Statcounter says that Windows 11 currently holds about 34.94%, which is a decrease of 0.64 points in one month. With Microsoft having only two supported Windows versions, a reduction in Windows 11's market share means only one thing: Windows 10 goes up. In November 2024, Windows 10 went up to 61.83%, 0.88 points up.

As for year-over-year growth, Windows 11 increased its market share from 26.63% in November 2023 to 34.94% in November 2024 (+8.31 points). In November 2023, Windows 10 was at 68.02%, and over last year, it lost 6.19 points.

Here is what the Windows market currently looks like:

1. Windows 10: 61.83% (+0.88 points)
2. Windows 11: 34.94% (-0.64 points)
3. Windows 7: 2.47% (-0.15 points)
4. Windows 8.1: 0.31% (no change)
5. Windows XP: 0.25% (-0.03 points)

You can learn how Statcounter gathers its data in the official FAQ section.

With Windows 10's end of support coming in slightly more than ten months, its market share of over 61% looks quite concerning. To speed up the migration to Windows 11, Microsoft is now targeting Windows 10 users with full-screen ads promoting various aspects of Windows 11 and Copilot+ PCs.

Microsoft understands that not everyone can upgrade right now, so it offers the option to pay $30 for one more year of security updates. And those who do not want to pay Microsoft can consider several other options that could save outdated Windows 10 from obsolescence or landfill. Another viable option is to update your unsupported computer to Windows 11, assuming you can deal with the operating system's quirks.

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The new app is called File Search Companion, and it is part of the Microsoft 365 Companion, which was spotted this month. Microsoft has not announced it yet, but you can download it and make it work with a work or school account (personal Microsoft accounts are not currently supported). While there is no official information about its capabilities, the built-in FAQ reveals some key features.

Here is how the app describes itself:

File Search Companon is an app that brings files right to your Windows taskbar. With one click, you can search for files without losing your context. Find files most relevant to your current work, recent and shared files, and more.

And here are some extra screenshots courtesy of EpicB On X:

The idea is that you can pin the app to the taskbar, and upon clicking its icon, you will see a small window with a search bar and some filters for quick navigation, such as Excel, PowerPoint, Word, Me, etc (sounds like Windows Search with extra steps). And yes, it is a WebView2 app, just like the People Companion app, which recently received a new icon.

Since we do not have any official word from Microsoft about the People Companion or File Search Companion apps, we have to wait for the company to announce more details. However, if you have a work or school account, you can try your luck by downloading the Microsoft 365 Companion app via this link (the FAQ section says it is ok to share the link to the application).

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Now, it appears that the platform is also facing additional criticism following its latest app update, which started rolling out recently. While the Bluesky app version 1.95 fixes a lot of bugs, there is a new feature that sorts replies by "Hotness." According to a post on the platform, the official handle posted, "With this release, you can now display replies by “hotness,” which weights liked replies that are more recent more heavily."

By default, post replies are prioritized as "Hot replies first," sorting replies that have received more recent likes, pushing them to the top of the list. Users can still choose among other sorting options, such as Oldest replies first, Newest replies first, Most-Liked first, and Random (aka "Poster's Roulette").

Despite offering flexibility, the "Hotness" has drawn significant backlash from a lot of Bluesky users, many of whom feel like it mimics features that they disliked on other platforms like X (Twitter). Some even argue that it should've been an opt-in feature rather than the default setting.

Many users have voiced their frustration, mentioning that the presence of such features drove them away from platforms like X (formerly Twitter) in the first place. Thankfully, Bluesky gives users the option to change this setting. For that, you need to head over to Settings > Content and Media > Thread Preferences and choose a different sorting option under Sort replies. The new Bluesky update is live for Android and iOS.

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Here is the changelog:

Added Features:

 

• Implemented support for the Appearance, Browser Behavior and Features page in WebUI2.
• Added a printer’s link row under System and Performance in WebUI2.
• Added a 'Set Home Button URL' link in the subtext of the Home Toolbar Button row in WebUI2.

 

Improved Behavior:

 

• Resolved a crash issue in Autofill Profile on Android.
• Resolved an issue when clicking the ‘Close All’ button in InPrivate caused browser to crash on iOS.
• Resolved an issue where browser would crash on iOS when switching the opened PDF tab more than four times.

 

Changed Behavior:

 

• Resolved an issue where group buttons did not adjust the foreground color for the active background in high contrast mode for vertical tabs.
• Resolved an issue where the dialog had a transparent background under Downloads in WebUI2.
• Resolved an issue where the ‘Pick a color’ option failed to display any colors when a theme was selected, or the browser was refreshed.
• Resolved an issue where theme colors needed adjustment in Tab center.

 

Android:

 

• Resolved an issue where the navigation bar appeared in landscape mode when scrolling on the NTP on Android.
• Resolved an issue where there was a UI mismatch on the Settings page for Android in the browser.

 

iOS:

 

• Resolved an issue where browser would freeze on iOS when using the camera without logging into the account on iOS.
• Resolved an issue where the address bar did not immediately appear on iOS after exiting Copilot.
• Resolved an issue where, after placing the search box at the top and clicking Copilot on the NTP, the composer did not immediately appear at the bottom on iOS.

You can download Microsoft Edge Dev from the official Edge Insider website.

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Google writes: "This extension is no longer available because it doesn't follow best practices for Chrome extensions."

The "add to Chrome" button is not displayed anymore for that extension. If it is installed, Google displays a "remove" button instead.

The message is displayed regardless of Chrome edition. In Chrome Canary, you may also notice that Google is removing uBlock Origin and other extensions automatically on start of the browser.

This is part of Google's plan to remove extensions that do not use the new extensions manifest willingly or unwillingly.

The only options that Chrome displays are to remove the extension, as it gets disabled only by Google, or to open the extensions manager in Chrome.

Google Chrome may list affected extensions under these extensions may soon no longer be supported or the recent "This extension was turned off because it's no longer supported" listing.

Tip: Google has added options to Chrome to extend support for a year. You can check out our guide on how to enable these, but note that this is only a temporary option.

uBlock Origin still available in other browsers

When you visit the uBlock Origin store page in another browser, you will notice that the extension is still available. If you use Brave, Vivaldi, Edge, or Opera, you will get the option to install it in that browser.

Google is preventing this in Chrome, likely by checking for the user agent of the browser. It does to to prevent he installation of the extension, and any other that is using the classic extension manifest, in Chrome.

Closing Words

If you are a Chrome user, you have several options to deal with this. You can enable the policy to extend support for uBlock Origin and other classic extensions until mid-2025.

Another option is to switch the browser. You could switch to a Chromium-based browser, Brave, Vivaldi, Opera, or Edge. You may need to enable the policy for these browsers as well. Only a few Chromium-based browsers will continue to support some or all classic extensions after 2025.

There is also Firefox. The open source browser does not depend on Google or Chromium. Mozilla confirmed that Firefox will support classic and new extensions going forward. Also, Raymond Hill, the developer of uBlock Origin, says that the extension works best in Firefox.

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The Windows Insider team is not the only one reducing its operations these days. Earlier, Microsoft announced that it would skip non-security updates for Windows 11 and 10 in December. Therefore, the November series of non-security updates was the final one in 2024. You can check their details here (Windows 11 version 24H2), here (Windows 11 version 23H2), and here (Windows 10 version 22H2).

However, unlike non-security updates, Windows Insider builds are expected to return after Thanksgiving, not in January 2025.

Despite the holiday season, Microsoft still managed to release the long-promised Recall before the end of 2024. The feature is currently available to Windows Insiders in the Dev Channel with the latest build. However, Recall only works on Copilot + PCs with Snapdragon processors. You can learn more about the Recall launch here. But if you plan to join the party with a compatible devices, beware of certain known bugs.

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Microsoft’s controversial Windows Recall feature is finally ready for testing, and I’ve been using it on my Surface Laptop 7 since the preview became available last week. My first impressions so far are surprisingly positive, given the many privacy and security concerns, along with delays that the feature originally had.

I’ve always been a believer in the Recall concept — that is, an app or service built into an operating system (OS) that essentially triages everything you do on your computer and makes it super easy to revisit at a later point. Recall is essentially a safety net, backing up everything you see and do in case it gets deleted or misplaced down the line.

It’s one of those features that doesn’t showcase its worth until you really need it. For example, the other day, I was writing some article content and decided that I no longer needed a few paragraphs. I deleted them and continued my day, only to realize later that I could have reused those paragraphs in another article.

Version 24.Q4 is now available for download. It contains several fixes for professional software like Autodesk Fusion 360, DaVinci Resolve, Ansys, and more. Here is the changelog:

• Intermittent application crash may be observed in Autodesk Fusion 360 while installing AMD Software: PRO Edition.
• Intermittent application crash may be observed in DaVinci Resolve after importing media on a timeline with RivaTuner Statistics Server running in the background.
• Failure to render models while using Leica Cyclone 3DR Viewer.
• Failure may be observed in Ansys when running sRGB Gamma Correction testing.

AMD also notes that version 24.Q4 is the final one to support Windows Server 2019. Future updates will require Windows Server 2022 and newer:

Support for Microsoft Windows Server 2019 will be discontinued after this release. We recommend users to upgrade to Microsoft Windows Server 2022 to continue receiving AMD Software: PRO Edition updates.

Unlike Nvidia's Studio Drivers, AMD Software: PRO Edition does not work on consumer cards. It is only compatible with the Radeon PRO W 7000 Series, Radeon PRO 6000 Series, Radeon PRO WX, Radeon Vega Frontier Edition, Radeon PRO Duo (Polaris), Radeon PRO VII, and certain Lenovo Mobile and HP laptops.

You can download AMD Software: PRO Edition 24.Q4 from the official website. Release notes are available on the same page.

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Thanksgiving in America is a mere two days away. I often use the holiday to multitask while the turkey is roasting.

One task for you is applying updates. I’m lowering the MS-DEFCON level to 4; other than my recommendation to avoid Windows 11 24H2 for now, patching should be safe.

Thanksgiving signals the approaching end of year. For both home and office, it’s a great time to reflect on the challenges of the past year and develop a technology plan for the upcoming year. In my case, I’ll be looking at retiring some devices that I no longer need or use, upgrading some existing equipment, replacing aging devices with new ones, and looking for simplifications wherever I can find them.

One of my holiday tasks is learning more about the technology issues that are bugging my family members and friends. You can do the same! Encourage them to share. What tech do they use? What do they like? What do they hate? What issues in tech annoy them the most? In the spirit of sharing, try to help them with your best advice.

I have a few thoughts about how you can best help.

Encourage openness to change

We all have a natural tendency to stick with what we know. But that brings up a problem that many deal with when a new device is acquired — trying to use really old software. Among the most common desires is to hang on to that ancient Office suite. Sure, it doesn’t have artificial intelligence built into it, but getting it to work with modern email servers is nearly impossible. I have personally had to move to various third-party email clients such as Thunderbird or eM Client  to find one that was not only pleasing to me but also supported and worked with the mail server.

Another problem I’ve noticed is that some folks apply updates but defer rebooting the system. Encourage your family and friends not to do that. Suggest to them that updates should be deferred until necessary or safe, but reboots should be done right after updating, even if the updates don’t force a reboot (many do). Even if you don’t use any of the BlockAPatch.com tools for Windows, encourage your friends and family members to defer updates and let them know when it’s safe to do so.

Recommendation for Android devices

Review the Android devices your friends and family use; discuss whether they should be replaced. Over time, they start to get slower, and some apps can stop working. Even so, they may be kept in service, even in a diminished state. Sometimes, you won’t notice that a device is no longer supported — until you discover that you haven’t received updates for a while, and some of your apps no longer work or have no further updates. So I’ll encourage you to review not only your own devices and phones, but those of your family and friends. Devices and phones are the computer you always have in your pocket. Especially for phones that are always connected to the Internet, always ensure that they are supported.

Support for Android devices depends very much upon the vendor that sold them. It’s often hard to determine what support is actually available. The best way to know is to get into the Settings app on the device to find the Android version number. Then search online to determine whether the device is still supported. Often, vendors will offer you a trade-in, even for unsupported devices. So if you have one of these barely working tablets or phones, review your options for upgrades and trade-ins.

Recommendation for Apple devices

Apple released its new devices this fall. But if you are like me, most of my Apple devices still work and are still fully supported. Whether you upgrade to iOS 18.1.1 or stay on 17.7.2 is entirely up to you. If you have an older phone that does not support Apple’s new AI, I see no compelling reason to upgrade.

Apple is urging those on Mac Sequoia to upgrade immediately to 15.1.1. There is a zero-day vulnerability under active attacks. As the company noted, “Processing maliciously crafted web content may lead to a cross site scripting attack. Apple is aware of a report that this issue may have been actively exploited on Intel-based Mac systems.”

These attacks are documented as CVE-2024-44308 and CVE-2024-44309, both of which were last updated on November 21.

Ensure you review websites and your actions until you install the update.

Recall

Last Friday, Microsoft posted to the Windows Insiders blog Previewing Recall with Click to Do on Copilot+ PCs with Windows Insiders in the Dev Channel. Here’s the opening:

Hello Windows Insiders, today we are releasing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.2415 (KB5046723) to the Dev Channel. With this update, we welcome Windows Insiders with Snapdragon-powered Copilot+ PCs to join the Dev Channel to try out Recall (Preview) with Click to Do (Preview).

The post is worth reading to get a sense of Microsoft’s plans. Note that the mention of both Recall and Click to Do are qualified by the word “Preview,” and that only those with a Copilot+ PC can participate.

Consumers

In an election year, politics often comes up once all the stuffing and gravy are gone. That can get nasty, but I have something even more divisive that you can discuss instead: Windows 10.

What do your guests plan to do when Windows reaches its “official” end of life next October? Will they stay on Windows 10? Will they pay for Microsoft’s Extended Security Updates (ESU) plan, or perhaps 0Patch? Or will they decide to repurpose the hardware by installing a Linux variant, such as Mint? Will their PCs run Windows 11, or are they looking for new hardware?

For those of us still on supported Windows 10 and 11 machines, I’m recommending that you update your Windows 10 22H2 with KB5046613, and Windows 11 23H2 with KB5046633. But I still do not recommend that you install 24H2. Even Microsoft is demonstrating that it’s still a work in progress. As noted by Microsoft regarding Windows gaming systems, “When you use an external USB digital audio converter (DAC) sound system, you might experience the sound level increasing to 100 percent.”

Microsoft is working on a fix. I’m not tracking any other major issues with Windows patches and recommend that you install them at this time.

If you’ve had issues with Microsoft Store applications such as Skype, be aware the problem is not with Windows update but rather with the WinAppSdk that inadvertently triggered the condition. As Microsoft noted, a fix is available in the preview update KB5046714 that you can install if you were impacted.

Microsoft is taking its annual break for the holidays and will be offering only security updates in December. It will not release preview updates and will return to its normal preview process in January. (Many Microsoft employees take several weeks off before the end of the year.)

Businesses

Although I urged you to be open to change, the key point is to be open to change on your schedule, not on Microsoft’s. Be aware that Microsoft is wanting to force a bit of change on Microsoft 365 Business plan users. If you have users who don’t use Outlook add-ins or don’t use automation, then Outlook (new) will be a change but will still work for their needs. But if you are like me and still use third-party Outlook add-ins from vendors such as Sperry Software, ensure you check with your vendors. In January, Microsoft will be pushing the new version of Outlook to all Microsoft 365 Business Standard or Business Premium customers.

If you do not want this new version of Outlook, you can proactively block it by inserting a registry key. I’ve documented this on the forum:

You can also download the registry key from this link. Microsoft indicates that it will also be providing group policy information at a later date.

If you are in the unlucky position of patching Exchange, the November updates for Exchange are still missing in action. Even if they are released in the near future, ensure you have a plan to uninstall updates — or have alternative transport methods to get email delivered.

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New features in Firefox 133.0 include the following:

• Firefox now has a new anti-tracking feature, Bounce Tracking Protection, which is now available in Enhanced Tracking Protection's "Strict" mode. This feature detects bounce trackers based on their redirect behavior and periodically purges their cookies and site data to block tracking.
• The sidebar to view tabs from other devices can now be opened via the Tab overview menu.

  

• GPU-accelerated Canvas2D is now enabled by default on Windows providing a performance improvement.

Here are other changes and fixes:

• The “Picture-in-Picture: auto-open on tab switch” feature from Firefox Labs now behaves more reliably across a wider range of sites, automatically opening relevant videos while ignoring others.
• When server time is available, the "expire" attribute value is adjusted by adding the difference between the server and local times. If the current time is set in the future, cookies that have not expired according to the server time are considered valid.

And here are developer-related changes:

• Firefox now supports the keepalive option in the Fetch API. This feature allows developers to make HTTP requests that can continue to run even after the page is unloaded, such as during page navigation or closing.
• Firefox now supports the Permissions API in Worker Context.
• Firefox now dispatches beforetoggle events just before a dialog opens and toggle events after the dialog closes, matching the behavior of popovers.
• Methods are now available on UInt8Array to convert to and from Base64 and hexadecimal encodings. This is an implementation of a Stage 3 TC39 proposal, for more details see the proposal text.
• Added support for image decoding as part of the WebCodecs API. This allows for decoding of images from the main and worker threads.

You can find the list of security fixes here, and Enterprise Release notes here.

If you already run Firefox, you can update to version 133 by heading to Menu > Help > About Firefox. The browser is available on its official website and in the Microsoft Store for Windows 10 and 11 users.

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The Task Manager app has long been one of the most essential tools in the operating system, offering a glimpse into the inner workings of your computer. On Windows 11, the tool has been reimagined with a modern design and new enhancements that make managing your computer a little easier.

However, even though you may already be familiar with Task Manager, the tool includes many useful features you have probably overlooked that can help you have better control of your system, such as Efficiency Mode, memory dump, drive monitoring, network details, firmware boot time information, wait chain analyzer, desktop widgets, always on top, and more.

In this how-to guide, I will share with you a collection of lesser-known tips to help you get even more from the Task Manager on Windows 11.

Collection of tips to make you more productive on Task Manager

Task Manager has undergone several enhancements, and it includes features that even advanced users may overlook. Here are some secrets and lesser-known tips:

1. Quick shortcut

Although you can open Task Manager from the Taskbar context menu, you can always use the "Ctrl + Shift + Esc" keyboard shortcut for even quicker access.

If you want to launch the tool from the Run command or Command Prompt, you can use the taskmgr command.

Light:

Dark:

The Windows 365 Link, a $349 "thin client" device, is not available to regular consumers. However, following the announcement, many Windows enthusiasts said they would like to see a Mac mini-like device from Microsoft with an ARM chip inside. Earlier this year, Qualcomm promised that we would see more PCs in various form factors with Snapdragon X processors inside, but the promise has not been delivered yet.

There are already multiple variants of the stock Windows 11 "Bloom" wallpaper. The Windows 365 service itself has two unique versions, and now, everyone can download two more straight from the Windows 365 Link device. If that is not enough, check out a couple of macOS Ventura-inspired variants, some dark and noisy backgrounds, several alternations from the Surface Pro 10 for Business, and the ones Microsoft ships with Copilot+ PCs.

Credit for the wallpaper discovery goes to @PhantomOfEarth on X.

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What you need to know

• Microsoft recently released a new Bing Wallpapers app into the Microsoft Store to give us, you guessed it, wallpapers from Bing.
• However, despite its description, it looks like Microsoft is doing more than just serving up wallpapers using the app.
• Bing Search, Bing Visual Search, and a 'helpful' reminder in your non-Microsoft Edge default browser are all 'features.'

Recently, Microsoft launched its Bing Wallpaper app into the Store, which, on the face of it, should be a pretty good thing. Bing serves up some of the best looking images on the web every day, and setting them as wallpapers is definitely something worth doing.

The app itself, however, seems to be concealing some shady tricks, with Microsoft trying its best to shovel its services on potentially unsuspecting users. It's described as:

"Bing Wallpaper includes a collection of beautiful images from around the world that have been featured on the Bing homepage. Not only will you see a new image on your desktop each day, but you can also browse images and learn where they're from."

However, Rafael Rivera (@withinrafael) has been poking around inside the app and found it's doing much more than that.

For those who may not be familiar, many SSDs come with a dedicated DRAM chip that acts as a buffer (cache) for metadata between the controller and the NAND flash memory. The presence of this DRAM cache improves write caching and generally reduces random access times. Those NVME SSDs that do not have the DRAM cache typically support the HMB technology which helps the controller access system memory via Direct Memory Access (DMA).

Meanwhile, RAID or Redundant Array of Independent Disks is a technology that allows users to combine multiple, typically inexpensive, disks such that data redundancy can be created to prevent data loss and/or improve performance.

Aside from new feature support, the new RAID driver also fixes a blue screen of death (BSOD) issue. The highlights of the release are given below:

• Installer supports Windows® 10 and Windows® 11.
• New version of AMD RAID driver (9.3.3.00117) and AMD RAIDxpert2 utility (9.3.3.00117).
• AMD RAID Driver Support added for Windows® 11 24H2.
• Driver fix for random BSOD.
• NVMe HMB support enabled in RAID Driver.
• If updating AMD RAID drivers, system must consecutively reboot twice for AMD RAID drivers to work properly. The RAID Software installer will automatically perform the two consecutive reboots

Despite the improvements, the driver does have several known Issues and limitations. They are:

• OS Installation may fail when OS is not installed on the first RAID array.
• RaidXpert2 Application does not launch when OS username contains a non-Latin character.
• Informed removal of drives (NVMe) while IO in-progress is not recommended.
• Informed removal of front bay NVMe may fail after array transformation.
• RAIDXpert2 application may freeze/become un-responsive after array transformation or on connecting back the removed NVMe.
• Raid installer takes almost 3-4 minutes to install the package.
• After the Raid package is installed in the first Admin user account, after first restart on logon to the nonadmin user account the second restart will not be performed. This scenario is observed only on Admin user accounts.

To download the new RAID installer package, head over to AMD's website at this link where you can also find the release notes. The driver works on both Ryzen 7000/9000 series CPUs, as well as Threadripper.

In terms of motherboard support, it is compatible with Socket AM5 chipsets 800 series (X870E/X870), 600 series (X670E/X670, B650E/B650, and A620). On the Threadripper side, WRX90/TRX50 are supported.

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The second option is Expanded Security Maintenance and it's available as part of the Ubuntu Pro subscription. While businesses with many machines will need to pay, individual users who want to enable ESM can do so on up to five machines by following the instructions on the Ubuntu Advantage website. Businesses also have the option to buy the Legacy Support add-on which extends support until April 2032.

It's important to note that Expanded Security Maintenance will stick to the stated expiration date and there won't be a repeat of what happened with Windows XP where support kept getting extended because businesses were not ready to upgrade. For this reason, customers who use Ubuntu should be looking to upgrade to the latest version as soon as possible.

In its statement, Canonical said:

"It is crucial to plan out your next steps. Running Ubuntu 20.04 without ESM would mean you no longer receive security updates after April 2025. Unpatched CVEs could expose your systems to security breaches.

 

For those in regulated industries like financial services, healthcare, or telecommunications, applying security patches on time is essential to meet compliance standards. If you’re using Ubuntu 20.04 LTS, it’s time to consider your next step: upgrade to the latest Ubuntu LTS or get ESM coverage through Ubuntu Pro until 2032."

Canonical provides instructions for upgrading Ubuntu Desktop and Ubuntu Server here and here, respectively. As the end-of-life deadline approaches (Q2 2024), we will likely hear from Canonical again urging people to upgrade.

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• Manage tags from the sidebar: You can right-click the tags section in the sidebar and select "Manage tags" to create, delete, or edit tags.
• Quick access to Storage Sense: Those frequently using Storage Sense will be glad to know that Files 3.8 makes it easier to access the feature. You can open Storage Sense from the Command Palette, assign a custom shortcut, or right-click a drive in the sidebar or home page.

  

• Alternate data streams: In addition to reading alternate data streams, Files 3.8 now lets you create alternate data streams. With this feature, you can add extra data to your files without changing their primary content. Creating alternate data streams is available from the context menu (turned off by default), Command Palette, or a keyboard shortcut.

  

• New actions: Files 3.8 contains new actions that can be accessed from the Command Palette or custom shortcuts. New actions include copying the path to the current folder, pasting items from the clipboard as shortcuts, and closing all tabs (Ctrl + Shift + W).
• Archive settings improvements: Custom settings for file compression are now stored across sessions.

  

Here is the rest of the changelog:

• Updated the privacy policy URL.
• Improved responsiveness of the cards in the drives widget.
• Fixed an issue where a WSL prompt would sometimes display on startup.
• Fixed an issue where canceling drag & drop cleared the selected items.
• Fixed an issue where bulk rename didn’t follow the sort order.
• Fixed the context menu placement on the home page.

You can download Files from the Microsoft Store via this link. The app is also available for free from the official website.

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These are what Microsoft refers to as Safe OS updates and they comprise of Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) updates as well as Setup files updates. The setup update has been released under KB5047134 as the company writes:

KB5047134: Setup Dynamic Update for Windows 11, version 24H2 and Server 2025: November 21, 2024

 

Summary

 

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

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

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

 

Content acquired includes:

 

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

 

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

These dynamic updates are not pushed through Windows Update and are only available for manual downloading from the Windows Update Catalog website. You can find it here: KB5047134. The support article for the same is available here on Microsoft's official website.

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If you use Windows 11, you know that despite having tabs, the operating system still opens a new File Explorer window every time you open a link instead of opening a new tab. This behavior is finally changing in Windows 11 build 22635.4515, with Microsoft allowing you to choose what happens when you click folder links. You can set File Explorer to open links in a new tab or keep the current behavior with a new window for each link.

The new tab option is currently turned off by default, but you can force-enable it in Windows 11 build 22635.4515 using the ViVeTool app:

1. Download ViveTool from GitHub and unpack the files in a convenient and easy-to-find folder.
2. Launch Command Prompt as Administrator and navigate to the folder containing the ViveTool files with the CD command. For example, if you have placed ViveTool in C:\Vive, type CD C:\Vive.
3. Type vivetool /enable /id:49143212,52081114,48433719 and press Enter.
4. Restart your computer.

Now, you can adjust how File Explorer handles new tabs in Folder Options > General > "Open desktop folders and external folder links in new tab."

Other File Explorer improvements in Windows 11 22635.4515 include the ability to toggle off the OneDrive backup notification in the address bar.

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Windows 11 build 22635.4515, which was released earlier this week, contains a hidden feature that lets you turn off OneDrive backup notifications. In addition to turning them off completely, which is what most users will probably do, Microsoft also allows snoozing them to get a reminder in one month.

With the latest Windows 11 Beta build, users can turn off the "Start backup" button in File Explorer by right-clicking (you can also tap and hold it) and selecting the necessary option from a context menu.

If you choose to turn off OneDrive backup notifications in File Explorer, the flashing icon will disappear, and a simple PC (root) icon will appear instead, like everywhere else. Snoozing a backup notification turns the large OneDrive button into a smaller one, which is a much less distracting option.

The ability to disable the "Start backup" button is currently hidden, but you can turn it off on Windows 11 build 22635.4515 using the ViVeTool app. Here is how to do it:

1. Download ViVeTool from GitHub and unpack the files in a convenient and easy-to-find folder.
2. Launch Command Prompt as administrator and navigate to the folder containing the ViVeTool files with the CD command. For example, if you have placed ViVeTool in C:\Vive, type CD C:\Vive.
3. Type vivetool /enable /id:47944061,48433719 and press Enter.
4. Restart your computer.

That is it. Now, you can open File Explorer and turn off OneDrive backup notifications.

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However, recently, Neowin noticed that the tech giant had acknowledged issues with printers on Windows on Arm, though there was no word about AMD or Intel PCs, even though various online user reports suggested that it was happening on x86 (AMD64) systems as well.

The problems may have had to do with eSCL, as Microsoft has finally confirmed today that the protocol is broken on Windows 11 24H2. As such, the feature update has been blocked on such systems. The issue, Microsoft explains, is a result of devices not switching USB mode from eSCL when needed, which is essentially causing a conflict. This follows the upgrade block imposed on PCs with certain Ubisoft games.

The tech giant writes:

After installing Windows 11, version 24H2, you might experience issues discovering USB connected devices that support the eSCL (eScanner Communication Language) scan protocol. You might observe that your device does not discover the USB connected peripheral and the device discovery does not complete. This issue primarily affects USB-connected multifunction devices or standalone scanners that support scan functionality and the eSCL protocol.

 

eSCL is a driverless scanning protocol designed for networked scanners. It enables driverless scanning over a network (Ethernet, Wi-Fi) and USB connections. This issue is caused due to the device not switching out of eSCL mode to USB mode, which allows the scanner drivers to be matched.

 

To safeguard your update experience, we have applied a compatibility hold on devices connected to a USB device that supports the eSCL scan protocol. These devices will not be offered to install Windows 11, version 24H2 via the Windows Update release channel. IT administrators using Windows Update for Business reports can check this issue using its safeguard ID: 54762729.

You can find the issue here on Microsoft's Windows health dashboard website.

For those who may not be familiar with eSCL or eScanner Communication Language, it is a specification developed by Mopria for driverless scanning. It is essentially the way Modern print or scans operate on Windows, which makes installing third-party drivers unnecessary.

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Today, Microsoft has confirmed that other Ubisoft titles like Assassin's Creed are also having similar issues. These problems have seemingly been happening since the newest Windows feature update dropped back in early October so it is good to see the companies are acknowledging the issues and are working on them.

As such, the upgrade has been blocked on such systems that have these titles. The Redmond giant explains:

After installing Windows 11, version 24H2, you might encounter issues with some Ubisoft games. These games might become unresponsive while starting, loading or during active gameplay. In some cases, users might receive a black screen. The affected games are:

 

• Assassin's Creed Valhalla
• Assassin's Creed Origins
• Assassin's Creed Odyssey
• Star Wars Outlaws
• Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora

 

To safeguard your Windows update experience, we have applied a compatibility hold on devices with these games installed. These devices will not be offered to install Windows 11, version 24H2 via the Windows Update release channel. IT administrators using Windows Update for Business reports can check these issues using the following safeguard IDs: 54437462 and 54580160.

Curiously, as you can see, the newest Assassin's Creed, Mirage, is not on the list. Sadly, neither Ubisoft nor Microsoft have a permanent fix in store at the moment. The latter has offered a workaround that involves using the trusty old Task Manager to terminate the game process:

Workaround: If the game stops responding to your commands and you cannot exit the game as usual, use Task Manager to close the application. Follow the steps below:

 

1. Open Task Manager. This can be accomplished by pressing Ctrl + Shift + Esc on your keyboard. Alternatively, you can right-click on the Start button and select Task Manager from the menu.
2. In the Task Manager window, look for your game in the Processes tab. It might be listed under the name of the game or the game launcher.
3. Click on the game’s name to highlight it. Then, click the End Task button at the bottom right of the window. This will close the game.

You can find the issue here on Microsoft's Windows Health dashboard site. Lastly, the company has recommended users not to force an update to Windows 11 24H2.

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Here is what is new:

• Intune policies in the Microsoft Edge management service. Admins now can set Intune policies via the Microsoft Edge management service, alongside the existing cloud policies. This ability lets admins deploy both browser policies in the cloud and Intune policies from a single pane, making it easy to keep users safe and the browser workflow streamlined. This feature comes along with a new policy creation wizard that streamlines the creation process into a comprehensive, step-by-step flow. Note: This experience is in public preview and can be accessed by opting in to targeted release in the Microsoft 365 admin center.
• Version monitoring in the Edge management service. The Edge management service offers a single view of all managed Edge instances with their update status and possible actions to take. For out-of-date devices, you can easily schedule updates or notify users to update their browsers to avoid workflow interruptions. Note: This experience is in public preview and can be accessed by opting in to targeted release in the Microsoft 365 admin center.
• Shopping Product Tracking. Track product prices easily with a new experience in the Edge Address Bar that appears on the product detail page. Users can track prices quickly and are notified when there's a price drop on that product and save more. Administrators can control the availability of Shopping in Edge using the EdgeShoppingAssistantEnabled policy. Note: This feature is a controlled feature rollout. If you don't see this feature, check back as we continue our rollout.
• Feature Usage Data Sync. Edge Sync, which enables users to synchronize their Edge user data across multiple devices, is now launching a new sync data category called Feature Usage. This new category allows users to synchronize data regarding their utilization of Edge features across all their devices. Note: This feature is a controlled feature rollout. If you don't see this feature, check back as we continue our rollout.
• New password manager policy. The DeletingUndecryptablePasswordsEnabled policy controls whether the built-in password manager can delete undecryptable passwords from its database. This policy is required to restore the full functionality of the built-in password manager, but it might cause permanent data loss. Undecryptable password values won't become decryptable on their own. If fixing them is possible, it usually requires complex user actions.
• PromotionalTabsEnabled policy deprecation. The PromotionalTabsEnabled policy is deprecated in Microsoft Edge version 132 and will be obsolete in a future Microsoft Edge version. Administrators can use the ShowRecommendationsEnabled policy instead.
• Allow enterprise users to view XFA PDFs using IE Mode. Enterprise customers can view XFA PDFs in Microsoft Edge using IE mode through either the ViewXFAPDFInIEModeAllowedOrigins or ViewXFAPDFInIEModeAllowedFileHash policy. This change will be available in the new PDF viewer on Microsoft Edge.

If you want to check out the list of fixes and small improvements, here are the release notes for the previous three Edge Dev updates that are also included in Edge 132 Beta:

• Dev Channel update to 132.0.2917.0
• Dev Channel update to 132.0.2931.1
• Dev Channel update to 132.0.2945.0

In addition to the changes mentioned above, Edge 132 contains quite a lot of policy changes and site compatibility improvements. You can find out the complete changelog in the official documentation. To download Edge 132 Beta for your computer, head to the Edge Insider website. The browser works on Windows, macOS, and Linux.

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The full changelog is given below:

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

Ability to seamlessly resume OneDrive files in 1-click from your phone to PC

 

We are gradually rolling out the ability to seamlessly resume working on OneDrive files from your phone (iOS and Android) on your Windows 11 PC with a single click. With this feature, you will get a notification asking you if you want to pick up where you left off editing a OneDrive file like a Word doc that you last viewed or edited on your phone within a 5-minute time window preceding unlocking your PC.

 

Upon clicking on this notification, the same file that you were viewing or editing previously on your phone will open in your default browser on your PC.

 

Here are some important details about how this feature works:

 

• This feature works only when signing into OneDrive with a Microsoft account. Work and school accounts are not supported. And you need to be using the same Microsoft account signing into OneDrive on your phone and signing into your Windows 11 PC.

• This feature supports Word docs, Excel spreadsheets, PowerPoint presentations, OneNote notebooks/pages, and PDFs.

• The OneDrive file must be opened on your phone when your PC is locked. If you then unlock your PC within 5 minutes of accessing the file on your phone, you will receive the resume notification as noted above.

• For the best experience using this feature, you should be logged into OneDrive in your default browser on your PC.
• Your PC should be on Build 22635.4515 and higher in the Beta Channel.

 

This feature can be managed and turned off via Settings > Apps > Resume.

 

FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Devices and Drivers -> Linked Phone.

Passwordless Improvements

As part of Microsoft’s commitment to a passwordless future, on Windows, we are launching API support for third-party passkey providers. Microsoft has been engaging with passkey manager partners on developing this capability. We are committed to bringing a passwordless future to all customers – together with third-party credential providers, we will raise the bar on login security with passkeys for all users on Windows.

 

WebAuthn Plugin Authenticator APIs

 

We are releasing updates to WebAuthn APIs to support a plugin authentication model for passkeys. In the coming months, Windows customers will be able to choose a third-party provider as an additional choice alongside the native Windows passkey provider while maintaining the Windows Hello user experience. Messages in WebAuthn flows will be forwarded to the plugin and responses are returned to the WebAuthn client applications. This enables plugins to create and authenticate with passkeys when requested by the customer. This model allows plugins to use Windows Hello as a user verification mechanism to enable a seamless passkey experience. You will notice additional user experience updates to the passkey flows and Settings alongside the new capabilities.

 

If you are a developer for third-party passkeys, we invite you to integrate with Windows 11 to support customers in their passkey journey. To find out more about implementation detail, go to https://aka.ms/3P-Plugin-API.

 

FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Security and Privacy > Passkey.

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

[Start menu]

 

• We are rolling out the ability to right-click and share local files under the Recommended section of the Start menu.

[Magnifier]

 

• We’re adding a new keyboard shortcut CTRL + ALT + Minus for Magnifier users to quickly toggle between the current zoom and 1X zoom.

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

[File Explorer]

 

• Fixed an issue where sometimes you would be unable to navigate by entering a path in the address bar.
• Fixed an issue where the File Explorer address bar was unexpectedly overlapping with content while in full screen (F11) view.
• Improved performance of context menu launch for people when right-clicking on cloud files.
• Made a change to help ensure thumbnails for cloud files are displayed more consistently in search results within File Explorer.
• Fixed an issue which was causing some explorer.exe crashes in the last couple flights, including when trying to create new folders in certain locations.

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

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Today, the company announced Microso Edge Game Assist—a dedicated browser for Windows 11's Game Bar with a "gaming-centric browsing experience."

Edge Game Assist is basically a fully-fledged browser that runs on top of your game like a widget, allowing you to browse the web without switching tasks. Moreover, Microsoft claims that Game Assist is context-aware, which means it can recognize the currently playing game and suggest relevant content. In the initial release, context-aware browsing is available in the English language with support for Baldur's Gate 3, Diablo IV, Fortnite, Hellblade II: Senua's Saga, League of Legends, Minecraft, Overwatch 2, Roblox, and Valorant. More games will be added in future updates.

Of course, all your browsing data from Microsoft Edge, such as favorites, cookies, quick access, and more, is available as well. You can pin Microsoft Edge Game Assist like any other Game Bar widget to keep useful information while playing the game so that you can have a guide, music player, chat, or video.

Microsoft Edge Game Assist is now available as a preview. You can try the new widget by installing Microsoft Edge Beta 132 on a Windows 11 PC (you can download Edge Beta from the official Edge Insider website). After that, open Game Bar and click the Microsoft Edge logo in the widget menu. Note that controller input, Compact Mode in Game Bar, and handheld support will arrive in future updates—only the keyboard and mouse are supported right now.

Also, the initial release has several known issues:

• The Game Assist widget is automatically closed after a period of inactivity. (Please share feedback about this!)
• Open tabs are restored when Game Assist is re-opened, but prior navigation history is not yet retained.
• You can’t right-click on links, images, or the page.
• Some keyboard shortcuts are not yet supported.

You can read more about Microsoft Edge Game Assist in the official blog post via this link.

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In the release notes for the just-released Windows 11 Dev build 26120.2415, Microsoft stated that Recall may still take snapshots (or screenshots) of filtered-out websites if they are open in Microsoft Edge Split Screen or the Sidebar:

Websites added as filters may be saved if the content is in split screen or side bar pane in Edge. This will be addressed in an update.

Microsoft said multiple times that Recall snapshots are stored locally and never leave your device (turning off Recall deletes all your snapshots with no way to recover them). They are also fully encrypted and inaccessible until you authenticate with Windows Hello. However, Microsoft understands that not everyone is comfortable with allowing Windows 11 to take a screenshot of literally everything that is on the screen, even if those screenshots do not go anywhere, hence the ability to exclude certain apps and websites.

If you are one such user but the temptation to try Recall is too high, maybe it is better to wait for a few updates before pulling the trigger. Microsoft says that the bug will be fixed in a future update (there are other known bugs, but this one is the most important). Alternatively, do not open stuff you do not want to have saved in Split View or Sidebar.

Recall is currently available only to Windows Insiders in the Dev Channel on Copilot+ PCs with Snapdragon X processors. AMD and Intel-powered Copilot+ PCs with the newest processors and NPUs will get Recall a bit later.

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