Starting off with chat and collaboration improvements, Microsoft is unifying the Copilot experience across chats, channels, and meetings. The AI assistant also has the ability to perform analysis of chat history, meeting transcripts, and calendar content. An interesting experience in the same vein now in public preview is Teams Mode for Copilot, which allows you to invite human co-workers into individual chats with AI. This essentially enables Copilot to become an active member of your team which can assist in tasks.

Other improvements include the ability to create status report updates through Channel Agent, along with updates to the external collaboration (also in public preview), with several capabilities in tow, such as the option to chat with anyone, sharing a file or a Loop component, labeling through trust indicators, and use admin presets. One really nifty ability is the option to pop out "core functionalities" of Teams such as calendar, chats, and calls in a separate window. Furthermore, if someone forwards you a link, you can click on it to navigate to the original location where the message came from, provided that you have access to that space.

Some Teams customers will also enjoy the search bar in the settings section, along with collaborative Pages and Notes components directly accessible inside the app. Finally, section names can also host emoji now.

When it comes to platform enhancements, Channel Agent can now connect to more platforms, such as Asana, GitHub, and Atlassian. IT admins also have more visibility over privilege levels and information related to compliance and security for apps and AI agents. It is also worth highlighting that AI agents and bots can now leverage Microsoft Entra for secure authentication. Other improvements that would be interesting for IT admins include trust-based filters for apps and agents, a performance audit tool in Teams Mobile, and expanded analytics coverage for AI agents in the Developer Portal.

Switching gears to meetings, webinars, and town halls, we have customizable meeting recap templates to structure AI-generated notes in a digestible format, branded reactions (only in private preview for now), a native screen picking and sharing experience for Mac customers, more features for Facilitator Agent, and immersive 3D events in Teams.

As always, more devices are now Teams-certified, such as:

• Yealink MP66W Wi-Fi based Teams device
• MAXHUB XBar W70
• Owl Labs Lenovo & Owl Labs Microsoft Teams Rooms Bundles - ThinkSmart Core + IP or USB Controller Kit with Meeting Owl 4+, and ThinkSmart Tiny Kit
• Rally Bar Mini with Heckler Rolling Stand (Android)
• Rally Bar Mini with Salamander Designs Acadia Tabletop Stand (Windows)
• MeetUp 2 with Salamander Designs Acadia Tabletop Stand (Windows)
• Rally Bar Huddle with Heckler Rolling Stand (Android)
• Yealink LinkHub smart dock
• Logitech Zone Wired 2 and Wireless 2ES for Business

There are tons of other enhancements available for frontline worker solutions, security features, and Teams Phone. You can read more about all of this over here.

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Posted Thursday 20 November 2025 at 12:00 pm AEST (my time).

News posts... 2023: 5,800+ | 2024: 5,700+ | 2025 (till end of October): 5,009

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Here are the names of the app finalists across different categories:

• iPhone App of the Year: BandLab, LADDER, Tiimo
• iPad App of the Year: Detail, Graintouch, Structured
• Mac App of the Year: Acorn, Essayist, Under My Roof
• Apple Vision Pro App of the Year: Camo Studio, D-Day: The Camera Soldier, Explore POV
• Apple Watch App of the Year: GO Club, Pro Camera by Moment, Strava
• Apple TV App of the Year: HBO Max, PBS KIDS Video, Super Farming Boy 4K

Here are the names of the game finalists across different categories:

• iPhone Game of the Year: Capybara Go!, Pokémon TCG Pocket, Thronefall
• iPad Game of the Year: DREDGE, Infinity Nikki, Prince of Persia Lost Crown
• Mac Game of the Year: Assassin's Creed Shadows, Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition, Neva
• Apple Arcade Game of the Year: Katamari Damacy Rolling LIVE, PGA Tour Pro Golf, WHAT THE CLASH?
• Apple Vision Pro Game of the Year: Fishing Haven, Gears & Goo, Porta Nubi

Apart from that, there are several apps and games selected under the Culture Impact category: Art of Fauna, A Space for the Unbound, Be My Eyes, Chants of Sennaar, despelote, Focus Friend, Is This Seat Taken?, Retro, StoryGraph, Venba, Whoscall, and Yuka.

Apple has dropped the list just a day after Google announced the winners of its annual Google Play Awards 2025. It's interesting to note that several apps and games reached the top of the ladder on both platforms, including Focus Friend, Pokémon TCG Pocket, and Chants of Sennaar.

The Cupertino giant said that it will announce the winners for its 2025 App Store Awards in the coming weeks.

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Posted Thursday 20 November 2025 at 11:52 am AEST (my time).

News posts... 2023: 5,800+ | 2024: 5,700+ | 2025 (till end of October): 5,009

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The first half of November has come and gone, and in the first weeks, Microsoft has released several preview builds of Windows 11 that reflect virtually all the main changes of the Windows Insider Program.

In addition to the changes rolled out during the last half of October, in the last two weeks, the software giant has made available previews for version 25H2 and 26H1.

In the case of the Canary Channel, devices first received build 27982, which, as a preview, was not tied to any specific release of the operating system, and then the company pushed build 28000, which is part of the upcoming version 26H1.

Furthermore, in the Dev and Beta Channels, devices received Windows 11 build 26220.7070 and 26220.7262 as part of version 25H2. Microsoft appears to have no further plans to release experimental features for version 24H2. However, this should now affect users significantly, as versions 25H2 and 24H2 are the same operating system.

In this guide, I'll highlight the biggest changes available through the Windows Insider Program.

Biggest improvements from the Windows Insider Program in November 2025

These are the most significant changes Microsoft has unveiled since the last roundup.

Widgets board redesign

Starting with the release of Windows 11 build 26220.7070 in the Dev and Beta Channels, the company is introducing various changes to the Widgets board.

Although this isn't officially new in this preview, the "Discover" board now features a design inspired by the style elements on the "Discover" page in the Copilot experience on the web. However, it is actually the design that makes sense since the Discover board in the Widgets experience is curated by Coopilot.

Microsoft has revealed that the Taskbar calendar flyout on Windows 11 will soon be updated to finally support showing your upcoming events and meetings. This is a feature that Windows 10 originally had, but it was removed with the debut of Windows 11. The company says it'll debut in preview next month.

Up until now, the calendar flyout on Windows 11 just served as a date checker. You could scroll through the days and months of the year, but you were never able to add events or view upcoming ones from this interface. That's finally changing with the new "agenda view" that Microsoft has announced.

"The new Agenda view appears right in Notification Center — offering a quick-glance, chronological list of your upcoming events, seamlessly integrated with Calendar in one unified interface. Users will also be able to interact directly with the events shown in their Agenda view, such as joining a scheduled meeting or engaging with Microsoft 365 Copilot."

Windows 10's calendar flyout is a useful productivity feature that lets you see your agenda, add new events, and more, not just stare at a simple, blank calendar like in Windows 11. The poor calendar implementation in Windows 11 spawned third-party alternatives like Calendar Flyout, which fix the missing features. Now, Microsoft is finally fixing that.

At Ignite 2025, where Microsoft revealed plenty of new stuff, including AI updates for Windows 11, the company announced that Windows 11's calendar flyout is finally getting a much-needed upgrade. Next month, Microsoft will bring the new Agenda view to the calendar flyout, offering you a quick look at all your upcoming events. There will also be extra buttons for joining meetings or talking to Microsoft 365 Copilot (of course). Judging from the screenshot that Microsoft shared, it does not seem like there will be a button to add new events, though.

It is still a shame that Microsoft has been slacking in this area for this long, which is particularly annoying for Windows 10 users who are now forced to upgrade due to the end of support. To many, moving to Windows 11 feels like a downgrade due to the lack of small conveniences like a good calendar flyout, and the ever-growing influx of questionable changes, user-hostile practices, and AI everywhere surely do not make things any better.

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Posted Thursday 20 November 2025 at 4:05 am AEST (my time).

News posts... 2023: 5,800+ | 2024: 5,700+ | 2025 (till end of October): 5,009

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Here are the update highlights:

• Advanced Paste now supports multiple online and on-device AI model providers: Azure OpenAI, OpenAI, Google Gemini, Mistral, Foundry Local and Ollama.
• Command Palette received extensive improvements, including file search filters, better clipboard history metadata, context-menu styling, and dozens of bug fixes and enhancements.
• PowerRename can now extract and use photo metadata (EXIF, XMP) in renaming patterns like %Camera, %Lens, and %ExposureTime.

And here is the complete changelog:

Advanced Paste

• Advanced Paste now lets you connect to multiple AI providers instead of being limited to a single OpenAI provider. See Advanced Paste documentation for usage.

Awake

• The Awake countdown timer now stays accurate over long periods.
• Fixed Awake context menu positioning. The fix removed the conversion of the mouse cursor from screen to client-window coordinates, instead using the raw screen coordinates returned by GetCursorPos; the context menu now appears at the correct screen position.

Command Palette

• The search field in context menus now matches the look of the Command Palette, with a smoke backdrop and improved padding.
• Fallback items such as math calculations or the Run command now appear in results more quickly.
• Ensured the command bar updates correctly after navigating to another page and commands are displayed correctly.
• The Command Palette settings page has been reorganized. Activation-key options are grouped under an expander and extension settings are framed for improved readability.
• When you modify a command, its alias, hotkey, and tags now update in the top-level list, keeping the displayed information in sync.
• Press Ctrl + , to open Command Palette settings from anywhere.
• You can use Page Up and Page Down to navigate the list while focus is in the search box.
• Fixed an issue where the search box could disappear when navigating pages.
• Ensured search text is selected when Go home when activated and Highlight search on activate are both enabled.
• Fixed an issue where Command Palette window occasionally appeared on the taskbar under certain Windows settings.
• Ensured that labels and icons of list items and menu items update when they change.
• Fixed visibility of list filters when navigating to a content page.
• Added search to the extension list and a link to extensions on the Microsoft Store.
• Added options to open the Command Palette window at its last position or re-center it.
• The Command Palette now remembers its window size after restarting.
• Added a global error handler that logs fatal errors and provides feedback when unexpected failures force Command Palette to close.
• Fixed forms and extension settings not showing on some machines due to a missing VC++ runtime.
• Restored ranking of fallback commands for built-in extensions (Sleep, Shutdown, Windows settings, Web search, etc.).
• Improved and unified labels and texts across the application!
• Maintenance: Resolved numerous build warnings in Command Palette projects; no user-visible impact.
• Maintenance: Fixed a logging issue so exception messages are properly recorded instead of placeholder text, improving troubleshooting.

Command Palette Extensions

• Bookmarks: Added hints about bookmark placeholders to the Add/Edit Bookmark form.
• Bookmarks: Improved migration of bookmarks from older versions and fixed an issue where aliases or keyboard shortcuts could be lost after restart.
• Clipboard history: Items shown in Command Palette’s clipboard history now include helpful metadata. For example, image items show dimensions, text files show names and sizes, web links include page titles, and text entries display word counts.
• File search: Added filter buttons to show all items, files only, or folders only. Selecting a filter adds kind:folders or kind:not folders to narrow results.
• System commands: Replaced the 🔴 placeholder with an actual red-circle emoji so the correct icon appears in the UI.
• WinGet: Search performance feels more responsive because typed input is now processed via a task queue rather than complex cancellation tokens!
• Window Walker: UWP apps no longer show a "not responding" label when suspended.
• Window Walker: Now displays the actual icon of each window rather than using the process icon, improving recognition of PWAs and Python GUIs.
• Windows Terminal profiles: Fixed a rare crash in the Windows Terminal extension when the LOCALAPPDATA environment variable was missing. The path is now retrieved via a reliable API.

Find My Mouse

• Activating Find My Mouse no longer makes the cursor change to the busy (hourglass) icon or steals focus from your active application.

Hosts File Editor

• Added customizable backup settings allowing users to configure backup frequency, location, and auto-deletion policies.

Image Resizer

• Fixed settings consistency during batch resize operations by capturing settings once before processing.

Light Switch

• Introduced new UI to allow users to manually enter their latitude and longitude in Sunrise to Sunset mode.
• Refactored service with cleaner state management for stability.
• Removed logs from every tick, only logging key events to largely reduce log size.
• Mouse Pointer Crosshairs
• Enabled switching between Mouse Pointer Crosshairs and Gliding Cursor modes.

Mouse Without Borders

• Added horizontal scrolling support.

Peek

• Fixed media files remaining locked after preview window closes.
• Added a command-line interface for file previewing. See the Peek documentation for usage.

PowerRename

• PowerRename no longer crashes due to a missing resources file.
• Added photo metadata extraction support using EXIF and XMP for pattern-based renaming with camera info, GPS coordinates, and date taken. See PowerRename Documentation.

PowerToys Run

• Added retry logic with exponential backoff to handle DWM composition errors during theme changes.
• Updated OneNote icons to reflect new Microsoft 365 design.

Quick Accent

• Added diameter symbol (⌀) for Shift+O in Special Characters mode

Zoomit

• Smoothed out zoom-animation in ZoomIt by coalescing mouse-move and timer events
• Enabled GIF support for ZoomIt,
• Fixed spelling mistakes, and refactored some literal strings to string constants
• Fixed inaccurate "actual size" screenshots in ZoomIt and resolves a GDI handle leak, improving capture fidelity and long-session stability.

Settings

• Fixed title bar overlapping issue at smaller window sizes.
• Refined shortcut control visual design with improved consistency and spacing.
• Added dashboard utilities sorting by name or status.
• Made update notification InfoBar in flyout clickable for direct navigation to update page.
• Expanded installation instructions by default in README.
• Improved accessibility for shortcut conflict button with static resource-based automation properties.
• Added ScrollViewer to Command Palette page in PowerToys Settings.
• Fixed module list glitches and Sort Status checkmark issue.

If you already have PowerToys on your computer, you can wait for the app to download the latest version automatically and send you a notification about the pending update. Alternatively, go to Settings > General and click Check for updates. You can also get PowerToys 0.96 from the Microsoft Store, GitHub, or winget.

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Posted Thursday 20 November 2025 at 4:02 am AEST (my time).

News posts... 2023: 5,800+ | 2024: 5,700+ | 2025 (till end of October): 5,009

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Microsoft's AI CEO, Mustafa Suleyman, has shared his opinion after recent pushback from users online that are becoming frustrated with Copilot and AI on Windows. In a post on X, Suleyman says he's mind blown by the fact that people are unimpressed with the ability to talk fluently with an AI computer.

"Jeez there so many cynics! It cracks me up when I hear people call AI underwhelming" Suleyman says. "I grew up playing Snake on a Nokia phone! The fact that people are unimpressed that we can have a fluent conversation with a super smart AI that can generate any image/video is mindblowing to me."

His post comes after Windows president Pavan Davuluri was recently met with major backlash from users online for posting about Windows evolving into an agentic OS. His post was so negatively received that he was forced to turn off replies, though Davuluri did later respond to reassure customers that the company was aware of the feedback.

Suleyman's post is also curiously timed with a recent damning report from The Verge that found Copilot's current capabilities don't match what Microsoft is advertising. The report found that in most cases, Copilot was unable to seamlessly or fluently achieve requests made by the user, the same requests that are shown in Copilot advertisements.

Microsoft Ignite kicked off this week, and we've already seen some major announcements from the company. Many of those announcements center around agents, which have been a hot-button topic lately. The newly announced Microsoft Agent 365 will help organizations manage and deploy agents.

Agents are AI tools designed to automate specific tasks. Microsoft says people can "think of agents as the apps of the AI era," which is quite bold considering how essential apps have become.

Agents can streamline tasks, perform repetitive actions and analyze data. Importantly, they can act across different environments.

An IDC study sponsored by Microsoft predicts there will be 1.3 billion agents by 2028. To help people manage and deploy those agents, Microsoft has created Agent 365.

Agent 365 works with agents created using Microsoft's tools, such as Copilot Studio or Microsoft Foundry, or open-source frameworks. Microsoft outlined five key capabilities of Agent 365 during Ignite 2025:

• A registry to give you a single source of truth for all the agents in your organization
• Access control to manage agents and limit their access to only the resources
  required to perform specific tasks
• Visualization—a unified dashboard and advanced analytics to see connections
  between agents, people, and data, and monitor agent behavior and performance in real time
• Interoperability to equip agents with apps and data to simplify human-agent
  workflows
• Security to help protect agents from threats and vulnerabilities and detect,
  investigate, and remediate attacks that target agents

Agent 365 is about managing agents even if they are not made by Microsoft. But Microsoft does have a growing army of agents within its software suite.

Microsoft 365 Copilot will also feature dedicated Word, Excel, and PowerPoint agents. Agent Mode in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint will allow users to work interactively with Copilot.

• This update includes a small set of general improvements and fixes that improve the overall experience for Insiders running this build on their PCs.

You can find the announcement blog post here.

As a reminder, Windows 11 26H1 is the only H1 release in four years of Windows 11's existence. Shortly after releasing Windows 11 version 25H2 to all users, Microsoft started testing version 26H1 in the Canary Channel. The update is intended to work as a "platform update" for certain processors. Microsoft does not say what processors it has in mind, but rumors say that Windows 11 version 26H1 will be an exclusive release for Snapdragon X2 Elite processors, and its launch is scheduled for the first half of 2026, as the name suggests.

As for all the other devices and existing PCs, expect the next big update in the second half of 2026 in the form of version 26H2. All the new features and visible improvements will be available first in the Dev and Beta Channels, where Microsoft currently offers a single, unified build. However, the Dev Channel will soon move to higher-numbered and less stable builds, so there is an opportunity to downgrade from Dev to Beta without doing a complete system wipe. Once that window is closed, you will have to reinstall Windows from scratch to downgrade to more stable builds.

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Posted Wednesday 19 November 2025 at 4:44 pm AEST (my time).

News posts... 2023: 5,800+ | 2024: 5,700+ | 2025 (till end of October): 5,009

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Microsoft has announced that alt text generation for Word and PowerPoint in Windows will be powered by generative AI models rather than the existing Azure Vision model moving forward. For those unaware, alt text is basically the description of an image that is embedded inside it, typically for screen readers. This enables a screen reader to describe an image to someone who is blind or has low vision and is using such a utility for accessibility purposes. Here at Neowin, all our images have required alt text for use due to accessibility reasons for the past few years.

While it is extremely important, embedding alt text can sometimes be a tedious and manual process. Microsoft solved this issue to some extent when it integrated Azure Vision into Office apps so that all inserted images get an alt text description by default, but it was fairly generic. With the latest integration of GenAI models, Microsoft will provision a richer alt text that is more contextual and accurate.

For example, an image which Azure Vision described simply as "Diagram of a house with solar panels" may now be described by GenAI models as "Diagram illustrating passive solar design principles for a building. Highlights include photovoltaic panels on the south face, well-insulated walls and roof, operable windows for ventilation, and a thermal mass concrete slab with underside insulation."

The big difference this time around is that while alt text was generated automatically for all images before, users will have to intentionally insert alt text whenever they need it. This can be done in Word and PowerPoint through Picture Format > Alt Text > Generate alt text for me. Microsoft believes that this process offers more control to the author of a document.

A notable caveat for those using perpetual versions of Office is that alt text won't be generated by default moving forward. But customers can still enable it for now using File > Options > Accessibility > Automatically generate alt text. Future perpetual licenses will include alt text generations that are powered by the same GenAI models available to Microsoft 365 customers. For now, this particular capability is available for Microsoft 365 Insiders running Word and PowerPoint in Version 2510 (Build 19328.20000) or later.

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Posted Wednesday 19 November 2025 at 4:39 pm AEST (my time).

News posts... 2023: 5,800+ | 2024: 5,700+ | 2025 (till end of October): 5,009

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This means that Thunderbird users in Microsoft Exchange environments (e.g., Microsoft 365, Office 365) no longer need third-party add-ons and benefit from seamless message synchronization and folder management locally and on the server.

Migrating from Outlook to Thunderbird is also easier, as Mozilla's email client automatically detects the settings and uses Microsoft’s OAuth2 authorization protocol.

“Until now, Thunderbird users in Exchange-hosted environments often relied on IMAP/POP protocols or third-party extensions,” reads Thunderbird’s announcement.

“With full native Exchange support for email, Thunderbird now works more seamlessly in Exchange environments, including full folder listings, message synchronization, folder management both locally and on the server, attachment handling, and more.”

Thunderbird is a free, open-source email application developed by Mozilla, and Microsoft Exchange is an email and collaboration server broadly used by businesses to handle communications, calendars, and contacts.

Typically, organizations either use Outlook as the email client app to connect to an Exchange server or the Microsoft 365 cloud service. However, any app with EWS support, now including Thunderbird, can connect to it.

To move from Outlook to Thunderbird, users have to add the account in version 145 or later of the email client, head to Account Hub > Exchange/Exchange Web Services, and let the application guide them through the rest of the process.

Currently, the following features are supported:

• Exchange email setup and folder access
• Viewing, sending, replying/forwarding, moving/copying/deleting messages
• Attachments (save, display, detach/delete)
• Search (subject, body) and quick filtering
• Microsoft 365 domains using standard OAuth2
• On-premise Exchange with basic password authentication

The Thunderbird development team also plans to add support for Calendar syncing, Address book/contacts, Filter actions requiring full-message content, Microsoft 365 domains requiring custom OAuth2 app/tenant IDs, On-premise NTLM and OAuth2 authentication, and Microsoft Graph integration.

No specific timelines were provided for when these will land on Thunderbird, and implementation times may vary per item.

Mozilla notes that EWS is still widely used, and Microsoft has promised to continue supporting it “for the foreseeable future,” even as the tech giant is transitioning to the Microsoft Graph interface as the main method to connect to Microsoft 365 services.

While support for the Microsoft Graph API is in the plans, the Thunderbird team considers EWS a priority right now to meet the needs of a larger user base.

More information about Thunderbird’s Exchange support is available on this wiki page, while the support portal provides instructions for account porting.

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Posted Wednesday 19 November 2025 at 4:37 pm AEST (my time).

News posts... 2023: 5,800+ | 2024: 5,700+ | 2025 (till end of October): 5,009

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Microsoft has issued an important warning about its upcoming agentic AI capabilities that are coming soon to Windows 11. In a new support document, the company warns that users should "only enable this feature if you understand the security implications," and has confirmed that because of the potential dangers, it'll be off by default.

For months, Microsoft has teased that Windows 11 would slowly evolve into an agentic OS, much to the dismay of users online. Still, the company has pushed ahead with its vision, and we're now at a point where the first truly agentic capabilities are launching on the platform.

"This setting can only be enabled by an administrator user of the device and once enabled, it’s enabled for all users on the device including other administrators and standard users," Microsoft confirms. When enabled, Windows will create local user accounts for different AI agents, which will have access to your personal user folder.

"Agentic accounts have limited access to your user profile directory (C:\Users\username\) while operating in the agent workspace. If an agent needs access to files in that directory, Windows grants read and write access to the following known folders: Documents, Downloads, Desktop, Videos, Pictures, Music when the setting is enabled."

Yesterday, Microsoft published a support document that outlined how AI agents are going to work on Windows 11, utilizing a new agentic workspace that will allow AI-powered apps to complete tasks on your behalf. These agents will operate in their own secure desktop environment, but with access to your apps and files.

As such, the company warns that these agentic capabilities aren't without risk. "AI applications introduce novel security risks, such as cross-prompt injection (XPIA), where malicious content embedded in UI elements or documents can override agent instructions, leading to unintended actions like data exfiltration or malware installation."

Because of this, the company has outlined a number of design principles that it wants to follow when it comes to agentic experiences on Windows, including ensuring the AI is always observable, and that any decisions it wants to make must be approved by a human first. "Agents must be able to produce logs outlining their activities. Windows should be able to verify these actions with a tamper-evident audit log."

It seems Microsoft can't help itself when it comes to generating negative sentiment when it comes to AI in recent weeks. Just a few days ago, the company came under fire after its Windows lead Pavan Davuluri posted about how the platform was evolving as an agentic OS, which generated such backlash he had to disable replies.

Now, the main @Microsoft account on X has posted a message that reads "Copilot finishing your code before you finish your coffee," and as you might imagine, it hasn't gone down too well. Turns out, the tech community doesn't see vibe coding with Copilot in a positive light.

"This has to be bait. There is no way Microsoft is this out of touch with their user base and developers" says one reply. "Copilot finishing my code isn’t the flex Microsoft thinks it is…" reads another. "It's impressive how out of touch Microsoft manages to be with posts like this," another person says.

The post has over 215K views on X so far, and over 200 replies. A large chunk of the responses are negative, either laughing at Microsoft's inability to read the room, or highlighting how Copilot's coding capabilities aren't actually at a level where you'd feel comfortable letting it build something without spending hours checking it over.

The upcoming evolution of Windows into an AI-focused OS was fairly evident given how system requirements for the next-gen OS may evolve. Microsoft has openly teased about its agentic Windows ambitions to the public too, much to the detriment of the company, as almost nobody seemed to want it.

Still, at its Ignite event today, Microsoft has gone ahead as it revealed those plans in much more detail. The announcement is meant to preview how Microsoft intends to move organizations from AI experimentation to execution at scale, though the tech giant assures Windows will remain an "open platform" to continue offering customers "choice and control" while integrating both first- and third-party AI innovations.

The company suggests that to be a "Frontier Firm", - which is Microsoft’s term for enterprises already embracing and adopting the human-agentic double engine'd productivity model,- is very important in the age of AI, or else those who do not may risk falling far behind in competitiveness.

Microsoft notes that the tale had started last year at Ignite 2024 with the “Era of AI”, and this year’s update builds on that momentum, with promises of improved reliability, performance, and fundamentals alongside new AI-driven capabilities.

In terms of the specifics, Windows is previewing native agent infrastructure, including secure agent connectors and a dedicated agent workspace. These features are said to allow Copilot and other agents to carry out tasks across apps, files, and system functions easily, while maintaining user consent and control. Windows 365 for Agents extends this model to the cloud, enabling scalable Cloud PCs for agent-driven workflows.

Microsoft is also bringing agents directly into the user flow with Ask Copilot and Agents on the taskbar, both in preview. By embedding Copilot, AI agents, and search into the taskbar with the new Ask Copilot on the taskbar (preview) option, Microsoft wants users to have quick access to agents so they can monitor progress, among other things, through familiar interface cues such as hover states, badges, and notifications.

To invoke agents directly from Ask Copilot on the taskbar, users have to type "@" or use the option available in the tools button there. And if users only want to interact with Copilot, that can also be done through voice or text.

Cloud-powered flexibility is another focus. Windows 365 now includes embedded AI, enhanced support for frontline workers, Windows 365 Reserve (now generally available), and a migration API to simplify transitions from Azure VMs to Cloud PCs.

Security benefit was also mentioned. Post-Quantum Cryptography, Zero Trust Domain Name System, and passkey manager integration with Windows Hello are now generally available. Previews include Windows Cloud IO Protection, Intune management of Windows Recovery, and point-in-time restore.

The company also highlighted the new Copilot+ PC-exclusive features that are launching at Ignite 2025 today. They are:

• Writing assistance (preview): Rewrite and compose capabilities for any text box in any app, plus offline support on Copilot+ PCs.
• Outlook summary (preview): AI-generated summaries in Outlook.
• Word auto alt-text (preview): Automatic alt-text for images in Office documents for accessibility.
• Fluid dictation (preview): AI-powered voice feature that turns speech into polished text, correcting grammar, punctuation, and filler words in real time.

You can find the official Microsoft press release here.

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Posted Wednesday 19 November 2025 at 5:21 am AEST (my time).

News posts... 2023: 5,800+ | 2024: 5,700+ | 2025 (till end of October): 5,009

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In addition to Quick Machine Recovery, a relatively new system that can deploy the necessary patches and fixes via WinRE, Microsoft is bringing new features, such as Point-in-time restore and Cloud rebuild.

Point-in-time restore (PITR) is designed to work as a quick and easy method to roll back a system to the previously working state, all without lengthy troubleshooting or having a ton of technical expertise. Microsoft says that PITR will be useful for regular users and IT professionals who need to recover a single device or a horde of non-working computers. Point-in-time restore should only take minutes to undo problematic changes and make things work again, restoring the operating system, applications, settings, and local files.

As for Cloud rebuild, this feature will let IT admins fix misbehaving computers by doing a full system reinstall with all the necessary drivers. If a computer does not work as it should and nothing helps to fix it, Cloud rebuild will install a fresh copy of Windows 11, with Microsoft Intune, Windows Autopilot, Windows Backup, and OneDrive taking care of the rest, such as data, apps, settings, and more. Additionally, Microsoft says that Intune will work as a unified management platform for all of its recovery tools on managed devices, and it will support sending recovery scripts to devices or triggering recovery actions directly.

Point-in-time restore and Cloud rebuild will be available as a preview in the first half of 2026 as part of the Windows Resiliency Initiative that focuses on preventing, managing, and recovering from incidents and outages.

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Interestingly, while Microsoft addressed the ESU (extended security updates) enrollment bug with the KB5071959 update, the simulataneous Patch Tuesday KB5068781 failed to install with 0x800f0922 error.

Now, Microsoft has fixed that bug too with a new "Extended Security Updates (ESU) Licensing Preparation Package" KB5072653 update. The company does not exactly define what this ESU licensing preparation package is, though from the name it is evident that this package is essential for ESU updates to proceed.

The company has shared some prerequisites for installing the update. It writes: "This Extended Security Updates (ESU) Licensing Preparation Package for Windows 10 (KB5072653). Note this preparation package must be installed after the October 2025 security update (KB5066791) is installed."

Microsoft notes that your PC will restart to successfully complete the installation of this ESU prep package. You can find the support article here on Microsoft's official website.

Source

Hope you enjoyed this news post. Feedback welcome.

Posted Tuesday 18 November 2025 at 6:00 pm AEST (my time).

News posts... 2023: 5,800+ | 2024: 5,700+ | 2025 (till end of October): 5,009

RIP Matrix

Gradual rollout

The following features and improvements might not be available to all users because they will roll out gradually.

Copilot+ PC only experiences

• [Camera] New! As part of the Copilot+ PCs experience, you can use Windows Studio Effects, which provides AI-powered camera enhancements on an additional, alternative camera such as a USB webcam or your laptop’s built-in rear camera. To get started, go to Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Cameras and select your preferred camera from the connected cameras list. Then, open the Advanced camera options and turn on Use Windows Studio Effects. After you turn it on, you can adjust Studio Effects from the camera settings page or the quick settings menu in the taskbar. For more info on the different AI experiences, see ms/copilotpluspcs.

• [Click to Do] These improvements are rolling out to Click to Do on Copilot+ PCs.
  • New! The Click to Do context menu now has a streamlined design that makesi it easier to access frequently used actions like Copy, Save, Share, and Open. You can quickly find what you need.
  • New! Whenever a large image or table appears on your screen, the context menu automatically opens, making it quicker and easier to access the actions and results you need.
• [Agent in Settings] These improvements are rolling out to Agents Settings on Copilot+ PCs.
  • New! The search results menu now displays more available results, making it easier to quickly find and modify your settings. A scroll bar lets you view all search results.
  • New! Recommended settings now make changes faster by showing an inline agent option for recently modified settings.
  • New! A dialog now appears when settings can’t be adjusted further. It explains why and provides an option to modify the settings as needed.

• [File Explorer] New! As part of the Copilot+ PC experience, the File Explorer Search Box placeholder text has been updated to highlight the enhanced Windows Search.

Windows 11 PC experiences – all supported devices

• [Desktop Spotlight] New! When Windows Spotlight is set as your desktop background (Settings > Personalization > Background), the context menu now includes two options: Learn more about this background and Next desktop background.

• [Drag Tray] For users with the Drag Tray:1
  • New! Drag Tray now supports multi-file sharing, shows more relevant apps, and makes it easy to move files to a chosen folder.
  • New! You can now turn Drag Tray on or off from Settings > System > Nearby sharing.

• [Keyboard] New! Keyboard backlight performance has improved on supported HID-compliant keyboards. Compatible keyboards display keys clearly in low-light environments, and the backlight adjusts to help conserve power.

• [File Explorer]
  • New! File Explorer now offers a more consistent dark mode Key actions such as copy, move, and delete dialogs have been updated in both default and expanded views. Progress bars and chart views now align with the dark theme to improve readability. Confirmation dialogs for actions like skip, override, and file selection, along with multiple error dialogs, have also been refreshed for a cohesive look.
  • New! We’re working on consolidating the share options in the context menu into a single entry point. This change will initially be available to a small group of devices as we evaluate the best approach.
  • Fixed: File Explorer may unexpectedly not show thumbnails for video files containing certain EXIF metadata.
  • Fixed: An old white toolbar may sometimes randomly appear in File Explorer.
  • Fixed: When you right click on a file, the icon next to the entry to Open may be generic rather than matching the default app for that file type.

• [Settings]
  • New! Keyboard settings for character repeat delay and rate, and cursor blink rate, have moved from the Control Panel to Settings. You can now find character repeat delay and rate under Settings > Accessibility > Keyboard, and cursor blink rate under Settings > Accessibility > Text cursor.
  • New! You can view the Device Card on the Settings home page. It shows key specifications and usage details of your PC. From the card, go directly to Settings > About page for more detailed information about your PC. This card will show when signed in with your Microsoft account and in the U.S. only.
  • New! About in Settings now has an updated layout that organizes device details and related options in one place. You can quickly access features such as Storage settings for faster navigation.
  • Fixed: Settings may become unresponsive when attempting to navigate to the Network & Internet section.

• [Windows Hello] New! Windows Hello Enhanced Sign-in Security (ESS) now supports peripheral fingerprint sensors. To enroll a supported ESS fingerprint reader, go to Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options and follow the prompts.

• [Windows Share] New! 2 You can share OneDrive files through other apps. The options appear under Share using when you select the Copy link. You must be signed into your Microsoft account.

• [Mobile Device Settings] New! You can now add and manage your mobile devices in Settings Bluetooth & Devices > Mobile On this page you can manage features such as using your device as a connected camera or accessing your device’s files in File Explorer.

• [Game Pass] References to Game Pass in Settings are now modified to reflect updated branding and benefits.

• [Taskbar & System Tray]
  • New! We’re updating the animations that appear when hovering over app groups on the taskbar, so that as you slide between apps you can now see the preview transition.
  • Fixed: The “Automatically hide the taskbar” setting may unexpectedly turn off, after seeing a message saying “a toolbar is already hidden on this side of your screen”.
  • Fixed: Voice access doesn’t work correctly when attempting to interact with the taskbar (calling out a number may not invoke that item).

• [Recovery] On PCs with the settings “quick machine recovery” and “automatically check for solutions” both enabled, Quick Machine Recovery now runs a one‑time scan by default instead of repeating scans in a loop. If a fix isn’t available right away, QMR will quickly point you to the most appropriate recovery options to get you back up and running.

• [Widgets]
  • New! You can choose a default dashboard in Widget Board settings. When live weather is showing, the Widget Board opens the first dashboard in your navigation bar instead of the most recently used one, making the experience consistent. To set your default dashboard, open the full-page Widgets Settings by selecting Settings (gear icon) in the navigation bar, then move your preferred dashboard to the top.
  • New! Dashboard icons in the Widget navigation bar now show numbers that correspond to the number of alerts from that dashboard. Navigation bar badges clear automatically when you leave a dashboard, making it easy to track what’s new.

• [OneDrive] The new OneDrive icon is now in Accounts and Homepages in Settings.

• [Input] Pens that support haptic feedback will now deliver tactile responses during certain interactions with the system UI. For example, you may feel vibrations when hovering over the close button or when snapping and resizing windows.

• [Lock and Login Screens]
  • Fixed: It may be very slow the first time when logging into a new account.
  • Fixed: When your lock screen is set to slide show, there may be a memory leak. Memory leaks can lead to performance or reliability issues over time.

• [Display and Graphics]:
  • Improved: We’ve improved the performance when apps query monitors for their full list of supported modes. When this happens it could previously lead to a momentary stutter on very high-resolution monitors. This work should help prevent and reduce stuttering in these scenarios.
  • Fixed: All-in-one PCs may experience issues with their brightness slider, where it unexpectedly reverts to the original brightness when interacting with it.
  • Fixed: Recently certain games may show a message saying “Unsupported graphics card detected”, although a supported graphics card is used.

• [Smart cards]: Fixed: You may unexpectedly see STATUS_NOT_SUPPORTED (0xc00000bb) during logon when using ECC Smart Card Logon Credential.

• [Advanced Settings] You can now enable Virtual Workspaces in Advanced Settings. Virtual Workspaces allow you to enable or disable virtual environments such as Hyper-V, Windows Sandbox, and more. To access Virtual Workspaces go to Settings > Systems > Advanced.

1 This feature is gradually rolling out, and availability will vary by device and market. Drag tray might not be available to all devices yet. For more information on Drag Tray, see KB5058499.

2 Feature availability depends on your device and market. This feature isn’t available in the European Economic Area.

Normal Rollout

This non-security update includes quality improvements. The following summary outlines key issues addressed by the KB update after you install it. Also, included are available new features. The bold text within the brackets indicates the item or area of the change.

• [Security] Fixed: This update addresses an issue that affects Local Security Authority Subsystem Service (LSASS). LSASS could become unstable due to an access violation.

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

Source

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Posted Tuesday 18 November 2025 at 5:58 pm AEST (my time).

News posts... 2023: 5,800+ | 2024: 5,700+ | 2025 (till end of October): 5,009

RIP Matrix

Microsoft has just published a new support document that details how Windows 11 is evolving into an agentic OS. The company has openly stated that the future of Windows is one that will be AI native, focused on agentic capabilities that allows your PC to take control and complete tasks on your behalf. Now, we know how it's going to work.

"Windows is committed to making agentic experiences with apps more productive and secure for individuals and enterprises," Microsoft says. "As part of this vision, Windows is introducing a new experimental feature — agent workspace — available in a private developer preview for Windows Insiders in a release coming soon. This early preview reflects our phased approach to delivering agentic capabilities, starting with limited access to gather feedback and strengthen foundational security."

The company says agent workspaces are a "separate, contained space in Windows where you can grant agents access to your apps and files so they can complete tasks for you in the background while you continue to use your device." The feature depends on a new 'experimental agentic features' toggle that must be enabled by the user first before the agentic workspace is enabled.

"Each agent operates using its own account, distinct from your personal user account. This dedicated agent account establishes clear boundaries between agent activity and your own, enabling scoped authorization and runtime isolation. As a result, you can delegate tasks to agents while retaining full control, visibility into agent actions, and the ability to manage access at any time."

As Microsoft pushes Windows 11 to become an agentic OS full of AI tools, people are pushing back. Microsoft's Windows lead, Pavan Davuluri, had to comment on the recent backlash surrounding the direction of Windows.

"But you can just turn AI features off," you may say. "If you don't like AI, just don't use it." If only it were that simple. Seemingly, Microsoft values AI so much that the company's higher-ups are willing to strip features out of default apps in order to reduce Copilot's competition.

In the latest Edge Canary build, the browser shows a notification explaining the Sidebar app list is being retired.

X user and Edge feature tracker Leo Varela spotted a message within Edge Canary:

"Sidebar app list is being retired

We're simplifying Edge. New apps can no longer be added, and the quick access list will be removed gradually in future updates.

Copilot is not affected—this helps us focus on making it even better."

HD Voices in Narrator and Magnifier

Narrator and Magnifier now support high-definition voices for English (United States), powered by Azure’s latest on-device text-to-speech models. These voices use generative AI to adjust tone and pacing for more natural, expressive speech.

When reading with Narrator or listening to text in Magnifier, HD voices provide clearer audio and smoother flow. This helps reduce listening fatigue during long sessions and makes it easier to stay focused on the content. While natural voices are available in multiple languages, HD voices are currently offered in English (United States). Both Narrator and Magnifier allow you to personalize your experience by adjusting voice speed and switching between voices anytime.

To enable in Narrator

1. Open Settings → Accessibility → Narrator.
2. Navigate to the “add a natural voice” button
3. Download your preferred HD voice.
4. Switch voices or adjust speed anytime in Narrator settings.

Currently, HD voices are available in English (United States), with one male (Andrew) and one female (Ava) option to choose from.

Magnifier also supports natural voices, including new HD options for even clearer, more lifelike speech. To enable:

1. Open Settings → Accessibility → Magnifier.
2. Navigate to the “add a natural voice” button
3. Download your preferred voice.
4. Change voices or adjust speed anytime in Magnifier settings.

Narrator now supports math

We’re introducing the first phase of Math reading in Narrator, bringing clearer and more natural math experiences to users who are blind or have low vision. With this update, equations in Microsoft 365 apps such as Word can now be read in a structured way that reflects how they’re meant to be understood. Math is at the heart of STEM education and learning, and this improvement helps ensure that students and professionals can independently explore equations, formulas, and scientific notations with confidence.

To try out this experience, turn on Narrator (press Win + Ctrl + Enter) and open a Word document containing mathematical equations. Use any of the standard Narrator reading commands to hear equations read aloud in a more natural, structured way. We’re continuing to refine this experience and plan to expand it to more scenarios in the future.

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

AI Components Setting

New “Experimental agentic features” toggle in the Settings app. This setting, under System->AI Components, allows agents to use new Windows agentic features. More information can be found here: Experimental Agentic Features – Microsoft Support.

Here are the other changes that Microsoft is rolling out gradually in the new build:

[Click to Do]

• The Click to Do context menu is being updated with a streamlined design, making it simpler to locate what you need. Frequently used actions like Copy, Save, Share, and Open will now be easier to access directly from the context menu.
• Whenever a large image or table appears on your screen, the context menu will automatically pop up, making it quicker and easier to access the actions and results you need.

Image Object Selection Update

• We are temporarily turning off Image Object select, as detailed here for Dev and Beta

Teaching Tip Updates

• Teaching tips and the introduction screen in tutorial mode have been improved.
• A new “Launch Tutorial” button and refreshed instructions make it easier for users to start the tutorial.

[Input]

• Pens that support haptic feedback will now deliver tactile responses during certain interactions with the system UI. For example, you may feel vibrations when hovering over the close button or when snapping and resizing windows.

[File Explorer]

• We are reconfiguring the CFR that supported AI Actions in File Explorer – Insiders may see a temporary loss in image actions and Copilot summary actions as this is relaunched and gradually rolled out to Insiders in the Dev & Beta Channels.
• We’re temporarily stopping the rollout of the ability for newly launched File Explorer folders to open in tabs instead of windows, as it wasn’t working correctly. Appreciate your patience.

Here is what was fixed:

[General]

• Fixed an issue resulting in the mouse and keyboard not working for some Insiders in WinRE / Advanced Startup.

[Taskbar]

• Fixed an issue recently causing some Insiders to see a message saying they don’t have an eligible camera for Recall when they did.

[Task Manager]

• Fixed an issue where the Task Manager process wasn’t stopping correctly after closing Task Manager. As a result of this, you may have also seen Task Manager unexpectedly open on boot.

[Settings]

• Fixed an issue where the Virtual Workspaces options weren’t working correctly in Settings > System > Advanced. As part of this fix, the option is now available again for Insiders.

Finally, here is the list of known bugs:

[Taskbar & System Tray]

• We’re investigating an issue that is causing the Start menu to not open for some Insiders on click, although it will open if you press the Windows key. It’s believed this issue may also potentially impact the notification center (which you can open with WIN + N).
• We’re investigating an issue where, for some Insiders, apps aren’t showing in the system tray when they should be.

[File Explorer]

• Copy progress might flash when clicking more or less details in the dark mode version of the copy dialog.
• Scrollbar and footer are missing and showing a white block instead when text is scaled in the dark mode version of the copy dialog.

[.NET Framework and Visual Studio]

• [NEW] Insiders using ARM64 PCs may observe crashes with Visual Studio or applications that depend on the .NET Framework. To resolve the problem, scan for Windows Updates and install the latest .NET Framework update.

You can find the announcement post here.

Source

Hope you enjoyed this news post. Feedback welcome.

Posted Tuesday 18 November 2025 at 11:50 am AEST (my time).

News posts... 2023: 5,800+ | 2024: 5,700+ | 2025 (till end of October): 5,009

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Windows Edge Light is one of those well-made, small, and convenient apps. It uses native Windows 11 UI elements, it has a small disk footprint, and it has all the necessary features for its purpose. For example, you can adjust the light intensity, toggle it with shortcuts, click through the overlay, keep it always on top, and more. Of course, a blank Excel spreadsheet or a File Explorer window can also do the job, but Windows Edge Light feels like a much more refined and elegant solution.

Utilities like Windows Edge Light make great additions to PowerToys, Microsoft's set of various tools for all sorts of users, like the recently introduced Light Switch. Clint Rutkas, PowerToys lead at Microsoft, replied to Neowin's question about bringing Windows Edge Light to PowerToys, saying that "our team works deeply with his team."

While this is not an explicit confirmation, it still implies that Windows Edge Light might make its way to PowerToys. If not, you can still get it as a standalone application and run it whenever you have a video call in a dim environment. Modern screens can get plenty bright, and tools like Windows Edge Light may save you some cash on buying dedicated lights just for video calls.

Source

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Posted Tuesday 18 November 2025 at 11:47 am AEST (my time).

News posts... 2023: 5,800+ | 2024: 5,700+ | 2025 (till end of October): 5,009

RIP Matrix

Windows 11 has a new app that replicates one of the most clever macOS features Apple has introduced in a while. "Edge Light" is a new feature in testing on macOS that adds a ring light effect to your screen, brightening video calls and making your face clearer. Despite Apple's Edge Light only being in beta testing through iOS 26.2, a developer has already made a similar app for Windows.

Scott Hanselman, Microsoft's Vice President of Developer Community, shared the first release of "Windows Edge Light" on GitHub recently.

The app adds a white ring around the edge of your display, similar to Apple's offering. It also supports click-through transparency so you can interact with what's on your screen even when Windows Edge Light is running.

I installed the app first thing this morning after reading about it over the weekend. Windows Edge Light works as intended, though its effectiveness depends on your monitor and the ambient light in the room. A dull IPS panel will not light up your face as much as a brighter screen.

The best webcams do better in low-light environments, but ensuring adequite light to your setup is always a good idea.

On the eve of its Ignite conference, Microsoft has managed to break the first Extended Security Update (ESU) for many commercial Windows 10 customers.

The November 11 update, KB5068781, fails to install on devices activated via the Microsoft 365 admin center, throwing a 0x800f0922 (CBS_E_INSTALLERS_FAILED) error message.

"The issue is under investigation, and additional information will be shared as soon as it becomes available," said Microsoft. At the time of writing, there is no fix or workaround for the problem.

This marks the second ESU failure in a week. On Thursday Microsoft issued an out-of-band patch after consumers reported enrollment failures.

Ironically, the latest update included a fix for the October 14 release that incorrectly showed a message in the Windows Update Settings page: "Your version of Windows has reached the end of support".

Microsoft's ESU program allows commercial customers to pay for continued security updates after Windows 10's free support ended on October 14.

Ignite's announcements are still under wraps, but we suspect Microsoft will spend more time explaining how it plans to tackle its reliability and stability woes than dreaming up new parts of the portfolio to inject Copilot.

Oh, who are we kidding? Last week, Windows boss Pavan Davuluri boasted that the operating system was "evolving into an agentic OS." Many customer would no doubt prefer Microsoft fix current problems rather than chase AI-enabled futures.

The Register recently ran an article in which we pondered a new name for Microsoft's legendary approach to quality control.

For Windows 10 users, it appears that "business as usual" is more the order of the day. "Expect Sloppy Updates," anyone? ®

Source

ZDNET's key takeaways

• Windows 10 PCs can receive free security updates until October 2026.
• To qualify for free personal updates, enroll with a Microsoft account.
• Customers in any of the 30 EEA countries automatically qualify.

This month's Windows updates will be delivered automatically on Patch Tuesday, November 11. Unless you have a PC running Windows 10, that is. Support for that operating system has officially ended, and any PC running Windows 10 with its default settings will no longer receive those critical monthly security updates from the Windows Update servers.

But don't start shopping for a replacement PC just yet, as Microsoft offers options that allow you to continue receiving those security updates until October 2026, one full year after the original end-of-support date.

When Microsoft first announced the availability of Extended Security Updates (ESU) for Windows 11, the subscription came with a $30 price tag. Thankfully, someone in Redmond realized that owners of tens of millions of consumer PCs running Windows 10 aren't ready to replace their old computers, and those customers are also not about to fork over $30 for an ESU subscription. So, a few months before the end-of-support date, the company announced new "free enrollment options" for the ESU program. 

Those free ESU subscriptions are now available for any PC running Windows 10, including the tens of millions of consumer PCs that are ineligible for the free Windows 11 upgrade because they don't meet the compatibility requirements.

ESU coverage for personal devices starts immediately and runs through Oct. 13, 2026. On personal devices, the ESU subscription needs to be activated using a Microsoft account. After signing up, the account owner can apply that update eligibility to as many as 10 PCs by signing in to each one using the same account. The ESU subscription applies to the PC, not the user. After you successfully apply the ESU subscription, you can sign out from that Microsoft account and sign in with another Microsoft account or a local account, and the PC will continue to receive security updates.  

Who's eligible?

The option to sign up for an ESU subscription from a personal Windows 10 PC is now broadly available to any PC running Windows 10, version 22H2, Home, Professional, Pro Education, and Workstation editions, with the latest Windows cumulative update installed. Enterprise and Education editions are not eligible. The option is also unavailable on any PC that is joined to an Active Directory domain, Entra-joined, or registered with Mobile Device Management software such as Windows Intune. 

You must be signed in with an administrator account, and the account can't be set up as a child account. Because the ESU subscription is tied to a Microsoft account, you will also need to sign in to a Microsoft account as part of the enrollment process -- unless you're located in Europe. (More details on that a little later in this post.)

In addition, Microsoft says consumer ESU program enrollment options and timing "may vary by region," with a list of countries and languages that are eligible. If the consumer ESU program isn't available in your region, there's no easy option to recommend.

You can get all the details in this thorough support article on Microsoft's website: Windows 10 Consumer Extended Security Updates (ESU).

Here's how to sign up

I was able to test the enrollment process on a virtual running the final version of Windows 10 Pro with all updates installed, shortly after the end-of-support date. The sign-up link is available in Settings > Windows Update, as shown next: 

On a personal device running the latest Windows 10 version, you'll find this link to sign up for Extended Security Updates.
Screenshot by Ed Bott/ZDNET

Clicking "Enroll now" opens the enrollment wizard shown here. Click Next to continue.

Microsoft is offering a year's worth of free security updates to owners of Windows 10 PCs. 
Screenshot by Ed Bott/ZDNET

Because I was signed in with a Microsoft account and had previously used the Windows Backup program to save my settings to Microsoft's cloud, I was waved right through with the following message: 

If you're signed in with a Microsoft account and you've already used the Windows Backup program, you'll be able to enroll for free, immediately.
Screenshot by Ed Bott/ZDNET

If you're signed in with a local account or haven't previously run Windows Backup, you'll need to go through a few extra steps. You'll see this page in the enrollment wizard instead. 

The free options require a commitment using a Microsoft account. 
Microsoft

If you're willing to try out Microsoft's cloud-based Windows Backup utility or spend a few minutes per day with the Bing search engine over the course of a week, you can avoid that $30 charge and get the subscription for free using the enrollment wizard shown here. The easiest of the free options is to use Windows Backup to sync your settings to the cloud. If you'd rather not do that, you can redeem 1,000 Microsoft Rewards points or pay $30 (outside the US, local pricing varies).

As I've previously noted, this option is available only for "personal use," a move that's obviously designed to discourage business customers from trying to get security updates at a discount. In small businesses that aren't part of a managed Microsoft environment, enforcing this restriction would be impossible. Therefore, Microsoft has wisely decided to block personal ESU subscriptions only on commercial devices that are part of a managed enterprise network.

If you're in Europe, ESU subscriptions are free

There's one major exception to the above rules. Customers in Europe qualify automatically, no Microsoft account required. Microsoft has confirmed that customers in any of the 30 countries that are part of the European Economic Area (EEA) will qualify for free ESU subscriptions without any additional requirements. That news was announced in a letter published by the Euroconsumers Group and was also confirmed in a statement by Microsoft to Windows Central. 

What about PCs on business networks?

Enterprise customers, alas, are not eligible for these free options and will be required to pay a significantly higher price (starting at $61 per device per year, and then doubling in price each year after that) for up to three years of a commercial ESU subscription. Business ESU subscriptions are available through the Microsoft Volume Licensing Program or through Microsoft's Cloud Service Provider partners.  

What if you're not seeing the ESU offer?

Check that you meet all the requirements, as noted above. In particular, make sure you've installed the latest updates for Windows 10, version 22H2, and that you've signed in with a Microsoft account. You might need to wait for as much as a day for the option to appear.

A little determined searching will turn up instructions for making registry edits and running PowerShell commands that can force the enrollment offer to appear. In my testing, those shortcuts haven't been reliably successful and have mostly been a source of frustration. If you believe your PC is eligible for the free ESU subscription and the offer isn't available, send me an email at Win11Upgrade AT realworldwindows DOT com with as many details as possible.

What's the catch with the free options?

Using Windows Backup to "sync your settings to the cloud" sounds like a simple option, but that option might not work for you. The Windows Backup option also offers to copy data files from your personal folders to the OneDrive cloud storage service. If you have a substantial amount of data and haven't paid for a Microsoft 365 Home or Personal subscription or a standalone storage upgrade, you'll burn through the 5GB of default storage and possibly wind up with a big mess. You can avoid that issue by ensuring that you are not signed in to OneDrive before enrolling in the ESU subscription.

Redeeming 1,000 Microsoft Rewards points is a simpler option. If you've already created a personal profile using your Microsoft account in Edge, you may have already accumulated enough points to cover the cost (those points would be worth just under a dollar if redeemed for an Amazon gift card). If your Microsoft Rewards count is starting from zero, you can quickly cover the bill by downloading the Bing app for mobile and using it for two days (500 points), then doing a series of search-based quizzes, polls, and other silly tasks for a few days to accumulate 100-200 points per day on the Microsoft Rewards site.

And if none of those options work for you ... well, that will be $30, please.

The availability of extended security updates for Windows 10 on consumer PCs is a welcome security measure and a tacit acknowledgment that the population of Windows 10 PCs still in use after the end-of-support date is much larger than they had expected. Note that this is a temporary one-year reprieve, and you'll need to find a more permanent solution when October 2026 rolls around.

Source

For those who may not know, dynamic updates bring improvements to the Windows Recovery process in the form of Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) updates, which are also called Safe OS updates. The dynamic updates also affect the Setup file binaries in the form of Setup updates.

These Dynamic Update packages are meant to be applied to existing Windows images prior to their deployment. These packages include fixes to Setup.exe binaries, SafeOS updates for Windows Recovery Environment, and more. Dynamic Updates also help preserve Language Pack (LP) and Features on Demand (FODs) content during the upgrade process. VBScript, for example, is currently an FOD on Windows 11 24H2.

Both Setup and Safe OS (WinRE) updates were released this time on Windows 10 for all the supported versions (unlike on Windows 11😞

"KB5069340: Safe OS Dynamic Update for Windows 10, versions 21H2 and 22H2: November 11, 2025

This update makes improvements to the Windows recovery environment (WinRE).

KB5068795: Setup Dynamic Update for Windows 10, version 1809 and Windows Server 2019: November 11, 2025

This update makes improvements to Windows setup binaries or any files that setup uses for feature updates.

KB5068790: Safe OS Dynamic Update for Windows 10, version 1809 and Windows Server 2019: November 11, 2025

This update makes improvements to the Windows recovery environment (WinRE).

KB5068794: Setup Dynamic Update for Windows 10, version 1607 and Windows Server 2016: November 11, 2025

This update makes improvements to Windows setup binaries or any files that setup uses for feature updates.

KB5068789: Safe OS Dynamic Update for Windows 10, version 1607 and Windows Server 2016: November 11, 2025

This update makes improvements to the Windows recovery environment (WinRE)."

Microsoft notes that both Setup and Recovery updates will be downloaded and installed automatically via the Windows Update channel. You can also avail both of them on Microsoft's Update Catalog website for manual download and install: KB5069340, KB5068795, KB5068790, KB5068794, and KB5068789.

Source

Hope you enjoyed this news post. Feedback welcome.

Posted Monday 17 November 2025 at 6:31 pm AEST (my time).

News posts... 2023: 5,800+ | 2024: 5,700+ | 2025 (till end of October): 5,009

RIP Matrix