Users on Reddit noticed that learning about pirating Windows using Copilot is surprisingly easy. In the early days of the chatbot saga, some tried to use ChatGPT to generate Windows activation keys, but those efforts were rather unsuccessful (not the case with Windows 95). Now, however, Copilot gives clear, simple, and straightforward answers about pirating Windows with third-party scripts. All it takes is asking nicely.

When I asked Copilot about it, the assistant gave me direct links to a GitHub repository that can activate Windows 11 with just two clicks. I even asked it to explain it in more detail, to which I received a pretty detailed guide.

Of course, Copilot's response is nothing extraordinary by itself. They are not some previously unknown knowledge about pirating Windows. These scripts have been around for quite a while—all Copilot does is relay that information to you. What is interesting is that Microsoft does not seem to care about this and won't bother censoring Copilot in question like this.

Such behavior further backs the theory that Microsoft does not give a single bit, whether you buy Windows 11 or pirate it. The goal is to convert as many people as possible to Windows and then earn money by selling other products or ads (Windows 11 is chockful of them nowadays, even though the OS costs $199).

Whether to buy or pirate Windows 11 is up to you, but should you raise a black flag, always keep in mind the potential risks of running third-party scripts and activators. These are a common way to scam users and infect their PCs with malware, so beware. You can also ask Copilot about that and even have a real-life conversation with it since Copilot Voice and Think Deeper are now available for free and without limits to all.

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Alongside the bug fixes, the driver also provides DLSS 4 support for Naraka Bladepoint as well as the today-releasing action game from Capcom, Monster Hunter Wilds.

Nvidia says that compared to "brute-force rendering," the Multi Frame Generation implementation on Naraka Bladepoint will let RTX 5090 owners play the title at over 590 FPS in 4K, with maxed-out settings. Check out the performance graph shared by the company below:

Here are the bug fixes included in this release:

Fixed Gaming Bugs

 

• [SteamVR] Some apps may display stutter on GeForce RTX 50 series [5088118]

 

Fixed General Bugs

 

• [Adobe Substance 3D Sampler] Crashing at launch with R570 branch drivers [5083712]
• [Adobe Substance 3D Painter] Texture corruption in baking results from GPU raytracing [5091781]
• [VRay 6] Unexpected Low Performance on CUDA Vpath Tests for Blackwell GPUs [4915763]
• [GeForce RTX 50 series] Various black screen issues [5088957] [5100062] [5089089]
• Audio issues when GPU is connected via DisplayPort 1.4 w/ DSC at very high refresh rates [5104848]
• Applications may display slight image corruption on pixelated 2D patterns [5071565]

Currently, open issues Nvidia is investigating are these:

• Changing state of "Display GPU Activity Icon in Notification Area" does not take effect until PC is rebooted [4995658]
• PC may bugcheck IRQL NOT LESS OR EQUAL 0xa during gameplay with HDR enabled [5091576]

The Nvidia 572.60 driver is now available in the Nvidia app and GeForce Experience. Standalone links can be found here. Here are the official release notes (PDF).

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Microsoft published a new message in the official Windows Health Dashboard documentation with details about compatibility problems with certain AutoCAD versions. According to the company, AutoCAD 2022 fails to launch on Windows 11 version 24H2:

After installing Windows 11, version 24H2, all versions of Autodesk AutoCAD 2022 might not open on some devices. Users have reported encountering an error when launching the application.

The newly discovered bug only affects Windows 11 version 24H2, so previous releases continue working with AutoCAD 2022 without issues. Also, other versions of the app, such as AutoCAD 2023, 2024, and 2025, launch as usual on Windows 11 version 24H2:

All other versions of AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT are working as expected, such as AutoCAD 2023, 2024, and 2025, and will not prevent devices from installing Windows 11, version 24H2. IT administrators using Windows Update for Business reports can check this issue using its safeguard ID: 56211213.

Right now, the only way to bypass the compatibility hold is to uninstall AutoCAD 2022. Microsoft says it is working on a fix, and a resolution should be available in a future update. Meanwhile, the company fixed a couple of other bugs, such as problems with adjusting the time zone and Windows 11 version 24H2 installation issues on certain ASUS devices.

Still, there are quite a lot of known bugs still waiting for their fixes, and you can check them out in the official documentation if you plan to upgrade to Windows 11 version 24H2 soon.

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Resource Relationships
The latest release introduces a “parent–child” resource model. This means that if you create a Postgres instance that contains multiple databases, these databases are now nested under the main instance on the Resource page.

Localisation Overrides

While the dashboard traditionally mirrors your browser’s language, you can now override this default. A new language dropdown lets you set the dashboard language independently, ensuring a more personalised interface.

Advanced Filtering

Locating specific resources is now easier. Users can filter the Resource page by type, state, and health status, allowing for quicker and more precise management of their resources.

Expanded Resource Details

Clicking on any resource now reveals a richer details pane. This includes additional data points such as References, Back references, and Volumes with their respective mount types, providing deeper insight into your infrastructure.

CORS Support for Custom Local Domains

Developers can now configure the dashboard to accept telemetry from other browser applications running on custom local domains by setting the DOTNET_DASHBOARD_CORS_ALLOWED_ORIGINS environment variable.

Enhanced Console Log Flexibility

The console log page has been improved with new options. Not only can you download logs for external analysis, but you can also toggle timestamps on or off to minimise visual clutter during troubleshooting.

Beyond the core dashboard enhancements, .NET Aspire 9.1 introduces several additional UX improvements:

• Start and Stop buttons are now accessible directly from the console logs page.
• A single selection now opens resources in the text visualiser.
• Within log entries, URLs are now automatically converted into clickable links, with any commas removed from their endpoints.
• When switching between resources, the scroll position now resets automatically.

.NET Aspire 9.1 isn’t only about dashboard refinements; Microsoft has packed in a range of additional features as well:

• Start Resources on Demand: With the WithExplicitStart() option, you can now choose to delay the start of specific resources until you’re ready to activate them via the dashboard.
• Improved Docker Integration: The PublishAsDockerfile() feature gives you full customisation over your Docker containers and Dockerfiles during the publishing process.
• Tidier Docker Networks: A long-standing issue (tracked as issue #6504) where Docker networks remained active post-application shutdown has been resolved, leading to a cleaner development environment.
• Enhanced Dev Container Support: Improved compatibility for Dev Containers in GitHub Codespaces and Visual Studio Code further bolsters the development workflow.

Check out the complete list of new features here.

Microsoft is inviting the community to join the .NET Aspire Community Standup, where you can watch detailed demonstrations and learn more about the new features. Developers are also encouraged to share feedback and contribute via GitHub and Discord, as well as peruse the official documentation for further insights.

With .NET Aspire 9.1, Microsoft reaffirms its commitment to evolving its tools in line with developer needs, providing a more robust, customisable, and user-friendly platform for modern application development.

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Here is a full list of the changes in .NET 10 Preview 1:

Accompanying the release, Microsoft also released an "unboxing" video going over the new features in this release.

If you do decide to try out .NET 10 Preview 1, you can give your feedback on the corresponding GitHub Discussions improvements that can be made for the upcoming releases.

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Here are the changes and improvements that Microsoft is rolling out gradually:

• [Task Manager] Fixed: It might identify an HDD as an SSD.
• [Taskbar] New! You can now share files directly from a jump list on the taskbar. Jump lists appear when you right-click an app that has a jump list
• [Windows Spotlight]
  • New! There’s a quick and easy way to find out more information about a background image. Simply hover over the image or click the “Learn about this picture” icon.
  • New! This update makes Windows Spotlight easier to find. You’ll notice changes to the icon color and background. Also, the icon will show at the lower right area on your desktop.
• [Lock screen] New! This update makes it easier to learn more about the image on your lock screen when you select the “Like” button.
• [Narrator] New! There are new functions for Narrator scan mode. Skip past links (n) allows you to go to the text after a link. Use the comma (,) to jump to the start of an item (large table, long list, or another item.) Use the period (.) to jump to the end of an item. This is most helpful when you read long emails, news articles, and wiki pages. Jump to lists (l) allows you to quickly access a list on a web page or in a document. To use these new functions, turn on Narrator first (Windows logo key + Ctrl + Enter). Then turn scan mode on by pressing Caps lock + Spacebar. Note that scan mode is on by default on most web pages (like news articles, wiki page, and so on).
• [Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers] New! Some of you might see a new referral card for a PC Game Pass subscription on the Settings home page. With it, you can invite friends and family to try a PC Game Pass for free. If you qualify, the card only appears when you sign in to your PC using your Microsoft account.
• [File Explorer]
  • New! You can now snooze or turn off the “Start backup” reminder in the File Explorer address bar. This only applies if you are not already backing up your files and folder. To view this new option, right-click Start backup.
  • Fixed: Improves performance when it loads folders that have a large number of media files.
  • Fixed: When you enter a URL in the address bar, it might not go to the location.
  • Fixed: The address bar overlaps files when you use the F11 full-screen mode.
  • Fixed: The context menu opens slowly when you right-click cloud files.
  • Thumbnails for cloud files display more consistently in search results.
• [HTML Help Viewer] New! This update adds text scaling support.
• [Start menu] Fixed: The colors are wrong when you open the account manager flyout menu. This occurs when you use a mixed dark and light custom mode in Settings > Personalization > Colors.
• [Scanners] Fixed: Apps might not recognize a scanner is available when it is connected.
• [Audio]
  • Fixed: The volume might increase to 100% when you wake your PC from sleep.
  • Fixed: You might hear a mute and unmute sound several times.
  • Fixed: A USB audio device might stop working after your PC is idle for a short time.
• [GDI+] Fixed: After you use GDI+ to shrink an image, the colors of the image might be wrong.
• [Shared PC] Fixed: Using a Guest account to sign in to a PC that is in Shared PC mode might fail. This occurs if you set up DeviceLock password policies.
• [Mouse] Fixed: In Settings > Accessibility > Mouse pointer and touch, you can choose a color for the mouse that is not the default. When you chose a color, it reverts to white after the User Account Control (UAC) dialog appears.
• [Live captions] Fixed: If you disconnect an external monitor, the live captions window might not show.
• [Drag and Drop] Fixed: The drag and drop functionality wasn't properly moving objects (such as files, emails, or attachments) in certain applications and monitor configurations. This issue occurred on devices using high DPI displays and apps using legacy DPI scaling modes.
• [Camera]
  • New! Multi-app camera: Allows multiple applications to access the camera stream simultaneously, developed with people with hearing disability to provide video streaming for both a sign language interpreter and the end audience at the same time.
  • New! Basic camera: Enables basic camera functionality for improved debugging, recommended as a last resort when your camera is not functioning correctly.

And here is the rest of the changelog with all the additional improvements:

• [Hyper-V] Fixed: Hyper-V Quick Create shows error "Could not load file or assembly Newtonsoft.Json"
• [Daylight saving time (DST)] This update supports (DST) changes in Paraguay.
• [Open Secure Shell (OpenSSH) (known issue)] Fixed: The service fails to start, which stops SSH connections. There is no detailed logging, and you must run the sshd.exe process manually.
• [Get Help app] Fixed: It fails to open on Windows Server 2025.
• [Settings] Fixed: Opening Settings shows an error message, "The instruction at 0x00007FFEDEBDC003 referenced memory at 0x0000000000000010. The memory could not be read," because it stopped responding. If impacted, you might also see a similar error message with RuntimeBroker.exe.
• [Remote Desktop]
  • Fixed: There are display rendering issues when you connect to certain PCs.
  • Fixed: It stops responding.

Known issues in KB5052093 include problems installing security updates on systems with certain Citrix components and issues with Roblox on PCs with ARM processors. Microsoft is still working on resolving the latter, which dates back to October 2024, when version 24H2 was initially launched.

You can download Windows 11 version 24H2 build 26100.3323 (KB5052093) from Settings > Windows Update or the Microsoft Update Catalog via this link. As usual, feel free to skip this update since it is not mandatory to install.

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Here are the update highlights:

• [Daylight saving time (DST)] This update supports DST changes in Paraguay.
• [Narrator]
  • Fixed: It fails to say the Chinese IME candidate window quick action buttons right.
  • Fixed: It does not say the control type for the Chinese IME suggestion opt-in item.
  • Fixed: It does not say the heading of the Chinese IME suggestion opt-in panel.

Other improvements include the following:

• [Input Method Editor (IME)]
  • Fixed: The Chinese IME stops responding when you change the font family or font size.
  • Fixed: The color contrast ratio of the Chinese IME search suggestion panel is less than you expect.
• [Desktop Window Manager (dwm.exe}] Fixed: Dwm.exe stops responding many times.
• [Country and Operator Settings Asset] This update brings COSA profiles up to date for certain mobile operators.
• [Open Secure Shell (OpenSSH) (known issue)] Fixed: The service fails to start, which stops SSH connections. There is no detailed logging, and you must run the sshd.exe process manually.

Two known issues remain unfixed for now: one with Citrix components preventing the installation of certain updates and the other with the System Guard Runtime Monitor Broker (Microsoft says not to worry about this one). They will be fixed in a future update.

You can download KB5052077 in Settings > Windows Update (or from the Microsoft Update Catalog). If you do not need any of those fixes, feel free to skip this update, as it does not contain any security updates and is thus not mandatory.

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Here is what is rolling out gradually (changes from the list might show up in a few days after installing the update):

• [Taskbar] New! You can now share files directly from a jump list on the taskbar. Jump lists appear when you right-click an app that has a jump list.
• [Windows Spotlight]
  • New! There’s a quick and easy way to find out more information about a background image. Simply hover over the image or click the “Learn about this picture” icon.
  • New! This update makes Windows Spotlight easier to find. You’ll notice changes to the icon color and background. Also, the icon will show at the lower right area on your desktop.
• [Lock screen] New! This update makes it easier tolearn more about the image on your lock screen when you click the “Like” icon.
• [Narrator] New! There are new functions for Narrator scan mode. Skip past links (n) allows you to go to the text after a link. Use the comma (,) to jump to the start of an item (large table, long list, or another item.) Use the period (.) to jump to the end of an item. This is most helpful when you read long emails, news articles, and wiki pages. Jump to lists (l) allows you to quickly access a list on a web page or in a document. To use these new functions, turn on Narrator first (Windows logo key + Ctrl + Enter). Then turn scan mode on by pressing Caps lock + Spacebar. Note that scan mode is on by default on most web pages (like news articles, wiki page, and so on).
• [Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers] New! Some of you might see a new referral card for a PC Game Pass subscription on the Settings home page. With it, you can invite friends and family to try a PC Game Pass for free. If you qualify, the card only appears when you sign in to your PC using your Microsoft account.
• [File Explorer]
  • New! You can now snooze or turn off the “Start backup” reminder in the File Explorer address bar. This only applies if you are not already backing up your files and folder. To view this new option, right-click Start backup.
  • Fixed: When you enter a URL in the address bar, it might not go to the location.
  • Fixed: The address bar overlaps files when you use the F11 full-screen mode.
  • Fixed: The context menu opens slowly when you right-click cloud files.
  • Thumbnails for cloud files display more consistently in search results.
• [Start menu] Fixed: The colors are wrong when you open the account manager flyout menu. This occurs when you use a mixed dark and light custom mode in Settings > Personalization > Colors.
• [Mouse] Fixed: In Settings > Accessibility > Mouse pointer and touch, you can choose a color for the mouse that is not the default. When you chose a color, it reverts to white after the User Account Control (UAC) dialog appears.

Other changes in KB5052094 include long-anticipated fixes for OpenSSH issues, DWM bugs, and more:

Gradual rollout

 

These might not be available to all users because they will roll out gradually.

 

• [Settings] New! There is a new home page for commercial customers. Their PCs are managed by an IT admin. You will see two new cards that are relevant to enterprises. One card shows device information. From the other, you can choose the accessibility features you want. Some commercial customers use their Microsoft account on their managed PC. For them, a new card will show all the Microsoft account types that are in use on the device.

Normal rollout

 

• [Daylight saving time (DST)] This update supports (DST) changes in Paraguay.
• [dwm.exe] Fixed: It stops responding many times.
• [Country and Operator Settings Asset] This update brings COSA profiles up to date for certain mobile operators.
• [Open Secure Shell (OpenSSH) (known issue)] Fixed: The service fails to start, which stops SSH connections. There is no detailed logging, and you must run the sshd.exe process manually.

There is still one known issue with Citrix components that prevents the operating system from finishing installing security updates:

You can download KB5052094 by heading to Settings > Windows Update and checking for available updates then pressing "Download and install" next to the release.

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Don’t be taken in by ‘The sky is falling!’ headlines.

It’s been my experience that what is purported to be news is often based on a limited number of users, not everyone on the planet. Based on my own research and testing, I’m comfortable in lowering the MS-DEFCON level to 4.

As a small case study, consider that Will Fastie and I each have several Windows 11 PCs. During the month, we compare and contrast the news with what we are seeing on our own equipment. For the most part, we don’t see the effects described by those headlines.

Importantly, neither of us is a gamer, over-clocker, dual-booter, or other type of exotic user. We’re more aligned with business computing. Our AskWoody work is at our homes, with peer-to-peer networking (not domain-joined environments such as Active Directory) and residential access to the Web. From that perspective, neither of us has seen issues with the February updates. Therefore, I do not anticipate that most AskWoody readers will, either. That’s not to say you shouldn’t be careful.

However, I remain nuanced in my advice:

If, after installing the February updates, you see any side effect, ask yourself whether you have any unusual third-party software programs installed that might be interacting with the updates. I especially suggest checking any software modifying or replacing Windows Explorer (aka File Explorer). Make sure you have the latest version of such programs.

Other side effects are often a result of having unique hardware. See, for example, KB5050021, regarding USB audio devices:

After installing this security update, you might experience issues with USB audio devices. You are more likely to experience this issue if you are using a USB 1.0 audio driver based DAC (Digital to Analog converter) in your audio setup. This issue might cause USB audio devices to stop working, preventing audio playback.

Resulting from this issue, the Device Manager might display the error “This device cannot start.”

If you install the February updates, this issue should be resolved.

Consumers

There are two “cosmetic” errors that Microsoft has yet to fix. The first has been around for a while and is one that you may see in your event log, complaining that Device setup manager metadata staging failed Event ID 131. This most often occurs in a mixed network with other third-party devices. I don’t recommend that you attempt any of the fixes in the 13 pages of comments in the answer forum post. The inability of the computer to get to a certain URL with metadata for a device will not trigger blue screens of death or other major side effects.

Too often, we equate a cosmetic error with a different problem in our computers. Always ask yourself, “When did it last work well?” and “What am I aware of that I changed?” Or even, “Did I run a Registry cleaner or a tweaking tool?” And finally, “Can I roll myself back to a backup prior to when this issue started occurring?”

That last question is often hard to answer. You must decide whether it’s worth it to roll back or attempt to find a solution otherwise.

The second cosmetic error started only after the January updates for Windows 10. As Microsoft notes:

The Windows Event Viewer might display an error related to SgrmBroker.exe, on devices that have installed Windows updates released January 14, 2025 or later. This error can be found under Windows Logs | System as Event 7023, with text similar to “The System Guard Runtime Monitor Broker service terminated with the following error: %%3489660935.”

This, too, is not fixed in the February security updates, but — again — the good news is that it is only cosmetic. These types of errors — precisely because they are cosmetic — often mean that Microsoft will take its time fixing them.

I’m not a fan of using unsupported operating systems to browse on the increasingly risky and threat-ridden World Wide Web. If you must do so, be aware that the Firefox ESR (extended security release) version will be supported on Windows 7 until September 2025. I am starting to see websites call out the ESR, in most cases indicating that it is not recommended. This behavior is not new. I do not recommend trying to trick a banking site by editing the user agent string to pretend to be another browser. Instead, get a new and up-to-date Android or iPhone, and do your online banking on a patched and secure device.

Businesses

This month brings changes to certificate-based authentication in Windows, something I’ve been warning you about for nearly a year. As documented in KB5014754, the February updates will showcase whether you will have issues once this certificate-mapping change becomes permanent. Use the script from the KB5014754 Certificate Authentication Event Analysis page at GitHub to review whether you will have issues. As noted, look for the following entries:

If in doubt, put in place the following mitigation in the Registry and reboot your domain controller:

Also included in the February updates is a fix for a vulnerability in the Windows disk-cleanup tool. Per CVE-2025-21420, an attacker could exploit this vulnerability and gain system privileges. Be aware that a proof of concept has now been released.

Do be patient when installing updates. Server 2016, in particular, has historically taken longer to update than its newer versions.

If you use HP printers in your organization, you’ll want to review the list of impacted printers that may trigger remote code execution and elevation of privilege unless patched. The vulnerability relates to Postscript printing and handling and thus impacts quite a few LaserJet and enterprise printers.

Resources

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Microsoft made OpenAI’s o1 reasoning model free for all Copilot users last month, and now it’s providing unlimited use of this model and Copilot’s voice capabilities to everyone. Previously, both Think Deeper (powered by o1) and Voice in Copilot had limits for free users, but Microsoft is removing these today to allow Copilot users to have extended conversations with the company’s AI assistant.

“We are working hard to scale unlimited access to advanced features to as many people as possible, as quickly as possible, starting today with Voice and Think Deeper,” says the Copilot team. “It’s worth noting you may experience delays or interruptions during periods of high demand or if we detect security concerns, misuse or other violations of the Copilot Terms.“

The unlimited use of Copilot Voice and Think Deeper comes two years after Microsoft first launched Copilot inside its Bing search engine, and just a month after the software maker revamped its Copilot Pro subscription and bundled Office AI features into Microsoft 365.

Microsoft is continuing to sell its $20 per month Copilot Pro subscription, and says users “will retain preferred access to our latest models during peak usage, early access to experimental AI features (more on that coming soon), and additional use of Copilot in select Microsoft 365 apps like Word, Excel and PowerPoint.”

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Microsoft has quietly launched a new version of Microsoft Office for Windows that can be used to edit documents for free, no Microsoft 365 subscription or Office license key required. This free version of Office is based on the full desktop apps, but has most features locked behind the Microsoft 365 subscription.

First spotted by Beebom, the free version of Office for Windows includes ads that are permanently on screen when within a document in Word, PowerPoint, and Excel. Additionally, this new free version of Office also only allows you to save files to OneDrive, meaning no support for editing local files.

To access the free version of Office, just skip the prompt to sign-in when you first run an Office app. From there, you will be given the choice to continue to use Office for free in exchange for ads and limited features. In this mode, you can open, view, and even edit documents, just like you can with the web version of Office.

Several weeks ago, we published a story about Battery Flyout, a handy third-party app that offers improved battery tracking in Windows 11 laptops and tablets and connected Bluetooth devices (you can find more useful Windows 10 and 11 apps in our recent Top 10 article).

Now, the app has been updated with a major release that adds battery reporting. This feature offers users a quick and easy way to learn about their devices' battery health, charge cycles, and more.

With the latest update, Battery Flyout received a new "Battery Report" button located in the bottom-right corner of the screen. Clicking it opens a new window with detailed information about your computer, recent battery levels, and diagnostic information. The latter includes your battery health estimation, the total number of charge cycles, total capacity, current capacity, voltage, estimated battery time, and more.

Here is what the store listing says about the update:

Battery Flyout goes beyond simple monitoring—it generates a comprehensive system and battery report, displaying charge levels from the past week. The report provides detailed battery properties, health status, and personalized recommendations for optimal charging habits. You’ll also get practical energy-saving tips to help extend your device’s battery life.

In addition, Battery Flyout displays various recommendations that can prolong battery life. These include tips like changing the power mode, reducing brightness, switching to dark mode (useful on devices with OLED displays), and more. Plus, you can save each battery report as an XML or HTML document and quickly access system settings for managing power and battery features.

Finally, the update now lets you use the power slider on ARM64 devices, such as the Surface Laptop 7 or Surface Pro 11 with Snapdragon processors.

Battery Flyout is available in the Microsoft Store for $2.99. While not free, it is a useful and well-made tool for Windows 11 users. By the way, in case you missed it, Microsoft recently announced a redesigned battery indicator for Windows 11 with some much-needed improvements.

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New Copilot+ PC experiences

 

Find photos saved in the cloud via the Windows search box with improved Windows Search

 

We are excited to extend support for finding photos saved in the cloud with improved Windows Search to the Windows search box on the taskbar. Just use your own words to find photos stored and saved in the cloud by describing what they are about like “European castles” or “summer picnics” in the search box on your taskbar. In addition to photos stored locally on your Copilot+ PC, photos from the cloud will now show up in the search results together. In addition to searching for photos, exact matches for your keywords within the text of your cloud files will show in the search results.

 

You can try this experience out today with your personal OneDrive when signed in with your Microsoft account and connected to the internet. If you are signed into OneDrive with a work or school account (Entra ID), you will only see matches for keywords you are searching for within the text of your cloud files in the search results – not photos. Third-party cloud providers will be able to support this experience with their services as well, with documentation coming soon.

 

We’re excited to introduce a new way to find your cloud content in Windows and will continue improving search results and capabilities over time. The improved Windows Search experiences continue to gradually roll out to Windows Insiders on Snapdragon-powered Copilot+ PCs, including finding photos saved in the cloud, so you may not see these experiences right away. Some of these improved Windows Search experiences are not yet available in all regions, with expanded availability coming over time. Support for AMD and Intel-powered Copilot+ PCs is coming soon. See here for more details.

 

NOTE: 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.

Here are other changes that are rolling out gradually:

[Recall (Preview)]

 

Recall is currently available in preview for Windows Insiders on Windows 11, version 24H2 in the Dev and Beta Channels on Copilot+ PCs.

 

[IMPORTANT] As mentioned last week, this update improves your Recall experience and as a result, your previous snapshots were deleted. After installing this build, Recall will continue to save new snapshots normally going forward only if you have the option to save snapshots turned on in Settings.

 

[Other]

 

• As part of the deprecation and removal of Microsoft Support Diagnostic Tool (MSDT), this build includes several changes that direct MSDT troubleshooter links in Control Panel to Settings > System > Troubleshoot.

Here are the fixes included in this build (also rolling out gradually):

[Live captions & real-time translation]

 

The following fixes are rolling out for live captions and real-time translation on Copilot+ PCs:

 

• Fixed the issue where you might see a crash on first launch of live captions.
• Fixed the issue where if audio is playing or the microphone is enabled, switching languages will crash live captions.

 

[File Explorer]

 

• Fixed a few issues impacting File Explorer reliability for Insiders.
• Fixed an issue where opening File Explorer from the command line may result in the address bar being empty and not displaying the current path.
• Fixed an issue where you couldn’t select multiple files in the Recommended section of Home by holding Shift and clicking the files.

 

[Graphics]

 

• Fixed an issue which could cause color profiles to not load correctly after waking your PC from sleep.

 

[Remote Desktop]

 

• Fixed an issue where Remote Desktop wouldn’t use UDP, only TCP.

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:

 

• 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.
• Some users may see a message to “Make sure Recall is saving snapshots”, while the Settings page for Recall shows saving snapshots is enabled. Reboot your device to resolve this issue.

 

[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.

You can find the official announcement here.

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The full changelog is given below:

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

Making sharing files in Windows easier

 

Sharing files in Windows is getting a lot easier and quicker with our new drag tray feature. When you start dragging a local file with mouse (or touch) from File Explorer or your desktop, a handy tray appears at the very top of your screen allowing you to drop the file into one of the displayed apps or choose “More…” to open the Windows share window.

 

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

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

[Start menu]

 

• We’re introducing two new views to the “All” page in the Start menu: grid and category view. Grid and list view shows your apps in alphabetical order and category view groups all your apps into categories, ordered by usage. This change is gradually rolling out so you may not see it right away. We plan to begin rolling this out to Windows Insiders who are receiving updates based on Windows 11, version 24H2 in the Dev and Beta Channels soon.

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

 

[File Explorer]

 

• As part of our ongoing commitment to improving File Explorer accessibility, this update includes increased support for the text scaling (via Settings > Accessibility > Text size) across File Open/Save dialogs and Wizard dialogs.
• Fixed an issue where File Explorer Home might not load correctly and just show random floating text saying “Name”.

 

[Taskbar]

 

• Fixed an issue with the taskbar app window previews, where the corners of the flyout weren’t drawn with the correct radius in certain cases.

 

[Settings]

 

• Fixed an issue for Japanese users, where the name displayed at the top of Settings > Accounts showed First Name Last Name instead of the expected Last Name First Name format.

 

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:

 

• [NEW] There’s sometimes a delay in app icons showing in grid and category views after installing an app.
• [NEW] When right-clicking on an app, the “Start settings” context menu flashes before the app’s context menu appears.
• [NEW] 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.

 

[Settings]

 

• There is a known issue where the two new enterprise-specific device info and accessibility preferences cards are showing up on non-managed PCs signed in with Microsoft accounts.

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

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Snipping Tool version 11.2501.7.0, which is currently rolling out to Windows Insiders, introduces a video trimming tool. With the latest update, you can record something on your screen and then cut off unnecessary parts without leaving Snipping Tool or launching Clipchamp or any other video editor. Here is what Microsoft says in the announcement:

We are rolling out an update for Snipping Tool to Windows Insiders in the Canary and Dev Channels 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.

In addition to screen recording trimming, Microsoft is working on new OCR capabilities with a dedicated shortcut. The feature was spotted by the end of 2024, and we are still waiting for Microsoft to announce it.

Other Windows Insider updates announced today include several new features and improvements for Copilot+ PCs, new Start menu layouts, and a brand-new method to share files from your PC to another device. You can learn more about those changes here and here.

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Ventoy 1.1.03 is here for those experiencing error 0x80070001 when installing Windows 11, namely its latest release, version 24H2. Affected customers have been reporting the error after accepting the license agreement and attempting to select a partition for the installation. The system would show the following message:

Windows 11 Setup. Windows installation encountered an unexpected error. Error code: 0x80070001 - 0x4002F

With version 1.1.03, that error should finally become a thing of the past. Here is the complete changelog for Ventoy 1.1.03:

• Fix the 0x80070001 error when boot and install Windows 11. (#3010 #3029 #3105)
• Fix the issue that SLES/OpenSUSE can not boot after install in Ventoy grub2 mode.
• Fix the boot issue for pfSense 2.7.x
• Fix the boot issue for latest TinyCore Linux

You can download Ventoy 1.1.03 from its GitHub repository.

Another thing worth mentioning about Ventoy 1.1.03 is that the executable file has been updated in the release, which means antivirus software might throw false positives when trying to launch the app. While the app has a good reputation among enthusiasts, the rule of thumb is not to run anything that you do not trust. After all, you can always use the official Media Creation Tool app to clean-install or update your system to Windows 11 version 24H2 (now available to most users with eligible hardware).

Even if your system does not support Windows 11 officially, you can always check out this guide to learn how to bypass Microsoft's limitations, which the company does not plan to abandon any time soon, even in light of the inevitable Windows 10 death.

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Here is the changelog:

Added Features:

 

• Included a reflow button in the address bar on Android.

 

Improved Behavior:

 

• Resolved an issue where browser would crash upon opening after being killed on Android.
• Resolved an issue where the browser would crash when clicking on the address bar after signing in with an AAD account.

 

Changed Behavior:

 

• Resolved an issue where the 'Checking for updates' message continued to display after clicking the Restart button to update the version in Settings WebUI2.
• Addressed an issue where the 'Show Vision experience from Copilot Labs' option was not appearing on the Copilot page under the Appearance section of Settings in WebUI2.
• Resolved an issue where, in Split screen mode, selecting the 'Separate two tabs' option would close one tab in the split window.

 

iOS:

 

• Resolved an issue where the Expand/Retract Custom List and Top Sites would flash in the custom layout on iOS.
• Resolved an issue where scrolling down Top Sites in landscape mode on iOS caused the 'News and More' section to remain visible.
• Resolved an issue where the Amazon icon displayed inconsistently in the 'Most Visited' and 'Popular Websites' sections on the 'Add to Home' page on iOS.

 

Android:

 

• Resolved an issue where the icon and title of the MSA account and Rewards should align horizontally on Android.
• Resolved an issue where the address bar only displayed the bottom part on the Appearance page in settings on Android.
• Resolved an issue where the Top Sites would move down during the added animation when opening a new tab page in landscape mode on Android.
• Resolved an issue where Talkback remained silent when double-tapping the 'Developer Mode' button on Android.
• Resolved an issue where the initialization process got stuck on 'Setting up sync...' when signing in with AAD on FRE.
• Resolved an issue where switching to dark or light mode in landscape and then switching to portrait mode simultaneously caused the bottom bar to be out of order and the top status bar to display with a background color.

 

Mac:

 

• Resolved an issue where the new FRE window could be dragged to resize on Mac.

 

Linux:

 

• Resolved an issue preventing the setting of Light/Dark mode on Linux.

You can update Microsoft Edge to the latest version by heading to edge://settings/help. Edge Dev is available on Windows, macOS, Linux, and Android, and you can download it from the official website. Version 135 will be available in the Stable Channel on the week of April 3, 2025.

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Microsoft announced the updated Edge Add-ons website in its official Windows blog. According to the announcement, the new version aims at "making it easier for you to discover and acquire add-ons like extensions and themes through a more modern, functional, and actionable store."

The new version of the website has four sections located at the top of the screen: Discover (recommendations and featured content), extensions, themes, and sidebar apps. The search bar now sits in the same area, permanently tied to the upper-right corner of the screen.

Microsoft also reworked how suggestions work in the search bar. Besides promising "more relevant and helpful suggestions as you type," the updated search bar now features a "Get" button next to the highlighted suggestion, allowing you to quickly install the extension right from the drop-down. Also, the Add-ons website lets you filter the search results by different product types, categories, ratings, and more. As for the Themes section, Microsoft says it is now categorized more efficiently.

Finally, Microsoft Edge users can discover curated collections of extensions and themes focused on specific topics or interests that can help you find a useful extension or a neat theme for fresh looks.

The updated Edge Add-ons website is now rolling out to Microsoft Edge users. The rollout appears to be gradual, which means some users will receive the revamped extension store a little bit later. If you are not familiar with the Edge Add-ons website, you can access it by heading to this link or by clicking Menu > Extensions > Get Extensions for Microsoft Edge.

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In the announcement post, Nvidia claims that multi-frame generation (DLSS 4) on the RTX 50 series graphics cards delivers up to 4.4 times more frames compared to no-DLSS, which roughly translates to over 440 FPS in 4K on the RTX 5090, at least according to Nvidia's measures.

Here are the release notes for driver 572.47:

Game Ready for GeForce RTX 5070 Ti and Marvel Rivals

 

This new Game Ready Driver supports the new GeForce RTX 5070 Ti GPU and provides the best gaming experience for the latest new games supporting DLSS 4 technology including Marvel Rivals.

 

Gaming Technology

 

• Adds support for the GeForce RTX 5070 Ti.

The driver does not contain any gaming-related fixes. However, there is one patch that addresses driver stability issues when waking up a monitor from extended sleep time.

Known bugs in this update include the following:

• Changing state of "Display GPU Activity Icon in Notification Area" does not take effect until PC is rebooted
• [VRay 6] Unexpected Low Performance on CUDA Vpath Tests for Blackwell GPUs

Driver 572.47 is available on 64-bit Windows 10 and 11 systems with the following graphics cards. Note that full DLSS 4 capabilities are only available on the RTX 50 graphics cards.

You can download Nvidia's latest driver from the official website or the Nvidia app. Full release notes are available here (PDF).

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File Pilot is a new lightweight file manager for Windows (supported versions go all the way down to Windows 7) with a big focus on performance and customization. With its weight being less than 2MB (!), File Pilot boasts blazing performance with nearly instant launch, fast navigation, and extremely responsive UI.

The app features multiple ways to customize your experience. From the basic stuff like changing themes and icon sizes, you can change layouts, manage animations, font size, spacing, tabs, and more. You can also create complex tab layouts with vertical and horizontal panels and more.

Another great thing about File Pilot is its context menus, a stumbling block for many Windows 11 users. Here, context menus are similar to Windows 10, with no unnecessary "show more options" toggles or slow performance. The app has access to third-party actions, plus you can pin your favorite entries for easier and faster access.

Other features in File Pilot include a built-in file inspector that lets you preview text, images, folders, and other file types without leaving the app. Batch file renaming is also supported, including filtering, advanced search, deep shortcut customization, command palette, and a lot more.

My first few hours with File Pilot left me seriously impressed with the project. Even though it cannot fully replace the stock File Explorer (so far, there is no easy way to make it the default file manager, unlike what other apps like Files offer), its snappiness, responsiveness, and rich feature set put Windows 11's File Explorer to absolute shame.

File Pilot is currently available in a free public beta. You can download it from the official website, but keep in mind that it will be a paid app once out of public testing. The good thing is that you can try it yourself without registering or even installing File Pilot.

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Windows 11 made our recent roundup of our least favorite "enshittified" products, which will come as no surprise to those of you who have followed our coverage of it over the years. What began as a more visually cohesive coat of paint for Windows 10 has given way to a user experience that has gradually coasted downhill even as it has picked up new features—a "clean install" of the operating system is pretty annoying, at a baseline, even before you consider extra software irritations from your PC, motherboard maker, or Microsoft's all-encompassing push into generative AI.

We'll never stop asking Microsoft to put out a consumer version of Windows that acts more like the Enterprise versions it gives to businesses, with no extra unasked-for apps and less pushiness about Microsoft's other products and services. But given that most of us are saddled with the current consumer-facing versions of Windows—Home and Pro, which treat their users basically the same way despite the difference in cost and branding—we're updating our guide to cleaning up a "clean install" to account for Windows 11 24H2 and any other changes Microsoft has made in the last year.

As before, this is not a guide about creating an extremely stripped-down, telemetry-free version of Windows; we stick to the things that Microsoft officially supports turning off and removing. There are plenty of experimental hacks that take it a few steps farther—NTDev's Tiny11 project is one—but removing built-in Windows components can cause unexpected compatibility and security problems, and Tiny11 has historically had issues with basic table-stakes stuff like "installing security updates."

Starting with Setup: Avoiding Microsoft account sign-in

The most contentious part of Windows 11's setup process relative to earlier Windows versions is that it mandates a Microsoft account sign-in, with none of the readily apparent "limited account" fallbacks that existed in Windows 10. As of Windows 11 22H2, that's true of both the Home and Pro editions.

There are two reasons I can think of not to sign in with a Microsoft account. The first is that you want nothing to do with a Microsoft account, thank you very much. Signing in makes Windows bombard you with more Microsoft 365, OneDrive, and Game Pass subscription upsells since all you need to do is add them to an account that already exists, and Windows setup will offer subscriptions to each if you sign in first.

The second—which describes my situation—is that you do use a Microsoft account because it offers some handy benefits like automated encryption of your local drive (having those encryption keys tied to my account has saved me a couple of times) or syncing of browser info and some preferences. But you don't want to sign in at setup, either because you don't want to be bothered with the extra upsells or you prefer your user folder to be located at "C:\Users\Andrew" rather than "C:\Users\."

Regardless of your reasoning, if you don't want to bother with sign-in at setup, you have a few different options:

During Windows 11 Setup, after selecting a language and keyboard layout but before connecting to a network, hit Shift+F10 to open the command prompt (depending on your keyboard, you may also need to hit the Fn key before pressing F10). Type OOBE\BYPASSNRO, hit Enter, and wait for the PC to reboot.

When it comes back, click "I don't have Internet" on the network setup screen, and you'll have recovered the option to use "limited setup" (aka a local account) again, like older versions of Windows 10 and 11 offered.

For Windows 11 Pro users, there's a command-line-free workaround you can take advantage of.

Proceed through the Windows 11 setup as you normally would, including connecting to a network and allowing the system to check for updates. Eventually, you'll be asked whether you're setting your PC up for personal use or for "work or school."

Select the "work or school" option, then "sign-in options," at which point you'll finally be asked whether you plan to join the PC to a domain. Tell it you are (even though you aren't), and you'll see the normal workflow for creating a "limited" local account.

The downside is that you're starting your relationship with your new Windows install by lying to it. But hey, if you're using the AI features, your computer is probably going to lie to you, too. It all balances out.

Rufus is a venerable open source app for creating bootable USB media for both Windows and Linux. If you find yourself doing a lot of Windows 11 installs and don't want to deal with Microsoft accounts, Rufus lets you tweak the install media itself so that the "limited setup" options always appear, no matter which edition of Windows you're using.

To start, grab Rufus and then a fresh Windows 11 ISO file from Microsoft. You'll also want an 8GB or larger USB drive; I'd recommend a 16GB or larger drive that supports USB 3.0 speeds, both to make things go a little faster and to leave yourself extra room for drivers, app installers, and anything else you might want to set a new PC up for the first time. (I also like this SanDisk drive that has a USB-C connector on one end and a USB-A connector on the other to ensure compatibility with all kinds of PCs.)

Fire up Rufus, select your USB drive and the Windows ISO, and hit Start to copy over all of the Windows files. After you hit Start, you'll be asked if you want to disable some system requirements checks, remove the Microsoft account requirement, or turn off all the data collection settings that Windows asks you about the first time you set it up. What you do here is up to you; I usually turn off the sign-in requirement, but disabling the Secure Boot and TPM checks doesn't stop those features from working once Windows is installed and running.

The main thing I do here, other than declining any and all Microsoft 365 or Game Pass offers, is to turn all the toggles on the privacy settings screen to "no." This covers location services, the Find My Device feature, and four toggles that collectively send a small pile of usage and browsing data to Microsoft that it uses "to enhance your Microsoft experiences." Pro tip: use the Tab key and spacebar to quickly toggle these without clicking or scrolling.

Of these, I can imagine enabling Find My Device if you're worried about theft or location services if you want Windows and apps to be able to access your location. But I tend not to send any extra telemetry or browsing data other than the basics (the only exception being on machines I enroll in the Windows Insider Preview program for testing, since Microsoft requires you to send more detailed usage data from those machines to help it test its beta software). If you want to change any of these settings after setup, they're all in the Settings app under Privacy & Security.

Cleaning up Windows 11

A desktop with an extra informational wallpaper icon, a Start menu full of apps you may or may not use, and a busy taskbar will greet you the first time you log in to Windows 11.

Andrew Cunningham

 

A cleaner desktop, taskbar, and Start menu, with many extraneous elements removed. With the exception of Edge, most Windows apps can be retained or removed as you prefer.

Andrew Cunningham

 

Once all this is done, you'll reboot, and you'll be at the Windows desktop. Start by installing any drivers you need, plus Windows updates.

When you first connect to the Internet, Windows may or may not decide to automatically pull down a few extraneous third-party apps and app shortcuts, things like Spotify or Grammarly—this has happened to me consistently in most Windows 11 installs I've done over the years, though it didn't happen on the two PCs I set up to test the settings in this article.

Open the Start menu and right-click each of the apps you don't want to remove the icons for and/or uninstall. Some of these third-party apps are just stubs that won't actually be installed to your computer until you try to run them, so removing them directly from the Start menu will get rid of them entirely.

Right-clicking and uninstalling the unwanted apps that are pinned to the Start menu is the fastest (and, for some, the only) way to get rid of them.

Credit: Andrew Cunningham

The other apps and services included in a fresh Windows install generally at least have the excuse of being first-party software, though their usefulness will be highly user-specific: Xbox, the new Outlook app, Clipchamp, and LinkedIn are the ones that stand out, plus the ad-driven free-to-play version of the Solitaire suite that replaced the simple built-in version during the Windows 8 era.

Rather than tell you what I remove, I'll tell you everything that can be removed from the Installed Apps section of the Settings app (also quickly accessible by right-clicking the Start button in the taskbar). You can make your own decisions here; I generally leave the in-box versions of classic Windows apps like Sound Recorder and Calculator while removing things I don't use, like To Do or Clipchamp. This list should be current for a fresh, fully updated install of Windows 11 24H2, at least in the US, and it doesn't include any apps that might be specific to your hardware, like audio or GPU settings apps.

• Calculator
• Camera
• Copilot
• Family
• Feedback Hub
• Mail and Calendar
• Maps
• Media Player
• Microsoft 365 Copilot: Without a Microsoft 365 subscription, this is just a wrapper/redirect to the free online versions of the Office apps, now with additional Copilot branding
• Microsoft Clipchamp
• Microsoft OneDrive: Removing this, if you don't use it, will also get rid of notifications about OneDrive and turning on Windows Backup
• Microsoft Teams
• Microsoft To Do
• News
• Notepad
• Outlook (new)
• Paint
• Photos
• Power Automate
• Quick Assist
• Remote Desktop Connection
• Snipping Tool
• Solitaire & Casual Games
• Sound Recorder
• Sticky Notes
• Terminal
• Weather
• Web Media Extensions
• Web Search from Microsoft Bing
• Windows Clock
• Xbox
• Xbox Live

One of the changes Microsoft made back in Windows 11 23H2 was to move almost all of Windows' non-removable apps to a System Components section, where they can be configured but not removed; this is where things like Phone Link, the Microsoft Store, Dev Home, and the Game Bar have ended up. The exception is Edge and its associated updater and WebView components; these are not removable, but they aren't listed as "system components" for some reason, either.

If you own a newer Windows PC with a dedicated Copilot key and you've chosen to remove Copilot, navigate to Settings > Personalization > Text input to remap the key. Unfortunately, its usefulness is still limited—you can reassign it to the Search function or to the built-in Microsoft 365 app, but by default, Windows doesn't give you the option to reassign it to open any old app.

Microsoft has been on a yearslong crusade against unused space in the Start menu and taskbar, which means there's plenty here to turn off.

A fresh install of the Windows 11 24H2 will use Windows Spotlight wallpapers auto-downloaded from the Internet by default; they're nice pictures, but they come with an annoying "learn more about this picture" desktop icon for some reason. Right-click an empty space on the desktop, click Personalize, and click any of the other built-in Windows themes to turn off Spotlight and get rid of the icon.

The following settings should also help you declutter the user interface:

• Right-click the Taskbar and click Taskbar settings. I usually disable the Widgets board; you can leave this if you want to keep the little local weather icon in the lower-left corner of your screen, but this space is also sometimes used to present junky news articles from the Microsoft Start service.
  • If you want to keep Widgets enabled but clean it up a bit, open the Widgets menu, click the Settings gear in the top-right corner, scroll to "Show or hide feeds," and turn some suggested feeds off. This will keep the weather, local sports scores, stocks, and a few other widgets, but it will get rid of the spammy news articles.
• Also in the Taskbar settings, I usually change the Search field to "search icon only" to get rid of the picture in the search field and reduce the amount of space it takes up. Toggle the different settings until you find one you like.

Windows Search includes a bunch of extra graphics and junky newsfeed items and apps by default.

Andrew Cunningham

 

A cleaner and less chaotic Windows Search menu.

Andrew Cunningham

 

• Open Settings > Privacy & Security, click Search permissions and disable "Show search highlights" under "More settings." This cleans up the Search menu quite a bit, focusing it on searches you've done yourself and locally installed apps.
• Open Settings > Privacy & Security > General and disable "Show me suggested content in the Settings app" and "Show me notifications in the Settings app" to turn off some Microsoft account-related reminders and upsells from the Home page of the Settings app.

• Open Settings > Personalization > Start. Turn off "Show recommendations for tips, shortcuts, new apps, and more." This will disable a feature where Microsoft Store apps you haven't installed can show up in Recommendations along with your other files. You can also decide whether you want to be able to see more pinned apps or more recent/recommended apps and files on the Start menu, depending on what you find more useful.
• On the same page, disable "show account-related notifications" to reduce the number of reminders and upsell notifications you see related to your Microsoft account.

Windows 11 makes your PC's lock screen into a billboard.

Andrew Cunningham

 

If you prefer a lock screen that's just there to lock your screen, this is still possible!

Andrew Cunningham

 

• Open Settings > Personalization > Lock screen. Under "Lock screen status," select "none" to hide the weather widget and other stocks and news widgets from your lock screen. Under "Personalize your lock screen," switch from "Windows spotlight" to either Picture or Slideshow to use local images for your lock screen, which will also allow you to uncheck the "get fun facts, tips, tricks, and more" box and hide the other text boxes and clickable elements that Windows automatically adds to the lock screen in Spotlight mode.

The next thing to do is to change more Windows settings to minimize the number of annoying upsell notifications and "it's time to finish setting up your PC" messages you see. Again, what you leave on or off is up to you, but generally, these changes should make Windows feel less annoying and intrusive.

• Settings > Privacy & Security > General. Even if you disabled all the data collection options at Setup, there are still other things enabled here; I turn off all of these toggles.
• Again, under Privacy & Security, open Diagnostics & Feedback, scroll down to Feedback, and set "Feedback frequency" to Never.
• Open Settings > System > Notifications, and turn off the "Suggested" notifications. This may not appear if you're not signed in with a Microsoft account.
• Still in the notifications settings, scroll all the way down and expand the additional settings section. Uncheck all three boxes here, which should get rid of all the "finish setting up your PC" prompts, among other things.

So far, everything we've covered has been applicable to any PC that can run Windows 11. But new PCs with the Copilot+ branding—anything with a Qualcomm Snapdragon X chip in it or things with certain Intel Core Ultra or AMD Ryzen AI CPUs—get extra features that other Windows 11 PCs don't have.

Even among Copilot+ PCs, not everything in this section might be applicable to you—many of these features are still technically in preview, and the Qualcomm Copilot+ PCs are still getting them slightly before the Intel and AMD versions. But given that these are their own unique subclass of PCs, it's worth exploring what's included and what can be turned off.

Most of the Copilot+ PC features that currently exist are image-generation features that live in Paint and the Photos app, and without removing these apps entirely, there's no easy switch you can throw to turn any of the extra AI features off. There may be some registry keys you can add or edit or (for the Pro version of Windows) some local policies you can dig into to shut them off. But there's no telling whether those settings will stick as Microsoft updates things; it's probably easier to just try to ignore them.

One Copilot+ feature that can be fully removed, in part because of the backlash it initially caused, is the data-scraping Recall feature. This is currently only available in Windows Insider previews, but to turn it off if and when it hits your Copilot+ PC:

• Open Settings > System > Optional Features, scroll down to the bottom of this screen, and click More Windows features. This will open the old "Turn Windows features on or off" Control Panel applet used to turn on or remove some legacy or power-user-centric components, like old versions of the .NET Framework or Hyper-V. It's arranged alphabetically.

Recall won't be available to your Copilot+ system unless you're signed in with a Microsoft account and you explicitly opt in—at least, that's how it works in current previews, and Microsoft has said that making Recall totally removable is one of the things it's doing to make people less nervous about it. But if unchecking the box gives you extra peace of mind, then by all means, uncheck it.

Bonus: Cleaning up Microsoft Edge

Microsoft Edge's new tab page, filled with icons and widgets and news-adjacent sludge articles.

Andrew Cunningham

 

Edge's new tab page with all that stuff turned off. There are also lots of other settings you can switch off to get back to a cleaner, more functional browser.

Andrew Cunningham

 

I use Edge out of pragmatism rather than love—"the speed, compatibility, and extensions ecosystem of Chrome with all of the Google stuff removed" is still a reasonably strong pitch. Edge has become steadily less appealing as Microsoft has pushed its own services more and more aggressively. In a vacuum, Firefox aligns better with what I want from a browser, but it just doesn't respond well to my normal tab-monster habits despite several earnest attempts to switch—things bog down and RAM runs out. I've also had mixed experience with the less-prominent Chromium clones, like Opera, Vivaldi, and Brave. So Edge it is, at least for now.

The main problem with Edge on a new install of Windows is that even more than Windows, it exists in a universe where no one would ever want to switch search engines or shut off any of Microsoft's "value-added features" except by accident. Case in point: Signing in with a Microsoft account will happily sync your bookmarks, extensions, and many kinds of personal data. But settings for search engine changes or for opting out of Microsoft services do not sync between systems and require a fresh setup each time.

Here are the Edge settings I change to maximize the browser's usefulness (and usable screen space) while minimizing annoying distractions; it involves turning off most of the stuff Microsoft has added to the Chromium version of Edge since it entered public preview six years ago. Here's a list of things to tweak whether you sign in with a Microsoft account or not.

• I usually right-click and hide the "browser essentials" button, the little heart-shaped one toward the upper-right corner of the Edge window.
• On the Start page when you first open the browser, hit the Settings gear in the upper-right corner. Turn off "Quick links" (or if you leave them on, turn off "Show sponsored links") and then turn off "show content." Whether you leave the custom background or the weather widget is up to you.
• Click the "your privacy choices" link at the bottom of the menu and turn off the "share my data with third parties for personalized ads" toggle.

• In the Edge UI, click the ellipsis icon near the upper-right corner of the screen and click Settings.
• Click Profiles in the left Settings sidebar. Click Microsoft Rewards, and then turn it off.
• From here, click Privacy, Search, & Services. I set tracking prevention to "strict," though if you use some other kind of content blocker, this may be redundant; it can also occasionally prompt "it looks like you're using an ad-blocker" pop-up from sites even if you aren't.
• If they're enabled, disable the toggles under "Optional diagnostic data," "Search and service improvement," and "Personalization & advertising."
• I disable every toggle under the Services header. These mainly generate annoying pop-ups and suggestions for things you haven't asked for.
• If you want to switch from Bing, click "Address bar and search" and switch to your preferred engine, whether that's Google, DuckDuckGo, or something else. Then click "Search suggestions and filters" and disable "Show me search and site suggestions using my typed characters."

• Click Copilot and sidebar in the left-hand navigation (it may just say "Sidebar" if you're not logged in). Click Copilot, then turn off "Show Copilot button on the toolbar." Then click the back arrow and turn off "Show sidebar button."
• Click Languages in the left-hand navigation. Disable "collaborate with Copilot as you write on the web." Turn off "use text prediction" if you want to prevent things you type from being sent to Microsoft, and switch the spellchecker from Microsoft Editor to Basic. (I don't actually mind Microsoft Editor, but it's worth remembering if you're trying to minimize the amount of data Edge sends back to the company.)

Windows-as-a-nuisance

The most time-consuming part of installing a fresh, direct-from-Microsoft copy of Windows XP or Windows 7 was usually reinstalling all the apps you wanted to run on your PC, from your preferred browser to Office, Adobe Reader, Photoshop, and the VLC player. You still need to do all of that in a new Windows 11 installation. But now, more than ever, most people will want to go through the OS and turn off a bunch of stuff to make the day-to-day experience of using the operating system less annoying.

In case you haven't heard, Microsoft has declared 2025 to be "the year of the Windows 11 PC upgrade." The company is, not coincidentally, shutting off security updates for most Windows 10 users in October. If you've been avoiding Windows 11 so far, 2025 is the year you'll probably need to start using it if you have apps, games, or workflows that rely on Windows.

The settings changes we've recommended here may not fix everything, but they can at least give you some peace, shoving Microsoft into the background and allowing you to do what you want with your PC without as much hassle. Ideally, Microsoft would insist on respectful, user-friendly defaults itself. But until that happens, these changes are the best you can do.

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Windows 11 has strict minimum requirements that prevent millions of PCs from upgrading to the operating system. For a brief period this month, many believed that the list of unsupported devices grew substantially, but that turned out to not be the case, at least when it comes to which devices can run Windows 11. At the center of the drama were Intel 8th, 9th, and 10th Gen chips, which seemingly were removed from the list of supported Intel processors.

The confusion was caused when people spotted an official Microsoft support document titled "Windows 11 version 24H2 supported Intel processors.". The list omitted many Intel 8th, 9th, and 10th Gen chips, causing many to believe that those processors had lost support with the update to Windows 11 version 24H2. But closer inspection of the document shows why that is not the case.

The support document is not meant for general consumers. Instead, it's a list of supported CPUs that device manufacturers should use when creating new PCs. Specifically, the list is of processors OEMs should use to build PCs to work with Windows 11 version 24H2. I don't know of any PC manufacturers creating new devices with chips from before Intel's 11th Gen, so the change probably does not affect many people.

"OEMs may use the following CPUs for new Windows 11 devices. New Windows 11 devices must use modern device drivers which have passed the Windows Hardware Compatibility Program for Windows 11 or the latest available modern device drivers based on Declarative, Componentized, Hardware Support Apps (DCH) design principles," states Microsoft.

Mozilla did not. The organization's initial plan was to continue supporting Windows 7 with Firefox's extended support release 115 until that release would run out of support. Mozilla announced an extension in late 2024, so that support was guaranteed until March 2025.

Today, Mozilla announced another extension.

In short:

• Firefox 115 ESR remains supported until September 2025.
• Users who still run it will continue to receive security updates until at least September 2025.

Note: Windows 7 is not the only operating system that is getting an extension. The same applies to Windows 8.1 and macOS 10.12 to 10.14.

The last Firefox ESR version for Windows 7 will be Firefox ESR 115.27 according to the new release schedule. Firefox ESR 128 continues to be supported for newer operating systems as well.

Mozilla's announcement on the official What Train Is It Now website confirms the decision. The organization plans to evaluate the September 2025 end of support date in August 2025. This could mean that there will be another support extension

Windows 7 still widely used

When you look at the distribution of Windows systems on Statcounter, you will notice that Windows 7 continues to cling to about 2.x percent, even two years after its support ended.

With hundreds of millions of Windows devices, that is still a sizeable number of systems that still run the operating system. Statcounter records hits to websites and uses the data for its statistics. There could be even more Windows 7 systems, those that are not connected to the Internet anymore.

Closing Words

You could say that Mozilla needs these users, as Firefox's usership has been declining for a long time. There may be some truth to that. For Windows 7 users who use Firefox, it does not really matter why Mozilla is extending support again. They can continue to use a browser that remains supported and should work on most websites.

Being based on Firefox 115 means that it lacks some of the advancements made in browser technology since its introduction back in July of 2023.

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Here are the changes that are rolling out gradually to Windows Insiders:

• [Battery] New! Improved icons show your battery status with just a quick glance. When your battery icon is green, your PC is charging and in a good state. Yellow means that your PC battery is in energy saving mode. Windows makes this change for you when your battery power is less than or equal to 20%. Red means battery power is low, and you must plug in your PC as soon as possible.
• [Taskbar]
  • New! You can now share files directly from a jump list on the taskbar. Jump lists appear when you right-click an app that has a jump list.
  • Fixed: It might identify an HDD as an SSD.
• [Windows Spotlight]
  • New! There’s a quick and easy way to find out more information about a background image. Simply hover over the image or click the “Learn about this picture” icon.
  • New! This update makes Windows Spotlight easier to find. You’ll notice changes to the icon color and background. Also, the icon will show at the lower right area on your desktop.
• [Lock screen] New! This update makes it easier to learn more about the image on your lock screen when you click the “Like” icon.
• [Narrator] New! There are new functions for Narrator scan mode. Skip past links (n) allows you to go to the text after a link. Use the comma (,) to jump to the start of an item (large table, long list, or another item.) Use the period (.) to jump to the end of an item. This is most helpful when you read long emails, news articles, and wiki pages. Jump to lists (l) allows you to quickly access a list on a web page or in a document. To use these new functions, turn on Narrator first (Windows logo key + Ctrl + Enter). Then turn scan mode on by pressing Caps lock + Spacebar. Note that scan mode is on by default on most web pages (like news articles, wiki page, and so on).
• [Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers] New! Some of you might see a new referral card for a PC Game Pass subscription on the Settings home page. With it, you can invite friends and family to try a PC Game Pass for free. If you qualify, the card only appears when you sign in to your PC using your Microsoft account.
• [File Explorer]
  • New! You can now snooze or turn off the “Start backup” reminder in the File Explorer address bar. This only applies if you are not already backing up your files and folder. To view this new option, right-click Start backup.
  • Fixed: Improves performance when it loads folders that have a large number of media files.
  • Fixed: When you enter a URL in the address bar, it might not go to the location.
  • Fixed: The address bar overlaps files when you use the F11 full-screen mode.
  • Fixed: The context menu opens slowly when you right-click cloud files.
  • Thumbnails for cloud files display more consistently in search results.
• [HTML Help Viewer] New! This update adds text scaling support.
• [Start menu] Fixed: The colors are wrong when you open the account manager flyout menu. This occurs when you use a mixed dark and light custom mode in Settings > Personalization > Colors.
• [Scanners] Fixed: Apps might not recognize a scanner is available when it is connected.
• [Audio]
  • Fixed: The volume might increase to 100% when you wake your PC from sleep.
  • Fixed: You might hear a mute and unmute sound several times.
  • Fixed: A USB audio device might stop working after your PC is idle for a short time.
• [GDI+] Fixed: After you use GDI+ to shrink an image, the colors of the image might be wrong.
• [Mouse] Fixed: In Settings > Accessibility > Mouse pointer and touch, you can choose a color for the mouse that is not the default. When you choose a color, it reverts to white after the User Account Control (UAC) dialog appears.

And here are the changes that are rolling out to all Windows Insiders:

• [Daylight saving time (DST)] This update supports (DST) changes in Paraguay.
• [Open Secure Shell (OpenSSH) (known issue)] Fixed: The service fails to start, which stops SSH connections. There is no detailed logging, and you must run the sshd.exe process manually.
• [Get Help app] Fixed: It fails to open on Windows Server 2025.
• [Remote Desktop]
  • Fixed: There are display rendering issues when you connect to certain PCs.
  • Fixed: It stops responding.
• [Live captions] Fixed: If you disconnect an external monitor, the live captions window might not show.

You can find the official announcement post here.

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