent of practices commonly associated with big tech companies, starkly contrasting with the ideals of openness that Mozilla professes to uphold. These accusations were further compounded by Mozilla's right to reserve the ability to terminate user access to Firefox at its discretion. Several people in the community wanted the organization to consider revising its recent Terms of Use to avoid losing the confidence of its user base altogether.

However, the situation is not as alarming as some users might have perceived it. An updated statement from Mozilla clarified the issue. The organization insists that Firefox remains open-source software, these new terms only apply to the official version of the browser, arguably establishing a disconnect between the source code and user experience.

Here's what it said:

We’ve seen a little confusion about the language regarding licenses, so we want to clear that up. We need a license to allow us to make some of the basic functionality of Firefox possible. Without it, we couldn’t use information typed into Firefox, for example. It does NOT give us ownership of your data or a right to use it for anything other than what is described in the Privacy Notice.

The new policy merely allows Firefox to function as it always did, to help users visit web pages, allow the browser permission to store your personal information such as form data, or to access a file that you wanted to upload to a website.

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