It’s fair to say that Windows 11’s recent endeavour into AI hasn’t gone down well with its most passionate users. It started in 2024 with the unveiling of Windows Recall, which was met with such backlash that Microsoft was forced to postpone it by an entire year while it addressed major security and privacy flaws.

It seems like things have been downhill since. In the last year, Microsoft has taken every opportunity to enshittify Windows 11 by placing Copilot buttons wherever it can across in-box apps like File Explorer and Notepad, even if the implementation is poor or unnecessary.

This has soured Microsoft’s AI efforts in the eyes of many Windows users, resulting in major pushback online and adding to the overall negative sentiment around Windows 11. This came to a head in November, when Windows president Pavan Davuluri tweeted that Windows would evolve into an agentic OS, spawning thousands of overwhelmingly negative replies rejecting this plan.

It appears this moment of pushback has resonated with internal teams: According to people familiar with Microsoft’s plans, the company is now reevaluating its AI strategy on Windows 11 and plans changes to streamline or even remove certain AI features where they don’t make sense.

Details around how the company is going about this remain light, but sources say Copilot integrations like those found in Notepad and Paint are under review. This may result in Microsoft removing certain Copilot integrations from these apps, or at the very least removing the Copilot branding and pivoting to a more streamlined experience.

This report comes from Windows Central's Zac Bowden, who claims that Microsoft is "reevaluating its AI strategy on Windows 11", which may result in certain features being cut or streamlined. Although there are no concrete details around what exactly may get axed, Copilot integrations in Paint and Notepad are being scrutinized. Bowden further hears that Microsoft has paused integrating Copilot buttons into its built-in apps, with the company being more careful about the actual value being offered by AI integration in its existing tooling.

Another interesting report is that the future of Windows Recall is currently unclear. The controversial feature was deemed a privacy nightmare by security researchers and users upon launch, and while Microsoft has been trying to fix its image, these efforts are seemingly turning out to be futile. As it currently stands, Windows Recall won't be scrapped but Microsoft may reposition the technology to fit some other use-case.

On the other end of the spectrum, Semantic Search, Agentic Workspace, Windows ML, and Windows AI APIs are safe from the chopping block, as these backend technologies do serve developers, and eventually, users.

Overall, it's good news that Microsoft is finally paying attention to all the negativity around AI integration in Windows 11. The company received a taste of this back in November 2025, when Windows chief Pavan Davaluri acknowledged that while he intends to transform Windows into an "agentic OS", there is still a lot left to fix. This is a good start, but keep in mind that Microsoft hasn't officially confirmed this report yet.

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Posted Saturday 31 January 2026 at 6:37 am AEST (my time).

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Judging by the backlash, one might assume Microsoft has alienated a significant portion of its core audience and that an increasing number of users are turning their back on the company. However, recent numbers paint a more nuanced picture.

Microsoft recently reported financial results for FY26 Q2 (ended December 31, 2025), and the figures suggest that Copilot (and the company overall) is stronger than ever. The report reveals that Copilot now boasts over 15 million paid seats, with usage metrics accelerating across the board:

Here are more Copilot stats from the FY26 Q2 report:

• Microsoft now has 15 million paid Microsoft 365 Copilot seats.
• Average Copilot conversations per user doubled YoY.
• Daily active users of the Copilot app increased 3x YoY.
• Daily active users of Microsoft 365 Copilot increased 10x YoY.
• Microsoft 365 Copilot seat adds were up 160% YoY.
• Microsoft 365 Copilot customers with more than 35,000 seats tripled YoY. In fact, Publicis alone purchased over 95,000 seats.

At first glance, these numbers suggest the "Microslop" complainers are merely a vocal minority, and that most people are fine with Microsoft’s recent endeavors. But multiple truths can coexist.

When viewed from a broader perspective, 15 million paid users is a drop in the ocean compared to Microsoft 365’s 450 million total commercial seats. That puts the "real" Copilot penetration at just 3.3%.

Critics also argue that the growth metrics are inflated by "forced" exposure. Copilot is now everywhere across Microsoft’s services, even in everyday applications like Notepad and Paint. This omnipresence makes the AI assistant nearly impossible to avoid. It’s unclear what percentage of those 15 million users are organic versus how many are simply a result of Copilot being on everyone’s desktop.

Nevertheless, assuming that all 15 million people were forced into using Copilot would be naive. But since Microsoft didn’t specify acquisition channels, we can only speculate. The truth is probably somewhere in the middle.

The report also hints that enterprise customers are looking at Copilot more favorably than regular users, as 90%+ of Fortune 500 companies are using at least some Copilot features. Microsoft is also signing high-profile deals with enterprise partners, which only adds to the total adoption of Copilot.

It is clear that moving forward, the company has to manage a difficult balance: keeping up with the demands of enterprise customers on one side, and appeasing unhappy consumers on the other. If Microsoft can’t achieve both, recent industry trends might offer a telling clue. If we draw a parallel to the global component shortage, where manufacturers are diverting capacity from consumer hardware to power AI data centers, it becomes obvious which side of the scale the company will ultimately choose.

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Posted Saturday 31 January 2026 at 6:35 am AEST (my time).

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If you use Microsoft Edge, you can now update to version 144.0.3719.104. According to the release notes, this version fixed various bugs and performance issues and brought some feature updates. The feature update in question is cross-platform policy support in the Edge management service, which allows IT admins to configure the browser's policies on other platforms on top of existing Windows configurations:

Cross-platform policies in the Edge management service. Admins can now configure policies for Edge for Business across macOS, iOS, and Android devices on top of their existing Windows configurations in the Edge management service.

As for security vulnerabilities, Edge 144.0.3719.104 fixed a high-severity vulnerability originating from Chromium:

• CVE-2026-1504: Inappropriate implementation in the background Fetch API in Google Chrome prior to 144.0.7559.110 allowed a remote attacker to leak cross-origin data via a crafted HTML page. (Chromium security severity: High)

In case you missed it, Microsoft released Edge 144 earlier this month. The feature update introduced some useful changes, like an easy way to remove the Copilot button from the browser's toolbar. Now, all you have to do is right-click the Copilot button and select "Hide Copilot." Additionally, it is now easier to save addresses when filling out forms. Edge now prompts you if you want to save the entered address for future use.

Shortly after the release of Edge 144, Microsoft pushed a minor update (144.0.3719.92) to fix issues that caused rendering issues in the browser, plus a few security vulnerabilities. The next feature update for Microsoft Edge, version 145, is expected in the week of February 12, 2026.

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Posted Saturday 31 January 2026 at 6:32 am AEST (my time).

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In one of the reports, from the user Mark S, the new update was installed yesterday on an Acer laptop resulting in the messing up of the in-built camera. Since the update, the user reports that upon opening the camera app, it blinks non-stop off and on and when on most webpages or meeting apps the computer reports a hardware failure and doesn’t produce a picture or video. The update is definitely the cause of the issues though because after uninstalling the update, the user noted that everything was back to normal. For now, Mark S is keeping the update off his system as he says he relies on the webcam for his job.

The lock screen widget issue was reported by the user percesus, but in quite a bit less detail. This user notes that they have installed the update and now when the lock screen clock appears, it crashes after about two seconds causing it to disappear. It is not known if uninstalling the update rectifies this feature, so right now we are just assuming that it’s the update’s fault rather than some other issue.

In our own comments section, user Davikar noted that everything seemed OK for them so far after installing the update, but did note that the taskbar took one minute to load after reboot. This could just be a result of Microsoft getting things into place following the update rather than a persistent issue.

January has been somewhat of a disaster for Windows 11 updates, with things starting to go wrong on people’s systems after applying the Patch Tuesday update with users reporting an array of problems. If you have installed this latest update and run into some issues, you can use the Windows Update history menu to uninstall KB5074105. Since this is an optional C-update, it is not mandatory for security and can be safely skipped or paused to prevent it installing in the future.

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Posted Saturday 31 January 2026 at 6:29 am AEST (my time).

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Unused RAM is wasted RAM, right? Assuming your PC can handle the load of some extra Chrome tabs at startup, a new feature could help you jump into the web quicker.

Google has a new feature in the works that will make it easier to hop into your browser. Chrome is already testing the option to have the browser open up when you start your PC.

The feature, which is currently in testing in the Canary Channel, is disabled by default. Within the Chrome Settings page, you can toggle the option to "Open Chrome when my computer starts."

Browser expert Leo Varela spotted the change and highlighted it on X.

For decades, Notepad has been a staple in the Windows ecosystem. From its origins as a simple text editor, it has lately been picking up a lot of new features, including Copilot integration.

Considering the current climate around Microsoft's forced AI integration into Windows 11, it's understandable that not all of these Notepad features are appreciated by Windows fans.

I'm always on the lookout for alternative apps to try out, and my latest search led me to an open-source and free Legacy Notepad project on GitHub. Created by user ForLoopCodes, it promises a classic Notepad experience that's less demanding than the standard Windows 11 version. The creator says it was made "because Microsoft won't stop adding AI bloatware to notepad.exe."

NVIDIA has released a software security update display driver for Maxwell, Volta
and Pascal-series GeForce GPUs which are no longer supported by Game Ready Drivers.
This update addresses issues that may lead to multiple security impacts.

Since Game Ready drivers no longer support Maxwell, Pascal, and Volta GPUs, the driver only contains security patches. According to NVIDIA, release 582.28 WHQL fixes five high-severity security vulnerabilities, including CVE-2025-33217, CVE-2025-33218, CVE-2025-33219, CVE-2025-33220, and CVE-2025-33237. You can read more about those security patches on the official NVIDIA Product Security page.

Interestingly, there are two known bugs that remain unaddressed:

• Counter-Strike 2: Text may appear slightly distorted when the in-game resolution is lower than the native resolution of the display
• Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth: Light flickering after driver update on some system configurations

Given that Maxwell, Pascal, and Volta architectures are no longer supported, these issues will most likely remain unfixed going forward, and the only way to get rid of them is to upgrade to a newer graphics card that supports the latest Game Ready drivers from NVIDIA.

For reference, Maxwell, Pascal, and Volta architectures are used in NVIDIA's GTX 900 and 700 Series (Maxwell), GTX 10 Series (Pascal), and Titan V series (Volta). The oldest desktop graphics card series that still receives Game Ready drivers with fixes and optimizations is the GTX 16 Series (also the last non-RTX lineup).

You can download the NVIDIA 582.28 WHQL driver from the official website here. Full release notes are available here.

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Posted Saturday 31 January 2026 at 6:24 am AEST (my time).

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User backlash got so bad that it forced Microsoft's executives to disable comments on social media, further adding reasons for people to believe that the overwhelmingly negative feedback is falling on deaf ears. Fortunately, there seems to be light at the end of the tunnel. Pavan Davuluri, Microsoft's head of Windows, issued a statement to The Verge that the company hears what users say and it plans to make things better

The feedback we’re receiving from our community of passionate customers and Windows Insiders has been clear. We need to improve Windows in ways that are meaningful for people. This year, you will see us focus on addressing pain points we hear consistently from customers: improving system performance, reliability, and the overall experience of Windows.

He also added that the team hears complaints from Windows Insiders about the poor state of the program and the dying flame of the former enthusiasm.

While the message sounds reassuring, actions speak louder than words. Microsoft has a lot of work to do to regain people's trust and show that it still cares about its consumer products, and it can make things right. For now, though, things look rather bleak, and with January 2026 being one of the worst months when it comes to Windows bugs, you will be excused for being skeptical about Microsoft's promise to fix Windows 11 this year.

Do you think Microsoft can turn things around for Windows 11 in 2026? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Source: The Verge via Windows Central

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Posted Friday 30 January 2026 at 1:06 pm AEST (my time).

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Notable changes include new language support for Agent in Settings on Copilot+ PCs, improved MIDI services, the ability to toggle off and on Smart App Control (this previously required reinstalling Windows), new features for Windows Hello, Start menu fixes, File Explorer fixes, and more.

Here is what is new for Copilot+ PCs:

• [Agent in Settings] New! The Settings Agent now supports more languages, with expanded support for German, Portuguese, Spanish, Korean, Japanese, Hindi, Italian, and Chinese (Simplified).

And here is what is new for all Windows 11 devices:

• [Cross Device Resume] New! This update expands the functionality of Cross‑Device Resume, which Microsoft first introduced in the May 2025 Windows non-security update (KB5058499). You can continue activities from your Android phone on your PC based on the apps and services you use, including resuming Spotify playback, working in Word, Excel, or PowerPoint, or continuing a browsing session.
  • Vivo Android phone users can continue browsing from Vivo Browser on their PC.
  • If you use an Android phone from HONOR, OPPO, Samsung, vivo, or Xiaomi, you can resume online files that you opened in the Microsoft Copilot app on your phone and continue working on them on your PC. Files open in the corresponding Microsoft 365 app on your PC if it is installed. If the app is not installed, the files open in your default web browser. This feature does not support offline files stored only on your phone.
• [Windows MIDI Services] New! This update improves MIDI on Windows with enhanced support for MIDI 1.0 and MIDI 2.0, including full WinMM and WinRT MIDI 1.0 support with built-in translation, shared MIDI ports across apps, custom port names, loopback and app-to-app MIDI, plus performance improvements and bug fixes—delivering a better experience for musicians.
• The App SDK and Tools package is a separate download that enables inbox MIDI 2.0 features and includes tools like MIDI Console and the MIDI Settings app. Releases are available on the Windows MIDI Services landing page and GitHub and are currently unsigned, which might display a security warning during download or installation.
• [Narrator] New! The narrator now gives you more control over how it announces on‑screen controls. You can choose which details are spoken and adjust their order to match how you navigate apps. These settings apply throughout the app to help reduce extra speech and make Narrator easier to follow.
• [Settings] New! You can view the Device card on the Settings home page. It shows key specifications and usage details for your PC. From the card, you can go directly to Settings > System > About for more detailed information about your device. This card appears when you sign in with your Microsoft account. This feature rollout has resumed after being paused during the August 2025 release.
• [Smart App Control] New! You can turn Smart App Control (SAC) on or off without any clean install requirement. To make changes, go to Windows Security > App & Browser Control > Smart App Control settings. When turned on, SAC helps block untrusted or potentially harmful apps. To learn more, see App & Browser Control in the Windows Security App – Microsoft Support.
• [Voice Access] New! A streamlined setup makes it easier to get started with Voice Access. The redesigned experience helps you download a speech model for your chosen language, select your preferred input microphone, and learn what Voice Access can help you do on your Windows PC.
• [Voice Typing] New! The Wait time before acting setting in Voice Typing enables you to adjust the delay before a voice command runs. This setting gives you flexibility for different speech patterns and improves recognition accuracy, whether you speak slowly or quickly.
• [Windows Hello] New! Windows Hello Enhanced Sign-in Security (ESS) now supports peripheral fingerprint sensors. This update extends this more secure sign-in option beyond devices with built-in fingerprint sensors to include desktops and other Windows 11 PCs, including Copilot+ PCs. To get started, plug in a supported ESS fingerprint reader, go to Settings > Accounts > Sign in options, and follow the prompts to enroll.
• [Start Menu]
  • Fixed: This update addresses an issue where the warning message that appears when you shut down your computer while other users are signed in might be cut off at the edge of the Start menu.
  • Fixed: This update addresses an issue where the Start menu might open on the wrong side of the screen when you use Arabic or Hebrew as your display language and the taskbar icons aren't centered.
• [Kiosk mode] Changed: This update removes an error message that might show after you sign in for multi-app kiosk mode. The message said, "This operation has been cancelled due to restrictions in effect on this computer".
• [Windows Update] Fixed: This update addresses an issue where trying to join the Windows Insider Program from Settings > Windows Update might get stuck.
• [Lock screen] Improved: This update includes some underlying changes that help address cases where the lock screen might become unresponsive.
• [File Explorer] Improved: This update includes some underlying changes that help improve the responsiveness of File Explorer when navigating in network locations.
• [Logging into your PC] Fixed: This update addresses an issue where Explorer.exe might stop responding (hang) the first time you sign in to your PC, if certain apps were configured as startup apps. This could make the taskbar not appear.
• [Activation] Fixed: This update addresses an issue where, in some cases, a valid Windows license migration might fail when upgrading because the device couldn’t register with the Windows Activation server for its digital license, requiring the use of the troubleshooter to fix.
• [Desktop icons] Fixed: This update addresses an issue where desktop icons unexpectedly move when interacting with files, such as opening or renaming them.
• [Input]: Fixed: This update addresses an issue where the keyboard character repeat delay labels in Settings > Bluetooth & Devices > Keyboard were reversed.
• [User Account Control (UAC)] Fixed: This update addresses an issue where your PC might stop responding when attempting to run Windows Terminal elevated from a non-admin account.
• [Windows Sandbox] Fixed: This update addresses an issue that could cause Windows Sandbox to stop responding during startup and display error 0x800705b4.

You can download KB5074105 by heading to Settings > Windows Update and checking for available updates. It is also available for manual installation from the Microsoft Update Catalog. Keep in mind that today's update is an optional release, so feel free to skip it if you do not want to risk encountering more bugs.

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Posted Friday 30 January 2026 at 1:04 pm AEST (my time).

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PowerToys already has a multitude of various tools to supercharge the stock Windows experience, and Microsoft now wants to crank it all the way to 11 by introducing an extra taskbar for quick access to various extensions and features.

The proposed Command Palette Dock was posted on PowerToys' GitHub repository with a detailed explanation and concept images. Microsoft wants to make the dock movable to any side of the screen (kind of ironic, given that we still cannot move the stock taskbar) and let you pin your favorite extensions for quick access.

This will allow you access the features you need without opening the Command Palette. Besides quick access, Command Palette Dock could offer useful information at a glance. For example, you can have resource monitoring widgets.

The Command Palette Dock is a new optional UI surface that provides persistent, quick access to selected Command Palette extensions. The dock can be enabled from Command Palette settings and pinned to any edge of the screen.

 

You’d be able to pin your favorite extensions to the dock for instant access, without opening Command Palette or interrupting their workflow. The goal is quick awareness for the things you want awareness for, below is one of the team’s favorite, active resource monitoring.

Command Palette Dock is quite a stark contrast to the default taskbar with its minimal customization. Microsoft wants not only to let you move the dock to any side of the screen, but it also wants to let you personalize its looks, adjust the background and its opacity, specify where to pin extensions, move them across, and more. It looks like something straight from a Windows 12 concept video, and it is great that Microsoft considers such radical upgrades to the stock experience.

For now, Command Palette Dock is just a proposal, something that developers think about implementing. Microsoft wants your feedback on whether you find it useful, what extensions you would like to pin, and in what scenarios the dock would be useful.

You can learn more about Command Palette Dock on GitHub. Meanwhile, if you want a similar experience, you can try WindowSill, a useful third-party app from a Microsoft engineer that implements a very similar experience.

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Posted Friday 30 January 2026 at 1:02 pm AEST (my time).

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If you spend any time in tech communities, Reddit threads, or YouTube comments, you would think that everyone dislikes Windows 11 because it's too restrictive, too bloated, too much Copilot and AI, and hostile to power users. Meanwhile, Linux is often positioned as the logical next alternative, especially for developers and enthusiasts who want control, performance, and transparency.

That narrative starts to fall apart when you listen to people who actually switch instead of just arguing online. Even if the story comes from a single person, it's still worth paying attention to.

Recently, I came across a story from a Linux power user who spent 8 years using multiple distributions on a daily basis, including Ubuntu, Arch, Fedora, and NixOS. KDE everywhere, and Neovim as home. Indeed, this was not a casual user experimenting on weekends. This was a person deeply invested in the Linux ecosystem.

And yet, after all that time, he finally switched to Windows 11 and stuck with it. However, this wasn't because the operating system became flawless or because Linux stopped working for him. He stayed because, in the end, reducing friction mattered more than sticking to an ideal.

Desktop Linux is still stuck in "almost there"

The most honest criticism in that story is not about Linux being bad. It's about Linux desktop being always unfinished in the places that matter most to real-world usage. Or as toxyxd13 wrote, "I feel like desktop Linux experience is in permanent state of "almost there"."

Gaming seems to be an obvious example. Proton is one solution, but "it's not a silver bullet." toxyxd13 noted that kernel-level anti-cheat remains a hard wall, and modding games through Proton is difficult.

Then there is the Wayland versus X11 transition drama, which has been going on for years (as he noted), and while progress is there, the experience is still uneven (at least at the time of his writing). Screen sharing, streaming, audio routing, and capture workflows are inconsistent depending on the compositor, desktop environment, and app. Even when workarounds exist, they often break unexpectedly.

This is the core problem. Linux often works well until it doesn't. And when it breaks, it tends to break in ways that push you into debugging the system itself.

Windows 11 won by turning frustrating setup into a one-off chore

The most interesting part of this switch was not gaming or hardware support. It was how the modern version of the operating system finally embraced workflows that Linux users need.

In his notes, he said, "I tried Winget before and hated it," but Scoop, he said, "feels like the real package manager." He also added that Scoop "installs portable, self-contained apps to a single directory and handles the PATH." (...) It just works. No mess. It's clean. It feels like homebrew on Mac, but for Windows."

Then there is WSL, which is not a replacement for Linux but a safety net. A real Linux kernel, proper tooling, and deep integration without dragging desktop Linux problems along with it. However, this person only turned to this solution when necessary because native Windows 11 tools finally felt good enough for him.

This is where Windows 11 quietly changed the game.

He pushed through the annoying setup once, including debloating the operating system, setting up custom policies, and installing the essentials. After that, everything changed.

Windows 11 criticism is often abstract

A lot of the criticism around Windows 11 centers on data harvesting, account requirements, unwanted interface changes, an aggressive AI push, and defaults that prioritize Microsoft services. These are valid concerns.

In the comments, MarcCDB noted: "I like Windows as an OS but I don’t like what Microsoft is doing with it… the amount of AI and ads is REALLY annoying, forcing me to create an account, etc."

This Linux user (toxyxd13 ) did not suddenly forget the flaws of Windows 11. He still dislikes the filesystem layout, misses tools like journalctl and dmesg, and debugging this operating system remains difficult. None of that changed. He also noted that he doesn't "hate Linux at all."

This is not a Linux failure, and not a Windows victory

This story should not be read as "Linux bad, Windows good." It's really about which operating system creates less friction in daily use.

Linux excels at control and transparency. Windows 11 excels at compatibility, hardware support, and reducing friction for regular users and mixed workloads.

As a Reddit user, ekoprihastomo commented in the same thread, "I use Linux and Windows. Windows is king in terms of compatibility—not only software but also hardware. I can impulse-buy random things and it will work on Windows; can’t do that with Linux."

Also, in the same thread, Schiorean commented: "I do all my work on a 100% Linux system via WSL2, and I use Windows 11 only as a desktop environment that just works. Kudos to MS for WSL and PowerToys."

Windows 11 isn't winning people over because it's flawless or elegant. It's tolerated because it mostly gets out of the way.

Stories like this highlight how personal operating‑system choices really are. For some users, Windows 11’s convenience and compatibility outweigh Linux’s flexibility and control — even if that feels counterintuitive to long‑time Linux fans. In the end, the “best” OS is the one that fits your workflow, not your ideology.

Google describes the experience as similar to talking to a friend in the passenger seat. When you use Maps for walking or cycling, you can simply ask Gemini questions like “What neighborhood am I in?” or “What are the top-rated restaurants nearby?” and it will respond using local Maps data.

This integration is said to be particularly useful for cyclists. It offers a hands-free experience that should help you stay focused on the road. You can ask for your ETA or check when your next meeting starts without looking at your phone. If you are running late, you can just say “Text Sarah I’m 10 minutes behind,” and Gemini will send the message while you keep your hands on the handlebars.

Gemini in navigation is now rolling out worldwide on iOS [and iPadOS] and Android.

Google continues to weave Gemini into the fabric of its ecosystem. The assistant has become a more integral part of Google Chrome today with a new update that lets you interact with web content directly. You no longer need to switch tabs constantly since Gemini now lives in a persistent side panel, where you can interact with content or use features like Nano Bana Pro to generate images.

Earlier this month, Google rolled out Personal Intelligence for Gemini. This feature connects the assistant with your Google Drive, Photos, and Gmail to enable more personalized responses based on your data. You can even use Gemini to find the best meeting times in Google Meet.

The picture here is clear. Google is working to unify its entire suite of services through Gemini and encourage users to trust the assistant with more context and data. We expect more Google products to receive the “Gemini enhancement” soon.

Source: Google

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Posted Friday 30 January 2026 at 12:55 pm AEST (my time).

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Windows is in a weird spot. In its 40-year history, the operating system has weathered its fair share of missteps, but Windows 11 is testing the patience of its users in new ways. Persistent bugs, performance issues, intrusive prompts, ads, and bloatware have eroded the core Windows experience. Early system requirement decisions have also damaged trust among Microsoft’s most loyal users, an erosion that’s accelerated by the company’s aggressive push into AI that doesn’t always deliver on its promises.

Windows is at breaking point, and Microsoft knows it. Sources familiar with the company’s plans tell me Windows engineers are now focusing on fixing the core issues of Windows 11 over the coming months, in a process known as “swarming.” Microsoft is redirecting engineers to urgently fix Windows 11’s performance and reliability issues, aiming to halt the operating system’s death by a thousand cuts.

Microsoft is also going to spend the rest of the year focusing on all of the Windows 11 pain points. “The feedback we’re receiving from our community of passionate customers and Windows Insiders has been clear. We need to improve Windows in ways that are meaningful for people,” says Pavan Davuluri, president of Windows and devices, in a statement to Notepad. “This year you will see us focus on addressing pain points we hear consistently from customers: improving system performance, reliability, and the overall experience of Windows.”

Some of these improvements will be basic changes like fixing dark mode in Windows 11 and modernizing parts that have felt neglected over the past decade. While Microsoft has done a good job on improving driver stability and reducing BSODs in Windows 11, it still needs to address basic performance issues with File Explorer, or the fact that Linux can often run Windows games better than Windows.

The performance and reliability issues in Windows 11 have been apparent over the past year, as the pressure of supporting thousands of different PC configurations mounts up. Microsoft took months to fix Remote Desktop disconnection issues, then shipped a Windows Update that wiped out Copilot, and released updates that duplicated the Task Manager and created a nasty system recovery bug. Microsoft topped it all off with an update that was supposed to improve Windows 11’s dark mode, but also broke it with a white screen flash when opening File Explorer.

We’re only a month into the new year and the Windows 11 bugs are only getting worse. Microsoft’s first Windows 11 update of 2026 has been a buggy mess. Shutdown issues on some machines forced Microsoft to issue an unusual emergency out-of-band update, and then a week later, a second out-of-band fix arrived to address OneDrive and Dropbox crashes. Microsoft has also confirmed that some PCs used by businesses are failing to boot after installing its January update, because they were left in an “improper state” after failing to install December’s monthly update.

The bugs and reliability issues are exasperating the other issue: Windows 11 is annoying to use. Microsoft has been pushing Windows 11 users to switch to Edge and Bing in ways I’ve never seen before. At one point a couple of years ago, Microsoft even used malware-like pop-ups in a disgusting overreach. Windows 11 users are still routinely tricked into switching to Edge and Bing after some Windows Updates. If you search for an item on the Start menu, you’ll also get pushed into Edge for a Bing result even if you have Chrome or Firefox set as the default browser. Even parts of the Settings interface have links that force you into Edge and Bing.

Microsoft has also tried to upsell its OneDrive cloud storage with constant nags in Windows 11. At one point you couldn’t even close OneDrive without being asked why. It often feels like you’re fighting with Windows 11 to respect your defaults and settings. Microsoft is even forcing people into using a Microsoft account with Windows 11, making it increasingly difficult for the small percentage of users that want a local account.

The added tension of fighting with the OS and being served ads and pop-ups has also further broken down trust in Windows 11. Windows users were already wary of Windows 11 when Microsoft set system requirements that left millions of machines out in the cold, and Microsoft keeps doing things that eat away at any remaining trust. The launch of Recall, a Windows 11 feature that takes snapshots of mostly everything you see on your screen, was highly controversial and generated privacy concerns on top of suspicion around the telemetry data Microsoft collects from its OS.

This breakdown in trust has only made Windows 11 users balk at AI additions to the OS, leading to Microsoft often getting branded as “Microslop” when these features appear. Microsoft did some great engineering work with Windows on Arm for its Copilot Plus PCs, but it was undermined by Recall and the desperate need to push its Copilot AI into every single part of the OS. Microsoft’s Edge browser now has a Copilot mode, dedicated Copilot and Microsoft 365 Copilot apps are preinstalled, and Copilot is also coming to the taskbar. Even Paint and Notepad, which were once basic apps, now have Copilot buttons and Paint is getting AI coloring books. There simply aren’t enough useful AI features to make people care about AI PCs.

Microsoft now faces a tough fight to win back the trust of Windows users, let alone build back excitement around the OS. I’ve been covering Windows for more than 20 years, and it feels like fans of the OS have disappeared over the past couple of years. It’s a far cry from Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella’s promise to win back Windows fans more than a decade ago. “We want to move from people needing Windows to choosing Windows, to loving Windows,” said Nadella, months before the company shipped Windows 10.

Microsoft has remained tight-lipped about the problems with Windows 11, and the core members of its Windows Insider team moved to different roles inside the company recently. The Windows Insider program was created to help test Windows 10 and get feedback directly from users, after the disastrous changes in Windows 8. Microsoft needs its Windows Insider program more than ever before, but it now feels like a faceless operation, rather than one that’s built on community and trust.

I’m really hoping that Microsoft’s commitment to improvements means it also addresses the daily annoyances of Windows 11, especially as more and more Windows users seriously contemplate switching to Linux. There’s a long way to go, but it’s encouraging to hear Microsoft finally respond to the complaints.

“Trust is earned over time and we are committed to building it back with the Windows community,” says Davuluri.

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Posted Friday 30 January 2026 at 4:17 am AEST (my time).

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In an unexpected twist, Google has revealed more than just another Android build as it accidentally showcased its forthcoming desktop-class version of Android that appears aimed squarely at Windows 11. Hidden within a developer video was a sleek, windowed interface running on a PC-style layout, boasting multitasking capabilities never before displayed by Google.

If this turns out to be the company’s long-rumored “Android desktop” operating system, known as Aluminium OS, Microsoft could be facing a serious new competitor targeting the low-end laptop and cloud-first PC market.

Stepping back for a second, Microsoft has firmly established Windows as the world’s leading desktop operating system. In a remarkable achievement, the software giant just announced that Windows 11 surpassed 1 billion users in just four years, although some reports suggest that adoption has faltered.

But it now appears that Google may be preparing to challenge Microsoft’s Windows 11 with a rival Android-based desktop operating system. The company inadvertently revealed the confidential UI when a Google bug report was published on the Chromium Issue Tracker (via 9to5Google).

At the time of writing, Windows Central established that access to the bug report was restricted, but as reported by the outlet and seen in the YouTube video embedded above, which contains two screen recordings of a laptop (HP Elite Dragonfly 13.5 Chromebook, running a 12th Gen Intel Core (AlderLake-U) processor from 2021) running an internal build of Aluminium OS — Android's desktop version.

The video is consistent with Android 16 flavors, perhaps signaling that the operating system will heavily lean on and borrow system elements from existing software.

As highlighted by the outlet, the status bar is significantly taller compared to the experience on phones and tablets, suggesting that the operating system has been optimized for larger screen real estate. Interestingly, the software giant is retaining similar Android indicators, including Wi-Fi, battery, and the notification bell icon.

The latest Windows 11 preview builds from the Dev and Beta Channels introduce several modernized dialogs that look on par with the rest of the operating system. Those include VHD confirmation dialogs and the Windows Protected Print dialog. All of them now look more modern and consistent, plus they support dark and light modes instead of colorful interfaces from the Windows 10/8 era.

Microsoft did not mention the redesign in the release notes for the latest Windows 11 builds, but it was spotted by @phantomofearth, who shared the discovery on X:

Interestingly, these new dialogs arrived in the build that has more revamped dialogs. Microsoft has documented a redesign for Account Info and Account Type settings in the release notes. Those builds also contain better support for WEBP images, which you can now use as desktop backgrounds in the Settings app. In a typical fashion, there are many small fixes and patches that improve the overall experience with the operating system.

If you missed the latest Dev and Beta builds, you can check out the release notes in our dedicated article here.

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Posted Friday 30 January 2026 at 4:06 am AEST (my time).

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Chrome’s latest AI features can summarize articles, Edge can reheat plagiarised images, Safari added AI writing tools. While every major browser is racing to cram AI no one asked for into their products, Vivaldi’s approach is different: give users genuinely powerful tools, then get out of the way. Tab Tiling doesn’t decide what you should see, it gives you the workspace to see everything at once and make your own decisions.

With version 7.8, the browser receives the following:

• Drag-and-drop tab tiling: You can create a split view by simply dragging a tab into the workspace. Vivaldi's Split view is not limited to just two tabs, and you can have as many as you want with different layouts.
• Open link in a tiled tab: Vivaldi now lets you save a few clicks when creating a split view. You can right-click a link and open it side-by-side with the current tab.

  

• Smarter pinned tabs: When you pin a tab, it becomes domain-bound. For example, a pinned Neowin tab won't let you leave the website, keeping your pinned tabs in order. Note that this is an optional feature and you can turn it on or off as you wish.

  

• Cross-Window mail access: The built-in mail client in the Vivaldi browser now works across all browser windows.

Vivaldi 7.8 is now available on Windows, Mac, and Linux. You can download it from the official website here.

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Posted Friday 30 January 2026 at 4:05 am AEST (my time).

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For starters, code blocks in Teams will become mobile-friendly. They will appear as attached objects such as a file preview, and once you open them, they'll open in a rich view with syntax highlighting, line numbers, and scrollable containers. Microsoft says that this change is in response to customer feedback for scenarios where programming collaboration is required on the go. This rollout is tagged under MC1223820 on the Microsoft 365 Admin Center, with rollout starting in early February, and completing by mid-February.

Additionally, Microsoft was supposed to release a revamped call feedback screen with updated problem tokens and more streamlined navigation by the end of this month. This has now been pushed back to mid- to late-February, as noted in MC1183608. Interestingly, Microsoft says that this may give the wrong impression that Teams' call quality has declined, but this isn't actually the case. It's just that since it'll be easier for customers to give feedback, the volume for poor call reporting will increase.

Next, Microsoft is rolling out a "quick view" UX for Drafts, so that it's easier to locate and navigate across unsent messages. This is slated for Targeted Release next month, followed by general availability in March, according to MC1223827.

Finally, the Redmond tech firm will soon allow customers to report suspicious 1:1 calls directly to their own IT admins and Microsoft with some limited metadata. This option will be enabled by default, but can be disabled by IT admins. General availability will complete around April 2026, as noted in MC1223828.

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Posted Friday 30 January 2026 at 4:04 am AEST (my time).

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This announcement was spotted by Thurrott.com in Satya Nadella's opening remarks revealing the company's strong $81 billion quarter. The math comparing Windows 11's pace of adoption compared to Windows 10 is very interesting.

Windows 10 launched in July 2015, and Microsoft set lofty goals of reaching a billion users within two to three years. Within a year, the Redmond firm conceded that it won't be able to hit this target within the timeframe, and blamed this failure on the death of its Windows phone business. It finally hit this milestone in March 2020, which means that it took the firm four years and eight months to reach a billion users. This meant that it was almost two years late compared to its initial ambition.

Now, if we compare this to Windows 11, which launched in October 2021 with no such ambitious goals assigned, the OS has been able to reach the same number of users within four years and four months, which means that it outpaced Windows 10 by around four months.

While this is not a significant difference in the grand scheme of things, it does emphasize that despite all the hate surrounding Windows 11 and its apparent lack of quality and polish, people are still willing to adopt it. Some may attribute this achievement to the fact that Windows 10 has lost mainstream support, but the OS is still alive via Extended Security Updates (ESU), so it's unlikely that this has moved the needle. Regardless, it's an impressive accomplishment, and it'll be interesting to see if Microsoft is able to surpass Windows 10 beyond this figure too.

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Posted Thursday 29 January 2026 at 6:06 pm AEST (my time).

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Here is what is new:

[Desktop Background]

• In recent Canary builds, we added the capability to set .webp images for your desktop background in Settings > Personalization > Desktop Background.

Here is what was fixed:

[General]

• This update includes a small set of general improvements and fixes that improve the overall experience for Insiders running this build on their PCs.
• The desktop watermark should show the correct build number now.

[Start menu]

• Fixed an issue where the edge of the warning dialog shown when shutting down your PC while other users were still signed in was truncated by the edge of the Start menu.

[Input]

• Fixed an issue that could lead to a black flash when using a pen to ink in the Snipping Tool.

[Power]

• Fixed an issue in recent Canary builds that was causing shutdown to appear to restart on some Insider devices.

[Settings]

• Fixed an issue that could lead to the Windows Update settings page hanging when loading.
• Fixed an issue where language features under Settings > Time & Language > Language & Region for Australia (English – Australia) wouldn’t download (the button wouldn’t do anything when clicked).

[Other]

• Fixed an issue causing a small number of Insiders in recent builds to encounter bugchecks with IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL, related to the use of certain smart card readers.

Known bugs in today's update only include one thing:

[File Explorer]

• [NEW] We’re working on the fix for an underlying issue causing all open File Explorer windows and tabs to unexpectedly jump to Desktop or Home within File Explorer sometimes.

You can find the announcement blog post here.

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Posted Thursday 29 January 2026 at 6:04 pm AEST (my time).

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In the recent Windows 11 preview builds, Microsoft added a new format without much fanfare. If you are on build 26220.7653 and newer, you can use the WEBP format as your wallpaper:

You can now set .webp images for your desktop background in Settings > Personalization > Desktop Background.

For reference, WEBP is a relatively new image format that offers several benefits over well-established formats like JPG. It is much more storage efficient, supports transparency, and even animations. In recent times, it became a go-to format on websites as a way to optimize the size and quality of images across the internet, and now, Microsoft is improving its support in Windows 11.

In all fairness, stable Windows 11 builds also let you set WEBP images as desktop backgrounds, but the process is less apparent. Most users are accustomed to setting their wallpapers by right-clicking a picture and selecting "Set as desktop background" or navigating to Settings > Personalization. None of those options supports WEBP, but if you open such a picture in the Photos app or third-party viewers like Visum (my favorite free alternative to the resource-heavy stock Photos app), you can select Set as > Desktop Background or Lockscreen.

With Windows 11 build 26220.7653 and newer, Windows 11 lets you set a WEBP image as a desktop background in the Settings app and by right-clicking it in File Explorer, which is a small, but welcome and convenient change.

As for more significant changes for desktop backgrounds, there are rumors about Microsoft implementing animated backgrounds, which have yet to materialize. There were reports about Microsoft adding a parallax effect to desktop wallpapers, but they are still missing in the latest updates, including preview builds.

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Posted Thursday 29 January 2026 at 6:03 pm AEST (my time).

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A pull request on GitHub suggests adding transparency to Always on Top so that you can make pinned windows transparent and see through them. If implemented (there are several requests from users to add transparency support to Alwyas on Top), the feature would also let you adjust the opacity with keyboard shortcuts between 20% and 100%. There are small apps for making windows transparent, so you can try one and combine it with Always on Top to see how the proposed feature will work.

For now, transparency support in Always on Top has not been approved, so there is no guarantee that Microsoft will include it in the next PowerToys update. In its current form, Always on Top lets you adjust the pinned window border, color, and opacity, toggle sound effects on or off, customize the activation shortcut, and specify apps that should never be pinned. Transparency could be a very handy addition to this utility, and you can learn about the proposed upgrade on GitHub here.

Meanwhile, check out some of the other things that may soon make it to PowerToys and release notes for the latest major update (and a minor one that followed), which introduced a brand-new mouse module and a bunch of improvements for Command Palette.

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Posted Thursday 29 January 2026 at 5:59 pm AEST (my time).

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For starters, there is a new side panel experience in Chrome so that they can use Gemini without constantly needing to switch between different contexts. In related news, Nano Banana is being made available directly in Chrome, also accessible through the side panel so that images can be generated and transformed using natural language prompts.

Gemini also supports Connected Apps like Gmail, Calendar, YouTube, Maps, Google Shopping and Google Flights in Chrome. You can leverage these integrations if you enable them through the Connected Apps section of Gemini Settings.

But perhaps more important are the enhancements being made in Chrome itself. Personal Intelligence powered by Gemini is coming to Chrome on macOS, Windows, and Chromebook Plus to give you a more personalized, "proactive" experience in the browser. Through this technology, Chrome will remember context from past conversations so that it can give you more personalized answers tailored to your needs.

Finally, Chrome is becoming an agentic browser through "Chrome auto browse", which handles multi-step workflows on your behalf. This includes researching hotels and making hospitality and flight reservations, scheduling appointments, filing tax reports, and assisting in renewing driver licenses. What's even more interesting is that if you give permission Chrome to auto browse, it will even leverage your authentication credentials where sign-in is required. Chrome auto browse for AI Pro and Ultra subscribers in the U.S.

Of course, some people will naturally have privacy concerns around this implementation. However, Google has assured customers that Chrome auto browse has been designed with security in mind. The Gemini-powered technology will always ask for your consent before it makes purchases or posts on social media on your behalf.

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Posted Thursday 29 January 2026 at 5:55 pm AEST (my time).

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Here is the changelog:

• Security:
  • Addresses potential security vulnerabilities related to Intel® PROSet/Wireless WiFi Software Advisory INTEL-SA-01398 that may allow denial of service.
  • Addresses a potential NPU security vulnerability that may allow an attacker to load malicious code.
• Reliability:
  • Fixes an issue that causes camera instability.
  • Addresses an issue that may require reset and recovery while the device is in the disconnected standby power-saving mode.
• Performance and usability:
  • Fixes an issue that causes slow Wi-Fi performance even when the device is close to a wireless access point.
  • Resolves an issue that results in devices using low-power Wi-Fi levels in some countries instead of the country-specific power levels.

Here is the list of new drivers:

Here is extra information about the release:

Before installing the update, make sure to back up important data. Even though there are no known bugs or issues, Surface firmware updates are non-uninstallable, so better be safe than sorry. As for support, Microsoft will continue releasing firmware updates for the Surface Pro 10 until April 9, 2030.

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Posted Thursday 29 January 2026 at 5:50 pm AEST (my time).

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Fortunately for regular consumers, this issue appears to be limited to commercial PCs. Unfortunately for those using commercial PCs, there is still no easy way to mend affected systems. Microsoft says that the reason the "unmountable boot volume" error appears is the "improper state" that systems end up in after undoing failed December 2025 security updates.

Here is what the company says:

Recent investigations have determined this issue can occur on devices that failed to install the December 2025 security update and were left in an improper state after rolling back the update. Attempting to install Windows updates while in this improper state could result in the device being unable to boot. We are working on a partial resolution that will prevent additional devices from resulting in a no-boot scenario if they try to install an update while in this improper state. However, this partial resolution will not prevent devices from getting into the improper state in the first place, nor will it repair devices that are already unable to boot. We continue to investigate why these devices are failing to install Windows updates or
potentially getting into this improper state.

While this problem is not affecting home users, they have plenty of headaches to deal with on their own. From frozen and broken apps to the inability to shut down their computers or run device-specific software on Microsoft's own handheld, the latest Windows updates give something for everyone, showing the poor state of quality assurance in Microsoft's software labs as the company leans more into AI despite the user pushback.

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Posted Thursday 29 January 2026 at 6:49 am AEST (my time).

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