You can learn more about the launch of Recall in our dedicated article, while more details about Click to Do are available here. As for the rest of the build, besides Recall and Click to Do, it contains the following improvements:

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

 

• [Windows Hello] The revamped and modernized Windows Hello user experience that is rolling out to Windows Insiders in the Beta and Canary Channels will start rolling out to Insiders in the Dev Channel soon.
• [Narrator] We have added new functionalities to Narrator scan mode. Skip past links (N’) allows you to navigate to the text after a link. This is most helpful when navigating through long emails, news articles, and wiki pages. Jump to lists (L’) allows you to quickly access a list on a web page or a document. To try these new features, you need to turn on Narrator first (Win key + Ctrl + Enter), then turn scan mode ON by pressing Caps Lock + Spacebar and finally use the new shortcuts – ‘N’ and ‘L’. Please note that scan mode is ‘ON’ by default on most web pages (like news articles, wiki page, etc.).
• [Speech in Windows] We have improved our speech-to-text and text-to-speech experience on Windows. Users of Narrator, voice access, live captions, live translations, and voice typing might see a message asking them to update their language files manually. The language files will be released separately through Microsoft Store.

 

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

 

• [Taskbar & System Tray] Fixed an issue causing explorer.exe to crash sometimes when interacting with app icons in the taskbar in the latest flights.
• [Desktop] Fixed the issue where your desktop background may not show correctly sometimes with multiple monitors (showing big black areas).
• [File Explorer] Did some work so the search box in File Explorer shouldn’t draw off the end of the window anymore.
• [Input] Fixed an underlying issue in the last few flights that could cause Windows wheel devices to not scroll.
• [Narrator] Fixed an issue in the previous flight which caused Narrator to crash on launch if you used one of the natural voices (like Jenny).

There is also a list of known issues in Recall and Click to Do:

• You must have Secure Boot enabled for Recall to save snapshots. Ensure Secure Boot is enabled before trying out Recall. This support article will help you enable Secure Boot.
• Clicking links within Recall to submit feedback may experience a delay in loading the Feedback Hub application. Be patient and it will display.
• Recall can be enabled or disabled from “Turn Windows features on or off”. We are caching the Recall binaries on disk while we test add/remove. In a future update we will completely remove the binaries.
• Some users experience a delay before snapshots first appear in the timeline while using their device. If snapshots do not appear after 5 minutes, reboot your device. If saving snapshots is enabled, but you see snapshots are no longer being saved, reboot your device.
• Some users may see a message to “Make sure Recall is saving snapshots”, while the Settings page for Recall shows saving snapshots is enabled. Reboot your device to resolve this issue.
• 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.
• Make sure you update Microsoft 365 apps to the latest version so you can jump back into specific documents.
• Recall may not currently work with some accessibility applications.

You can find the announcement in the official Windows Blog.

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You might remember that when Microsoft announced Click to Do earlier this year, alongside the launch of Windows 11 version 24H2, it promised that the feature would be capable of analyzing anything on the screen, not just Recall snapshots. That functionality is coming in future updates with dedicated shortcuts, such as Win + Mouse click, Win + Q, Print Screen, and the Snipping Tool.

In its current form, Click to Do supports the following actions for text and images:

Microsoft says that future Click to Do updates will bring "more intelligent text actions to enhance your experience even further."

Keep in mind that Click to Do is only available for Copilot+ PCs with Snapdragon X processors. AMD and Intel-powered Copilot+ PCs will get Recall and Click to Do later.

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Windows Recall is currently available to insiders with Copilot+ PCs. To try the feature, you have to update your Snapdragon-powered computer to the just-released Windows 11 Dev build 26120.2415 preview. Once updated, Windows 11 will initialize the download of necessary components for Recall and Click To Do, another AI-powered feature Microsoft launched today.

To make sure all your data stays private and intact, Microsoft implemented several security measures and improvements. You will not be able to use Recall on non-Copilot+ PCs or without Windows Hello and Secure Boot. Recall will also ask you if you want to save snapshots of your work so that you can later retrace your steps back or search for something. You should also note that Recall will reserve a significant part of your system drive, which might become a problem on entry-level Copilot+ PCs.

Although Microsoft says that all snapshots remain local and never leave your system (Microsoft does not use them for AI training), some users will want to make sure Recall never captures certain apps or websites. You can specify those in the Settings app, and Microsoft even encourages users to share (anonymously) those apps and websites so it can improve Recall and its privacy protections. In addition, Microsoft promises that Recall won't capture passwords, credit card details, and other personal information.

Note that turning off Windows Hello or resetting your system will wipe all your snapshots for good. Microsoft will not be able to help you restore the data since it does not have access to it or keys for decryption. Speaking of which, Microsoft says a future update will make it possible to back up decryption keys.

As a Windows Insider, you should be prepared for changes in Recall that may delete your snapshots or force you to reset Recall. That is the nature of testing pre-release software on its road to the general public. Also, the current version has a few known bugs, which you can check out here.

Recall is currently available to Windows Insiders with Copilot+ PCs powered by Snapdragon X processors. It is coming soon to AMD and Intel-based Copilot+ PCs, but the exact date is unknown. Another important fact is that Recall currently only works with English, French, German, Japanese, Spanish, and Chinese languages.

Although Recall is turned off by default, Microsoft still allows uninstalling it. During the testing period, Recall's binaries will be cached on the system drive, but a future update will let users remove them completely.

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Here is the changelog:

Version 131.0.2903.63: November 21, 2024

 

• Fixed various bugs and performance issues.

 

Fixes

 

• Fixed an issue which prevented the "Delete browsing data" dialog window from closing after clicking the "Clear now" button.

Security patches in Microsoft Edge 131.0.2903.63 include one Edge-specific patch and two originating from Chromium:

• CVE-2024-49025 (Microsoft Edge-specific): Information Disclosure Vulnerability (moderate severity) that involves sending the target a specially crafted file and convincing it to open the file or visit the website containing the file.
• CVE-2024-11395 (Chromium): Type Confusion in V8 in Google Chrome prior to 131.0.6778.85 allowed a remote attacker to potentially exploit heap corruption via a crafted HTML page. (Chromium security severity: High)
• CVE-2024-49054 (Chromium): Spoofing vulnerability. An attacker could create a long URL for a download domain so that when Edge displays the entire URL, the main part of the domain gets cut off.

You can update Microsoft Edge to the latest version by heading to edge://settings/help or Menu > Help and Feedback > About Microsoft Edge.

In other Microsoft Edge news, a recent Chromium update broke text selection on many popular websites, forcing web developers to implement an emergency CSS fix in their website code. Also, during the Ignite 2024 conference, Microsoft announced several new features for its browser, such as a scareware blocker and secure password deployment. You can learn more about that here.

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Here is the changelog for the Surface Laptop 6:

• Enhances the overall security posture of the devices, protecting customers from potential threat.

• Improves the display experience by reducing the frequency of screen flickering.

• Addresses a performance issue with Citrix Workspace* application exhibiting sluggish behavior when interacting with a virtual desktop.

Here is the list of new drivers:

Here is the changelog for the Surface Laptop 5:

• Enhances the overall security posture of the devices, protecting customers from potential threat.
• Prevents unexpected failures or disruptions of audio streams by improving the stability and reliability of the audio system to enable uninterrupted audio playback and recording.
• Ensures seamless audio playback and recording, improves stability preventing audio failure and drop out.

Here are the new drivers for the Surface Laptop 5:

The latest firmware for the Surface Laptop 5 and 6 is available on all configurations with Windows 10 version 22H2 or Windows 11 22H2 and newer. You can download it from Windows Update or the official Surface Support website (here for the Surface Laptop 5 and here for the Surface Laptop 6).

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Microsoft has updated its official Windows Health Dashboard website with new details about the issue. According to the company, users can fix their stuck app updates by installing KB5046714, the latest non-security update for Windows 10 version 22H2:

Resolution: This issue was resolved by Windows updates released November 21, 2024 (KB5046714), and later. We recommend you install the latest update for your device as it contains important improvements and issue resolutions, including this one.

Although the bug was fixed in the November 2024 non-security updates, Microsoft stated that the problem was not related to any Windows update, be it non-security or Patch Tuesday release. The bug was caused by a WinAppSDK version 1.6.2, which was published on November 12, 2024, and then promptly pulled after user reports.

Non-security updates for Windows 10 and 11 usually go unnoticed by customers as they are not mandatory. However, sometimes, getting one is necessary to resolve a critical issue or receive an important feature update. This month, all the good stuff is available for Windows 11 users who received KB5046740 (Windows 11 version 24H2) and KB5046732 (Windows 11 versions 22H2 and 23H2). Some of the biggest additions include shortened date and time on the taskbar, new "Share" buttons for jump list items, fixes for File Explorers, and more.

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KB5046732 does not include security patches, which means it is not mandatory, and you can skip it.

Here are the changes that are rolling out gradually:

• [Settings] New! Tailored Experiences is now Personalized offers in the out of box experience (OOBE). You can find it on the Recommendations and offers page. Go to Settings > Privacy & security. Here, you can turn off the setting that sends data about your device to enhance Windows.
• [Taskbar]
  • New! The system tray shows a shortened date and time. Also, the notification bell icon might not show if you have set the toggle for “Do not disturb” to on. If the bell icon does not show, click the date and time to view your messages in the notification center. To go back to the long form of the date and time, go to Settings > Date and Time. Then turn on the toggle for “Show time and day in the system tray.” To show the bell icon, go to Settings > System > Notifications. Turn on the toggle for “Notifications.” You can also get to these settings using the context menu. Just right click the system tray clock or bell icon.
• Fixed: When you choose "Automatically hide the taskbar," the search box shows as an icon, not as a search box.
• [Input Method Editor (IME)] New! After you install this update, the IME toolbar will hide when apps are in full screen mode. This only occurs when the IME toolbar is active and you type Chinese or Japanese characters.
• [Start menu] New! When you right-click apps that you have pinned to the Start menu, jump lists will appear for apps that have jump lists.
• [File Explorer]
  • New! You canshare content to an Android device from the context menu in File Explorer and on the desktop. To use this feature, you must install and configure Phone Link on your PC.
  • Fixed: There might be more space than you expect between the items listed in the left pane.
  • Fixed: The search box is cut off when the File Explorer window is small.
• [Touchscreen] New! This update adds a new section for touchscreen edge gestures. Go to Settings > Bluetooth & Devices > Touch. There, you can choose if you would like to turn off the left or right screen edge touch gesture.
• [Mouse] New! This update adds the option to turn off enhanced mouse pointer precision to Settings > Bluetooth & Devices > Mouse. There is also a new option to change the direction in which the mouse scrolls.
• [Dynamic Lighting Settings page]
  • New! Its page will show a placeholder message when there is no compatible device attached to your computer. Also, the Brightness and Effects controls will be off.
  • New! This update adds the Forward, Backward, Outward, and Inward direction options to the Wave effect. The Gradient effect now has the Forward direction option.
• [Jump lists] New! If you hold Shift and CTRL and click a jump list item, this opens the item as an admin.

"Normal rollout" changes (those that are available right away for all) include these two:

• [Bluetooth LE Audio] Fixed: Some devices, like hearing aids, do not stream Bluetooth audio.
• [Mouse and game bar] Fixed: Your mouse might unlock from the game window. This occurs when you have multiple monitors and open and close the game bar.

And here are the rest of the improvements and fixes in KB5046732:

Gradual rollout:

 

[IFilters] New! Windows Search runs IFilters in Less Privileged App Containers (LPAC). LPACs are like app containers, but they deny more permissions by default. A process that runs in an LPAC only has access to the resources it needs. The process does not have access to sensitive system components and data. This reduces the potential damage that a compromised process can cause.

 

[Task Manager]

 

• New! The Disconnect and Logoff dialogs now support dark mode and text scaling.
• New! The Performance section now shows the type for each disk.

 

Normal rollout:

 

• [Motherboard replacement] Fixed: Windows does not activate after you replace a motherboard.
• [Country and Operator Settings Asset (COSA)] Fixed: This update brings profiles up to date for certain mobile operators.
• [Internet Printing Protocol (IPP) printer] Fixed: Windows stops responding when you use an IPP USB printer.

As usual, you can download KB5046732 for Windows 11 23H2 from Windows Update or the Microsoft Update Catalog. As a reminder, Windows 10 and 11 will not receive optional updates in December due to minimal operations during the holiday season. Look out for the next non-security update (or don't) in January 2025.

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Here are the features that Microsoft is rolling out gradually in KB5046740:

• [Settings] New! Tailored Experiences is now Personalized offers in the out of box experience (OOBE). You can find it on the Recommendations and offers page. Go to Settings > Privacy & security. Here, you can turn off the setting that sends data about your device to enhance Windows.
• [Taskbar]
  • New! The system tray shows a shortened date and time. Also, the notification bell icon might not show if you have set the toggle for “Do not disturb” to on. If the bell icon does not show, click the date and time to view your messages in the notification center. To go back to the long form of the date and time, go to Settings > Date and Time. Then turn on the toggle for “Show time and day in the system tray.” To show the bell icon, go to Settings > System > Notifications. Turn on the toggle for “Notifications.” You can also get to these settings using the context menu. Just right click the system tray clock or bell icon.
  • Fixed: When you choose "Automatically hide the taskbar," the search box shows as an icon, not as a search box.
• [Start menu] New! When you right-click apps that you have pinned to the Start menu, jump lists will appear for apps that have jump lists.
• [Touchscreen] New! This update adds a new section for touchscreen edge gestures. Go to Settings > Bluetooth & Devices > Touch. There, you can choose if you would like to turn off the left or right screen edge touch gesture.
• [Input Method Editor (IME)] New! After you install this update, the IME toolbar will hide when apps are in full screen mode. This only occurs when the IME toolbar is active and you type Chinese or Japanese characters.

 

[File Explorer]

 

• New! You can share content to an Android device from the context menu in File Explorer and on the desktop. To use this feature, you must install and configure Phone Link on your PC.
• Fixed: There might be more space than you expect between the items listed in the left pane.
• Fixed: The search box is cut off when the File Explorer window is small.
• [Dynamic Lighting Settings page]
  • New! Its page will show a placeholder message when there is no compatible device attached to your computer. Also, the Brightness and Effects controls will be off.
  • New! This update adds the Forward, Backward, Outward, and Inward direction options to the Wave effect. The Gradient effect now has the Forward direction option.
• [Jump lists] New! If you hold Shift and CTRL and click a jump list item, this opens the item as an admin.
• [Speech in Windows] New! This update improves the speech-to-text and text-to-speech features in Windows. You might get a message that asks you to update your language files manually. You can get those files from Microsoft Store. This change affects those of you who use Narrator, voice access, live captions, live translations, and voice typing.
• [Display]
  • Fixed: App windows might collect in the corner of a monitor after your device goes to sleep. This occurs when you use multiple monitors.
  • Fixed: Mica material might not display correctly. This occurs when you use a slideshow background.
  • Fixed: Some secondary displays might experience lag and screen tearing when a window is in full screen.
• [Mouse] Fixed: When you use the "Show location of pointer when I press the CTRL key," the circles might be tiny on some displays.
• [Clipboard] Fixed: Clipboard history (Windows logo key plus sign (+) V) might show no content. This issue occurs even though it is on, and you have copied text and images.

And here are the changes that are rolling out to everyone:

• [Mouse and game bar] Fixed: Your mouse might unlock from the game window. This occurs when you have multiple monitors and open and close the game bar.

KB5046740 also includes a few more technical changes and improvements. Here are the ones that are rolling out gradually:

• [Task Manager]
  • New! The Disconnect and Logoff dialogs now support dark mode and text scaling.
  • New! The Performance section now shows the type for each disk.
• [IFilters] New! Windows Search runs IFilters in Less Privileged App Containers (LPAC). LPACs are like app containers, but they deny more permissions by default. A process that runs in an LPAC only has access to the resources it needs. The process does not have access to sensitive system components and data. This reduces the potential damage that a compromised process can cause.
• [DISM] Fixed: The StartComponentCleanup task does not work properly. It stops at 71% and shows error 6842.
• [PowerShell] Fixed: The Get-WindowsCapability command sometimes fails. Then you have to restart your PC.
• [Windows Update] Fixed: When you install an update, you might get error 0x800f0905.
• [JPG files] Fixed: You cannot use an API to find rotation information.

And here is the rest:

• [HTML Applications (HTA)] Fixed: HTA optional components (OC) are now in ARM64 Windows PE.
• [Task Manager] Fixed: The Users page might cause Task Manager to stop responding when you use the keyboard.
• [Graphics Device Interface Plus (GDI+)]
  • Fixed: You cannot get the properties of image files using GDI+.
  • Fixed: Scaling is wrong when you re-encode images in GDI+.
• [RAW format images] Fixed: They show in the wrong orientation.
• [Exporting chart objects] Fixed: An app stops responding when it exports chart objects in PDF and XLSX formats.
• [Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL)] Fixed: It stops working and will not start up.

Known issues in Windows 11 24H2 build 26100.2454 are unchanged, and they only include the inability to play Roblox from the Microsoft Store on ARM devices:

You can update KB5046740 from Windows Update. Alternatively, get its offline install package from the Microsoft Update Catalog here.

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KB5046714, with build number 19045.5198, includes the following fixes and improvements:

• [App list backup] Fixed: Win32 shortcuts might not back up to the cloud.
• [Copy cloud files] Fixed: When you drag and drop files from a cloud files provider folder, it might result in a move instead of a copy.
• [Motherboard replacement] Fixed: Windows does not activate after you replace a motherboard.
• [Country and Operator Settings Asset (COSA)] Fixed: This update brings profiles up to date for certain mobile operators.
• [Internet Printing Protocol (IPP) printer] Fixed: Windows stops responding when you use an IPP USB printer.

Microsoft says it is not aware of any known issues in KB5046714. However, beware of a bug that breaks updates for packaged applications (it is not directly related to a certain Windows Update).

You can download KB5046714 for Windows 10 version 22H2 from Windows Update or the Microsoft Update Catalog via this link. Note that there will be no December 2024 non-security updates for Windows 10 and 11 as Microsoft will reduce its operations during the holiday season. Come back in late January 2025 for another one.

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Unlike other known issues in Windows 10 and 11, the latest bug is not related to a certain Windows update or security patch. Microsoft says that the problem hides within the WinAppSDK 1.6.2 package, which was published on November 12, 2024. As a result, when users attempt to update a packaged program that relies on WinAppSDK, the Microsoft Store throws the "Something happened on our end" error.

IT admins who manage packaged apps with PowerShell are getting the following:

If you are an IT administrator trying to manage packaged apps through PowerShell using ‘Get-AppxPackage’ command you might observe the error ‘Deployment failed with HRESULT: 0x80073CFA’, ‘Please contact your software vendor. (Exception from HRESULT: 0x80073CFA’) in PowerShell.

The bug affects all sorts of apps. Microsoft Teams and other first and third-party applications currently cannot update on Windows 10 due to the WinAppSDK bug. Microsoft says it is working on fixing the problem via a Windows update or other methods, and a patch should be available in a few days. Meanwhile, IT admins can check out GitHub for some PowerShell instructions to fix affected devices and stuck applications.

It is also worth noting that Windows 11 is immune to the problem. According to Microsoft, only Windows 10 version 22H2 is affected, so users with newer Windows releases should not have any issues with updating or uninstalling packaged applications. Win32 applications are also unaffected both on Windows 10 and 11.

This is the second time Windows 10 users are having problems with apps. At the beginning of November, Microsoft notified users that certain apps won't start after installing KB5043131. Microsoft resolved the problem in KB5046613, which was released on November 12, 2024.

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We are rebalancing ranking to prioritize content from people you follow, which will mean less recommended content from accounts you don’t follow and more posts from the accounts you do starting today. For you creators out there, you should see unconnected reach go down and connected reach go up. This is definitely a work in progress – balancing the ability to reach followers and overall engagement is tricky – thanks for your patience and keep the feedback coming.

This move is likely in response to common complaints about the platform. Since its launch, Threads has mixed posts from followed accounts with random suggestions, leaving users wishing for more control over their feeds.

Threads has grown rapidly, especially as discontent with X (formerly Twitter) has risen. It now boasts over 175 million monthly active users, many of whom migrated after controversies surrounding Elon Musk’s management of X. Concerns about content moderation and misinformation have driven users toward Meta’s alternative, which markets itself as more “sanely run.”

However, Threads isn’t without its issues. Critics point out the lack of chronological feeds and the absence of meaningful monetization tools for creators. Others worry about Meta's history of aggressive data collection, as Threads integrates heavily with Instagram and Facebook user data.

This algorithm adjustment may ease some frustrations, especially for creators who felt their posts weren’t reaching the right audiences. Mosseri’s acknowledgment that balancing engagement and user satisfaction is tough suggests more updates are on the way. However, whether Threads can hold on to its new users or face the same burnout seen in other platforms remains to be seen.

For now, Threads is carving out its niche in a post-Twitter world, making tweaks that could help it stick around longer. If you’re on the platform, expect to see more familiar faces in your feed starting today.

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• This update introduces support for new processors on Windows like the Snapdragon X Elite, so you don't need to twist your ARM into emulating x86 anymore.
• We also fixed a bug that broke the dark theme in Signal when your operating system settings were configured to use a light theme. Signal Desktop can now properly handle your thematically split personality.

Windows on ARM has been a bit of a wild ride since its introduction. Initially, the experience was plagued with compatibility issues, as many apps and drivers weren't optimized for ARM64. Microsoft and Qualcomm partnered back in 2016 to push ARM support forward, but until recently, many users had to rely on emulation for most applications. Windows 11 has made strides to smooth out these kinks, and now we're seeing more apps (like Signal) step up with native support.

The Snapdragon X Elite, Qualcomm’s latest ARM-based processor, powers many of these devices. Built to rival Apple’s M-series chips, it delivers incredible power efficiency and performance. Devices like the Surface Pro X (equipped with SQ1 or SQ2 chips, also built on ARM tech) have been at the forefront of this shift. However, they struggled in the past due to app and performance limitations. Signal's update reflects broader progress, with more developers optimizing for ARM systems.

Signal joining the ARM-native app crowd shows how the ecosystem is finally maturing. Other apps, like Zoom, Google Drive Beta, Microsoft Teams, and Adobe Photoshop, already support Windows on ARM natively. This wave of updates signals (pun intended) a future where ARM devices can better compete with traditional x86 laptops, offering longer battery life and quieter, cooler operation.

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Here is what is new:

Modernized Windows Hello

 

At Microsoft, we are committed to security and enhancing user experiences. As part of this commitment, we launched enhanced passkey features in September 2023 and are now revamping the Windows Hello user experience. This represents a significant update to Windows Hello, aligning it with contemporary Windows visual design standards. The primary focus is on making authentication intuitive and seamless.

 

Modernized Windows Hello Visual Communication: The updated Windows Hello visuals are designed to facilitate fast and clear communication and appear on the Windows Sign-in screen as well as other authentication flows such as passkey, Microsoft Store and many more.

 

Revamped Windows Hello credential user experience for passkeys and the new administrator protection experience: We redesigned Windows security credential user experiences for passkey creating a cleaner experience that supports secured and quick authentication. Users will now be able to switch between authentication options and select passkey/devices more intuitively.

 

This experience will also apply for the new administrator protection feature coming to Windows 11, version 24H2 and higher and currently in preview with Windows Insiders in the most recent Canary Channel builds. For more information on administrator protection – you can check out this blog post that highlights our investments in adminlesss experiences in Windows from Microsoft Ignite.

 

Changes and Improvements

 

[General]

 

• If you hold Shift and CTRL when clicking on a jump list item in Start menu or taskbar, this will now launch that item as admin, just like if you were to do Shift + CTRL and click the app icon itself. For example, if you right-click on Windows Terminal, and hold Shift and CTRL when you click PowerShell, it would open a PowerShell window as admin.

 

[Taskbar & System Tray]

 

• We’ve updated the previews that show when you mouse-over/hover over apps on the taskbar. We have also improved the animations for when these previews show on the taskbar based on Insider feedback.

  

• We are trying out a more simplified system tray to highlight the date/time in a shortened form and to show the notifications bell icon based on DND status. Without the notification bell icon, you can get to your notifications by clicking the date and time to Notification Center. You can revert to the long form of the date/time and bell icon visuals by toggling the values in the Settings via Settings > Date and Time under “Show time and day in the system tray” and Settings > System > Notifications under “Notifications”. These settings are also accessible through the context menu shown by right clicking the system tray clock/bell icon button.

  

Fixes

 

[General]

 

• Fixed the issue with applying policy for the Digital Markets Act in EEA regions in Build 27749.
• Fixed an issue where an update failing and rolling back could potentially result in a duplicate Windows entry in the boot menu.

 

[File Explorer]

 

• Fixed an underlying issue which was causing RAW images taken in portrait mode to unexpectedly display in landscape mode thumbnails.
• Did some work so the search box in File Explorer shouldn’t draw off the end of the window anymore.

 

[Taskbar & System Tray]

 

• Fixed an issue on secondary monitors for left aligned taskbar users, where the widgets text in the taskbar might overlap the date and time.

 

[Input]

 

• Fixed an underlying issue which could cause the mouse to unlock from a game window on a system with multiple monitors after opening and closing Game Bar, so you couldn’t use it within the game.

 

[Other]

 

• Fixed an underlying issue causing some apps used for remoting into other PCs to crash in the latest Canary builds.
• Fixed an issue causing some Insiders to see bugchecks with SYSTEM THREAD EXCEPTION NOT HANDLED in the latest Canary builds.
• Fixed an issue where sfc /scannow was unexpectedly showing errors every time it was run.
• Fixed an underlying issue which could lead to Registry Editor going unresponsive if you pressed Alt after clicking on the license information in the About section.

The list of known issues includes the following:

[General]

 

• [IMPORTANT NOTE FOR COPILOT+ PCs] If you are joining the Canary Channel on a new Copilot+ PC from the Dev Channel, Release Preview Channel or retail, you will lose Windows Hello pin and biometrics to sign into your PC with error 0xd0000225 and error message “Something went wrong, and your PIN isn’t available”. You should be able to re-create your PIN by clicking “Set up my PIN”.
• We’re investigating reports that some Insiders are still experiencing rollbacks (with error code 0xc190010) when attempting to install the latest Canary builds.
• [NEW] We’re investigating reports that accent colored window borders are not displaying when enabled, and shadows aren’t displaying when enabled.
• [NEW] We’re investigating reports that people are seeing window launching (and other) animations even though the setting to show animations is turned off.

 

[Desktop]

 

• We’re working on the fix for an issue where your desktop background may not show correctly sometimes with multiple monitors (showing big black areas).

You can find the complete changelog in the official Windows Insider blog.

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You will experience the issue if your system matches one or several of the following criteria:

• You use the Creative Sound BlasterX G6 USB digital audio converter (DAC).

• Your gaming system runs Windows 11, version 24H2.

• You manually make your gaming system go to sleep and then you manually wake the system from sleep.

• You attach and then immediately detach the external sound system from your Windows gaming system.

• You adjust the volume of the external sound system and then immediately detach the external sound system from your Windows gaming system.

Microsoft also adds that affected systems do not show any additional error messages or notifications. The only way to know the bug exists is to experience 100% audio volume when you do not expect it.

According to the support document, the bug happens due to a "timing problem" in AudioEndPointBuilder, a Windows service introduced in Windows Vista. It is responsible for enumerating, initializing, and activating audio endpoints. More information about the service is available in the official Windows documentation.

Microsoft is currently investigating the problem. The company promises to release more information once it is available. Other ongoing issues in Windows 11 include the temporary removal of certain Windows widgets, the inability to adjust the time zone in the Settings app, blue screens on ASUS systems, and more. Microsoft is busy working on those, and some of the previous known bugs have already been resolved, resulting in more people being able to update their systems to the latest Windows 11 release.

Image background: stux on Pixabay

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According to new reports, the company increased the amount of full-screen ads on Windows 10 systems to notify users about the imminent death of the operating system. Interestingly, none of those banners mentions the Extended Security Update program, which, this time, allows regular customers to continue receiving security updates for one more year for a small fee of $30 (enterprise and education customers can use the program for up to three years). Instead, the company is focused on the different benefits of updating to Windows 11.

For example, ARS spotted an ad promoting Windows 11's gaming features, with none mentioned particularly. Microsoft only uses vague descriptions like "the tech that enables expansive worlds to load in less time," "higher frame rates," and "more vivid colors." Of course, there is no apparent "No, thank you button:" you can either press "Learn more" or tell the ad to appear later. Classic.

Some users received an ad focusing on Windows Backup and how it can help migrate files from Windows 10 to a new computer with Windows 11, while others were targeted with Copilot+ PC promos, making users who cannot afford a new PC slightly annoyed.

Besides not mentioning the Extended Security Update program, those ads do not say anything about actually updating existing and eligible hardware to Windows 11, so it feels like the only goal is to force users to buy new computers, even though many of them are perfectly fine with what they have. These ads are nothing new. In fact, the first sightings were reported as early as April 2024. The only change appears to be Microsoft increasing the rollout scope.

While there is absolutely nothing wrong with letting users know that the OS they are using is about to reach the end of support (the last thing everyone wants to have is having hundreds of millions of PCs running an OS with no security updates), can Microsoft for the sake of everything good make those notifications less confusing and be more transparent? Apparently, that is too much to ask these days.

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The latest version of Chrome (Version 131.0.6778.86) has addressed an issue in the browser that broke the ability to highlight text on some websites over the weekend, Google’s Scott Westover confirmed to The Verge in an email.

 

We tested the change, and found that we were able to highlight text within stories on sites like Bloomberg and The Verge, and in the post composer on X, both in updated Windows and Mac versions of Chrome. It’s not clear whether the change applies to other Chromium-based browsers, such as Arc, which continues to be affected in our testing.

 

Westover says the update has gone out to all users. To see the change, you’ll need to restart Chrome; if text highlighting still isn’t working, you can check the Chrome version number in the app’s “About” menu.

 

Here’s text highlighting working on our story from yesterday about the issue:

 

Text highlighting working inside Chrome on our original story about the issue.

Screenshot: The Verge

 

The issue, which cropped up with the Chrome 131 update last week, was related to the way the selection styling tool Tailwind CSS implemented text highlighting. Users affected by it could still select text, there was just no visual indication you’d done it.

 

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Rafael Rivera (@WithinRafael) took a dive into the guts of Bing Wallpaper and discovered quite a lot of interesting things, let's put it this way.

The app's description in the Microsoft Store does not say much. It only promises "a collection of beautiful images from around the world" that refreshes your wallpaper every day. Sounds nice. Under the hood, though, hides quite a lot of predatory practices. Besides "tapping" into your browser's cookies (Edge, Firefox, and, of course, Chrome) and having a free web geolocation API, this thing installs Bing Visual Search and upsells Microsoft's search engine right from the get-go.

There's more.

Bing Wallpaper will also try to change your browser settings, conveniently "recommending" search that "gives back time and money" for those using Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, and, somewhat surprisingly, Internet Explorer. And it would not be a Microsoft product without it trying to set Microsoft Edge as the default browser with "different browser settings:"

Bing Wallpaper recommends making Microsoft Edge your default browser

 

World-class performance when browsing. Fast and secure search results with Bing. Tap into trending news and intelligent answers. Built-in tools to find deals while shopping online.

There is even more.

If your default browser is not Microsoft Edge, your new wallpaper app at some point will launch the default browser (just like Edge trying to poach Chrome users, again) and open a new tab with a quite surprising statement that "you've already installed Microsoft Bing Search extension" (nothing in the app's description says about that) and all that is left to do is turn it on in the extension settings. Yikes!

The good thing is that you do not have to use this hostile adware. There are plenty of great (and free) wallpaper apps for Windows 10 and 11. Dynamic Theme will let you have your Bing wallpapers without hijacking your browser or extensions (it also looks great with Windows 11-like UI); WinDynamicWallpaper can change wallpapers based on the time of the day; and Lively Wallpaper, a 2023 Microsoft Store App Awards winner, lets you have animated and interactive wallpapers. Just to name a few.

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The changelog says:

Improvements and fixes

 

This security update includes quality improvements. Below is a summary of the key issues that this update addresses when you install this KB. If there are new features, it lists them as well. The bold text within the brackets indicates the item or area of the change we are documenting.

 

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

Hotpatching, as the name suggests, means that the update does not require any system reboot, nor does it need any user intervention and they are applied immediately. However, Microsoft assures no comprise in the level of security provided. Thus it will be installed automatically via the Windows Update. It explains:

Hotpatch technology already has a proven, two-year record for Windows Server. Expanding hotpatching to Windows 11 Enterprise, version 24H2 client devices offers numerous benefits:

 

• Devices receive the same level of security patching as the standard monthly security updates released on Patch Tuesday.
• Hotpatch updates take effect immediately and don’t require user attention.
• Users maintain productivity and security without the need for a device restart.

This is not the only major change to the way updates are delivered on Windows 11 24H2 and Server 2025. The company also launched checkpoint cumulative updates earlier this year which are meant to reduce update sizes and thus the required download bandwidth and storage footprint.

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Here is the changelog for Windows Terminal 1.21.3231.0:

Changes:

 

• We've adjusted the drag-and-drop path translator to detect WSL's new distribution profiles.
• Terminal will now no longer generate WSL profiles when it can detect that WSL is going to do it.

 

Bug Fixes:

 

• Terminal will no longer permanently forget auto-detected profiles that temporarily disappear.
• The Czech translation of "Open in Terminal" should once again make sense.

 

Accessibility:

 

• High Contrast Mode once again works in the Command Palette and Settings UI.

And here is what is new in Windows Terminal 1.22.3232.0:

Changes:

 

• The built-in Box Drawing glyphs now look better on 100%-scale displays, and we've improved the ones with rounded corners.
• We've adjusted the drag-and-drop path translator to detect WSL's new distribution profiles.
• Terminal will now no longer generate WSL profiles when it can detect that WSL is going to do it.

 

Accessibility:

 

• You can now access "move tab left", "... right" and "... to new window" by right-clicking the tab.

 

Bug Fixes:

 

• Terminal will no longer permanently forget auto-detected profiles that temporarily disappear.
• The Czech translation of "Open in Terminal" should once again make sense.

 

Accessibility:

 

• High Contrast Mode once again works in the Command Palette and Settings UI.

Windows Terminal is the default command line utility in Windows 11. While it receives updates via Windows Updates (Windows Terminal Stable is available here and Windows Terminal Preview here), you can also get the latest release from Terminal's GitHub repository via this link.

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The removed widgets include the Calendar and To Do. Additionally, it also notes that in some regions, Photos, Microsoft 365 Feed, and Family widgets have also been removed. It writes:

In our ongoing efforts to improve the Widgets Board, the Calendar and To Do widgets have been removed from the Widgets collection in the Microsoft Store for now. Note: In some regions, Photos, Family and Microsoft 365 Feed widgets were also removed.

 

While we work on bringing them back, check out the other Widgets available in the Microsoft Store for alternatives.

The company has already published a banner notification in a support document that notifies us of the unavailability of certain widget features. Microsoft notes that such features may not be there yet as the features are being gradually rolled out:

Note: If you have the latest version of Windows but still don’t see all widgets features below, it may be because some features are being rolled out to customers over several weeks and aren't available to all customers at once.

For those who may have missed it, Microsoft announced improved Widgets for Windows 11 24H2 back in August with KB5041865 preview update, which means it is now a part of the Stable release for all users (both Copilot+ and non-Copilot+).

Overall, it looks like a step in the right direction, as many users are not happy with how they are. For example, long-time Neowin reader MrElectrifyer commented recently on the topic, saying how they feel the widgets UI on Apple's macOS is much better than what we have on Windows.

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Also, Microsoft removed some parts of the app and experimental features, such as the introductory page, Dev Diagnostics, Quickstart Playground, and quiet background process.

Here is the complete changelog:

Changes:

 

• File Explorer source control integration now supports repositories in WSL.
• WinAppSDK has been updated to version 1.5.
• You can now unassign the version control from a selected repository in the File Explorer source integration page.
• The Introducing Dev Home page has been removed.
• The functionality to continue restoring your device after OOBE has been removed.
• Dev Diagnostics, an experimental feature, has been removed.
• Quickstart playground, an experimental feature, has been removed.
• Quiet background processes, an experimental feature, has been removed.
• Group Policy (GPO) has been added with an overall toggle to disable Dev Home.
• The GitHub extension is no longer automatically installed on first run.

 

Bug fixes:

 

• Installing WSL distros through Dev Home should no longer time out.

• Dev Drive insights better handles moving package caches.

• Environments should now better handle when multiple accounts are logged in.

   

Accessibility fixes:

 

• Narrator should now properly announce all of the content in the File Explorer source integration page.

• The Learn more links on the app install page should no longer get cut off.

• The keyboard should no longer lose focus after opening and closing a File Explorer window from Dev Home.

You can download Dev Home 0.19 from its GitHub repository or winget (winget install --id MIcrosoft.DevHome -e). Dev Home works on all Windows 11 versions and Windows 10 version 22H2 (build 19045 and newer).

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Here is the changelog:

Gaming Highlights:

 

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

 

• Flight Simulator 2024
• S.T.A.L.K.E.R 2: Heart of Chornobyl

The driver does not contain any fixes or additional performance improvements, which means the list of known bugs is the same as before:

Intel Arc A-Series Graphics Products:

 

• Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 (DX12) may exhibit darker than expected shadows in certain campaign scenarios.
• Doom Eternal (VK) may exhibit intermittent flickering corruption in the game menu and during gameplay.
• Topaz Video AI may experience errors when exporting videos after using some models for video enhancements.
• Blackmagic Design DaVinci Resolve Studio may experience lower than expected performance.
• Topaz Gigapixel AI may experience intermittent crash while exporting images.

 

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

 

• SPECworkstation3.1 may exhibit system instability while running certain workloads.
• PugetBench for Davinci Resolve Studio V19 may experience errors intermittently with benchmark preset set to Extended.
• Davinci Resolve Studio v19.0 may experience errors while rendering OpenVino test scenarios.

 

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

 

• Adobe Premiere Pro may exhibit corruption in the output video after performing 8K AV1 Encode.
• Star Wars Outlaws (DX12) may experience sporadic crash during gameplay.
• Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 (DX12) may exhibit texture corruption on water surfaces.

Intel 32.0.101.6299 non-WHQL is available on PCs with 64-bit Windows 10 and Windows 11 with the following graphics products from Intel:

You can download Intel 32.0.101.6299 non-WHQL from the official website here. Full release notes are available here (PDF).

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Here is the official changelog:

With the latest upgradeable graphics driver release, we have added performance enhancements for Stable Diffusion 1.5 and Qualcomm AI Hub models on the Qualcomm Adreno GPU via DirectML. Developers can also now run models like Stable Diffusion 1.5, Stable Diffusion Turbo, Segment Anything, Whisper, MobileNet, and ResNet directly in their web browser through WebNN.

Creativity apps

 

Users of creativity titles on devices powered by Snapdragon X Series will enjoy improvements like these:

 

• Fixes for DaVinci Fusion corruption
• Fix for Adobe After Effects crash

 

Game enablement and fixes

 

You’ll find support for new games and fixes for existing games in titles such as these:

 

• Baldur’s Gate
• Strange Brigade
• Black Myth: Wukong Benchmark Tool
• Ark Survival Ascended
• Dying Light2

 

Game performance

 

Several titles now run better because of improvements like higher frames per second:

 

• God of War
• Hogwarts Legacy
• Diablo 4
• Grand Theft Auto V (GTAV)
• Forge of Empires
• World War Z

Users with registered Qualcomm accounts can download the latest GPU driver from the official website here. Microsoft will most likely include version 31.0.82.0 in the next Surface firmware update for the Surface Pro 11 and the Surface Laptop 7.

You can check out full release notes for Qualcomm Snapdragon X GPU driver 31.0.82.0 here.

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Chromium 131 implemented a change to how text selection behavior works, which resulted in many websites that use Tailwind, a CSS framework, experiencing issues with highlighting and copying text. Technically speaking, it is still possible to copy something; you will just not see what exactly you are copying. Google detailed inheritance changes for CSS selection styling over a month ago, but many websites were still caught off-guard by the Chromium 131 release. Customers report problems with text selection on websites like The Verge, Bloomberg, X, and more.

Tailwind CSS creator Adam Wathan recently posted on his X a workaround that web devs should implement to fix broken text highlights. Fixing involves enabling one flag in the tailwind.config.js file or updating Tailwind to version 3.4.15:

Adam also said in a comment under a GitHub issue that enabling the flag in the config file is the easiest and immediate solution to the problem since updating Tailwind might require more time to test everything. You can read a more detailed explanation of the issue here. If you are not a web developer and just a frustrated user trying to copy something from a website, the best thing to do is to wait or temporarily switch to Firefox or Safari. Hold tight while developers fix their websites!

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What you need to know

• Microsoft announced several security features at Ignite 2024.
• The tech giant introduced the Windows Resiliency Initiative during the conference, which focuses on strengthening security through enhanced admin privilege controls, improved identity protection, and learning from recent incidents, such as the CrowdStrike disaster that occurred this past July.
• Quick Machine Recovery, one of the key features announced, allows IT admins to execute targeted fixes from Windows Update remotely even if a PC is unable to boot.

Windows has been around in some format for almost four decades and has become ubiquitous in professional environments. With billions of PCs running Windows, systems running the operating system are often the target of attacks. Microsoft invests a massive amount of time and money to help secure systems and provide tools that IT admins can utilize to protect data and devices. During Microsoft's Ignite 2024 conference, the tech giant outlined its efforts to secure Windows 11, explained why systems should be upgraded to the latest version of Windows, and shared details about new security features that are on the way.

The online portion of Microsoft Ignite 2024 runs from November 19 to November 21, so there will be a lot of discussion about Windows, security, and new features that are on the way. However, Microsoft shared summaries and details about the most important updates that will be discussed at the conference.

Quick machine recovery

The headline security feature announced at Ignite 2024 is Quick Machine Recovery. The feature allows IT admins to execute targeted fixes from Windows Update remotely, even if a PC is unable to boot. Remote access is the key, as it reduces the time required to fix bricked PCs.

Many of the new security features announced and highlighted at Ignite 2024, including Quick Machine Recovery, stem from lessons learned from the CrowdStrike incident this past July. Earlier this year, an issue caused one of the largest outages in history, affecting airlines, TV broadcasters, retail spaces, 911 operators, and several other industries. The IT outage was considered catastrophic. Because the Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) appeared on systems, Microsoft received a massive amount of criticism following the incident, even though the issues were not Microsoft's fault, at least directly. Security features such as Quick Machine Recovery should help resolve similar issues in the future, though I'm sure Microsoft would prefer to never see another CrowdStrike-level event.

Quick Machine Recovery will enter testing among Windows Insiders in early 2025.

Admin privileges