Following insider testing since 2025, earlier this year, Microsoft announced that it will be bringing a full-screen gaming mode to Windows 11, letting gamers use their PCs with controllers and use it more like a gaming console. Officially named Xbox Mode, the feature is now beginning to roll out on Windows 11 PCs.

The announcement arrived today by Xbox's Vice President of Next Generation, Jason Ronald, and Windows + Devices' Corporate Vice President, Ian LeGrow. Windows 11 desktops, laptops, and handhelds in select markets are now receiving the update with the console-inspired Xbox Mode functionality. All regions should be receiving the update in the coming weeks as the rollout expands.

"Xbox mode is designed for the moments when you want your games to take center stage on Windows 11 PCs and handhelds," said the duo today. "Inspired by the Xbox console experience, Xbox mode offers a streamlined interface that puts your library and recently played titles within easy reach while minimizing background distractions."

When the mode is enabled, players will be able to easily browse their games library with a controller, which is enhanced by the built-in Xbox game library that can launch games from other PC storefronts as well. At any time, players can switch between Xbox mode and the Windows 11 desktop.

"Windows has long been an important part of the PC gaming ecosystem, supporting innovation through its open platform," added Ronald and LeGrow. "Together with Windows, Xbox is taking everything we’ve learned about building a world-class operating system for gaming and continuing to evolve the experiences that meet players where and how they choose to play."

To make sure you have the feature, check if your Windows is on the latest update. Then in Windows Settings, head to Gaming and Full Screen Experience. Here, you can set a home app and even set the Xbox Mode to be a startup option.

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Posted Friday 1 May 2026 at 7:33 am AEST (my time).

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The popular open-source code editor, Zed, has just reached version 1.0. According to the team behind the project, this doesn’t mean that the editor is “done” or “perfect”, but rather that it has reached a tipping point where developers can comfortably start using it. It says if you tried Zed in the last year or two and found it lacking, you should try it again now as it’s more capable and performant than ever.

With this 1.0 update, Zed now supports DeepSeek-V4-Pro and DeepSeek-V4-Flash, which were released recently. It also includes session-persistent bookmarks and enhanced Git command-line integration.

Another notable improvement with this version is that there is more platform parity for Windows and Linux users, compared to macOS with fixes for Alt-tab focus glitches on Windows and X11 spacebar input on Linux. This update also resolved visual issues for Vim-mode users including flickering during motions and clipboard overwrites during visual selection pastes.

While this update does bring many new features, it has also removed preferred_line_length in favor of bounded soft wrapping. This is a breaking change that could hinder users with specific display preferences.

As a bit of background for those who don’t know, Zed was actually created by three contributors to the Atom text editor, as part of GitHub. Atom was discontinued in 2022 in favor of Visual Studio Code. Since its open-sourcing in 2024, the Rust-written code editor has received $32 million in funding from Sequoia Capital. While the editor itself is free, users have the option to pay to use some of the AI features.

If you have Zed already, press the menu button in the top-left and then press check for updates. Otherwise, head to the Zed website where you can download the editor.

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Posted Friday 1 May 2026 at 7:30 am AEST (my time).

News posts: 2023 5,800+ | 2024 5,700+ | 2025 5,700+ | 2026 (to end of April) 1,700

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Several times in the last couple of decades, Microsoft has released source code for the original MS-DOS operating system that kicked off its decades-long dominance of consumer PCs. This week, the company has reached further back than ever, releasing “the earliest DOS source code discovered to date” along with other documentation and notes from its developer.

Today’s source release is so old that it predates the MS-DOS branding, and it includes “sources to the 86-DOS 1.00 kernel, several development snapshots of the PC-DOS 1.00 kernel, and some well-known utilities such as CHKDSK,” write Microsoft’s Stacey Haffner and Scott Hanselman in their co-authored post about the release.

To understand the context, here’s a very brief history of what would become MS-DOS: Programmer Tim Paterson originally created 86-DOS (previously known as QDOS, for “quick and dirty operating system”) for an Intel 8086-based computer kit sold by Seattle Computer Products. Microsoft, on the hook to provide an operating system for the still-in-development IBM PC 5150, licensed 86-DOS and hired Paterson to continue developing it, later buying the rights to 86-DOS outright. Microsoft then licensed this operating system to IBM as PC-DOS while retaining the ability to sell the operating system to other companies. The version sold by Microsoft was called MS-DOS, and the proliferation of third-party IBM PC clones over the ’80s and ’90s made it the version of the operating system that most people ended up using.

This source code is old enough that it hadn’t been stored digitally. “A dedicated team of historians and preservationists led by Yufeng Gao and Rich Cini,” calling itself the “DOS Disassembly Group,” painstakingly transcribed and scanned in code from paper printouts provided by Paterson. This process was made even more difficult because modern OCR software struggled with the quality of the decades-old printout.

Microsoft has also open-sourced several of its other early software projects. In 2014 (and again in 2018), the company open-sourced MS-DOS versions 1.25 and 2.0. It followed that up in 2024 with the oddball MS-DOS 4.0 release. Those versions are all available in the same GitHub repo. Other open-sourced projects include the game Zork and its sequels and 1995’s Microsoft 3D Movie Maker (plans to modernize this app and add new features have largely gone nowhere). The open source remake of the old MS-DOS Editor isn’t actually the same app as the old EDIT.COM, but its heart is in the right place.

For students of early PC history, this isn’t even the first piece of 86-DOS history that has been newly rediscovered this decade. Just two years ago, the earliest known version of 86-DOS was rediscovered and uploaded to the Internet Archive.

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Posted Friday 1 May 2026 at 7:29 am AEST (my time).

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Microsoft Teams is a popular online communication and collaboration tool, especially in work and education environments, where it can facilitate hybrid and remote setups. Although the software regularly receives new features that improve productivity, it also receives some less desirable capabilities from time to time too. However, Teams is now set to receive a feature that finally resolves a major annoyance in the software.

Right now, if you upload a file in a Teams chat, you cannot type a message and send it while the file uploads. If you do, you receive an error message that explains that the file upload needs to complete first. This can become a nuisance especially if you're uploading a large file or if you're on a slow connection, and essentially exhibits a blocking behavior for that particular chat.

The good news is that Microsoft finally understands that this is not a good user experience, which is why it is rolling out asynchronous uploads for Teams chats. What this means is that you'll be able to send messages while a file is uploaded in the background, improving overall productivity and "perceived latency". Of course, you can assume that this may cause some confusion at first as people adapt to the new UX where they start referring to a file in a sent message before the upload completes, but it will be interesting to see if Microsoft implements a workaround for this issue too. We'll find out more when asynchronous uploads land on Teams on Windows and Mac this June.

Microsoft has other features planned for Teams in June too, you can view the summary below:

• Assistance from Facilitator Agent, which will make notes on your behalf in Teams Rooms on Android
• Search for cloud-hosted files in the quick share experience
• Upgrades to download manager for improved visibility and control, along with new keyboard shortcuts
• Quick Share for images, while preserving permissions

As can be surmised, June is set to be a big month for Microsoft Teams users. We'll find out more about what other features the company has planned for this set of customers over the next few weeks.

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Posted Thursday 30 April 2026 at 5:20 pm AEST (my time).

News posts: 2023 5,800+ | 2024 5,700+ | 2025 5,700+ | 2026 (to end of March) 1,297

RIP Matrix

As April is coming to an end, it's now the right time to review the new changes and features that Microsoft made available for Windows 11 through the Windows Insider Program during the second half of the month.

In addition to the enhancements available during the first two weeks of April, the company made preview builds available to Insiders using the channel names Experimental and Beta for versions 25H2, 26H1, and Feature Platforms. However, since we are still in a transitional period, during this month, there were builds also available in the legacy Beta, Dev, and Canary Channels.

In the Experimental track, we've seen builds 26300.8289, 28200.1873, and 29576, and build 26220.8283 has been released in the Beta Channel, which is still in the legacy channel.

Also, the company released build 26300.8276 in the Dev Channel, build 26220.8271 in the Beta Channel, and builds 28020.1863 and 29570 in the Canary Channel.

In this recap, I'll highlight the latest and most noteworthy changes available through the Windows Insider Program.

Biggest improvements from the Windows Insider Program in April 2026

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

Windows Update overhaul

Starting on build 26300.8289, Windows 11 is introducing significant changes to the Windows Update system to give users more control over system updates.

Microsoft has made a lot of promises about Windows over the last couple of months, and we know it's important to hold the company accountable for the things it says. Microsoft has said a lot of the right things about how it's going to fix Windows 11 as part of its special Windows K2 effort, but actions speak louder than words, and it can be hard to keep track of everything the company plans to deliver.

So, we're doing the leg work and compiling it all into one handy, easy to view table that will keep on top of Microsoft's commitments and their status. We'll update this page as often as progress is made!

Below, you'll find every commitment Microsoft has announced as part of its "Our commitment to Windows quality" blog post, alongside whether the feature or change is available or not. Some commitments are already shipping, whereas others are partly delivered or in preview, or not yet delivered at all. Microsoft hasn't given a timeframe for any of its commitments.

Intel has released new network drivers for its Wi-Fi and Bluetooth adapters. Versions 24.40.0 (Wi-Fi) and 24.40.0.3 (Bluetooth) are now available for download with stability and performance improvements. The Wi-Fi driver also makes channel-load priority when selecting access points disabled by default.

Here is the changelog for the Wi-Fi driver:

• Better system stability and connect performance.
• Better coexistence between Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
• Change default value of Advanced setting Channel-Load for AP selection to Disable.
• This software version 24.40.0 has been updated to include functional updates. There may be other minor issues addressed which will impact performance, stability, or vendor specific functionality not listed above. Users are encouraged to update to the latest version for best performance.

The Bluetooth driver has fewer changes in its release notes, with Intel stating that today's update only includes "functional updates" and that users should update to the latest version for better performance:

• Intel Wireless Bluetooth 24.40.0[.3] driver has been updated to include functional updates. Users are encouraged to update to the latest version for best performance.

Intel also reminds that the latest driver packages no longer include drivers for the Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX200 network card. Here is the list of compatible hardware:

You can download the latest Wi-Fi driver from Intel here and the Bluetooth driver here. Release notes are available here (Wi-Fi) and here (Bluetooth).

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Posted Thursday 30 April 2026 at 7:34 am AEST (my time).

News posts: 2023 5,800+ | 2024 5,700+ | 2025 5,700+ | 2026 (to end of March) 1,297

RIP Matrix

Microsoft has released Visual Studio Code 1.118. For the last month or so, the company has decided to shift to a weekly release schedule to get new features out to users as soon as they are ready. This week’s update brings a remote control feature, greater enterprise control, improved token efficiency, and more.

In older versions of VS Code, you had to be at the machine where you started a Copilot CLI session, but now, you can monitor and steer Copilot CLI sessions from GitHub.com or the GitHub mobile app. To use this feature, you need to enable it in the settings (check Microsoft’s changeloglinked below for the flag), then enter /remote in the Copilot CLI to start.

Another new feature in this update lets enterprises gate chat and related AI feature activation on approved GitHub organization membership using a device policy. This policy lets organizations apply account-based rules across chat entry points. It prevents access to chat features until the user is signed into a GitHub account with membership in an approved organization and the account-based policy has been resolved.

Finally, running AI bots for coding are not cheap after you’ve run out of your free allowance. To help users get the most bang for their buck, Microsoft has been working on several methods to improve token efficiency, without lowering the quality of the agent, these include: prompt caching efficiency improvements, strategic cache breakpoint placement, a cache-stable system prompt and tool list, cache-friendly background compaction, and a last-two-messages breakpoint strategy.

For a full round-up of all the features, check out Microsoft’s changelog for this release. If you have VS Code already then the update should arrive soon. If not, you can download it here.

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Posted Thursday 30 April 2026 at 7:33 am AEST (my time).

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Microsoft has just released the April update for Visual Studio 2026 with a focus on cloud agent integration. Cloud agents run on remote infrastructure, enabling scalable, isolated execution, and now you can start new sessions directly from Visual Studio. Also, custom agents now support user-level definitions that travel across projects, C++ code editing tools for agent mode are generally available, and a new Debugger Agent that validates fixes against real runtime behavior is now available.

With the new cloud agent integration, you can now start sessions from within Visual Studio. Just select Cloud from the agent picker in the Chat window and describe what you need help with and the cloud agent will handle it. The cloud agent is powered by the Copilot coding agent, so you need to ensure you are in a GitHub repository and that Copilot has permission to create issues in that repository. Microsoft says that this feature frees you up to focus on parts of your project that need your full attention.

This update also allows you to create custom agents that travel with you across projects, building on initial support that arrived last month that let you create custom agents for individual repositories. Everything that you could do with repository agents still works such as workspace awareness, code understanding, tools, model selection, and MCP connections to external knowledge sources.

This update also makes C++ Code Editing Tools for GitHub Copilot agent mode generally available by default. These give Copilot language-aware navigation in C++ codebases, helping to map out class inheritance hierarchies and follow function call chains when refactoring or modifying code. Microsoft says this makes a big difference when working with large C++ codebases.

This update also brings the new Debugger Agent which helps to validate bugs against real runtime behavior, customizable Copilot keyboard shortcuts for accepting Copilot inline suggestions, and now IntelliSense completions take precedence over Copilot ones, following users feedback.

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Posted Thursday 30 April 2026 at 7:32 am AEST (my time).

News posts: 2023 5,800+ | 2024 5,700+ | 2025 5,700+ | 2026 (to end of March) 1,297

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Earlier this week, Microsoft dropped another monthly update for PowerToys, a set of useful utilities for Windows 10 and 11. In version 0.99, Microsoft introduced two new tools: Grab and Move and Power Display. Today, PowerToys 0.99.1 arrived with a few additional fixes for these new utilities, plus some fixes for Command Palette and its dock.

Here is the changelog:

Command Palette

• Fixed a crash on startup when loading settings caused by null DockSettings deserialized from settings.json
• Fixed a bug where dock label settings were not persisted across sessions

Grab And Move

• Fixed a bug where releasing the absorbed Alt key while pressing another key prevented it from propagating correctly to other apps
• Fixed a bug where there Start menu and other OS surfaces would be draggable
• Fixed a bug where the G key would be blocked, or Game Bar would be activated, when the modifier was set to Win key

Power Display

• Added additional diagnostic logging to help investigate display detection and control issues
• Defaulted the Input Source, Color Temperature, and Power State controls to off and added a confirmation dialog before applying these potentially disruptive changes
• Used the localized "Built-in Display" name for the internal display instead of a hard-coded string

In case you missed it, Grab and Move is a tool that lets you move a window by clicking anywhere on it while holding the Alt key. By default, Windows 10 and 11 only allow you to drag windows by holding their title bars, which is not very convenient, especially for browsers. Grab and Move fixes that.

The second utility, Power Display, lets you control your monitor's settings with a small pop-up menu. Available sliders include brightness, contrast, volume (if your monitor has built-in speakers), and more.

PowerToys 0.99.1 is now available for download from GitHub and the Microsoft Store.

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At launch, supported server locations will include the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Canada, and Germany. Firefox has not confirmed whether more countries will be added in future updates.

What’s New for the Built-In VPN in Firefox 151

The built-in Firefox VPN masks IP addresses and encrypts browser traffic, but does not allow users to select a server location. With the Firefox 151 update, a location picker has been introduced for the five supported countries, bringing this feature in line with the core functions of standalone paid VPN services.

The VPN remains free and is integrated directly into the browser, with a monthly data limit of 50GB. It only covers browsing traffic within Firefox and does not encrypt all traffic on the device. This differentiates it from Mozilla's paid Mozilla VPN, which offers full device coverage.

When Firefox 151’s VPN Location Picker Will Be Available

Firefox 151 is scheduled for release on May 19. The update will introduce the ability to select server locations on platforms that support the built-in VPN feature.

Mozilla has not yet specified which platforms will include this feature initially or provided a timeline for expanding the available server locations beyond the five countries currently offered.

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Posted Wednesday 29 April 2026 at 5:28 pm AEST (my time).

News posts: 2023 5,800+ | 2024 5,700+ | 2025 5,700+ | 2026 (to end of March) 1,297

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New controls rolling out to Windows Insiders let users pause updates indefinitely. This removes the old five-week cap that would eventually push installations through whether you were ready or not.

Until now, Windows 11 Home and Pro users could only delay updates for up to 35 days before the system stepped in. The new setup keeps that 35-day window, but lets you extend it indefinitely, effectively giving you full control over when updates happen.

There’s also a new calendar-style picker in Settings, allowing you to choose a specific date instead of relying on preset options.

It’s not just about delaying updates, either. Microsoft is also fixing one of the more frustrating quirks of Windows: the way update prompts take over the power menu. With the update, Restart and Shut down will always remain available, even when updates are pending. This is instead of being replaced by “Update and restart” options. That means you can reboot your PC without triggering an install.

Behind the scenes, Microsoft is also streamlining how updates are delivered. Driver, firmware and .NET updates will now be bundled into a single monthly restart. Before, updates could force multiple reboots throughout the month. Additionally, driver updates are getting clearer labels like display, audio or battery, so you know exactly what’s being installed.

The changes come after Microsoft reviewed more than 7,600 pieces of user feedback. Complaints were largely focused on updates arriving at inconvenient times and offering too little control. While enterprise users have long had flexible update tools, this brings everyday Windows users much closer to that level of control.

For now, these features are only available to Windows Insider users in the Dev and Experimental channels. There’s no confirmed timeline for a wider rollout. Microsoft is still recommending users install updates promptly for security reasons, even as it hands over more control.

Still, for anyone who’s ever had their PC restart at the worst possible moment, this is a pretty big shift. Even if “pause forever” comes with a few caveats, the change is welcome.

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What is Covered in this Article

•     Brave's integrated privacy and security features
•     Comparative positioning against Chrome, Firefox, and Edge
•     Enterprise and consumer implications of default privacy protections
•     Execution risks and market adoption barriers

The News

Brave highlights its position as the browser with the strongest built-in privacy and security features among all major browsers [1]. The company has integrated privacy protections directly into the browser, aiming to shield users from tracking, fingerprinting, and data leakage by default. This approach contrasts with competitors that often require users to manually enable privacy settings or install third-party extensions. Brave’s recent enhancements, such as the Shred button for Android, further empower users to easily discard tracking data and monitor their browsing footprint [2]. As privacy regulations and cyber threats escalate, Brave’s model puts pressure on the rest of the market to match its default-first stance.

Analysis

Brave’s aggressive privacy posture is more than a marketing play. It tests whether default-on security can be a true differentiator in a market dominated by Chrome, Edge, and Safari. The stakes are high: if Brave’s approach gains traction, it could force incumbents to raise their baseline protections, shifting the entire browser security paradigm.

Is Default-First Privacy a Sustainable Advantage?

Brave’s claim of the strongest privacy and security features among mainstream browsers [1] is bold, but not without merit. While Chrome and Edge offer privacy controls, they often require user intervention or rely on add-ons. Brave’s integrated model reduces friction for users who want protection but lack technical expertise. According to Futurum Group's 2H 2025 Cybersecurity Decision Maker Survey (n=1,008), 62.1% agree AI-powered defensive tools are now a necessity, and relying solely on human vigilance is no longer viable. This signals a market ready for default-on, automated protections. However, sustaining this advantage depends on Brave’s ability to keep pace with evolving threats and maintain usability without overwhelming users with complexity.

Enterprise Adoption Faces Usability and Ecosystem Hurdles

For enterprises, browser choice is not just about privacy. Compatibility, manageability, and integration with productivity suites matter. Brave’s privacy-centric approach could appeal to regulated industries, but lack of deep integration with Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace may limit adoption. Futurum Group's 2H 2025 Cybersecurity Decision Maker Survey (n=1,008) found that 43.0% of organizations plan to expand their security vendor count, indicating openness to new solutions, but also highlighting the challenge of tool sprawl. Unless Brave can demonstrate seamless fit with enterprise workflows, its reach may remain limited to privacy-conscious segments.

Competitive Response Will Shape the Next Browser War

Brave’s push raises the bar for privacy, but incumbents have scale, brand trust, and distribution power. If Chrome, Edge, or Firefox match or exceed Brave’s default protections, Brave’s differentiation could erode quickly. Yet, as 62.0% of organizations have observed a significant increase in sophisticated AI-driven social engineering attacks, according to Futurum Group's 2H 2025 Cybersecurity Decision Maker Survey (n=1,008), demand for stronger browser defenses is likely to grow. The next phase of competition will hinge on who can deliver robust privacy without sacrificing performance, compatibility, or user experience.

What to Watch

•     Will Chrome or Edge adopt Brave-style default privacy settings within the next 18 months?
•     Can Brave secure enterprise deals despite limited productivity suite integrations?
•     Will user demand for built-in privacy features accelerate browser market share shifts?
•     How will rising AI-driven threats pressure all browsers to rethink security architectures?

Sources

1. Datenschutz- und Sicherheitsfunktionen

2. Brave's unique Shred button now available for Android …

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The April updates continue to dribble out more fixes for Secure Boot certificates for some systems.

But once you receive the April updates, you still may be waiting for the new certs to be installed. That happened to me on some systems.

Nonetheless, the patching world is relatively quiet. Microsoft did have an out-of-band update this month, but it was limited to domain controllers and Windows Servers. I’m lowering the MS-DEFCON level to 4.

Before I review the Secure Boot certificates matter, please keep this reminder in mind, particularly on the consumer side of things: Regardless of the state of your system with respect to the new certs, your PC will still boot. Check my previous column from March, Understanding the nuances of Secure Boot, for details and for PowerShell commands you can use to examine the state of your PC. We’ve mentioned that Microsoft is improving its messages about the state of Secure Boot, but last Thursday this message showed up on my Surface Pro 7+:

Figure 1. Not enough data?

Maybe it’s just me, but I figure Microsoft ought to be able to figure out the status of its own hardware products. Note that the icon shows a green check mark, the indicator that the Secure Boot state is okay. Doesn’t seem okay to me. And that’s why you still might need those PowerShell commands to determine the actual state.

Let’s recap the current situation for Windows systems.

Between now and June, your machine will receive, or has already received, what it needs to update the certificates used to ensure that malicious code can’t be interjected into the boot process. In a business setting, having these up-to-date certificates is extremely important to ensure that no one tampers with your systems.

Newer computers purchased with Windows 11 24H2 or 25H2 are most likely already up to date. Older systems may need updates from the hardware vendor in order to receive the needed fixes.

You might also receive an additional “Secure Boot Allowed Key Exchange Key (KEK) Update.” But even after that installs, your system may show that it’s still on the old certificates.

If so, don’t panic. There is still time before June, and it’s not a death sentence for your PC. It’s just something you must take seriously and get fixed, sooner or later.

Consumers

With AI now being used to find bugs, you may start to see the bug counts reported by various vendors skyrocket. (We’ve already seen the bug count on Firefox increase.) But that doesn’t mean we should panic. As with many vulnerabilities, the attacker first has to get at you. With the built-in Windows firewall on Microsoft operating systems and the inherent kernel protections built into MacOS, your biggest risk these days is clickbait.

An attacker has a harder time getting into consumer systems and would prefer to go after bigger fish. With consumers, simpler methods such as phishing and bogus email attachments are easier and, unfortunately, still seem to bear fruit. But there is one other matter of concern in the consumer space: unpatched routers. You are more likely to be used in a bot network than be damaged by a bot network.

I’m more concerned about recent issues where tools that we’ve relied on have been hit with what’s called supply-chain infections. For example, CPU-Z’s installer was infected with malware. And I’m always concerned about reliance on VPNs whose users may not have done their due diligence.

Windows 10 ESU subscribers should be offered KB5082200, the main April update. In my own internal testing, I found no issues and had only one reboot. You may see more information on the status of Secure Boot certificates in the Windows Security section, but this is like many of Microsoft’s fixes — one that will be phased in over time. If you go to Windows Security Device security and don’t see evidence of Secure Boot status, it may not have been dribbled to you.

You may see KB5087371, the Windows Recovery Environment update, offered up to your Windows 10 machines. If it fails to install on your system, your recovery partition isn’t big enough. This update — and its similar releases — annoys me. It fails because OEMs deployed systems with recovery partitions that are too small. Either the OEM or Microsoft should take it upon themselves to code for this issue and not demand that their customers use third-party tools or complicated procedures to expand partitions. If this update fails to install, hide it and go on with life. A better option is to have a backup solution independent of WinRE so that you can roll back and reinstall at will. You should not rely on rolling back to a prior system state. The ultimate protection for any issue is to have a backup.

If only Microsoft understood that as well.

For Windows 11 machines, my recommendation is to install Windows 11 version 25H2 or 24H2 (KB5083769). Remember, the out-of-band extra updates are only for Windows Servers that are domain controllers; the bugs introduced in April will not impact desktop operating systems. In addition, the reported issue that may trigger a BitLocker recovery key will be seen only in unique and rare circumstances in a business setting. That said — and it’s broken-record time — I still want you to know exactly whether BitLocker is on or off, and where your recovery key is saved. If you do want encryption on your local hard drive, back up the key in your Microsoft account (for consumers) or in your Entra account (businesses).

I’ve seen one other unusual issue that by now may be fixed. It has to do with Classic Outlook and OneDrive. Suddenly users can’t attach OneDrive files as they used to. That Q&A at Microsoft Learn includes the following workaround:

This should only [be] an issue if you try to select the file you want to attach from the “Recent Items” list you see when you click on Attach.

Instead, click on “This PC” and navigate to your OneDrive folder and select the file you want to attach and it will work.

Businesses

For those of you with Windows Server 2016, 2019, 2022, or 2025 in the domain controller role, install the out-of-band updates for April instead of the regular patches.

Standard Windows updates

Windows hotpatch updates

If you have a patching environment that cannot distinguish domain controllers from other servers, go ahead and install this out-of-band on all your server deployments. Even though the bug fixes are specifically to fix a boot loop in domain controllers, I found no ill effects when testing and installing these same out-of-band updates to all my server deployments.

The April updates do include a change for anyone who clicks on a saved Remote Desktop file. If you merely browse to Remote Desktop and launch it from that shortcut, your users will see no change. But if they launch their Remote Desktop connection from a saved .rdp file shortcut, they will be faced with a new reminder and a requirement to re-enable pass-through items such as printers. You can revert the behavior.

But there’s another vulnerability that businesses should evaluate to determine whether they can do more to ensure they are protected against current and future threats. A recent write-up by Huntress showcases that attackers are coming through VPNs to attack the operating system to then target a zero day in Microsoft Defender. You should already be patched for CVE-2026-33825. Huntress indicated that they “linked the activity back to compromised FortiGate SSL VPNs,” so review whether you can turn on multifactor protection for VPN software used in your environment. I am a personal fan of Duo.com because userscan handle the two-factor without issues.

Those of you supporting Apple devices should make sure you support TLS 1.2 or later. A future update in the Apple ecosystem will mandate it as the default communication protocol between workstations, phones, and servers. Follow the guidance for running tests on your network to see whether you are ready for the upcoming change.

Resources

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Posted Wednesday 29 April 2026 at 7:54 am AEST (my time).

News posts: 2023 5,800+ | 2024 5,700+ | 2025 5,700+ | 2026 (to end of March) 1,297

RIP Matrix

It seems that every month after a Patch Tuesday update, something breaks in Windows 11. Following the release of KB5083769 earlier this month, users now seem to be running into BITS and SOAP download timeouts and bitsadmin freezes. This issue doesn’t seem to be limited to just one user either.

In a very clinical report on Microsoft Learn Q&A, user CHIHARU SHIBATA explains that since installing the most recent Patch Tuesday update, some of their PCs have started experiencing failures while their application is auto-updating, specifically during the download process.

According to Shibata, their application supports two download methods, BITS (Background Intelligent Transfer Service) and SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol) Web Service. The issue is causing both download methods to fail, with the download requests timing out.

They also report that the bitsadmin /list /allusers command appears to freeze during the failure state. A system reboot is apparently able to resolve the issue temporarily, with downloads succeeding. However, if you leave the system idle for “several tens of minutes”, the download failures reappear.

Uninstalling the KB5083769 update stops the issue from happening. Even after several hours, downloads continue to work normally. Based on their experience, the poster thinks Microsoft’s latest update has a defect affecting BITS or networking components.

In a related issue, Bhaskar Murari, made a post on the same website explaining that AutoCAD’s Advance Steel would fail to open drawings. One person replied to that thread explaining that if the KB can’t be uninstalled, then disabling BITS and disabling it on the affected system is a way to work around the issue. If readers want to do this, use the following steps:

• Open the Services Manager: Press Win + R on your keyboard to open the Run dialog, type services.msc, and press Enter.
• Locate the Service: In the list that appears, scroll down until you find Background Intelligent Transfer Service.
• View Properties: Double-click on the service name (or right-click it and select Properties) to open the window seen in your attachment.

While these bugs are certainly frustrating for some users, it’s still a good idea to install Patch Tuesday updates that Microsoft delivers each month for the security features they deliver. If you are strongly against doing the updates, you can temporarily pause updates via Windows Updates in the settings.

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Posted Wednesday 29 April 2026 at 7:45 am AEST (my time).

News posts: 2023 5,800+ | 2024 5,700+ | 2025 5,700+ | 2026 (to end of March) 1,297

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We are racing towards the end of April 2026, and as expected, Microsoft has begun publishing its round-ups for popular software. This time, to kick things off, we have Excel. For those unaware with this format, the Redmond tech firm typically recaps all the new capabilities it introduced to its spreadsheet software during the past four weeks.

Just like March 2026, this month may seem like a relatively quieter roundup too. The previous month introduced three new features, while April 2026 just has two. However, one of these two features is actually a collection of capabilities.

Basically, Microsoft has introduced new Edit with Copilot features across Excel for Windows, Mac, and the web. There's a new switcher UX that allows you to switch between Chat only and Allow editing. The former answers your questions without editing your file, while the latter actively makes changes to your content based on your prompts. Microsoft says that it has enabled Allow editing for "many" eligible users by default.

In the same vein, Copilot can now generate a multi-step plan to make changes to your content. For example, if you ask Copilot to "Make a dashboard based on this data", it will explain to you its insights about how your data can be structured and visualized, along with any formula adjustments. Once you approve this execution plan, Copilot will get to work and build the dashboard on your behalf. This feature allows you to confidently utilize Copilot for complex agentic tasks.

Additionally, changes made by Copilot after a prompt will be highlighted for one turn with a visual indicator so you can revert or make adjustments, if needed. Finally, Python can be leveraged in Edit with Copilot. The AI assistant will either do this automatically, or you could even invoke this capability manually if you feel like utilizing the programming language would be better.

That's all for the first collection of enhancements. The second is just a small upgrade that modernizes the comments experience on iOS. The revamped interface is designed to be streamlined so you can easily collaborate with others, even while using Excel on your phone.

As stated previously, this was a much more feature-packed month compared to the previous one. Excel customers will be hoping that May 2026 brings similarly useful updates too.

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Posted Wednesday 29 April 2026 at 7:44 am AEST (my time).

News posts: 2023 5,800+ | 2024 5,700+ | 2025 5,700+ | 2026 (to end of March) 1,297

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Over the past few years, we have highlighted several concept works that reimagine various pieces of software, including File Explorer in "Windows 12", "Windows 12.2", and "Windows Classic Remastered". Many of these are understandably divisive as they introduce major changes that look nice on paper, but degrade overall utility. Now, someone has designed a more refined version of Windows 11, or so they claim, in their latest concept.

Raditya Aryaputra on Behance has designed what a "refined" version of Windows 11 would look like, if Microsoft got rid of AI clutter, and intrusive advertisements/recommendations. This "back to the basics" approach would make the OS feel more responsive and customizable according to the designer.

In their concept, the Start menu (pictured above) removes recommended content and just focuses on arranging your apps in categories and vertical lists. Although there is a section for most used apps, it likely isn't designed with AI recommendations in mind. You'll also notice some new icons, along with Windows Search moved to the bottom.

In addition, the Taskbar has been made more modular, and it now shows a lot of extra information. Of course, some details may appear overwhelming, but the idea is that it is fully customizable by the end-user.

Meanwhile, the Widgets panel receives relatively minor changes and primarily gets rid of the MSN News feed section that is curated by AI.

While Aryaputra doesn't decouple Copilot from Windows completely, they do make it less intrusive by mainly integrating it to Windows Search.

Finally, the calendar in the Taskbar is just a bit neater because it doesn't get clubbed with notifications, and just focuses on showing you its core functionalities, along with meetings.

Overall, it's an interesting concept that aims to simplify some aspects of Windows 11 and get rid of bloat. That said, some enthusiasts, including ourselves, might be on the fence with this one because of the major changes it introduces to the UX and the learning curve associated with it. Some may find the Start menu and the Taskbar to be a bit too cluttered, but we can assume that this redesign shows off the full feature-set, while allowing users to tone some elements down, according to their preferences.

At the end of the day, it is important to keep in mind that a concept is still a concept. Major redesigns like these tend to emphasize aesthetics with some usability, but usually do not possess the insights into Windows-specific user-centric design and feedback that actually goes into shaping an OS used by over a billion people globally. That said, there's no harm in imagining what a (subjectively) perfect Windows 11 could look like.

Source and images: Raditya Aryaputra (Behance)

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Posted Wednesday 29 April 2026 at 7:41 am AEST (my time).

News posts: 2023 5,800+ | 2024 5,700+ | 2025 5,700+ | 2026 (to end of March) 1,297

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Mozilla has released Firefox 150.0.1 with a few fixes for the recent major update, version 150. As usual, this maintenance update fixes various bugs, but there is one notable change, particularly for Relay users.

Fixes in Firefox 150.0.1 include patches for issues on various popular websites for Bitdefender users, bugs with repetitive location permission prompts, bugged drop-down menus, zooming issues, and more. Additionally, if you use Firefox Relay, you can now create up to 50 email masks, which is ten times more than the previous limit of five masks. This limit is now available for users on the free tier, while those paying for Mozilla Firefox Relay get an unlimited number of email masks. For reference, Firefox Relay is available for $0.99 / month (billed annually) or $1.99 / month (billed monthly).

Finally, Firefox 150.0.1 includes security fixes for memory-related vulnerabilities. Five vulnerabilities are marked as high-severity, while one is flagged as critical.

Here is the full changelog:

• Fixed an issue where Facebook and other websites might not load properly for users with Bitdefender security software installed. (Bug 2034178)

• Fixed an issue where denying a geolocation permission prompt could cause Firefox to show the system permission dialog again on a second attempt. (Bug 2034120)

• Fixed an issue that prevented tabs from being added to some older saved tab groups. (Bug 2031961)

• Fixed a layout issue where some drop-down menus expanded to display all list items at once. (Bug 2033117)

• Fixed an issue where borders and outlines on some page elements disappeared when pinch zooming or smart zooming on macOS and Windows. (Bug 2030043)

• All Relay users can now create up to 50 email masks—an increase from the previous limit of 5.

Full release notes for Firefox 150.0.1 are available here, while the list of patched security vulnerabilities is available here. To update your browser right here and right now, head to Menu > Help > About Firefox.

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Posted Wednesday 29 April 2026 at 7:38 am AEST (my time).

News posts: 2023 5,800+ | 2024 5,700+ | 2025 5,700+ | 2026 (to end of March) 1,297

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Recently, we covered a third-party script for Windows 11 called WMT that can help fix or repair things. While such unofficial tools can prove helpful where there is no easy option on Windows, an official alternative exists in the form of Microsoft PowerToys too.

You probably already know what it is but for anyone who does not read Neowin regularly, Microsoft PowerToys is a free, open-source set of utilities for Windows 10 and 11 that are designed to help with customization that can also in turn boost your productivity. It offers tools such as FancyZones for window layouts, PowerToys Run for quick app launching, Color Picker, PowerRename, and more. The app is primarily meant for power users on Windows.

The Redmond giant has released PowerToys v0.99.0 today, bringing two new utilities and a series of improvements across the suite. The update introduces Power Display, a system tray tool that allows users to adjust monitor brightness, contrast, and color profiles directly from Windows. Custom profiles can be saved and switched with a single click, and integration with Light Switch enables automatic adjustments when themes change.

Perhaps the most interesting release is the new "Grab And Move", which brings a Linux-style window control to Windows. By holding the ALT key with the left mouse click, users will be able to drag windows from anywhere on the interface. Meanwhile, ALT key with right click can be used to resize it.

Command Palette and Dock have received improvements too. The latter now supports a compact mode, persistent calculator history, and better pinning options, while extensions for plain text and image viewing have been enhanced.

Keyboard Manager has also been updated, allowing users to manually adjust recorded remappings through dropdown menus and disable specific keys or shortcuts. ZoomIt has expanded its functionality with scrolling screenshots, making it easier to capture long pages.

Other modules have seen refinements as well. Image Resizer has migrated to WinUI 3, aligning with Windows 11’s design language (the whole OS is getting a performance upgrade in this regard). Advanced Paste should now work more reliably in Electron or Chromium-based apps such as Teams and Visual Studio Code.

You can read the full changelog below:

Advanced Paste

• Eliminated 13 XAML compiler warnings by switching x:Bind expressions on non-observable properties from OneWay to OneTime mode in #46726
• Fixed auto-copy failing on Electron/Chromium apps (e.g. Teams, VS Code) by releasing held modifier keys before injecting Ctrl+C in #46486

Always On Top

• Fixed the pin/unpin sound playing even when the operation failed by gating sound playback on whether SetWindowPos actually succeeded in #46910

Command Palette

Dock

• Added a new pin-to-Dock dialog that gives users more control over how commands are pinned, replacing the previous one-click pin behavior in #46436.
• Added a Compact Dock mode (28px tall, subtitle hidden) for Top/Bottom dock positions, and hid the Dock Size setting for Left/Right positions in #46699
• Made the Dock window stay on top of all other windows by default, automatically yielding when a full-screen app is detected in #46163.
• Decoupled the Dock context menu from the Command Bar's active item so it no longer updates when a different list item is selected, and made the Dock search box position follow the Dock position in #46420.
• Fixed duplicate dock bands caused by missing duplicate check when pinning in #46438
• Fixed a build-breaking merge inconsistency in DockWindow.xaml.cs in #46639.
• Fixed the Dock not reflecting pin/unpin changes until restart in #47169
• Fixed the Dock window showing a visible frame on startup by hiding the DWM border during window creation in #47187

Extensions & SDK

• Added plain text viewer and image viewer IContent types to the extension SDK in #43964.
• Added persistent calculator history with save, reuse, delete, and clear actions, configurable primary action, and replace-query-on-enter behavior in #45307.
• Added a NetworkSpeedUnit choice setting to the Performance Monitor extension (bits/s, decimal bytes/s, IEC binary bytes/s) in #46320.
• Enabled dock pinning of Windows Terminal profiles with per-profile icons, and hardened GUID parsing so a malformed profile entry no longer breaks the whole list in #46372
• Assigned stable IDs to FancyZones layout commands in the PowerToys extension so users can pin individual layouts to the dock in #46198.
• Hardened the Performance Monitor extension with exception handling and crash recovery via a sentinel file mechanism in #46541.
• Gave each built-in extension its own settings file with transparent one-time migration from the legacy shared settings.json in #46685.
• Shipped Copilot instructions and 5 skills (publish-extension, add-adaptive-card-form, add-extension-settings, add-dock-band, add-fallback-commands) inside the extension template in #46683.
• Fixed invisible/corrupted icons in newly created extensions by extracting template expansion into a dedicated service that no longer rewrites binary files in #46490.
• Fixed a Watson crash where a single extension in a bad state would kill the entire extension-loading loop in #47032
• Fixed right-click context menus failing to open on the first attempt for slow out-of-process third-party extensions in #46626.
• Fixed the Settings toggle for disabling fallback commands from out-of-process extensions by switching the type check from a concrete class to the WinRT interface in #47127
• Simplified the Time & Date extension page to recalculate results on every query rather than caching, breaking a potential infinite update loop in #46396.
• Fixed Calculator extension unit tests failing under non-English cultures in #46911.

Search & Indexer

• Improved indexer search with implicit filename broadening for plain free-text queries, retry-with-literal matching for punctuation-heavy searches, and a Windows Search availability indicator in #46907.
• Fixed a crash when converting large calculator results to hex/oct/bin by switching the secondary-results base conversion to BigInteger with a custom base converter in #46176.
• Split the full-screen shortcut guard into separate full-screen and busy checks with an opt-in IgnoreShortcutWhenBusy setting, added a live diagnostic InfoBar, and introduced an opt-in triple-press breakthrough to bypass suppression in #45891.
• Fixed the Window Walker Close window command to respect the "Keep open after closing window" setting and automatically refreshed the window list in #45721.

Reliability & UX

• Fixed a 100% reproducible crash when typing in the search box by adding a reentrancy guard around filtered-items mutations in #47148.
• Fixed a second typing crash that occurred when the indexer fallback was enabled by correcting a P/Invoke function signature in #47186
• Hardened ListViewModel item-fetch synchronization with copy-on-write cache publication, latest-fetch-wins semantics, and improved cancellation cleanup in #46429.
• Refactored settings and app state to be immutable end-to-end to eliminate concurrency race conditions in #46451.
• Added a CanGoBack guard to Frame.GoBack, preventing a crash when navigating back with an empty navigation stack in #46493.
• Fixed duplicate and contradictory Pin to Dock/Unpin from dock context menu entries appearing on top-level home-page items in #46458.
• Prevented PgUp/PgDown paging from landing on non-interactive entries like separators and section headers in #46439.
• Fixed keyboard focus restoration on the Extensions settings page so Shift+Tab returns to the previously selected extension card in #45903.
• Reverted focus-restoration on the Extensions settings page that was causing clicks to open the wrong extension item in #46642.
• Fixed inline code (backtick text) in the Details and Content panels being invisible on light-theme backgrounds in #46739.
• Fixed the Window Walker "Not Responding" tag being illegible in dark mode in #46924.
• Fixed a WinUI layout bug where the settings page content was visually offset when wrapped in a ScrollViewer with MaxWidth in #46568
• Fixed a regression in PinToDockDialogContent.xaml where a type rename was missed during a merge gap in #46599.
• Fixed a screen reader accessibility issue where the Alias text box announced "Enter Alias" instead of just "Alias" in #45906
• Added screen reader announcements for shortcut key information on the settings button in #46164.
• Removed redundant container-level tab stops in the details panel for improved keyboard accessibility in #46346.

Infrastructure & Code Quality

• Extracted persistence and file I/O logic from SettingsModel and AppStateModel into dedicated service classes in #46312.
• Introduced CmdPalLogger, CmdPalLoggerProvider, and an extension method integrating Microsoft.Extensions.Logging with ManagedCommon.Logger in #46768.
• Bumped all CommunityToolkit.WinUI packages from 8.2.250402 to 8.2.251219 and removed three SearchBar workaround hacks in #46027.
• Enabled telemetry event firing correctly in AOT builds by adding EventSourceSupport in #47121
• Updated the extension solution filter files to include new transitive dependencies and added a leaner SLNF for faster developer builds in #46896.
• Updated the Microsoft.CmdPal.Ext.PowerToys solution filter file to include missing project dependencies in #46136.
• Removed a legacy workaround for FontIconSource.CreateIconElement (fixed in WinAppSDK 1.8.4) in #45790.
• Moved developer documentation to doc/devdocs/modules/cmdpal to align with other PowerToys modules in #46926.
• Bumped Command Palette version to 0.10 in #47181

Image Resizer

• Migrated Image Resizer from WPF to WinUI 3, unblocking future AOT compilation and aligning with Windows 11 design language in #45288.
• Restored honoring the user-configured JPEG quality setting when resizing JPEGs, which had been silently ignored at a fixed ~Q90 default after the WinUI 3 migration in #47134
• Fixed missing PNG encoder settings by applying codec-specific encoder properties in the transcode path in #46695.
• Fixed a regression where JsonPropertyName attributes were not forwarded by the ObservableProperty generator, restoring correct JSON serialization in #47056

Keyboard Manager

• Reverted multiline text replacement back to character-by-character sending with Shift+Enter for newlines, fixing multiline replacements in chat apps and plain editors in #46794
• Addressed code review feedback on manual key selection: fixed localization, centralized VK_DISABLED constants, added validation for disable mappings, fixed dropdown revert logic, and plugged Process handle leaks in #46377

Light Switch

• Fixed Light Switch and PowerDisplay integration by re-enabling the Apply monitor settings expander and disabled-warning InfoBar in Settings, and ensuring every hotkey press notifies PowerDisplay instead of only every other press in #47190

Mouse Utilities

• Refactored PadImage in PowerOCR (Text Extractor) to improve memory management and nullability clarity in #44906.

Peek

• Added auto-detection of file name encoding when previewing zip files, fixing garbled text for archives created on non-UTF-8 systems in #44799.

Power Display

• Re-enabled the PowerDisplay module with a new icon/logo, DPI fixes, UI/UX improvements, and installer integration in #46489
• Cleaned up the PowerDisplay module by fixing resource leaks, removing dead code, converting a recursive parser to iterative, and changing the default activation shortcut to Win+Ctrl+Shift+P in #46979
• Fixed thread safety by marking shared fields as volatile, guarding color temperature writes behind a capability check, and correcting a misleading log message in #47008
• Fixed PowerDisplay startup restore, volume initialization, and Identify window lifecycle in #47051
• Introduced a shared flyout positioning helper used by PowerDisplay and Quick Access, fixing taskbar overlap at 100% scaling and off-screen rendering after DPI changes in #47097
• Polished Power Display by standardizing the module name, shrinking the flyout slightly, and removing dead code in #47163

PowerToys Run

• Fixed a command breakout in the Shell plugin by escaping double quotes in the command string, while still allowing environment variables to expand in #45554.
• Removed unused XAML namespace declarations from PowerLauncher XAML files in #46221.

Quick Accent

• Added subscript and superscript Unicode characters to the Special Characters set for keys 0-9, A, E, N, X, Y, Z, and math operators in #45540.
• Added the missing Icelandic accented letter í to the VK_I key definition in #46424.
• Added Shift+N capitalization support for superscript Latin small letter n in #46571.
• Restored the en-dash character under the VK_MINUS key in the Special Characters set in #47106
• Fixed the default "All available" language setting silently falling back to a small character set due to parsing issues, added case-insensitive parsing with invalid-entry warnings, and added two new Hungarian character mappings in #47117.

Settings

• Fixed the Settings shortcut/key visuals so arrow glyphs (up/down/left/right) render as proper FontIcon glyphs instead of literal text in #46454.
• Formatted the last checked for updates timestamp as friendly relative strings (Today at 1:22 PM, Yesterday at 3:45 PM) in #46923
• Fixed Dashboard layout issues by removing excessive empty scroll space, restoring responsive behavior, and correcting a 1-pixel vertical alignment mismatch in #46922
• Fixed the Quick Accent character-sets grid being clipped and showing an inner horizontal scrollbar, so the list reflows from 3 to 2 to 1 columns on resize in #45986.
• Renamed the shortcut conflict checkbox label from "Ignore shortcut" to "Ignore conflict" for clarity in #46318
• Fixed the backup folder path being visually clipped on the General and Image Resizer pages in #46920
• Refreshed Settings UI assets and copy: fixed a ZoomIt page regression, updated the Command Palette settings page with current links and screenshots, and added missing overview screenshots in #47132
• Fixed missing images in the Settings UI by adjusting the project file so image assets are packaged correctly in #47165
• Tweaked wording on a handful of Settings strings for clarity and consistency in #47164

Text Extractor

• Removed the third-party WPF-UI library in favor of native WPF Fluent theming with custom control templates in #46218

Window Manager (Grab And Move)

• Added the Grab And Move module enabling Alt+Left Click window dragging and Alt+Right Click window resizing, without needing to target title bars in #47024
• Unstuck the Alt key after Ctrl+Alt+Del or Alt+Tab into an admin process, made Win selectable as the move/resize activation modifier, and made the window geometry readout opaque in #47052.
• Updated Grab And Move Settings strings to be modifier-agnostic now that Win is selectable alongside Alt in #47178

ZoomIt

• Added panoramic/scrolling screenshot capture, text extraction when snipping, and break timer improvements with screen saver mode and optional computer lock in #46506.
• Fixed ZoomIt x86 build compatibility by emulating the _mm_cvtsi128_si64 intrinsic with _mm_storel_epi64 for 32-bit targets in #46529.

To download PowerToys version 0.99.0, head over to Neowin software stories or its official GitHub repo here.

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Posted Wednesday 29 April 2026 at 7:34 am AEST (my time).

News posts: 2023 5,800+ | 2024 5,700+ | 2025 5,700+ | 2026 (to end of March) 1,297

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A new graphics driver has just been released for NVIDIA GeForce customers to use. The WHQL-certified 596.36 Game Ready driver is now live, and it's carrying support for the new Conan Exiles Enhanced upgrade, as well as the company's new RTX 5070 laptop GPU configuration.

Conan Exiles Enhanced, the free update for Funcom's eight-year-old multiplayer RPG, is bringing improved visuals, enhanced performance, and modern rendering technologies on May 5. With the latest driver, NVIDIA is adding day-one support for DLSS Multi Frame Generation, DLSS Super Resolution, and Reflex technologies as a part of its DLSS 4.5 upgrade.

The driver also brings support for NVIDIA's new GeForce RTX 5070 laptop GPU with a 12GB VRAM configuration.

"Demand for GeForce RTX GPUs remains strong, and memory supply is constrained. In order to maximize memory availability, we are releasing the GeForce RTX 5070 Laptop GPU 12GB configuration with 24Gb G7 memory," explained the company. "This gives our partners access to an additional pool of memory to complement the 16Gb G7 supply that currently ships with most GeForce GPUs. The 12GB configuration will exist alongside the current 8GB configuration, and allows our partners to bring a broader range of GeForce RTX 5070 laptops to consumers."

These are the fixed gaming bugs in this release:

• God of War: Ragnarok: Certain textures may intermittently flash white during gameplay.
• Assassin's Creed Shadows: Flickering on the character model's clothing
• The Crew Motorfest: Grass and vegetation flickering

These are the general bug fixes:

• Blocky artifacts when playing back H.264 content with DXVA 2.0
• Blender 5.0.1 EEVEE: Non-shader nodes connected to the material output rendered as black (zero value)

The NVIDIA 596.36 driver is now available for download from the NVIDIA app. For those who want to download it directly, standalone links are here. Here are the official release notes (PDF).

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Posted Wednesday 29 April 2026 at 7:31 am AEST (my time).

News posts: 2023 5,800+ | 2024 5,700+ | 2025 5,700+ | 2026 (to end of March) 1,297

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Microsoft Teams is heavily used in enterprise environments, which is not surprising considering the breadth of functionalities that it offers, along with integration with other services in Redmond's ecosystem. However, a recent change has been annoying many Teams customers across the globe.

When you sign into a workplace Teams account, the app's title bar shows a three-dot icon from where you can access some broad settings like zoom level, pinning, feedback, and more. Nested inside it is also the option to unlock Teams Premium, a paid add-on which costs $10/user/month. This three-dot menu is not something that automatically grabs attention, which is good since it basically hides optional complexities behind its UX. This is how unnoticeable it looks, we have obscured parts of the UX to preserve privacy:

However, a recent update has modified the appearance of this three-dot menu with a rather distinctive change that has sparked customer backlash. Basically, if you open the Teams app as a full-screen interface, you'll notice that Microsoft has unnested the "Unlock Premium" option and is now showing it as a sort of a banner next to the three-dots, complete with a diamond icon. You can check it out below:

If you click on Unlock Premium option, you're presented with a pop-up that shows you all the benefits that you receive through this paid add-on license, along with the ability to utilize a 60-day trial for free without needing a credit card. If you sign up for the trial, it activates instantly.

There are a few problems with this approach. For starters, many people aren't happy that they're being asked to pay more in a software that they already pay for, via their organization. The second problem is that there is no way to get rid of the Unlock Premium text and just restore the three-dot menu. Finally, and most importantly, most Teams users obviously aren't really in a place to decide if they can enable Teams Premium within their entire organization. This is a decision that is primarily reserved for management and IT.

Of course, Microsoft's rationale behind this could be that if enough users within a tenant try out Teams Premium, they'll be impressed by it and convince their management to pay more for additional benefits.

That said, Teams customers really aren't happy with this "ad" for Teams premium, with the dedicated feedback portal filled with comments like:

• I WANT TO REMOVE THE UNLOCK PREMIUM BUTTON
• As everyone else has said, the majority of us are not in a position within our organization to authorize a premium subscription, so please remove it from the interface/allow it to be dismissed. It makes it difficult to find teams settings, because the "..." menu is attached to the unlock premium button. Delete delete delete.
• This is especially annoying because in most cases, it's a decision that would be made by one specific person or team. In other words, I'm not someone who can make that decision to "upgrade" anything within our company, yet I have to look at this stupid "ad" in Teams every single day.
• This is just bad UX that leads to mistrust. Most importantly, this advertisement makes settings very hard to discover - who would think to click "unlock premium" if they want to change notification settings? Second, "Unlock" implies that this is just a locked feature that can be unlocked. It is not, it is a subscription that must be purchased. Both of these feel like dark patterns that make my relationship with the product and with Microsoft feel more adversarial. Nothing new there, but market dominance only saves you for so long.
• STOP ALL POP UPS AND DISTRACTIONS
• This is rather annoying. It doesn't look professional, and it is a distraction for users.
• PLEASE!! the amount of hours i have to spend explaining to the staff we are poor and can't afford the product!!! please allow us to hide the up sell button!

Microsoft has been drawing criticism for this UX modification for the past month or so, ever since the change went public. However, it will be interesting to see if the company decides to reverse course or continue with its upselling tactics.

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Posted Wednesday 29 April 2026 at 7:30 am AEST (my time).

News posts: 2023 5,800+ | 2024 5,700+ | 2025 5,700+ | 2026 (to end of March) 1,297

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Canonical has announced that Ubuntu 16.04 LTS has reached the end of standard Expanded Security Maintenance with Ubuntu Pro. Anyone still on this version wanting to keep using it must now buy the Legacy add-on via an Ubuntu Pro subscription to extend the life until April 2031.

Buying the Legacy add-on is quite an extreme measure and should only be used if you have some application that won’t work on newer versions. For everyone else, you’ll want to either do a clean install of Ubuntu 26.04 LTS or you can do progressive in-place upgrades through 18.04 LTS, 20.04 LTS, 22.04 LTS, and 24.04 LTS. The upgrade path from 24.04 LTS to 26.04 LTS is not open until later.

If you choose to go with the Legacy add-on, Canonical will provide security maintenance for binary packages across the main and universe repositories. You’ll get critical patches for essential packages such as MySQL 5.7, Python 2.7, PostgreSQL 9.5, and NGINX 1.10. The support also covers OpenStack Mitaka and key components like Ceph and Kubernetes where technically possible.

Explaining why you might want the Legacy add-on, Canonical writes:

"Migrating a decade-old infrastructure is a massive undertaking. Whether it’s due to complex troubleshooting, hardware compatibility, or strict regulatory requirements (like PCI-DSS or the EU Cyber Resillience Act), sometimes an immediate upgrade isn’t possible.

Legacy add-on allows you to:

• Keep mission-critical systems operational without the risk of unpatched CVEs.
• Continue meeting security standards while your teams focus on long-term migration planning.
• Receive ongoing security patches for your machines.
• Access 24×7 technical support for break fix and bug fix."

If you do not upgrade or buy the legacy add-on, then your system will be vulnerable to any new exploits that are released. For organizations, this will be a massive issue as it could lead to the loss of customer data. You can find out more in Canonical’s announcement.

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Posted Tuesday 28 April 2026 at 5:29 pm AEST (my time).

News posts: 2023 5,800+ | 2024 5,700+ | 2025 5,700+ | 2026 (to end of March) 1,297

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Apple has introduced a new subscription option on the App Store to make the lives of developers and users a bit easier. The Cupertino giant will allow developers to offer monthly subscriptions with a 12-month commitment for their apps as a new payment option.

Annual plans are generally cheaper. The new option allows developers to transfer that benefit to those who want to pay monthly. In other words, people can have more affordable subscriptions by paying a smaller amount each month instead of a single payment.

"People can cancel their subscription at any time, which will prevent the subscription from renewing after they’ve completed their agreed-to payments to fulfill their commitment," Apple said. Your subscription will automatically renew into another 12-month commitment once all 12 payments are completed. You can cancel early, but your monthly payments will continue until the commitment period ends, or you will lose access to the subscription if your payment fails.

Developers can configure the new subscription option in App Store Connect and test it in XCode. Apple said that monthly subscriptions with a 12-month commitment will be available worldwide next month, with the release of iOS 26.5, iPadOS 26.5, macOS Tahoe 26.5, tvOS 26.5, and visionOS 26.5. However, it won't be available in the US and Singapore, and Apple hasn't revealed any possible release date.

The feature will be backward compatible with iOS 26.4, iPadOS 26.4, macOS Tahoe 26.4, tvOS 26.4, and visionOS 26.4 once it goes live. You can easily keep an eye on the number of completed and remaining payments for the subscription in your Apple account. Apple will send emails and push notifications ahead of the renewal date to remind you of the upcoming purchase.

Apart from that, Apple is going through a major transition this year. Apple CEO Tim Cook will step down after almost 15 years, succeeded by John Ternus, who is currently the SVP of Hardware Engineering. The iPhone Fold (and several other products) will mark Ternus' first major moment on the stage as the new Apple boss.

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Posted Tuesday 28 April 2026 at 5:28 pm AEST (my time).

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WhatsApp is reportedly working on a way to back up your chats in a place other than Google Drive or iCloud. Meta is now looking to host chat backups on its own servers where it will use end-to-end encryption to keep user data safe. It’s expected that there will be a free tier and a paid tier.

On the free tier, users are looking at getting 2GB of storage for their chat backups, while paid users will get 50GB of storage for $0.99 (it's unclear is this is per month or per year). In screenshots shared by WABetaInfo, users on Android will be given the choice of choosing a chat backup provider, either WhatsApp or Google. It reassures users that their data is safe, even from Meta.

The chats are protected with a passkey, so you’ll be able to access them with a fingerprint, face, or app lock–it’s your choice. The passkey is then stored in your password manager. The backups are encrypted with a secure 64-digit encryption key, which is very secure.

This move should come as a relief to users freeloading from Google and are constantly nagged to pay for extra storage for supposedly being near full capacity on their account storage as it’ll mean you can delete your WhatsApp backups from there, and store them on Meta’s infrastructure.

WABetaInfo also notes that it’s not known if the free storage will be for everyone, or just those subscribed to WhatsApp Plus. If it does end up being for everyone then perhaps the paid tier will be added to WhatsApp Plus, these are details we will learn after the feature is out.

Source and image: WABetaInfo

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Posted Tuesday 28 April 2026 at 5:27 pm AEST (my time).

News posts: 2023 5,800+ | 2024 5,700+ | 2025 5,700+ | 2026 (to end of March) 1,297

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