We recently learned that Microsoft is adding a "Low Latency Profile" feature that effectively boosts CPU clock speeds temporarily during app startup so that software doesn't feel sluggish. This is a part of Redmond's Windows K2 efforts which sees the company revamping various parts of Windows 11 for better reliability and performance.

Some enthusiasts have already figured out a way to enable this low latency profile, and the performance gains are quite significant in some cases. While that sounds great on paper, I believe it highlights a bigger problem with Windows 11.

The crux of the matter is that temporary CPU bursts are just a hack to mask poorly optimized software. If your OS needs to boost processor speeds just to feel usable, perhaps the problem is the software, not the compute power of the hardware running it.

This pratice simply encourages developers to keep writing bad code and incentivizing users to shell out more money to purchase the latest and greatest in CPU, just so that they can get those few extra clock cycles to make Windows 11 feel fast.

Perhaps the even bigger problem is that Microsoft's own first-party software is guilty of being poorly optimized. The examples that we have seen here show performance gains in the Start menu, File Explorer, and Outlook. Why should third-party developers be incentivized to write optimized software when the company building an entire OS can't be bothered to do so either?

It's worth highlighting that this is not a mindset change that has happened overnight at Redmond. Some of you may remember that last year, Microsoft began testing an implementation that would pre-load File Explorer into memory so that it launches faster when a user opens it. Rather than actually figuring out what went wrong with File Explorer performance between Windows 10 and Windows 11, Microsoft simply decided to once again use a hardware hack to mask the problem.

To be fair to Microsoft, the rollout of a Low Latency Profile does emphasize a few good aspects too. It indicates that the firm is aware of the performance issues in Windows 11 and is acknowledging them, scheduler-level enhancements like these are still technically impressive, and reducing the perceived latency is still a good move from an end-user perspective. Early testing also indicates that there is no notable degradation in battery life either, which is why Microsoft thinks that this is worth the effort.

However, it also creates an environment where developers don't care about memory leaks and unoptimized software because they know that Microsoft will just throw compute at the problem to brute-force better performance. It also means that older PCs will begin to feel obsolete sooner because they don't pack that extra compute power that can compensate for bad software. As a result, customers will tend to gravitate towards the latest internals, which will lighten their wallet considerably.

Overall, there's nothing wrong with the engineering of the Low Latency Profile solution itself, it's just that it deprioritizes performant and efficient code, which may lead to bigger problems when even extra CPU cycles are not even enough to compensate for poorly optimized code. The best-performing software isn't the one that temporarily maxes out your CPU, it's the one that never needed to. With its latest approach, Microsoft is simply treating the symptoms, not the disease.

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Posted Sunday 10 May 2026 at 7:28 am AEST (my time).

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Earlier this year, Microsoft revealed its plan on how it is going to make an active effort to improve the performance of Windows 11 and its various elements. Some of these have already started landing too; in fact the company is even making progress elsewhere like in the case of PowerToys that could also indirectly help Windows perform better.

If you are wondering what's going on, it was recently revealed that the Redmond giant has been working on a plan internally known as "K2" with the aim of bettering everything on Windows 11. And this isn't just limited to performance and usability improvements either.

However, software optimization can only go so far and to help the OS get faster, it has to rely on hardware-based improvements. We did cover such a case with AMD's upcoming CPPC feature called "highest frequency" (read about it in this dedicated article here).

Microsoft, too, is introducing something to Windows 11 called "low latency profile" and it this will work irrespective of the processor, be it AMD64 CPUs like Intel or AMD or ARM64 ones like from Qualcomm. Essentially what this new tech will do is apply a maximum available clock frequency boost for a very small span of time, like for one to three seconds, when a user launches any app. The idea is that the app launch time will reduce while the quick clock burst should not impact the overall efficiency of the system by much.

Fellow outlet Windows Central tested this to see how well it performs, and there is good news to share; there's definitely a noticeable reduction in launch times, and it is quite visible indeed.

Above there is a side-by-side comparison of the feature with it disabled (left) versus enabled (right). As you can see while the launch of the Start button's right-click context menu did not outright happen faster on the right side, it did seem like the Start menu launch with low latency mode OFF was a bit stutter-y.

The next examples are obviously faster with Low Latency Mode enabled as both File Explorer and Outlook launch. The rendering of the applications on both occasions is noticeably quicker with the new feature enabled, like there is far fewer micro-hiccups on the right side.

Other than these, Microsoft Store and Settings also showed similar behavior wherein Low Latency Profile side was perceptibly better. Bear in mind though that this boosts the processor to its maximum available frequency, which means any chip that can boost quicker and higher, even on a single thread, will likely have an advantage over something that can't run so fast. Currently the feature is hidden but you can try it for yourself by enabling it using ViVeTool.

Source and images: Windows Central (X)

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Posted Sunday 10 May 2026 at 7:26 am AEST (my time).

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Microsoft, today, has released the newest builds to the Windows 11 Experimental channel Insider programs for users flighting those channels. The first Experimental release is available as build 28020.2075 for version 26H1 and the other one is under build 29585.1000 for future versions. With the latter the company has confirmed that new hardware IDs are available for the upcoming printer driver support changes.The full changelog is given below:

First we have the build 28020.2075:

[Input]

• Improved the reliability of typing when using the ADLaM keyboard.

• Improved performance of opening clipboard history.

[Fonts]

• We’ve made some font improvements, including updating the Leelawadee UI font family for the Thai, Lao, Khmer, and Lontara scripts to help improve glyph sequencing, positioning, and rendering for these scripts.

Up next we have the build 29585.1000:

[Print Drivers]

• The Internet Protocol Print driver (prnms012) has new hardware IDs (HWIDs) in preparation for upcoming changes in printer driver ranking order. See our third-party driver deprecation timeline: End of Servicing Plan for Third-Party Printer Drivers on Windows - Windows drivers | Microsoft Learn.

[Touch Keyboard Experience for Voice Typing]

• We’re updating the experience when you use voice typing with the touch keyboard to make it feel more streamlined and intuitive. The new design removes the previous full‑screen overlay and instead shows voice typing animations directly on the dictation key, helping you stay focused on what you’re doing without extra visual distractions. 

Before the update:

After the update:

[Administrator Protection]

• Improved reliability of Japanese IME usage when Administrator Protection is enabled.

[Other]

• Fixed an underlying issue impacting persistence of sign in state for certain apps after the latest Canary flights.

You can find the official support articles here (Experimental 26H1, Experimental Future) on Microsoft's website.

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Posted Saturday 9 May 2026 at 7:22 am AEST (my time).

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Microsoft, today, has released the newest builds to the Windows 11 Beta channel and Experimental channel Insider programs for users flighting those channels. The Experimental build is available as build 26300.8376; the Beta build under build 26220.8370. The new builds bring a new upgade option for K–12 education environments, some big improvements to Trackpad settings and the File Explorer, and more. The full changelog is given below:

[Touchpad]

We’re adding new gesturing-related functionality to precision touchpads in Settings. The new features should be widely available across applications, with the exception that WinUI3-based UI requires new WinAppSDK versions for complete functionality - we're in the process of bringing the necessary changes to versions 1.8 and 2.0.

• Scroll / zoom speed: control the baseline speed for these gestures
• Automatic scrolling: scrolling continues indefinitely without lifting your fingers. Activate by either bringing your fingers near the edge of the touchpad while scrolling, or holding them still and pressing harder (requires hardware support).
• Accelerated scrolling: repeatedly scrolling increases their speed, allowing quick traversal of long documents.
• Single-finger scrolling: perform a vertical scroll with a single finger starting from the left or right side of the touchpad.

Touchpad improvements bring new gesture capabilities including automatic scrolling, gesture speed controls, accelerated scrolling, and optional single-finger scrolling support.

[File Explorer]

We’ve made several updates to improve reliability, readability, and overall usability in File Explorer:

• Address Bar improvements
  • The address bar now supports paths containing double backslashes and quotation marks (for example, C:\Users\user or "C:\Users\user"), improving compatibility with a wider range of inputs.
  • Improved reliability of the Address Bar suggestion dropdown so it now consistently closes after an item is selected.
• More readable file size formatting
  • File sizes in the Details view now display using appropriate units (KB, MB, GB) instead of KB-only, making them easier to understand at a glance.
• Refinements to the rename experience
  • Fixed an issue where text would be repeatedly selected while renaming items in folder views.
  • Fixed an issue where updated names (case-only changes) were not immediately reflected in folder views across local and cloud storage.
• Improved keyboard navigation of File Explorer context menu in flyouts.

[EDU]

Free upgrade path to Windows 11 Pro Education for K-12

Windows Insiders in K–12 education environments can now experience a seamless upgrade path from Windows 11 Home to Windows 11 Pro Education edition—at no additional cost. This enables educational organizations to procure Windows 11 Home devices, upgrade them to Windows 11 Pro Education, and bring devices under school management.

Instructions:

• Sign in to the device using a local account

• Launch an elevated Command Prompt and initiate the upgrade by running Clipupgrade.exe

• Sign in with your K–12 organization account to validate eligibility

• The device prepares the upgrade and completes after a restart

   

Please note: This upgrade is one-way only. Reverting to Windows Home is not supported without a clean OS reinstall.

[Administrator Protection]

• Improved reliability of Japanese IME usage when Administrator Protection is enabled.

[Other]

• Fixed a WPN hang in the previous flight, which was leading to notification issues and certain apps hanging on launch.

• Improved reliability of loading desktop app icon shortcuts.

   

You can find the official support articles here (Beta, Experimental) on Microsoft's website.

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Posted Saturday 9 May 2026 at 7:21 am AEST (my time).

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It's not been a great week to talk about positive browser news. Recently we covered a rather concerning report on how Edge could very easily expose your saved passwords, and more shockingly, Microsoft seemingly says that it's by design.

And that's not the only browser-related woe we wrote about as later Google Chrome was found downloading large 4GB AI models quietly in the background without the user being aware. While Microsoft does not do so currently, it also has the same setting (there is an official Registry mod available on Windows 11 to defy that).

However with us entering the weekend, it seems there's finally some positive news. Microsoft has confirmed that it is preparing a new Edge feature aimed at simplifying website troubleshooting by helping users resolve compatibility issues directly from the browser interface.

According to a new feature update on its Microsoft 365 (M365) roadmap with the title “Improved website compatibility with site troubleshooting controls,” the upcoming enhancement will provide users with contextual prompts when a website may not be functioning properly or as intended. Rather than requiring users to manually search through browser settings, Edge will show relevant troubleshooting options automatically within the browsing experience.

Essentially it will guide users toward settings that may be affecting website performance or functionality. This will include suggestions related to tracking prevention controls, such as when Edge’s Strict tracking prevention mode could be interfering with site behavior. Users may also be directed to review site-specific permissions and configurations that could lead to compatibility issues.

Microsoft explains: "Microsoft Edge is introducing improvements to help users quickly resolve website issues directly from the browser. When a site is not functioning as expected, users may be guided to relevant troubleshooting options such as adjusting tracking prevention settings like Strict mode, and reviewing site-specific configurations. This experience surfaces relevant actions in-context to help users restore site functionality without navigating deep into settings."

The new addition certainly sounds rather fascinating and it can indeed be very useful for folks who are not tech-savvy, this isn't for the crowd who, let's say, read Neowin daily, but the millions of people who browse the web but probably have no idea of knowing how to fix things as they are unlikely to be familiar with advanced browser settings.

Microsoft says that it is expecting the rollout to start next month (June 2026), though bear in mind that things on the M365 roadmap do often get delayed. You can find the entry here under ID 561486 on Microsoft's official website.

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Posted Saturday 9 May 2026 at 7:20 am AEST (my time).

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Autoruns is typically used to monitor startup items, and its latest v14.2 update adds support for Windows packaged apps. ProcDump, which can be leveraged to generate memory dumps of running processes has netted process tree support through the -pt argument in v12.0.

Meanwhile, ZoomIt, also present in Microsoft PowerToys, has received support for webcam overlay for video captures, and also allows appending clips in the video trim editor with v12.0.

Other updates to Sysinternal components are listed below:

• DebugView v5.01: This update to DebugView, a tool for displaying both kernel-mode and Win32 debug output, reinstates Windows 10 support, enables highlighting on PID, and fixes a series of bugs.
• NotMyFault v4.5: This update to NotMyFault, a tool that can crash, hang, and cause kernel memory leaks on the Windows system, adds a new type of crash for Level-0 Hyper-V virtualized machines, and adds a SecureKernel crash.
• Process Explorer v17.12: This update to Process Explorer, an advanced process, DLL, and handle viewing utility, adds a "parent PID" column to the main view and fixes a crash on exit.
• Process Monitor v4.02: This update to Process Monitor, a utility for observing real-time file system, Registry, and process or thread activity, adds Ctrl + PgUp/PgDn for longer scrolling (10 page) in the main list view, shows milliseconds for the times in the Process Tree dialog, and fixes a series of API mismatches.

Finally, it's also worth highlighting that Sysinternals EBPF, Sysmon for Linux, Procmon for Linux, ProcDump for Linux, jcd (on Linux), now offer official support for RHEL10, Debian 13, and Fedora 43. You can grab the download link for these tools through our dedicated Software stories section here.

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On Windows 11, the security update KB5083769 introduces a new behavior using the psmounterex.sys driver that causes third-party backup solutions to fail, and Microsoft recommends updating your backup software since this isn't a bug with the operating system.

On April 14, 2026, the software giant made available the "2026-04 Security Update (KB5083769) (Build 26200.8246)" for Windows 11 with , improvements, and security fixes. However, Microsoft also introduced a change that adds known "vulnerable kernel drivers" to the driver blocklist to improve system security.

The side effect of this change is that it may affect backup solutions that depend on these drivers. As a result, backups may fail when attempting to mount or manage storage images with different error messages, including "The backup has failed because Microsoft VSS has timed out during the snapshot creation" or "VSS_E_BAD_STATE."

Microsoft's recommendation to resolve the issue

Since this problem is not a bug in the April update, Microsoft recommends simply updating to the latest version of the backup solution that uses the newer drivers.

The problem is not limited to a specific backup solution. You may encounter it with Macrium Reflect, Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud, UrBackup Server, and NinjaOne Backup on Windows 11, 10, and Windows Server.

How to check if a driver is blocked

If you want to confirm whether a specific driver is being blocked, Bleeping Computer notes that you'll have to use the Event Viewer.

First, open the Event Viewer, and navigate to Applications and Services Logs > Microsoft > Windows > CodeIntegrity > Operational, and then event's view, find the "Event ID 3077" with "Policy ID {D2BDA982-CCF6-4344-AC5B-0B44427B6816}."

Microsoft recently promised to improve performance in Windows 11, and it appears that one of the ways the company plans to do so is by straining your CPU a bit harder in certain scenarios. According to a new report, Microsoft is working on a feature called the "Low Latency Profile," and its purpose is to increase processor clocks for a short period of time when opening apps, rendering UI elements, context menus, and more.

The report adds that the Low Latency Profile is already in the latest Windows 11 preview builds, and @phantomofeart, a reliable source of Windows 11 insights, confirmed the finding and even shared the feature IDs for enabling it. While Microsoft has not revealed details about the new mode, Windows Central, citing its sources, claims that the new mode makes inbox apps open 40% faster. UI elements like the Start menu and context menus render about 70% faster, which is a significant performance increase.

Of course, energy efficiency and battery life are the first things that come to mind when we talk about increasing CPU speed for performance's sake. Again, details remain scarce, but sources claim that short clock spikes (one to three seconds) do not cause significant battery life degradation. Windows 11 should trigger the feature automatically when necessary to reduce energy consumption and CPU temperature.

Windows 11's upcoming Low Latency Profile is reportedly part of Windows K2, an internal Microsoft project that aims to improve the performance and responsiveness of the operating system, something Windows 11 is lacking compared to Windows 10 (context menus are probably the biggest offender here).

If you have a PC with the latest Windows 11 preview build, you can try enabling Low Latency Profile using the ViVeTool. Download it from GitHub here, then run the vivetool /enable /id:60716524,61391826 command as Administrator. Keep in mind that since the feature has not been announced yet, it may not work as intended. Of course, this never stops a true Windows enthusiast from poking around.

Source: Windows Central | @phantomofearth on X

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Posted Friday 8 May 2026 at 7:14 am AEST (my time).

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Mozilla has released yet another bug-fixing update for Firefox 150. Shortly after version 150.0.1, which fixed bugs and security issues, Mozilla pushed version 150.0.2 with the same purpose. The changelog contains quite a large list of fixes for various bugs, including non-working webcams during video calls, tab crashes, Split View bugs, non-working highlight tools in the PDF editor, and more.

• Fixed an issue where websites on internal or corporate networks that require a login prompt would show a blank page.
• Fixed an issue that prevented highlighting from working on scanned images in the built-in PDF viewer.
• Fixed an issue where the "New" badge persisted on Split View menu items.
• Fixed an issue that prevented some webcams from working correctly in video calls.
• Fixed an issue where a tab would crash when dragging and dropping nested folders onto a webpage.
• Improved how Firefox displays websites with advanced 3D effects, fixing cases where parts of the page could disappear or appear incorrectly.
• Fixed an issue that could prevent Firefox’s local backup feature from completing successfully.
• Fixed an issue where the status and navigation bars would flicker or show mismatched colors when editing a page’s address.
• Improved the appearance of search suggestions in the address bar by preventing icons from appearing stretched or distorted.

In addition to quality-of-life fixes, Firefox 150.0.2 fixes three high-severity security vulnerabilities, which you can check out on the official website here.

You can download Firefox 150.0.2 by heading to Menu > Help > About Firefox (Firefox can also update itself in the background and between restarts). The browser is available on the official website and in the Microsoft Store (Windows 10 and 11). For reference, release notes for Firefox 150.0.1 are available here, and for 150.0 here.

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We recently reported that Microsoft is facing a lot of criticism for removing the contact masking feature from Outlook. This is something that the Redmond tech firm announced in February, but it seems like customers are only starting to understand the negative impact of this change now. While Microsoft hasn't made any commitments to restore contact masking, it is now working on a new functionality for Exchange Online, and by extension, for Outlook.

In an update to its Microsoft 365 Roadmap (ID 561330) and the Microsoft 365 Admin Center, the company has indicated that it is working on cross-tenant message recall in Exchange Online. As some of you may be aware, Exchange Online and services which utilize that infrastructure have a message recall capability that allows users to recall sent emails.

This is a particularly important feature because it allows users to recall emails that were either accidentally sent to the wrong recipient or sent at all. Over the past few years, Microsoft has been consistently improving message recall capabilities and even brought it to the Outlook mobile apps. However, one major limitation present in this feature was the fact that it only worked within your own organization.

Now, it appears that Microsoft is finally working around this problem by enabling the ability to recall messages even across tenants. This will benefit many users, particularly those who are communicating with partners, clients, or contractors not within their own tenant account. That said, Microsoft has highlighted that in order for this functionality to work as expected, IT admins of the other organizations will need to add you to their "recall allow list".

General availability for this feature is planned for August 2026. However, do keep in mind that dates listed on the Microsoft 365 Roadmap are not set in stone, and can get deferred. Based on user feedback or breaking bugs, Microsoft may even decide to not release certain features at all.

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Posted Thursday 7 May 2026 at 12:59 pm AEST (my time).

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System Restore has been a staple Windows feature since Windows ME, returning in all following versions as a recovery tool for when things go particularly bad and can't be fixed.

It allows a user to "roll back" their PC to a point in time when it was working properly, say before a particular app, driver, or Windows update was installed.

Although System Restore has proven itself to be incredibly useful time and again over the course of its history in Windows, it does have some blind spots. That's where Point-in-Time Restore comes into play.

Originally revealed in 2025, it's shown up again in the Windows 11 Insider Experimental preview from April 24, 2026. It's designed to be a much more comprehensive restore tool for Windows that Microsoft says can help "minimize downtime and simplify troubleshooting when disruptions strike."

I'm all for data protection and tools that make troubleshooting Windows easier, which is exactly why Point-in-time restore caught my eye. Let's take a look at how it differs from the classic System Restore tool and why it's shaping up to be an invaluable tool for all users.

How does the classic System Restore function work?

Microsoft has officially unveiled its new Run dialog box for Windows 11, which the company says has been rebuilt from the ground up using Windows 11's modern UI framework known as WinUI 3. It's the first time the Run box has been significantly updated in decades, with the previous version essentially debuting with Windows 95.

The new box features a clean new UI that's more consistent with the rest of Windows 11's design language, but that's not the only improvement. It's also faster, which is no small feat for WinUI interfaces, meaning it now appears quicker than before, every time you initiate the Run box.

Microsoft says it has a median-to-show time of 94 milliseconds, which is an improvement over the 104 milliseconds of the old run box. This isn't something you're going to notice day to day, but it does mean you can initiate the Run box and begin typing pretty much instantly and still have the box recognize the first keystrokes.

A few people online have complained that this isn't fast enough, but that's poppycock. The new interface is plenty fast, with a prettier interface and more features to boot. It's an improvement through and through, and is an example of what can be possible on Windows 11 when Microsoft actually cares about the platform.

When we hear of Microsoft, we almost immediately associate it with the Windows OS or its Office suite of products. However, long before Windows became the desktop OS of choice, Microsoft had been working with IBM when the two gave birth to OS/2 back in 1987, one of the most anticipated products of its time.

A recent post by Microsoft’s veteran engineer Raymond Chen has shed light on a lesser-known tale from the early collaboration days between Microsoft and IBM during the development of OS/2.

In the blog post, Chen recalled a dispute over what was seemingly a minor design choice: which key should move the cursor between fields in dialog boxes. While Microsoft developers favored the TAB key, something that's still in practice today, IBM teams objected and escalated the issue through multiple levels of management.

The TAB key, as you probably know, serves several functions across computing, like moving the cursor to the next tab stop in text editors, helping align text, creating indentation, and organizing content into columns. It is also widely used for navigation like jumping between form fields, buttons, or links in web browsers without a mouse. Additionally, it can also assist in switching interface elements, auto-completing commands in terminals, and more.

According to the account, a Microsoft engineer working onsite at IBM’s Boca Raton office initially defended the decision, noting that he had been entrusted to make such calls independently. However, IBM’s tiered management structure led the matter to be raised several levels up, and it ended up reaching a vice president (VP) who opposed the TAB key choice.

The situation was resolved in a rather unconventional manner. When IBM requested confirmation from an equivalent level of leadership at Microsoft, the response humorously indicated that such a minor issue would not warrant any executive attention as they stated: "Bill Gates’s mother is not interested in the TAB key.” This hilariously yet effectively ended the dispute, and the TAB key remained the standard for navigation.

Essentially, it seems Chen has used the story to convey the broader organizational contrasts between the two giants in those days, with Microsoft seemingly being more decentralized and IBM being more hierarchical. It reflects how even small technical decisions can reveal deeper structural and cultural differences between entities like companies.

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Posted Thursday 7 May 2026 at 7:07 am AEST (my time).

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It is new driver time for AMD Radeon graphics users, as the Adrenalin Edition 26.5.1 release has just landed for installation. It's been a pretty long wait, as the last release landed back in March. If you were expecting major features after all that though, prepare to be disappointed, as only support for games and a few bug fixes are included here.

For game support, PRAGMATA, Honor of Kings: World, INDUSTRIA 2, Tides of Tomorrow, and MONGIL: STAR DIVE are now officially here for AMD graphics users. The company did not give any details about how the titles are being improved by using this driver.

Outside of that, the two included bug fixes are aimed at Resident Evil Requiem and God of War:

• Intermittent stuttering may be observed while playing Resident Evil Requiem “Raccoon City” map on Radeon™ RX 9000 series graphics products.
• Corruption may appear while playing God of War on Radeon™ RX 9000 series graphics products.

Next, the list of known issues that AMD engineers are still working on resolving can be seen below, which is still carrying problems that have been listed for months now:

• Intermittent application crash or driver timeout may be observed while playing Battlefield 6 on AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370. AMD is actively working on a resolution with the developer to be released as soon as possible.
• Texture flickering or corruption may appear while playing Battlefield 6 with AMD Record and Stream on some AMD graphics products.
• AMD FSR Upscaling and AMD FSR Frame Generation may show as inactive in AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition while playing Battlefield 6 when enabled on Radeon™ RX 9000 series graphics products.
• Intermittent application crash or driver timeout may be observed while playing RoadCraft on Radeon RX 9000 series products.
• Corruption may appear while playing Satisfactory on Radeon™ RX 9000 series graphics products.

The newly released AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition 26.5.1 driver is now available for download from the AMD Software app. Find the official changelog here.

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Posted Thursday 7 May 2026 at 7:05 am AEST (my time).

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Google Chrome has started automatically downloading and installing an on-device AI model file called weights.bin to power Gemini Nano. The 4GB model is being installed on users’ devices without consent, notice, or an opt-out toggle and deleting the file causes Chrome to re-download the model without telling you.

According to Alexander Hanff from The Privacy Guy, this behavior mirrors a pattern previously seen with Anthropic’s Claude Desktop.

The weights.bin file is stored in the OptGuideOnDeviceModel directory in your Chrome user profile. It weighs a hefty 4GB and is installed on devices that meet certain system requirements, without getting consent from the user or offering an option to disable it in the settings. To stop it being redownloaded once deleted, you must disable it via chrome://flags or via enterprise policy tools. Right now it seems as though Windows and macOS are affected by this covert downloading.

In Hanff’s testing it took Chrome just 14 minutes to create the OptGuideOnDeviceModel directory and download the model, all while giving users no indication that it was downloading this large file. He said that this activity by Google had many dark patterns involved, similar to what was seen in the Claude desktop app, which he wrote about before. The dark patterns listed involve:

1. Forced bundling across trust boundaries
2. Invisible default with no opt-in
3. Harder to remove than install
4. Pre-staging capability user did not request
5. Generic/obfuscated naming: OptGuideOnDeviceModel vs GeminiNanoLLM
6. Registration without user configuration
7. Documentation gap for normal users
8. Automatic re-install after deletion
9. Retroactive survival of future consent
10. Shipped via stable release channel

Chrome’s most recent release, version 147, now includes an AI Mode pill in the omnibox, however, this routes queries to cloud-based AI servers. The local model is not used by that AI, instead it powers features like “Help me write”.

Hanff says that the silent installation of the model could potentially be illegal in several jurisdictions. Some laws that he claims it violates include the ePrivacy Directive Article 5(3) which prohibits storing information on user terminal equipment without prior consent and GDPR Article 5(1) and GDPR Article 25 which promote transparency and data protection by design and by default.

He also notes that the deployment of this model to devices has a significant climate impact, generating 640,000 tonnes CO2e. For users with data caps or relying on mobile data, the download could use up all the data and leave them scratching their heads about what’s going on.

To address these issues, Hanff recommends that Google gets user consent before starting the download, gives users an easy way to delete the model, and not to reinstall the model automatically after deletion.

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Late last year, we learned that Microsoft planned to kill the Sidebar feature in its Edge browser. "We're simplifying Edge," the company explained. "New apps can no longer be added, and the quick access list will be removed gradually in future updates."

Interestingly, the company indicated that Copilot won't be affected by the change, further highlighting that the Sidebar's retirement will help it focus on improving its user experience.

The change seems unpopular among most users, and now, a petition has been launched to potentially get Microsoft's attention and even get it to pull the plug on its plan to retire Edge's Sidebar completely. At the time of writing, the petition had 74 verified signatures.

For context, the Sidebar in Edge is a tool designed to help users access tools and view websites and web apps within a small dedicated window, and can be used without leaving a webpage. When you launch Microsoft Edge on your PC, you'll notice the Sidebar on the edge of your browser window.

Copilot is also conveniently positioned in the same location. It's easy to subscribe to the notion across social media, suggesting the Sidebar's retirement is just another big push by Microsoft to get more users to use Copilot.

As highlighted in the "Keep the sidebar and collections in the Microsoft Edge browser" petition, the main issue is summarized as a message: "Microsoft Edge team, it makes no sense to remove a feature that users love—it’s very useful and works perfectly. Plus, this is one of the few features that sets Edge apart from other browsers. Please keep the current sidebar and collections, don’t remove it."

A quick look at Microsoft's feedback portal, highlighting the retirement of Edge's Sidebar, reveals that a vast majority of users are against the change. A user indicated that if the company moves forward with its plans to kill the feature, it should at the very least consider making it optional.

"God forbid the sidebar is removed," another user lamented. "I am literally only on MS Edge for that very reason."

That said, Microsoft has been making elaborate measures to rehabilitate and improve the current state of Windows 11 and address major pain points across the OS. Part of these efforts includes the return of Windows Insider meetups to bridge the gap between the developers and users, returning fan-favorite features like the movable and resizable Taskbar and more.

Back in February, Microsoft announced that it is getting rid of contact masking in Outlook, giving IT admins and end-users no control over the capability. Contact masking was eventually retired on March 31, and Outlook customers are now criticisizing this decision quite heavily.

For those unaware, contact masking allowed you to remove suggested contacts in the To/Cc/Bcc line when you pressed the "X", even for future suggestions. Many users found it very helpful, but the Redmond tech giant decided to kill the feature because it touched other Microsoft 365 services like Teams and Microsoft 365 Search too, apparently confusing customers.

However, several forum threads have recently sprouted, lamenting the death of the feature while also requesting Microsoft to restore it. A thread currently trending on the Feedback portal has people clamoring:

• Previously users could press "X" next to a suggested recipient when typing a name or email address in the TO: field to delete that suggestion from the auto-complete cache. Starting in Classic Outlook version 2603 that feature is removed. Now the only option is to clear the entire list (in File > Options > Mail > (Send Messages Section) > Empty Auto-Complete List) which is unreasonable to remove one bad entry. Please return this functionality to delete a single entry from the recipients Auto-Complete list!
• I fully agree - please restore the ability to delete individual auto-complete suggestions. Since the X was removed, our IT department has been receiving daily complaints from users who can no longer clean up outdated, incorrect, or stale suggestions. Clearing the entire Auto-Complete list is not a realistic workaround, as it forces users to lose all their valid contacts as well. This change has created significant productivity issues across our organization, and as IT administrators we have no way to resolve it for our users. Restoring per-entry deletion would immediately fix the problem.
• Yes! Please let me delete the bad suggestions!
• Obviously, someone in the MS coding section saw a Squirrel! mid-code and when they got back from the distraction, they skipped a line. There is no other reasonable explanation to have gotten rid of such a small but HUGELY impactful "X" ... the number of "undeliverables" and misdirected emails that will be going out from now on boggles my mind. Bring back the X!!
• Can we request the leadership team at microsoft to be fired who thought this was ok to do?Shittification at its finest.
• This is a huge pain in the neck, I can't believe MS did it deliberately: an unwanted side effect of something else they've done. Here's hoping they fix it VERY SOON. It's only too easy to click on these rogue addresses and email people you didn't mean to or don't even know and is surely a security issue.

We can see similar sentiments being highlighted on various Microsoft Learn forums and Reddit as well. Although this backlash is fairly significant since it concerns enterprise customers and also includes documented feedback from IT admins, it's unclear if Microsoft will attempt to appease those concerned. Outlook doesn't really have a stellar reputation right now due to multiple bugs too, so perhaps the best approach would have been to give end-users a toggle for the capability rather than removing it altogether. It will be interesting to see if the firm considers an approach like that as negative feedback mounts.

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Posted Wednesday 6 May 2026 at 7:48 am AEST (my time).

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The open-source Windows package and software management tool called UniGetUI has released its newest version earlier today. The latest release builds on earlier 2026 updates, focusing on improving stability, refining the user interface, and more.

For anyone not familiar, UniGetUI brings a graphical user interface (GUI) to multiple command-line package managers all in one place and allows users to install, update, and remove software from sources such as WinGet, Chocolatey, Scoop, Pip, and NPM without needing to use terminal commands.

There are two major changes in this release; first, the bundled WinGet CLI has been removed in favor of Pinget, which is the app's portable Winget alternative. Second, the app has received a UI revamp based on Avalonia.

Avalonia is often compared to Microsoft’s WinUI, the latter of which is designed specifically for modern Windows apps. While WinUI is the native design language for Windows apps, it is limited to that platform. Avalonia, by contrast, offers a similar XAML-based development model but extends compatibility across multiple operating systems.

Here is the classic UI:

And here is the new UI:

The full changelog is given below:

• Remove bundled WinGet CLI
• Integrate Pinget (portable WinGet) as fallback
  • Automatic fallback to Pinget—our portable WinGet alternative—when the official WinGet is missing or unavailable.
• Modern Avalonia UI for Windows
  • A fully featured modern Avalonia-based UI for Windows is now available!
    Users can toggle between classic and modern UIs.

Other Important Changes:

• Flatpak integration
  • Added Flatpak as a supported package manager.
• UI/UX Improvements and Parity
  • Avalonia/WinUI feature parity, maximization, and navigation improvements.
  • Classic mode launcher added.
  • Main window resizable on Linux.
• Accessibility
  • Many accessibility fixes for screen reader users and improved focus management.
• Translations
  • Synchronized and fixed various translation errors.
• Branding and Documentation
  • Updated Devolutions branding.

Fixes:

• Fix RPM install failure on Fedora 38+
  • Solved dependency problems with liblttng-ust.so.0.
• Fix Chocolatey installer validation
• Fix navigation bar accessibility for screen readers

You can download the app's new version, 2026.1.8, from Neowin software stories or this page on its official GitHub repo.

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Posted Wednesday 6 May 2026 at 7:44 am AEST (my time).

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A recent update from CachyOS suggets that a new performance-focused feature from Python’s development pipeline is arriving. According to a post shared on X by the official CachyOS account, the distribution has enabled a “tail-call interpreter” in its Python builds, supported by newer compiler versions such as GCC 16.

This development introduces a redesigned interpreter loop that uses tail calls instead of the traditional dispatch mechanisms. The approach tweaks how Python executes bytecode instructions, as the aim is to reduce overhead in instruction dispatch and improve runtime efficiency.

The change stems from ongoing work in CPython and benchmarks based on it show measurable gains. The average performance improvements indicate roughly 1–5% across standard benchmarking suites, with significantly higher gains in specific workloads that can be sensitive to interpreter overhead.

Here's the full breakdown:

• 8.5% geomean faster AArch64 with Ubuntu 22.04 ARM Neoverse N1. Up to 24% faster on Python workloads.

• 9.3% geomean faster x86_64 Ubuntu 22.04 with i9-12900. Up to 24% faster on Python workloads.

• 11.7% geomean faster on AArch64 with macOS M1. Up to 49% faster on Python workloads.

   

For anyone not familiar, CachyOS is an Arch-based Linux distro that quite heavily focuses on speed and performance. It is said to use specially optimized software packages and a custom kernel designed to take better advantage of modern CPUs, which can make everyday tasks feel faster and smoother. It is also meant to be user-friendly as unlike traditional Arch Linux setups, CachyOS includes tools that automatically detect hardware and install the right drivers.

Last year, CachyOS got a similar performance upgrade for gaming on Nvidia GPUs, and more recently, last month, it received optimizations based on the Linux kernel version 7.0.

In gaming, especially on AMD GPUs, CachyOS has been found to be as good or even better than Windows 11 on certain occasions, so these continuous performance improvements are likely helping it bridge the gap even further across a variety of workloads.

Meanwhile, Microsoft is also working to better Windows 11 and its many components as we covered recently in one of our PowerToys articles.

Source: CachyOS (X) | Image via NJ Tech (YouTube)

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Posted Wednesday 6 May 2026 at 7:43 am AEST (my time).

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Windows 11 is being revamped, and Microsoft is here to show that it's keeping its promise. Windows K2 is an ongoing effort by the company to improve Windows 11, rebuild user trust, and shake off the negative sentiment surrounding the operating system.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said the tech giant is "doing the work required to win back fans across Windows and Xbox." A Windows blog post by Marcus Ash details some of that work.

"Two themes have stood out in my conversations with you. First, you want more transparency. You want to see what we’re doing, understand our decisions, and see progress through shipping. Second, a shared sense of pride. We want to be proud of what we build, and as Insiders, you’re proud to be the first to guide us with your feedback. When we get it right, we celebrate together. When we don’t, you push us to improve."

Since committing to improve Windows 11, Microsoft has restructured the Windows Insider Program, promised fan-favorite features, and started testing some long-awaited improvements. Ash's blog post highlights the following features and changes that have started rolling out to Windows Insiders:

• Clearer controls for Windows Insider features
• Smoother Windows Updates with less disruption
• A simplified UI for inbox apps
• Faster and more reliable File Explorer performance
• More control over widgets
• Improved overall system performance

Since these are all rolling out to Windows Insiders, we've already touched on them. But Ash's post serves as a quick recap that illustrates real change happening at Microsoft headquarters in Redmond, Washington.

One of the first major changes was rebooting the Windows Insider Program. With clearer channels that make sense, transparent options for enabling or disabling features, and a simplified experience for moving between channels, Insiders are more likely to test features and send feedback.

It's smart of Microsoft to revamp the Windows Insider Program first, since ignoring feedback is a large reason user trust in Microsoft eroded.

Looking ahead

Microsoft is moving away from legacy printer drivers in favor of Windows Protected Print Mode, or WPP. This mode uses the Windows modern print stack, which offers multiple benefits, including better security, a more consistent printing experience across architectures, and no need to manage print drivers. WPP works with Mopria-certified printers, and Microsoft now wants all IT admins to use WPP instead of legacy drivers. To make it easier for everyone to understand their printer architecture, Microsoft is adding a new compatibility indicator to Windows 11.

The latest non-security update for Windows 11 introduced a new icon in the Printers & Scanners section in the Settings app. Now, if your computer is connected to a compatible printer, Windows Settings will show an icon with a shield and a green check mark, indicating that the printer supports Windows Protected Print mode and IPP capabilities.

Microsoft is phasing out third-party printer drivers from Windows Update. The company no longer accepts new drivers for distribution via Windows Update, although it is still possible to update existing drivers on a case-by-case basis, such as when a printer cannot be Mopria-certified or when it targets Windows 10 or older.

This created confusion among customers, leading many to believe that old printers would soon stop working on Windows 11. Microsoft had to step in and clarify the misunderstanding. The company reassured that all Windows 11-compatible printers would continue operating without issues, requiring no action from the end user.

Switching to Windows Protected Print Mode could be a major change for IT Admins, so Microsoft has documentation describing all the details about moving to a modern printing stack, including info on printing to OneNote, XPS, legacy drivers, and more.

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Posted Tuesday 5 May 2026 at 7:21 am AEST (my time).

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WhatsApp has started shutting down the avatar feature on Android and iOS, according to a message posted on its Help Center. This means you will soon no longer be able to create a new avatar, edit an existing one, or use it as your profile picture, though the company notes that any custom sticker packs you already have will "still be available to use."

The Avatar feature was rolled out globally on December 7, 2022, as a way for users to create a personalized, digital representation of themselves, similar to the avatars already used on Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger. The way it worked was you would navigate to your settings, open the Avatar section, and begin the creation process.

The editor lets you customize everything from your skin tone and face shape to your hairstyle and outfit. You could even use a "mirror" tool that activates your front-facing camera for a side-by-side comparison. It also lets you add accessories like eyewear, headwear, bindi, or ear piercings, and apply makeup.

Once you were satisfied with the digital version of yourself you just created, WhatsApp automatically generated a pack of 36 personalized stickers. This pack showed your avatar expressing a wide variety of actions and emotions (such as laughing, crying, waving, sending a heart, or celebrating). You could find and send these stickers directly from the emoji panel inside any chat.

While the company did not provide an actual reason for why it is killing the feature, low engagement from users is not exactly a bad guess. When was the last time you heard someone talk about WhatsApp Avatars? This decision lets the development team focus its resources on features people actually use.

In other WhatsApp news, the company is working on its own proprietary, end-to-end encrypted cloud storage solution to host user chat backups. This will give users an alternative to Google Drive and iCloud.

The service will reportedly receive 2GB of free storage dedicated to backups, with an option to upgrade to a 50GB storage plan for $0.99. To keep data private, backups will be safeguarded by a highly secure 64-digit encryption key, and users will restore their history using a passkey that relies on their device's fingerprint or face ID.

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Posted Tuesday 5 May 2026 at 7:20 am AEST (my time).

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Recently, there was news floating around that the popular, lightweight Windows text editor Notepad++ was finally making its way to macOS, 22 years after its initial release. Now, its creator, Don Ho, has come out to distance himself and the official project from this new port.

The (vibecoded) macOS port was created by an independent developer named Andrey Letov, with the project hosted on notepad-plus-plus-mac(dot)org. It was quite unique in that it was a true, native macOS application built as a Universal Binary, working natively on both Apple Silicon and Intel Macs without needing compatibility layers like Wine, CrossOver, or Parallels.

Image via Andrey Letov (GitHub)

Notepad++ is open-source under the GNU General Public License (GPLv3), and Ho even encourages developers to fork the code base and bring it to other platforms. But what you are not allowed to do is use the project's legally protected trademark and logo to confuse users, which Notepad++ for Mac did.

Notepad++ for Mac used the official name and a chameleon icon, giving the impression that it was an official release maintained or endorsed by the Notepad++ team. Letov even went as far as adding Don Ho to the "Authors of Notepad++ for Mac" page on the project's website.

After users raised alarm on GitHub about the unofficial port riding on the Notepad++ name, Don Ho stepped in, saying he had written to Letov requesting that he change the name and logo to avoid trademark issues and user confusion. Letov responded claiming he only wanted to bring the editor to Mac users, removed Don's name from the authors page, and hopes Don will endorse the project so they can expand the brand together.

Don Ho stood his ground, refusing to endorse the project and demanding that Letov remove the trademark and domain immediately. Letov basically went "nuh-uh", saying he would need a "couple of weeks" to "rebrand", while still nudging Ho for an endorsement. This is where Ho lost his patience and reported the site to Cloudflare as a phishing/impersonation site for misleading users.

With backlash from the Notepad++ community picking up, Letov dropped this notice on the Notepad++ for Mac homepage:

Announcement

In coordination with Don Ho, the creator of the original Notepad++, I'll be evolving the branding of the macOS version so it stands on its own while respecting its lineage. These updates, such as a new logo, a refined name, and likely a new domain will ship with version 1.0.6 in the coming days. Continuity for existing users is a priority, and I'll make the transition as seamless as I can. Thank you for your patience.

He also cleaned up the Author's page and removed Don Ho's name as the author. But Neowin found that on the plugins page, he falsely listed Don Ho as the author of a (vibecoded) plugin called NppAIAssistant that integrates a dockable AI chat side panel into the editor, allowing users to talk to models from OpenAI, Google, and others.

One of the main reasons why we have not had an "official" port of the beloved Notepad++ software is that it relies exclusively on pure Win32 API calls for virtually everything, including menus, dialogs, file systems, and windowing. And because there is no Win32 API on macOS, you cannot simply compile the code for a Mac.

To make an official port, Don Ho would have to completely rewrite the entire UI layer. And let us not forget the fact that Notepad++'s community-built plugins are coded as Windows .dll files and rely heavily on the Windows architecture, so even if Don Ho managed to create an official macOS version, 99% of the plugins would not work on it.

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