The release notes for this update are as follows:

Highlights

Copilot in Windows preview

 

• New! This update adds a preview of centralized AI assistance, called Copilot in Windows. This makes Windows 11 the first PC platform to add centralized AI assistance to help you get things done. This first preview focuses on the integrated UI.

   

  To start, select

   

  • New! This update improves the Windows Spotlight experience. You can preview images in full screen using the Learn more button. This update also provides a minimized Windows Spotlight experience. There are many ways to learn more about each image. To open the Windows Spotlight flyout box, right-click the Spotlight icon on the desktop. To learn more about each image, double-click its icon to open a Bing landing page.

     

  the Copilot in Windows button on the taskbar (or press WIN + C). Copilot in Windows uses the same Microsoft account (MSA) or Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) account you used to sign in to Windows. Note that Azure AD will change to Microsoft Entra ID.

   

  Copilot in Windows appears as a side bar on the right of your screen. It will not overlap with desktop content or block open app windows.

   

  You can ask questions or take actions, such as:

   

  “Change to dark mode.”	“Turn on do not disturb.”
  “Take a screenshot.”	“Summarize this website.” (This works for the active tab in Microsoft Edge.)
  “Write a story about a dog who lives on the moon.”	“Make me a picture of a serene koi fishpond with lily pads.”

  Copilot in Windows with Bing Chat generates responses that are contextual and improves your experience in Windows.

   

  To learn what Bing does with your data, go to Microsoft Privacy Statement. To learn how Microsoft develops AI technology responsibly, see Microsoft’s commitment to responsible AI.

   

  Note The update to Windows 11, version 22H2 coming on September 26, 2023, will be broadly available to Windows customers around the world. Copilot in Windows will start to release in preview to a select set of global markets. It is our intention to continue to broaden availability over time.

   

Start menu

 

• New! This update gives a richer preview when you hover over files under Recommended on the Start menu. For this first release, thumbnails will not be available for all files. Also, when you right-click cloud file recommendations, you have the option to quickly share these files.

   

Taskbar, system tray, and notifications

 

• New! This update adds an enhanced volume mixer to Quick Settings. Using it, you can customize audio for each app separately. You can also swap audio devices whenever you want. The new keyboard shortcut (WIN + CTRL + V) gets you to the volume mixer fast.

   

  It is also easier to turn on the Windows Spatial Audio experience. A new quick access list shows you all the spatial audio technology installed on your device. To find more spatial sound technology, such as Dolby and DTS, go to the Microsoft Store.

   

• New! This update adds “never combined” mode. In this mode, you can view application windows and their labels on the taskbar separately. To find this feature, go to Settings > Personalization > Taskbar > Taskbar behaviors.Set Combine taskbar buttons and hide labels to Never. Also, there is a separate setting for turning this on for other taskbars when you use multiple monitors.

• New! Starting in this update, desktop labels appear when you move between desktops in Task View (WIN + CTRL + left or right arrows). New sliding animations will also show when you change your desktops using trackpad gestures, touch gestures, hot keys, and by clicking the Task View flyout box.

• New! You can now hide the time and date in the system tray. To turn this on, right-click the system tray clock and choose Adjust date and time.

• New! Notifications now show as a bell icon in the system tray. When new notifications appear, the icon will have a fill colour based on your system’s accent colour. When there are no notifications and the clock is visible, the icon will have no fill colour. The number of notifications will not show.

• New! This update adds a “view notification” button for urgent or important notifications that you receive when you turn on do not disturb. Select the button to view the content of the notification. This button appears when you use an app in full screen.

• New! To minimize distractions from notification toasts, Windows now detects if you are interacting with toasts from an app. If not, a suggestion to turn off the toast banner for that app appears. This will only stop the banner from appearing. You can still find the toasts in the notification center.

• New! You can now right-click an app on the taskbar and end the task. This update adds a new setting in Settings > System > For developers to turn on this capability.

• New! This update adds the option to start diagnosing network problems from the system tray. To view this option, right-click the network icon in the system tray.

   

File Explorer

 

• New! This update adds a modernized File Explorer Home that is powered by WinUI. Recommended files display as a carousel. That carousel only appears if you are signed in to Windows using an Azure AD account. To turn this off and show pinned folders instead, select the ellipses. To open theFolder Options dialog, select Options. In the Privacy section, select the new checkbox next to Show recommended section.

• New! File Explorer’s newly designed address bar recognizes local and cloud folders. It also shows your file’s status. For Microsoft OneDrive users, the address bar now contains your OneDrive sync status and a quota flyout box.

• New! A new details pane in File Explorer (ALT + Shift + P) helps you access related content, stay up to date with file activity, and collaborate without opening a file. When you select a file in File Explorer and turn on the pane, the pane displays contextual information about the file. This includes a file thumbnail, its sharing status and button, emails, and more. To turn it on, select the View menu and choose Details pane. Then use the button located on the right side of the command bar to turn on the pane.

• New! This update introduces Gallery in File Explorer. Gallery makes it easy to access your photo collection. The content in Gallery is the same as what you see in the All Photos view in the Photos app. Your most recently taken photos appear at the top of Gallery. This includes photos from your phone if you have OneDrive Camera Roll Backup set up.

   

  • You can choose the folders that show in Gallery using the Collection dropdown menu. You can also add subfolders of existing sources to filter to a subset of your content. This includes desktop backgrounds, SD cards, and camera imports.

  • Gallery also works from the file picking dialog. This makes it easy to insert attachments, build PowerPoint slides, or craft social media posts.

  • A new button, called Add Phone Photos, is in the command bar. Use it to make your PC ready to show photos from your phone in Gallery. When you select this button, a URL appears that has a QR code that you can scan with your phone to get started.

     

• New! This update adds native support for reading additional archive file formats using the libarchive open-source project, such as:

   

  .tar	.tar.gz	.tar.bz2
  .tar.zst	.tar.xz	.tgz
  .tbz2	.tzst	.txz
  .rar	.7z

   

• Note This features does not support password encrypted files.

• New! You can now tear off and merge tabs with an existing File Explorer window.

• New! This update improves the performance of the calculating phase when you send a large number of files at the same time to the recycle bin in File Explorer.

• This update addresses an issue that stops File Explorer from opening.

   

Windows Share

 

• New! You can email your files using Outlook directly within the Windows share window. Select the Outlook icon in the “Share using” section of the Windows share window.

• New! The Windows share window now has a search box. So, you can now search for contacts across Outlook to share a file. The Windows share window also displays 8-10 suggested contacts to quickly share to–including emailing yourself a file.

• New! Instead of a dropdown menu in the Windows share window, there is a button to turn on nearby sharing.

• New! For nearby sharing, your own PCs appear at the top of discovered devices under “Nearby Share.”

• New! Sharing files from one PC to another is faster when you use Wi-Fi Direct.

   

  Note These experiences will work for apps that use the built-in Windows share window. These include sharing local files from the desktop, File Explorer, Photos, Snipping Tool, and Microsoft Xbox.

   

Backup and restore

 

• New! This update introduces the Windows Backup app. Use it to quickly get your current PC backed up and ready to move to a new PC.

• New! The Microsoft Store apps from your previous PC are pinned where you left them on the taskbar and the Start menu. Desktop apps that you did not install from the Microsoft Store are also where you left them.

• New! Settings from your previous device will restore to your new PC. This helps you get back into your workflow as quickly as possible.

  Note This update does not support all settings and app types for Windows Backup. Backing up a Work or School account is not supported.

   

Emoji

 

• New! This update adds support for Unicode Emoji 15. You can now see, search for, and insert new emoji from the emoji panel. To open the emoji panel, press the Windows logo key + . (period).

• New! With the update of our colour font format to COLRv1, Windows now displays emoji with a 3D like appearance. You will only see this feature if an app supports it.

   

Windows Spotlight

 

• New! This update improves the Windows Spotlight experience. You can preview images in full screen using the Learn more button. This update also provides a minimized Windows Spotlight experience. There are many ways to learn more about each image. To open the Windows Spotlight flyout box, right-click the Spotlight icon on the desktop. To learn more about each image, double-click its icon to open a Bing landing page.

   

Narrator

 

• New! This update adds new natural voices for Narrator. These voices use modern, on-device text-to-speech. Once you download it, it works without an internet connection. The new natural voices are:

   

  Chinese	Japanese
  Korean	Portuguese
  Spanish (Spain, Mexico)	English (United Kingdom, India)
  French	German

• New! When Narrator opens, it will get updates to its Outlook support. After the download is complete, you will get a notification. Currently, Narrator’s Outlook support is only for U.S. English.

• New! In Microsoft Excel, Narrator gives a more succinct and efficient reading experience. It prioritizes announcements based on what you need to skim a workbook. You can use keyboard shortcuts to customize them. To learn more, see the Enhanced Narrator support in Excel documentation. This new experience is available from the Microsoft Store. So, it might take a few minutes to be available on your device.

• New! This update improves how well Narrator reads Traditional Chinese characters and words when you use the Input Method Editor’s (IME) candidate window. This is only available for the Taiwan language pack. It is not available for the Hong Kong language pack.

   

Voice Access

 

• New! This update adds commands to correct words that voice access fails to recognize. You can say “correct [text]” to correct specific text. Use “correct that” to correct text you last dictated. The correction window appears with a list of words labelled with numbers. You can say “click [number]” to select any word from the list. If you choose a word from the window, that word replaces the text you want to correct. You can also say “spell that” or “spell out” to dictate the correct spelling of text. You get suggestions as you spell out the text. All the words and phrases that you spell are added to the Windows dictionary. They will appear as suggestions when you try to spell the text again.

• New! Voice access now works right when you start your PC. You can turn on voice access from the accessibility flyout box on the Lock screen. To turn it on automatically, go to Settings > Accessibility > Speech. Choose the setting to “Start voice access before you sign in to your PC.” Then you can use voice access to sign in to your PC and access other areas on the Lock screen.

  Follow the instructions on the voice access bar to get your focus on the password field. Use your voice to dictate your password or PIN. You can say “show keyboard” to bring up the touch keyboard with number labels on it. Say the number on the key to enter the letter associated with it. This will mask the password you enter from being heard by anyone in your vicinity. You can also use other commands, such as “show numbers” or “click [element name]” to access other elements on the touch keyboard.

• New! Voice access now works for apps that run with Microsoft Defender Application Guard turned on.

   

Security

 

• New! Passkeys are a simple and more secure replacement for passwords when you sign in to a website or application that supports them. You can now go to any app or website that supports passkeys to create a passkey that uses Windows Hello. Once you create a passkey, you can use Windows Hello (face, fingerprint, or PIN) to sign in. In addition, you can use your phone or tablet to sign in.

• New ! View and delete passkeys saved for your favorite apps and websites in Windows Settings. Go to Settings > Accounts > Passkeys. The passkey list appears. You can search for and delete any passkey from the device.

  Note On Microsoft Edge or Google Chrome, when you see the browser’s passkey UI, choose “Windows Hello or external security key.”

• New! This update adds Enhanced Phishing Protection in Microsoft Defender SmartScreen. It helps to protect school and work passwords from phishing and unsafe use on websites and in apps. This works if you have turned on the warning options for Windows Security. Go to App & browser control > Reputation-based protection > Phishing protection. When it is on, a dialog appears that warns you about using a password in a way that is not safe. For example, reusing a password is not safe.

• New! Enterprise customers can now set theEnablePasswordlessExperience policy. Once you set the policy, it hides passwords for some Windows authentication scenarios. This is true for signing in to a device and for in-session authentication scenarios. These include web browser password managers, “Run as” admin, and User Account Control (UAC). This policy applies to machines that are joined to AAD. Users can recover their passwords using a Windows Hello for Business PIN reset or by signing in on the web. They can do this without help from the IT helpdesk.

   

Graphics

 

• New! You can turn on Auto colour Management(ACM) on your Standard Dynamic Range (SDR) display. ACM makes all the colours on all your Windows apps appear accurately and consistently on every supported display. This is true even if the apps are not colour managed. To turn ACM on, go to Settings > Display > Advanced display. Choose theSDR display and turn on Automatically manage colour for apps. See the requirements to use ACM in the table below.

   

  Driver	Supported GPU
  WDDM driver version 3.0 or greater	AMD:   AMD RX 400 Series or later   AMD Ryzen processors with Radeon Graphics
  	Intel:   Integrated: Intel 12th Gen (Alder Lake) or later   Discrete: Intel DG1 or later
  	NVIDIA:   NVIDIA GTX 10xx or later (Pascal+)

   

• There are no hard requirements for the display or connection. ACM can provide benefits even on 8-bit sRGB panels. However, we strongly recommend ACM devices to have panels with a wider-than-sRGB gamut. Ten-bits (10-bits) per colour channel or greater is also advised as an option.

   

Settings

 

• New! This update adds a new Settings home page. It has interactive cards that represent devices and account related settings. As you use your device, the page and cards adjust to give you the most relevant and useful information. In this release, there are up to seven cards (see below). More are coming soon.

   

  • Recommended settings: It gives you options that help save you time.

  • Cloud storage: This shows your cloud storage use and lets you know when you are nearing capacity.

  • Account recovery: It helps you add more recovery information. This stops you from being locked out of your account.

  • Personalization: With just one click, you can change your background theme or colour mode.

  • Microsoft 365: View a quick glimpse of your subscription status and benefits. Here, you can also perform some key actions instead of going to the web.

  • Xbox: Here, you can view your subscription status and manage the subscription.

  • Bluetooth Devices: You can quickly access and connect to your favorite Bluetooth devices.

     

  Note This experience is only available on Windows 11 Home and Pro editions. It is not on devices that companies manage.

   

• New! Dev Drive is a new form of storage volume. It gives developers what they need to host source code, working folders, and package caches. Dev Drive is built on Resilient File System (ReFS) technology. Dev Drive also has Performance mode. It is a new Microsoft Defender Antivirus capability. Performance mode minimizes the impact on developer workloads. You can create a Dev Drive using free space on an existing drive or create a VHD/VHDX. Go to the Settings app within System > System > For developers. You can also set it up using the command-line. A Dev Drive must be at least 50 GB or higher in size. We recommend that you have 8 GB or higher of RAM on your device. To learn more, see Set up a Dev Drive on Windows 11 (Public Preview).

   

• New! This update adds Dynamic Lighting. It gives you control of lighting devices that implement the open HID LampArray standard. These devices can create millions of colour combinations using red, green, and blue (RGB). This update includes APIs for Windows apps to control background and foreground devices. To change how your devices behave, go to Settings > Personalization > Dynamic Lighting. Some of the things you can do using Dynamic Lighting include:

   

  • You can instantly sync your Windows accent colour with the devices around it. Use the “Match my Windows accent colour” toggle under “Effects.”

  • You can choose a custom colour to light up your devices.

     

    For a list of the compatible in-market devices, see Dynamic lighting devices. You must use the latest firmware with these devices.

     

• New! The update adds Adaptive Dimming. This works for PCs that have presence sensors that support attention detection. Now your device can dim your screen when you look away and undim it when you look back. To turn it on, go to Settings > Privacy & security > Presence sensing. You can also turn on Presence Sensing when you are setting up a new device. It is an option for your privacy settings.

• New! The “For Developers” settings page is now in Settings > System. It is no longer in Settings > Privacy& security.

• New! This update adds two new energy recommendations in Settings > System > Power & battery > Energy recommendations. One turns on dark mode. The second adjusts the refresh rate.

• New! You can now stop Windows from communicating with your mobile devices. Go to Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Phone Link. There you will find an option to turn off Phone Link.

• New! You can now join Bluetooth Personal Area networks. This option is for paired devices, like phones, that share an internet connection over Bluetooth. Go to Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Devices.

• New! This update adds a new cellular toggle. It makes it easier to control whether to use cellular when Wi-Fi is available, but it is poor. Go to Settings > Network & Internet > Cellular.

• New! You have more options on the Data Usage page. They support daily and weekly data limits. Also, the page shows how far the data limit has been exceeded.

• New! You can quickly get to Settings to uninstall an app from a context menu. Right-click a Win32 app on the Start menu or search for the app and choose “Uninstall.”

• New! This update improves the design of the Settings page for wheel devices, like the Surface Dial.

• New! This update changes the design of a few lists to be more consistent with other Settings pages. The lists are for Settings > Apps > Startup Apps and Settings > Apps > Advanced App Settings > App Execution Alias. The new design also makes it easier to view more information about the apps you have.

• New! You can now get to advanced properties for network adapters and internet properties from Settings. Go to Settings > Network & internet > Advanced network settings.

• New! You can now view Wi-Fi passwords for your known networks in Settings. Go to Settings > Network & internet > Wi-Fi and “Manage known networks.”

• New! This update improves your experience when you change time zones. This change considers scenarios in which the location data might not be accurate. A notification appears that prompts you to confirm the time zone before Windows adjusts it for you.

• New! This update also improves your experience when you change the time zone in Settings > Time & language > Date & time. If location settings are turned off, a warning appears. It tells you to turn on location settings to ensure accurate time zone adjustments. This warning helps you to understand why a time zone might not be correct so you can address the issue.

• New! This update improves the design of the Task Manager dialogs and its Settings page. It now matches the look and feel of other Settings pages. The new design also separates categories into different sections for a cleaner UI.

• New! Windows now detects camera streaming issues. If your camera does not start or its shutter is closed, a notification appears. It recommends that you open the automated Get Help troubleshooter to address the issue.

• New! The network flyout box on the Lock screen now aligns with Windows 11 design principles.

• New! This update changes the design of the firewall notification dialogs for Windows Security. They now match the look of Windows 11.

• This update addresses a sign-in error on the Settings home page. Because of this, you cannot view your account information on that home page.

   

Windows 365 Switch

 

• New! Using Windows 365 Switch, you can sign in to and connect your Windows 365 Cloud PC to your local desktop. Then you can move between them using familiar keyboard commands, mouse clicks, or a swipe gesture. For easy access from your desktop, you can add Windows 365 Switch to Task view.

Improvements

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.

   

22H2

 

This security update includes improvements that were a part of update KB5031455 (released October 26, 2023). When you install this KB:

 

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

   

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 November 2023 Security Updates.

 

Windows 11 servicing stack update - 22621.2567 and 22631.2567

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

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.

Source

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

 

Symptom

Workaround

Using the FixedDrivesEncryptionType or SystemDrivesEncryptionType policy settings in the BitLocker configuration service provider (CSP) node in mobile device management (MDM) apps might incorrectly show a 65000 error in the "Require Device Encryption" setting for some devices in your environment. Affected environments are those with the “Enforce drive encryption type on operating system drives” or "Enforce drive encryption on fixed drives" policies set to enabled and selecting either "full encryption" or "used space only". Microsoft Intune is affected by this issue but third-party MDMs might also pe affected.   Important This issue is a reporting issue only and does not affect drive encryption or the reporting of other issues on the device, including other BitLocker issues.

To mitigate this issue in Microsoft Intune, you can set the “Enforce drive encryption type on operating system drives” or "Enforce drive encryption on fixed drives" policies to not configured.     We are working on a resolution and will provide an update in an upcoming release.

 

 

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.

Source

In a Microsoft support post with the details of the latest "Patch Tuesday" update for Windows 11 22H2, the company put in an extra note. It stated:

IMPORTANT After February 27, 2024, there will no longer be optional, non-security preview releases for Windows 11, version 22H2. Only cumulative monthly security updates will continue for the supported editions of Windows 11, version 22H2.

That means Microsoft wants people who are still using the 22H2 version to move on to the new 23H2 version of Windows 11 very soon if they still want to get new features such as Copilot and more.

While the non-security optional updates will end for Windows 11 22H2, people with that version of the OS will still get security updates for several more months at least. The lifecycle page for Windows 11 shows that the final security updates for 22H2 won't end until October 8, 2024.

This is just the latest example of Microsoft moving quickly to make people update to new versions of Windows. In October, Microsoft officially ended all support for Windows 11 21H2, which launched on October 5, 2021.

The current version of Windows 11 is 23H2, and Microsoft has already set its support end date for November 11, 2025.

Meanwhile, Windows 10 Version 22H2 is still being supported by Microsoft. The company says its lifecycle of support won't end for nearly two years, until October 14, 2025.

A recent online petition posted by The Public Interest Network is requesting Microsoft to extend the life of Windows 10, claiming that the higher PC system requirement of Windows 11 could mean that millions of PCs won't get updated and "could cause the single biggest jump in junked computers ever", according to the group.

Source

On Windows 11, if you're looking for an alternative to File Explorer, the Files is the app you want to use. Files (or Files App, as listed in the Microsoft Store) is an open-source file manager designed to be more modern and easier to use than the default manager built into the operating system.

In addition to the sleek design and intuitive interface, the Files app includes many of the same features as File Explorer, plus several powerful features to browse and manage files and folders on Windows 11. (The app also works on Windows 10.)

For example, in addition to a similar design with tabs, a left navigation pane, a toolbar, an address bar, and a search box, this application includes a split mode to view two folders side by side on the same window, a tagging system to organize your contents, archival support to compress and extract files like ".zip," ".rar," and ".7z."

The app also offers a modern settings interface to customize virtually every aspect of the experience, including the ability to change the appearance, customize folder views, backup and restore settings, and much more. 

In this how-to guide, I'll walk you through the steps to get started with the app, from installing it to navigating the interface and highlighting the features you won't find on File Explorer.

Getting started with the Files app on Windows 11

Since this is a third-party application, you will have to get it from the Microsoft Store. After the installation, you can launch the app from the Start menu to get started. Here's how.

Install Files app

To install the Files App on Windows 11, use these steps:

1. Open Microsoft Store.
2. Search for "Files Apps" (by Yair A) and open the app's page.
3. Click the "Get" or "Install" button.

Once you complete the steps, the new file manager will be installed on your computer and work alongside File Explorer.

Navigating Files app

To open the Files app, open "Start," search for the app, and launch it like with any other application. (You can right-click the icon in the Taskbar and select the "Pin to taskbar" option for quicker access.)

When you first launch Files, you will notice it includes an interface very similar to File Explorer, available on Windows 11, but with some elements and features that make this file manager stand out. 

On the left, you'll find the navigation pane with access to the "Home" page (the default startup page) and access to "Favorites" locations, "Drives," and "WSL."

File Explorer only integrates with OneDrive, but Files integrates with many cloud storage services, such as OneDrive, Apple's iCloud, and Google Drive. (You only need to have the storage client already installed on the device to appear under "Cloud Drives." If you install the sync client after adding Files, you may need to restart the computer.)

Also, under "Tags," you can navigate those files that added tags from the item's properties.

At the top, you can open and close tabs. You can drag tabs out to create another window, but you cannot drag a window into another window to convert it into a tab. 

As part of the header, on the left side, you have navigation controls (back, forth, up, and refresh), an address bar to browse any location, and a search box. One difference from File Explorer is that Files includes an option (gear button) on the right to access the settings page. 

Immediately beneath the header, you will find the toolbar with all the common features, such as cut, copy, rename, paste, share, delete, and access to the file or folder properties.

On the right side, Files includes the options to sort content, change the layout, and open the preview pane on the right side.

Finally, at the bottom, you will find information about the location, including the number of items in the current view, the number of selected items, and their size.

If you know your way around File Explorer, you already know the basics to get around Files.

Files also support mounting network drives from the "Home" page.

Furthermore, the context menu available with Files is more advanced than the one on File Explorer. For example, when you right-click an executable, the menu offers more options, including running the application as a different user. The "Show more options" is a submenu with access to other options instead of switching to the legacy context menu like on File Explorer.

Change general settings

To change some of the behaviors of the app, including startup, context menu, and widgets, use these steps:

1. Open Files.
2. Click the Settings (gear) button on the top-right corner.

1. Click on General.
2. Use the "Startup settings" option to choose whether the file manager should always launch on a new tab, continue where you left off, or use a specific location or drive. 

• Quick note: If you select a specific location, you will have the option to browse and choose the new location.

5. Use the "Widgets" setting to decide the items ("Quick access," "Drives," "Tags," and "Recent files") to display on the "Home" page. 
6. Use the "Context menu options" setting to customize some of the items in the context menu (such as new tab, window, and pane). 

• Quick note: The "Move shell extensions into a submenu" shows every possible item on a scrollable menu instead of a submenu.

After you complete the steps, the settings will apply according to your configuration.

Customize appearance 

To change the appearance of the Files app, use these steps:

1. Open Files.
2. Click the Settings (gear) button in the top-right corner.
3. Click on Appearance.
4. Choose the colour mode, including "Dark," "Light," or "Default" (matches the system colour mode) from the "Theme" setting.

5. (Optional) Select the style design technology, including "Mica Alt" or "Acrylic."
6. Choose one of the colours to change the colour of the entire interface using the "Background" setting.

Once you complete the steps, the new customization settings will apply to the file manager.

It's important to note that the Files app will use the Windows 11 accent colour for some elements, such as icons and buttons, across the experience.

Set Files as system default

To make the Files app the default file manager on Windows 11, use these steps:

1. Open Files.
2. Click the Settings (gear) button in the top-right corner.
3. Click on Advanced.
4. Under the "Experimental features flags" section, turn on the "Set files as the default file manager" toggle switch.

After you complete the steps, Windows 11 will make Files the new default experience to manage files. However, this action will not uninstall File Explorer.

Export and import settings

One of the advantages of the Files app is that you can back up and restore the settings on the same or another computer. 

Export settings

To export the Files app settings on Windows 11, use these steps:

1. Open Files.
2. Click the Settings (gear) button in the top-right corner.
3. Click on Advanced.
4. Click the Export settings option.

5. Select the location to save the application configuration file on your computer.
6. Click the Save button.

Once you complete the steps, the application will export the entire configuration in a ".zip" file that you can save to restore or take the settings to another computer.

Import settings

To import the file manager settings, use these steps:

1. Open Files.
2. Click the Settings (gear) button in the top-right corner.
3. Click on Advanced.
4. Click the Import settings option.

5. Select the configuration file from your computer.
6. Click the Open button.

After you complete the steps, the settings will import automatically. It's not required to restart the app, but it's recommended.

Organize files and folders with tags

Although you can use tags on File Explorer, they are only meant for searching for files. The Files app includes a tagging system that allows you to set specific tags to any file or folder and quickly access these contents from the navigation pane, similar to the feature available on macOS.

The app comes with four tags by default, including "Home," "Work," "Photos," and "Important," but you can add as many tags as you need.

To tag a file or folder, right-click the item, open the "Edits tags" submenu, and choose the tag. To add or remove tags, use these steps:

1. Open Files.
2. Click the Settings (gear) button in the top-right corner.
3. Click on Tags.
4. Click the New tag button.

5. Confirm a name and colour for the tag.
6. Click the Create button.

5. (Optional) Click the Edit button to change the tag's name.
6. (Optional) Click the Delete button to remove a tag.

Once you complete the steps, you can start tagging documents, files, and folders.

Customize folder view

When using the Files app, you can customize the view for each location using the "Layout," "Sort," and "Selection options."

The "Layout" menu gives you the option to change the view, similar to File Explorer, using details, tiles, and different sizes of icons. The "Columns" option allows you to drill between folders in columns, similar to Finder on macOS.

You can also show or hide extensions, show hidden files, and use the "Adaptive layout" that allows the app to adjust its layout to fit different screen and window sizes automatically.

The "Sort" menu allows you to sort and group content based on different criteria.

Finally, the "Selection options" can be used to select items.

The "Preview" feature is the equivalent to the "Details" page on File Explorer, and it allows you to show details about the files and preview the contents of an item.

The "See more" (three dots) menu in the top right allows you to open a new pane or window or turn the compact overlay on or off.

In addition to these controls, the file manager allows you to manage the folder views through the Settings > Folders page. 

On this page, you can sync the layout and sorting configurations across folders globally. 

The "Details layout columns" settings allow you to determine the information available using the "Details" layout. For example, you can show or hide tags, sizes, dates, etc.

Similarly, the "Sorting and grouping" settings allow you to configure some default settings for sorting and grouping. For example, you can set the default "Sort by" and "Group by" options.

You can also use the "Layout mode" setting to choose the default mode, including "Details," "Tiles," "Columns," "Icon grid," and "Adaptive layout."

Under the "Display" settings, you can configure hidden items and extension preferences, manage thumbnails, and more.

Finally, under the "Behaviors" section, you can control the action of opening items (double or single click), disabling deletion confirmation, and warning changing extensions. 

Some other unique options include the ability to select files and folders when hovering and double-click a blank space to go up a folder.

Open and extract archival formats 

The Files app offers support for compressing and extracting files using ".zip," ".rar," and ".7z" using a 7-zip integration.

Starting on Windows 11 version 23H2 through the integration of the "libarchive" open-source project, File Explorer now supports viewing and extracting ".zip," ".rar," and ".7z" archival formats.

The difference with the integration in the Files app is that you can also create archival formats and even extract files with encryption, since there's an option to confirm the password to access the contents.

Extract archival format 

To open and extract archival formats through Files, use these steps: 

1. Open Files.
2. Open the folder containing the archival formats.
3. Double-click the ".zip," ".rar," or ".7z" file format to open its content.
4. Click the Extract button from the toolbar and select the Extract files option. 

5. Confirm the extraction path.
6. Confirm the archival password (if necessary).
7. Check the "Open destination folder when complete" option.
8. Click the Extract button.

Once you complete the steps, the process will begin, and the file manager will present the location with the extracted content.

Create archival format 

To create a ".zip" or ".7z." archival with Files, use these steps:

1. Open Files.
2. Open the folder containing the files and folders.
3. Select the items.
4. Right-click the selection, choose Compress, and select the Create archive option.

5. Confirm a name for the archival.

6. Select the format, either ".zip" or ".7z."
7. Choose the compression level (if applicable). 

• Quick note: The default section is almost always recommended.

8. (Optional) Configure the split side. 

• Quick note: The "Splitting size" option allows you to break a large file into smaller pieces.

9. (Optional) Choose an encryption password.
10. Click the Create button.

After you complete the steps, Files using 7-zip will start the compression of the files.

The Files app is an excellent alternative for those who want a more modern and different (but yet similar) file manager experience. It's a fantastic app, considering that it's an open-source project, and it includes all the essential tools that you come to expect, plus many additional features that make Files stand out over File Explorer. For example, in my opinion, the interface has a more well-done design, and the integration of archival formats seems more mature than one in File Explorer.

Although Files is a solid alternative for Windows 11 (and 10) users, while I was testing and writing this guide, I noticed that it is slower in some tasks compared to File Explorer. For example, thumbnails take longer to load, and the overall browsing experience is a bit sluggish.

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Microsoft officially launched its Forms service for Windows 365 business users in 2018 and it was made available for personal users in 2019. However, the service, which lets users create polls, surveys and more, has been web-based for the most part, although it could also be accessed via Microsoft Teams and in Microsoft 365 office apps like PowerPoint.

The Microsoft Forms service was due to get its own dedicated Windows 11 app, and today, Microsoft officially announced that the Forms app is now available for download in the Microsoft Store.

In a blog post, Microsoft notes that the new Forms Windows 11 app has the same features that are available on the Forms website. It states:

You can create forms/quizzes, choose questions from AI suggestions and select from a variety of themes. Once you finish creating your form you can effortlessly distribute it from the app.

It's likely that one of the advantages of using the Forms app over the website is that it will load faster on your Windows 11 PC. However, the blog does note that the app will not work without an active internet connection, so keep that in mind. There's no word on if the app will be updated in the future so it can be used offline.

The Forms service recently got a new redesign on the web in September. It includes some new additions such as viewing answers to Forms questions in the treemap format. It uses squares and rectangles that are supposed to display more info on answers to Forms questions. The shapes can also change based on the percentage of answers that are received.

Some of the other recent additions include switching between viewing a word cloud that highlights key terms for answers to open text questions and just viewing the detailed responses to those questions.

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This week, the Microsoft Store app quietly got a new version, v22310, that enabled this new and, quite frankly, long-awaited feature for all users in the Stable Channel. The announcement was made by "Daniel," a member of the Microsoft Store team, on his X (formerly Twitter) account this morning.

Microsoft described the new feature in more detail in its blog post at the time for Canary Windows Insiders:

Customize the install location of your games: When downloading games like Starfield, Halo Infinite, or Forza Motorsport, you will now be able to specify the installation drive. For example, when clicking the install button from Starfield’s page, you’ll be greeted with a new dialog providing you a chance to select a drive. You can change your default drive from the Microsoft Store’s settings page. Also in the settings page, you can specify the folder location of your games within that drive. These settings are synchronized with the Xbox app on PC to ensure a consistent gaming experience.

It is also worth noting that the Xbox app already allows you to select a drive to store your games. The same feature is now available in the Microsoft Store for those who prefer downloading games from there.

The Microsoft Store app recently received a number of updates, including one that significantly improved performance so that it now loads in just a couple of seconds.

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I use Windows 11 every day, obviously. But I also use Linux and Chrome OS pretty much every day, too. I don't use macOS because as much as I've tried, I can't find anything to like about it. I do this in part to keep abreast of the competition, but also because I actually enjoy using these different platforms. 

Windows 11 is far from perfect, I and the rest of the Windows Central team will happily admit that. We often hear tales of people ditching Windows for Mac or for Linux, but rarely the opposite. 

So I wanted to take the time to highlight this Reddit thread where someone has done just that. They've dropped Linux for Windows 11, and they're extremely happy with their choice. See for yourself.

As a Linux user myself, I appreciate why some people would switch and why they'd be happy switching. I'm a tinkerer, and one of the attractions of using Linux to me is being able to essentially create an environment that is entirely how I want it to be. But with that there are drawbacks, and as the OP of that thread points out, generally in Windows 11, things just work. 

You could call it a compromise since you don't have the freedom Linux offers, but it's the truth for the vast majority of PC users. If there's an app you need, it's probably available on Windows. There are no issues with game compatibility, drivers for hardware are always available and tailored to the system, and Microsoft is constantly updating with new features and security patches. 

I think a lot of potential converts also don't realize just how good the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) is.

WSL is extremely good and can help bridge the transition from Linux into Windows.  (Image credit: Windows Central)

WSL uses a proper Linux kernel and despite being a virtual machine on top of Windows 11, it doesn't feel that way. It's also seamlessly integrated into the host, allowing for interoperability with the Windows file system, as well as supporting GUI apps. You can't do everything you can on a bare metal Linux system, but you can do a hell of a lot. 

This type of relationship, whether you're a casual user or a developer, is something that you don't even get on Linux. To use Windows there, you have to run a full virtual machine, it's not the same as running WSL on Windows 11. Microsoft has made a big push for developers with WSL, and there's an argument to be made for using Windows with Linux instead of just Linux.

The Reddit thread linked above is full of interesting discussion, but it definitely got me thinking. We never really look at people switching to Windows, perhaps because it's still the dominant platform. But it's still probably the best platform for most, even if they don't know it yet. 

So if you've got some handy hints for converts, or some transition to Windows stories of your own to share, hit the comments below and tell us all about the what, the why, and how it's gone! 

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Today, Microsoft announced the latest version of the .NET open-source development platform. The new version, .NET 8, not only includes a lot of performance improvements, but it adds a new code generator, Dynamic Profile-Guided Optimization (PGO), that Microsoft says should boost the performance of apps made with .NET 8 by up to 20 percent.

In a blog post, Microsoft stated:

The AVX-512 instruction set, which is now supported, enables you to perform parallel operations on 512-bit vectors of data, meaning you can process much more data in less time. The primitive types (numerical and beyond) now implement a new formattable and parsable interface, which enable them to directly format and parse as UTF-8 without any transcoding overhead.

Microsoft says that the TechEmpower benchmarks show that in the JSON API scenario, .NET 8 performance goes up by 18 percent compared to .NET 7 and that the Fortunes scenario shows performance increases of 24 percent in .NET 8 compared to .NET 7.

Since this is a Microsoft-developed platform, It's also pushing the use of .NET 8 for AI-based applications. It stated:

. integrating Tensor Primitives. With the rise of AI-enabled apps, new tools and SDKs emerged. We collaborated with numerous internal and external partners, such as Azure OpenAI, Azure Cognitive Search, Milvus, Qdrant, and Microsoft Teams, to ensure .NET developers have easy access to various AI models, services, and platforms through their respective SDKs. Additionally, the open-source Semantic Kernel SDK simplifies the integration of these AI components into new and existing applications, to help you deliver innovative user experiences.

AOT (ahead-of-time) apps also see a performance boost when developed in .NET 8 and used on Linux and Windows platforms which means developers won't have to use the JIT (just-in-time) compiler to get their apps complied at run time.

In addition to the launch of .NET 8, Microsoft is releasing the first version of .NET Aspire. This is an opinionated stack designed to make cloud-based apps. Microsoft stated it uses a variety of components such as telemetry, resilience, configuration, and health checks by default. Microsoft also says it uses a simple-to-use local developer experience that is also sophisticated enough to create cloud-based. Developers can learn more about .NET Aspire inat this separate blog post and they can submit feedback on this preview version at GitHub.

The new version is being launched on the first day of the annual .NET conference. The virtual event will run from now until November 16.

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Leaker and reverse engineer Alessandro Paluzzi shares his discovery on X (fka Twitter). He says that users will be able to access “Your Space” by scrolling down their profile. Once in the space, users will be able to have a different bio and profile photo than the one on their public profile.

Take a look at the feature in the work below:

It’s pretty much like having a finsta (fake Instagram), second account, or whatever young people on the internet are calling it these days. The difference is you don’t need to log into a new account, and people added to the space will also be notified but not the ones you’ve removed.

Instagram has not yet confirmed the existence of “Your Space,” but Paluzzi is confident that the feature is coming. He says that he is “almost certain” that the feature will work the way he has described it.

Not too long ago, both Meta-owned Instagram and Facebook also revealed paid ad-free plans for European users to comply with its regulations.

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Starfield's DLSS 3 implementation is still in beta, and only Steam users can try it out at the moment. Bethesda just recently pushed out an update to the beta branch too, which adds further improvements to the frame generation tech from Nvidia, and might mesh well together with the latest driver.

Meanwhile, Modern Warfare III, which launched last week, already received a Game Ready update from Nvidia in October, but RTX 40 Series owners should see improvements to frame generation with this specific release too.

Here are the gaming and general bug fixes included in this driver, which includes good news for those enjoying long binging sessions of Alan Wake 2:

Fixed Gaming Bugs

 

• [Alan Wake 2] Addressing gradual stability and performance degradation over
• extended periods of gameplay [4334633]
• [Counter Strike 2] Improved NVIDIA Reflex functionality and performance [4361128]
• [Starfield/Cyberpunk 2077] Stutter observed on some Advanced Optimus notebooks
• [4341762]
• [Control] Game stability issues over extended periods of gameplay [4313811]

 

Fixed General Bugs

 

• [OBS] Tearing issue when recording high resolution video [4359771]
• [Notebook] GPU can become frozen in maximum performance state [4364631]
• Windows 10 transparency effects are not displaying correctly after driver update
• [4335862]
• Random Bugcheck may be observed on certain systems [4343844]
• [Wallpaper Engine] Wallpaper shows tearing when cloned in multi-monitor
• configuration [4364562]
• [Firefox Beta] Increased page file memory use when enabling RTX Video Super
• Resolution [4359080]

The sole known issue listed on the release notes is related to Discord streaming:

[Discord] When streaming gameplay, colours may appear muted [4349586]

However, there are many more open issues listed on the GeForce forums:

• A new NVIDIA icon is created in the system tray each time a user switch takes place in Windows. [4251314]
• Small checkerboard like pattern may randomly appear in Chromium based applications [3992875]
• [GeForce GTX 10/RTX 20 series] PC may randomly freeze/bugcheck when Windows Hardware-Accelerated GPU Scheduling and NVIDIA SLI are both enabled [4009884]
• Horizontal band may appear when cloning a G-SYNC display to HDMI monitor [4103923]
• [Alienware X17 R2 w/ GeForce RTX 3080 Ti] Display goes blank when DirectX game is launched while notebook is in dedicated GPU mode [4146369]
• [RTX 4060 Ti] Display may randomly flicker with a black bar on the top of the screen when using desktop apps [4239893]
• Slight stutter may be observed when scrolling in web browsers on certain systems [4362307]

The Nvidia 546.17 Game Ready driver is now available via the GeForce Experience app while standalone download links can be found below. Here are the release notes (PDF).

Desktop GPUs:

GeForce Game Ready Driver Download: Windows 11, 10 – DCH [US version]

Notebook GPUs:

GeForce Game Ready Driver Download: Windows 11, 10 – DCH [US version]

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Such is the case with the October 2023 Patch Tuesday as well on Windows 10, though thankfully, it is not affecting all users as it is limited to version 21H2 only. Microsoft says that the bug is causing installation failure of the Patch Tuesday, even though at first glance it may appear to be working.

On its Windows health dashboard website, Microsoft explains:

Microsoft has received reports of an issue where Windows updates released October 10, 2023 ( KB5031356) fail to install. Devices might initially display progress, but then fail to complete installation.

 

Based on our reports, some of the most common errors being encountered is Error 8007000D (ERROR_INVALID_DATA). This error can be found from the Windows Update view under System settings, by selecting Update History.

In the next section, the tech giant has explained how affected users, including enterprises can perform the known issue rollback (KIR).

Resolution: This issue is resolved using Known Issue Rollback (KIR). Please note that it might take up to 48 hours for the resolution to propagate automatically to consumer devices and non-managed business devices

 

If necessary, the following manual steps can be used to speed up the recovery:

 

1. Run command Prompt as Administrator. To do this, you can open the Start menu and type 'cmd'. From the right-side panel of the search results, select the option 'Run as administrator'
2. In the window that opens, type the following to execute a restore command: Dism /online /cleanup-image /RestoreHealth
3. Wait for it to complete successfully, then close the windows. You can now search for updates again from the Windows Updates from the Settings view.

 

The Windows Updates settings view can always be found by opening the Start menu and typing 'Windows Updates'. Then select 'Check for updates' from the search results.

 

For enterprise-managed devices that have installed an affected update and encountered this issue, it can be resolved by installing and configuring a special Group Policy. The special Group Policy can be found in Computer Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> . For information on deploying and configuring these special Group Policy, please see How to use Group Policy to deploy a Known Issue Rollback.

 

Group Policy downloads with Group Policy name:

 

• Download for Windows 10, version 22H2 and Windows 10, version 21H2 - Windows 10 20H2, 21H1, 21H2 and 22H2 KB5026879 230627_173533 Known Issue Rollback.msi

You may find more details on the issue on this page on Microsoft's health dashboard website.

Source

Here is the changelog:

FIXED ISSUES:

 

Intel Arc Graphics Products:

 

• Starfield (DX12) may exhibit flickering colour corruption in the sky during night scenes.
• Alan Wake 2 (DX12) may exhibit corruptions on water and reflective surfaces.
• Halo: The Master Chief Collection (DX11) may experience lower than expected performance with the Xbox Game Pass version.
• World War Z (DX11) may experience lower than expected performance with the Epic Games Store version.

 

KNOWN ISSUES:

 

Intel Arc Graphics Products:

 

• Ghostrunner 2 (DX11) may experience sporadic application crash during gameplay.
• Total War: PHARAOH (DX11) may exhibit corruption after changing resolution in game on certain displays.
• Starfield (DX12) may exhibit corruption when using Dynamic Resolution Scaling. A workaround is to change the Render Resolution Scale slider value.
• Dead by Daylight (DX11) may experience an application crash during gameplay.
• Topaz Video AI may experience errors when using some models for video enhancement.

 

Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics Products:

 

• Driver installation may not complete successfully on certain notebook systems with both Intel Iris Xe + Iris Xe MAX devices. A system reboot and re-installation of the graphics driver may be required for successful installation.

 

Intel Core Processor (12th-14th Generation) Products:

 

• Dragon Quest X Online (DX9) may experience sporadic application crash during gameplay.

 

INTEL ARC CONTROL KNOWN ISSUES:

 

• Using Arc Control Studio capture with certain games may incorrectly generate multiple video files.
• The “Connector” type in the Display page may incorrectly show DP when using an HDMI display connection.
• May observe “stream has already ended” pop-up after the power events with Capture/Highlights/Broadcast toggle on.
• Arc Control may not retain overall application settings in Overlay mode after system reboot. A workaround is to use Desktop mode of Arc Control.

 

Intel Arc Control Performance Tuning (BETA):

 

• Intel Arc Control Performance Tuning is currently in Beta. As such, performance and features may behave unexpectedly. Intel will continue to refine the Performance Tuning software in future releases.

You can download the new drivers here and check out the full release notes in PDF format here,

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Alongside the 2023 update, Microsoft also released dynamic updates to improve the Windows Recovery (WinRE), as well as the Setup files, speaking of which, the Out of Box Experience (OOBE) was updated as well, though it was for 22H2 only. Now, the company has released a couple of them to optimize for 23H2 as well.

The March OOBE update, for example, added a Shim to improve compatibility with Component Object Model (COM) objects. Meanwhile, the April OOBE update also addressed compatibility issues, but this time it was related to the registry.

With the latest OOBE update release though, Microsoft hasn't gone into any detail about what the new update brings as it has only mentioned that this is meant to improve the Windows 22H2 Out of box experience.

KB5033055: Out of Box Experience update for Windows 11, version 22H2 and 23H2: November 10, 2023

 

Summary

 

This update improves the Windows 11, version 22H2 and 23H2 out-of-box experience (OOBE). This update applies only to the Windows 11 OOBE process and is available only when OOBE updates are installed.

 

How to get this update

 

Windows OOBE

 

This update is installed during the Windows OOBE process if an Internet connection is available.

 

Prerequisites

 

There are no prerequisites for installing this update.

 

Restart information

 

Your device requires a restart after applying this update.

 

Update replacement information

 

This update does not replace a previously released update.

 

[..]

 

KB5033204: Out of Box Experience update for Windows 11, version 23H2: November 10, 2023

 

Summary

 

This update improves the Windows 11, version 23H2 out-of-box experience (OOBE). This update applies only to the Windows 11 OOBE process and is available only when OOBE updates are installed.

 

......

The official support articles from Microsoft are linked here: KB5033055 / KB5033204. The OOBE update is downloaded automatically during the OOBE if an internet connection is available so you need not worry.

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Back in September, Microsoft's press event to introduce Copilot also announced some upcoming features for its Edge web browser. Today, the company announced that some of those features are generally available for Edge users.

In a blog post, Microsoft stated that Copilot in Microsoft Shopping has started to roll out and will be available more widely soon. The company stated:

Copilot in Microsoft Shopping is designed to be your own personal shopper and help you find what you need in less time. You can give it prompts like “what are some gift ideas for teenage boys?” and Copilot will ask you a set of intelligent questions to help narrow down ideas for gifts for your nephew. Coming soon, you’ll also be able to simply share a picture of the product you’re looking for, and Copilot will guide you to the right match.

Copilot in Microsoft Shopping is actually available for any web browser by just visiting the https://bing.com/shop/ai website. However, Microsoft says Edge offers the best experience. It's just for PC browsers for now, but the new AI shopping feature will be added to mobile browsers in the near future.

Another new AI-based edition that's now widely available for Edge users is Review Summaries. Those Edge users can click on the Copilot icon on the sidebar and then ask it to offer a summary of what people have written about a specific product.

Microsoft has also announced that the Edge Secure Network, which it tested with members of the Edge Insiders Program earlier this year, is now generally available. Microsoft says:

Edge Secure Network uses VPN technology to stop third parties and bad actors from accessing your sensitive information, so you can make purchases online, fill out forms, and keep your browsing activity away from prying eyes.

The blog post also mentions some other recent security-based features in Edge, including Password Health and Password Monitor, along with Website Typo Detection that prevents users from getting hit with a malicious site if they happen to misspell a URL address.

Source

What you need to know

• UPDATE: Microsoft recently announced that admins will get three additional years of Extended Security Updates (ESUs) for Windows Server 2012.
• Microsoft is ending support for Windows Server 2012 on October 10, 2023.
• Recommended next steps include transitioning to Windows Server 2022 or purchasing Extended Security Updates (ESUs) for Windows Server 2012.
• ESUs include three additional years of security updates, renewable annually until October 13, 2026.
• Admins that transition their databases and applications to Azure Virtual Machines will access free ESUs for three years after the end of the support date.

UPDATE NOV. 11, 2023: A couple of months ago, Microsoft announced that it would cut support for Windows Server 2012 and Windows Server 2012 R2 on October 10, 2023. However, the company recently announced that admins can get three additional years of Extended Security Updates (ESUs).

According to Microsoft:

"You can now get three additional years of Extended Security Updates (ESUs) if you need more time to upgrade and modernize your Windows Server 2012, Windows Server R2, or Windows Embedded Server 2012 R2 on Azure. This also applies to Azure Stack HCI, Azure Stach Hub, and other Azure products. A new article provides details and step-by-step instructions to extending limited protection for up to three consecutive 12-month increments."

The company is now providing users ample time to transition to Windows Server 2022. Microsoft's Poornima Priyadarshini cited, "If you've already moved to Azure to protect your Windows Server 2012 and R2 workloads, you might be enjoying free Extended Security Updates. If your organization is unable to migrate, you can purchase and seamlessly deploy Windows Server 2012 Extended Security Updates enabled by Azure Arc on premises and in hosted environments without keys, directly from the Azure portal".

The original article continues below.

October is fast approaching, which will mark Microsoft ending its support for Windows Server 2012. This shouldn't be a surprise, as Microsoft had already issued a reminder at the beginning of this year. The statement explains that extended support for all Windows Server 2012 and Windows Server 2012 R2 editions is set to end on October 10, 2023.

Windows Server 2012 ended its mainstream support date in 2018. Still, Microsoft decided to carry the date forward to provide users ample time to transition to supported Windows Server versions.

Microsoft will no longer provide security or non-security updates, bug fixes, technical support, or online technical content updates for these Windows Server versions after October 10. If you continue using these unsupported versions well beyond this point, you'll no longer receive technical support from Microsoft, which may have a negative impact on the stability of any outdated servers.

Windows Server 2008/R2 Extended Security Updates (ESUs) hit its end-of-support date earlier this year, on January 10, 2023.

Advice for server admins

Following this change, Microsoft recommends transitioning to Windows Server 2022 or purchasing Extended Security Updates (ESUs). This will help admins keep their on-premises Windows Server 2012 servers running and ensure that they continue receiving technical support. 

Those who follow the Extended Security Updates route will get three more years of security updates support, renewable every year until October 13, 2026. Alternatively, users can transition their databases and applications to Azure Virtual Machines. This will allow the admins to access free ESUs for three years after the end of the support date.

Source

What you need to know

• Bing is the biggest search competitor next to Google, despite having only roughly 7% of the market. 
• This past year, Microsoft's big Bing partnership with OpenAI spooked Google investors to the point its stock price decreased. 
• Despite the hype over the past year, Bing's search market share actually decreased year over year, according to share tracker StatCounter. 

I am an unashamed Bing user (okay, maybe slightly ashamed) — those Microsoft Rewards are just so damn good. Sadly for Microsoft, though, the general populace doesn't seem to care. 

Microsoft created something of a hype train at the start of 2023, as its partnership with OpenAI began to bear fruit. Microsoft has baked ChatGPT's human-like response chatbot into virtually all its products, with code support AI in Github to generative pictures in Microsoft Paint. The tip of the hype train revolved around Bing, however, which is Microsoft's under-loved and underutilized search platform. 

Using Bing and Windows Copilot (which is essentially just Bing), you can ask it to steal repurpose content from across the web in a single place. By stealing repurposing content from websites like Windows Central, Bing promised to save users time by eliminating the need to actually click through and support the websites Bing is stealing repurposing content from. However, the promise hasn't really lived up to reality. Bing is oftentimes just slower than simply clicking through to the website, and has a tendency to either censor or garble the information it's trying to steal repurpose. Too often I've found myself simply giving up on Bing, since it's often just quicker to go to the source. Perhaps other users are feeling similarly. 

According to search volume tracker Stat Counter, Bing's market share actually decreased half a percent year-over-year in the United States, from 7.4% to 6.9%, Google's share increased to 88% up from 86.7% last year, taking a little bit of search volume from virtually every other noticeable player. Microsoft Edge stole 1% of Google's Chrome web browser share, however, although it's still a drop in the ocean at just under 5.5% market share. So it's not all bad news, right?! 

These stats are relatively tiny and are likely within the margins for error, but so far, it doesn't seem like OpenAI is proving the disruptor Microsoft likely hoped it would be. It is, however, costing hundreds of thousands of dollars per day to run. So, there is that. 

Does Bing have a prayer?

The reality is that you could call these stats effectively flat, but to actually lose market share despite the massive ChatGPT hype injection isn't exactly encouraging. You could say it's still pretty early days in the world of generative AI, however. Bing and Windows Copilot have their uses, even if web search isn't necessarily one of them.

Google is currently embroiled in a massive anti-trust case in the United States, where regulators are arguing that it has abused its search monopoly to favor its own products, among other things. Microsoft has testified in the case, which saw CEO Satya Nadella effectively concede it was impossible to dent Google's market share. Google pays companies like Firefox, Apple, and Samsung billions of dollars to maintain its "default search" position on pre-installed browsers and apps, making it difficult for competitors to acquire the data necessary to improve search result relevancy. It's certainly possible that this court case could end up having more benefits for Bing and search competition than generative AI ever could, but the US FTC doesn't enjoy the kind of legislative powers that EU or UK regulators do. 

In any case, with Google's own "Bard" AI catching up to Bing's content theft repurposing algorithms quite rapidly, any chance that Bing had to dent Google's market share seems to have slipped away. Perhaps Microsoft should consult Bing AI on how to improve the desirability of its products.

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Meta has announced today that it will be rolling out Voice Chat for groups of 33 people or more up to a maximum of 128 people. The feature works in a very similar manner to both Discord and Telegram, where the voice chat will continue without ringing and users can still message in the chat while it is ongoing.

The feature, which was first spotted in beta testing back in August this year, works by displaying a small "waveform" icon in the top right of a group chat, this would then bring up a small prompt with a larger green button that would say "Start Voice Chat" which once pressed would begin the chat. Group members would then receive a push notification to join, instead of a standard phone call.

In WhatsApp's Help Center there is now a support page detailing how to start a voice chat, as well as the limitations the feature has. These include being restricted only to the primary device, and that they will automatically end once everyone has left the chat or if nobody joins the first or last person in the chat for 60 minutes.

The feature will also display a banner at the bottom of the screen showing who is currently in the voice chat, and the chat status will persist at the top of the screen for the duration of the chat. To leave the chat, users can just tap the red X icon on the right-hand side of this chat status bar at the top of the screen, and there is also a mute toggle located on the left-hand side of this bar.

WhatsApp has been adding a lot of new features recently, and been testing a lot more, in an aim to become the dominant instant messaging app. This includes the ability to use multiple accounts on a single device and further expanding the Channels feature worldwide.

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In the past, Microsoft alerted people on the Windows Insider Program on major changes to not only Windows 11 but also to Windows 11 based apps like Paint, Photos, and more. Sometime week, Microsoft slipped in an update to its Photos app that added a fairly major new feature.

As spotted this weekend by Windows enthusiast "PhantomOcean3" on his X (formerly Twitter) account, the new 2023.11110.8002.0 version of the Photos app now has the ability to remove and replace the background image of photos.

The app now has a new icon on the right-hand side of the top menu that has a human figure and some lines in the background. Click on that icon and you are taken to the image background edit screen. You have three options: blur the background in the image, remove it, or replace it.

There's also another option, the background brush tool, which can be turned on with a toggle. It allows users to change the colour of the background you want to replace. There's no word on when this feature will become generally available.

"PhantomOcean3" also noticed some other smaller changes in the Photos app for Insiders. One was the zooming and full-screen options for the photo viewing feature have been moved from the top of the screen to the bottom right part of the UI. Another is that a button has been added to the bottom left of the screen to enable or disable the filmstrip option. Finally, this Insiders Photos app has a way to start a slideshow by right-clicking a folder in the Folders list.

Again, there's no word on when all of these major and minor additions and changes will make its way to the GA version of the Photos app.

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Microsoft Teams - Redirect a call to voicemail on Android without accepting or rejecting it

The roadmap added an upcoming feature for Microsoft Teams that's due to roll out in March 2024 for the Android version which should be helpful for people who just don't want to take a call immediately:

Allows users to easily redirect an incoming call to voicemail without having to accept or reject the call when receiving calls on a Teams certified phone device.

Another feature coming to the web and desktop versions of Teams in December is replacing Channel Meeting Notes:

Collaborative Notes will replace Wiki-based Channel Meeting Notes. Collaborative Notes in channel meetings allow attendees to co-create and collaborate on their meeting agenda, notes, and action items. Since Collaborative Notes are a Loop component, it is always in sync regardless of how many places they live in. Assigned Tasks in Collaborative Notes automatically sync with To Do and Planner.

The roadmap also shows a new search feature coming to the Windows and Mac versions in December:

Users will be able to narrow down their search results and find what they are looking for faster. Get more precise search results by picking up a specific domain like files, group chat or Teams and channels. You can also search files or group chats by entering a person name.

Also in December, Teams users on the desktop will get some new meeting templates for Virtual Appointment, Webinar, and Town hall. Desktop and Mac users will also be able to remove items from their activity feed in December.

Microsoft Outlook - Conditional formatting support and more

The Microsoft 365 roadmap added a feature that's due to roll out for the new Outlook for Windows and the web in December with some new formatting additions:

Conditional formatting is a feature to make messages that meet defined conditions stand out in the message list by using different font colours. The users can specify conditions that an incoming message should meet, such as a sender’s name or email address.

Outlook's Global Address List feature will get some new additions on Windows and the web later in November:

We are making some adjustments to the GAL search and browse experiences. Users will be asked to type in more characters to refine their search in some cases. There will be some other visual improvements in error messaging. Another way to find recipients is by using the suggestion dropdown picker in the To/Cc/Bcc lines.

In case you missed it, Microsoft revealed plans to add a ton of new features to the new Outlook app over the year earlier this week.

That's it for our look back at the last week on the Microsoft 365 roadmap. Come back in seven days for next week's installment.

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On Friday, we took note of the 40th anniversary of the official reveal of Windows 1.0 by Microsoft on November 10, 1983 (although the actual launch of the OS wouldn't happen for another two years).

Over two years before that, in August 1981, Microsoft released the first version of its MS-DOS operating system. That version wasn't technically developed by the company; it bought the rights to a previously made OS, 86-DOS, from a programmer named Tim Paterson.

However, even before those two events, Microsoft sold its first computer operating system, which was officially announced on August 25, 1980. It was called Xenix and at the time, Microsoft had hoped it would be the standard OS for the personal computer market. In the end, that didn't happen.

Similar to MS-DOS, Microsoft did not develop Xenix by itself from scratch. It was based on Unix, which was originally created by AT&T's Bell Lab. The specific version that Microsoft used as the basis for Xenix was Version 7 Unix, which first launched in 1979.

Microsoft CEO Bill Gates reportedly believed that Unix would become the standard operating system for PCs when they became powerful enough to use the. Before its collaboration with IBM to help make the software for its first IBM PC in 1981, Microsoft bought the source code license to Version 7 Unive from AT&T. However, those rights did not extend to the actual name "Unix" so Microsoft used the name "Xenix" for its first-ever OS.

The company sold Xenix to PC makers directly. Unlike MS-DOS, and later Windows, it never actually sold Xenix as its own stand alone OS to businesses or consumers. According to this blog post from Rob Ferguson, who worked for a few years on the Xenix team at Microsoft, Microsoft priced Xenix at between $2,000 to $9,000 a copy, depending on the number of users. That's over $6,000 on the low end in today's dollars.

Microsoft marketed the use of Xenix for 16-bit PC chips and applications, along with its multitasking features. OEMs had the option of offering the operating system as part of a full PC, or as an an optional extra. It was ported to work on a variety of different PC chips and architectures in the early 1980s. Many of those ports were jointly developed by Microsoft and another company, Santa Cruz Operation, better known as SCO. In 1984, SCO bought the rights to distribute Xenix in the US to consumers.

According to Ferguson's blog post, Microsoft was discussing whether or not Xenix should be the official successor to MS-DOS for 16-bit PCs around 1985. However, a couple of events happened that eventually doomed Xenix's development at the company.

One was AT&T's decision to sell a version of Unix, UNIX System V, directly to commercial users. When that happened, Microsoft felt it could not compete with the huge (at that time) AT&T.

The other was Microsoft's decision to work with IBM on another new GUI-based operating system, OS/2 (as we have mentioned before we will likely write about that some other day).

In the late 1980s, Microsoft sold off its rights to Xenix to SCO, in exchange for a small stake in the company. Ferguson wrote about a wake that was held in 1989 at Microsoft to signal the end of their direct involvement in Xenix:

Many of the old hands at MS had worked on Xenix at some point, so the party was filled with much of the senior development staff from across the company. There was cake, beer, and nostalgia; stories were told, most of which I can’t repeat. Some of the longer-serving folks dug through their files to find particularly amusing Xenix-related documents, and they were copied and distributed to the attendees.

The OS would continue to be in active development by SCO for a few more years. In fact, it released a version, Xenix System V/386, that was the first 32-bit OS that worked with x86-based chips. However, by the early 1990s, the development of the Xenix-based operating system had ended. Xenix remains an interesting footnote in Microsoft's history, and of operating systems in general.

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Chrome users who still don't see the new theme may enable the Google Chrome 2023 design refresh, if they want to, even in Chrome Stable.

Still, there are differences to the old design. Google Chrome's new design is based on the design language Material You. Apart from the ability to switch between different colour palettes, Chrome users may notice that everything is a bit bigger and wider.

You can change the theme by opening a new tab page in Chrome and selecting the Customize option that the browser displays there now.

Just switch to another of the 16 themes that Chrome supports. Users who prefer less bright colours may want to select a theme from the first row. The first one, gray and white, resembles the old look and feel of Chrome the most.

Chrome users who want to go back to the old design of the web browser can do so, at least temporarily.

Google Chrome uses a flag to determine if the old or new design is enabled. This flag is still available, but it will be removed in the future by Google. It may take a few Chrome releases, but eventually, this option will be removed from the browser in the future.

How to restore Chrome's classic design in 2023

Here are step-by-step instructions to go back to the classic Chrome design:

1. Load chrome://flags/#chrome-refresh-2023  in the browser's address bar. This opens the experimental flags page and the right flag that determines whether the design is enabled or not.
2. Set the status of the flag Chrome Refresh 2023 to Disabled.
3. Restart Google Chrome.

Chrome is displayed in the classic layout after the restart. This method works right now, but it will be removed by Google eventually. You will notice the removal when Chrome launches in the 2023 design again.

Users who want to enable the 2023 design can do so by setting the flag to Enabled and restarting the Chrome web browser.

Now You: what is your take on Chrome's 2023 design refresh?

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Microsoft announced that they will discontinue the nostalgic and simple Mail, Calendar, and People applications at the end of 2024, with Outlook set to replace them for an out-of-the-box Windows 11 experience. Some of my colleagues don't appreciate the Mail & Calendar apps, as is obvious in that article. However, some like the ease of use and simplicity of just seeing your mail in one application and not having to deal with calendar notifications and everything else. 

If you would like a simple mail application on your Windows device, the Wino app developed by Burak Kaan Köse or @TrayhopeR on X (Twitter.)

Why should I use Wino?

The Wino app looks great, and the UI is clean especially in dark mode. (Image credit: Winoapp)

As Microsoft works to bundle services and features into one app, hoping they can please everybody, they have yet to include all of the best features. We recently discussed the new changes coming to Outlook in 2024 and the most recent updates to the Outlook app. 

The Wino app has a small but significant list of supported features for how new the project is. From support for any Microsoft Live account to Gmail account integration to the newly implemented IMAP/SMTP mail account support. The app is off to a great start. 

• Microsoft Live accounts (MSN, Hotmail, Live, Outlook etc.) and Gmail via API integration.
• IMAP/SMTP mail accounts via protocols.
• Sending and receiving mails. Even when the application is closed.
• Live notifications are supported via background synchronization.
• Blazingly fast and super responsive UI with bunch of personalization settings to make it more user friendly.
• Dark / Light app and mail reader support. You can toggle them individually anytime.
• Delete, archive/unarchive, move, mark as read/unread, change flag... All mail operations are supported.

For some people, the integration with AI, calendar events, Teams integration, and the dozens of other initiatives Microsoft is cramming into Outlook is just too much of a hassle. If that describes you and you want to give an application a try that will outlive the 2024 purge planned for the Microsoft Mail app, the Wino app has some great user feedback and is being actively developed. It boasts a superb 4.7 review score with 68 reviews, and the developer says over 5,000 people used the app.

The app has some simple but great UI settings options. You can match the accent colour, change to night or light mode, and make the side panel bigger or smaller. Take a look at the settings page.

Image of the settings page in the Wino app. (Image credit: Wino App)

Developer Burak Kaan Köse is looking for community feedback to improve the app. Feel free to check out the project on the app's GitHub page, and if you encounter any issues, they stated in response to one of our branded posts on X (Twitter) that they appreciate any feedback. 

It is great to have the opportunity to spotlight a new and upcoming app that has had a great community reception so far. The work these single developers do to keep options open for the rest of us often goes underappreciated. Still, in this instance, I wanted to spotlight the extraordinary work being done on the Wino app. 

Have you tried the Wino app? Are you sad to see the Mail app vanish to the ether? Let me know in the comments. 

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In a surprise move, Microsoft is reportedly planning to release a new standalone version of its Office suite in 2024. The new version, called Office 2024, is currently in development and is expected to be released in the third or fourth quarter of the year.

Office 2024 Preview

 

Hmm.
New Windows Client
New Windows Server
New Windows Client LTSC
And now new Office.

 

2024 is shaping up to be an amazing year pic.twitter.com/DfJk7sXfc0

 

— techosarusrex (@techosarusrex) November 6, 2023

Microsoft has been moving towards a subscription-based model for its Office products in recent years, with its Microsoft 365 service offering access to the latest versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and other Office applications for a monthly or annual fee. However, there is still a demand for standalone versions of Office, particularly from users who prefer to pay once for a software license rather than subscribing to a monthly or annual service.

It is unclear which features and improvements will be included in Office 2024. However, it will likely incorporate some of the features that are currently available to Microsoft 365 subscribers.

The release of Office 2024 is good news for users like me who prefer to own their software licenses. It also suggests that Microsoft is still committed to supporting standalone versions of Office, even though it is pushing its subscription-based model.

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As expected, this feedback extorsion sparked a heated debate with overwhelmingly negative customer reactions. It did not go past Microsoft unnoticed, forcing the company to perform quick damage control.

A Microsoft spokesperson told Tom Warren from The Verge that the feedback request in OneDrive was only available to "a small subset of consumer OneDrive users," and the company had already rolled it back.

Indeed, attempting to close the OneDrive client on Windows 10 and 11 shows it no longer asks for feedback, and "Quit OneDrive" is not obstructed. Some users may still dislike how the close button is hidden behind the "Pause sync" dropdown or other "ads" across the operating system, but at least feedback extorsion is now gone.

There is no need to install updates or download any files to remove the controversial change in the OneDrive client on Windows. It will clean up automatically the next time you turn on your computer and connect to the Internet. You can try it by right-clicking the OneDrive icon in the notification area and clicking the Settings icon > Pause Syncing > Quit OneDrive. The app will warn you that closing OneDrive will stop syncing changes across devices, but you are free to hit the "Quit OneDrive" button without extra actions.

Sadly, Microsoft still bombards Edge users with large amounts of banners and ads, especially when, God forbid, they try to do something outrageous like download another browser.

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However, 40 years ago today, on November 10, 1983 at a press event in New York City, Microsoft first revealed its plans to launch an all-new graphical user interface-based PC operating system. The company called the OS Windows.

Microsoft's co-founder Bill Gates reportedly became interested in creating a GUI-based OS for PCs when he saw a demo for another early operating system with a similar design. Visi On, in 1983. In early 1983, Apple launched its Lisa computer with its own GUI, although at close to $10,000 (over $22,000 in today's dollars) its price kept it out of most people's hands. That seems to be a trend with many of Apple's products, including a certain future device, but that's a subject for another day.

Microsoft wanted to make a GUI operating system that would be far more affordable than competing software products. In an article from InfoWorld magazine that covered the initial announcement in New York City, the company stated it was targeting a price of between $100 and $250 for the OS. It also claimed that Windows would have relatively small hardware requirements. It claimed it would need an IBM-based PC with two floppy disk drives and 192K of RAM to operate.

Another big plus that Microsoft tried to push in its initial reveal was that Windows could also run any MS-DOS programs. In an article from Byte magazine in December 1983, it wrote:

Complete compatibility with MS-DOS means that Windows will at least let you run any application that runs under MS-DOS. In the worst case, Windows will turn the full display over to an MS-DOS application and return you to your place in Windows. "Language bindings" will enable programmers to write software for Microsoft Windows in any Microsoft programming language.

While Microsoft reportedly tried to have Windows applications overlap each other when more than one was running, the company eventually went to a tiled UI. That means applications would resize themselves to fit on the screen, but they would not overlap each other. InfoWorld's article described it

In a tiling approach, the screen display is divided into columns, and the columns are broken into windows. Windows has a built-in "automatic window layout" feature that resizes all the windows when the size of any one window is altered so that the windows never overlap. When one window is placed on top of another window, the covered window is instantly transformed into a pictorial representation or icon, and dis-played at the base of the screen.

Microsoft said at the time of the official reveal that Windows would be supported by many IBM PC-based companies like HP, Compaq, Texas Instruments, and more. Oddly, IBM itself decided not to support Windows at the time of its official announcement. It later released an OS called TopView that failed, and then worked with Microsoft to launch OS/2 in the late 1980s (we may write about that some other day).

While Microsoft was hoping to launch Windows in April of 1984, the first version ended up shipping over two years after it was first announced in New York City, on November 20, 1985. After all that extra work and development, the operating system was a sales failure with just 500,000 units sold in its first two years. Indeed, it would take the release of Windows 3.0 in 1990 for the OS to become truly successful.

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