Alongside new hardware support, the 25.5.1 driver also adds support for a couple of new upcoming games. FSR 4, AMD's latest AI/ML-based image upscaling technology, has also received support for more games including Ghost of Tsushima, Warhammer 40,000: Darktide, and more.

The update also brings support for more Vulkan extensions. Thef full changelog is given below:

New Product Support

 

• AMD Radeon™ RX 9070 GRE

   

Highlights

 

• New Game Support

   

  • Doom™: The Dark Ages
  • F1® 25

 

• New Game Support for AMD FidelityFX™ Super Resolution 4 (FSR 4)
  • Ghost of Tsushima
  • Frostpunk 2
  • Everspace 2
  • Fort Solis
  • Warhammer 40,000: Darktide
  • The Finals
  • Influx Redux

 

• Expanded HYPR-RX Support
  • HYPR-Tune Support
    • Marvel's Spider-Man 2
    • Marvel Rivals
    • Grand Theft Auto V Enhanced
    • Kingdom Come Deliverance II
    • Path of Exile 2

 

• Expanded Vulkan Extension Support
  • Vulkan 1.4 Support
  • VK_EXT_shader_replicated_composites
  • VK_KHR_maintenance8
  • VK_EXT_image_2d_view_of_3d
  • Click HERE for more information about other Vulkan® extension support.

 

• Fixed Issues and Improvements
  • Failure to detect integrated camera may be observed after driver installation using factory reset option on some Ryzen™ AI Max and Max+ series products.
  • Installation progress may persistently display 0% while installing AMD Chat within the AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition user interface after upgrading to AMD Radeon RX 9000 Series graphics products.
  • System crash may be observed due to a memory leak when using SteamVR on some AMD Radeon™ Graphics Products, such as the Radeon™ RX 9000 series. Users experiencing this issue are recommended to turn off Motion Smoothing in SteamVR settings.
  • Intermittent application crash or driver timeout may be observed while playing Metro Exodus Enhanced Edition.
  • Intermittent application crash or driver timeout may be observed while loading Civilization VII with Anti-Lag enabled.

 

Known Issues

 

• Intermittent application crash or driver timeout may be observed while playing The Last of Us Part 2.
• Stutter may be observed while playing games with some VR headsets at 80Hz or 90Hz refresh rate on some AMD Radeon™ Graphics Products such as the Radeon™ RX 7000 series. Users experiencing this issue are recommended to change the refresh rate as a temporary workaround.
• Intermittent system or application crash may be observed while playing Cyberpunk 2077
• Failure to launch may be observed for Battlefield 1 on Radeon™ RX 9000 series graphics products with Ryzen™ 9 9950X integrated graphics. Users experiencing these issues are recommended to disable integrated graphics (iGPU) in system BIOS as a temporary workaround.
• Intermittent failure to launch may be observed when AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition user interface is launched from desktop context menu or system tray.
• Intermittent application crash or driver timeout may be observed while playing Monster Hunter Wilds with Radeon™ Anti-Lag and Instant Replay enabled.
• Artifacts or corruption may appear while playing BattleField on Radeon™ RX 7000 series graphics products.
• Quality and Performance selections may be reversed in the user interface for AMD Radeon™ Boost.
• Stutter may be observed while playing Call of Duty®: Warzone™ Season 03 Verdansk map on some AMD Graphics Products.

To download the new driver, head over to AMD's official website. You will notice that there are separate links to download them depending on the GPU family your graphics card belongs to. Polaris/Vega (the Radeon RX 400/500 and Vega series) cards have a download link while RDNA-based GPUs (RX 5000 and newer) has a separate link. Get the driver from this page on AMD's site.

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It’s always a bit awkward to know when a major feature release should be accepted.

I do not recommend installing a feature release on or soon after the second Tuesday of the month — Patch Tuesday. That’s because the upgrade hits the Internet, looking for any uninstalled patches that the feature release needs.

It’s a good reason to pause updates, which is why I’m raising the MS-DEFCON level to 2.

However, if you’re ready to install Windows 11 24H2, do it now — before Monday evening. As soon as that update is in, use Windows Settings to pause updates. This avoids Tuesday’s security updates, which we obviously have not yet examined.

On the other hand, you may not be ready for 24H2 (and I don’t blame you). If that’s the case, set your phaser on stun — pause updates now for at least a couple of weeks. By that time, I’ll have further guidance in my Patch Watch column.

Consumers

Windows 10 May security updates will include a long-awaited fix. As Microsoft notes in KB5055612, the System Guard Runtime Monitor Broker service has been fixed:

The Windows Event Viewer might display an error related to SgrmBroker.exe, on devices that have installed Windows updates released January 14, 2025, or later. This error can be found under Windows Logs > System as Event 7023, with text similar to ‘The System Guard Runtime Monitor Broker service terminated with the following error: %%3489660935’.

The update also includes an updated Windows Kernel Vulnerable Driver Blocklist in the form of the file (DriverSiPolicy.p7b). Additions have been made to blocklist drivers with security vulnerabilities that have been used in Bring Your Own Vulnerable Driver (BYOVD) attacks. That said, some security researchers have not been impressed with Microsoft’s implementation of this protection. We’ll see whether Microsoft got it right this time.

If you have a qualifying Copilot+ PC, Microsoft will begin to dribble out Recall this month. If you recall (with your brain, not your PC), this is a Windows feature that takes screenshots automatically, recording what you’ve been working on. It remains to be seen how much it will be used, but it’s going to be pushed to you.

Businesses

Microsoft has released a fix that was causing machines receiving the April security update to block the installation of Windows 11 24H2 via WSUS or SCCM. As Microsoft notes in its Learn article Windows 11, version 23H2 known issues and notifications:

Devices which have installed the April Windows monthly security update, released April 8, 2025, or later (starting with KB5055528) might be unable to update to Windows 11, version 24H2 via Windows Server Update Services (WSUS). WSUS allows Servers with the WSUS role to defer, selectively approve, and schedule updates for specific devices or groups across an organization.

As part of this issue, the download of Windows 11, version 24H2 does not initiate or complete. Windows updates log can show error code 0x80240069, and further logs might include text similar to “Service wuauserv has unexpectedly stopped”.

To fix the issue, install the msi from the Microsoft link and then configure the Group Policy at Computer Configuration | Administrative Templates.

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Anybody with a Raspberry Pi computer can now download a new version of Raspberry Pi OS which features a new lock screen, improved auto login options, a new printer application, Linux 6.12, and better touchscreen handling. Existing users can update with two very simple commands in the terminal while those looking to do a fresh install should use the Raspberry Pi Imager tool.

The most notable new feature in this update is the inclusion of a modified version of swaylock, a minimalist lock screen. Swaylock isn’t very helpful by default, it just shows a white screen with no instructions about what to do, so Raspberry Pi modified it for its OS. It now features a custom front end that explains the screen is locked and that you need to type your password to unlock. It also features a nice background.

You can also lock the device now by pressing Ctrl-Alt-L or pressing shut down in the main menu then pressing lock screen. The lock screen features a box to type your password, then you just hit enter to get back into the system.

If you’re someone who likes to have your system auto login on boot, there is a bit of a security issue related to the lock screen. If you lock your screen but have auto login enabled, a user could come along and get access using TTY switches. These let you press Ctrl-Alt-F1-7 to switch to a console. In this update of Raspberry Pi OS, there’s now an option to disable console auto login from the Raspberry Pi Configuration and raspi-config settings.

To give you a better printing experience, the old system-config-printer application, which was untidy and quirky, has been replaced by a modified GNOME Printers application that is now standalone. The company has also changed a few of the design elements of this app, compared to the GNOME version, to make it better.

Finally, the touchscreen support has been somewhat improved. Wayland’s touchscreen support lacked double-click support so Rapsberry Pi added mouse emulation which made taps act like mouse clicks but disabled gestures. Some users noticed this and wanted to be able to use gestures so the option to switch between the two modes has been added via a new menu in the ‘Touchscreen’ section of the context-sensitive menu in Screen Configuration. Raspberry Pi is hoping that touchscreen support will be improved in Wayland in upcoming releases.

If you have Raspberry Pi OS already installed and want to do an upgrade, use the following two commands separately:

• sudo apt update
• sudo apt full-upgrade

Again, if you want to do a clean install, you can use the Raspberry Pi Imager tool to write the operating system to removable storage.

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In June 2025, Windows Autopatch will offer customers hotpatching capabilities and improve control over data sharing. Hotpatching applies important security updates without prompting the end user to restart their system and disrupting the workflow. Hotpatching for client Windows versions is available in Windows 11 version 24H2 (Microsoft is getting ready to ship some hotpatches), and it is now included in Windows Autopatch.

Hotpatches are available on devices that meet the following requirements:

• Devices that have the most recent hotpatch baseline security update installed. (Baseline updates are offered quarterly as part of a normal security update. April was the most recent baseline month, and the next baseline is in July.)
• Devices running Windows 11, version 24H2 for x64 (AMD and Intel) CPU.
• Virtualization Based Security (VBS) enabled and running.
• CHPE disabled for Arm64 devices. (Note: Hotpatching for Arm64 devices is still in public preview.)

You can learn more about Windows Hotpatching here.

As for privacy controls, Windows Autopatch will provide reports about data that is inaccessible for the service on a specific device if diagnostic data is disabled. Data settings will no longer be set for Windows Autopatch groups by default, giving organizations more control over what data they share with Microsoft.

Also, Microsoft will improve its troubleshooting capabilities by allowing administrators to target Windows Autopatch client brokers to assess why certain devices experience problems with getting updates.

You can read more about the latest Windows Autopatch updates here.

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UniGetUI, the popular Windows package manager, formerly known as WingetUI, has received its latest stable update today. The new update brings a big performance boost to the app thanks to support for TRIM. The new release claims to offer up to a 44% decrease in executable size and around a 6% decrease in memory usage.

The release notes mention:

TRIM Support

 

• Decrease executable size (201MB -> 113MB, ~44% decrease)
• Decrease RAM usage (167MB -> 158MB, ~6% decrease)

For those not familiar with it, the TRIM command allows a drive to intelligently free up space that is no longer deemed necessary for the storage device to hold on to, without deleting essential data. This helps to avoid rewriting in used spaces, and it is generally considered a good thing for drive health as well as drive performance.

Aside from TRIM support, there are many more changes and improvements. The full release notes are given below:

Changelog:

 

• New navigation bar
  • More responsive to layout changes
  • Has a back button
• New filters panel
  • Automatically collapses depending on the window size
• More improvements to the Settings UI
  • Better page fragmentation
  • Smoother navigation
• Package lists can be displayed as:
  • List
  • Grid
  • Icons
• Package lists layout has been greatly optimized
• Fixed a bug where icons would't show
• Some local packages will now display icons (most MSIX and a few ARP)
• Added Proxy support (both for UniGetUI and for the package managers that support it)
• Automatic package updates can now be paused when
  • Battery saver is on
  • User is connected to a metered connection
• Dropped NancyFx in favour of Asp.NET for the background API
• Improvements to Installation Options dialog
• All dialogs are responsive, and have a clickable close button
• Less disk space footprint
• Launch times have been greatly improved (via TRIM and compiler optimizations)
• Less RAM usage
• Sign the uninstaller
• Fix an issue where the uninstaller would launch UniGetUI
• Other internal improvements and fixes

 

What's Changed

 

• Update dependabot.yml by @snapsl in #3446

   

• Bump peter-evans/create-pull-request from 6 to 7 by @dependabot in #3449
• Bump vedantmgoyal9/winget-releaser from a3ac67b0c3026bc335a33b722188e3ec769d6a64 to f7efa6288d37219838d58cb2d953d35b71ebc5d3 by @dependabot in #3448
• Further settings improvements by @marticliment in #3464
• Fix dependabot by @snapsl in #3450
• Bump vedantmgoyal9/winget-releaser from f7efa6288d37219838d58cb2d953d35b71ebc5d3 to 3e78d7ff0f525445bca5d6a989d31cdca383372e in the actions-deps group by @dependabot in #3502
• New NavigationBar + WinUIEx titlebar by @marticliment in #3519
• Trim support by @marticliment in #3535
• Alternative views for package lists by @marticliment in #3551
• Add icons to local packages by @marticliment in #3564
• Fix Minor Update Check by @mrixner in #3573
• Load translations from Tolgee by @martinet101 in #3583
• More efficient package filtering and fetching on packages page by @marticliment in #3597
• Add Back button to the titlebar by @marticliment in #3598
• Ditch NancyFX in favour of ASP.NET by @marticliment in #3603

You can download UniGetUI version 3.2.0 stable from Neowin software stories page or from its official GitHub repo.

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Microsoft also announced more Windows Search-related changes yesterday. The feature will now be able to look up certain Settings when you need them. Alongside that, Microsoft is also introducing the ability to download apps from the Microsoft Store through the Search and it looks like users are already complaining about the second feature.

Giorgio Sardo, who is the Vice President for App Store & Apps at Microsoft, showed off the upcoming feature on his official X handle and the comments on the thread are generally negative with many complaining that this is undesirable and they would want to disable it.

Xeno who is a popular Windows enthusiast on the X community immediately inquired if Microsoft would allow disabling this new feature. The post was liked and retweeted by many indicating that many users were agreeing with them:

Another user quipped about how the modern Windows Search is great at finding everything else other than the one thing it was designed for:

Here is another one:

Thus, sadly for Microsoft, its enthusiasm about showing off this new feature was not quite met with the positivity that it may have hoped for.

Let us know in the comments below if you feel like this feature will be helpful as Microsoft probably intends it to be, or whether you, too, would love to disable it the first chance you get!

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Alongside those, Microsoft has also announced new HLK and VHLK May 2025 releases. These are being referred to as refreshed versions and replaces the RTM version released in May 2024. It writes:

Microsoft is pleased to announce that a refreshed HLK for Windows 11, version 24H2 and Windows Server 2025 is available starting May 6, 2025.

 

This release of the HLK contains test errata fixes, HLK test removals, and HLK test additions. All these changes will help keep the overall test quality high while helping reduce triage time for known test issues.

 

..

 

The refreshed version of the HLK will replace the RTM version that is available on the HLK download site. The VHLK version will be available in a week.

For those not familiar, HLK or Hardware Lab Kit essentially helps hardware vendors ensure compatibility and fulfill the driver certification process. Thus, errata, in the context of HLK, refers to bugs or issues that may cause the certification test to "fail" on perfectly compatible hardware or drivers.

VHLK is a similar thing, except it is designed with virtual environments, VHDs, and VMS in mind.

The Windows HLK (and VHLK) comes under the gambit of the WHCP, or Windows Hardware Compatibility Program. It is a test framework designed to aid hardware vendors and Microsoft partners in testing and ensuring the proper compatibility of hardware and drivers on Windows 11 and 10, among others, such that they can receive the WHQL or Windows Hardware Quality Labs certification.

The HLK driver brings several new tests for Bluetooth LE Audio and support for Generation 2 VMs in the case of the VHLK. You can find the full details here on the official Microsoft Tech Community blog post.

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In a new blog post, Microsoft has explained:

Device metadata and the Windows Metadata and Internet Services (WMIS) are being retired as of May 2025, and no new packages will be delivered to Windows clients via WMIS. In Partner Center, device metadata experiences cannot be created, modified, or promoted. New device metadata submissions will fail. Existing device metadata packages on Windows clients will remain on the client.

 

Between now and December 2025, partners can continue to use Partner Center to view and download previously signed device metadata packages.

For those wondering what it is, device metadata, as the name suggests, is the collection of additional, user-facing information that an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) provides about a hardware device. The feature was introduced with Windows 7 and can include stuff like icons, logos, descriptive texts, among other things, that help the Windows UI display details about such devices in places like Task Manager or Device Manager. The metadata is presented via an XML file.

Going forward, Microsoft recommends using the INF instead, which are setup information files for driver packages. You can find the details here on the official Tech Community blog post.

Alongside the upcoming death of Device metadata and the Windows Metadata and Internet Services (WMIS), Microsoft has also announced changes for pre-production driver signing. Microsoft says that the current driver signing CA (certificate authority) or PCA 2010 is set to expire next month in June 2025.

Microsoft has explained the timeline of events:

The CA that is used to sign the binaries for use in pre-production environments on the Windows Hardware Program is set to expire in July 2025, following which a new CA will be used to sign the preproduction content starting June 9, 2025. There are some important points that partners must take notice of, following this change:

 

• Going forward, the expiry of the signed content will not be tied to the expiry of the underlying CA. This means that any pre-production driver signed after June 9, 2025, will not come with an expiry date. This is unlike today, where preproduction content expires along with the expiration of the certificate that signed it.
• Drivers signed before June 9, 2025, will expire on July 6, 2025, as is the current model.
• April 22, 2025, May 13, 2025, and June 10, 2025 - Windows servicing releases (4D/5B/6B) ship to in-market platforms (down to Windows Server 2008) to remap existing CAs to their new CAs in WDAC/Application Control for Business policies. Partners must make sure to install these Latest Cumulative updates (LCUs) to add trust for the new preproduction signer (Microsoft Windows Component Preproduction CA 2024) to the kernel.

You can find the details here on the official Microsoft Tech Community blog post.

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The company explains:

After installing the April Windows monthly security update released April 8, 2025 (KB5055523 / KB5055526 / KB5055519 /KB5055521 ) or later, Active Directory Domain Controllers (DC) might experience issues when processing Kerberos logons or delegations using certificate-based credentials that rely on key trust via the Active Directory msds-KeyCredentialLink field. This can result in authentication issues in Windows Hello for Business (WHfB) Key Trust environments or environments that have deployed Device Public Key Authentication (also known as Machine PKINIT).

 

...

 

The affected protocols are Kerberos Public Key Cryptography for Initial Authentication (Kerberos PKINIT), and Certificate based Service-for-User Delegation (S4U) via both Kerberos Constrained Delegation (KCD or A2D2 Delegation) and Kerberos Resource-Based Constrained Delegation (RBKCD or A2DF Delegation).

Microsoft adds that other products which rely on this can also also be affected, including smart card authentication products, third-party single sign-on (SSO), and so on.

Microsoft has also explained what triggered the issue. The tech giant says that the problem is a result of a compatibility bug with the recent patches deployed for a Windows Kerberos Elevation of Privilege (network) security vulnerability. The vulnerability is tracked under ID CVE-2025-26647 and the patch details are available under KB5057784.

The rollout of the above patch entered the initial deployment phase or audit mode with the April Patch, and hence, it is not enforced yet.

Microsoft has explained the root of the problem below and also the symptoms:

This issue is related to security measures described in KB5057784, Protections for CVE-2025-26647 (Kerberos Authentication). Beginning with Windows updates released April 8,2025 and later, the method in which DCs validate certificates being used for Kerberos authentication has changed. Following this update, they will check if the certificates chain to a root in the NTAuth store, as described in described in KB5057784.

 

This behavior can be controlled by the registry value AllowNtAuthPolicyBypass in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Kdc. If AllowNtAuthPolicyBypass does not exist, the DC will behave as if the value is configured to “1”.

 

Two symptoms can be observed from this issue:

 

• When registry value AllowNtAuthPolicyBypass is set to "1" on the authenticating DC, Kerberos-Key-Distribution-Center event ID 45 is repeatedly recorded in the DC system event log, with text similar to "The Key Distribution Center (KDC) encountered a client certificate that was valid but did not chain to a root in the NTAuth store". Although this event may be logged excessively, please note that related logon operations are otherwise successful, and no other issues are observed outside of these event log records.
• When registry value AllowNtAuthPolicyBypass is set to "2" on the authenticating DC, user logon operations fail. Kerberos-Key-Distribution-Center event ID 21 is recorded in the DC system event log, with text similar to "The client certificate for the user is not valid and resulted in a failed smartcard logon."

For now, the company says that the issue can be worked around by setting the aforementioned Registry value to "1" instead of "2". You can find the issue entry here on Microsoft's Windows Health Dashboard website.

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Docker Desktop is now available on the Microsoft Store, making installation & updates easier for developers and IT teams. 🚀🐳

Learn more about seamless Intune integration, automatic updates & improved enterprise management from the Docker team: https://t.co/TutS9WSfcn

Get the… pic.twitter.com/Ji6T31SJoi

 

— Giorgio Sardo (@gisardo) May 6, 2025

In the announcement blog, the Docker team highlighted that Windows is the most widely used platform among Docker Desktop users, and the Microsoft Store’s automatic update feature will ensure Docker Desktop is updated regularly to directly address compliance and security concerns while minimizing downtime.

Docker Desktop app on Microsoft Store will offer the following for IT Admins:

• Native Intune MDM Integration: Deploy Docker Desktop across your organization using Microsoft’s enterprise management tools including Intune.
• Centralized Control: Easily roll out Docker Desktop through the Microsoft Store’s enterprise distribution channels.
• Security-Compatible Updates: Updates are handled automatically by the Microsoft Store infrastructure, even in organizations where users don’t have direct store access.
• Updates Without Direct Store Access: The native integration with Intune allows automatic updates to function even when users don’t have Microsoft Store access — a significant advantage for security-conscious organizations with restricted environments.
• Familiar Workflow: The update mechanism works similarly to winget commands (winget install –id=XP8CBJ40XLBWKX –source=msstore), providing consistency with other enterprise software management.

Developers can download the Docker Desktop app from the Microsoft Store here for free.

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Today, Microsoft announced that Fedora Linux is now officially supported as a WSL distribution. The Fedora Project is using WSL’s new tar-based architecture to create WSL images, starting with Fedora 42. The Fedora team is working to enable GUI-based applications to take advantage of hardware acceleration on Windows in the future. They are also working to improve the Flatpak experience.

To install Fedora Linux on WSL, enter the following commands:

• wsl --install FedoraLinux-42
• wsl -d FedoraLinux-42

Once installed, users can enter their username and start using the distro. By default, the user will not have a password and will be part of the wheel group, which allows users to use sudo to run commands that require elevated privileges.

Since Flatpak support is not included in the Fedora WSL image by default, users who need Flatpak will need to install it separately. Microsoft highlighted that the Fedora community is working to make several popular projects available on the Fedora WSL image. Popular tools like GCC 15, LLVM 20, Golang 1.24, Ruby 3.4, PHP 8.4, Python 3.9, and more are already supported.

You can learn more about the Fedora WSL images here. This development further expands the versatility of WSL, offering developers another popular Linux distribution directly within Windows. The Fedora community's ongoing efforts promise an even better experience and improved tool availability in the near future.

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For those not familiar, hotpatching is meant to keep devices secure without causing downtime or interruptions. That is because these security updates install automatically and take effect without needing a device restart.

Hotpatch works as an extension of Windows Update and requires Autopatch to create and deploy these updates to devices enrolled in the Autopatch quality update policy.

To help, Microsoft has shared technical documentation, the hotpatch calendar, and many more items for use by administrators. Microsoft writes:

Resources to get started with hotpatch updates for Windows 11, version 24H2

 

The first Windows 11 hotpatch update since general availability is coming to enterprises in the second week of May 2025. Here is a list of recently published resources to help you get started and make the most of this feature.

• Official announcement: Hotpatch for Windows client now available
• Technical documentation, including prerequisites, enrollment instructions, and troubleshooting: Hotpatch updates
• Windows 11, version 24H2 Enterprise hotpatch calendar: Windows 11 hotpatch calendar
• Monthly update contents: Release notes for hotpatch public preview on Windows 11, version 24H2 Enterprise clients
• User readiness information to share with people at your organization: Understanding security updates that get installed without a restart
• Per-policy level view of the current update statuses: Hotpatch quality update report
• Technical demo: The hottest way to update Windows 11 and Windows Server 2025

 

Note: A hotpatch calendar is now also incorporated into the Windows Server release information.

You can find the post here on Microsoft's Windows Health dashboard website message center.

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The Start menu is getting quite a big upgrade. After various leaks and hidden features in preview builds, Microsoft is finally acknowledging the updated Start menu layout with automatic categories similar to the app library on iOS. Microsoft is ditching the two-page design in favor of a single scrollable view and a dedicated button for the Phone Link companion that lets you check your phone's status, recent contacts, calls, messages, and files.

AI actions in File Explorer will make it easier to use AI-powered features like content summarization or image editing. Similar to Click to Do on Copilot+ PCs, you can access these features by right-clicking a file without opening it.

Some useful upgrades are coming to Notepad as well. Just like in Word, users will be able to summarize text documents or generate text from a prompt to draft documents or pitch ideas. As for non-AI features, Notepad is getting basic formatting tools like bold and italics, headings, markup, and lists. These changes will make Notepad more similar to the recently killed WordPad.

Upgrades to the Copilot app include the new push-to-talk feature, which lets you hold the Copilot key to enter voice mode. Also, Microsoft is bringing back the trigger command, allowing you to invoke Copilot by saying, "Hey, Copilot." This feature will soon be available to Windows Insiders as an opt-in experience.

Copilot Vision for Windows will also launch soon. This feature can analyze the content of your screen and provide insights or answer questions to help you better understand what is going on. Microsoft plans to roll out Copilot Vision in the United States soon.

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The Photos app is getting a new Relight feature, which allows you to add and adjust dynamic light sources to your photos. You can place up to three light sources, change their colors, set a focus point, and customize brightness and intensity. If you do not have time to toy around with the sliders, the app will offer you a one-click solution with built-in presets. Microsoft says this feature will make it much easier to make complex light adjustments.

Relight is coming soon to Windows Insiders with Copilot+ PCs powered by Snapdragon processors, like the new Surface Pro 12-inch and the Surface Laptop 13-inch. In a later update, Copilot+ PCs with Intel and AMD processors will also get this feature.

For Paint users, Microsoft prepared two new features: Sticker Generator and Object Select. Sticker Generator lets you generate sticker packs that can be later used in the canvas, documents, chats, and more. Type your prompt, and Paint will create a sticker pack based on it.

Also, Paint Cocreator, generative fill, and image generation/restyling features in the Photos app received an improved underlying diffusion-based model, which can deliver better results faster. The model is available in Paint and Photos starting today.

Object Select uses AI to isolate elements on the canvas more effectively with a single click, sparing you from manually outlining them or dealing with imperfect edge selection. Paint's new Object Select understands the structure and context of your image for fast and precise selection. Both Sticker Generator and Object Select are coming to Paint in the Windows Insider program later this month.

Today's updates for the Snipping Tool app promise to help you take perfect screenshots by automatically adjusting the capture area to on-screen content. When enabled, Snipping Tool analyses your screen and snaps around the most prominent rectangular object, like a chart, table, image, etc, saving you time and clicks on cropping.

Snipping Tool also gets two new instruments: a text extractor and a color picker. With the text extractor, you can copy text directly from images and screenshots, and the color picker allows you to capture color values from anywhere on the screen (PowerToys has such a feature).

Finally, Microsoft announced that Narrator on Copilot+ PCs with Snapdragon processors now features rich image description to assist users with low vision. It can provide detailed information about charts, photos, UI elements, colors, people, objects, text, and numbers. The updated Narrator is now available on Snapdragon-powered PCs and will be coming soon to Intel and AMD systems later this year.

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The biggest change is an AI agent in the Settings app. The idea is very simple: you click the search box and explain in natural language what you would like to change. The request should not necessarily be very direct. For example, you can complain about something, like "my mouse pointer is too small," and the Settings app will show you a quick solution and links to related settings.

The Settings app on Copilot+ PCs already features an improved search that can understand human language. Now, Microsoft is taking it to a new level by allowing AI to take action on your behalf when troubleshooting or customizing your computer (with your permission, of course).

The improved Settings app with an AI agent will first be available to Windows Insiders with Copilot+ PCs powered by Snapdragon processors. Later, Microsoft will expand it to Copilot+ PCs with Intel and AMD chips. At launch, only the English language will be supported.

Windows Search is also getting some much-needed improvements. Later this month, Windows Insiders will get to try a new build with Windows Search being able to find various Windows settings and install apps from the Microsoft Store. Better search is also coming to the Photos app so that you can find specific photos more easily.

New features for Click to Do include the ability to ask Copilot to perform actions on your text or photos and launch Reading Coach or Immersive Reader. Click to Do will also be able to schedule a meeting or launch a Teams chat from an email.

Finally, Microsoft is bringing Copilot to the Microsoft Store. The AI Hub now features the latest features on Copilot+ PCs, and you can ask Copilot questions about apps, games, recommendations, and more. Microsoft is also adding new product badges to make it easier for users to understand which apps have AI-powered experiences or which apps are created exclusively for Copilot+ PCs.

These new features will first be available in the Windows Insider program before being released to all users.

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Alongside that, the company also reminded users about the upcoming end of support for Windows 10 that is inbound in less than six months. In the reminder, Microsoft has highlighted ways to deal with the event, covering both scenarios depending on whether your system is eligible for a Windows 11 upgrade or not.

If you are in the latter camp, then Microsoft wants you to buy a new Windows 11 PC and that is something the tech giant has repeated time and again, even as recently as this past week in the context of Copilot+ AI PCs. It has also provided some data to back up claims of huge performance and productivity boost, albeit citing a paid study.

While upgrading a PC does make sense in case it is really old or has too few CPU cores/threads, that may not be necessary at all for many users out there. ESET, for example, last year recommended that users on Windows 10 devices that can't officially upgrade to 11 should instead move over to Linux.

If you are unsure about it, there is a new website on the block that explains why you should choose Linux over Windows 11. The project is backed by KDE, and it highlights five reasons why Linux is better. It writes:

5 Reasons to upgrade your old computer to Linux

 

It's waaaaay cheaper

 

• A new laptop costs a lot of money. Repair cafes will often help you for free. Software updates are also free, forever. You can of course show your support for both with donations!

 

No ads, no spying

 

• Windows comes with lots of ads and spyware nowadays, slowing down your computer and increasing your energy bill.

 

Good for the planet

 

• Production of a computer accounts for 75+% of carbon emissions over its lifecycle. Keeping a functioning device longer is a hugely effective way to reduce emissions.

 

Community support

 

• If you have any issues with your computer, the local repair cafe and independent computer shop are there for you. You can find community support in online forums, too.

 

User control

 

• You are in control of the software, not companies. Use your computer how you want, for as long as you want.

While some of the points above can be debated, the one about e-waste is certainly not. Seagate also claimed recently that SSDs, compared to HDDs, were found to be much worse in the department of environment due to the former's much higher carbon footprint.

The new website is called "EndOf10" and you can find it at the source link below. The website is fairly new and more resources are likely to be added to it gradually.

Source: EndOf10 (spotted by Winareo)

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The company says users will be able to use these new agents to find settings they want to change using natural language quickly, and even instruct them to do it without any user involvement beyond the prompt.

"We set out to solve one of the most common frustrations we hear – finding and changing settings on your PC – using the power of agents. An agent uses on device AI to understand your intent and with your permission, automate and execute tasks," said Navjot Virk, CVP of Windows Experiences.

"With this update to Settings, you will be able to simply describe what you need help with like, 'how to control my PC by voice' or 'my mouse pointer is too small' and the agent will recommend the right steps you can take to address the issue. With your permission and at your initiation, it can even complete the actions to change your settings on your behalf."

This experience will only be available for English speakers first and will start rolling out to Windows Insiders on Snapdragon-powered Copilot+ PCs and later to those using AMD- and Intel-powered devices.

Redmond is also improving Windows search and adding more Click to Do text and image actions, such as Schedule a meeting with Teams, Send a message with Teams, Ask M365 Copilot, Convert to table with Excel, and Draft with Copilot in Word. Several new actions, including Ask Copilot, Practice in Reading Coach, and Read with Immersive Reader, are already available to Windows Insiders.

Photos, Paint, and the Snipping Tool get multiple new features on Copilot+ PCs designed to simplify editing and creating images.

These include Photos Relight for adding dynamic lighting controls to pictures, Paint Sticker Generator for creating digital stickers via text prompts, Paint Object Select to select and instantly edit specific elements on the canvas, and Snipping Tool Perfect Screenshot for adjusting the capture area and removing the need for post-capture cropping.

Snipping Tool is also getting some new capture tools, which will help extract text directly from images and pick color values from any element on the screen.

Over the next few weeks, Microsoft will start rolling out more Windows 11 experiences for all Windows 11 Insiders, such as a phone companion for the Start menu, AI actions in File Explorer that will help edit images and summarize content, and a new write function in Notepad that will allow creating text from a prompt.

In March, Microsoft announced that it started testing a Snipping Tool "Draw & Hold" feature that helps draw perfect shapes and an AI-powered text summarization feature in Notepad.

Microsoft also added a text rewriting tool to Notepad in November, dubbed "Rewrite" and previously known as CoWriter.

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At the same time, the company also reminded users about the upcoming end of support date for Windows 10 non-LTSB and non-LTSC. Microsoft issued the reminder on its Windows health dashboard website. It wrote:

Current status as of May 2, 2025

 

On October 14, 2025, Windows 10 will reach end of support*. After this date, devices running Windows 10 will no longer receive fixes for known issues, time zone updates, technical support, or monthly security and preview updates containing protection from the latest security threats.

 

*Note: Long-Term Servicing Branch (LTSB) and Long-Term Servicing Channel (LTSC) releases are subject to different lifecycle support policies.

Microsoft says that there are a few ways to go about this. First is to check if your current Windows 10 is eligible for a Windows 11 upgrade. The company has even offered the latest feature update (version 24H2) on such systems.

If that is not the case, then a new PC is the way forward says the company. Microsoft recently highlighted how Copilot+ AI PCs can be a massive upgrade over an older Windows 10 device, and it brought up some numbers to prove it. This is hardly the first time though that the tech giant has suggested getting rid of a PC that's not supported on Windows 11.

ESET, however, recommends going Linux if your PC is not officially supported by Windows 11.

The third and final option for individuals as well as enterprises is to opt for paid Extended Security Updates (ESU). It writes:

The options include:

 

• Check if your current Windows 10 PC can upgrade to Windows 11.
• Purchase a new Windows 11 PC.
• Purchase Extended Security Updates (ESU) for organizations of all sizes as previously announced in April 2024.
• For the first time, purchase an ESU option for individuals.

You can find details about the ESU program in our dedicated article here.

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Earlier today, we reported on a script enforcement bug on Windows' latest feature update that has been broken for months. Thankfully, Microsoft finally has a fix. Speaking of fixes, the company has now issued a Group Policy to address another major bug related to Windows 11 24H2 upgrade.

While Microsoft does place safeguard holds from time to time to prevent feature updates (the most recent one was placed last month), this was a bug that prevented 22H2 and 23H2 systems from installing 24H2 as it would end up with a 0x80240069 error code. The problem happened on WSUS (Windows Server Update Services) managed PCs.

The Group Policy that has been released is essentially a known issue rollback (KIR) as Microsoft says it is still investigating the root of the bug. The company writes:

Resolution: This issue is mitigated using Known Issue Rollback (KIR) for enterprise-managed devices managed by IT departments that have installed the affected update and encountered this issue. IT administrators can resolve this issue by installing and configuring the Group policy listed below.

 

Group Policy downloads with Group Policy name:

 

• Download for Windows 11, version 23H2 and Windows 11, version 22H2 – Windows 11 22H2 KB5055528 250426_03001 Known Issue Rollback.msi (also applicable to Windows 11, version 23H2)

 

The special Group Policy can be found in Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Group Policy name>

You can find the issue entry here on Microsoft's official Windows Health Dashboard website.

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Prior to this update, Explorer Tab Utility provided features such as automatically converting new Explorer windows into tabs within a single window, preventing duplicate tabs for the same location, and allowing quick duplication of tabs with selected files preserved. It also added Tab History for reopening closed tabs with a simple shortcut similar to web browsers, and supported detaching tabs into separate windows. These features were configurable via customizable hotkeys.

The v2.5.0 update claims to bring several new additions and refinements. Among the notable features is Tab Search, enabling users to quickly find and switch between open tabs using keyboard navigation, which can be helpful when managing numerous open folders. Another change is Session Persistence; the utility is now designed to remember open tabs and restore them even after an Explorer crash or system reboot.

Folder navigation sees an enhancement, too. Users can now double-click on empty space to navigate back or up a directory. There is also an option to override the default behavior: holding Ctrl+Shift forces a folder to open in a new window instead of a tab.

The update includes a redesigned interface intended to better align with Windows 11's visual style, improves security by code-signing executables, adds support for ARM64 devices, and includes various stability fixes and installer improvements.

Here is the official changelog:

New Features

 

• Interactive Installation Option - Added support for interactive installation via Chocolatey and WinGet package managers
  • Users can now choose between silent and interactive installation modes
  • Use --params "/interactive" with Chocolatey to access the interactive installer
  • Use --interactive with WinGet to access the interactive installer

 

Improvements

 

• Enhanced Explorer Process Monitoring - Improved detection and handling of Explorer.exe termination

   

  • Better COM object lifecycle management
  • More reliable operation when Explorer crashes or restarts

 

• Installer Enhancements

   

  • Switched from ZIP distribution to Inno Setup installer for both Chocolatey and WinGet
  • Added proper .NET runtime selection during installation
  • Improved silent installation flag handling

 

Bug Fixes

 

• Tray Icon Visibility - Fixed issues with system tray icon disappearing after Explorer restarts

   

  • Implemented proper event notification system for Explorer shell initialization
  • Added workaround for WPF NotifyIcon behavior when Explorer process restarts

 

• Uninstallation Improvements - Ensured startup registry entries are properly removed during uninstallation

   

  • Registry cleanup now works regardless of how the application was added to startup
  • More thorough cleanup of application files and settings

 

Security & Infrastructure

 

• Code Signing - Integrated code signing into build and release workflow

   

  • All executables are now properly signed for enhanced security
  • Improved user trust and Windows SmartScreen handling
  • Free code signing provided by SignPath.io, certificate by SignPath Foundation

 

• CI/CD Pipeline Updates

   

  • Updated GitHub Actions workflows for Chocolatey and WinGet publishing
  • Streamlined release process with automated package generation

If you are struggling with Windows 11's default File Explorer experience, you can try out this utility by installing it directly using the winget or choco package managers with the following commands:

winget install w4po.ExplorerTabUtility --interactive

# or 

choco install explorertabutility --params "/interactive"

Alternatively, you can download the latest version from the project's GitHub releases page.

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The full changelog is given below:

New features gradually being rolled out to the Beta Channel with toggle on*

Energy saver now available in Microsoft Intune

 

We are bringing the ability to manage energy saver in Windows 11 to Microsoft Intune to allow IT administrators to control the energy saver settings on Windows 11 PCs through group policies and Mobile Device Management (MDM) configurations.

 

This feature, when enabled, intelligently balances your battery use, so it can last longer between charges. It extends battery life by managing power usage efficiently. It limits background activity and reduces screen brightness, ensuring that devices consume less power while maintaining optimal performance. By automatically managing system processes and power usage, the energy saver group policy helps reduce overall energy consumption. This not only saves costs but also contributes to environmental sustainability.

 

IT administrators can activate the policy by using either method below:

 

• Local Group Policy Editor in Windows 11
• Microsoft Intune Admin Center

The path for the new policy configuration can be found at in Local Group Policy Editor by navigating to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > System > Power Management > Energy Saver Settings and “Enable Energy Saver to Always Be On”.

Changes and Improvements gradually being rolled out to the Beta Channel with toggle on*

[Recall (Preview)]

 

• We’re trying out different treatments of the UI in Recall including trying out different locations for snapshot actions and the timeline.

 

[Taskbar & System Tray]

 

• We have adjusted the needy state pill under apps on the taskbar that need attention to be wider and more visible.

• Admins can now allow users to unpin specific pinned apps, ensuring they are not pinned again during the next policy refresh cycle. To enable this feature, use the new PinGeneration option. Learn more about configuring pinned apps on the taskbar.

 

[Graphics]

 

We’re introducing some improvements for managing HDR capabilities of your PC via under Settings > System > Display > HDR:

 

• We have changed the wording for “Use HDR” inside display capabilities to improve clarity on supported media types.

• On PCs with HDR displays, we have added the option to allow HDR video streaming even when HDR is off in settings.

• On PCs with Dolby Vision displays, we have added the option to toggle Dolby Vision mode independently from HDR. You can now enjoy HDR with Dolby Vision either on or off based on your preference.

 

Learn more about HDR settings in Windows.

 

Fixes gradually being rolled out to the Beta Channel with toggle on*

 

[Taskbar]

 

• Fixed an underlying issue which was causing keyboard focus to get set to widgets in the taskbar on login, which could make widgets unexpectedly invoke.
• Fixed an issue where WIN + CTRL + wasn’t working to cycle between windows of open apps for that position on the taskbar.

 

[Audio]

 

• Fixed an issue which could cause the startup sound not to play, though it was enabled.

 

[Graphics]

 

• Fixed an issue which could cause unexpected scaling and window position changes after sleep/resume for some devices.

 

[Windows Update]

 

• Fixed an issue where after resetting your PC, taking subsequent cumulative updates may fail with error 0x800f081f.

 

Known issues

 

[General]

 

• When joining the Dev Channel on Windows 11, version 24H2 – you will no longer be offered Build 26200.5518 first and will be offered the most current available update in the Dev Channel.

   

• After you do a PC reset under Settings > System > Recovery, your build version may incorrectly show as Build 26100 instead of Build 26200. This will not prevent you from getting future Beta Channel updates, which will resolve this issue.

   

• We’re investigating an issue where core Windows surfaces are not able to load in safe mode (File Explorer, Start menu, and others) after the previous flight.

   

[Xbox Controllers]

 

• Some Insiders are experiencing an issue where using their Xbox Controller via Bluetooth is causing their PC to bugcheck. Here is how to resolve the issue. Open Device Manager by searching for it via the search box on your taskbar. Once Device Manager is open, click on “View” and then “Devices by Driver”. Find the driver named “oemXXX.inf (XboxGameControllerDriver.inf)” where the “XXX” will be a specific number on your PC. Right-click on that driver and click “Uninstall”.

 

[Live Captions]

 

• [NEW] We’re investigating an issue where live captions is crashing on this build.

 

[Recall (Preview)]

 

• [REMINDER] You are always in control and can always choose to remove Recall anytime via “Turn Windows features on or off”. Removing Recall will delete entry points and binaries. Like any feature, Windows sometimes keeps temporary copies of binaries for serviceability. These Recall binaries are not executable and are eventually removed over time.
• [REMINDER] Make sure you update Microsoft 365 apps to the latest version so you can jump back into specific documents.

 

[Click to Do (Preview)]

 

• [REMINDER] The intelligent text actions are now locally moderated to ensure the safety of prompts and responses and has replaced the cloud endpoint. Now that these intelligent text actions are fully local, they are also available in Click to Do in Recall.
• [REMINDER] If any of your actions on image entities are no longer appearing, please ensure you have the latest updates for the Photos and Paint app from the Microsoft Store.

 

[Improved Windows Search]

 

• [REMINDER] For improved Windows Search on Copilot+ PCs, it is recommended that you plug in your Copilot+ PC for the initial search indexing to get completed. You can check your search indexing status under Settings > Privacy & security > Searching Windows.

 

[Start menu]

 

• We’re investigating reports that clicking your profile picture isn’t opening the Account Manager for some Insiders after the last flight.

 

[Task Manager]

 

• After adding the new CPU Utility column, you may notice that System Idle Process always shows as 0.
• The CPU graphs in the Performance page are still using the old CPU utility calculations.

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

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The full changelog is given below:

New features gradually being rolled out to the Beta Channel with toggle on*

Energy saver now available in Microsoft Intune

 

We are bringing the ability to manage energy saver in Windows 11 to Microsoft Intune to allow IT administrators to control the energy saver settings on Windows 11 PCs through group policies and Mobile Device Management (MDM) configurations.

 

This feature, when enabled, intelligently balances your battery use, so it can last longer between charges. It extends battery life by managing power usage efficiently. It limits background activity and reduces screen brightness, ensuring that devices consume less power while maintaining optimal performance. By automatically managing system processes and power usage, the energy saver group policy helps reduce overall energy consumption. This not only saves costs but also contributes to environmental sustainability.

 

IT administrators can activate the policy by using either method below:

 

• Local Group Policy Editor in Windows 11
• Microsoft Intune Admin Center

The path for the new policy configuration can be found at in Local Group Policy Editor by navigating to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > System > Power Management > Energy Saver Settings and “Enable Energy Saver to Always Be On”.

Changes and Improvements gradually being rolled out to the Beta Channel with toggle on*

[Recall (Preview)]

 

• We’re trying out different treatments of the UI in Recall including trying out different locations for snapshot actions and the timeline.

 

[Taskbar & System Tray]

 

• We have adjusted the needy state pill under apps on the taskbar that need attention to be wider and more visible.

• Admins can now allow users to unpin specific pinned apps, ensuring they are not pinned again during the next policy refresh cycle. To enable this feature, use the new PinGeneration option. Learn more about configuring pinned apps on the taskbar.

 

[Graphics]

 

We’re introducing some improvements for managing HDR capabilities of your PC via under Settings > System > Display > HDR:

 

• We have changed the wording for “Use HDR” inside display capabilities to improve clarity on supported media types.

• On PCs with HDR displays, we have added the option to allow HDR video streaming even when HDR is off in settings.

• On PCs with Dolby Vision displays, we have added the option to toggle Dolby Vision mode independently from HDR. You can now enjoy HDR with Dolby Vision either on or off based on your preference.

 

Learn more about HDR settings in Windows.

 

Fixes gradually being rolled out to the Beta Channel with toggle on*

 

[Taskbar]

 

• Fixed an underlying issue which was causing keyboard focus to get set to widgets in the taskbar on login, which could make widgets unexpectedly invoke.
• Fixed an issue where WIN + CTRL + wasn’t working to cycle between windows of open apps for that position on the taskbar.

 

[Audio]

 

• Fixed an issue which could cause the startup sound not to play, though it was enabled.

 

[Graphics]

 

• Fixed an issue which could cause unexpected scaling and window position changes after sleep/resume for some devices.

 

[Windows Update]

 

• Fixed an issue where after resetting your PC, taking subsequent cumulative updates may fail with error 0x800f081f.

 

Known issues

 

[General]

 

• When joining the Beta Channel on Windows 11, version 24H2 – you will be no longer be offered Build 26120.3360 first and will be offered the most current available update in the Beta Channel.
• After you do a PC reset under Settings > System > Recovery, your build version may incorrectly show as Build 26100 instead of Build 26120. This will not prevent you from getting future Beta Channel updates, which will resolve this issue.
• We’re investigating an issue where core Windows surfaces are not able to load in safe mode (File Explorer, Start menu, and others) after the previous flight.

 

[Xbox Controllers]

 

• Some Insiders are experiencing an issue where using their Xbox Controller via Bluetooth is causing their PC to bugcheck. Here is how to resolve the issue. Open Device Manager by searching for it via the search box on your taskbar. Once Device Manager is open, click on “View” and then “Devices by Driver”. Find the driver named “oemXXX.inf (XboxGameControllerDriver.inf)” where the “XXX” will be a specific number on your PC. Right-click on that driver and click “Uninstall”.

 

[Live Captions]

 

• [NEW] We’re investigating an issue where live captions is crashing on this build.

 

[Recall (Preview)]

 

• [REMINDER] You are always in control and can always choose to remove Recall anytime via “Turn Windows features on or off”. Removing Recall will delete entry points and binaries. Like any feature, Windows sometimes keeps temporary copies of binaries for serviceability. These Recall binaries are not executable and are eventually removed over time.
• [REMINDER] Make sure you update Microsoft 365 apps to the latest version so you can jump back into specific documents.

 

[Click to Do (Preview)]

 

• [REMINDER] The intelligent text actions are now locally moderated to ensure the safety of prompts and responses and has replaced the cloud endpoint. Now that these intelligent text actions are fully local, they are also available in Click to Do in Recall.
• [REMINDER] If any of your actions on image entities are no longer appearing, please ensure you have the latest updates for the Photos and Paint app from the Microsoft Store.

 

[Improved Windows Search]

 

• [REMINDER] For improved Windows Search on Copilot+ PCs, it is recommended that you plug in your Copilot+ PC for the initial search indexing to get completed. You can check your search indexing status under Settings > Privacy & security > Searching Windows.

 

[Start menu]

 

• We’re investigating reports that clicking your profile picture isn’t opening the Account Manager for some Insiders after the last flight.

 

[Task Manager]

 

• After adding the new CPU Utility column, you may notice that System Idle Process always shows as 0.
• The CPU graphs in the Performance page are still using the old CPU utility calculations.

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

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JayzTwoCents (4.2M subscribers)

May 6, 2025

Video length: 16m 53s

THIS is why you should ALWAYS backup your important files! But in case you didnt and your drive fails, here is your best FREE chance to get the data back! This video was NOT sponsored by Recuva...

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At the Google I/O developer conference later this month, Google is expected to discuss the upcoming major update for Android, Gemini AI updates, and more. On the Google I/O 2025 event website, Google accidentally published the official blog post link for the upcoming Material Design refresh. Although the blog post has since been taken down, its contents have already been archived by users.

The new design system is called Material 3 Expressive, and Google claims it is the most thoroughly-researched update to its design system to date. In fact, the company conducted 46 separate research studies with 18,000 participants around the world, testing hundreds of designs. The blog post highlights the data behind the designs and the thought process that went into creating the Material 3 Expressive design language.

According to Google, Expressive design is focused on usability—actively improving the user experience and helping users quickly identify key actions on each screen and navigate more efficiently. Research participants were able to spot key UI elements in Material 3 Expressive up to four times faster compared to the existing Material 3 design system. For example, the Send button in the Material 3 Expressive design system is more prominent and easier to find.

Google also claims that Expressive design benefits users of all ages. Their research showed that users aged 45 and older performed on par with younger users when using the Material 3 Expressive system, thanks to features like larger buttons, high-contrast visual containment, and other key enhancements.

Google is encouraging designers to move beyond “clean” and “boring” designs and to create expressive UIs that connect with people on an emotional level. The company will be releasing an updated Material 3 Design Kit for Figma, enabling designers to start experimenting with the new system.

via: 9to5Google

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On top of that, as pointed out by Neowin reader dustojnikhummer, there are also problems that have seemingly remained undocumented for months and AppLocker WDAC (Windows Defender Application Control) Enforcement for scripts appears to be one of them.

Back in 2023, Microsoft had made AppLocker deployment easier, but it looks like the company did not quite test it all that well for 2024-2025.

For those wondering what it is, AppLocker application control policies help the enterprise manage the applications and files that users can run on their systems. These include EXE files, scripts, Windows Installer files, DLL files, packaged apps, and packaged app installers.

The issue appeared to have been first noticed by a user CFou on the Stack Exchange forum. They noticed that ConstrainedLanguage mode enforcement would not work as the PowerShell session would end up using FullLanguage. Another user commented later on the thread suggesting that the issue was related to Windows 11 24H2 as they could reproduce it on the latest version of Windows.

The issue was later picked up by Reddit user hornetfig on the sysadmin subreddit. Others on the thread said that they could reproduce the issue too on Windows 11 24H2. This is a huge security concern as it allows every script, including malicious ones, to run unrestricted.

Microsoft MVP Roody Ooms investigated the issue to understand what was happening differently on 24H2 to change this behaviour. He discovered that the problem was seemingly being caused due to an imperfect implementation of a new WldpCanExecuteFile API that was added with PowerShell 7.3. Previous PowerShell releases, instead, used the legacy WldpGetLockdownPolicy API for detecting system lockdowns.

Microsoft seems to be aware of this issue and is finally making changes. PowerShell 7.6-preview.4 contains the following fix as part of the Engine Improvements:

Fallback to AppLocker after WldpCanExecuteFile (#24912)

You can find more technical details about the bug on Roody Ooms' blog post here.

Source

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