Zac Bowden is a Senior Editor at Windows Central and has been with the site since 2016. His expertise is in exclusive coverage about Windows, Surface, and hardware. He's also an avid collector of rare Microsoft prototype devices, and was fortunate enough to daily drive both the fabled Lumia McLaren and Microsoft Band 3, along the Surface Mini and even Surface Neo. Keep in touch with him on Twitter and Threads!
Latest articles by Zac Bowden

Windows 11's Start menu set for major customization upgrades
By Zac Bowden published
Windows 11 Microsoft is rebuilding the Start menu from the ground up, and is adding some much needed customization and performance improvements along the way.

Join us for the LIVE Windows Central Podcast today at 2PM ET!
By Zac Bowden last updated
LIVE Daniel and Zac will be LIVE at 2PM ET on April 17 for the latest episode of the Windows Central Podcast, which will be all about what's next for Surface!

Microsoft will give students a free Xbox controller and subscription when buying a new Windows 11 PC
By Zac Bowden published
Windows 11 In a desperate bid to win over students, Microsoft has launched a new promo that bundles a year of Microsoft's subscriptions with the purchase of select new Windows 11 PCs.

EXCLUSIVE: Microsoft plans OLED display upgrades and a two-stage launch for new Surface PCs in 2026
By Zac Bowden published
Surface New PCs from Microsoft will consist of new chips, display upgrades, and higher starting prices this spring and summer.

Windows 11 version 26H1: Here's what we know
By Zac Bowden last updated
Windows 11 Microsoft has confirmed that Windows 11 version 26H1 is now shipping exclusively on new PCs that ship with Qualcomm's new Snapdragon X2 SoC. Here's what you need to know.

Microsoft has killed its Surface Hub line of collaborative displays
By Zac Bowden published
Surface Microsoft has ended production on the Surface Hub 3, with no plans to make more in the future, putting an end to its collaborative displays line.

Microsoft's overpriced Surface PCs are now too expensive to make any sense
By Zac Bowden published
Windows 11 It no longer makes sense to recommend a Surface at any price point over a similarly spec'd MacBook, iPad, or third-party OEM Windows machine.

Microsoft reveals major price increases for all Surface PCs
By Zac Bowden published
Surface Microsoft is raising prices on all its current Surface PC offerings, with the midrange devices now starting at above $1,000, and flagships starting at $1,500.

Microsoft enables ability to skip updates during Windows 11 setup
By Zac Bowden published
Windows 11 A new update now rolling out globally will give users the option to skip the update process when setting up a new Windows 11 PC, speeding up the experience two-fold.

Fixing Windows 11 is futile. Just do Windows 12 already.
By Zac Bowden published
Windows 11 Is Microsoft wasting its time trying to fix Windows 11? Maybe it's time for Windows 12.

Microsoft resets Insider testing
By Zac Bowden last updated
Windows 11 Microsoft is restructuring how Windows 11 previews roll out, introducing clearer channels that finally make early feature testing predictable again.

Latest Notepad update for Windows 11 finally removes Copilot branding
By Zac Bowden published
Windows 11 A new Notepad update for Windows Insiders begins Microsoft's push to reduce Copilot on Windows 11, replacing it with AI-powered "writing tools" instead.

Microsoft tests new default "open at login" option for Edge on Windows 11
By Zac Bowden published
Windows 11 A new update now in testing sets Edge to automatically appear at startup, and you are forced to opt-out if you don't want it.

Microsoft is building a team focused on "100% native" Windows 11 apps
By Zac Bowden published
Windows 11 Windows 11's in-box apps and system interfaces are currently a mishmash of native and web-based interfaces, but it sounds like that might soon be changing.

Windows 11's Command Prompt is getting a major upgrade soon
By Zac Bowden published
Windows 11 Console Host is gaining several features that have been available on Windows Terminal for a while, including better graphics support, scrolling performance improvements, and more.

Windows 11 KB5079391 pulled after installation fails
By Zac Bowden published
Windows 11 If you were wondering where Windows 11's latest preview update had gone, it turns out that Microsoft pulled it due to installation bugs.

Microsoft confirms Windows 11's dark mode will become more consistent over time
By Zac Bowden published
Windows 11 Microsoft's head of design and research on Windows gives an important update.

Windows 11's new Taskbar: Everything you need to know
By Zac Bowden published
Windows 11 Movable and resizable Taskbar is confirmed to be making its way to Windows 11 this year. Here's everything you need to know about how it will work!

There are still 5 big Windows 11 issues that we want to see addressed
By Zac Bowden published
Windows 11 Microsoft's big plan to save Windows 11 is almost perfect. There's just a few more issues that need to be addressed.

Breaking down Microsoft's big plan to save Windows 11
By Zac Bowden published
Podcast Podcast: Daniel and Zac break down Microsoft's big announcement about Windows 11 and how the company is moving to address its biggest issues this year.

Microsoft is putting an end to microslop on Windows 11
By Zac Bowden published
Windows 11 As part of Microsoft's big set of sweeping changes coming to Windows 11, the company has confirmed plans to reduce where Copilot and AI experiences appear across the OS.

Microsoft promises faster File Explorer performance on Windows 11
By Zac Bowden published
Windows 11 As part of Microsoft's big plan to address quality issues on Windows 11, the company has confirmed that it's working on fixing performance of menus, folders, and search in File Explorer.

Windows 11 will let you postpone updates indefinitely
By Zac Bowden published
Windows 11 A big change coming soon to Windows 11 will allow users to say no to installing updates for as long as they want, a level of freedom that hasn't been seen since Windows 8.

People inside Microsoft are fighting to drop Windows 11's forced Microsoft accounts
By Zac Bowden published
Windows 11 Microsoft's big sweeping set of improvements coming soon to Windows 11 don't address its controversial Microsoft account requirements, but that might soon change.

Microsoft announces major Windows 11 initiative designed to fix its biggest flaws
By Zac Bowden published
Windows 11 After feeling the heat from macOS and Linux, Microsoft is getting its act together and making significant changes to Windows 11 that will bring it up to par with the competition.
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