It also is the first Windows 11 version 24H2 build, and interestingly, it looks like Microsoft is making a fairly major change in terms of CPU instruction set architecture (ISA) support on next-gen Windows 11. The company is seemingly looking to make the SSE4's "POPCNT" instruction a mandatory requirement for running Windows 11. When a user tried to boot into Windows 11 24H2 on a system powered by such a chip, the machine failed to boot up.

Hence, it looks like users running such old processors would no longer be able to bypass Windows 11 24H2 system requirements. However, that does not mean bypass will not work on other more modern CPUs that are not on the list of supported chips. An unofficial WinPE (Windows Preinstallation Environment) tool based on build 26052 has already confirmed it will work.

While the first 24H2 build already showed that things are about to change for such users who are running really old PCs, the one after, released yesterday, is adding another change which further seems to confirm the need for the POPCNT CPU instruction.

When trying to install Windows 11 build 26058, the Setup file apparently throws up a message that says "This PC's processor doesn't support a critical feature (PopCnt)", as noticed by Twitter (now X) user Bob Pony:

This error is similar to when a Windows setup, in the past, would check if NX bit (Never eXecute), PAE (Physical Address Extension) were enabled or not, or if the SSE2 instruction was present, failing which the upgrade would be blocked.

Thankfully, there were ways to work around those blocks but it remains to be seen what happens this time. Hence, something like the Intel Core 2 Quad, like the one in the screenshot above, which is perfectly capable quite capable of running a basic Windows 11 PC, would be left unserviced.

Google of course has this entire situation on its radar which is why it wants owners of unsupported PCs to dump Windows 10 and 11 and switch over to its ChromeOS Flex.

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Microsoft Edge 121.0.2277.128 is now available for download in the Stable Channel with a single fix for the data import feature. Here are the official release notes:

Version 121.0.2277.128: February 15, 2024

 

Fixed various bugs and performance issues.

 

Fixes

 

• Edge has a feature that provides an option to import browser data on each launch from other browsers with user consent. This feature’s state might not have been syncing and displaying correctly across multiple devices. This is fixed.

 

Policy updates

 

• EdgeManagementPolicyOverridesPlatformPolicy - For Microsoft Edge version 121.0.2277 and later, this policy will control all device policies.
• EdgeManagementUserPolicyOverridesCloudMachinePolicy - For Microsoft Edge version 121.0.2277 and later, this policy will control all per user profile policies.

Oddly, the release of version 121.0.2277.128 coincides with the recent reports about Microsoft Edge stealing data from other browsers without permission. Many users have been complaining about Edge copying open tabs, favorites, and other data and then launching itself with that information for no reason. Despite the wide coverage, Microsoft never acknowledged this problem, so there is no official information on whether the latest update has something to do with data theft.

Microsoft Edge updates itself automatically in the background, so you can continue to use it as is. If you want to force-install the latest update, go to Menu > Help and Feedback > About Microsoft Edge or edge://settings/help.

In case you missed it, Microsoft recently announced some under-the-hood changes for Microsoft Edge on Apple Silicon Macs, resulting in up to 20% performance increase in several browser benchmarks.

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This release seems to be the final preview version of "Moment 5" the next feature update for Windows 11 that reportedly will be officially released late in February. Here's the changelog:

• New! The Copilot in Windows icon now appears on the right side of the system tray on the taskbar. Also, the display of Show desktop at the rightmost corner of the taskbar will be off by default. To turn it on, go to Settings > Personalization > Taskbar. You can also right-click the taskbar and choose Taskbar settings.
• New! The Phone Link settings page has a new name: Mobile devices. Go to Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Mobile devices.
• New! You can now use the Snipping Tool on your PC to edit the most recent photos and screenshots from your Android device. You will get an instant notification on your PC when your Android device captures a new photo or screenshot. To turn this on, go to Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Mobile devices. Choose Manage devices and allow your PC to access your Android device.
• This update affects games you install on a secondary drive. Now, they remain installed on the drive.
• This update addresses an issue that affects Notepad. It does not open for the standard user account. This occurs when you use Command Prompt to open it based on file type association.
• This update addresses an issue that affects 8 Zip archives. It stops you from opening them by double-clicking them in File Explorer.
• This update addresses an issue that affects a machine that is used as a remote desktop session host. You get stop error RDR_FILE_SYSTEM (0x27). This occurs when you start up all users from the machine.
• This update addresses an issue that affects Microsoft Edge. The UI is wrong for Internet Options Data Settings.
• This update addresses an issue that affects Steps Recorder. Some of the UI and steps are not localized to Chinese.
• This update addresses an issue that affects long-edge fed printers. The alignment of stapling or hole punch locations is wrong.
• This update addresses an issue that affects an embedded SIM (eSIM) profile. When you delete it, you do not get a notification.
• This update addresses an issue that affects the Windows Settings Home page. It randomly stops responding when you go to the page.
• This update addresses an issue that affects networking. A device fails to make the automatic switch from cellular to Wi-Fi when it can use Wi-Fi.
• This update addresses an issue that affects Remote Desktop Web Authentication. You might not be able to connect to sovereign cloud endpoints.
• This update addresses an issue that makes the troubleshooting process fail. This occurs when you use the Get Help app.
• This update addresses an issue that affects the Certificate Authority snap-in. You cannot select the “Delta CRL” option. This stops you from using the GUI to publish Delta CRLs.
• This update addresses an issue that stops a system from going to sleep. This occurs when you connect an external device to the system.

In addition to the new Release Preview builds for Windows 11, Microsoft is also releasing the February Windows Configuration Update under KB5035349. Insiders who have their toggle turned on to get the latest updates immediately will also get this configuration update alongside the Release Preview builds. This update has quite a few new features as well:

• Voice access is available in additional languages: French (France, Canada), German, and Spanish (Spain, Mexico).
• You can now use all voice access features on multiple displays.
• Voice shortcuts or custom commands in voice access.
• You can now listen to a preview of the ten natural voices in Narrator before you download them.
• You can now use voice access to open applications, dictate text, and interact with elements on the screen. You can also use your voice to command Narrator.
• The Windows share window will use the account you use to sign in for apps that are in “Share using.” For example, if you use a Microsoft account (MSA) to sign in, you will see Microsoft Teams (free). When you use a Microsoft Entra ID account (formerly Azure Active Directory) to sign in, your Microsoft Teams (work or school) contacts show instead.
• The Windows share window now supports sharing with WhatsApp in the “Share using” section. If you do not have WhatsApp installed, you can install it from the Windows share window.
• You can use quick settings or the Settings app to turn on Nearby Share. If you do and Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are off, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth will turn on to make Nearby Share work as you expect. If you turn off Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, Nearby Share turns off as well.
• You can now give your device a more friendly name to identify it when sharing. Go to Settings > System > Nearby sharing. There, you can rename your device.
• We have improved Nearby Share transfer speed for users on the same network. Before, users had to be on the same private network. Now, users must be on the same public or private network.
• The Cast flyout menu in quick settings gives you more help to find nearby displays, fix connections, and more.
• We are adding suggestions to Snap Layouts. They help you to instantly snap multiple app windows together.
• Improvements for Windows 365 Boot and Windows 365 Switch.

You can check out the full blog post here.

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The company does not want you to give up its MSN newsfeed, so it is working on a new toggle that lets you quickly switch from widget-only to widget + news mode. The new button will sit on the left side of the widget board alongside the settings button.

As for more practical changes, look out for a new notification center in Windows 11. The operating system already has one for app notifications, and Microsoft thinks Windows Widgets deserve their own place for keeping track of all the alerts you receive throughout the day. Those notifications can include critical weather alerts for your location, stock notifications, and breaking news.

Microsoft is gradually rolling out the updated widgets experience, and it wants to hear your feedback about it. If your Windows 11 build 26058 does not have the latest widget improvements, here is how to force-enable them 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 or elevated Windows Terminal in Command Prompt mode.
3. 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.
4. Type vivetool /enable /id:47370305,48064775 and press Enter.
5. Restart your computer.

If you would like your taskbar not to distract you with notifications and messages, you can always turn them off in Windows Widgets settings. Open the widget board and go to Settings > Notifications.

Credit for the IDs goes to @PhantomOfEarth on X.

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The new build, 19045.4116 (KB5034843), brings in new features like Desktop Spotlight, improved Windows Share, fixes a secondary drive issue in games, Microsoft Edge UI, Remote Desktop Web Authentication (WebAuthn), and more.

The full changelog is given below:

This update includes the following features and improvements:

 

• New! This update adds Desktop Spotlight to your desktop background. Just one click or tap of the icon on your desktop takes you to Bing, where you can explore the world one picture at a time.
• New! Using Windows share, you can now directly share URLs to apps like WhatsApp, Gmail, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Sharing to X (formerly Twitter) is coming soon.
• This update addresses an issue that affects Azure Virtual Desktop sessions. There are delays when you sign in.
• This update affects games you install on a secondary drive. Now, they remain installed on the drive.
• This update addresses an issue that affects Windows Hello for Business. You cannot use it to authenticate to Microsoft Entra ID on certain apps. This occurs when you use Web Access Management (WAM).
• This update addresses an issue that affects Microsoft Edge. The UI is wrong for Internet Options Data Settings.
• This update addresses an issue that affects the Japanese Input Method Editor (IME). It fails to work for custom desktops.
• This update addresses an issue that affects Remote Desktop Web Authentication. You might not be able to connect to sovereign cloud endpoints.

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

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MSI Afterburner has been updated to version 4.6.6 with a few notable changes, such as voltage control for the Radeon RX 7800XT, support for future Nvidia graphics cards, Unicode UTF-8, and various bug fixes. More importantly, it now uses VC++ 2022 compiler, which renders the app unable to run on Windows XP.

With that said, it is not the end of the world for Windows XP users. They can still use previous MSI Afterburner versions to overclock and monitor their GeForce FX 5900, ATI Radeon 9000, and other true-to-era graphics cards.

As for Riva Tuner Statistics Server, its latest update packs "more than 90 compatibility enhancements, changes and new features, including programmable conditional layers support, PresentMon, and Nvidia Relex."

Here is the complete changelog for Version 4.6.6:

• Ported to VC++ 2022 compiler. Please take a note that due to this change MSI Afterburner will no longer be able to start under Windows XP. Please stay on the previous versions of the product if you need this OS support
• Please take a note that size of mandatory VC++ 2022 runtime redistributables roughly doubled comparing to the previously used VC++ 2008 redistributables, and we’d like to avoid providing overblown application distributive, drastically increased in size due to bundling newer and much heavier VC++ redistributables with it. To deal with this issue we provide our own original tiny web installer for VC++ redistributables, which allowed decreasing the size of final application distributive drastically even comparing to the previous VC++ 2008 based version. Please take a note that install time can be increased slightly due to downloading VC++ 2022 runtimes redistributables on the fly during installation. If you install MSI Afterburner offline, you can always deploy required VC++ 2022 distributives later with web installer by launching .\Redist\VCRedistDeploy.bat
• Added voltage control support for AMD RADEON RX 7800XT series graphics cards
• Added some future NVIDIA GPU PCI DeviceIDs to hardware database
• Now MSI Afterburner reinitializes skin scaling engine on DPI scaling change events to prevent cases when GUI looks cut off in some cases (e.g. after switching between display resolutions with different DPI scaling settings)
• Fixed instances enumeration for some performance counters with no localized names (e.g. GPU related Windows performance counters) in PerfCounter.dll plugin
• Added experimental support for "Beta : Use Unicode UTF-8 for global language support" option enabled in administrative regional OS settings. Now each localization description file contains additional "Codepage" field, defining runtime ANSI to UTF8 conversion rule for selected language pack
• Seriously revamped German and Ukrainian localizations
• RivaTuner Statistics Server has been upgraded to v7.3.5

You can download MSI Afterburner from Guru3D and the official MSI website.

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The announcement was quietly published on the official Microsoft Support website. The company says that the reason behind the decision was to "focus on new benefits" and "provide customers with the tools they need to achieve what matters." However, no tools for you if you are a Microsoft Publisher user. The company will kill the software in less than two years.

According to the support document, most of the Publisher features for creating professionally branded templates, envelops, and label printing are already available in other Microsoft 365 applications. Therefore, you can use Word or PowerPoint as a replacement for the outgoing app. Microsoft also promises to share more as it is "exploring modern ways to achieve common Publisher scenarios" in Word, PowerPoint, and Designer.

Existing Publisher users can continue working with the app until October 2026. In that month, Microsoft will end Office 2021 LTSC support, including Publisher. As for Microsoft 365 users, the company will remove Publisher from their systems once it reaches the end of life.

In October 2026, Microsoft Publisher will reach its end of life. After that time, it will no longer be included in Microsoft 365 and existing on-premises suites will no longer be supported. Until then, support for Publisher will continue and users can expect the same experience as today.

Microsoft decided to announce the end of Publisher in advance so that users could prepare for it and have enough time to plan their migration to other tools, either inside the Microsoft 365 ecosystem or from third parties.

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It's all too common for beloved pieces of software to vanish into obscurity never to be seen again, and that holds up when we talk about Microsoft. So it's all the more exciting when something we used to love makes a return in better shape than ever. That is the case of PowerToys, a set of tools aimed at Windows power users that initially existed in the mid-90s through the late aughts. After vanishing for a few generations Microsoft revived PowerToys in 2019, and it's been going strong ever since.

What is PowerToys?

A huge set of tools and utilities

The current iteration of PowerToys offers a ton of features to help you make the most of your Windows 10 or Windows 11 PC. From advanced window management to a faster search and run tool, plus things like a screen ruler, there's a lot to love here for any user wanting to get things done faster on their PC.

At writing time, there are 24 utilities included in PowerToys, but more will likely be added in the future. Highlights include FancyZones, Mouse utilities, and PowerToys Run, but there's quite a bit more to dive into.

How to download PowerToys

What you need to get started

While it's developed by Microsoft, PowerToys is not included with any version of Windows out of the box, at least not for now. However, you can download it easily using one of the following options:

• Download the latest release from the GitHub page
• Download it from the Microsoft Store (though it's still hosted on separate servers)
• Type the following command in Windows Terminal:

  winget install Microsoft.PowerToys

The basics of using PowerToys

Once you've installed PowerToys, you can launch it from the Start menu, and the main window gives you access to settings for the entire suite of tools included. The main page is the Dashboard, which lets you enable or disable any of the built-in tools depending on your needs. Not everyone will need all of these tools, so you can reduce complexity by disabling things you don't plan on using.

Over on the General section, you can do things like check for updates and manage other basic settings.

Below these two pages, you have all the tools included in PowerToys with their respective settings, which we'll dive into further below.

The shortcut panel

Before we get into the individual tools, however, it's worth mentioning the Shortcuts panel, too. PowerToys launches with Windows by default, and you'll see it in the system tray area. If you click the PowerToys icon here, you can quickly launch the most relevant PowerToys modules, such as FancyZones and PowerToys Run. This is a convenient way to run these modules if you don't want to memorize the keyboard shortcuts for each module.

PowerToys modules

As we've mentioned, PowerToys currently includes 24 modules to help boost your productivity and make it easier to use your PC. Here's a rundown of everything you can use to improve your Windows experience.

Always on Top

This PowerToys module has a fairly easy to understand name. Always on Top allows you to force a specific window to always be pinned on top of all other windows on your PC. This can be very useful for certain apps that you may need to use frequently but that don't offer an "always on top" option by default.

A good example is the Calculator app, which does have an always on top mode built-in, but it only works for the standard calculator. If you want to use the scientific calculator or currency converter in always on top mode, this PowerToys module lets you do just that. Once the module is enabled, all you need to do is press Windows + Ctrl + T (though you can customize the shortcut) when your desired app is open, and it will be pinned on top of all other apps.

Always on Top also offers options to add a border around pinned windows, which is fully customizable.

Awake

Awake is a fairly simple module that allows you to keep your PC awake for as long as you want to. Of course, you can do this by managing the power settings on your PC, but Awake is a good one-time solution. You can set a specific length for your PC to stay awake or choose to keep it awake indefinitely.

This can come in handy when certain active tasks may fail to keep your device awake, potentially resulting in errors when the computer goes to sleep. It also offers more detailed timer settings compared to the built-in Windows settings, which is always a plus.

Color picker

Have you ever wanted to select a specific color from your screen to share with someone, or used a program that doesn't have a color picker? That's what Color Picker is for, and it's very useful in these specific situations. When enabled, you can press Windows + Shift + C to launch the color picker and choose any color from your screen.

Once you select a color, an editor will open showing that color's identifiers as an Hex code, RGB, or HSL values. You can also see related shades of the same color if you want to work with something similar, and you can select them right there to use in another app.

Command not found

Command not found is a relatively simple module, but one that can be pretty handy if you use PowerShell a lot. It's a script for PowerShell 7 (not Windows PowerShell) that kicks in when you try to use an unrecognized command, and it suggests apps you may want to install from winget (or Windows Package Manager) that may be able to run that command. If you've recently switched computers and you're missing an app you're used to, this can remind you to install it. It requires a bit more setup than usual, though, since you need to install the module separately, plus one or two dependencies.

Crop and lock

Always on Top is a useful tool, but what if you don't want the entire app window to be pinned over others? Well, Crop and Lock is for you. This tool allows you to crop a portion of one of your open windows and pin it on top of all other windows.

If you just want to keep an eye on a portion of an app, you can press Windows + Ctrl + Shift + T to create a static overlay of the app you want to view. However, if you want to interact with the app directly from the cropped window, you can use the Windows + Ctrl + Shift + R command instead. This will make it impossible to use the main window until you close the cropped window, though.

Environment variables

This is another relatively simple, but very useful tool if you want to change some of the deeper settings in Windows. This module gives you a modern and fast way to access the environment variables set up on your Windows PC, with the ability to add more for both the system and user profiles. It's nothing you can't do in other ways, but this is a faster way to get there, and it looks much nicer than the environment variables manager in Windows itself.

FancyZones

FancyZones is arguably one of the best and most useful tools in PowerToys, especially if you have a big screen. FancyZones is an elevated form of window management, and it lets you create custom layouts for how you want your apps to be laid out in a split screen. You can have as many zones as you want for your apps, and split them in a variety of ways. You can also save multiple layouts to use in different scenarios, so you're not limited to one preset.

In addition to the deep customization, FancyZones also makes it easier than ever to slot apps into your desired slots. Simply press Shift on your keyboard and drag a window into the area you want it in, and it will automatically resize to fit the slot. It's an incredibly useful tool for multitaskers.

File Explorer add-ons

This module is more of a set of expansions for the Windows File Explorer, which adds the ability to preview more types of files. You can enable previews for less common file types, like SVG images, source code files (such as CPP and PY), and even geometric code. With these options enabled, you can preview the contents of these files in the preview pane in File Explorer (which can be enabled with Alt + P).

File Locksmith

There's a good chance that if you've been in a situation where you tried to delete a file only to see an error saying that the file can't be deleted because it's being used by an app. File Locksmith is a module that helps you get to the bottom of things. With this module, you can right-click the file and choose Unlock with File Locksmith to see what process is using the file so you can terminate it if needed.

Hosts file editor

The Hosts file in Windows is a way to block access to certain domains, serving as a security feature to prevent users from going to websites they shouldn't. Similar to environment variables, this is something you can edit without any additional apps, but the Hosts file editor module in PowerToys makes it far easier to edit the values in this file, with a modern interface that makes it easier to block or unblock domains as needed.

Image Resizer

Image resizer is another very useful tool in PowerToys, particularly for users that often deal with size restrictions on image uploads. When enabled, Image Resizer appears in the File Explorer context menu, and it gives you the option to resize images to fit a preset resolution or a custom one specifically for that image (or set of images).

The settings allow you to create and customize preset sizes, change encoder options, and more. And, when resizing an image, you can change options such as removing metadata from images or choosing whether you want to resize the original files or create copies in the desired resolution.

Keyboard manager

This PowerToys module allows you to make full use of your keyboard for your specific needs. Essentially, it allows you to remap keys to other keys and shortcuts, or you can map shortcuts to other shortcuts. For example, if you never use the Pause key on your keyboard, you can map it to a common shortcut, like Windows + V, to open your clipboard. This is just one example, but the possibilities are endless with this tool. You can even remap a shortcut that only takes effect in a specific app.

Mouse utilities

While they count as a single module, mouse utilities actually encompass a few tools related to your mouse, and they're quite useful in different ways. First, there's Find My Mouse, a tool that helps you find your mouse on screen by pressing the Left Ctrl key twice (though you can change it). This creates a highlight around your mouse cursor so it's impossible to miss.

Then there's Mouse Highlighter, which, when enabled (Ctrl + Shift + H), shows a yellow highlight whenever you click your mouse. This is useful for screen recordings if you want to show your mouse clicks to your audience.

Mouse Jump is a useful tool that lets you move your mouse quickly across big screens. When you press and hold the activation shortcut (Windows + Shift + D), you'll see a thumbnail of your screen(s), and you can click any area of it to instantly move your mouse to the corresponding location. If you have a hard time getting where you want to on a big screen, this is a big help.

Finally, there's Mouse Pointer Crosshairs, which lets you pinpoint the location of the mouse pointer continuously. It will essentially show crosshairs across your screen to show you the exact location of your pointer, and it stays on permanently as long as the feature is enabled (Windows + Alt + P).

Mouse Without Borders

Mouse Without Borders is made for people who have multiple PCs showing side by side, and it's incredibly useful. With this tool set up on multiple devices, you can share your mouse and keyboard across up to four PCs wirelessly, so you don't have to change any settings to keep things working normally. All you need to do is create a security key for other PCs to connect to the main computer, and once your PCs are connected, your mouse can travel across devices.

Despite the name, keyboard inputs can also be redirected to other PCs when your mouse is moved over, and you can even share clipboard items up to 100MB across the different devices. It's incredibly useful if you have multiple PCs you need to use simultaneously. There are also numerous settings available to make the experience work better for your needs.

Paste as plain text

One of the most straightforward modules available, Paste as Plain Text is a module that allows you to use a shortcut to paste text without formatting into any app. While many apps already support their own shortcut for pasting plain text, Windows as a whole doesn't, so this tool gives you the ability to do it using Ctrl + Alt + Windows + V, though you can configure it.

Peek

Inspired by macOS, Peek is a module that allows you to quickly preview all kinds of files without having to open the respective app. You can select any file in File Explorer and press the shortcut (Ctrl + Space) to preview a photo, PDF file, and more, all without having to open the full app that would handle them.

If you do want to open the file, Peek also gives you a link for opening the file in its default app so you can get right to it. it's a faster way to see the contents of a file, and it's certainly useful.

PowerRename

Having to rename multiple files in one go can be cumbersome, but PowerRename is a module designed to help with exactly that. With PowerRename, you can change the name of multiple files so that repeated elements all change to the same thing.

For example, say you have pictures from your camera, they probably all have the same formatting for the name and it won't tell you much. But if you want to make them easier to identify, you can replace part of the name with something more recognizable. Thanks to support for regular expressions, you have plenty of ways to rename your files to whatever you want.

PowerToys Run

The Run dialog in Windows can be useful for quickly launching apps with your keyboard, but PowerToys Run takes that to the next level. This search and launch tool can open a program on your PC quickly, complete with the ability to launch it as an administrator, as a different user, or even open the file's location.

But that's just the beginning. PowerToys Run comes with a ton of plug-ins that allow it to search for more things. It can find files on your PC, search the web, find content in the Windows registry, or even in your OneNote notebooks (stored locally). All of this is done in a fast and responsive way that works much better than the built-in Windows Search. This is a super powerful tool for getting to the files and apps you need, and it comes highly recommended.

Quick Accent

Typing characters with special accents can be complicated on a typical keyboard layout, and that's why Quick Accent can be so helpful. With this module enabled, all you need to do is press Space while holding the key you want to use an accent for. You'll see a list of accented variations of the letter you chose, and you can keep pressing Space to cycle through the options available. This is significantly faster than using the old Character Map or even the symbol picker in Windows 11.

RegistryPreview

RegistryPreview is another relatively straightforward tool, as it allows you to preview the content of a registry file. Registry files modify the Windows registry to tweak certain features and functionality, but they can come with risks, so this previewer can help you know exactly what changes are being made with a registry file you download off the internet.

Screen Ruler

Ever wondered just how big a part of your screen is in pixels? Screen Ruler is here to help with that. As the name suggests, screen ruler can measure the size of certain elements on screen, and it can do so in a few clever ways. First, you can just draw an area on the screen to measure its horizontal and vertical size. But there are also modes that automatically measure the size of a specific area with the same color, so you just move your mouse over that area, and you can see how long and tall it is.

Shortcut Guide

There are a ton of keyboard shortcuts in Windows 11 that can be used to access specific features. If you don't have the time to remember all of them or check them out, the Shortcut Guide module is for you. While this won't give you every shortcut, it can show you all the main shortcuts that use the Windows key. You can activate it with a keyboard shortcut (Windows + Shift + /), but it might actually make more sense to change it to open by holding down the Windows key, so you don't have to remember a specific shortcut to see other shortcuts.

Text Extractor

Text Extractor is another incredibly useful tool, particularly if you want to copy text from an image. Using optical character recognition (OCR), this module can grab text from any part of your screen, even if it can't be copied normally. Text is automatically copied to the clipboard, so you don't get to see your selection before pasting it somewhere else, but it's still great to have this at hand.

On Windows 11, the Snipping Tool app includes a more robust OCR solution, so this particular tool is most useful on Windows 10.

Video Conference Mute

The final tool in PowerToys is Video Conference Mute, and it's pretty useful for those of us who still engage in online meetings frequently. This module enables a series of shortcuts you can use to mute your microphone, turn off your camera, or push to talk, so you're only seen and heard when you want to. This global solution works for all apps, so you don't have to learn the controls for Zoom, Teams, and whatever else you may be using.

Video Conference Mute has been moved into maintenance mode by the development team, so it won't be getting any new features, but it's still a useful addition.

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The productivity scene is a lot different now than back when Microsoft released Office's suites back in the late 20th century. As we move forward, more and more apps that suited the public back then are being taken out of the system now. Now, Publisher is the latest Office app facing the block, after Microsoft confirmed that it is suspending support on October 13th, 2026.

Microsoft is saying goodbye to Publisher

News broke by @StephenCWLL on X who received a notification about Publisher's closure. The notice confirms that the app will lose support on October 13th, 2026, which essentially makes the app "dead." Microsoft states that, in the lead-up to the date, it will explore ways to take components from Publisher and add them to more popular Office apps, such as Word, PowerPoint, and Designer.

The question is, will anyone miss Publisher? Microsoft hasn't been giving the app a lot of attention these past years, and it doesn't feel like an essential Office app that people subscribe for. In fact, taking Publisher's components and spreading them across the more well-used apps is a smart idea; it will allow people who used Publisher to continue using its features, without adding unpopular bloat for Office 365. Regardless of if you used Publisher or not, your work-at-home PC will get a little lighter in the future.

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Build 26058 adds a new accessibility feature that lets you turn your mouse cursor into a big, colorful crosshair, making it easier to spot and control for people with eyesight problems. Like many other accessibility features in Windows 11, turning on the cursor crosshair does not require navigating deep into the Settings app. Just press Win + Ctrl + X, and you are good to go.

Of course, you can go to the Settings app to personalize the cursor with different colors. Microsoft lets you select one of several prebuilt colors or create a personal option that fits your needs the most. To do so, go to Settings > Accessibility > Mouse Pointer and Touch > Touch Indicator.

The cursor crosshair should arrive as a part of the Windows 11 version 24H2, which is officially confirmed for the second half of this year. However, you do not need to wait for it to try the new indicator. You can download PowerToys from the Microsoft Store and toggle on one of its mouse utilities.

The app also provides additional personalization, such as the ability to change the shortcut, adjust the cursor opacity, center radius, thickness, border color, auto-hide the crosshair, and more. All those options are not available in Windows 11, so those wanting to get more features and deeper personalization should opt for PowerToys instead.

What other PowerToys features would you like Microsoft to make native in Windows 11?

Source

The latest Windows Insider preview build improves the system's context menus by adding labels to the previously unlabeled actions, such as copy, cut, paste, rename, share, and delete. The rest of the context menus remain the same, but they should now be easier to use for those less familiar with how modern computers work.

If you plan to upgrade to build 26058, mind the fact that it contains a few known issues, one of which affects the updated context menus. Shortly after the release, Microsoft updated the changelog to mention a bug with the missing Acrylic effect.

Also, you are probably not going to like the new context menu if you use Windows in a language other than English. Items out of alignment, odd text wrapping and truncation, and other wonders of a machine-translated product. However, since the updated menu is in its early preview stage, let us all give Microsoft some time to polish it and fix bugs. Perhaps a future Windows build will make it more friendly to other languages.

It is also worth noting that the latest Windows 11 preview builds break ExplorerPatcher, a popular tool for undoing and tweaking some of the changes Microsoft made in its newest operating system, including taskbar and context menus. If you use this tool, beware of builds 26052 and newer since they break ExplorerPatcher beyond recognition.

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These new Insider builds include some widget board improvements along with a new way for people with low vision to find the cursor on the screen. Here is the changelog:

What’s new in Build 26058

 

Pointer Indicator: New accessibility setting for low vision Windows users

 

Low vision users on Windows can now easily locate and use their cursor. This will allow these users to be more productive and efficient when using a Windows device.

 

Mouse pointer indicator shown over Settings in Windows 11.

 

To enable this experience, go to Settings > Accessibility > Mouse pointer and touch and enable the Pointer indicator setting. You can also search for the setting by name. When the setting is enabled, you can toggle it on/off with the keyboard shortcut, Win + Ctrl + X.

 

Settings shown for turning on the mouse pointer indicator.

 

FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Accessibility > Accessibility Settings.

 

Widgets board improvements

 

We’re continuing to evolve the widgets board experience and you can now have more space for your favorite widgets and stay on top of current events with a feed that helps you discover the world around you. With the introduction of the new navigation bar on the left, you can switch between a dedicated widgets dashboard and other integrated dashboards like Discover. Give it a try and let us know what you think using the feedback button at the top of the board.

 

 

We’ve added a new Navigation Pane on the left that allows you to switch to My Widgets dashboard.

 

A full widgets only experience from your favorite apps and services.

 

[We are beginning to roll this out to Windows Insiders in the Canary and Dev Channels today, so the experience isn’t available to all Insiders just yet.]

 

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

 

New notification badging for Widgets

 

We’re beginning to roll out a new badging experience for Widgets. Widgets badges will notify you when you miss an important notification on your taskbar. Below is an example of a notification badge for Widgets that shows that there are three missed notifications.

 

Widget badging on the taskbar showing three missed notifications.

 

When you open the Widgets board you can see details for the notifications you missed in the top left corner of the board.

 

Missed notifications at the top left of the widgets board.

 

[We are beginning to roll this out to Windows Insiders in the Canary and Dev Channels today, so the experience isn’t available to all Insiders just yet.]

 

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

 

Richer weather experience on the lock screen

 

If you are in the Canary Channel, you should start to see the richer weather experience on your lock screen. This includes dynamic, interactive weather updates. So, as you hover over the weather experience on your lock screen, you will see more information. When you tap or click on the weather card and sign in, Microsoft Edge opens with the full forecast in MSN Weather. If you already use Weather under Settings > Personalization > Lock screen > Lock screen status, there is nothing for you to do. Also, this new experience will be on by default. Should you not want to see this experience, you can change your lock screen status to “None.” This rich weather experience is available when you lock your screen no matter which personalization option you select (Windows spotlight, Picture, or Slideshow).

 

Richer weather experience on the lock screen.

 

[We are currently rolling this out starting with EN-US only, so the experience isn’t available to all Insiders in the Canary or Dev Channels just yet as we plan to monitor feedback and see how it lands before pushing it out to everyone.]

 

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

 

Changes and Improvements

 

[General]

 

• WIN + CTRL + S will now open voice access instead of Windows Speech Recognition (WSR). Windows 11 is transitioning from WSR to voice access. WSR is being deprecated.

 

[File Explorer]

 

To make it easier to use the File Explorer context menu, labels have been added to previously unlabeled actions such as cut, copy, paste, rename, share, and delete.

 

Labels added to previously unlabeled actions in the File Explorer context menu.

 

[Command Prompt]

 

If you run winget, or any other package manager configured to do so, Command Prompt (CMD) will now look for changes to the PATH and update your current session. To enable a package manager to have this logic in CMD, simply add the package manager .exe name to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Command Processor\KnownPackageManagers.

 

Fixes for known issues

 

• Fixed an issue causing an increase in Insiders to experience black screens after Build 26040 (particularly when waking a device from sleep). Please file feedback if you continue experiencing issues after installing this build.
• Fixed an issue where all the added features under Settings > System > Optional Features were showing 0 bytes in the previous flight.
• Fixed an issue where focus sessions continued to show as running in the notification center after they had ended.
• Fixed an issue causing Windows Sandbox to unexpectedly show Windows Sandbox could not be initialized. (0x800736b3) for some Insiders in the previous flight.
• Fixed an issue where the last checked time showing for Windows Update in Settings was wrong.

 

Known issues

 

[General]

 

• [IMPORTANT NOTE FOR GAMERS – UPDATED!] Some popular games may not work correctly and cause a bugcheck (green screen) when launched on the most recent Insider Preview builds in the Canary Channel. Please be sure to submit feedback in Feedback Hub on any issues you see with playing games on these builds.
• IMPORTANT NOTE FOR DEV DRIVE USERS: Insiders on Build 26052+ who have Dev Drives and might need to rollback will need to back up their Dev Drives BEFORE rolling back as rolling back will cause Dev Drives to break and data on them to be lost.
• A Display Connection section is incorrectly showing up under Settings > System > Display > Graphics that when clicked, will crash Settings. This section will be removed in a future flight.
• [NEW] Using the ISOs released today for this build to upgrade instead of doing a clean install may not work if you choose “Keep nothing” in the Windows Setup experience. To upgrade to the latest build in the Canary and Dev Channels, please use Windows Update.
• [NEW] We are investigating an increase of reports of insiders rolling back when attempting to install the latest build (with error code 0xC1900101).
• [NEW] Some Insiders may experience an issue where the network icon in the system tray shows they do not have an internet connection when connected to some VPNs even though the internet connection is working. Some apps might also think there isn’t an internet connection when there really is.
• [NEW] We’re investigating an issue causing the input switcher (WIN + Space) design to revert back to an older style and draw in the wrong location.
• [NEW] After this build is installed, there is an issue where the build will not be listed under Settings > Windows Update > Update history like it should.

 

[Widgets]

 

• [NEW] You may at times experience your widgets-only dashboard not rendering any content.

You can check out the full blog post here.

Source

Another major announcement the company made is about Secure Boot. Microsoft has declared that it is beginning to roll out new Secure Boot keys (CA) from 2023 to replace the previous ones. The outgoing ones are from 2011, issued during Windows 8 when Secure Boot was first debuted by the Redmond giant. These certificates are set to be 15 years old a couple of years from now in 2026, which is when they will expire.

Certificate Authorities (CAs) or keys essentially help manage the authenticity and validity of various components like bootloaders, drivers, firmware, and various applications.

On its Tech Community blog post announcing the change, Microsoft writes:

Microsoft, in collaboration with our ecosystem partners, is preparing to roll out replacement certificates that’ll set new Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) Certificate Authorities (CAs) trust anchors in Secure Boot for the future.

 

Look out for Secure Boot database updates rolling out in phases to add trust for the new database (DB) and Key Exchange Key (KEK) certificates. This new DB update is available as an optional servicing update for all Secure Boot enabled devices from February 13, 2024.

Broadly speaking, this is going to be a major update to the Secure Boot DB (Data Base) which is not updated regularly like the Secure Boot DBX. If you are wondering, the Secure Boot DBX list is essentially the revocation list containing insecure modules which is why it is called the Secure Boot Forbidden Signature Database (DBX).

Therefore, the Microsoft Corporation KEK CA 2011, the Microsoft Windows Production PCA 2011, and the Microsoft UEFI CA 2011 will all be replaced by their corresponding 2023 versions. Microsoft plans to do it in a phased manner to ensure compatibility and a bug-free rollout and wishes to complete the full process before 2026.

Source

There is a major concern about the huge dump of electronic waste (e-waste) that is going to happen soon as Windows 10 support draws to a close. Market research firm Canalys estimates that around 240 million PCs could go to landfills after October 2025 when the OS reaches the end of support (EOS). There is also an online petition on Pirg going on regarding it.

To Microsoft's credit, the company has continued reminding users on Windows 10 about upgrading to Windows 11, with the latest such effort being a promotional ad video that explains the benefits of upgrading.

The problem, however, is that not all PCs are going to be eligible for the upgrade, as those that do not meet the system requirements will remain on 10 and thus, will no longer be serviced, barring paid Extended Security Updates (ESU). This leaves such systems potentially vulnerable.

While many such home users have moved to Windows 11 using bypass tricks, those with very old hardware probably won't be able to do so for long as CPUs that lack a particular "POPCNT" instruction will now be stuck on 10. Check this guide if you are not sure if your processor has the necessary instruction.

Google has obviously been noticing all this, and it reached out to Neowin to remind such users about its ChromeOS Flex. In case you may not be aware, Google released ChromeOS Flex to the public in July of 2022 after alpha testing it for a few months.

ChromeOS Flex is basically a free-to-download, lightweight cloud-based OS, and security updates will be provided. However, if you wish to run Android Apps though, you can't, as it is not the same thing as ChromeOS.

Regardless, the idea is to reduce e-waste as users and organizations won't have to ditch their old non-Windows 11-ready hardware after Windows 10 support ends.

Google also claims ChromeOS Flex is around 19% more energy efficient than Windows. Since it is said to be quite lightweight, Google claims surfing through the OS should generally be a breeze compared to Windows.

The installation of Flex works via USB, as you can see in the image below:

A more detailed guide on the installation is available on Google's website here. Note that if you are already on CloudReady, Google will automatically update it to Chrome OS Flex.

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The conference's official website has been updated with the dates. In addition, a post on the Microsoft Developer X (formerly Twitter) page also confirmed the event will be held at the Seattle Convention Center.

Specifically, the conference will be held in that location's Summit Building, which opened just recently in January 2023. That means the 2024 edition of Microsoft Build will be held in this location for the first time.

The official Seattle Convention Center website says that the new Summit building includes up to 573,770 square feet of total event space including a 14,000 square foot outdoor garden terrace.

Right now, the Build website has an email link so people can be informed of more information about the conference, including when registration for the event will begin and what the prices will be for attending the physical event. Microsoft will likely offer live streams of its keynote conferences and some of its panels for free for people who cannot attend.

As you might expect, this event will mainly be for software developers to learn more about Microsoft's plans for the next 12 months. Usually, there are a few announcements that will be of interest to non-developers. In 2023, Microsoft first announced the integration of its Copilot generative AI assistant into Windows 11 during Build. You can put money down that there will be more AI-based announcements during Build 2024.

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Upscaling is the process of converting a lower-quality or low-resolution image to one that is higher resolution without sacrificing quality.

Traditional upscaling methods use techniques like nearest-neighbor or bicubic interpolation to extrapolate what colored pixels should be added to an image to increase its resolution without causing it to lose too much quality. Unfortunately, these techniques commonly cause an image to become increasingly blurry as you increase its resolution.

Newer upscaling techniques use artificial intelligence and deep learning algorithms to predict and add details to low-quality images, allowing them to achieve higher resolutions without sacrificing quality. This is accomplished by training the algorithms with millions of images, allowing the AI to predict the pixels and the color that should be added to the image during the upscaling procedure.

As first discovered by Windows sleuth PhantomOfEarth, Microsoft is now testing an Automatic Super Resolution feature as part of its first preview of Windows 11 24H2 in the Canary and Dev channels.

This feature is hidden and has to be enabled using specialized tools, but once enabled, a new global Automatic Super Resolution setting appears under System > Display > Graphics to configure the new feature.

"Use AI to make supported games play more smoothly with enhanced details," reads the setting's description.

You can also enable the feature on a per-game basis by enabling the setting in the "Custom settings for applications" section.

Microsoft has not disclosed any information about this feature, and the More about Auto SR link goes to the DirectX Developer Blog, with most of the recent stories focusing on using Neural Processing Units (NPU) under DirectX 12.

However, this feature is believed to be similar to NVIDIA's DLSS Super Resolution feature, which also uses AI to upscale video frames.

For those who wish to test the new Super Resolution feature, you can install the latest Windows 11 Dev or Canary build and download the ViveTool program, which allows you to enable hidden developer features.

To enable the Super Resolution feature, open an elevated command prompt and execute the following command shared by Albacore on X.

vivetool /enable /id:39695921 /variant:3

After you enter the command, reboot Windows 11 to enable the feature.

It should be noted that this feature is currently being developed, and enabling the feature may cause instability on your device. Therefore, only use it on a test device, not your main computer.

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IBM was once a powerhouse in personal computing, and that was partially solidified by the launch of the IBM Portable Personal Computer 5155. Released on this day in February 1984, this computer was roughly the size of a suitcase and weighed in at 30 pounds, or 30.6 kg. It cost $4,225, which at the time of writing, would cost a rather hefty $12,390.

For what you got at the time, though, IBM was charging a premium for a premium product. It competed with the Compaq Portable primarily, though managed a lower price tag thanks to its reduced sophistication. It being a portable computer as well referred to its size being capable of fitting in a suitcase, rather than being battery powered. At 30 pounds, it was still a struggle for some people to bring it anywhere.

The 5155 was IBM's attempt to leverage its reputation and technological prowess in the desktop computing market and apply it to a portable format, aiming to meet the needs of business professionals and technophiles who required the power of a PC on the go.

The IBM Portable Personal Computer's design and specifications

Powerful for the time

The IBM Portable Personal Computer featured a design that was somewhat portable by the standards of the day, housing a basic computer system within a suitcase-sized enclosure complete with a handle. It boasted a built-in 9-inch monochrome CRT monitor, a keyboard that doubled as the computer's lid when not in use, and dual 5.25-inch floppy disk drives. The system was based on the Intel 8088 processor (that also powered the IBM PC), running at a clock speed of 4.77 MHz—specifications that were consistent with the desktop PCs of the time. It came with 256 KB of RAM, expandable to 640 KB with adapter cards, and offered options for connecting external peripherals such as printers. Back then, this was one of the best PCs you could get on the market.

Despite IBM's dominance in the desktop PC market, the 5155 faced stiff competition from the Compaq Portable. The Compaq device was not only comparable in terms of performance but also offered a more innovative approach to portability and compatibility. This competition highlighted the rapidly evolving nature of the PC market in the mid-1980s, a period characterized by rapid technological advancements and changing consumer expectations.

An important piece of history

The IBM Personal Computer 5155's lifespan in the market was relatively short-lived. By 1986, just two years after its launch, IBM had replaced the 5155 with newer models that aimed to address the ever-increasing demands of the portable computing market. The rapid pace of technological innovation during this period meant that hardware quickly became obsolete, and companies like IBM had to continually improve and innovate to maintain their market position.

Despite its transient place in the market, the IBM 5155 was instrumental in the progress of portable computing. It signified IBM's recognition of an increasing demand for mobile computing solutions, setting the stage for subsequent advancements in laptop and portable PC technologies. This period also highlighted the rivalry between IBM and Compaq, emphasizing the critical role of compatibility and innovation within the PC market. These principles have continued to shape the computing technology world today.

Looking back, the IBM Portable Personal Computer 5155 offers valuable insights into the nascent phase of portable computing, showcasing the hurdles and prospects that marked this transformative era in technology. We can clearly see the evolution of portable computing and the changes that have happened to the tech industry over the years.

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The organization plans to focus on bringing "trustworthy AI into Firefox" and to scale back some of its other products and services.

Affected products include Mozilla VPN, Firefox Relay, and Online Footprint Scrubber. The organization will also reduce investments in its Mastadon instance. These products are not going away. Mozilla will shut down some of its products next to that. First product to receive the ax is Hub, a 3D virtual world that Mozilla launched several years ago.

Mozilla explains in an internal memo that it is reducing investments in "market segments that competitors crowd and where it is challenging to deliver a differentiated offering".  The VPN niche, for instance, is very competitive. Hundreds of companies fight for market share and there are several good options for privacy conscious users, including Mullvad, which Mozilla VPN is based on.

About 60 employees in the "People Team" are laid off as a consequence of the restructuring.

Mozilla plans to keep investing in products and services, but only "in products addressing customer needs in growing market segments".

The organization's focus will be on Firefox going forward. More precisely, on bringing "trustworthy AI into Firefox". For this, Mozilla is "bringing together Pocket, Content, and the AI/ML teams supporting content with the Firefox Organization".

Google dependence

For much of its history, Mozilla relied on search engine deals for funding. Companies like Google pay Mozilla millions to make their search engines the default search tool in the browser.

This dependence, in the case of Google to a direct competitor, needed to be reduced. The idea was born to create standalone security and privacy products. Some of these were released for free, others as subscription-based products.

Mozilla managed to reduce its dependency on search engine deals in the past couple of years. The organization made about $600 million in revenue in 2022, the last published report year. About $510 million came from royalties, which are search engine deals. While income from royalties is falling, it is still the major source of revenue for Mozilla.

Subscription and advertising revenue made a jump from $56 million in 2021 to $75 million in 2022. Even with continued investments, it would take decades before this segment would overtake royalties as the main revenue driver.

Closing Words

Focus on Firefox is something that many Firefox users wanted to hear for a long time. While Mozilla never abandoned the browser, it looked as if it put much of its focus on other products and services.

Introduction of AI into Firefox is not necessarily a bad thing, especially if Mozilla keeps it promise that the integrated AI is trustworthy and privacy friendly.

Engineers at Mozilla already dipped their toes into local AI products. Called Memory Cache, it is an AI that runs locally only. One major distinguishing factor between Memory Cache and the ChatGPTs, Copilots, and Google Geminis is that it is not trained on large datasets. Instead,

Memory Cache is trained on files the users gives it access to.

Here is the full Mozilla memo:

Scaling back investment mozilla.social: With mozilla.social, we made a big bet in 2023 to build a safer, better social media experience, based on Mastodon and the Fediverse. Our initial approach was based on a belief that Mozilla needed to quickly reach large scale in order to effectively shape the future of social media. It was a noble idea but one we struggled to execute. While we resourced mozilla.social heavily to pursue this ambitious idea, in retrospect a more modest approach would have enabled us to participate in the space with considerably greater agility. The actions we’re taking today will make this strategic correction, working through a much smaller team to participate in the Mastodon ecosystem and more rapidly bring smaller experiments to people that choose to live on the mozilla.social instance.

Protection Experimentation & Identity (PXI): We’re scaling back investment in some of our standalone consumer products in the Security and Privacy space. We are reducing investment in market segments that competitors crowd and where it is challenging to deliver a differentiated offering. Specifically, we plan to reduce our investments in VPN, Relay, and Online Footprint Scrubber. We will maintain investment in products addressing customer needs in growing market segments.

Hubs: Since early 2023, we have experienced a shift in the market for 3D virtual worlds. With the exception of gaming, education, and a handful of niche use cases, demand has moved away from 3D virtual worlds. This is impacting all industry players. Hubs’ user and customer bases are not robust enough to justify continuing to dedicate resources against the headwinds of the unfavorable shift in demand. We will wind down the service and communicate a graceful exit plan to customers.

Right-sizing the People Team
Given the reduction in staffing and lower headcount budget moving forward in MozProd, some roles have been consolidated in the People and other support services orgs so that we are offering the right level of support to our product portfolio. Optimizing our org to sharpen focus.

In 2023, generative AI began rapidly shifting the industry landscape. Mozilla seized an opportunity to bring trustworthy AI into Firefox, largely driven by the Fakespot acquisition and the product integration work that followed. Additionally, finding great content is still a critical use case for the internet. Therefore, as part of the changes today, we will be bringing together Pocket, Content, and the AI/ML teams supporting content with the Firefox Organization. More details on the specific organizational changes will follow shortly. Within MozProd, there are no changes within MDN, Ads, or Fakespot. There are also no changes to Legal/Policy, Finance & Business Operations, Marketing, or Strategy & Operations.

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Windows 11 comes with a plethora of features and functionalities, catering to a wide range of users. However, not all of these features are universally essential or desirable. 

For example, while notifications can be helpful, they can also break the workflow with the sounds and banners, making you less productive. The Taskbar comes with various features, such as Search and Weather, but you can always search from the Start menu and the weather through the Widgets dashboard, so you can safely remove these icons. You can also remove and disable Copilot if you're not interested in using AI.

If you don't find the web highlights on the home page from Search, that's something you can turn off. You can also remove the date and time from the Taskbar, turn off the Start menu recommendations (sort of), disable Memory Integrity if it causes issues, start apps to boost performance, and many more.

Whether you're looking to reclaim system resources or eliminate distractions, I've got you covered with over a dozen features that you can safely turn off on your computer.

In this how-to guide, I'll equip you with the expertise needed to navigate Windows 11's settings confidently and selectively turn off those features that don't align with your computing goals.

Features everyone should turn off on Windows 11

These are some of the features you should disable on every installation of Windows 11.

1. Start menu notifications

The Start menu now shows notifications related to your account in the user profile menu if you're not using OneDrive to back up your files or your Microsoft account is missing information. These notifications are enabled by default, but you can always turn them off.

To disable Start menu notifications on Windows 11, use these steps:

1. Open Settings.
2. Click on Personalization.
3. Click the Start page on the right side.

(Image credit: Mauro Huculak)

4. Turn off the "Show account related notifications occasionally in Start" toggle switch.

(Image credit: Mauro Huculak)

2. Search on Taskbar 

The search box offers quicker access to the Windows Search interface, but you can always access the experience from the Start menu. You can disable this feature if you want to declutter the Taskbar even further or make room for other apps.

To remove the search box in the Taskbar, use these steps:

1. Open Settings.
2. Click on Personalization.
3. Click the Taskbar page on the right side.

(Image credit: Mauro Huculak)

4. Choose the Hide option for the "Search" setting.

(Image credit: Mauro Huculak)

5. (Optional) Turn off the toggle switch for Widgets and Task View to remove these items from the Taskbar.

3. Center alignment for Taskbar items

The new Taskbar included on Windows 11 aligns the items and Start button at the center of the screen by default, but there's an option to revert back to the left alignment.

To disable the center alignment for items in the Taskbar, use these steps:

1. Open Settings.
2. Click on Personalization.
3. Click the Taskbar page on the right side.

(Image credit: Mauro Huculak)

4. Click the Taskbar behaviors setting.
5. Choose the Left option for the "Taskbar alignment" setting.

(Image credit: Mauro Huculak)

4. News feed from Widgets

The Widgets board can be useful to give you quick access to information from your favorite apps. However, by default, Microsoft also shows its news feed from the MSN network, which usually doesn't add value. In a recent update, Windows 11 received an update to turn off this feature. 

It's important to note that this feature may not be available for everyone immediately.

To remove the news feed from the Widgets board, use these steps:

1. Open Widgets board.

• Quick tip: You can open the Widgets dashboard with the Taskbar icon or use the "Windows key + W" keyboard shortcut.

2. Click the Settings button.

(Image credit: Mauro Huculak)

3. Click the "Show or hide feeds" setting.

(Image credit: Mauro Huculak)

4. Turn off the Microsoft Start toggle switch.

(Image credit: Mauro Huculak)

5. Startup apps 

Some applications can launch automatically during startup, but even though this can speed up the process of accessing some applications, it can also impact performance. You should always review and turn off those apps that you don't use to reclaim system resources.

To disable apps at startup on Windows 11, use these steps:

1. Open Settings.
2. Click on Apps.
3. Click the Startup page on the right side.

(Image credit: Mauro Huculak)

4. Choose the Startup impact option for the "Sort by" setting.
5. Turn off the apps you don't want at startup.

(Image credit: Mauro Huculak)

6. Annoying notifications

Windows 11 offers system, apps, and website notifications through banners in the bottom-right corner of the screen and the Notification Center with important information, such as system alerts, unread messages, newly published articles from your favorite sites, and much more.

Although they can be helpful in keeping you informed of things happening around you, the number of notifications and sounds can be overwhelming. As a result, you can always turn off notifications to minimize distractions.

To disable system and app notifications on Windows 11, use these steps:

1. Open Settings.
2. Click on System.
3. Click the Notifications page on the right side.

(Image credit: Mauro Huculak)

4. Turn off the Notifications toggle switch.
5. Turn on the "Do not disturb" toggle switch.

(Image credit: Mauro Huculak)

7. Microsoft ads targeting 

Windows 11 usually generates a unique identifier to track your activities that advertisers can use to target you with advertisements when using apps. Although you cannot turn off ads on Windows 11, you can disable the personalization aspect.

To prevent apps from showing targeted ads, use these steps:

1. Open Settings.
2. Click on Privacy & security.
3. Click the General page on the right side.

(Image credit: Mauro Huculak)

4. Turn off the "Let apps show me personalized ads by using my advertising ID" toggle switch.

(Image credit: Mauro Huculak)

8. Diagnostic data 

Microsoft collects vast amounts of data about your computer and activities to understand how you use the operating system and apps to then improve the experience over time. However, you can limit the amount of information your device sends to the company.

To restrict data collection from Microsoft, use these steps:

1. Open Settings.
2. Click on Privacy & security.
3. Click the Diagnostics & feedback page on the right side.

(Image credit: Mauro Huculak)

4. Turn off the "Send optional diagnostic data" toggle switch.

(Image credit: Mauro Huculak)

9. Start menu recommendations 

The Start menu includes the "recommendations" section that surface recently installed apps, files, and websites. Although it's not possible to fully remove the experience, you can turn off the feature and reduce the footprint of the interface.

To stop showing recommendations in the Start menu, use these steps:

1. Open Settings.
2. Click on Personalization.
3. Click the Start page on the right side.

(Image credit: Mauro Huculak)

4. Turn off the "Show recently added apps" toggle switch.
5. Turn off the "Show most used apps" toggle switch.
6. Turn off the "Show recently opened items in Start, Jump Lists, and File Explorer" toggle switch.
7. Turn off the "Show websites from your browsing history" toggle switch.
8. Turn off the "Show recommendations for tips, shortcuts, new apps, and more" toggle switch.

(Image credit: Mauro Huculak)

9. (Optional) Choose the More pins option to show an extra row of pins in the Start menu.

10. Date and time from the Taskbar 

Although showing the time and date in the System Tray can be useful, it can also be a distraction. If you use your computer for school or work, removing this distraction can help you stay a little more focused.

To disable the date and time from the Windows 11 Taskbar, use these steps:

1. Open Settings.
2. Click on Time & language.
3. Click the Date & time page on the right side.

(Image credit: Mauro Huculak)

4. Turn off the "Show time and date in the System tray" toggle switch.

(Image credit: Mauro Huculak)

11. Game Bar and Game Mode

If you use your computer for gaming, you may want to keep these features on to optimize the system for gameplay and access the different features, such as recording, screen capture, etc. However, if you're not, there's no point in enabling the Game Bar and Game Mode on your computer.

To disable the Game Bar and Mode on Windows 11, use these steps:

1. Open Settings.
2. Click on Gaming.
3. Click the Game bar page on the right side.

(Image credit: Mauro Huculak)

1. Turn off the "Allow your controller to open Game Bar" toggle switch.

(Image credit: Mauro Huculak)

1. Click the Game Mode from the "Gaming" page.
2. Turn off the "Game Mode" toggle switch.

(Image credit: Mauro Huculak)

12. Search highlights 

When you open the Windows Search interface, in addition to the list of recent searches, you will also find the search highlights from Bing. If you don't find this useful, you can turn off this feature.

To disable the search highlight feature on Windows 11, use these steps:

1. Open Settings.
2. Click on Privacy & security.
3. Click the Search permissions page on the right side.

(Image credit: Mauro Huculak)

4. Turn off the "Show search highlights" toggle switch.

(Image credit: Mauro Huculak)

13. Badges for apps 

Windows 11 apps can show badges with the number of unseen messages in the Taskbar, but you can permanently disable this feature to remove unnecessary distractions.

To turn off badges on Windows 11, use these steps:

1. Open Settings.
2. Click on Personalization.
3. Click the Taskbar page on the right side.

(Image credit: Mauro Huculak)

4. Click the Taskbar behaviors setting.
5. Clear the "Show badges on taskbar apps" option.

(Image credit: Mauro Huculak)

14. Disable Copilot

Copilot is the new digital assistant AI from Microsoft that can answer virtually any question in natural language and complete different tasks, such as summarizing content, creating images from a simple text description, and changing system settings with a simple prompt. 

Although the company aims its chatbot AI as a feature to make you more productive, you can completely disable the feature if you don't want to use it.

To disable Copilot through Group Policy on Windows 11 Pro or Enterprise, use these steps:

1. Open Start.
2. Search for Group Policy Editor and click the top result to open the app.
3. Open the following path: User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows Copilot
4. Right-click the "Turn off Windows Copilot" policy and select the Edit option.

(Image credit: Mauro Huculak)

5. Select the Enabled option.

(Image credit: Mauro Huculak)

6. Click the Apply button.
7. Click the OK button.
8. Restart computer.

If you are on Windows 11 Home, or you want to remove only the button from the Taskbar, from Settings > Personalization > Taskbar, turn off the "Copilot" toggle switch. You can find more details on how to get rid of Copilot on Windows 11 in this guide.

Once you complete the steps, the feature should now be disabled on Windows 11. 

This round-up is not in a specific order or targets a particular set of users. These are features that are generally a good idea to turn off to improve the overall experience while minimizing distractions and clutter.

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You're welcome.

Here is how this feature works:

1. Update your system to build 26052 and launch the Camera app. You can use either a front or rear-facing camera.
2. Switch the app to the Barcode mode by pressing the button with a QR code.
3. Point the camera at the QR code you want to scan. Windows will show Wi-Fi network details, such as its SSID, password, and encryption, at the bottom of the app.

    

   
4. Tap the displayed link to switch to the Settings app and connect to the Wi-Fi network.

This new simple feature will pair nicely with the ability to generate QR codes for known Wi-Fi networks in Windows 11. Starting with build 25977, you can click the "Show password" in the Settings app to display a network password and generate a QR code. You will be able to ask your coworker to share a QR code for a quick connection without typing long and often complicated passwords.

The updated Camera app with the ability to scan Wi-Fi network QR is available to all Insiders in the Dev and Canary Channels. If you do not mind experimenting a little with your Windows Insider installation (make sure to back up important data first), check out some of the hidden features, such as a built-in AI upscaler and a new accessibility feature that will let Windows 11 speak with your voice.

Windows 11 build 26052 is the first officially confirmed build of Windows 11 version 24H2 that is coming in the second half of this year.

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You can make Windows Update work faster by simply closing the Settings app. You know what they say: a watched pot never boils.

Albacore (@thebookisclosed) shared this genius finding on their X account a few weeks ago. Like other people in replies, I was a bit skeptical at first, so I decided to test the claim. To do so, I set up a virtual machine on my laptop (which already has a three-year-old Intel Core i3) to simulate a low-power computer that barely meets Windows 11 hardware requirements with only two CPU cores and 4GB of RAM. I clean-installed the OS (a new installation for each pass), turned on update notifications to know when the system was ready to reboot, and started testing.

I measured install time from the moment of pressing the "Check for Update" button to receiving a notification that Windows is ready for restart to install available updates. The laptop was connected to a separate network to prevent other devices from interfering with the process.

I did not use Event Log because Windows creates entries about successful update installations during the offline phase, and my goal was to measure the install time during the online phase when you can use your device.

I made ten runs overall: five with the Settings app closed and five with it open. To my surprise, the results turned out very consistent.

When the Settings app was opened, my virtual machine took 20 minutes and 59 seconds on average to download and install available updates. With the Settings app closed that time decreased to 17 minutes and 30 seconds on average. That is an 18% difference, nothing to scoff at.

So, what is the kick? The theory is that the MoUSO Core Worker Process creates extra strain on the CPU if you keep the Settings app open when installing Windows updates. Closing the app reduces the load and lets your computer finish faster. You can check it yourself by launching Task Manager when installing updates.

Of course, the exact results and time difference depend on multiple factors, such as what apps are running, how powerful your hardware is, how old the installation is, and more. Some systems might experience negligible improvements, while others will see more substantial results. So, if you want to install the latest cumulative updates as quick as possible, close the Settings app and let your computer do its job without interruptions.

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Microsoft had already announced the change back in November last year, and as such, users on Windows 11 22H2 will no longer be able to opt for such releases after February 27. However, worry not, as users will continue to receive security updates as well as new features via Patch Tuesdays or Update Tuesdays (B release). In case you are wondering, the end-of-life (EOL) date for version 22H2 is October 14, 2025.

On its Windows message center dashboard, Microsoft writes:

IMPORTANT After February 2024, there are no more optional, non-security preview releases for Windows 11, version 22H2. Only cumulative monthly security updates (known as the "B" or Update Tuesday release) will continue for this version. Windows 11, version 23H2 and Windows 10, version 22H2 will continue to receive security and optional releases.

February 27th is also rumored to be when the upcoming Moment 5 feature update is expected to land.

On the same page on the Message Center, Microsoft has also published a handy list of highlights on the latest Windows 11 Patch Tuesday:

Highlights for the Windows 11, versions 23H2 and 22H2 update:

 

• The Copilot in Windows icon will appear on the right side of the system tray on the taskbar. Also, the display of Show desktop at the rightmost corner of the taskbar will be off by default. To turn it back on, go to Settings > Personalization > Taskbar. You can also right-click the taskbar and choose Taskbar settings. Windows 11 devices will get this new functionality at different times.
• This security update includes improvements that were a part of update KB5034204 (released January 23, 2024).
• This update addresses an issue that affects Narrator announcements. They are slow when you use Natural Voices.
• This update addresses an issue that affects explorer.exe. It might stop responding. This occurs when you restart or shut down a PC that has a controller accessory attached to it.
• This update addresses an issue that affects the download of device metadata. Downloads from the Windows Metadata and Internet Services (WMIS) over HTTPS are now more secure.

You can view the full release notes of the latest Patch Tuesday in this article.

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That's 28 news posts today, hope you guys appreciate and enjoy reading them.

NVIDIA does a lot of interesting things around AI, but its consumer-facing business is still predominantly focused on gaming. It's now aiming to bring both categories together with the introduction of Chat with RTX, an AI chatbot that runs locally on your PC. The software leverages Tensor-RT cores built into NVIDIA's gaming GPUs — you'll need an RTX 30 or 40 card to use it — and uses large language models (LLM) to provide useful insights into your own data.

The key difference is that unlike ChatGPT and Copilot, Chat with RTX runs entirely on your PC, and it doesn't send any data to a cloud server. You feed it the relevant dataset, and it offers answers based on the information contained within. Another cool feature is that you can share YouTube links, and Chat with RTX interprets the content in the video and answers questions — this is done by pulling from the data from the closed captions file.

Chat with RTX is available as a free download, and the installer is 35GB. There are a few prerequisites; you'll need an RTX 30 or 40 series card with at least 8GB of VRAM, and a machine with at least 16GB of RAM. While NVIDIA recommends Windows 11, I had no issues running the utility on my Windows 10 machine. Right now, Chat with RTX is only available on Windows, with no mention on when it will be coming to Linux.

It takes an hour to install the two language models — Mistral 7B and LLaMA 2— and they take up just under 70GB. Once it's installed, a command prompt window launches with an active session, and you can ask queries via a browser-based interface.

(Image credit: Windows Central)

NVIDIA provides a default dataset to test Chat with RTX, but I pointed the utility at my Downloads folder, which has a few hundred press releases, review guides, and all my articles in text (.txt) format. The chatbot is able to parse PDFs, Word documents, and plain text, and as already mentioned, you can link YouTube videos and ask queries.

(Image credit: Windows Central)

Chat with RTX does a great job summarizing details, and it works really well with targeted questions, like the launch date of a phone. There isn't a provision to ask follow-up questions at the moment, but that is likely to change in subsequent releases.

(Image credit: Windows Central)

While it does a good job surfacing relevant information, it isn't without a few issues. I asked the chatbot what drivers are used in the Fiio FX15 IEM that I reviewed on Android Central. The FX15 uses a combination of three different drivers, and while the chatbot answered the query correctly, it linked to an Intel Management Engine installation document instead of the Fiio review guide where that information is present.

(Image credit: Windows Central)

Similarly, I asked the chatbot if Corsair's MP600 mini uses TLC storage, and it was only able to provide the correct answer the second time around (and yes, the drive has TLC storage).

(Image credit: Windows Central)

Chat with RTX is still in beta, but there's clearly a lot of potential here. The ability to run an AI chatbot locally is a big deal, and it does a great job surfacing information from the data you provide. As for my own use case, it's great to have a local chatbot that can summarize press releases and highlight useful details, and that's what I'll be using Chat with RTX for going forward.

If you're intrigued by what NVIDIA is offering, you can easily install Chat with RTX on your own machine and give it a go — it may not be as powerful as ChatGPT, but the ability to use your own data is a good differentiator.

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The release notes for this update are as follows:

Highlights

• New! The Copilot in Windows icon now appears on the right side of the system tray on the taskbar. Also, the display of Show desktop at the rightmost corner of the taskbar will be off by default. To turn it back on, go to Settings > Personalization > Taskbar. You can alsoright-click the taskbar and choose Taskbar settings.

   

  Note Windows 11 devices will get this new functionality at different times. Some of these new features roll out gradually using controlled feature rollout (CFR) to consumers.

   

• This update addresses security issues for your Windows operating system.

Improvements

Note: To view the list of addressed issues, click or tap the OS name to expand the collapsible section.

 

Windows 11, version 23H2

 

Important: Use EKB KB5027397 to update to Windows 11, version 23H2.

 

This security update includes quality improvements. Key changes include:

 

• This build includes all the improvements in Windows 11, version 22H2.

• No additional issues are documented for this release.

Windows 11, version 22H2

This security update includes improvements that were a part of update KB5034204 (released January 23, 2024). When you install this KB:

 

• This update addresses an issue that affects Narrator announcements. They are slow when you use Natural Voices.

• This update addresses an issue that affects explorer.exe. It might stop responding. This occurs when you restart or shut down a PC that has a controller accessory attached to it.

• This update addresses an issue that affects the download of device metadata. Downloads from the Windows Metadata and Internet Services (WMIS) over HTTPS are now more secure.

   

If you installed earlier updates, only the new updates contained in this package will be downloaded and installed on your device.

 

For more information about security vulnerabilities, please refer to the Security Update Guide website and the February 2024 Security Updates.

Windows 11 servicing stack update - 22621.3073 and 22631.3073

This update makes quality improvements to the servicing stack, which is the component that installs Windows updates. Servicing stack updates (SSU) ensure that you have a robust and reliable servicing stack so that your devices can receive and install Microsoft updates.

Known issues in this update

Microsoft is not currently aware of any issues with this update.

This update should arrive automatically through Windows update but if you need to download it for an offline installation, you can get it from the Microsoft Catalog.

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The major highlight of the release as usual is security updates for Windows 10.

Highlights

 

This update addresses security issues for your Windows operating system.

After a couple of weeks without any, known issues are back:

Known issues in this update

Some of the older Windows 10 versions have also received updates today which have been listed below with their respective release notes (KB) linked as well as links to download them at Microsoft's Update Catalog:

It is noteworthy here that Windows 10 20H2 and Windows 10 1909 reached the end of servicing. Some editions of 21H2 have also reached the end of servicing.

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