Most people access Google’s search and AI products through a browser, but you’ve got some new options today. Google has been testing a Windows search app for some months, and it’s now officially available. Over on the Apple side of the fence, Google has focused its efforts on designing a native Gemini app. That one is also available widely today with the same features you get in the Gemini web interface.

The “Google app for desktop” first arrived on Windows in a beta form last September. It was pretty rough at first, and Google couldn’t even update the app’s early versions, forcing users to uninstall and reinstall new builds. That won’t be a concern with the official release, which brings assorted search capabilities to your Windows PC.

The Google app can search the web or your PC.

Credit: Google

You can open the Google app by pressing Alt + Space at any time. The compact search UI floats on top of whatever you’re doing, allowing you to instantly search the web and (with authorization) your local files and apps. Web results look like what you’d get in a browser, right down to the inclusion of AI Overviews and AI Mode.

The Google Windows app can also pull the context from your screen for searches. There’s a Lens button, allowing you to highlight any part of the screen to instantly run a web search. You can also share your screen—either a single window or the entire screen—as context for your searches.

The Google desktop app requires Windows 10 or 11, and it only works in English. You can use it without logging in to your account, but the app won’t have as many features in that mode (just like using Google on the web). It’s available for download from the new dedicated landing page.

The first Gemini desktop app, now on Mac

There’s currently no Google search app for macOS, but Google has the AI side covered with the new Gemini app. This is the company’s first standalone desktop app for accessing Gemini. Google’s Josh Woodward says Google has been getting requests for a native Mac app, so the company put together a small team to build one. It didn’t even take very long, with less than 100 days to deliver a supposed 100-plus features on Mac. CEO Sundar Pichai says it was built entirely using Google Antigravity.

Opening the app is similar to how you access the Windows search app—hit Option + Space at any time to pull up a Gemini prompt bar. You can ask general questions like you would the web version of Gemini, but it can also access your windows for additional context. Again, that’s similar to the Windows app, with a greater focus on AI.

Gemini for Mac has just about every feature of Gemini on the web.

Credit: Google

The Mac Gemini app, which is coded entirely in Swift, includes a full spate of Gemini features and model types. You can upload files, create notebooks, and access tools like Deep Research and Canvas right on your desktop. It also has access to image-, video-, and music-generation models. More features are apparently on the way, too.

Even if you like generative AI, Google’s method of distribution may be a dealbreaker. As of now, the company has opted not to list the app in the App Store for Mac. Instead, you have to download and install a DMG file from Google’s website. This one is available in all regions and languages with Gemini support.

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Posted Thursday 16 April 2026 at 9:27 am AEST (my time).

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Aside from affordable computers, Raspberry Pi also develops its own operating system to run on its hardware and even other computers. Now, it has just released Raspberry Pi OS 6.2,which is also based on Debian Trixie. This update is mainly a round-up of security and bug fixes made over the past months, but it also includes a noteworthy quality-of-life change.

This update disables passwordless sudo by default, which could make the operating system slightly more inconvenient to use. For those not familiar, sudo is a command you can use in the command line that allows you to perform an action as though you were the administrator. This can come in handy if you need to make any changes to directories outside of your user’s home directory, but by disabling passwordless sudo, you won’t be able to make system-level file changes, without a password, by default.

Raspberry Pi said the old setup creates a potential security hole as anyone with access to the computer can perform admin actions from a regular user account, which could lead to malicious actions taking place, as passwordless sudo doesn’t ask for an admin password.

From this release, if you use sudo for admin-level access, you will now need to enter your password. In the terminal, the password prompt will appear inline while on desktop, a Password Request box will pop up. After entering your password, you won’t need to give a password again for five minutes, even if you do other sudo actions in that time.

If you dislike this change and want to put things back to the way they were, head to the System tab in Control Centre and toggle the Admin Password switch to the off position. After this, the system won’t ask for a password before running sudo commands in either the terminal or desktop interface.

This change won’t affect existing installations of Raspberry Pi OS, so if you do want to enable this added security, follow the instructions above to find the toggle and move it to the on position. You can read more in Raspberry Pi’s blog post.

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Posted Wednesday 15 April 2026 at 12:34 pm AEST (my time).

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Microsoft has released the April 2026 Patch Tuesday updates for Windows 11 25H2, 24H2. The 25H2 and 24H2 update is provided via KB5083769 (manual download link below), build 26100.8246 on 24H2, and build 26200.8246 on 25H2, after applying the updates.

The full changelog is given below:

• [Secure Boot]

   

  • New! The status of Secure Boot certificate updates on your device may be displayed in the Windows Security app (Settings > Privacy & security > Windows Security). These enhancements are disabled by default on commercial devices.

     

  • With this update, Windows quality updates include additional high confidence device targeting data, increasing coverage of devices eligible to automatically receive new Secure Boot certificates. Devices receive the new certificates only after demonstrating sufficient successful update signals, maintaining a controlled and phased rollout.

     

  • This update addresses an issue where the device might enter BitLocker Recovery after the Secure Boot updates.

     

• [Networking] This update improves reliability when Windows uses SMB compression over QUIC. After you install this update, SMB compression requests over QUIC complete more consistently, reducing the likelihood of timeouts and supporting smoother, more dependable performance.

   

• [Remote Desktop] This update improves protection against phishing attacks that use Remote Desktop (.rdp) files. When you open an .rdp file, Remote Desktop shows all requested connection settings before it connects, with each setting turned off by default. A one-time security warning also appears the first time you open an .rdp file on a device.

   

• [Reset this PC (known issue)] Fixed: This update addresses an issue that might cause device reset to fail when using the “Keep my files” or “Remove everything” options. This might occur after installing the March 2026 (KB5079420) Hotpatch security update.

   

These updates will be available from Windows Update and should install automatically in most cases. If you would like to download these updates for offline installation, you can get them from the Microsoft Catalog website. You can find the update for 25H2/24H2 at this link.

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Posted Wednesday 15 April 2026 at 7:50 am AEST (my time).

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The April 2026 Patch Tuesday updates are here, bringing to Windows users the latest security and bug fixes. For those still on Windows 10, Microsoft prepared KB5082200, with build numbers 19045.7184 and 19044.7184. Changelog includes the following;

• [Sign-In] Fixed: After you install the Windows update released on or after March 10, 2026, some users might experience an issue signing in to apps with a Microsoft account. Even when the device has a working Internet connection, a “no Internet” error appears during sign in and prevents access to Microsoft services and apps such as Microsoft Teams.
• [Remote Desktop] This update improves protection against phishing attacks that use Remote Desktop (.rdp) files. When you open an .rdp file, Remote Desktop shows all requested connection settings before it connects, with each setting turned off by default. A one-time security warning also appears the first time you open an .rdp file on a device. For more information, see Understanding security warnings when opening Remote Desktop (RDP) files.

[Secure Boot]

• This update enables dynamic status reporting for Secure Boot states in the Windows Security App (Settings > Update & Security > Windows Security). Learn more about the status alerts via badges and notifications. Note that these enhancements are disabled by default on commercial devices and servers.
• This update fixes an issue that could cause a device to enter BitLocker Recovery after Secure Boot updates.
• With this update, Windows quality updates include additional high confidence device targeting data, increasing coverage of devices eligible to automatically receive new Secure Boot certificates. Devices receive the new certificates only after demonstrating sufficient successful update signals, maintaining a controlled and phased rollout.

There are a few extra changes for those on LTSC releases:

• [Licensing] Improved: This update addresses an issue that affects Long-Term Servicing Channel (LTSC) image creation using Deployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM). DISM offline operations on the below editions could not apply security updates because of limits in licensing enforcement. Now, you can use DISM to add security packages during offline image creation for LTSC. Windows 10 IoT Enterprise LTSC 2021, Windows 10 Enterprise G SKU, and Windows 10 Enterprise N LTSC

Today's updates are available for PCs enrolled in the Extended Security Updates program. You can download them from Settings > Windows Update or from the Microsoft Update Catalog here.

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Posted Wednesday 15 April 2026 at 7:48 am AEST (my time).

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I've always felt like Windows 11 has an acquired taste, mostly due to the (initially) lackluster feature parity with its predecessors. Last year, Microsoft officially ended support for Windows 10, nudging users toward Windows 11 if they want to continue receiving critical updates and security patches.

Until recently, Microsoft struggled to grow Windows 11’s market share. While it’s not set in stone that the operating system’s strict hardware requirements and some of its more questionable design choices were the main drivers of relatively sluggish adoption, it’s difficult to dismiss their impact altogether.

Some users even indicated that they'd ditch Microsoft's Windows ecosystem entirely for free and open-source alternatives like Linux distros, citing a lack of ads and telemetry as the main incentives for the implied jump.

Fortunately, at the start of this year, Microsoft pledged to improve overall user sentiment toward Windows 11, delivering meaningful changes.

The tech giant is already making good on its promise, including giving users the option to skip the update process when setting up a new Windows 11 PC, reducing where Copilot and its integrations appear, and bringing back fan-favorite features like the movable and resizable Taskbar as part of its broader strategy to address pain points across the operating system.

That said, our Senior Editor Zac Bowden contends that “Microsoft is wasting its time trying to fix Windows 11,” suggesting instead that the company should redirect its energy toward developing "Windows 12".

Windows Central take: Third-party apps and skins are making Windows 11 more bearable

Recent macOS versions have a handy built-in utility that lets you quickly minimize all apps and access your desktop simply by clicking anywhere empty, and now, thanks to a Microsoft engineer, Windows 11 can have the same experience.

Scott Hanselman released PeekDesktop, a small app that brings macOS's "Show Desktop" feature to Windows. Once installed, this app runs in the background and works just as described on the official website:

PeekDesktop brings macOS Sonoma’s “click wallpaper to reveal desktop” behavior to Windows 10 and 11. Click empty wallpaper to minimize open windows, interact with desktop icons without accidental triggers, then restore everything with a click on an app, the taskbar, or the wallpaper again.

While the app is very minimal and has no dedicated graphics user interface, you get to choose between a few options. You can select the effect (minimize windows, macOS-like fly away, or the classic "Show Desktop" feature from the bottom-right corner of Windows' taskbar) and switch from single click to double click mode. The latter will help you avoid accidental triggers and make the experience more deliberate.

It is worth noting that you can not just minimize apps. Click the desktop again, and PeekDesktop will return all minimized windows to their corresponding locations. And while you can hit the bottom-right corner of the taskbar, having a much bigger target with no need for precise aiming (especially if you have a large display) is a much more convenient option. Note that the app does not compromise the ability to work with desktop icons and files, and you can still drag icons, folders, and apps across your desktop as usual.

You can download PeekDesktop from its GitHub repository for free.

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Posted Wednesday 15 April 2026 at 7:44 am AEST (my time).

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Over a month ago, we talked about how Teams is getting a couple of big upgrades. One of those was video recaps for meetings, which do exactly what you think they do. Now, Microsoft has finally begun rolling out this capability.

Although Teams already allows you to record and transcribe meetings, this alone isn't ideal for a lot of scenarios. For example, if the meeting is very long and contains numerous participants, you'll have a hard time figuring out which part of the meeting was important if you manually scrub through the recording or jump across sections of the transcript.

Video recaps aim to solve exactly this problem, as they'll contain highlights of key moments from the meeting so that important discussion items are surfaced in a digestible format. They will show you slides or screens shared during the meeting, enable you to understand the flow of the conversation, watch important snippets from the meeting, and "get a sense of meeting context and sentiment through narrated visual highlights". If you go to the meeting recap page within Teams, you'll notice a Video recap button that will allow you to trigger this experience.

There are a few known issues, though. Video recaps only work for recorded meetings where the content is between 10 and 90 minutes in length. In addition, if you only transcribe the meeting but don't record it, you won't be able to leverage video recaps. Finally, video recaps take up to 10-15 minutes to show up after the completion of a meeting, which isn't surprising considering that there is obviously some processing time involved.

Right now, this capability is available in Public Preview for Teams, but IT admins should first enable the associated policy that allows tenants to leverage preview features. Meanwhile, to trigger a targeted release, IT admins should define the scope in the Microsoft 365 Admin Center. Details about general availability are unclear, and Microsoft hasn't noted the license requirements either.

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Posted Wednesday 15 April 2026 at 7:41 am AEST (my time).

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Today, Stardock announced the release of Connection Explorer 1.0, an application designed to advance data transparency by adding a visual layer to the data connections your Windows PC creates. Building on its initial beta, Connection Explorer now includes new features like an activity timeline, per-application bandwidth monitoring, and enhanced visibility into active processes that make it easier than ever to understand where your data is going.

Every day, your PC creates hundreds of connections, but seeing this activity is a convoluted and opaque process. Connection Explorer was built from the ground up for one thing: to create a window of clarity into these connections to allow you to see what is happening on your device.

With the 1.0 release, Connection Explorer expands on this vision with an all-new activity timeline that provides a historical view of connections, bandwidth usage, and the number of applications actively communicating. Combined with per-application bandwidth monitoring, users can now quickly identify which apps are consuming resources and how their network activity changes over time.

Packed with features that allow you to create intelligent alerts for activities, easily block unwanted processes, explore all your historical connection information, and add notes to DNS entries, Connection Explorer keeps you informed about what your device is doing and when it does it.

Stardock knows that you can’t always watch your connections for all hours of the day, which is why Connection Explorer makes it easy to set up alerts with an easy-to-use interface. Creating alerts for connections from unwanted locations, IP addresses, or ports is easily configured and deployed in seconds.

“The modern desktop is a highly connected device that is uploading and downloading data all day long, our goal was to create an application that allowed you to see what is happening with your desktop” said Brad Sams, General Manager, Stardock Software. “With Connection Explorer 1.0, you now have the ability to see what is happening and better understand what your connected footprint looks like as you use your PC”.

Connection Explorer is designed for Windows 11 and supports light/dark mode. For a limited time, it is available at a 20% launch discount and is available today as part of Object Desktop. You can learn more about Connection Explorer on its app page, here

You can also download the entire Object Desktop package. Object Desktop includes programs such as Fences, Start11, Groupy, SoundPackager, DeskScapes and Multiplicity.

Disclaimer: Neowin's relationship to Stardock

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Posted Wednesday 15 April 2026 at 7:36 am AEST (my time).

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Blackmagic Design has announced DaVinci Resolve 21, a big update that introduces the Photo page, allowing you to use advanced color tools to edit still photos. The new version is currently in beta and is available to download for free from Blackmagic’s website.

The new update also introduces new AI tools such as IntelliSearch for fast content searching, CineFocus for focal point adjustment, tools to refine faces, and more. This update also brings over 70 new graphics to Fusion, Fairlight folders simplify audio track management, there are improvements to keyframing, MultiMaster trim passes are enabled, and there is support for layer list node graphs.

With the new Photo page, users can import and manage photographs, this feature integrates with the color page for node-based grading, giving access to Hollywood color grading tools for still images. Other tools that you can use on your images include primary color correction, curves, qualifiers, power windows, and node editor to adjust color in artistic ways.

Blackmagic also says:

“The Photo page lets customers reframe and crop images at their original source resolution and aspect ratio. Every adjustment preserves the full quality of their original file, so customers can refine their composition at any time without ever affecting image quality.

LightBox view on the Photo page gives customers an overview of their entire album with grades applied. Select any image and grade it live while seeing the results update across the whole collection in real time. Filter by graded, ungraded, star rating, flag and clip color for fast library management.”

The Photo page also lets you create Albums based on shoot days, camera models, or any other criteria. You can also save time by tagging and making raw setting adjustments in batches. You also get Camera Controls which lets you tether Sony or Canon cameras directly to DaVinci Resolve for live image capture.

Here is a complete list of the new features:

• New photo image editing now fully integrated within DaVinci Resolve.
• Support for DaVinci color control toolset and grading panels.
• Reframe and crop images at original source resolution and aspect ratio.
• LightBox view gives an overview of entire album with grades applied.
• Albums let you build, manage and tweak photos at source resolution.
• Direct image capture via Sony or Canon tethered cameras.
• Looks, LUTs, Resolve and Open FX for your images.
• Photo page is integrated with Blackmagic Cloud collaborative workflow.
• AI IntelliSearch lets you easily search for people or objects.
• AI Speech Generator transforms written text to spoken voice.
• AI CineFocus allows refocus with realistic bokeh and lens effects.
• AI Face Age Transformer lets you age or de-age a face.
• AI Face Reshaper for flexible reshape and resize of facial features.
• AI Blemish Removal to repair facial and skin blemishes.
• AI SlateID to read slate and populate clip metadata.
• AI UltraSharpen for high fidelity sharpening of moving images.
• AI Motion Deblur enables removal of common motion blur artifacts.
• Keyframing provides powerful retime controls with 4 point bezier.
• Fusion animation can be creatively driven by Fairlight audio.
• Native support for OGraf HTML graphics and Lottie animations.
• Spell checking, color fonts and Emoji for Text+ and MultiText.
• Smart bin views in Cut page.
• MultiMaster trim pass to grade single timeline to many deliverables.
• Render Magic Mask in place as an external matte.
• Node graphs can now be viewed as a layer list.
• Support for Krokodove motion graphics effects.
• New Macro Editor with inspector view and publishing to edit effects.
• Support for USD SDK 25.11 with Hydra 2.0 API for Storm renderer.
• Folder tracks allow a group of tracks to be folded down or expanded.
• Apple Immersive workflows now support foveated rendering.
• VR180 and VR360 deliver presets for Meta Quest and YouTube.
• Fusion adds Panomap immersive rotation and ILPD retargeting.
• Resolve FX Picture in Picture effect.
• IntelliScript supports Final Draft or plain text screenplay imports.
• Metadata panel supports star rating and tagging for clips.

You can read about all the new features in detail and download the beta here.

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Posted Tuesday 14 April 2026 at 5:21 pm AEST (my time).

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Windows 11’s early April Insider builds are a clear signal of where Microsoft wants the OS to go next. Across UI refinements, new feature toggles, and deeper system integrations, these updates show the company tightening the experience ahead of bigger changes expected later in 2026. Some improvements are subtle, others are more ambitious, but together they paint a picture of an OS that’s steadily evolving rather than standing still.

Here’s a closer look at the seven changes Insiders can test right now and what they hint at for the months ahead.

Thus far in April 2026, the company has rolled out several improvements and visual changes, including platform changes (in the Canary Channel). For instance, the operating system now includes haptic feedback effects for specific actions, the Xbox Full Screen Experience comes with the Xbox mode, and there are visual changes to Protected Print Mode in the Settings app.

In addition, the software giant began the rollout of Secure Boot certification alerts through the Windows Insider Program. Also, there's a new option to control the touchpad right-click area, and you'll also find Feedback Hub app improvements.

Another thing to point out is that in total, during the first two weeks of April, there were six preview builds, including 26300.8155 and 26220.8148, as well as 26300.8170 and 26220.8165 in the Dev and Beta Channels. In the Canary Channel, we've seen build 29560 and 28020.1803 as well as 29565 and 28020.1812.

In this recap, I'll highlight the latest and most noteworthy changes available through the Windows Insider Program.

Biggest improvements from the Windows Insider Program in April 2026

These are the improvements that the software giant has rolled out since my last roundup of changes.

1. Haptic feedback effects

Starting with build 26220.8148 and 26300.8155, Windows 11 adds haptic feedback effects to compatible devices for specific actions, such as window snapping, resizing, and hovering over the close button.

You can always configure these settings on Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Mouse > Haptic signals.

2. Xbox mode new name

Originally, the company started previewing the Xbox Full Screen Experience, which transforms your desktop into a console-like experience using the Xbox app and system tweaks to improve the gaming experience.

Microsoft is shutting down several of its products this year, including, but not limited to, the Access Database Compare tool, Publisher, and Outlook Lite on Android. Now, Microsoft has reminded customers that another suite of apps is set to retire this year, and also suggested an alternative.

Office LTSC 2021 suite and the standalone applications that it comprises of are facing the chopping block on October 13, 2026. As is common in these scenarios, these pieces of software will continue to function but they will not receive any security fixes, patches for bugs, or technical support from Microsoft. What this also means is that if you face any sort of issue, such as a break in compatibility, you are not guaranteed any assistance from Microsoft.

The Redmond tech giant has suggested multiple upgrade paths for small businesses and large enterprise organizations. For the former entities, those with fewer than 300 seats, the following are viable alternatives as long as you are OK with being connected to the cloud:

• Microsoft 365 Business Premium
• Microsoft 365 Business Standard
• Microsoft 365 Apps for business

Meanwhile, larger organizations should consider the following:

• Microsoft 365 E3
• Office 365 E3
• Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise

These Microsoft 365-powered versions of Office applications offer better security, management capabilities, and compliance. In addition, it also includes Copilot integration, can be installed on multiple devices per user, and dynamic updates that keep you always updated.

However, for those who are more comfortable with the on-premises variant of Office and want to continue down that path, Office LTSC 2024 is still an option. This is the most recent version of on-prem Office for commercial LTSC customers and also includes new versions of Visio and Project. Do choose your migration path carefully though, because Office LTSC 2024 will reach end of support on October 9, 2029.

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Posted Tuesday 14 April 2026 at 8:19 am AEST (my time).

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Last month, Microsoft unveiled a major plan for Windows 11 that will see the company fix up and improve the platform for everyone, focusing on pain points and criticisms around performance, stability, "enshittifcation", and more. It's a notable effort on Microsoft's part, one that was long overdue after it became clear that Windows 11's reputation was at an all-time low.

It is unfortunate that we're even in this position to begin with, but it is good that Microsoft is taking the time to address the platform's biggest issues.

Unfortunately, I'm worried that even a valiant effort to fix the platform isn't going to mend its reputation. If history is to repeat itself, "fixing" an operating system through bug fixes and new features isn't enough. In the eyes of many, bad versions of Windows have only been truly fixable in one way: Abandonment.

A tale as old as time

If you ask the internet, Windows 11 is the latest in a long line of bad versions of Windows. Of course, the most infamous hated version of Windows is likely Windows 8, followed closely by the "messy" Windows Vista. Both of those versions of Windows were monumental and innovative, pushing the platform forward in new ways, but were rejected by the vast majority.

In the case of Windows Vista, Microsoft made several under-the-hood advancements that were too forward-leaning for the hardware at the time, resulting in a poor experience for older PCs trying to upgrade from XP. There was also the overbearing User Account Control, which frustrated users and made opening programs or completing tasks more complicated than they needed to be.

It also didn't help that the platform launched in a generally buggy state, but Microsoft was committed to fixing the OS's biggest issues, and by Service Pack 2, Vista was great. It ran well, was very secure, and was arguably one of the prettier (and even recently imitated) versions of Windows to ever exist. Unfortunately, the damage was done, and even with the Service Packs that fixed it, people had already written Vista off.

Microsoft is changing how Windows Update works to make it more user-friendly and less irritating. The ability to pause Windows updates for as long as you want is finally coming, and another highly requested update-related feature has finally made its way to the initial setup experience (OOBE).

Previously, when setting up a new device in online mode, Windows 11 would not let you get to the desktop without applying updates first. Depending on many factors, this process could take quite a long time. Users have been asking Microsoft to let them skip updates during the initial setup, and at long last, Microsoft listened.

Now, you can click "Update later" and skip the long installation process. Windows 11 will finish setup faster, allowing you to get the latest feature updates and security patches later.

It is worth noting that this change primarily affects non-managed, consumer devices. IT admins have dedicated policies for skipping or enforcing updates during the initial setup. Microsoft has been experimenting with the ability to skip updates for a few months. Now, the feature is enabled by default for all consumers, so the next time you buy a new Windows 11 device, you will not be forced to wait until Windows 11 installs all available updates before letting you see the desktop.

The ability to skip Windows updates is not the only upgrade for the operating system's OOBE. Microsoft might drop the mandatory Microsoft Account requirement, as even Windows engineers hate it. Some things, such as forced BitLocker encryption and mandatory internet connection, remain unaddressed for now, though.

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Posted Tuesday 14 April 2026 at 5:17 am AEST (my time).

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Linus Torvalds has published Linux 7.0 so that distribution maintainers can begin getting it into shape to rollout to their users, with Arch and Fedora among some of the earlier distros to push it out to their users. The Linux founder said that this week saw lots of small fixes, so it was alright to publish the final version this week; if there had been a big issue, then it could have been delayed a week.

This release cycle has been interesting because we are seeing widespread use of AI tools being used on code that has been submitted. Torvalds expects that these AI tools will help to find “corner cases” for a while so we could see bigger than normal release cycles, as we’ve seen this cycle, in the future.

This week’s work included fixes for networking (core and drivers), architecture, tooling and selftests, and various other fixes “all over the place”. With this cycle complete, the merge windows for Linux 7.1 will open on Monday so that new features can be added. Torvalds says that some people have already sent in their new features.

According to Phoronix, this Linux 7.0 release brings many new features including improvements for Intel Nova Lake, Intel Crescent Island, AMD graphics, and more. There are various performance improvements and self-healing capabilities for the XFS filesystem.

End users should not attempt to install the latest kernel on their own as it can leave your system in an unbootable state. It is best to wait for your distro maintainer to push their own kernel updates that have been optimized for your specific version on Linux. Additionally, if your computer is already working properly, there is no great need to get the latest kernel version. The biggest benefit is for those who have unsupported hardware that has just been updated.

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Posted Tuesday 14 April 2026 at 5:16 am AEST (my time).

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At the start of the year, Microsoft generated a lot of goodwill among Windows 11 fans when it announced its big plan to fix the operating system in 2026. It highlighted numerous ways to approach and remediate user concerns such as giving them more control over Windows Update and adding back some highly requested features. Another key point in the company's announcement was pulling back on inserting Copilot everywhere, and being more mindful about how AI features are integrated into the OS. Microsoft began rolling out some changes in this regard a couple of days ago, and unfortunately, people are a little underwhelmed.

Microsoft seems to have stripped away mentions of the "Copilot" brand in the Windows Insider version of the Notepad app. The Copilot button in the toolbar is gone, and instead, you'll find a writing icon which will present you AI-powered writing assistance, such as rewrite, summarize, tone modification, format configuration, and more. Additionally, "AI features" in Notepad settings has been renamed to "Advanced features" and it allows users to toggle off AI capabilities within the app.

As is evident from the changes mentioned above, Microsoft is not doing away with AI capabilities completely in Windows 11. At least, not right now. This has led to complaints from Windows 11 users on public forums (such as our comments section here) who feel like they've been hoodwinked by Microsoft into believing that the firm is getting rid of AI integrations in Windows 11 altogether.

To be fair to Microsoft, if you check out our coverage of this topic, you'll notice that Redmond did not claim that it will eradicate AI from Windows 11. In fact, its wording was more around the idea that it would be more "intentional" about how and where the Copilot branding shows up, while also ensuring that AI capabilities are actually useful. It also emphasized its intention to get rid of unnecessary Copilot entry points in Windows 11 apps. Looking at the latest Insider update for Notepad, it can be argued that Microsoft did exactly all that.

The problem once again seem to lie in the huge gap between what users actually want versus how Microsoft responds to customer feedback. Looking at the vocal backlash around "microslop" online, it would seem rather obvious that customers don't want "AI slop" in their desktop OS. But, of course, Microsoft can't get rid of AI features entirely and get left behind in the latest race involving big tech. So, in the company's eyes, a middle ground would be to erase references to the Copilot brand and continue integrating AI capabilities that it deems useful. And, of course, that isn't good enough for me.

At this point, Microsoft is walking a tightrope. It cannot appease everyone since it also has its shareholders and investors to think about, but then there's also a rather large Windows 11 user base which really is fed up of AI experiences being shoved down its throats. Looking ahead, it seems unlikely that Microsoft will be able to "fix" Windows 11 in this regard in 2026, because it seems like simply rebranding Copilot to something generic just isn't good enough for many.

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Posted Monday 13 April 2026 at 7:50 am AEST (my time).

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Downloading and installing Windows 11/10 updates is something easily done by most average users. However, enthusiasts, power users and IT admins do want more options such that they can configure new update installs and deployments per their wish. After all, configuring such settings can be crucial especially since new updates can be quite buggy, and hence, pushing one out irresponsibly can lead to widespread issues. That is where NTLite, an unofficial tool, can come in.

For those who may not know it, NTLite is a fairly comprehensive Windows customization and configuration tool that enables power users and administrators to tailor OS installations and deployments. It supports all major image formats including ISO, WIM, ESD, and SWM, offering conversions between them and the ability to create bootable ISOs. Other than that, NTLite also features editing of already deployed installs, such that modifications to live systems can be made without reinstallation. Its unattended setup options also allow automating installation with preconfigured accounts, partitions and more.

The latest couple of updates for NTLite released this month bring important improvements for the utility as it now supports more threads such that image extraction can be carried out much faster. Hence, this should lead to a notable performance improvement since multi-threaded processors nowadays are very common. Aside from that, the new update also brings AI component management feature for Windows 11 25H2 images. This can significantly lower the size of installations if you choose to strip out such features. Driver management also sees improvements.

The changelogs are given below:

NTLite 2026.04.10935:

Upgrade

• Updates: Faster update extraction utilizing more threads
• General: Faster file deletion, most noticable when deleting large directories
• Drivers: Host Import now picks the latest version of the same driver, does not duplicate
• Drivers: Hardware list remembers scrolling position on driver changes for easier tracking
• UI: Improved cleanup progress on exit, with cancel support
• UI-Translation: Thanks for Portugues-Brasil (Igor)

Fix

• Updates: MSIX/APPX integration/install error 87 on pre-1903 targets
• Components: Recheck/uncheck sub-components form the prompt
• Drivers: Improved hardware list matching, detecting compatible drivers previously missed
• Drivers: Host Import architecture ARM vs AMD 64-bit on some INFs
• UI: Duplicate Remove/Export items in right-click drivers context menu

New

• Components: ‘Accessibility’ – Braille (added by 25H2 CU)

NTLite 2026.04.10936:

New

• Components: ‘AI Component Management’ (25H2 CU)

   

Fix

• Updates: MSIX integration in certain host-image combinations had error 1781, recent regression

   

Upgrade

• UI-Translation: Thanks for Hungarian (John), Italian (clarensio), Russian (RDS), Vietnamese (Vu Anh Vu)

You can download the latest version of the app at the official Nlitesoft website.

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Posted Monday 13 April 2026 at 7:48 am AEST (my time).

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Back in January earlier this year, we reported on the deprecation of one of the official ways of activating Microsoft products including Windows 11 and 10, as well as Office. The company had killed off telephone activation as users noticed that calling Microsoft to activate led them to a non-human on the other side of the line which automatically responded by saying "Support for product activation has moved online. For the fastest and most convenient way to activate your product, please visit our online product activation portal at aka.ms/aoh."

Microsoft later confirmed that this was indeed the case as activating Windows on air-gapped systems (those without any internet connection) using a telephone was no longer possible after December 3, 2025.

While browsing today Neowin noticed that Microsoft had put up a support article on its website as guidance regarding this. The article goes into detail on why the company did it and also explains how users can activate Microsoft products using the Microsoft Product Activation Portal that opens when one visits the aka.ms/aoh or visualsupport.microsoft.com website. The Redmond giant says that the new portal provides a "more secure, reliable and user-friendly" way to activate its products.

It writes: "Microsoft is modernizing the activation experience for perpetual licenses. Beginning December 3, 2025, the traditional telephone-based product activation automation process has been moved from telephone to online. ... The new digital workflow provides a more secure, reliable, and user‑friendly activation experience and helps prevent fraud. While the process has been updated, offline activation capabilities remain supported. Customers who rely on traditional offline activation can continue using it without changes to their environment. ... The Product Activation Portal enables activation for a wide range of perpetual Microsoft products and supports both connected and non‑connected devices. This evolution ensures activation remains simple, flexible, and dependable while offering a modern, streamlined interface for all users."

The new activation portal works using personal Microsoft accounts, Work or school accounts, Microsoft Entra ID accounts, and Azure Government tenant accounts. The company notes that this sign-in account is not necessarily tied to your product license as it is used only used for validating secure portal access. Speaking of validation, the new portal has a captcha that helps authenticate genuine human users which ties into Microsoft's point of the portal having a better security than before.

The article goes into more detail, including step-by-step guidance on using the portal. You can check it out here on Microsoft's official website.

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Posted Monday 13 April 2026 at 7:46 am AEST (my time).

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Windows search has always been a bit of a gamble. Sometimes it finds what you need instantly; other times it feels like shouting into the void. OmniSearch changes that. After using it for a few weeks, I’ve stopped digging through folders, stopped opening Start search out of habit, and stopped wondering whether Windows will actually find the file I need. OmniSearch finally feels like the unified, reliable search bar Windows should have had years ago.

This open-source app is built for speed, using low-level NTFS indexing through the USN Journal and MFT to deliver near-instant search results across your drives. It offers a noticeably more responsive and capable search experience while staying fully local on your system.

When Windows 11 was introduced in 2021, its context menus were pitched as a solution for overcrowded Windows 10 menus. What initially looked sleek and compact eventually turned into the same mess, but with worse performance. Not cool.

Microsoft itself cannot help but litter the context menus with unnecessary entries like "Open with Notepad" for completely unrelated items like images or videos, plus there is stuff like PowerToys with its countless utilities, GPU drivers, and more. Getting rid of all that boosts performance significantly, but doing so is not easy, as it requires either digging into the system registry or uninstalling apps. Fortunately, there is a tool that makes cleaning up Windows 11's context menus much easier.

Windows 11 Context Menu Manager (not a very creative name, I would say, but it is what it is) is a small utility whose sole purpose is to show you a list of all the context menu entries and give you the option to remove them with a single click. Using it is dead simple: launch the app (you do not even need to install it) and toggle off everything that you do not want to see in your context menus. Like, why on Earth do I need Radeon Software in my File Explorer context menus, AMD?

What I like about the app is that it does not require any restarts. A single toggle flick removes the unnecessary extension. Additionally, there are a few extra features, such as the ability to view associated file extensions, links to Settings / Microsoft Store, and even an option to uninstall each app that litters your context menus. If you have too many of them, you can also use the search box.

Windows 11 Context Menu Manager looks like a good fit for PowerToys, a set of advanced utilities for Windows 10 and 11. Niels Laute, PowerToys Product Manager, recently posted on X that his team is tracking the idea, but for now, third-party apps are your only way to get things in order.

Cleaning up Windows 11's context menus is not just about looks. The menus are already quite slow, and overcrowding them makes performance absolutely miserable. As such, tools like Windows 11 Context Menu Manager could speed things up significantly. If you want to try it yourself, get it for free from its GitHub repository.

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Posted Monday 13 April 2026 at 7:42 am AEST (my time).

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ExplainingComputers (1.17m subscribers)

April 12, 2026

Video length: 18m 08s

Comparing local office suites that can be installed natively in Linux, with a focus on the fidelity of LibreOffice, FreeOffice, SoftMaker Office, OnlyOffice and WPS Office.

00:00 Titles & Intro

01:16 LibreOffice

05:14 FreeOffice & SoftMaker Office

10:09 OnlyOffice

13:50 WPS Office

17:01 The Best Office?

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Posted Monday 13 April 2026 at 7:38 am AEST (my time).

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The use of AI-powered tooling is becoming increasingly common in most development environments. Notable examples in this area include GitHub Copilot, Anthropic Claude, ChatGPT Codex, and more. As such, it's also natural that big organizations will begin to integrate AI-assisted code in their enterprise software too. For example, Microsoft says that AI copilots are responsible for hundreds of thousands of pull requests per month in its internal code. Now, we have some more clarity around the status of AI code in the Linux kernel too.

A relatively recent document explaining the requirements for AI-assisted code has been making the rounds on Hacker News. This RST document is available in the Linux repository owned by head honcho Linus Torvalds on GitHub. It provides guidance for developers leveraging AI-assisted code for contributions to the Linux kernel.

For starters, any AI-assisted code should follow the same processes as those followed by humans, outlined in development-process.rst, coding-style.rst, submitting-patches.rst. In addition, all code must comply with the Linux kernel's existing compliance requirements, such as compatibility with GPL-2.0-only, leverage appropriate SPDX license identifiers, and conform to all the rules outlined in license-rules.rst.

Moreover, AI agents are not allowed to use the Signed-off-by tags, as they are reserved for human reviewers only. Only humans can legally certify the Developer Certificate of Origin (DCO), and the submitter must be responsible for reviewing all AI-generated code, following licensing requirements, using their signed-off-by tag, and taking sole ownership of their contribution.

Proper attribution for AI-assisted code is also required as it helps track the evolution of this metric in the Linux kernel. Pull requests should use the Assissted-by tag in the following convention: AGENT_NAME:MODEL_VERSION [TOOL1] [TOOL2]. This nomenclature is described in more detail below:

• AGENT_NAME is the name of the AI tool or framework
• MODEL_VERSION is the specific model version used
• [TOOL1] [TOOL2] are optional specialized analysis tools used (e.g., coccinelle, sparse, smatch, clang-tidy)

As developers and organizations continue to embrace AI and its benefits in coding activities, it is not surprising to see the Linux kernel welcoming contributions that leverage this technology too. We already know that Torvalds himself has been utilizing vibe coding practices in some of his projects too.

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Posted Sunday 12 April 2026 at 12:14 pm AEST (my time).

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Last year, we learned that the French city of Lyon is ditching Windows and Microsoft Office in favor of Linux and other similar free and open source software (FOSS) alternatives. Now, the government of France itself has decided to make a similar decision as it announces its plans to get rid of Windows.

As spotted by XDA, multiple government bodies in France jointly met earlier this week and agreed to reduce digital dependencies on "extra-European" technologies. In simple words, France will prioritize technology solutions that have been developed within the European Union rather than choosing vendors based in countries like the United States.

As a part of this strategy, Direction interministérielle du Numérique (DINUM) has outlined several steps, such as ditching Windows on government PCs in favor of Linux-based operating systems. Any particular distro has not been explicitly named. It also noted a similar migration of its health data platform, which is moving to a "trusted solution" by the end of this year.

It's notable that each ministry has been tasked to formalize its own migration plan by fall. This strategy should cover PCs, online collaboration tools, antivirus utilities, database management systems, AI solutions, network equipment, and more. A concrete timeline has not been shared yet, but the Minister of Public Action and Account, David Amiel is quoted as saying (machine translated):

The State can no longer simply acknowledge its dependence; it must break free. We must become less reliant on American tools and regain control of our digital destiny. We can no longer accept that our data, our infrastructure, and our strategic decisions depend on solutions whose rules, pricing, evolution, and risks we do not control. The transition is underway: our ministries, our operators, and our industrial partners are now embarking on an unprecedented initiative to map our dependencies and strengthen our digital sovereignty. Digital sovereignty is not optional.

This is not the first time that a European region has made such a decision. Last year, Denmark announced that it is ditching Windows and Office as well. Conversely, the German city of Munich decided to return to Microsoft's OS after spending a decade on Linux.

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Posted Sunday 12 April 2026 at 12:14 pm AEST (my time).

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Windows 8.1 was the last operating system to offer nearly full control over its update mechanism. Do not want updates? No worries, go to the Control Panel and turn them off. However, in 2015, things changed when Microsoft introduced Windows 10. Ever since, Windows updates have been essentially unavoidable for regular users, as long as they do not resort to radical methods.

Now, it is 2026, and things are changing once again.

Microsoft is finally giving users more control over Windows Update, a thing that many customers hate with burning passion. Soon, Windows 11 will let you pause Windows updates for "as long as you want," and the latest Windows 11 preview builds already have the right bits under the hood, offering a glimpse at what is coming.

@phantomofearth discovered the new Windows Update controls and shared the finding on X. Right now, Windows 11 lets you pause updates for up to five weeks, but in upcoming builds, the drop-down list will be replaced with a calendar control for you to specify when Windows Update should resume its operation.

Microsoft has already shared a lot about its plans to improve Windows 11 and address users' complaints, but the exact details about Windows Update remain unknown. Microsoft is not saying how long Windows 11 will let you pause updates or what will happen once your Windows version reaches the end of support. Microsoft has a tradition of force-updating users on outgoing Windows versions, so it will be interesting to see how the company proceeds with the new approach.

In addition to changing how Windows Update works, Microsoft is revamping the Insider program. This week, it announced major changes, including a new build structure, no controlled feature rollouts, easier channel switching, and more.

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Posted Sunday 12 April 2026 at 6:57 am AEST (my time).

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Microsoft Edge 147 is now publicly available in the Stable Channel. The latest four-week feature update landed as version 147.0.3912.60, bringing users various improvements, new features, security fixes, and policy updates.

Version 147 is not the biggest release yet, and you will not find many changes there. The most notable updates for regular users include Copilot integration in Immersive Reader. With it, Edge can summarize and explain pages and answer your questions. As of right now, Copilot in Immersive Reader is only available on Windows devices.

Edge 147 also clarifies cookie controls. Settings > Privacy > Cookies now has better descriptions of what users can do with third-party cookies. This change is rolling out gradually, so you may not see it right after installing Edge 147.

Another useful change in the latest update is the ability to create or remove desktop shortcuts for profiles. Like improved cookie controls, this toggle is also a controlled feature rollout.

Enterprise changes in Microsoft Edge 147 include cross-tenant support using Intune MAM, extension monitoring in the Edge management service (IT admins can see the installed extensions on managed devices), the ability to opt out of preview releases, expanded Microsoft Purview Information Protection support for Microsoft 365 Online, and more. There is also a single fix for a bug that causes Edge and WebView2 deployments via WSUS or MSI-based enterprise packages to fail to install with auto-update policy configuration disabled.

As for security fixes, there are two patches for Edge-specific vulnerabilities and a whopping 60 fixes for vulnerabilities originating from Chromium. Full release notes for Edge 147 are available here.

If you are still on Edge 146, you can update to the latest version by heading to edge://settings/help. You can also continue using the browser as is, and it will update itself automatically in the background.

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Posted Sunday 12 April 2026 at 6:54 am AEST (my time).

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Several well‑known security and privacy developers say Microsoft abruptly terminated their developer accounts, cutting off access to essential publishing and verification tools.

The affected projects include VeraCrypt, WireGuard, and Windscribe — names that Windows users rely on for encryption, networking, and privacy. Microsoft has acknowledged the actions but has not fully explained why these trusted developers were swept up in its enforcement process. The situation highlights ongoing tension between automated security controls and the realities of open‑source development. It also raises questions about how Microsoft plans to prevent similar disruptions in the future.

As a result of Microsoft's actions, users were susceptible to potential malicious attacks. WireGuard creator Jason Donenfeld explained to PCMag, "I cannot sign drivers, which means I cannot ship updates for WireGuard for Windows."

"Just Microsoft things...," said VeraCrypt's Mounir Idrassi on X, describing how he'd attempted to contact Microsoft through various channels, but his efforts had no real results, only automated replies and bot responses. "I was unable to reach a human," he added.

WindScribe was in the same situation, indicating that their Microsoft developer account was also suspended. "We've been trying to resolve this for over a month, and getting nowhere. Support is non-existent," Windscribe added. "Anyone know a human with a brain that still works at Microsoft and can help?"

But thanks to the social backlash — and, surprisingly, Epic Games CEO and founder Tim Sweeney — the issue was flagged to Microsoft's EVP for Windows and Devices, Pavan Davuluri, who said the company was working to resolve the issue. Davuluri claimed that Microsoft had also reached out VeraCrypt and WireGuard, promising to have their suspended accounts reinstated.

Ultimately, it appears Microsoft didn’t intentionally block any partner accounts. Instead, the company introduced mandatory account verification in the Windows Hardware Program for those who hadn’t completed the process since April 2024. The requirement took effect on October 16, 2025, giving partners 30 days to verify their identity with a government-issued ID, as Davuluri pointed out.

Scott Hanselman, VP and member of technical staff at Microsoft, addressed the issue on X, indicating that, "Hey, I love dumping on my company as much as the next guy, because Microsoft does some dumb stuff, but sometimes it's just check emails and verify your accounts."