PowerToys PM reveals the features he's most excited for in next week's update
Apps PowerToys project manager Niels Laute shared his favorite features coming next week, including a compact Command Palette and a new Mouse Highlighter effect.
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Features
On This Day: Xbox’s 2015 “games everywhere” strategy revisited
On this Day A look back at Xbox’s 2015 “games everywhere” vision — the moment Phil Spencer sketched out a future that Asha Sharma is now fully realizing 11 years later.
Windows 11's Media Player is a letdown for ripping CDs now so I switched to this
Apps I used to just rip CDs using the stock Media Player app on Windows 11, but after a while away from it, boy, is it a letdown. But I found the app I should have been using all along.
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These 3 classic Windows tools desperately need a Windows 11 makeover
Windows 11 Microsoft continues to modernize Windows 11, but these three classic tools still need a major update without losing the advanced features users rely on.
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Which keyboard switch is right for you?
Hardware It's no longer enough to pick the keyboard with the best aesthetics. I dig into switches and how they differ.
On This Day: Xbox’s 2015 “games everywhere” strategy revisited
On this Day A look back at Xbox’s 2015 “games everywhere” vision — the moment Phil Spencer sketched out a future that Asha Sharma is now fully realizing 11 years later.
Moonraker turns 10 and still looks ahead of its time
Flashback A decade later, Microsoft’s unreleased Moonraker smartwatch still feels like a glimpse into an alternate timeline.
Looking back at 2016’s “I love you, Xbox” — and how much (and little) has changed
Flashback Looking back at the 2016 editorial that captured Xbox’s growing pains and predicted the decade ahead.
Revisiting the LG Lancet, 11 years later
Flashback A look back at the LG Lancet and the era when Windows Phone 8.1 defined Microsoft’s mobile peak.
Windows & Software
Windows 11 will soon let you block camera and mic access for any individual desktop app
Windows 11 You will soon be able to stop individual Win32 desktop apps from accessing your camera and microphone in Windows 11.
Why Microsoft can't keep every Windows 11 user happy
Windows 11 Even the concept of the smallest UI tweak in Windows 11 leaves PC users split.
Windows 11's Ask Copilot Taskbar feature is going away, for now
Windows 11 Copilot's own search and chat experience for Windows 11 is being temporarily removed as the company responds to feedback and prioritizes new Copilot superapp.
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PC Hardware
NVIDIA GeForce NOW brings 1440p @ 120 FPS cloud gaming to Firefox
NVIDIA GeForce NOW adds official Firefox support, with up to 1440p/120 FPS cloud gaming available to anyone who subscribes to NVIDIA's paid tiers.
Razer offers a camera-infused gaming headset that records everything
Hardware Who thought our ears would someday be able to see?
The high-end GPU market is in complete chaos
Hardware I'll take the RAM, storage, CPU, motherboard, PSU, and more for free, please.
Demand for RTX Spark laptops is much higher than expected, says ASUS
Hardware ProArt P14 and P16 laptops with NVIDIA's new ARM-powered chip are in high demand from partners.
Deals
Everything you need to head back to school with a new Dell PC is here
Deals Back‑to‑school Dell deals are offering the bargain new XPS 13 laptop, along with essential accessories, and standout value for students.
Some of our favorite 4K monitors are the perfect back-to-school upgrade
Deals Some of our favorite Dell and Alienware monitors with 4K and QD‑OLED panels are a no-brainer upgrade for heading back to school as a new semester begins.
Beat AI-slop artwork by creating better, REAL images using these discounted drawing tablets
Deals Huion is launching a back-to-school campaign, discounting a large variety of its high-quality tablets for note-taking and creating art. Here are our top recommendations from this sale.
Snapdragon X Plus Surface Laptop 27% discount
Deals The Microsoft Surface Laptop (7th Edition) ranks among our top Windows laptops of all time for its clean design and strong performance for everyday tasks, and it's now 27% off
Handheld Gaming PCs
MSI handheld scalped to $2,599 amid RAM shortages
No limit The MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ vanished from retailers almost immediately, and the grey market has responded the only way it knows how: by duct-taping an absurd surcharge to the box and calling it market demand.
Gaming
On This Day: Xbox’s 2015 “games everywhere” strategy revisited
On this Day A look back at Xbox’s 2015 “games everywhere” vision — the moment Phil Spencer sketched out a future that Asha Sharma is now fully realizing 11 years later.
The Witcher 3 leaves Xbox Game Pass this month, as mostly indie wave enters
Xbox The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt Remastered Edition leaves Game Pass on August 31 after only joining in February, while indie titles arrive.
Is gaming discourse more negative than ever? — And if so, is it deserved? How did we get here?
Gaming Whether it's Grand Theft Auto 6, Halo Campaign Evolved, or the new Wolverine game, it feels like a contingent of the internet is actively *hoping* for games to fail these days.
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REVIEW: Mortal Shell 2 is both a love letter and an inspiration to the Soulslike genre
Review A Soulslike with true franchise potential. Find out everything you want to know in our full Mortal Shell 2 review.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 reveals a new gameplay trailer for its upcoming massive 2.0 update
Gaming S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl's 2.0 update will bring about new enemies, weapons, quality-of-life improvements, and so much more, completely for free on August 20, 2026, along with the Hope of Despair DLC expansion
Artificial Intelligence
Microsoft will remove the COPILOT function from Excel
You will no longer be able to use the COPILOT function in Excel after September 14, 2026. Here is why Microsoft is retiring the preview feature and what it means for your spreadsheets.
Copilot vanishes from classic Outlook, addition by subtraction?
Apps Copilot has gone missing in classic Outlook, drawing joking questions about whether the behavior is a feature or a bug.
ChatGPT adds Recall-esque feature to macOS that records your actions
AI Windows users were (and still are) unsure about Recall, and something similar is now headed to macOS.
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Microsoft confirms unified Copilot app rollout has begun
Copilot We knew it was coming, and now it's official: Microsoft is beginning to rollout a new Copilot app that merges Copilot and Microsoft 365 Copilot under one experience.
Microsoft
Did the Surface Phone finally leak? — Windows Central Podcast LIVE
LIVE Join Zac and Jez on August 13 at 2PM ET for the LIVE Windows Central Podcast.
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Everything new in Microsoft Teams for July 2026: Meeting Recaps, Frontline AI, and more
Apps Microsoft's July 2026 Teams update introduces a dedicated Recap app for meeting summaries, transcripts, and recordings.
Microsoft stock price rips on earnings, jumping a 'record breaking' 18%
Microsoft Microsoft's FY26 earnings report came in, and it has been taken extremely well on Wall Street, as investors reward $MSFT stock with a 20% bounce in less than a month.
Why Asha Sharma had to kill Phil Spencer's "every screen is an Xbox" vision
QOTD Phil Spencer once envisioned an Xbox on every screen. Here is why new Xbox CEO Asha Sharma had to abandon that multiplatform strategy and double down on dedicated console hardware.
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Peripherals & Accessories
Best gaming keyboards 2026
Keyboards Windows Central tests and reviews the latest and greatest gaming keyboards to help you make the best possible decision for your gaming setup.
