Windows 11 is being fixed, and that’s not just lip service. Microsoft is making meaningful changes to its operating system. Menus are being decluttered, legacy components are being revamped, and features like Xbox Mode are reshaping Windows 11.

Just this week, we saw that Microsoft has plans to fix context menus on Windows 11 and get rid of the page-tall menus that plague PCs. Microsoft also committed to making Windows 11 perform better on systems with only 8GB of RAM.

I’ve talked about Windows 11's improvements several times this year in the Windows Wrap. Generally speaking, I’m happy that they’re happening but confused about Microsoft's timing. On top of questions like "Why did it take several years to make Windows 11 look nice?" There are also usability questions like "Why did Microsoft start selling a Surface with only 8GB of RAM before optimizing Windows 11 to work on that machine?"

Now, don’t get me wrong, Windows 11 can run on a system with only 8GB of RAM. I think many tests performed online are done in bad faith. Some people have dozens of Chrome browser tabs open and a bunch of apps running at once and then complain about performance.

You can get work done on a PC with that amount of memory, as proven by our own Cale Hunt, who tested Windows 11’s memory optimization by limiting his PC to 8GB of RAM.

But by Microsoft’s own admission, Windows 11 needs to be better on low-memory systems. With the cost of RAM skyrocketing and not looking like it will go down at any point in the near future, it’s more important than ever for Microsoft to optimize Windows 11.

Biggest News of the Week

Earlier this year, Microsoft started selling Surface PCs with only 8GB of RAM, specifically the Surface Pro 12-inch and Surface Laptop 13-inch. I appreciate the gesture. In today’s economy, getting a PC with too much RAM or too much storage for your everyday needs can cost hundreds of dollars extra.

I covered several Surface deals this week, including some options that are up to $450 off. While that is a significant savings, those deals are all on models of the Surface Pro (13-inch) with 16GB of RAM. It’s still difficult to find that type of Surface Pro under $1,200.

Many people just want a PC that’s reliable and that can handle their everyday tasks. Even those shopping in more premium categories, such as Surface, often prioritize design and form factor over getting the highest specs. For those types of customers, an 8GB RAM Surface makes sense, but not if Windows 11 is still a problem.

Microsoft put the cart before the horse with the 8GB Surface PCs. The tech giant responded to the RAM crisis with more affordable PCs, but Microsoft failed to optimize Windows 11 for lower memory first.

To me, that shows a disconnect between the Windows and Surface teams at Microsoft.

Shopping with Sean

Until Microsoft fully optimizes Windows 11 for PCs with only 8GB of RAM, you might feel a bit of a pinch in performance with that amount of memory. The current discounts on Surface Pro get you more memory without having to pay as much of a premium.

The best Surface Pro deals are spread across Amazon and Best Buy this week.

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

I'm a big fan of Windows apps that launch quickly and get straight to the point without draining too much of my PC's memory. It might seem like a redundant preference, but when some of Microsoft's most basic software becomes oversaturated with unusual features, like AI writing tools in Notepad (which were later scaled back), performance can feel like an afterthought.

Plus, Windows 11 is regularly under fire for its more unpopular changes and additions, while some genuinely useful inclusions are often overlooked. Even so, it's not like Microsoft To Do is the best in its class, because it really isn't. Plenty of enthusiasts would likely point me towards something like Todoist rather than Microsoft's restructured version of what was Wunderlist.

However, there's nothing inherently wrong with To Do, either. It's lightweight and runs on all my PCs — even my Android phone — with a functional widget I can add to the cover screen of my Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 for glanceable reminders. It pulls hints from natural language to set due dates and, more importantly, helps me remember everything in my daily workflow.

I make Microsoft's to-do list work for me

I find that a to-do list can either make my day much more manageable by breaking it into chunks, or it can freeze up my brain when I look at a daunting list of deadlines. It all depends on how you use it, but I've certainly found it helps me keep track of recurring tasks that pop up every day. Plus, the little 'ping' sound that plays when I mark a task as complete delivers a nice hit of serotonin.

However, part of the reason I keep Microsoft's own offering around is that it syncs so naturally across my devices. Again, there are probably third-party apps that deliver the same experience — perhaps something even better — but I'm not trying to overcomplicate a list of daily tasks. That, and my brain thinks differently as soon as I walk away from the computer, so reminders really work.

The future of Microsoft To Do seems to have two potential outcomes, though one of them is far more likely than the other. First, it could eventually be abandoned. Microsoft still has the Windows 10 icon on the app's download page, so it's hardly treated as cutting-edge among its portfolio, and its plot in the Microsoft Graveyard might already be reserved.

Second, it goes the way of Microsoft Whiteboard and is absorbed into Microsoft 365, potentially renamed or adapted entirely as a feature in another app. This one feels less likely because it doesn't offer much collaborative substance to lock behind a paywall, but stranger things have happened. I'm trying to remain optimistic, but there's a small chance To Do transforms into something else.

Ultimately, this feels like the same trend as when I recently praised accessible gaming efforts with the XBOX Adaptive Joystick; I just want a chance to be heard by the right person at Microsoft and let them know that their in-house apps are still appreciated — at least when they're done right — and I'll happily use them despite there being alternatives out there.

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

Microsoft is expanding one of the least understood security features in Windows 11. Beginning with the August 2026 update, Enhanced Sign-in Security (ESS) now supports compatible external fingerprint readers, extending the company's most secure Windows Hello experience to devices without built-in biometric hardware.

The timing couldn't be better because Enhanced Sign-in Security has confused users ever since Microsoft introduced it. Some users assume it's simply a newer version of Windows Hello, while others think it's reserved for businesses or Copilot+ PCs.

The reality is that Windows Hello and Windows Hello Enhanced Sign-in Security use the same sign-in experience, but they protect your biometric data in different ways.

After spending time digging through Microsoft's support page, I think that's the distinction most explanations miss. Enhanced Sign-in Security isn't about making facial recognition more accurate or fingerprint sign-in faster. It's about making the entire authentication process harder to attack.

Standard Windows Hello is already one of the best security features

Before the Enhanced Sign-in Security feature was introduced, Windows Hello had already replaced passwords with a much stronger authentication model.

Instead of storing passwords that can be stolen or reused, Windows Hello creates cryptographic credentials that are attached to the Trusted Platform Module (TPM) available on your computer. Facial recognition and fingerprints are used only to unlock those credentials, and your biometric templates remain on the device rather than being uploaded to Microsoft's servers.

For the average home user, that already provides excellent protection against phishing, password reuse, and stolen credentials.

The Enhanced Sign-in Security feature doesn't replace the architecture already in place. Instead, it builds another layer on top of it.

The real difference is where the trust is placed

This is where the comparison becomes interesting. Using the standard Windows Hello, the operating system relies on the system to process biometric authentication after receiving data from the trusted sensor. Enhanced Sign-in Security moves much of that work into isolated, hardware-protected environments.

When using the Enhanced Sign-in Security feature, Microsoft improves that trust. Instead of allowing sensitive biometric operations to occur in the normal Windows environment, the feature isolates them using Virtualization-Based Security (VBS) and Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 2.0 technology.

The algorithms for facial recognition run in a protected memory region, secure fingerprint readers perform matching within the hardware itself, and communication between the biometric sensor and the operating system is encrypted and isolated.

In other words, Windows Hello protects your credentials, and Windows Hello Enhanced Sign-in Security protects both your credentials and the path your biometric data takes before Windows 11 authenticates you.

Fingerprints show the biggest difference

The August 2026 Security Update highlights the biggest architectural difference between standard Windows Hello and Enhanced Sign-in Security.

Using a standard Windows Hello fingerprint reader, the sensor captures your fingerprint, and Windows 11 verifies it securely using the operating system and TPM-backed credentials.

An ESS-compatible fingerprint reader moves more of that process into the hardware itself. These readers include a dedicated secure processor, store fingerprint templates inside the device, contain a Microsoft-issued certificate that proves they're trusted hardware, and establish an encrypted communication channel with the operating system. Instead of receiving raw biometric data, Windows 11 receives only the authentication result.

Microsoft hasn't explained why ESS still doesn't support external Windows Hello cameras (likely because USB can be a vector for attack). However, its support page shows that enhanced security for facial recognition relies on specific camera hardware, firmware, and protected memory through Virtualization-Based Security (VBS), whereas ESS fingerprint readers can perform biometric matching inside certified hardware. That architectural difference may explain why Microsoft expanded support for external fingerprint readers first.

The practical benefit is a smaller attack surface. In simple terms, even if malware gains elevated privileges, it has fewer ways to interfere with the biometric authentication process.

Should you enable Enhanced Sign-in Security?

If your computer doesn't support Enhanced Sign-in Security, there's no reason to worry. The standard security of Windows Hello remains one of the strongest consumer authentication systems available, and it's already a significant upgrade over passwords.

However, if your device includes Enhanced Sign-in Security-compatible hardware, or you're planning to buy a new external fingerprint reader that supports the feature, I'd recommend enabling it and leaving it on.

Not because Windows Hello suddenly became insecure, but because the enhanced option can add an extra layer of security. If your hardware supports it, there's little downside to leaving it enabled.

How to enable the enhanced security feature

If the feature is available for your Windows Hello-compatible authentication device, you can enable it by going to Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options.

Once the USB fingerprint reader is connected and recognized by the operating system, on this page, under the "Additional settings" section, check the state of the "Enhanced sign-in security" setting.

If your system wasn't previously running ESS, you may see a prompt showing "Pending set up" or "Update PIN."

If the "Update PIN" option shows up, use it to complete the setup. On the other hand, if you see the "Pending set up" option, then configure the "Fingerprint recognition" feature under the "Ways to sign in" section.

One important note. When upgrading your system to Enhanced Sign-in Security, Windows 11 will remove any existing non-ESS biometric enrollments and associated credentials to ensure a clean, secure environment. You will need to refresh your PIN and register your fingerprints again using the new sensor. Once complete, the ESS toggle will show as enabled.

Also, while the feature is turned on, you won't be able to use peripherals that do not support the security feature.

Windows Central's Take

Microsoft hasn't done itself any favors with the name "Enhanced Sign-in Security." It sounds like an entirely new authentication system, when in reality it's an evolution of Windows Hello that strengthens how biometric authentication is processed behind the scenes. A lot of users will never notice the difference because the sign-in experience is exactly the same.

What makes the August 2026 Security Update important isn't that Windows Hello suddenly became more secure, as the standard Windows Hello has long been one of the strongest authentication systems available on consumer devices. The real significance is that the company is lifting the limitations by adding support for compatible external fingerprint readers.

If your computer already supports Enhanced Sign-in Security, I'd leave it enabled. If it doesn't, I wouldn't replace perfectly good hardware to get the feature because standard Windows Hello is already an excellent authentication system. However, if you're buying a new fingerprint reader for your computer, choosing an Enhanced Sign-in Security-compatible model is the better long-term investment since Microsoft is clearly expanding support for that ecosystem.

Do you think Enhanced Sign-in Security is worth using, or is standard Windows Hello already enough for your needs? Let me know in the comments.

More resources

Explore more in-depth how-to guides, troubleshooting advice, and essential tips to get the most out of Windows 11 and 10. Start browsing here:

• Windows 11 on Windows Central — All you need to know
• Windows 10 on Windows Central — All you need to know

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

My mom hated Windows 8. That's an understatement; she despised it. Like so many others who had grown used to the Start menu and general interface of previous versions, Windows 8 came as a jarring change to my mom.

But a funny thing happened when Windows 10 came out; my mom was reluctant to upgrade. Despite hating Windows 8 and Windows 8.1, she had grown used to them and made them fit her workflow. Having to relearn yet another interface was extra work that my mom was slow to sign up for.

She eventually upgraded to Windows 10 and later Windows 11, but her experience and her frustrations were not unique. Sometimes the enemy you know is better than the one you don't, even if you got to know that enemy begrudingly.

So, what does this have to do with Windows 11? Windows 11's upcoming Patch Tuesday update has a feature that I believe will elicit a similar reaction to my mom being presented with Windows 10.

Starting next month, Windows 11's File Explorer will show file sizes using the appropriate units (KB, MB, and GB). That means you'll no longer see a file that's 1,500,000 KB. Instead, you'll see that file listed as 1.5GB.

I believe many will see this change as an improvement. Dealing with millions of KB can be awkward, especially when other parts of Windows use different units. But part of me would love the option to keep everything in KB.

Because File Explorer has stuck with KB for so long, I've gotten used to scanning file sizes based on how many digits they are. After next month's update, I could have a file that's 400KB right between files that are 400MB. While the larger files would be clearly labeled, I've learned to expect files listed in KB after years of use, so there will be a learning curve.

I'm curious how people feel about these types of changes. Do you embrace what Microsoft deems an improvement to Windows 11, or are you frustrated with a feature or layout you're familiar with being changed?

Microsoft could always keep options for legacy features and new options, but if that happens for decades, you end up with a bloated OS. Take a look at the soon-to-be revamped context menus of Windows 11 if you want to see what years of tacking things on does to an operating system.

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

Windows chief Pavan Davuluri has posted an article on X today that outlines the journey Microsoft has taken so far to fix and improve Windows 11. Since March, the company has been laser focused on addressing Windows 11's biggest issues, delivering many new features and changes that are designed to improve the reputation and experiences around Windows.

While that work is still ongoing, Davuluri has now outlined four new areas of focus that Microsoft will be working on for Windows 11 between now and the end of the year:

• Onboarding and setup. Delivering a faster and more efficient out-of-box experience.
• Memory optimization for 8GB and above. Reducing Windows memory footprint to deliver a fast and responsive Windows experience across the PCs customers use every day.
• Family. Providing a faster set up and making it easier for families to access useful parental controls.
• Voice. Making voice more natural and fluid to interact across the apps you use every day.

Microsoft has confirmed that it's planning to improve Windows 11 so that it runs better on PCs with just 8GB of RAM. MacBook Neo took the world by storm earlier this year, and while Windows OEMs have since stepped up to offer better value for money, Windows itself is still quite heavy on these limited memory devices.

The company is now working to reduce Windows 11's memory footprint, ensuring that the OS feels fast and responsive even on 8GB RAM. It's yet to dive into how it's planning to make these changes, but it's likely related to how the company is moving more areas of the Windows UI to WinUI, which is lighter than WebView.

"We're going to take everything we've learned since March and keep listening and closing the loop on your feedback. The signal from you is clear: keep going. We intend to," says Davuluri.

Additionally, Microsoft has confirmed that it's rethinking the Windows out of box experience, with a new faster and more efficient set up experience in the works that will make booting up a new PC for the first time seamless and straight forward.

The other two areas of focus are Family and Voice. The company says it's working to deliver new Family Safety features across the OS, including enhanced parental control setup and more.

Voice is the final area of focus. Microsoft is on record as stating the future of computing will be one that is multi-modal, with voice acting as a primary input method alongside the keyboard and mouse. The company intends to make voice input more natural and fluid across the OS and apps you use.

Microsoft is clearly very proud of the work it has done so far this year to fix Windows 11. Compared to late last year, Windows 11 is in a very different spot. The company has delivered genuinely meaningful improvements and changes that are already impacting the OS for the better, and it sounds like there's more to come soon.

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

Microsoft is working on a major overhaul to the context menu system on Windows 11 that is designed to fix performance and reliability issues by allowing users to customize what appears within the right-click menu across the system. The company is also working on a new compact menu design that will be faster to open and interact with.

One of Windows 11's more frustrating problems currently is how cluttered the modern context menus have become. Since Windows 11's debut, context menus have become bloated and overburdened by apps and actions from both Microsoft and third-party developers, which can add themselves into the context menu without user input.

This has resulted in the context menu being very slow to initiate, often taking a second or two to appear when the user right-clicks in File Explorer on a system with many apps installed and actions available. According to sources familiar with Microsoft's plans, the company is working on a new compact context menu design to fix this, that prioritizes the most common actions above everything else.

This new compact menu will be much faster and more reliable, as it foregoes needing to load in all the third-party actions that slow it down currently. Additionally, at the Windows Insider Meetup in London, Microsoft showed me a new context menu customization feature coming soon that will let users configure what apps and actions appear in the right-click menu.

Users will be able to show and hide actions and apps, as well as change the order in which these actions and apps show within the right-click menu. The menu will include a new "customize" option at the very bottom which can be accessed at any point to begin changing the menu options.

These changes are part of Microsoft's larger effort to fix Windows 11's biggest problems and issues under the Windows K2 initiative, which has been ongoing since last year. The company has confirmed plans to move more areas of the Windows system over to WinUI for consistency and performance reasons, with areas like File Explorer file properties and the Start menu getting the WinUI treatment soon.

Context menus are already powered by WinUI, and these new improvements that are currently in the works are designed to speed up the menus so that they are instantly responsive whenever you right-click within File Explorer, the desktop, or other native Windows UI interfaces.

It's unclear when these context menu updates are set to be announced, but the demo I saw a few weeks back was real working code and relatively polished, so I suspect we'll see an official announcement about these changes in the near future. I expect Microsoft is hoping to get these improvements out the door before the end of the year.

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

The Windows vs. Linux debate usually starts with the same arguments. Linux users point to freedom, customization, and control. Windows users point to compatibility, software support, and the fact that things generally work without much effort.

However, a recent discussion on Reddit about Windows 11 caught my attention because it challenged one of the biggest assumptions in that debate, which is that anyone with deep Linux experience would automatically reject Windows.

The original poster was not someone casually experimenting with another operating system. He grew up using Linux, started with a Raspberry Pi, spent years using Linux as his primary desktop platform, and understood the Unix ecosystem well. After switching his main device to Windows 11, however, his conclusion was far more balanced than the usual online arguments.

He found that Windows 11 wasn't perfect, but it worked better for his needs. That's probably the biggest takeaway from the discussion. People often choose an operating system based less on personal preference and more on whether it helps them get things done.

A Linux user switched to Windows 11 for practical reasons

On Reddit, the user explained that compatibility with apps like Microsoft Office and Autodesk software played a major role in the switch. While Linux has excellent alternatives and compatibility layers, native support remains one of the biggest advantages.

The user also explained that tools like MSYS2 helped bridge the gap by bringing a more familiar Unix-like environment to Windows 11.

"I like to consider myself a practical person - I'm making this decision based on the os which works for my workflow and the tools I need to use, not based on idealism / dislike for Microsoft's practices," said @Puzzleheaded-Sky2284.

The comment highlights something that often gets lost in operating system debates. A lot of people aren't choosing an operating system to defend a company or community. They choose the platform that best supports their work, and for developers, creators, gamers, and professionals, compatibility often matters more than personal preference.

Windows 11 has improved, but Microsoft remains the controversial part

One of the interesting themes in the discussion was that many users separated Windows 11 itself from Microsoft's decisions around the operating system.

One commenter with professional experience managing Windows environments argued that Microsoft has solved many long-standing problems around fragmentation, updates, and compatibility.

"On good hardware - Windows simply works," @ChampionshipComplex noted.

Unlike operating systems designed for a limited range of hardware, Windows has to support thousands of hardware configurations, countless drivers, and decades of applications. That complexity is messy, but it's also one of the biggest strengths.

Another commenter (@TheTerraKotKun) shared a similar view: "Windows 11 is good OS but Microsoft as a company... I don't think that it's really good."

This may actually represent where many experienced users are today. The complaint is often not that Windows 11 cannot do the job. The complaint is about Microsoft's direction, including advertisements, online account requirements, and increased integration of cloud services and AI.

Critics still have valid complaints about Windows 11

The discussion wasn't entirely positive. Some users argued that Windows 11 still has problems, particularly around resource usage, user control, and Microsoft's approach to the desktop experience.

A common criticism is that Windows has become more focused on promoting Microsoft services instead of remaining a neutral operating system.

One commenter (@Pale-Muscle-7118) explained: "My main problem is not really with the software or OS itself but with Microsoft behind it."

That's an important distinction because Windows 11 can be a capable operating system while Microsoft continues making decisions that many users dislike.

It's also worth noting that Microsoft has acknowledged many of these pain points. Through its Windows K2 initiative, the company has been focusing on improving performance, reliability, and the overall user experience while scaling back some of the interface decisions that have drawn criticism.

Linux still offers something Windows cannot replace

The discussion also highlighted why many people continue using Linux, which is because it provides a level of control that Windows simply does not.

Users can choose different distributions, desktop environments, window managers, package systems, and customization options. For people who enjoy controlling every part of their computing environment, Linux remains extremely attractive.

However, that flexibility can also create challenges. The original poster pointed out that fragmentation can make Linux harder for some users: "Linux is great (as is Windows), but many members of the community are... not so great."

He wasn't criticizing Linux itself. Instead, he argued that the Linux desktop ecosystem often requires more research, troubleshooting, and decision-making than, in this case, Windows 11. For some users, that's part of the appeal. For others, it's a barrier.

The real debate is not about winners and losers

The biggest takeaway from this Reddit discussion is that the Windows vs. Linux argument is often framed incorrectly, because there is no universal winner.

The discussion shows why the Windows versus Linux debate rarely has a clear winner. Every operating system involves tradeoffs. Linux gives users more control and flexibility, while Windows prioritizes compatibility and broad software support. The right choice depends less on which platform is objectively better and more on which one fits the way you work.

Even users who criticize Microsoft often continue using Windows because it solves practical problems.

As one commenter (@animalcrossing4_4) summarized: "The OS is a means to an end so stop shoving the holiness of some OS on me."

That may be the most accurate description of the entire debate.

An operating system is a tool. The best one is not necessarily the one with the most features, the most customization, or the strongest community.

It's the one that lets people spend less time fighting their computer and more time using it.

Windows Central's Take

This particular Reddit discussion isn't about Windows 11 suddenly winning over Linux users. However, it does reinforce something I've believed for a long time, which is that most people eventually end up with the operating system that helps them get their work done with the fewest compromises. That's why Windows continues to dominate the desktop despite Microsoft's occasional missteps.

Over the years, Microsoft has improved Windows where it matters most, including stability, hardware compatibility, and the developer experience with WSL and Winget. At the same time, the company has also made decisions that frustrate users, such as adding promotional content and pushing more Microsoft services (and AI) throughout the operating system.

Those criticisms are fair, but they don't necessarily outweigh the biggest advantage of an operating system that runs virtually on any modest hardware.

I always think it's interesting to find someone who sees Windows without treating the Windows versus Linux debate like a competition. Every operating system has strengths and weaknesses, and the right choice depends on your workflow, not on loyalty to a particular platform.

If Windows 11 helps you spend less time troubleshooting and more time being productive, then it's doing exactly what an operating system is supposed to do.

What do you think? Have you switched between Windows and Linux, or are you sticking with Windows 11? Let me know in the comments.

More resources

Explore more in-depth how-to guides, troubleshooting advice, and essential tips to get the most out of Windows 11 and 10. Start browsing here:

• Windows 11 on Windows Central — All you need to know
• Windows 10 on Windows Central — All you need to know

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

I've installed various versions of Windows more times than is probably necessary, across hundreds of laptops and desktop PCs that I've built, tested, and reviewed. Even if I narrow it down to Windows 11 alone, I reset devices back to a clean install practically every week, so I've built up a collection of useful commands and shortcuts.

For the most part, they aren't particularly innovative, and some won't even be surprising to enthusiasts, but they're definitely useful in my day-to-day experiences with Microsoft's operating system. Whether you consider yourself anything from a casual PC user to a service-hardened admin, you'll find at least some of these as useful as I do.

And, as with absolutely anything regarding commands copied and pasted into Command Prompt, PowerShell, or any other kind of terminal, you should always practice sensible backups and data protection habits. Keep your most important files in multiple places where possible, and only run high-level commands if you're a confident PC user — though I promise to explain what they all do.

Open Command Prompt during Setup

While you're progressing through Windows Setup on either a new PC or a device that was reset to factory settings, you might want to bypass a few of Microsoft's suggested Windows 11 settings, like the mandatory "Let's add your Microsoft account" sign-in section.

• Press Shift + F10 during Setup to open Command Prompt

There is a little quirk to this one, though. When the Command Prompt window first opens, you'll probably see a flashing caret that suggests you can type, but you'll often (if not always) find that your keyboard inputs are ignored. By default, the Command Prompt window isn't focused, so you'll need to either use a connected mouse to click it or press Alt + Tab if you only have a keyboard.

Create a local account

Because I test so many PCs, I certainly don't want to sign into absolutely all of them with my personal Microsoft account. Unfortunately, the options to use a local account are becoming more limited as workarounds are removed, but my preferred Windows 11 ISO (disc image) still works with this method.

1. Shift + F10 opens Command Prompt
2. Enter this command: start ms-cxh:localonly
3. Create a user (passwords are optional)

Bingo. Some apps will still ask you to sign in, and when they do, you'll need to make sure Windows doesn't try to "automatically sign in to all desktop apps." If you're ever prompted with that request, respond with the closest equivalent of "no, sign in to this app only".

Checking battery health

This one is slightly more niche because it's primarily about how I test battery life on sample laptops. Still, checking your battery health also has a convenient crossover for anyone who might pick up a refurbished or pre-owned model, and seeing your battery cycle count alongside its design capacity is just plain useful.

1. Open the Start menu
2. Find CMD (Command Prompt) and Run as administrator
3. Enter this command: powercfg /batteryreport /output "C:\battery_report.html"

Find the generated file on your C: drive to see helpful details, such as battery life estimates near the bottom of the page, all based on how long your laptop lasted on each charge. I always like to generate one of these reports when I'm using a brand new laptop over a full week during a review. It's good stuff.

Faster Task Manager

Now, if anything on this list is liable to pull ire in the comments, it'll be this one. Yes, I know that Task Manager is probably the most widely known feature of Windows, but plenty of people still think you need to press Ctrl + Alt + Delete to access it. However, there are two faster methods that I always use, depending on whether I'm using a keyboard or a mouse at the time.

• Right-click the Taskbar and click Task Manager
• (or) Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager

The more interesting part of accessing the Task Manager is the reason for opening it on a brand new PC: disabling startup apps. On the left side, you'll find the dedicated category, which exposes any unwanted 'bloatware' that might have come pre-installed on your machine. If not, I usually disable msedge.exe (Microsoft Edge) anyway, because it doesn't seem to be necessary.

Clipboard history

If you head to the Settings app and find System > Clipboard, you'll see the Clipboard history toggle, and I strongly recommend keeping it on. I'm constantly copying and pasting serial keys for licensed software, hex codes for colors, and all kinds of other jargon that happily sits in this pop-up list.

• Press Windows + V to open Clipboard history

Alternatively, pressing Windows + . (the period key) takes you straight to the emoji picker, which is part of the same floating window as Clipboard history. You can start typing keywords and descriptors as soon as it appears, so finding a tiny laptop for your social posts (or anything else) is easy. 💻

Access your Desktop

This is a surprising entry, as I assume everyone knows about both methods. Getting back to your desktop feels like an obvious one to learn, as minimizing individual apps is painfully inefficient. However, even my PC-building colleague Cale Hunt wasn't aware of the second one, and frankly, I don't remember when or how I figured it out.

• Press Windows + D to access your Desktop
• (or) Click the blank Taskbar space to the right of the clock

A third, lesser-known shortcut of Windows + , (the comma key) will briefly show your Desktop, but it disappears when you let go of the Windows key. I can't say I ever use that one, but I've been habitually clicking the blank space to the right of the "system tray" (now the clock and notifications area) for years. If I don't have a mouse, the first one works, and pressing it again restores my windows.

Moving off-screen apps on multiple monitors

Finally, I don't need this one as often as the others, but it's still a critical one to remember when I do. Sometimes, when I connect a second (or third) monitor to a desktop or laptop setup, the app I'm using will disappear from view. It's still technically active, but I just can't see it anymore. Thankfully, it's quite an easy fix if you remember this shortcut.

• Press Windows + an arrow key to move the active app

The arrow key you press depends on how you've organized your screens, both physically and in alignment with what Windows 11 expects. For example, if you want an app to move to a display on your right side, press the right arrow key. If nothing moves around, try pressing Alt + Tab first to ensure your target app is in focus!

There's no doubt that each enthusiast will have their own favorites and likely views these entry-level commands as basic knowledge, but we all start somewhere. Sometimes it feels like muscle memory, but with Windows 11, there's so much going on that it's easy to forget some of the most useful shortcuts aren't as obvious to everyone!

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

Windows Insiders have a new build of Windows 11 to install, and it comes with some exciting improvements for accessibility. The biggest change is to Voice Access, which can now isolate your voice to better control your PC while in a crowded room.

Voice Access allows you to control your PC with only your voice. Once you launch the feature, a dock appears and stays along the top of your screen. That bar shows commands as you enter them, which helps confirm what you've said to your computer.

At the moment, using Voice Access in a room with background noise can be tricky. But that will change with the update to Windows 11 that's now in testing. That upgrade is just the latest in a long string of accessibility improvements from Microsoft.

Microsoft and accessibility

_{Windows 10 added eye tracking in 2017. The feature lets you type with your eyes.}

Microsoft has prioritized accessibility for a long time. It's genuinely one of the most endearing aspects of the company. Here are just a few of the Windows features and pieces of hardware we've covered over the past few years that are part of Microsoft's push to make technology more accessible.

• XBOX Adaptive Joystick
• XBOX Adaptive Controller
• Eye tracking on Windows 10
• Screen tint and improved Braille support
• Voice Access

Our Mauro Huculak has an excellent piece on 7 accessibility features in Windows 11 that make life easier for everyone.

Windows 11, and earlier versions of Windows, have a massive library of features that make computing more accessible.

Microsoft has an extensive support document about all the accessibility features in Windows.

Accessibility is about everyone. When Microsoft develops a feature or accessory with one type of user in mind, there's often a knock-on effect. For example, Read Aloud in Microsoft Edge makes PDFs more accessible, but it also improves reading comprehension and lets you multitask while hearing what's on your screen.

I use Read Aloud every day to proof read my articles. I find that listening as I read improves comprehension and helps me spot typos or other mistakes.

New and improved accessibility in Windows 11

The latest Windows Insider build includes several improvements to accessibility features. Voice Access now supports Voice Isolation, which filters out other speakers and background noise.

It's a small change that makes it possible to use Voice Access in a broader range of work environments. If you rely on Voice Access, a shared office can cause frustration.

Hybrid and in-office work often places colleagues too close to each other to use Voice Access. Voice Isolation allows someone who needs the feature to control a PC to work in the same space as their coworkers.

The same Insider build brings support for displays that use the HID (Human Interface Device) standard to Narrator. That standard enabled plug and play support for braille displays and is backed by Microsoft, Apple, and other tech giants.

Here's the change log for Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 29634.1000 that relates to accessibility.

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 29634.1000

Voice Isolation in Voice Access

• We’re introducing Voice Isolation, a new option in Voice Access that helps it focus on your voice, even when others are speaking nearby. Whether you’re in a shared office, an open floor plan, or at home with family around, Voice Isolation filters out other voices and background noise so Voice Access can better understand you. All processing happens privately on your device.
• Getting started
  Voice Access now offers three speech recognition modes under Voice Access settings > Improve speech recognition:
  • Voice Isolation — Filters out other speakers and background noise (one-time voice setup required).
  • Remove background noise only — Filters out non-speech sounds like typing or door slams. No additional setup needed.
  • No filtering — Default microphone input with no additional processing.
• To set up Voice Isolation, select it from the menu and follow the short, guided setup where you’ll read a brief paragraph aloud so Voice Access can learn your voice. It only takes a minute, and your voice data never leaves your device

Narrator

Braille displays now connect instantly with Narrator

• We’re making refreshable braille displays easier to use in Windows. Narrator now supports displays that use the HID standard — an open industry standard for braille displays. If your display supports HID, simply connect it via USB and start reading — true plug-and-play with no additional setup required. For Bluetooth, pair your HID braille display in Settings > Bluetooth & devices just like any other accessory, and you can work wirelessly without being tethered to your PC.
• Compatible HID displays include models like the Orbit Reader 20, Orbit Slate 340, Freedom Scientific Focus 40, and APH Mantis Q40.
• HID braille displays now work during the initial Windows setup experience (OOBE) over USB — meaning users who are deaf-blind can set up their PC independently, right from the first screen. You can customize braille input and output options anytime in Settings > Accessibility > Narrator > Braille.

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Microsoft is expected to release the Windows 11 August 2026 Security Update on Tuesday, August 11, 2026. In this eighth month of the year, the software giant is rolling out several new features, improvements for existing features, and fixes.

In this quality update, Microsoft will introduce new features, including Windows Hello Enhanced Sign-in Security (ESS) support, the ability to uninstall AI models from Copilot+ PCs, touchpad gestures, voice isolation for Voice Access, Fluid Dictation for Voice Typing, and more.

There are also improvements to File Explorer, Windows Search, Widgets, Windows Update, power and battery, sounds, and more.

Furthermore, Microsoft is updating the interface for the Account Control flyout in the Start menu, the Windows Setup experience now includes a parental controls notice, and the list continues.

In this guide, I'll highlight the most significant changes in the August 2026 Security Update for Windows 11 versions 25H2 and 24H2, since both are identical.

Windows 11's new features arriving in August

As usual, the company uses Controlled Feature Rollout (CFR) to roll out new improvements gradually, so it may take some time before you see them.

File Explorer changes

Although the updated version of File Explorer doesn't introduce flashy features, the development team is making some worthy improvements.

First, when using the "Details" view, the file sizes now show appropriate units (such as KB, MB, and GB), instead of displaying every value in kilobytes.

It's now possible to use the middle-click to open a folder in a new tab from the address bar and Home page.

Other improvements on the Home page include a gray flash bug on loading and scrolling, and thumbnails in the Recommended section now appear with better quality.

Windows Search tweaks

Starting with the August update, Windows Search now includes improvements to better handle typos, and you can start searches with two-character queries.

When searching for apps, Windows Search improves recognition of partial names and typos. Also, in the Settings app, the search rank has been updated to show more relevant options higher.

Windows Hello support

In this update, Microsoft is bringing Windows Hello Enhanced Sign-in Security (ESS) support for external fingerprint sensors.

In short, standard Windows Hello encrypts the sign-in data. However, enhanced security support takes it a step further by isolating the biometric process into a secure memory space, away from the operating system.

The option is available through Settings > Accounts > Sign in options.

In the past, this feature was only available for devices with built-in sensors, such as Copilot+ PCs, but now, it'll be available for external peripherals.

AI model uninstall option

Although adding the ability to uninstall something from the operating system doesn't scream new feature, Microsoft is now allowing users to uninstall the Image Generation AI model from Settings > System > AI Components.

And this is a big deal, because one of the biggest complaints about Windows 11 has been the integration of AI features. While supported devices still don't have a master switch to completely disable AI on Windows 11, this is a small step in the right direction.

Widgets improvements

In the Lock screen, the experience should now be less distracting, as now, by default, users will only see the Weather widget.

Also, notification badges in the Taskbar will now take the current accent color instead of the previous red indicator.

Touchpad new gestures

After installing the August update, on Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Touchpad, users will be able to customize the speed for scroll and zoom gestures.

In addition, there's a new option to enable accelerated scrolling, which is a feature that increases the scrolling speed as gestures are repeated.

Voice Typing and Access

In Voice Typing, Microsoft is now deactivating Fluid Dictation by default and integrating tooltips to help users understand how the feature works.

Voice Access now comes with Voice Isolation that improves speech recognition by filtering out background noise and other speakers.

In addition, the company is making available three speech recognition settings from Settings > Voice Access > Improve speech recognition.

The "Voice Isolation" option requires a one-time voice setup and filters both background noise and nearby conversations.

Users will also find the "Remove background noise only" mode suppresses sounds such as typing or doors closing without additional setup.

Finally, the "No filtering" mode uses the microphone input without any processing.

Account Control redesign

The flyout that appears when clicking the profile button in the Start menu is known as the Account Control interface, and in this release, Microsoft is adding some design changes.

The changes aim to make it more modern and clearer. For instance, the new design adds a new badge to quickly understand the current plan and state. In addition, it gives users access to their plan benefits as well as other information, such as storage usage from OneDrive.

Power and battery

In this release, the company is making changes to how power settings are applied in the system.

According to Microsoft, customizations made to the display timeouts, sleep and hibernate timers, and laptop lid actions are now automatically applied to every power plan instead of only the active one.

Finally, the ability to configure the battery percentage for "Energy Saver" is coming back to the "Power & battery" settings.

Windows Update improvements

Microsoft continues improving the update system, and this time around, Windows Update will provide more accurate progress estimates during updates.

Furthermore, the company is updating the cleanup process after installing updates to improve system performance.

System sound in dark mode

After installing this Patch Tuesday update, users should also notice improvements to system sounds in dark mode.

Windows Central's Take

From my perspective, this is the kind of Windows 11 update I like to see. It's not built around a flashy headline feature, but instead focuses on polishing the experience in dozens of small ways. Improvements to File Explorer, Windows Search, Windows Update, touchpad gestures, and power management won't generate a lot of excitement, but they're the kinds of changes that make the operating system feel more refined day after day.

I also think Microsoft's decision to let users uninstall the Image Generation AI model is an important step, even if it's a modest one. People have been asking for more control over AI features, and while this isn't a universal switch to remove AI, it shows Microsoft is at least acknowledging those concerns. I'd like to see the company continue in that direction by giving users even more choice over what AI components are installed.

As with every Patch Tuesday release, I'd still recommend waiting a few days before installing the update on your primary computer unless you need the latest security fixes immediately. Monthly updates occasionally introduce unexpected issues, and giving Microsoft a little time to address early reports has rarely been a bad strategy.

What are your thoughts about the Windows 11 August 2026 update? Which new feature or improvement are you looking forward to the most? Let me know in the comments.

More resources

Explore more in-depth how-to guides, troubleshooting advice, and essential tips to get the most out of Windows 11 and 10. Start browsing here:

• Windows 11 on Windows Central — All you need to know
• Windows 10 on Windows Central — All you need to know

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

Windows 11 2026 update (version 26H2) doesn't introduce a dramatic overhaul of the desktop. However, it does bring meaningful improvements to three of the operating system's most frequently used experiences, including the Start menu, Taskbar, and Windows Search.

Throughout the 2026 development cycle, Microsoft has been paying attention to adding long-requested customization options, streamlining navigation, and improving search accuracy.

Before proceeding, it's worth clarifying that while these changes are expected to appear in version 26H2, Microsoft will continue to introduce new improvements through regular monthly updates. As such, the changes for the Start menu, Taskbar, and Search are also expected to roll out for version 25H2. This could even happen before they become available for version 26H2.

In this guide, I'll walk you through the biggest changes coming with version 26H2.

Taskbar changes

When Microsoft first introduced Windows 11, it introduced a redesigned Taskbar with a cleaner, more modern look. However, that redesign also removed several long-standing customization options, including the ability to move the Taskbar to different edges of the screen. This change quickly became one of the operating system's most criticized design decisions.

On Windows 11 version 26H2, the company is finally restoring that functionality. Users can now position the Taskbar at the top, bottom, left, or right edge of the display, bringing back a level of flexibility that had been available in previous versions.

The operating system also automatically adjusts the interface based on the selected Taskbar position. For example, when the Taskbar is placed at the top of the screen, the Start menu and Search interface open downward from the top edge. Taskbar buttons, system tray icons, and the clock also reposition correctly to match the chosen layout.

There are a few differences when using a vertical Taskbar. The clock displays the year using the abbreviated format instead of the full four-digit year, and the option to show seconds isn't currently available. However, both layouts (left and right) fully support app ungrouping and labels when using the "Never combine" option.

You can change the Taskbar position from Settings > Personalization > Taskbar > Taskbar behaviors, where Microsoft also includes a live preview of each layout before you apply the change.

Another legacy customization that didn't make it into the new design was the ability to change the Taskbar size. Furthermore, the Taskbar was noticeably taller than in previous versions, in part because the company intentionally optimized the experience for touch devices.

Now, in version 26H2, there's a new option under the "Taskbar position" that allows users to make the Taskbar smaller.

One important note I want to make is that when using the smaller Taskbar, it'll also make the icons smaller, and the option to make icons smaller at the bottom of the page will be disabled.

Start menu improvements

The Start menu has been one of the most controversial parts of Windows 11 since the operating system debuted. Although the company replaced the aging Windows 10 design with a streamlined interface, the new experience sacrificed many customization options in the process. As part of Windows 11 version 26H2, the company is (somewhat) reintroducing several changes that give users more control over how the Start menu looks and behaves.

Although the redesign modernized the Start menu, it also removed several customization options, making it one of the most criticized parts of Windows 11. Since its debut, users have repeatedly asked for greater flexibility and control over the experience.

In this release, Microsoft is addressing many of those requests with a series of long-awaited improvements.

The Start menu is also becoming more customizable. Rather than forcing a layout based on your display size, Windows 11 will include different size options that you can select yourself. You still won't be able to drag the edges to resize the menu or switch to a full-screen layout like Windows 10, but having preset sizes is a welcome improvement.

Microsoft is also adding more ways to customize the Start menu. You can now choose whether the "Pinned," "Recent" (previously Recommended), and "All" sections appear, making it easier to hide the parts you don't use.

The company is also separating file recommendations from system recommendations. As a result, users can turn off recommended content in the Start menu without affecting recent files or Jump Lists elsewhere on the desktop, such as on the Taskbar and in File Explorer.

The company is also adding a privacy feature for the Start menu. A new setting hides the user account name and profile picture while sharing screen, helping prevent personal or work-related information from appearing during meetings, presentations, or live streams.

Windows 11 is also getting a new privacy option for the Start menu. The feature is designed for users who share their screen during meetings, presentations, or live streams by hiding sensitive content that could reveal personal or work-related information.

These new customization and privacy settings are available from Settings > Personalization > Start, giving users more control over one of Windows 11's most frequently used experiences.

Search changes

Windows Search is also receiving one of its biggest updates since Windows 11 launched, with Microsoft focusing on a cleaner interface, more relevant results, and greater user control.

One of the most noticeable changes is a redesigned Search home page. Instead of displaying trending topics, promotional content, and other distractions, the experience now centers on your recent searches, making it easier to jump back into previous queries while reducing visual clutter.

Microsoft is also changing how Windows Search displays results. When a web result is the best match, Search now puts the answer front and center instead of prioritizing products or sponsored content. The interface has also been updated with better spacing, clearer source labels, and thumbnail previews to make results easier to scan.

For users who prefer a local search experience, Windows 11 now includes separate options to turn off web results and Microsoft Store suggestions. These settings are available from Settings > Privacy & security > Search, allowing you to tailor the experience to your preferences.

Behind the scenes, the software giant has also updated the ranking system to prioritize local content. For example, apps, settings, and files now appear ahead of web and Microsoft Store results when they're the most relevant match, making it faster to find content stored on your computer. As part of these improvements, settings searches are more accurate and consistently rank higher in the results.

The company has also enhanced search accuracy by improving support for misspelled queries, missing or extra letters, and partial words. In addition, Windows Search can now find local files using as little as two characters and does a better job of identifying matching cloud and connected files when they're the most relevant result.

Finally, Microsoft is also making the Search box taller by increasing its height by four pixels.

Windows Central's Take

I think version 26H2 is shaping up to be another practical update. Instead of chasing another visual redesign or introducing features that only appeal to a small group of users, the company is finally improving parts of Windows 11 that millions of people interact with every day. The reversal of a movable Taskbar, more control over the Start menu, and a cleaner Windows Search experience show that Microsoft is listening to user feedback.

I also like that these changes focus on giving users more choice rather than forcing a new way of using the operating system. While I would've liked to see even more customization, such as freeform Start menu resizing or additional Taskbar options, this is a meaningful step in the right direction.

What are your thoughts on the new Start menu, Taskbar, and Search changes coming to Windows 11 26H2? Let me know in the comments.

More resources

Explore more in-depth how-to guides, troubleshooting advice, and essential tips to get the most out of Windows 11 and 10. Start browsing here:

• Windows 11 on Windows Central — All you need to know
• Windows 10 on Windows Central — All you need to know

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

LG got caught with its hand in the cookie jar this week. An investigation by Gamers Nexus revealed that plugging certain LG monitors into a Windows 11 PC silently installed a companion app without user consent.

Normally, some people would be OK with this, though others would argue that nothing should be able to install an app on your PC without permission.

But the situation escalated when it was revealed that the monitor app also showed ads for McAfee.

Microsoft was forced to step in. The tech giant reached out to LG and the McAfee ads no longer appear. But Microsoft should not have had to do anything at all. LG demonstrated that Microsoft needs to rein in accessory makers and get a tighter grip on Windows 11.

While the LG scandal dominated the headlines, we also saw major Xbox news and some Windows 11 upgrades.

Biggest News of the Week

One could argue that no company should be able to install software on your PC without explicit permission. But in a perfect world, those same companies could be trusted to only install relevant software such as a required monitor app or the drivers needed to make an accessory work.

Unfortunately, that’s not the case. LG abused the trust given by Microsoft and Windows 11 users by installing adware on people’s PCs whenever they plugged in certain monitors.

Microsoft needs to restrict these types of installs on Windows 11 and ensure that any app being installed is done so after a user has given permission. Even useful apps that help control a device should only appear when cleared by a user.

Shopping with Sean

Some retailers tried to make Black Friday in July a thing, but we all know it’s back-to-school season. That means some of the best Windows laptops are on sale. The standout this week is the HP OmniBook X Flip.

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

A couple of weeks ago, I received a text message from my dad that read: "Should I be using a password manager?"

It was the latest appeal from my parents (and family in general) asking for cybersecurity help. The most recent call before this one had come from my mom, asking why "tech support" had appeared on her PC and seemed to have taken over her screen.

I'm always happy to help solve the mysteries of the digital world when I can, and I should stress that my parents aren't Luddites. They just don't live completely in the digital world as many of us do.

To best help them be proactive, I figured I should probably set up a cybersecurity best practices document they could refer to when considering what's important and what's not.

This is that list, cleaned up and easy to read for anyone else who's quietly running their family's IT support through the group chat.

Fix these security flaws TODAY

Here's a list of security loopholes that should be cleaned up ASAP. These are all fairly low-effort and should be followed on practically any PC you or your family is using.

Enable Windows Hello

Windows Hello is one of Microsoft's best security features. It can be used as a PIN, a fingerprint, or a facial scan, and it effectively protects a Windows 11 PC from outside physical threats.

Windows Hello can be set up by navigating to the Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options section in Windows 11.

Ensure Windows Update is actually running

Windows Update provides security patches on the regular. Without it enabled, a PC becomes less secure over time.

You can navigate to Settings > Windows Update to find whether or not updates are live or paused. It's never a bad idea to check for updates while you're there.

Ensure Windows Defender is turned on

Windows Defender is the built-in Windows 11 antivirus, and it's surprisingly effective at blocking malware and other threats. Defender is usually turned on by default, though third-party antivirus software can sometimes interfere and cause a confusing and half-disabled state.

Navigate to Settings > Privacy & security > Windows Security > Virus & threat protection to confirm that everything (especially real-time protection) is active and that no actions are needed.

Turn on the 'Find my Device' feature

When a laptop is misplaced, forgotten, or worse, stolen, having Windows 11's Find my Device feature enabled often means the difference between "gone forever" and "I can solve this."

With Find My Device enabled, you can see where your PC is, and you can lock it remotely to prevent intrusion.

Navigate to Settings > Privacy & security > Find my device to enable and disable the setting, as well as to see all PCs linked to your account.

Perform these security measures once and for all

These security measures only need to be performed once, and they can make a huge difference in how security and privacy are handled.

Switch from a local account to a Microsoft account with 2FA

This is a fix that can make a huge difference when something goes wrong with a PC, as it provides a convenient recovery path. A Microsoft account allows for easy device syncing and backups; it allows you to change your PC's password online, and it secures digital licenses to your email.

By signing in with a Microsoft account, two-factor authentication (2FA) can be enabled, which adds additional security should a password leak.

Navigate to Settings > Accounts > Your info to change how you log into your Windows 11 PC.

Enable device encryption

Device encryption is essentially the only thing standing in between a stolen laptop and stolen data.

If a drive isn't encrypted, it can simply be removed from an otherwise locked PC, connected to a different PC, and read openly.

Windows 11 has a built-in encryption feature that handles this stuff quite tidily. In Home versions, it's simply known as Device encryption; in Pro versions, it's known as BitLocker.

Either way, you can navigate to Settings > Privacy & security > Device encryption and enable it.

Switch from a Windows 11 Administrator account to a Standard account

Windows 11 PCs usually default the first account created to be an Administrator, which means that any software that runs gets full permissions on the system.

Since that can include malware, it's much better for day-to-day computing to be handled on a Standard account.

Navigate to Settings > Accounts > Family in order to add or change accounts. You can use the Standard account as a daily driver and only switch to the admin account when something (legitimate) needs installing.

Use a password manager

The advice that kicked off this security cheat sheet involved a password manager, something I feel is absolutely mandatory for any netizens in 2026. I don't know exactly how many people are still recycling passwords they've used for decades, but I'm sure I'd be shocked to find out.

Rather than asking my parents to come up with new passwords, I got them set up with a password manager that takes all the effort and memorization out of the equation.

This specialized tool should absolutely hold the most important passwords for banking, shopping, email, etc., and it should be allowed to create the most secure passwords possible.

NordPass from NordVPN is what my dad eventually settled on (I already had him using a VPN), but there are great options from 1Password, Bitwarden, and Proton. Heck, even the Edge browser can manage passwords in a pinch.

Best cybersecurity habits to get accustomed to

Even with the above methods completed, the fight against bad actors online is far from over. There's some habit-level best practice stuff that I've tried to instill that should go a long way in keeping our PCs safe.

Learn to spot phishing scams

Phishing scams can come from practically anywhere. It might be an email. It might be a compromised webpage. It might be a phone call.

If you suspect that something is awry, stop what you're doing and investigate further. Is the email address from which the message was sent actually legit? Is the URL for the webpage you're viewing familiar? Do you know the person on the phone?

Learning to recognize phishing attempts and other scams isn't always easy, but it's something we all need to practice.

Never believe someone calling you about your PC

I've never in my life received a legitimate phone call asking me about my computer.

Whether it's "Microsoft tech support," a bank's fraud department, or some other odd institution calling you about your PC, there's a very good chance that it's a scam.

The same goes for pop-ups. If you're seeing a phone number on your screen requesting that you call it immediately for support, it's a scam.

Bonus: Under no circumstances should you ever share your passwords online, on the phone, or anywhere else.

Never install unsolicited software on your PC

A classic scam involves having a user install remote-access software on a PC, which gives the bad actors control over the computer.

If someone on the phone tells you to install something like AnyDesk or TeamViewer (or really any software at all) in order to fix the problem, just hang up.

I want to know your cybersecurity tips!

The cybersecurity cheat sheet I've created here is undoubtedly missing some worthwhile tips and tricks, and I'd love it if you shared them in the comments section below.

And while I originally created this guide for those who often deal with IT support in their family and friend groups, it should serve as a solid reference for anyone looking to make their PC more secure.

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

Windows 11 includes dozens of useful features hiding in plain sight, and Reddit users are sharing the ones that make the biggest difference every day, or as the thread's title notes, "life-changing." A lot of users learn Windows through years of habits. They know how to open apps, browse files, and install programs, but Microsoft has accumulated dozens of small improvements that rarely receive attention.

The interesting thing about Reddit discussions around Windows 11 is that the "life-changing" features are rarely the flashy ones. Users aren't talking about the features Microsoft usually puts front and center. They're talking about small workflow improvements that remove friction dozens of times a day.

A clipboard manager may save only a few seconds each time, but when you use it 20 times a day, it becomes one of the most valuable features on the system.

In this guide, I'll list 10 features that, according to Reddit users, are "cool" and many people may know about.

1. Clipboard history turns copying into a productivity tool

One of the most repeated recommendations in the Reddit thread was Clipboard history.

Redditor yanni99 explained: "WIN + V, the most underrated and unused feature in Windows 11. I use this 20+ times daily."

This feature keeps a history of copied text and images, allowing users to retrieve something they copied earlier instead of losing it shortly after something else is copied.

Why it's useful

Traditional copy and paste assumes users only need one piece of information at a time. Modern work does not work that way. People constantly copy links, passwords, snippets of text, screenshots, and data between apps.

The hidden benefit is not just recovering old clipboard items. It changes how you work because you stop worrying about overwriting something important.

Insight

I have found this especially useful when writing, troubleshooting computers, or comparing technical information. Instead of repeatedly switching between browser tabs, documents, or notes to re-copy the same information, Clipboard history acts as a temporary workspace where I can quickly access multiple pieces of copied content.

Quick tip: Pin frequently used clipboard items so they survive restarts.

2. Snipping Tool is more than screenshots

A lot of users still think Snipping Tool is only a screenshot utility.

Reddit user picardo85 pointed out: "The snipping tool allows for screen recording." Another user highlighted: "Also does OCR! and the OCR is GOD TIER."

The Snipping Tool app on Windows 11 now combines screenshot capture, screen recording, text extraction from images, basic image editing, and GIF creation from short recordings.

Why it's useful

For years, users installed third-party apps for these tasks. Microsoft quietly turned a basic utility into a lightweight alternative for many everyday situations.

The text extraction capability is particularly useful. You can capture text from screenshots, scanned documents, error messages, or images without manually typing everything.

Insight

This is one area where the company has improved the operating system significantly but failed at communication. A lot of users still download third-party screenshot tools without realizing the built-in option has caught up.

Quick tip: Use the "Windows key + Shift + S" keyboard shortcut to bring up the Snipping Tool toolbar for quick access to the features.

3. End Task from the Taskbar finally fixes frozen apps

The popular Microsoft engineer jenmsft joined the Reddit discussion to highlight this feature: "In Settings > System > Advanced, you can enable showing an End Task option directly when right clicking apps in the taskbar."

This adds an "End Task" option directly to the Taskbar context menu. Previously, closing an unresponsive app usually required opening Task Manager, finding the process, and ending the task manually. However, now, users can terminate applications faster.

Why it's useful

It's a small feature, but it addresses one of the oldest frustrations, which is a frozen application blocking your workflow.

Insight

This feature is particularly useful for power users, developers, and anyone testing applications. It's faster than the traditional Task Manager approach and avoids navigating through multiple windows.

4. Windows Sandbox is a disposable PC inside your PC

Several Reddit users mentioned Windows Sandbox. For example, Redditor mikel_me wrote: "Windows Sandbox and I no longer need to have VirtualBox, lose dozens of GB of storage to test an .exe I don't trust."

Windows Sandbox creates a temporary Windows environment that disappears when closed.

You can use it to test unknown software, open suspicious files, and try settings without affecting your main installation.

Why it's useful

Some users download utilities, Registry tweaks, and scripts from the internet. The problem is that testing unknown software on your main system carries risk.

Sandbox provides a clean environment without maintaining a full virtual machine.

Limitation

Windows Sandbox is only available on Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise, and Education editions.

Also, since this is a limited Windows environment of around 100MB (not a full installation of the operating system), not every script may work correctly.

If you have to test complex scripts, the best approach is to use a virtual machine.

5. Winget command makes installing apps easier

Another feature mentioned by Reddit users that caught my attention was Windows Package Manager.

For instance, user relevant-frog explained: "I find it faster to install programs this way rather than looking for the program's website."

If you run commands like "winget install APP-NAME" and "winget upgrade --all" users can install and update applications from the command line.

Why it's useful

After reinstalling Windows 11, one of the biggest annoyances is rebuilding your software collection.

The winget command changes that. Instead of searching dozens of websites, users can restore many applications quickly.

Insight

This is one of Microsoft's most underrated changes because it brings Linux-style package management convenience to Windows.

6. Snap Layouts are better than dragging windows

Reddit user chella1cm highlighted: "Win+Z opens the Snap Layouts, even with number shortcut."

Windows 11 introduced improved window snapping, but many users still drag windows manually.

You only need to use the "Windows key + Z" to open the Snap Layouts menu, allowing you to quickly arrange apps on the desktop.

Why it's useful

Modern monitors are larger, ultrawide displays are common, and multitasking has become normal. Snap Layouts turns window management into a structured workflow.

7. Windows key + Shift + Arrow is a multi-monitor lifesaver

One commenter (AMonkeyAndALavaLamp) wrote: "win+shift+arrows to move stuff between monitors." This shortcut instantly moves the active window between monitors.

Why it's useful

Anyone with two or more displays knows the frustration of dragging windows across screens. This shortcut solves that instantly.

It's a perfect example of a feature that does not look impressive in Microsoft's marketing material but improves daily use.

8. Voice Typing works almost everywhere

A Reddit user (mrnedryerson) mentioned: "Win + H Voice Type Anywhere." This feature lets users dictate text in almost any text field.

Why it's useful

Voice input has improved significantly with newer speech models. It's useful for drafting emails, writing notes, accessibility, and quickly entering text.

A lot of users never try it because they assume speech recognition is still the same as older versions.

9. Reliability Monitor makes troubleshooting much easier

One Reddit user recommended running perfmon /rel, which opens the Reliability Monitor tool.

Unlike Event Viewer, Reliability Monitor presents crashes, failed updates, driver problems, and application errors on a simple timeline, making it much easier to identify when something started going wrong.

Why it's useful

When the system suddenly becomes unstable, many people immediately assume they need to reinstall Windows 11. Reliability Monitor often points directly to the update, driver, or app that triggered the problem, saving time and unnecessary troubleshooting.

10. Advanced Display settings: your monitor may be running slower than expected

One Reddit user shared a practical discovery: "Your screen might be more fluid than you think!"

A lot of monitors ship configured at 60Hz even when they support higher refresh rates.

Users can check Settings > System > Display > Advanced display and select a higher refresh rate.

Why it's useful

A 120Hz or 144Hz monitor running at 60Hz wastes the hardware users paid for.

This is one of the simplest performance upgrades available because it requires no hardware change.

Windows Central's Take

I've always found it interesting that some of the most useful features are also its least promoted. Reading through this Reddit discussion reinforced something I've noticed over the years, which is that people aren't asking for more big features as much as they're looking for tools that make everyday tasks faster and less frustrating. That's why Clipboard history, the Snipping Tool's OCR, Windows Sandbox, and winget kept coming up over and over again.

I also think Microsoft could do a better job of surfacing these capabilities. A lot of them have been built into the operating system for years or have quietly evolved into genuinely useful tools. Yet, they're still hidden behind keyboard shortcuts or Settings pages that most people never visit.

In my experience, discovering one of these features often has a bigger impact on your daily workflow than many of the headline additions.

If you haven't explored beyond the basics, it's worth taking a few minutes to try some of these recommendations. You might find that Windows 11 already includes a tool you've been downloading third-party software to replace.

What are your favorite underrated Windows 11 features? Let me know in the comments.

More resources

Explore more in-depth how-to guides, troubleshooting advice, and essential tips to get the most out of Windows 11 and 10. Start browsing here:

• Windows 11 on Windows Central — All you need to know
• Windows 10 on Windows Central — All you need to know

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

The dedicated Copilot key on your PC is finally useful. Recently, Windows 11 gained the option to remap the Copilot key to act as the Context menu key or Right Ctrl key. It's also possible to disable the key entirely.

Which key do you use the least on your PC? Is it Scroll Lock? Maybe the Insert key feels like a waste of space. I don't normally pay much attention to unused keys on a keyboard, but the Copilot key is an exception because it replaced a key people actually use.

Any laptop or keyboard that ships with a dedicated Copilot key lacks a Right Ctrl key. People have complained about the Copilot key since it was introduced and Microsoft has responded.

At some point this year, Windows 11 shipped an update that allows you to remap the Copilot key to the Right Ctrl key or the Context Menu key.

We've known about this change for a while. A Microsoft support document outlines the plans of the tech giant:

"Microsoft is committed to enabling customers to select options for how the Copilot key functions. A Windows 11 update will ship later this year that will add a setting option to let you remap the Copilot key to act as the Context menu key or Right Ctrl key. When available, you can find this setting in:

Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Keyboard"

The change is finally here. X user @phantomofearth shared a screenshot of the setting on Windows 11.

Up to this point, the feature has appeared inconsistently on Windows 11. In a follow-up post, @phantomofearth noted that the option does not appear on their system until enabling a feature ID.

My PC is running the latest version of Windows 11 and I see the option to customize the Copilot key. I did not see that option earlier this year, but I honestly can't say which day the toggle was added to my system.

I'm happy that Microsoft responded to feedback about the Copilot key, but there has been a way to remap the key for years. PowerToys has had a keyboard manager utility for years that lets you remap keys. If you use that tool, you aren't limited to the options Windows 11 gives you.

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

A few days ago, LG was discovered to be automatically installing adware via their monitors when connected to a Windows PC, resulting in popups for apps like McAfee appearing on screen that users are forced to dismiss. Naturally, this has caused outrage online, and appears to have even caught the attention of Microsoft.

Now, Microsoft has confirmed that it has intervened and reached out to LG to see what can be done about stopping this. Windows chief Pavan Davuluri says that LG has agreed to stop McAfee from appearing within their LG monitor popups.

"We’ve connected with the team at LG and as an immediate next step, they have agreed to disable the McAfee pop-up from their app," Davuluri said in a post on X. "We appreciate LG working with us toward a shared goal of a better experience for our mutual customers."

It's good to see Microsoft stepping up to help here, as OEMs often get away with gross practices on their hardware. Many Windows PCs ship with adware and bloatware out of the box, and Microsoft has done little in the past to reduce this.

With the company reaching out to LG directly, it's clear that Microsoft thought LG's practices here were a step too far, and is eager to improve the overall health of the Windows ecosystem by ensuring OEMs are dialing back on the amount of bloatware and adware that appears on third-party hardware.

McAfee is one of the most pre-installed OEM bloatware apps you can find. Almost all major Windows OEM hardware will include a free-trial of McAfee, along with other demo or trial apps like Dropbox, Microsoft Office, and more.

Unlike actual PC hardware, LG's adware is being installed through a monitor app that is automatically downloaded onto a Windows PC when you connect an LG monitor to it. The app is designed to allow you to control functions and settings of the monitor, but it includes a popup that previously displayed ads for things like McAfee.

It's unclear if LG is planning to stop showing ads there permanently, if it it's only doing so temporarily until the outrage dies down. Hopefully, this change is a permanent one, as most users are not interested in being advertised to via a popup appearing because of the monitor they've chosen to use.

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

For years, Microsoft has wrestled with modernizing the File Explorer app on Windows. Over the last few years, we've seen Microsoft slowly introduce modern UI elements across the File Explorer interface. Areas like the top of the app, Home page, and details pane have been modernized with WinUI 3, but the rest of the app has pretty much remained untouched.

This means that the File Explorer experience right now is very fragmented, being shared between decades-old interface design and modern WinUI design. Well, it looks like Microsoft is slowly moving to fix that, as evidence that the company is planning to modernize a pretty major aspect of the File Explorer has now appeared.

First spotted by Phantomofearth on Bluesky, the latest Windows 11 preview build includes a hidden modernized File Properties window that appears when you open properties on a file in the Recycle Bin. This is the only window that's been discovered so far, but it's clear that Microsoft is planning to modernize the entire File Properties dialog soon.

This move matches Microsoft's commitment to bring WinUI to more areas of the Windows Shell. The company confirmed plans to bring WinUI to the Start menu and in-box apps and experiences earlier this year, in an effort to streamline performance and design consistency across the entire Windows UI.

One of Windows 11's biggest criticisms amongst users is that the interface is very fragmented. In apps like File Explorer, it's very easy to come across a popup or window that hasn't been modernized like the rest of Windows 11, in some cases even missing support for dark mode. Moving these interfaces to WinUI should make them appear more consistent and support dark mode.

Microsoft has also confirmed plans to improve the performance of WinUI itself, which is why it's confident that moving more of the Windows Shell over to WinUI should result in a faster overall experience. These improvements are part of the company's ongoing Windows K2 effort, which is focused on fixing Windows 11's biggest issues.

The modernized File Properties on Windows 11 are yet to be announced, but now that the first signs of this work are now appearing in preview builds, it's unlikely to be much more of a wait before we hear more about Microsoft's plans for modernizing more areas of the File Explorer.

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

I grew up in an analog world. Smartphones were at least a decade away. Laptops were bricks of hardware with tiny, low-res screens and enormous hard drives. The first PC games I played shipped on floppy discs. I bought my first music album on cassette. I spent a lot of time outdoors, exploring the woods and building forts with friends.

You get the idea.

It pains me to say that the analog world in which I grew up has disappeared over time, giving way to a digital reality. Have you ever seen a toddler effortlessly operate a phone or tablet? Yeah, they know what's up.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, there's a growing resistance to this digital takeover. The analog revival, as it's often called, is usually framed as an anti-technology story. I don't think that's fair.

Younger generations aren't quitting all tech as a rule. They're mostly quitting smartphones and the digital hypnosis they can affect with seemingly no effort at all.

Sure, knitting needles, film cameras, vinyl records, landlines, and inked journals seem to be taking over TikTok and other social media hot spots, but there's another revival underway. One that could place Microsoft and the PC landscape in a very good spot.

The children yearn for the analog hobbies

In March 2026, crafting superstore Michaels published its latest Creativity Trend Report.

The findings suggest that there's some serious digital fatigue going on, noting significant upticks in searches for journals, hands-on crafts like sewing or knitting, crafting parties, party decorations, and more.

Searches for these analog hobbies rose, in some cases, by 919% in 2026. Yarn accessory sales alone grew by 40% compared to 2025, according to Michaels.

Similarly, CNBC covered the analog revival shortly before the Michaels report was published, noting that it's an effort pushing beyond a simple digital detox.

I have to agree; the movement feels a lot like an attempt to slow down and do things by hand at a time when generative AI is taking over the thinking and doing, especially in the creative and professional spaces.

Gen Z is largely driving the analog revival, and I wouldn't say it's afraid of tech. This is the generation that grew up with a phone in hand, after all.

But it's also the generation that's experiencing the worst AI fatigue, and it's the generation that Microsoft has largely focused on courting with its Copilot+ AI PC movement.

Microsoft's AI PC collision with analog refugees

Microsoft seems to have been in a collision at the crossroads of AI PCs and the analog revival.

When Copilot+ PCs were first introduced in May 2024, it was the very beginning of an "AI everywhere" push for Microsoft's Windows 11. I won't go into the specifics here, but it was a hard time for Windows users as it seemed like AI was being injected into just about every aspect of the OS.

The backlash from users led to Microsoft's Windows president, Pavan Davuluri, stating in early 2026 that the company would be focusing on addressing pain points like performance and reliability.

Since then, Microsoft has been stripping Copilot features out of areas where they make the least sense, including Notepad, Teams, Snipping Tool, and Photos.

At Build 2026, the Copilot+ PC brand was barely mentioned. The strict NPU requirement to run Copilot+ tools? It might not be around long, as Microsoft is reportedly testing the features to run on GPUs as well.

The company that created an entirely new hardware category around AI handling tasks on your PC is backing away from its original pitch. The fact that it's happening at the same time that there's a major analog movement is probably just a coincidence.

I certainly don't think Microsoft alone is driving the digital desertion trend, but it's definitely not fighting it, either.

Where do PCs fit into an analog lifestyle?

I don't believe the analog movement is anti-computer. It's anti-friction, anti-ambient, and anti-notification. Phones are designed to interrupt you at every possible chance. One more short video. One more text. One more post. A phone is like a slot machine in your pocket, delivering dopamine on demand.

A PC, on the other hand, is more like a workbench. You don't pull out your laptop to kill a few minutes of idle time. You sit down at a PC because you decided to write something. Edit something. Build something. Play something.

Microsoft spent a couple of years trying to make Windows behave more like a phone while adding AI everywhere it could, and the resulting backlash shows just how flat that bet fell. No, I don't think the analog crowd is rejecting the PC. It's rejecting the parts of a PC that most behave like a phone.

The avenue of intentional computing is what I think Windows is best positioned to own, whether it intends to or not. The PC's real advantage over the phone isn't more AI. It's that it's still, fundamentally, a tool you purposefully use and turn off when you're done.

Will Microsoft lean into the analog revival?

Microsoft has a genuine opportunity here to gain users simply by doing less with Windows 11. Rather than positioning the OS as the de facto AI platform, why not position it as an escape hatch from the AI/attention economy that casts its shadow over so many of our lives?

I'm talking about improving focus modes. Removing ambient monitoring and notifications. Removing more AI features where they don't make sense. Make the PC feel more like a workbench again.

Davuluri's own message about pulling back on AI, listening to users, and fixing what's broken is already halfway there. It just hasn't been articulated expressly as a perk.

The PC doesn't need more AI to remain relevant to younger generations that are rabidly returning to analog hobbies. If anything, it's the opposite.

Will Microsoft make the most of the analog revival? Do you think I'm way off course with this intersection of tech and anti-digital crowds? Is it just a generational phase? Let me know in the comments section below!

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

Microsoft released a slew of Windows Insider Builds last night, continuing a trend of non-Friday releases. The tech giant says that it is "working on getting all flights back on track." But in the meantime, we have several updates and improvements to look at.

In total, five different updates were sent to Windows Insiders.

Because of how the revamped Windows Insider Program is structured, many of the changes seen in the most recent builds have already entered testing to certain users. But with so many build paths to keep track of, it's easy to miss a few features or only focus on what's shipped to your PC specifically.

The biggest changes will roll out to Beta Channel Insiders in the form of Build 26220.8925. That update brings touchpad improvements, an upgraded Start menu, and welcome tweaks to File Explorer.

The update also improves accessibility and includes a refreshed Windows 11 Account Control Flyout.

Build 26220.8925: Changes and improvements

Touchpad

• We're adding new gesturing-related functionality to precision touchpads in Settings. These features should be widely available across applications. WinUI3-based UI requires new WinAppSDK versions for complete functionality, and we're in the process of bringing the necessary changes to versions 1.8 and 2.0.
• Scroll and zoom speed: control the baseline speed for these gestures.
• Accelerated scrolling: repeatedly scrolling increases speed, allowing quick traversal of long documents.

Start menu

• This update brings a number of improvements for the Start menu as first outlined in the Making Taskbar and Start more personal Insider blog.
• Renamed Recommended to Recent in Start and the Settings page.
• Added section-level toggles to independently show or hide Pinned, Recent, and All.
• Added the option to choose between a small and large Start menu, in addition to the Automatic (default) option that is already available.
• Added the option to hide your name and profile picture in Start.
• Redesigned the Start menu settings page.

File Explorer

• File sizes in the Details view now display appropriate units (KB, MB, and GB) instead of KB-only, making them easier to understand at a glance.
• Middle-click to open a folder in a new tab is now supported in the address bar and Home page for a more consistent and efficient tabbed navigation experience across File Explorer.
• Improved screen reader announcements when resolving file conflicts during move and copy operations.

Narrator

• Braille displays now connect instantly with Narrator.
• We're making refreshable braille displays easier to use in Windows. Narrator now supports displays that use the HID standard. If your display supports HID, connect it with USB and start reading with no additional setup required.
• For Bluetooth, pair your HID braille display in Settings > Bluetooth & devices like any other accessory, and then use it wirelessly.
• Compatible HID displays include Orbit Reader 20, Orbit Slate 340, Freedom Scientific Focus 40, and APH Mantis Q40.
• HID braille displays now work during the initial Windows setup experience (OOBE) over USB, which means users who are deaf-blind can set up their PC independently from the first screen.
• You can customize braille input and output options in Settings > Accessibility > Narrator > Braille.

Account Control

• The Windows 11 Account Control flyout has a refreshed, modern design and a clear subscription badge to make account status instantly visible. This helps users identify their plan, discover benefits, and explore upgrades.

Windows Update

• Fixed an issue that could result in recent Insider flights failing to install with error 0xc0000409.

Input

• Improved persistence of mouse cursor size.

I'm most excited about the touchpad improvements. The updates will give you greater control over scroll and zoom speed and make it easier to scroll through long documents.

Unlike some Windows 11 features, the touchpad updates should be available across a wide range of applications. Rather than having to wait for developers to make major rewrites or adopt a feature, you'll have the improvements at your fingertips quickly.

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

Last week, Microsoft blocked the rollout of Windows 11's latest Patch Tuesday update for a number of Dell PCs after it was reported that the update clased with Intel's IPF driver, causing a number of issues including unexpected shutdowns, overheating, and slow performance.

The company said it was working quickly to address these problems on the limited number of Dell PCs that were impacted, and has now released emergency out of band update KB5121767 that addresses the problem for Windows 11 version 24H2 and Windows 11 25H2.

"This OOB update is a cumulative update, so you do not need to apply any previous updates before installing it. Devices affected by this issue and that were temporarily prevented from receiving the July 2026 security update can now install this OOB update, which includes all improvements from previous security and non-security updates, along with this additional fix. This OOB update is only recommended for devices affected by this issue. If your device is not affected, no action is required."

Microsoft has not provided a list of devices that are impacted by the issues, but if your computer was able to install last week's Patch Tuesday update, it's unlikely you're impacted. The new emergency patch should be offered to PCs that had the previous update blocked by Microsoft.

If your PC has been impacted by the issues, Microsoft says that "a limited number of Dell devices might display a yellow exclamation point in Device Manager next to the Intel Innovation Platform Framework Processor Participant driver (Intel IPF). In some cases, affected devices might experience changes in performance, power consumption, or system behavior."

The good news is that most PCs impacted by this issue unlikely ever encountered problems, as Microsoft immediately blocked the update on impacted PCs before this month's Patch Tuesday even became available to them. The only situation where users may have encountered these problems is if they installed June's optional non-security preview update, or manually sideloaded the July Patch Tuesday update.

Microsoft is getting better at catching issues before they reach general availability, and today's emergency out of band update is an example of how much faster the company is moving to address issues in the Windows OS so that users aren't impacted by downtime or bugs.

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

Microsoft is expected to roll out the 2026 Update for Windows 11 (version 26H2) later this year, marking the fifth feature update for the desktop version of the operating system. However, this release isn't a full operating system swap, but it's still important not to skip it.

In this guide, I'll walk you through 10 interesting facts about Windows 11 version 26H2 to know before upgrading once it becomes available.

Facts to know about Windows 11 version 26H2

These are some facts about the new version for Windows 11.

1. Same operating system platform

Although the company will market Windows 11 version 26H2 as a new release, it shares the same platform as version 25H2, meaning both operating systems are identical under the hood. This is exactly the same case as versions 24H2 and 25H2.

2. Same set of features and improvements

Windows 11 version 26H2 includes the same features and improvements already available in version 25H2. Microsoft isn't introducing a separate feature set for this release because both versions share the same platform.

Perhaps the most noticeable differences between Windows 11 versions 26H2 and 25H2 are their version and build numbers, along with their support lifecycle.

For example, version 26H2 uses build numbers in the 26300 series, while version 25H2 uses the 26200 series. Now, despite the different build numbers, updates for both versions typically share the same cumulative update (KB) number because they are based on the same code and include the same features and improvements.

Microsoft is expected to continue servicing both versions with the same features and improvements for the foreseeable future. As a result, version 26H2 is not expected to introduce major new capabilities at launch. Instead, it serves as another enablement package release that activates a new version number while preserving the same experience users already have on version 25H2.

3. Enablement Package-based installation

Similar to Windows 11 version 25H2, version 26H2 is expected to be rolled out as an Enablement Package (eKB). This means that if you're already running version 25H2, upgrading to 26H2 will be similar to installing a regular monthly cumulative update, without requiring a complete reinstallation of the operating system.

An Enablement Package is a small update that acts as a switch to activate features already included in the operating system but kept dormant. Once installed, it simply changes the version number from 25H2 to 26H2 while enabling the new release (if applicable).

Because version 26H2 shares the same platform and feature set as version 25H2, the installation process is expected to be quick and require only a single restart. As with previous enablement package releases, Microsoft will likely offer the update as an optional installation at first before making it available automatically to eligible devices as version 25H2 approaches the end of its support lifecycle.

4. Full reinstallation upgrade

Although Windows 11 version 26H2 is virtually identical to version 25H2, the upgrade path depends on the version currently installed on your computer.

If you're already running Windows 11 version 25H2 (or 24H2), you can upgrade through the Enablement Package without reinstalling the operating system. However, devices running an older release (such as version 23H2) will need to perform a full feature update to move to version 26H2.

5. Upgrade from Windows 10

If your computer is still running Windows 10, upgrading to Windows 11 version 26H2 requires a full feature update. Compatible devices will receive the latest supported version of Windows 11 directly through Windows Update, so you won't have to install 24H2 or 25H2 first.

If your computer doesn't receive the upgrade through Windows Update, you can also perform an in-place upgrade using Microsoft's installation media.

6. Direct upgrade from older versions

You can upgrade directly to Windows 11 version 26H2 from version 23H2, 22H2, or an earlier release, as well as from Windows 10, using the ISO file or other Microsoft installation media.

These methods perform a standard in-place feature update, allowing you to keep your files, apps, and settings while installing the latest version of the operating system.

7. Upgrade tools trigger a full feature update

Although upgrading from Windows 11 versions 24H2 or 25H2 to version 26H2 through Windows Update only requires installing a small Enablement Package, using the official ISO file or other installation media will perform a full in-place upgrade instead.

The installation still preserves your files, apps, and settings, but it reinstalls the operating system rather than simply activating the new version with the Enablement Package. This results in an unnecessarily longer installation process compared to upgrading through Windows Update.

8. Reasons to upgrade to version 26H2

Since the last three releases of the operating system are virtually identical, the primary reason to upgrade is to extend your device's support lifecycle rather than gain access to new features.

Windows 11 version 25H2 remains supported through October 2027, but upgrading to version 26H2 extends support for another year. As with previous releases, Microsoft is expected to provide 24 months of support for the Home and Pro editions and 36 months for Enterprise and Education editions.

This also means there won't be any urgency to upgrade as soon as version 26H2 becomes available. Because these releases offer the same features and improvements, you can continue using version 25H2 until you're ready to switch. However, you should plan to install version 26H2 before version 25H2 reaches the end of its support lifecycle to continue receiving security updates and bug fixes.

It's worth pointing out that version 24H2 is set to retire on October 13, 2026, and it's recommended to upgrade as soon as possible to the next supported version.

9. Same hardware requirements

Windows 11 version 26H2 does not introduce new hardware requirements compared to version 25H2. The same requirements for supported processors, TPM 2.0, and other system components remain in place.

These are the minimum requirements to install or upgrade to Windows 11:

• CPU: 1GHz or faster processor, or System on a Chip (SoC) with at least two cores.
• RAM: 4GB or more.
• Storage: 64GB or larger storage device.
• Firmware: UEFI firmware with Secure Boot capability.
• TPM: Trusted Platform Module (TPM) version 2.0.
• Graphics: Compatible with DirectX 12 or later with a WDDM 2.0 driver.
• Display: High-definition (720p) display larger than 9 inches diagonally, with 8 bits per color channel.

This means that if your device can already run Windows 11 version 25H2, it will also be compatible with version 26H2 without requiring any hardware changes.

10. Rollout strategy will be gradual

Although the Enablement Package that upgrades Windows 11 from version 25H2 to 26H2 is a small update, Microsoft will likely follow the same gradual rollout strategy used in previous releases.

The company typically uses the Controlled Feature Rollout (CFR) system to monitor the update experience, check for potential compatibility issues, and expand availability over time. As a result, not every device will receive the Windows 11 2026 Update immediately through the Windows Update settings page.

Availability will gradually expand over several weeks or months as the company confirms that the update is ready for a wider range of hardware configurations. If your device doesn't see the update right away, it doesn't necessarily mean there's a problem. It simply means the rollout has not reached your hardware configuration yet.

Windows Central's Take

I think the Windows 11 2026 Update is a good example of how the software giant is changing how it delivers upgrades. A new version number no longer automatically means a major redesign or a long installation process. Instead, the company is leaning more toward smaller transitions that keep computers current with less disruption.

From my experience covering the operating system, I think this approach makes a lot of sense. Full feature updates have historically been among the most complicated parts of maintaining the operating system, often leading to compatibility issues, driver problems, and upgrade failures. By using an Enablement Package model, Microsoft can accelerate the transition, reduce the risk of errors, and make it easier for more users to move to the latest supported version.

This strategy also benefits the company because a simpler upgrade experience could encourage more people to stay on newer versions instead of delaying updates for months or years. When an upgrade takes only a few minutes instead of requiring a complete operating system installation, users are more likely to accept it.

That said, I don't see 26H2 as an update users need to install immediately. If you're already running 25H2, the main reason to move will be support rather than new features. However, I think this is a better direction for the operating system. Making upgrades faster and more reliable could help reduce the problems that have caused many users to delay installing new versions.

What are your thoughts about Windows 11 version 26H2 following the same path as 25H2? Do you prefer smaller, smoother updates, or do you want major new features with every release? Let me know in the comments.

More resources

Explore more in-depth how-to guides, troubleshooting advice, and essential tips to get the most out of Windows 11 and 10. Start browsing here:

• Windows 11 on Windows Central — All you need to know
• Windows 10 on Windows Central — All you need to know

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

Can you hear that? It's the sound of capitalism crumbling. After years of pushback against ads, Microsoft has finally given in and decided to make a cleaner Search experience in Windows 11.

Sarcastic quips aside, Search is genuinely going to improve. Microsoft unveiled a massive upgrade to Search this week that will improve the accuracy of results, shift away from relying on the web, and yes, remove ads and promotional material.

The improved search will prioritize local results over grabbing information from the web. You'll even be able to customize whether web and Microsoft Store suggestions appear alongside local results at all. Search should also be more forgiving of typos, which should reduce frustration.

The upcoming improvements to Search were the biggest Windows 11 story of the week, but several other topics trended as well.

Biggest News of the Week

I'd argue that Windows 11 never should have placed ads within Search in the first place. Certainly, Windows 11 Pro should have been ad-free. I'm glad to see Microsoft listen to feedback and get rid of some ads. I just think it's wild that the tech giant needs to be pushed in that direction.

I'm happy to see Microsoft did more than remove ads and call it a day. The new Search experience is better across the board. Our Zac Bowden was impressed after going hands-on with the feature.

As always with updates like this, you can focus on the fact that Microsoft should have launched Windows 11 in this state rather than be strong-armed into making search usable. Alternatively, you can choose to be happy that Windows 11 is finally getting fixed. I choose the latter.

Shopping with Sean

Laptop deals have cooled off a bit, but you can still save hundreds of dollars on the Samsung Galaxy Book6 or the HP OmniBook Ultra 14. Both are excellent laptops with gorgeous displays and snappy performance.

If you're a gamer, make sure to check out the Xbox Ultimate Game Sale that's now live. Hundreds of games are discounted in what might be one of Microsoft's best-ever sale events.

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

Microsoft's July 2026 Patch Tuesday update for Windows 11 is one of the largest security releases we've ever seen, fixing 570 vulnerabilities across Microsoft's products, according to Action1's analysis.

For users, the update arrives as KB5101650, bringing version 25H2 to build 26200.8875 and version 24H2 to build 26100.8875.

The number is certainly eye-catching. Microsoft fixed more than four times the number of security issues compared with July 2025, when the company addressed 137 vulnerabilities.

However, the bigger story is not simply that the company patched hundreds of security flaws. The July 2026 security update is an early example of a major shift Microsoft has already warned about. AI is changing vulnerability discovery, and Windows 11 updates are expected to become larger as a result.

The software giant says that as AI helps security researchers find more issues across more code, customers will see a higher volume of security fixes included in future security releases.

In other words, larger Patch Tuesday updates are not necessarily a sign that Windows is becoming less secure. They are also a sign that Microsoft is finding and addressing more problems before attackers can use them.

Why Windows 11's July 2026 update is so large

The July 2026 update addresses vulnerabilities across many core areas of Windows, including the Windows Kernel, Win32k, NTFS, Remote Desktop, Secure Boot, BitLocker, File Explorer, and more.

Several of these fixes address vulnerabilities that could allow remote code execution, where an attacker could potentially run malicious code on a system remotely.

The scale of the release follows a sharp increase in security fixes throughout 2026.

Here's a comparison based on vulnerability counts reported by Windows Latest and security-tracking data, showing how the number of fixes has increased since 2025.

However, Microsoft says the growing number of fixes should not be interpreted as the operating system becoming less secure. Instead, the company says AI is helping identify vulnerabilities earlier and at a larger scale.

Microsoft is using AI to find Windows vulnerabilities faster

The company has been investing in AI-powered security tools to reduce the time between discovering a vulnerability and protecting customers.

One of those tools is MDASH, Microsoft's multi-model agentic security scanning harness.

MDASH uses multiple AI models and more than 100 specialized AI agents to analyze code, identify potential vulnerabilities, debate findings, and validate whether issues are real.

Unlike a traditional scanner that simply reports possible problems, Microsoft's system is designed to reduce false positives by using multiple stages of analysis and validation.

The company notes that MDASH helped security researchers discover 16 vulnerabilities in networking and authentication components, including critical remote code execution flaws affecting areas such as the TCP/IP stack and IKEv2 service on Windows 11.

Those findings demonstrate how AI can help uncover complex security issues that may be difficult to identify through traditional approaches.

Microsoft has not said that MDASH discovered all 570 vulnerabilities included in the July 2026 update. Instead, the technology represents part of a larger effort to expand the company's vulnerability research capabilities.

Microsoft expects Windows 11 security updates to get bigger

The biggest takeaway from the new approach is that larger security updates are becoming expected. In a recent explanation of its vulnerability management strategy, Microsoft said: "As AI helps defenders discover more issues, customers will see a higher volume of security updates included in each security release."

The company says AI is being integrated into the entire security process, from finding vulnerabilities to helping engineers understand issues, develop fixes, and identify possible regressions.

Microsoft is also using additional validation systems to make sure faster security fixes do not come at the cost of update quality.

The goal is to shorten the time between vulnerability discovery and customer protection while maintaining reliability.

Why users should install updates faster on PCs

As security updates grow larger, Microsoft is also pushing users and organizations to reduce delays before installing them, because attackers are also benefiting from AI.

Microsoft says attackers can now exploit newly discovered vulnerabilities much faster than before, leaving users and organizations with less time to install security updates.

For users, that means monthly updates are becoming more important. While temporarily pausing updates can still make sense if a release causes compatibility problems, leaving security fixes uninstalled for long periods creates unnecessary risk.

The July 2026 update also includes non-security improvements, including Point-in-time restore, Screen Tint, improved Bluetooth reliability, File Explorer improvements, and much more. However, the security changes are the main reason users should prioritize installing it.

Windows Central's Take

When I first saw that Microsoft had patched 570 vulnerabilities in a single Patch Tuesday release, I didn't immediately think Windows 11 had become less secure. Instead, my first thought was that this was exactly the kind of update the company had been preparing users for when it said AI would dramatically increase the number of vulnerabilities it could discover.

I actually think this changes how we should judge Patch Tuesday updates. For years, I've looked at the size of a security release as a rough indication of how much could potentially go wrong after installing it. In the future, that assumption may no longer hold true. A bigger update could only mean that the software giant is finding and fixing more issues before attackers have the chance to exploit them.

That said, Microsoft still has something to prove. Discovering more vulnerabilities is only half the equation. Users will judge this new approach by whether these larger updates remain reliable and don't introduce new issues of their own. If the company can consistently deliver both better security and stable updates, I think that's a tradeoff most users will gladly accept.

Do you think larger Patch Tuesday updates are a good sign for Windows 11 security, or do they make you more cautious about installing updates? Let me know in the comments.

More resources

Explore more in-depth how-to guides, troubleshooting advice, and essential tips to get the most out of Windows 11 and 10. Start browsing here:

• Windows 11 on Windows Central — All you need to know
• Windows 10 on Windows Central — All you need to know

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Microsoft's once popular IRC client "Comic Chat" is being open sourced to celebrate its 30th anniversary. Those who frequented the world wide web in the 90's will likely remember Comic Chat for being a unique experiment into how IRC chatting could be, featuring graphical avatars that presented chats and chatrooms in comic strip form.

Originally developed by Microsoft Researcher David Kurlander and released on August 13, 1996, Comic Chat began life as a research project before morphing into Microsoft Chat and becoming the default chat client for MSN.

"Today, we’re excited to announce the open-source release of Microsoft Comic Chat, the chat client that automatically turned conversations within Internet Relay Chat (IRC) into comic panels featuring illustrated characters, speech bubbles, and expressions, and helped introduce the world to a little font called Comic Sans," Microsoft's Scott Hanselman announced in a blog post today.

"For many people, Comic Chat is a nostalgic artifact from the early days of the internet as we transitioned from technologies like telnet, Usenet, and IRC to the largely visual web that we enjoy today. For others, it’s a legendary piece of Microsoft history they have only heard about in stories, screenshots, and debates about typography. Now, developers, historians, retro computing enthusiasts, and anyone who appreciates a wonderfully unconventional idea can explore the source code for themselves."

Although from the 90s, Comic Chat is still functional as an IRC client today, though most people likely don't use it anymore. Still, with the app now being open source, perhaps developers and tinkerers will be more open to breathing life back into the 30 year old app.

The Comic Chat source code is now public on GitHub for anyone who wants to take a look and compile their own version.

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As part of the Windows Insider Program, Microsoft released several preview builds of Windows 11 in early July 2026, some of which introduced new features and others only improvements for existing experiences.

In the first two weeks of July, the company began the public test of the Cloud rebuild recovery feature, revealed a new design update for the account manager available through the Start menu, and made other improvements for version 26H2

In addition, Microsoft is continuing to expand previously announced features to more Insider channels, including the ability to upgrade from Windows 11 Home to Pro Education for K-12 environments. The company is also rolling out Taskbar position and size options, along with Windows Update improvements designed to reduce the number of required restarts each month.

In the Experimental track, we've seen builds 26300.8772 and 28120.2387, and builds 28020.2380 and 26220.8764 have been released in the Beta 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 July 2026

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

Cloud rebuild new feature

Starting with build 26300.8772, Windows 11 introduces a new recovery feature known as "Cloud rebuild," which has been designed to make it easier to reinstall the operating system when the computer is unable to start, or you're looking for a fresh install.

If this feature sounds familiar, it's because it's similar to the Cloud download option in Reset this PC. However, Cloud rebuild introduces a new workflow that downloads the Windows 11 installation files and drivers and performs a clean installation without requiring a bootable USB drive, a custom recovery image, or access to the desktop environment.

Cloud rebuild can be accessed from the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) by going to the "Troubleshoot" page and using the "Cloud rebuild" option.

Before you can use the feature, the computer must be running Windows 11 on compatible hardware, and the device must be connected to the internet using a wireless or wired connection.

Once you confirm the Windows 11 version, edition, and language, click "Install," and the system will erase the hard drive and reinstall the operating system and drivers.

Account Control flyout redesign

In the Start menu, Microsoft is also updating the Account Control flyout with build 26300.8772. The new design offers a more modern style that highlights your account information and picture.

It also highlights your Microsoft 365 subscription, cloud storage, and access to your benefits.

Backup and restore default settings

In commercial computers, starting with the preview build 26300.8772, Windows 11 is enabling the backup and restore feature policy by default for devices enrolled in a Microsoft Entra ID or Entra hybrid-joined environment.

The idea is to start the device with backup protection to make recovery smoother. For example, when a device is reset or replaced, users can quickly return to their personalized desktop without extra steps.

Of course, network administrators can always control this experience, and Microsoft notes that existing policies will remain in effect, and manually configured settings always take priority over the default behavior.

Taskbar position settings

The company is also bringing back the ability to change the Taskbar location with the release of build 28120.2387 in the Experimental channel.

This change allows users to place the Taskbar at the top of the screen, as well as at the left or right edges, rather than being limited to the bottom.

The setting appears on Settings > Personalization > Taskbar, under the "Taskbar behaviors" section. The setting is called "Taskbar position."

The company notes that flyouts, tooltips, and animations will follow the Taskbar orientation regardless of the position.

Also, most existing features will continue to work, including the option to ungroup and show labels for apps.

Furthermore, the company is updating the "Show smaller taskbar button" option to make the Taskbar smaller instead of just the buttons. (As we have already seen in other tracks, the company is expected to create a separate option to make the Taskbar smaller.)

Windows Update with fewer reboots

As part of Windows 11 build 26220.8764, the company is introducing a new unified Windows Update experience that coordinates monthly quality updates with driver, .NET, and firmware updates.

By bundling these updates into a single installation cycle whenever possible, Microsoft aims to reduce the number of restarts users experience each month, with the long-term goal of requiring just one monthly reboot.

Windows 11 Pro Education for K-12 free upgrade

Microsoft is changing the installation requirements to allow devices running Windows 11 Home to upgrade to Windows 11 Pro Education at no additional cost for K-12 education.

This change aims to give schools more flexibility when acquiring new devices. However, the company says that this is one-way only. After the upgrade, the only way to roll back to the Home edition is by performing a clean installation of the operating system.

Windows Search upgrades

Outside its regular download schedule, Microsoft recently began rolling out a slew of improvements to the Windows Search experience on devices enrolled in the Experimental channel.

First, the company is decluttering the home screen and focusing on the search experience. As part of this rollout, the Windows Search home screen only includes your recent searches, ditching the visual clutter, including those annoying advertisements.

In addition, when performing a search and a web result is more relevant, the experience will now prioritize the answer rather than products and promotions.

Microsoft is also introducing design tweaks to better indicate where each result comes from. For example, you'll find better spacing between items and interface changes when selecting a result, including thumbnail previews.

Second, you'll now have more control over search results with the options to disable web searches and Microsoft Store apps from appearing in the Windows Search experience.

However, by default, search will work as always. It's up to you to customize your search experience from Settings > Privacy & Security > Search.

Third, the search experience now improves local content and rankings, meaning local results are given higher priority in apps, settings, and files, instead of web and Microsoft Store results showing up first when there are better results.

As part of the ranking tweaks, you'll notice that searches for settings now appear higher in the results.

Fourth, Microsoft is also focusing on improving search accuracy through two specific changes. For instance, Windows Search has been updated to better handle typos, missing or extra letters, and partial words.

In addition, the feature will now show results for local files using two-character file search, and more accurately surface cloud and connected files when they're the best match.

Windows Central's Take

I think these Insider builds show Microsoft focusing on what Windows 11 has needed for a while, improving the experience instead of simply adding more features. Cloud rebuild could make recovery much less stressful, while the Windows Search changes address one of the operating system's biggest frustrations by prioritizing useful local results over web content.

The reappearance of Taskbar positioning is also a welcome change. It shows Microsoft is still paying attention to feedback and bringing back flexibility that many users have missed since Windows 11 launched.

What are your thoughts on these latest Windows 11 Insider changes? Let me know in the comments.

More resources

Explore more in-depth how-to guides, troubleshooting advice, and essential tips to get the most out of Windows 11 and 10. Start browsing here:

• Windows 11 on Windows Central — All you need to know
• Windows 10 on Windows Central — All you need to know

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Microsoft has confirmed that it has blocked the availability of the recent Windows 11 July Patch Tuesday update (KB5101650) on Dell PCs, after Dell reported a number of issues including unexpected shutdowns, overheating, poor performance, and more caused by the preview update that released before it.

The KB5101650 began rolling out on July 14, and includes a number of quality of life improvements and fixes. For most users, this update is issue free, but Dell PCs will find that the update is not available for them currently.

"A limited number of Dell devices might display a yellow exclamation point in Device Manager next to the Intel Innovation Platform Framework Processor Participant driver. These devices can potentially experience unexpected shutdowns, poor performance, increased heat, and battery drain."

This issue applies to both the KB5101650 update that rolled out on July 14, and the optional preview update KB5095093 that rolled out on June 23, on either Windows 11 version 24H2 or 25H2. Dell PCs running either of these updates and experiencing issues should roll back.

The bug in question appears to be caused by the new Windows USB-C Connection Manager interface, with the Intel Innovation Platform Framework Processor Participant driver no longer functioning as intended. "This issue was reported by Dell during testing and identified as an incompatibility between the Intel driver and the new Windows USB-C Connection Manager interface."

Microsoft says that it's working on a fix, and will release a resolution for the PCs that are impacted by this issue soon. The good news is that it appears Microsoft was aware of the problem right away, as the July 14 update was blocked on Dell PCs right out of the gate.

Unfortunately, there was no immediate block on the optional update that released on June 23, meaning some devices may have installed the update that is causing problems. The best course of action in that situation is to simply roll-back to the previous update.

via Bleeping Computer

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If you've been using Windows as long as I have, you probably remember when a serious problem often meant backing up your files and reinstalling the operating system from scratch. Whether it was a bad driver, a failed update, or corrupted system files, a clean install was frequently the fastest way to rescue your computer.

I don't think that's the case anymore. Over the past several years, Microsoft has quietly transformed Windows 11 into a much more resilient operating system. Instead of relying on a single recovery option, the operating system now bundles a collection of tools designed to solve different types of problems. Some can repair Windows 11 while minimizing changes to your data. Others can roll back a problematic update, recover a computer that won't boot, or completely rebuild the system from the cloud.

The downside is that all these options can be confusing. Microsoft doesn't always make it clear which recovery feature you should use first, and many of them sound similar even though they solve different problems.

A lot of the recovery features discussed in this guide are available through the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE). This separate recovery workspace runs outside the normal installation and provides access to tools that can repair, reset, or troubleshoot the operating system when the computer cannot start normally.

In this guide, I'll outline the recovery features available on Windows 11 and when I would actually use them.

Important: The right recovery option depends mostly on what went wrong. A broken update, a damaged driver, and a corrupted installation all require different approaches.

Fix problems using Windows Update

If the computer still starts normally but something doesn't feel right, I'd try the "Fix problems using Windows Update" recovery option first.

This feature repairs the operating system by downloading the same version of Windows 11 installed on your computer through Windows Update and reinstalling it over your existing installation. Unlike resetting your computer, it preserves your personal files, installed apps, user accounts, and settings.

If system files have become corrupted, built-in features have stopped working, or you're seeing unusual behavior after an update, this repair process can often restore the operating system without forcing you to reinstall your apps afterward.

I like this approach because it's the least disruptive recovery option Microsoft offers. If it solves the problem, you save yourself the time of reinstalling software and reconfiguring the system.

Best for:

• Corrupted system files.
• Missing or broken features.
• General system instability.
• Repairing Windows 11 while keeping apps, files, and settings.

Reset This PC

When repairing Windows 11 isn't enough, "Reset This PC" is usually the next step.

This feature reinstalls the operating system and lets you choose between two options.

Keep my files reinstalls Windows 11 while preserving your personal files, pictures, and videos, but it removes installed applications and resets system settings.

Remove everything wipes the computer completely before installing a fresh copy of Windows 11, making it a good choice if you're selling the device or want to start over.

You'll also choose between "Local reinstall," which uses recovery files already stored on the computer, or "Cloud download," which downloads a fresh copy of Windows directly from Microsoft's servers.

Personally, I almost always recommend Cloud Download. It takes longer because it downloads several gigabytes of data, but it also avoids problems caused by damaged local recovery files.

Best for:

• Severe software problems.
• Persistent performance issues.
• Malware cleanup after backing up your data.
• Preparing to sell or give away the computer.

Cloud rebuild

Cloud rebuild is one of Microsoft's newest recovery tools, and I think it fills an important gap in Windows recovery.

Available through the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE), Cloud rebuild reformats the operating system partition, downloads a fresh Windows 11 image and compatible drivers from Windows Update, and restores the computer to the out-of-box setup experience.

Unlike Reset This PC, it doesn't depend on the recovery image already stored on your computer, and more importantly, it also includes the device drivers.

To me, this feature sits somewhere between Reset This PC and creating a bootable USB installer. It gives you a completely fresh installation without requiring installation media or another computer to download the setup files.

Best for:

• Severely corrupted installations.
• Failed Reset This PC attempts.
• Damaged recovery files.
• Rebuilding Windows 11 from scratch.

Go Back (rollback)

The upgrade process to a new version doesn't always go smoothly, and that's exactly why "Go Back" exists.

After upgrading to a new version of the operating system on top of an existing setup, Windows 11 temporarily stores your previous installation in the "Windows.old" folder. If the new version introduces compatibility problems, driver issues, or poor performance, you can roll back to the earlier version with just a few clicks.

The only catch is that this option is temporary. The system typically removes the previous installation files after about 10 days to free up storage.

If you notice problems immediately after installing a feature update, don't wait too long before deciding whether to roll back.

Best for:

• Performance problems after upgrading.
• Driver incompatibilities.
• Software compatibility issues.
• Bugs introduced by a feature update.

Uninstall Updates

Not every system update improves the experience. Sometimes a cumulative update can introduce startup problems, driver conflicts, or unexpected bugs.

When that happens, Windows 11 includes an option in the Windows Recovery Environment that lets you remove the latest update without resetting the entire computer.

Using this experience, you can uninstall the latest quality updates (monthly cumulative updates) and feature updates (major version upgrades).

The first option is usually the one you'll use after Patch Tuesday problems.

Best for:

• Device problems after installing an update.
• Boot issues caused by a recent update.
• Update-related stability problems.

System Restore

Some people think System Restore is outdated, but I still think it's one of the most underrated recovery features in the operating system.

System Restore creates restore points that save system files, drivers, registry settings, and installed applications. If something goes wrong after installing a driver or application, you can return Windows to an earlier working state without affecting your personal files.

It's often much faster than resetting the computer and can solve problems in just a few minutes.

Best for:

• Bad driver installations.
• Faulty software.
• Registry changes.
• Recent system configuration problems.

Startup Repair

If Windows 11 won't boot, Startup Repair remains one of the built-in recovery tools designed to fix common startup problems.

Available through the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE), the tool scans the system for damaged startup files, corrupted Boot Configuration Data (BCD), missing system files, and other issues preventing the operating system from loading correctly. If it finds a problem it knows how to fix, it attempts the repair automatically.

Depending on your recovery configuration, Windows 11 may first attempt newer recovery mechanisms, such as Quick Machine Recovery, before Startup Repair becomes available.

It won't solve every startup issue, but when it works, it can save you from more drastic recovery options like resetting or reinstalling the operating system.

Best for:

• Windows 11 stuck during boot.
• Endless restart loops.
• Missing or damaged boot files.
• Startup-related errors.

Safe Mode

Sometimes Windows 11 itself isn't the problem. Safe Mode starts the system with only the essential drivers and services needed for the operating system to run. That makes it much easier to remove a problematic graphics driver, uninstall recently installed apps, or troubleshoot malware that's preventing Windows 11 from working normally.

If Windows 11 works as expected in Safe Mode but crashes at startup, it's usually a sign that a third-party app or driver is causing conflicts.

Best for:

• Troubleshooting driver problems.
• Removing incompatible software.
• Malware cleanup.
• Diagnosing startup crashes.

Quick Machine Recovery

Quick Machine Recovery is one of the newest additions to Windows 11, and I think it's a direct response to lessons Microsoft learned from major outages like the CrowdStrike incident.

If a bad update or driver prevents Windows 11 from starting, the feature can automatically enter the Windows Recovery Environment, connect to Microsoft's recovery service, download a remediation package, and attempt to repair the problem before you ever reach the desktop.

Ideally, you'll never have to think about this feature because it works automatically behind the scenes. If the automated recovery isn't successful, you can continue troubleshooting using the other recovery options available through the Windows Recovery Environment.

Best for:

• Startup failures caused by updates.
• Driver-related boot issues.
• Automatic recovery without user intervention.

Point-in-time Restore

Point-in-time Restore is another piece of Microsoft's evolving recovery strategy.

Rather than asking users to troubleshoot a failed Windows Update manually, Point-in-time Restore is part of Microsoft's effort to make Windows Update failures easier to recover from automatically.

A lot of people may never notice it working, but that's exactly the goal. The more the system can recover automatically, the less often users need to search for recovery guides or perform clean installations.

Best for:

• Failed system updates.
• Rolling back to a previous working update state.
• Automatic update recovery.

Other details

This guide focuses on Windows 11 features that can restore the operating system to a known working state or help troubleshoot problems preventing the system from working correctly. However, the operating system also includes other recovery-related tools that serve a different purpose.

The Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) is the workspace where many of these options are available, including Startup Repair, Reset This PC, System Restore, Cloud rebuild, and other troubleshooting tools. It does not repair Windows 11 by itself. Instead, it provides access to the features that can recover the operating system.

The Recovery Drive works in a similar way. It does not fix the setup directly. Instead, it creates a bootable USB drive that lets you access WinRE if the built-in recovery options are unavailable.

Other tools, such as Command Prompt, Startup Settings, and UEFI settings, are designed for advanced troubleshooting. They can help diagnose and manually repair problems, but they do not automatically restore the operating system.

Also, the Windows Backup app is part of the recovery experience, but it serves a different purpose. Instead of repairing a broken installation, it helps restore settings, credentials, Microsoft Store apps, and files stored in OneDrive after reinstalling Windows 11 or moving to a new computer.

The legacy Backup and Restore (Windows 7) tool is still available on Windows 11 and can create file backups and full system images. Unlike newer recovery features such as Reset This PC or Cloud rebuild, it relies on a backup created ahead of time. If you have a system image available, you can use it to restore the computer to a previous state, including the operating system, apps, settings, and drivers.

However, Microsoft has shifted toward newer recovery experiences that rely more on Windows Update, cloud services, and automatic repairs.

Windows Central's Take

After covering the operating system for more than two decades, I think Microsoft has finally addressed one of the biggest weaknesses: recovery.

The company has built a much more complete safety net into Windows 11. However, these tools only matter if they work when users need them most. A failed update, broken driver, or corrupted system file can still leave people searching for answers because the recovery experience isn't always predictable.

What I find interesting is that Microsoft didn't replace older tools like System Restore or Safe Mode. Instead, it kept building on top of them with newer experiences such as Cloud rebuild and automatic recovery features. The result is a layered recovery system that makes Windows 11 far more resilient than previous versions.

The next challenge isn't creating another recovery feature. It's making the existing ones easier to understand. If the operating system can better recognize what's wrong and automatically recommend the right recovery path, most people may never have to wonder whether to use System Restore, Reset This PC, or Cloud rebuild.

That's the direction recovery should continue moving toward, with less troubleshooting, fewer reinstalls, and more automatic repairs that keep people productive.

Have you ever had to use one of these Windows recovery features? Which one helped you get your device back up and running? Let me know in the comments.

More resources

Explore more in-depth how-to guides, troubleshooting advice, and essential tips to get the most out of Windows 11 and 10. Start browsing here:

• Windows 11 on Windows Central — All you need to know
• Windows 10 on Windows Central — All you need to know

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This week, Microsoft unveiled a major overhaul coming soon to Windows 11's search experience that's designed to fix its biggest flaws and criticisms. For a long time, many have agreed that search on Windows is pretty much broken, but the new changes that are now in testing may finally be fixing that problem.

I've been testing the new Windows Search out over the last two days, and I'm very impressed with the new experience. Right off the bat, the search pane is no longer a noisy mess of Bing ads and sponsored content. It's a clean list of recent searches, exactly what you'd expect from a search pane.

Search items that appear in this list are categorized so that you know whether an item is an app, document, setting, or web search. Hovering over items in this menu will display options depending on the type of item it is, such as apps which present the option to pin it to the Taskbar or run as an administrator.

You can also right-click on any of the items in the search pane for more info, which displays additional options such as uninstall or app settings, open file location, as well as the ability to remove the item from the recents list.

Getting onto the actual searching experience, it's a major step up. The UI is nice and clean, and web results now pretty much never show up at the top unless you are actively searching for a website or query that makes sense for a search engine. In the old Window Search, searing for "windows central" would always bring the Bing result to the top, but now it prioritizes my local files and folders.

When a web result does appear at the top, you'll no longer see any ads or sponsored content in that result. The Bing results are now ad-free, showing only results that relate to your search query, which is amazing. You no longer have to worry about accidentally clicking on a link or app that has paid to be there.

I also find that search results are now more accurate based on how you use your system. For example, on a PC where I have both the Photos and Photoshop app installed, typing "photos" actually surfaces Photoshop, which is what I want. I believe this is happening because I've never opened the Photos app on my PC before, and so Windows assumes that I'd want to use the app I use more often or most recently.

To test this theory, I ran Photos a few times and then typed "photos" again, and sure enough the Photos app was now appearing above Photoshop. To triple confirm, I started opening Photoshop a few times, and Photoshop became the top result for "photos" after.

This is great for those who have a system set in place where all the apps they ever use are already in full circulation on their PC. Windows knows which apps you use most, and will now do its best to position them as a best match when it thinks you're searching for it, listing follow up results below it that you can manually select if that's what you need instead.

I also find that search is now a little smarter and more dynamic. If you don't know the name of an app, you can search for a category and Windows will do its best to surface an app that it thinks can do that job. For example, if I type "video editor" into the search box, Windows surfaces Clipchamp as a result, as that's the only video editor I have installed.

Windows Search now also does a much better job at surfacing settings that you might want to configure. If I type "temp" it'll show delete temporary files, or if i type "wifi" the wi-fi settings page is at the top. Even things like "insider" now correctly surface the Insider settings page. You can now pretty much search for any Windows Setting and have it accurately appear in the search pane, without needing to open Settings first.

Some settings even have configurable options within the search pane. For example, typing restart PC will show a setting to do so right from search, which then lets you select whether you want to restart or shut down. It's pretty neat, though most people will probably find it faster to just do that from Start.

Overall, these new search improvements are a real strong step in the right direction. In my brief testing, I've not really been able to fault it, and understand why the best match results are what they are. Being able to turn off things like Microsoft Store and web results are also a great addition, letting you craft your experience into whatever you need it to be. If you only ever want local search results, you can make it so.

It's clear that even in its default state now, local results are the number one priority. Unless your search query is clearly one intended for a search engine, Windows will more than likely place a local result as a best match, which is going to address the biggest complaint most people have with Windows Search.

These improvements are rolling out now in preview for Windows Insiders, with general availability expected later this year.

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Windows 11's monthly Patch Tuesday update is here, and it's one of the biggest of the year. In addition to the usual group of bug fixes and security updates, the July Patch Tuesday update includes some major new features.

Our Mauro Huculak broke down the 13 features that matter most from Windows 11's July 2026 update. The update is substantial and includes new ways to recover your PC, improve accessibility, and update Windows.

As is normally the case for Windows 11 Patch Tuesday updates, we've known what was on the way for weeks. Microsoft rolled out the latest features and changes to Windows 11 through a preview update toward the end of last month.

Ironically, the biggest change in this update is that it will allow you to pause updates indefinitely. Starting with this build you can stop your PC from getting updates for up to 35 days and then re-pause updates.

The downside is that you have to manually pause updates again if you want to stop them for more than 35 days.

Point-in-time Restore is another big addition. The feature lets you roll back a system to a previous working state. Windows 11 automatically creates restore points that include settings, files, and apps.

Widgets are better following the update as well. You now have greater control over notifications and personalization settings. Opening the widgets panel will open the dashboard on first use.

The full release notes for the update are shared in a Microsoft support document and listed below.

Windows 11 July 2026 Update (gradual rollout)

• [Point-in-time restore for Windows] New! This flexible recovery feature helps you quickly roll back your PC, including apps, settings, and personal files, to a recent automatic restore point. It helps reduce downtime and simplifies troubleshooting when issues occur. To learn more, see Point-in-time restore for Windows.
• [Windows Update] New! A calendar experience in Windows Update Settings (Settings > Windows Update) lets you pause updates by choosing an end date, for up to 35 days. You can extend the pause by selecting a different end date and re‑pause updates as needed. For more information, see Pause updates in Windows.
• [Widgets] New! A quieter, more focused Widgets experience helps reduce interruptions and improves default settings and notification controls:
  • Reduce distractions: Widgets no longer open on hover. Notifications and taskbar badges are minimized by default.
  • Simpler: Open to the Widgets dashboard by default on first use.
  • Customize: Configure Widgets how you want by selecting Settings in the navigation bar, then changing any of the default settings.
  • Stay informed: Dashboard icons show the number of alerts, and badges clear automatically when you leave a dashboard.
  • Adjusted defaults: Some default settings are preserved based on usage, while others adjust to reduce interruptions.
  • Performance improvements: This update provides improved reliability, responsiveness, and visual quality across the Widget experience.
• [Accessibility] New! This update makes your screen easier to see and customizes your zoom experience:
  • Screen tint: Apply a full-screen color overlay to help reduce eye strain and improve readability. Choose from preset tint options, adjust the intensity, or turn it on automatically. Find this feature in Settings > Accessibility.
  • Magnifier: Enter a zoom percentage directly and change it in increments in the Magnifier window for more precise, flexible control.
  • Magnifier settings menu: You can now also modify zoom increments directly from the magnifier bar instead of navigating to Windows Settings each time.
• [File Explorer]
  • New! When you hover over a file in File Explorer Home, commands such as Open file location and Ask Copilot appear as quick actions. This experience is now supported for work and school accounts (Entra ID).¹
  • Improves the speed and performance of File Explorer launch.²
  • This update improves File Explorer responsiveness when mounting disk images.
  • The address bar now supports paths containing double backslashes and quotation marks (for example, C:\\Users\\user or "C:\Users\user"), improving compatibility with a wider range of inputs.
  • The address bar suggestion dropdown is more reliable and now consistently closes after an item is selected.
  • This update addresses an issue on File Explorer Home where OneDrive files could appear duplicated in the Favorites section.
  • This update includes several refinements to the Rename experience:
    • Addresses an issue where text was repeatedly selected when renaming items in folder views.
    • Addresses an issue where case-only name changes were not immediately reflected in folder views for items stored locally or in the cloud.
• [Bluetooth] This update improves reliability and performance when connecting to and using Bluetooth devices:
  • New! Windows now keeps the microphone mute state in sync between the audio mixer and the Hands-Free Profile (HFP) for a more consistent experience with Bluetooth headphones with mute buttons or indicators.
  • Accessory compatibility workarounds: Improves compatibility with specific Bluetooth audio devices, helping AirPods appear faster in pairing mode and improving microphone reliability on Beats Studio Pro headphones.
  • Bluetooth audio stability:
    • Improves overall Windows stability with certain PC manufacturer drivers (error code 0x9F).
    • Improves Bluetooth reliability for voice calls when using Classic Audio devices with the Hands-Free Profile (HFP).
    • Reduces time for LE Audio accessories to start playing audio while using the microphone.
  • Device management: Windows will no longer show a “Remove failed” message when attempting to remove Bluetooth devices if the Bluetooth radio is unavailable or has changed since pairing.
  • Settings experience: Improves stability when using the Bluetooth & devices settings page for a smoother, more consistent experience.
  • Connection reliability and responsiveness:
    • Reduces the time it takes for classic Bluetooth audio devices to reconnect after Windows resumes from hibernation.
    • Improves reliability when LE Audio accessories disconnect, such as when another device (for example, a phone) connects.
    • Improves reliability of LE Audio streaming after a connection is lost and restored.
• [Bluetooth and Phone Link] This update improves audio routing for calls made through a connected phone:
  • When an outgoing call is dialed from a paired phone, audio remains on the phone while ringing and transfers to the PC only when the call is answered from the PC.
  • When Do Not Disturb is enabled on Windows, incoming call audio from a paired phone no longer rings on the PC.
• [Voice access and voice typing] **New!**⁠ You can now use voice access and voice typing in French, German, and Spanish. As you speak, your PC improves your text in real time. It corrects grammar, punctuation, and recognition errors, and helps improve clarity—even in the presence of background noise. This makes dictation smoother and reduces the need for manual edits.³
• [Audio] This update improves the reliability of the inbox HD Audio driver.
• [Taskbar] This update improves the reliability of opening the Start menu when selecting the left edge of the taskbar when the icons in the taskbar are left-aligned.
• [Networking]
  • This update includes networking improvements for virtualized environments. Confidential Virtual Machines (CVMs) now use SR-IOV hardware acceleration by default for improved network throughput, and a configuration issue in nested Hyper-V virtualization network setup has been corrected to ensure reliable VM network provisioning.
  • This update improves the reliability of the Windows networking stack. It reduces bug checks (blue screen errors) related to Wi-Fi power and improves cellular (WWAN) connectivity, including support for IPv6 VPNs. Compatibility with third-party VPN software and SR-IOV configurations on server hardware is also improved. Network adapter settings and bindings are now preserved across OS upgrades.
• [Printing] New! New printer installations use Internet Printing Protocol (IPP) by default when supported, simplifying setup and improving reliability. For details about third-party driver deprecation, see End of Servicing Plan for Third-Party Printer Drivers on Windows. To control this behavior, use the toggle in Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners > Default install printers using Windows Ready Print. For more information, see Introducing Windows Ready Print and modernized driver selection. For more information, see Introducing Windows Ready Print and Modernized Driver Selection.
• [Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL)] The update improves usage of WSL in mirrored networking mode with VPNs.
• [Display and graphics]
  • Improves the reliability of rendering content while scrolling for certain apps spanning across multiple monitors.
  • Improves the reliability and persistence of applying color profiles.
• [Location services] This update changes how some location settings are displayed in Settings > Privacy & Security > Location to help with clarity. When location services are turned off, settings like Default location and Allow location override don't immediately apply, since location information is not given to apps or services. These settings will now be greyed out when location services are off to reduce confusion over when they take effect.
• [Search] This update improves the reliability of setting Search related group policies.
• [Input]
  • New! You can now customize the size of the right-click zone in Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Touchpad. Choose from default, small, medium, or large to control how much of the bottom-right corner responds to a single-finger right-click. This setting is only available on touchpads with a pressable surface. If your device manufacturer provides customization through their own app, a Custom option will appear to reflect those settings.
  • This update improves recognition of English characters when using Japanese handwriting.
• [General performance] Improves the time to shut down Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS) when you turn off your PC.
• [General Reliability] This update improves the reliability of explorer.exe. It addresses issues on the login and lock screens related to third-party credential providers, reduces the probability of taskbar icons appearing as blank gray placeholders, and improves navigation to Home in File Explorer during OneDrive sync. It also improves explorer.exe reliability when switching between desktops, enhances app launch with shell extensions, and using acrylic blur effects in the Start menu, Settings, and the lock screen.
• [Apps] Resolves an issue where some installers and applications could show unexpected elevation (UAC) prompts after installing KB5089549.
• [Remote Desktop] This update refreshes the dialog design when you enable Remote Desktop in Settings > System > Remote Desktop.
• [Graphics Kernel] Improves memory-management policy that allows PCs with more than 32GB of installed memory to run larger local AI models.

Windows 11 July 2026 Update (gradual rollout)

• [Secure Boot] With this update, Windows quality updates include additional high confidence device targeting data, increasing coverage of devices eligible to automatically receive new Secure Boot certificates. Devices receive the new certificates only after demonstrating sufficient successful update signals, maintaining a controlled and phased rollout.
• [Authentication] This update improves Netlogon secure channel connections between domain controllers, enabling successful connections from member servers to domain controllers set up before 2025.
• [Emoji Panel Update] The emoji panel (Windows key + period (⁠.⁠)) now uses GIPHY for GIF content following the deprecation of Google’s Tenor API. Starting June 30, 2026, install the latest Windows update to continue using GIFs in the Emoji panel. If you don’t update, you will see a "GIF service is not available" error in the panel. Installing the latest Windows update will restore access to GIFs.
• [Networking] This update improves how your device connects to shared network resources. Connections used by apps and system features, such as the NetUseAdd function, now work more reliably, including unauthenticated (null session) connections.
• [Recycle Bin (known issue)] Fixed: This update addresses an issue where the confirmation dialog might display an internal Recycle Bin file name instead of the original file name when permanently deleting a file. This issue might occur after installing the June 2026 security update (KB5094126).
• [Storage] This update improves disk space usage for the CapabilityAccessManager.db-wal file.
• [Taskbar] This update improves notification badge display across your apps. Notification counts and badge visuals now update correctly, helping you stay up to date with new activity.
• [File Explorer] This update fixes an issue where the OneDrive shortcut in File Explorer stops working when File Explorer is run with administrative mode.
• [Notification badges (known issue)] Fixed: This update addresses an issue where notification badge counts for some applications such as Microsoft Teams and WhatsApp, might not refresh correctly. As a result, badge indicators might continue to display outdated notification counts until the application is restarted or badge count is refreshed.

You can download this month's Patch Tuesday update through the Windows Settings app. Clicking the "Check for updates" button within the "Windows Update" section should start the process.

Alternatively, you can download the update through the Microsoft Update Catalog.

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Microsoft has unveiled a huge update to search on Windows 11 that look to be focused on improving the search experience with more accurate results, less reliance on the web, and even a removal of annoying ads and promotional material.

"You’ve have been asking for search that is faster, more relevant, and easier to use—whether you’re opening an app, finding a file, or changing a setting," Microsoft says in a new blog post. "Because the Windows Search Box is where many people start, we focused first on making results more dependable, easier to scan, and clearer before you click."

The company is highlighting several key improvements, including clearer results that does a better job at showing why a search result is appearing when a query has been typed, alongside prioritizing local results before reaching out to the web.

Search is also getting better at handling things like typos, which should help surface the right results even when the user misspells an app or file. The search home pane will no longer show MSN or Bing content, and promotional content and ads will no longer appear in search results.

Here's a complete list of the changes Microsoft has announced for search on Windows 11:

• A calmer home screen. Search home has been simplified to reduce visual clutter and make it easier to get back to recent searches quickly.
• Clearer results. Search does a better job showing where a result comes from—app, setting, file, web result, or Store suggestion—so it’s easier to tell what you’re looking at and where you will go before you click.
• Promotional content has been removed from web results. Web results show the most relevant answer, instead of first showing related products and promotions, helping search feel more focused and less distracting.
• You’re in control of web and Microsoft Store results. A new setting in Settings > Privacy & Security > Search lets you choose whether web and Microsoft Store suggestions appear alongside local results.
• Local results prioritized when they’re the better match. Apps, settings, and files more reliably appear ahead of web and Store suggestions when your content is the stronger match. System items like This PC and Recycle Bin are easier to discover.
• Finding apps is more forgiving. Search is better at handling typos, dropped letters, extra letters, and partial words for apps. Queries like “utlook” can still find Outlook.
• Settings results are improving. We’ve made a first round of ranking improvements to help more relevant settings appear higher in results, with more tuning planned in the coming months.
• Finding files is improving. Search is better at surfacing the right local files with added support for two-character file searches. We’ve also made improvements to show cloud and connected files in results when they’re the stronger match. These changes help you get to the document, download, or folder you are looking for faster.
• Reliability is improving. Improved search reliability, including reducing likelihood of crashing and loading issue, with more work underway.

These upgrades are now rolling out to Windows Insiders in the Experimental Channel, and are expected to roll out to all Windows 11 users later this year. Insiders may not see the changes right away as they are rolling out in waves.

These improvements are part of Microsoft's larger Windows K2 effort, which is an effort to fix Windows 11's biggest problems and reposition the platform as a viable competitor alongside macOS and Linux.

Search has been a sore point of Windows for a number of years, and so hopefully these improvements will be exactly what Windows users have been waiting for to bring it back up to par with the rest of the competition.

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Windows 11 has a new search box on the way, or at least a slightly larger one. The search box within the Windows 11 Start menu will be four pixels taller if a change that's currently in preview ships to everyone.

That's four more entire pixels of height dedicated to searching for files or using the improved search capabilities of Windows 11. The change, which was accidentally included in release notes for a preview build, was the butt of jokes. But I think it also shows something bigger (pun intended).

Windows 11 has had design inconsistencies for years. Context menus are a mess and the operating system has a mix of features that originated in different decades. The Windows K2 initiative aims to reduce the pain points of Windows 11. As part of the push, Microsoft will also iron out inconsistencies.

Biggest News of the Week

With the development of Windows 11, if design consistency is thought about at all, it's an afterthought. The OS is several operating systems in a trenchcoat, resulting in a mismatched design.

But even within individual apps or settings, Windows 11's design lacks polish. The infamous one pixel border around apps infuriates some people and has been a hot-button topic for years.

If you look hard enough, you'll find tiny issues throughout the design of Windows 11. Windows not aligning or inconsistent menus do not break the operating system, but they do make it look unpolished. If Microsoft wants to convince people it cares about Windows 11, the OS needs to look like a finished product.

Small changes like resizing the search box in the taskbar, which appears to have been done to align with Copilot Search, add up. Attention to detail matters.

While the Windows K2 initiative may be felt most through its impact on RAM usage or other elements that affect performance, it can also give Windows 11 a refreshed look that improves the overall computing experience.

Shopping with Sean

A growing number of Windows 11 laptops are on sale. If you need a budget-friendly convertible, a premium-quality clamshell laptop under $1,000, or a brand-new laptop with a Snapdragon X2 and a beautiful OLED display, there are sales worth a look.

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Microsoft is exploring several improvements to the Windows 11 shell and user experience that will incorporate your smartphone into more aspects of the OS. According to my sources who are familiar with these plans, the company is working to expand and improve Phone Link's smartphone integration experiences so that they feel more native to Windows.

First up, I hear that the Phone Companion in Start is set to receive a handful of upgrades. It's gaining the ability to show more recent activities, with users being able to scroll through the list without needing to open the Phone Link app. I've also heard that users will be able to hover over activities to see more information, such as an entire message or photo.

I've also heard that a new dedicated smartphone flyout is being tested, which will exist on the Taskbar in the system tray. The phone icon will be present whenever your phone is connected, and clicking on it will open a flyout that provides the user with overview of their phone status.

It'll feature buttons to toggle things like do not disturb, vibrate mode, find phone, and more. You'll also be able to share files directly to your phone by dragging them to the icon.

Another feature Microsoft is looking into is syncing your clipboard history between your phone and PC using Windows 11's dedicated Clipboard feature. Currently, you can sync your clipboard from your phone and PC, but it only remembers the last thing you copied. Clipboard history would provide you with a synced list of everything that has been copied.

Microsoft is also working on a new dedicated Messages app for Windows 11 which will sync your phone's SMS conversations and let you respond and start chats with your contacts. This experience builds upon the messages feature already present in the Phone Link app, but will exist as a standalone app that can be pinned and launched from the Start menu.

Sources say that all of these features are being explored and prototyped internally, but that doesn't guarantee they'll ship as described. The company is likely planning to gather feedback from Insiders before committing to ship anything concrete.

I understand that the goal of these improvements is to slowly integrate Phone Link capabilities natively across the Windows shell. Phone Link has existed as a standalone app on top of Windows 11, but over the last year or so we've slowly seen new smartphone integration features added directly to the Windows OS, circumventing the Phone Link app entirely.

Features such as the ability to see your phone's file system and photos in the File Explorer app, or utilize your phones camera as a webcam on your PC are just two examples of how Microsoft have already been working to integrate your smartphone more seamlessly into the Windows 11 UX.

I don't know what the future holds for Phone Link app itself, but it's clear that Microsoft is not done with tying your phone to your PC. It's working on more improvements that will make your smartphone feel like a natural extension of your computer, with experiences that feel native to the Windows UX.

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Microsoft has spent years building different ways for users to recover Windows. From System Restore and Reset this PC to the other tools available in the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) and OEM recovery solutions, Windows 11 already offers several ways to repair or reinstall the operating system. Cloud rebuild is the latest addition to that toolkit, but it isn't designed to replace those tools.

Cloud rebuild is currently available as a preview feature. Until it's fully available, Microsoft recommends using it for testing and evaluation rather than production devices. Also, the company notes that the experience, available options, and workflow may still change before the feature reaches general availability.

Instead of attempting to repair an existing installation, Cloud rebuild reformats the system drive and reinstalls Windows 11 using files downloaded from Windows Update. When the process finishes, the computer boots into the Out-of-Box Experience (OOBE), allowing you to set it up like a new device.

Cloud rebuild isn't another version of Reset this PC

At first glance, it's easy to assume Cloud rebuild is simply a renamed version of the Cloud download option available through Reset this PC. Microsoft, however, describes Cloud rebuild as a separate recovery experience with a different workflow.

According to Microsoft, unlike Reset this PC, Cloud rebuild downloads both the target Windows 11 image and the device's drivers from Windows Update. The company says this allows the computer to roll back to a fully functional state without requiring USB installation media, a custom recovery image, or relying on the integrity of the existing installation.

The key difference is that Cloud rebuild is designed to rebuild the device from the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) without depending on the integrity of the existing setup.

Microsoft hasn't yet explained in more detail how Cloud rebuild differs internally from the existing Cloud download option in Reset this PC, so it's too early to conclude that it uses an entirely new recovery engine. However, based on the preview support page, the company appears to be positioning Cloud rebuild as a more complete recovery workflow designed to simplify the process of returning Windows 11 devices to a known-good state.

Perhaps more importantly, the feature reflects Microsoft's broader direction for Windows management. Whether Cloud rebuild eventually replaces some of today's overlapping recovery options remains to be seen, but it clearly signals the company's continued investment in cloud-based deployment and recovery.

Before using Cloud rebuild, here's what you need to know

Before using Cloud rebuild, it's important to understand that this isn't a repair tool. It completely replaces the existing installation by reformatting the system drive. As a result, locally installed apps, user accounts, settings, and files stored on that drive are removed during the process.

Also, files already synchronized with cloud services such as OneDrive aren't affected and can be restored after you sign back in.

Since the rebuild erases the existing installation, it's worth making sure your important files have been backed up before getting started. If you rely on OneDrive, verify that your files have finished syncing so the latest versions are available after the rebuild.

You'll also want to keep the computer connected to the internet and plugged into a power source throughout the process. Depending on your connection speed, the recovery can take some time to complete, and Windows 11 may restart the computer several times before it's finished.

How to start Cloud rebuild on Windows 11

In the current preview, Cloud rebuild is available through the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE). From a working Windows 11 installation, open Settings > System > Recovery, click "Restart now" under Advanced startup, and allow the computer to restart into WinRE.

On the recovery screen, choose "Troubleshoot," and then select "Cloud rebuild."

After connecting to the internet, the feature verifies the appropriate edition, language, and build for the device before asking you to confirm that the system drive will be erased.

Once you confirm the operation by clicking "Install," the rebuild begins automatically.

During the installation, Windows 11 may restart several times. Microsoft recommends leaving the device connected to power and avoiding manual restarts or shutdowns until the process finishes, since interrupting the installation could leave the operating system unable to boot.

Microsoft's cloud-first recovery strategy continues

Cloud rebuild isn't Microsoft's first cloud-based recovery feature, but it may be one of the most comprehensive. Instead of relying on recovery partitions, USB installation media, or organization-maintained recovery images, the feature downloads the installation files directly from Windows Update and integrates with services such as Windows Autopilot, Microsoft Intune, Backup for Organizations, and OneDrive to restore managed devices.

The result is a recovery process that depends less on locally stored recovery files and more on Microsoft's online services. As long as the computer can connect to the internet and Windows Update has the necessary drivers, Cloud rebuild can restore the device without requiring a USB installer or a custom recovery image.

For organizations, the recovery process goes beyond simply reinstalling the operating system. Computers enrolled with Windows Autopilot and managed through Microsoft Intune can automatically re-enroll, restore policies, redeploy apps, and synchronize user settings after the rebuild is complete.

Windows recovery is slowly moving beyond USB drives

For years, one of Microsoft's standard recommendations for recovering a device has been to create USB installation media.

Cloud rebuild doesn't eliminate installation media altogether, but it makes it significantly less important in many situations. If WinRE is still functional and the computer can connect to the internet, Windows 11 can recover without another device, a USB flash drive, or a locally stored recovery image.

For many home users, that's a much simpler recovery process. For organizations, it reduces the need to maintain recovery images across large fleets of devices.

There are still important limitations

Cloud rebuild isn't magic. The feature currently requires Windows 11 on compatible hardware (so unsupported devices won't benefit from this feature), a healthy Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE), internet connectivity from WinRE, and hardware drivers that are available through Windows Update.

Those last two requirements are especially important. If the necessary networking or storage drivers aren't available through Windows Update, Cloud rebuild can't complete successfully.

The preview only scratches the surface

At this stage, Cloud rebuild remains intentionally limited. The preview can currently be started only from the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) or from an elevated Command Prompt.

Remote deployment through enterprise management platforms isn't available yet, although Microsoft says support for solutions such as Microsoft Intune is planned for a future release.

Windows Central's Take

Cloud rebuild isn't the kind of feature that grabs headlines. There's no redesigned interface and nothing flashy to demonstrate. However, after years of covering the operating system, I've learned that recovery features often become the most important ones the moment something goes wrong.

What I'm noticing is the decision to build the recovery experience around Windows Update. Instead of expecting users or network administrators to maintain recovery media, OEM images, or custom deployment images, Microsoft is increasingly shifting recovery toward cloud-based services. That's a simpler model and one that better reflects how devices are managed today.

I also think this feature has more potential for organizations than for home users, at least initially. The integration with Windows Autopilot and Microsoft Intune suggests Microsoft is thinking beyond simply reinstalling Windows 11. The goal appears to be restoring an entire managed device with as little manual intervention as possible.

That said, I'd like the software giant to better explain how Cloud rebuild differs from the existing Cloud download option in Reset this PC. Currently, the available information describes the workflow but leaves some important technical questions unanswered. Until those details are available (and until the feature reaches general availability), I see Cloud rebuild as a promising addition to Windows 11 recovery rather than a replacement for the tools users already have.

Would you trust Cloud rebuild to recover your Windows 11 PC, or would you still prefer using a USB installation drive? Let me know in the comments.

More resources

Explore more in-depth how-to guides, troubleshooting advice, and essential tips to get the most out of Windows 11 and 10. Start browsing here:

• Windows 11 on Windows Central — All you need to know
• Windows 10 on Windows Central — All you need to know

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With Sony planning to stop making discs for games and revoke access to movies and TV shows people paid for, physical media is more important than ever. Xbox is considering a disc-to-digital program for Project Helix, proving Microsoft weighs the importance of physical media when making decisions.

But the physical media debate isn't really about discs; it's about control. People want to control the content and devices they've purchased. Microsoft's newly expanded options for resetting PCs showcase how choice and control can be given to consumers.

Like many, I've spoken out against Sony's plans and advocated for physical media to be preserved. So, it might come as a surprise to hear that I'm happy about the new option to reset a Windows 11 PC that relies entirely on the cloud and does not use a USB drive.

While I advocate for physical media to preserve ownership of games and movies, when it comes to the pure utility of fixing a broken PC, convenience wins.

A new feature called Cloud rebuild is in testing on Windows 11. It lets you restore a PC to a clean state without needing an external drive.

What is Cloud rebuild on Windows 11?

Cloud rebuild is a feature that lets you reinstall Windows and your PC's drivers by using the internet. Rather than requiring a USB drive that's been set up, you can reset your PC entirely through the cloud.

Microsoft explained Cloud rebuild recently when the feature shipped to Insiders:

"Unlike Reset this PC, Cloud rebuild downloads both the target Windows image and the device's drivers from Windows Update, so the device comes back fully functional without USB media, without a custom image, and without depending on the health of the currently installed OS."

While Reset this PC and Cloud rebuild both let you recover your PC, they differ in important ways apart from the fact that one uses a USB drive and the other uses the cloud.

Reset this PC gives you the option to retain your personal files, which could save vital content from being lost. But even if you have an external USB install drive ready to go, you can only use Reset this PC if Windows is bootable.

The feature also requires you to have manually created a USB installer ahead of time on a working computer.

In contrast, Cloud rebuild works even if your PC refuses to boot. The downside is that it does not provide an option to maintain apps and files.

Cloud rebuild brings your PC to a clean slate with Windows working and device drivers in place.

The biggest advantage of Cloud rebuild is reliability. Cloud rebuild doesn't rely on a tool you've set up in advance or ensured was formatted correctly. It just pulls a fresh image and drivers through Windows Update.

All my files are stored on OneDrive and backed up elsewhere, so I don't need the option to retain my files. It would save a bit of time after a reset, but it's not essential.

Cloud rebuild does depend on having an internet connection, so a USB installer is still the safer option for people in low‑connectivity environments.

Let the people decide

Of course, having the option to use a USB drive or the cloud is best. While I personally prefer Cloud rebuild for restoring my PC, I want both options to be available. Many people prefer to have physical tools they know are reliable and that can run locally.

That's what the current debate about physical media comes down to: choice and control. The vast majority of game sales are digital, but people want the option to own physical media.

Windows 11 management is the same way. Some will rely on the cloud while others will have USB drives to reset their PC and SSDs stored away to back up files.

Cloud rebuild is the better option for my workflow, but the point isn’t to replace USB recovery. It’s to give people the choice and control. Just like physical media, recovery tools shouldn’t be taken away; they should coexist.

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Microsoft is using AI to protect Windows against attackers. The development represents an arms race because AI is also being used increasingly to find vulnerabilities modern tech, as highlighted by The Hacker News.

Hackers can use AI to find and take advantage of vulnerabilities that could then be weaponized. It's not just discovery that's been sped up, reverse engineering security flaws is now a quicker process because of AI. That means attackers can find flaws and quickly take advantage of them before traditional methods of protection could take effect.

To combat those malicious actors and evolving tactics, Microsoft is deploying MDASH (Multi-Model Agentic Scanning Harness) at scale across Windows.

Pavan Davuluri, EVP of Windows and Devices at Microsoft, shared a blog post about the new methods the company is using to protect Windows.

"The fastest way to reduce customer exposure is to find issues before attackers can use them," said Davuluri. "Windows is expanding its ability across the platform to find issues earlier, accelerate the engineering work to fix them, strengthen validation, and deliver timely, high-quality updates that keep customers protected."

Using AI to identify potential flaws, prioritize fixes, and scale discovery across the codebase of Windows lets Microsoft quickly roll out protection to customers.

To scale MDASH to Windows, a dedicated cloud infrastructure was set up for scanning for potential flaws. A separate prove pipeline then is used to eliminate false positives. The Windows engineering team can then act on the most likely candidates that need addressing.

Microsoft will expand its use of AI for scanning and proving to other parts of the company.

Using AI to improve work

When Microsoft announced 4,800 layoffs across the company, its leaders emphasized that the eliminated roles are not being replaced by AI. People across a wide range of sectors are concerned about automation taking human jobs.

The approach Microsoft is using to scan for issues and streamline the selection process of candidates to address represents AI helping people rather than replacing workers.

When speaking of improving internal systems and practices, Davuluri said, "That means using AI to help identify potential issues earlier in the development process, while relying on human expertise to evaluate findings, make risk-based decisions and ensure fixes meet the quality bar customers expect."

The end result is that more security updates will be included in each security release, which should protect PCs from the growing number of attacks.

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It looks like Microsoft is planning to make a small but interesting (ok, maybe not that interesting) change to Windows 11 in the coming weeks, one that has us scratching our heads a bit. The company has revealed (albeit accidentally) that it's making the search box that appears on the Taskbar and in the Start menu a little taller, by 4 whole pixels.

4 pixels doesn't sound like much of a change, but it is a noticeable difference, if you can believe it. The change makes the search box appear chunkier, taking up more visible space above and below it, and bringing it closer to the top edge of the Taskbar itself and slightly pushing content down in Start.

Here's a before and after of the Start menu and Taskbar, in gif format so that it loops making the difference very easy to identify:

Microsoft hasn't explained why it's making this change, but if I had to guess, I'd say the change is being made to align it with the Ask Copilot search box appearance, which differs from the existing Windows Search search box.

Ask Copilot is an alternative search experience coming soon to the Taskbar on Windows 11 that incorporates Copilot chat directly into the user interface. It's currently aimed at commercial customers, and includes a thicker but narrower search box that appears on the Taskbar when enabled.

Ask Copilot is a separate UI to the standard Windows Search experience, and needs to be manually enabled before you can use it. That's why I think Microsoft is making the default search box 4 pixels taller, as the company likes the look of Ask Copilot and would like that appearance to apply to the default search box too.

Here's a closer look at the search box on the Taskbar comparing the new height to the old height. See, it is a noticeable difference! Investigative journalism at its finest on display here.

Either way, you can likely expect to see the search box in the Start menu and on the Taskbar get slightly bigger in the coming months, as Microsoft begins rolling out the change to Insiders before making it generally available to all. The change was unveiled in a changelog for a recent Windows 11 preview build, but a Microsoft engineer has since confirmed to me that the change isn't yet being previewed.

Thanks phantomofearth!

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Windows 11 includes several built-in tools to help keep storage usage under control on your computer. Features like Storage Sense, the Temporary Files settings page, and Storage Recommendation can help you reclaim storage with ease, making third-party cleanup utilities less essential than they once were.

However, those features don't clean everything. If you want more control over temporary files, browser data, app caches, and privacy-related files, BleachBit is one tool you have to try. It's free, open source, and, unlike many PC "optimizer" apps, it focuses on cleaning unnecessary files rather than promising unrealistic performance improvements.

In this how-to guide, I'll explain what BleachBit does, how to use it on Windows 11, which settings I recommend, and which features you should avoid unless you understand exactly what they do.

What is BleachBit?

BleachBit is a free and open-source cleanup utility for Windows 11 that removes temporary files, caches, logs, browsing data, and other unnecessary files created by the operating system and many third-party apps.

Unlike many commercial cleanup tools, BleachBit doesn't include advertisements, bundled tools, or premium features. Instead, it gives you complete control over what gets removed and explains every cleaning option before you run it.

Rather than replacing the built-in cleanup tools available on Windows 11, I see BleachBit as an additional utility for users who want more control over what gets cleaned.

Why use BleachBit?

Although Windows 11 already provides several storage management tools, BleachBit adds several more capabilities.

For example, cleaning the system's temporary files as well as those junk files created by third-party apps. You can also use the tool to clean temporary browser data, such as cache, history, and downloads.

In addition, BleachBit provides secure file shredding to make recovery more difficult and wipes free storage space on supported drives.

Finally, the tool offers command-line support for scripting and automation, and there's a portable version that you can use without installation.

The biggest advantage is flexibility. Instead of cleaning everything automatically, BleachBit lets you decide exactly what should (and shouldn't) be removed.

Install BleachBit on Windows 11

Installing BleachBit is straightforward. You can download either the standard installer or the portable version, then launch the application. However, the quickest way to install the app is by running the winget install --id BleachBit.BleachBit command in Command Prompt (admin).

For most cleanup tasks, running it in normal mode is enough. Some system cleaning options may require administrator privileges.

Once opened, you'll notice a list of apps and cleaning categories on the left, along with a brief description of each option as you select it.

Always run Preview first

One feature I recommend using every time is Preview. Instead of immediately deleting files, the "Preview" option scans your system, estimates how much storage space can be reclaimed, and shows exactly what BleachBit intends to remove.

Even if you've used BleachBit before, I still recommend running the Preview option first.

Recommended cleanup options

For routine maintenance, I recommend starting with categories that are generally safe to remove.

For example, from the "System" section, some good choices include:

• Temporary files.
• Logs.
• Clipboard.
• Recycle Bin.
• Update uninstallers.

Usually, these items consume storage over time without affecting your daily workflow.

For browser cleaning, I suggest being more selective. Clearing cached files occasionally is perfectly reasonable, but deleting cookies will sign you out of websites, and removing session data will close saved browsing sessions.

Unless you're troubleshooting a browser issue or intentionally clearing your browsing activity, I usually leave those options unchecked.

The same advice applies to app caches. While they're generally safe to clear, some apps may take longer to launch the next time because they'll need to recreate those files.

As mentioned above, cleaning actions may require using the tool in Expert mode. If you receive the prompt, open the BleachBit main menu, select "Preferences," and choose the "Expert mode" option located in the "General" tab.

Securely delete sensitive files

BleachBit includes a built-in file shredder for permanently deleting sensitive files (and folders).

Unlike sending a file to the Recycle Bin (or even deleting it permanently with the "Shift + Delete" shortcut), secure shredding overwrites the file's contents before removing it, making recovery using standard data recovery tools much more difficult.

If you want to use this feature, open the BleachBit menu (the first icon at the top-left), choose the "Shred Files" option, then select the file to delete.

This feature is useful when you're deleting confidential content, financial records, or other sensitive files you don't want recovered later.

Wipe free disk space

The open-source tool can also overwrite unused space on a drive to remove traces of files that were previously deleted through the Recycle Bin.

This feature is intended primarily for drives before selling, donating, or retiring a computer, or for secondary drives.

The feature is available from the BleachBit main menu by selecting the "Wipe Empty Space" option and choosing the drive you want to clean.

I don't recommend running free-space wiping as part of regular maintenance because it takes time and provides little benefit for everyday use.

If you're preparing a device for resale, the Reset this PC feature is generally the better approach.

One feature you won't find

One thing that BleachBit doesn't offer is a Registry cleaner.

I actually consider that an advantage. For years, Registry cleaners have been marketed as a way to improve performance in the operating system, but in practice, they rarely provide measurable benefits. Worse, removing the wrong Registry entries can cause apps or the system itself to behave unexpectedly.

Microsoft doesn't include a Registry cleaner on Windows 11, and I don't think most users should use one.

By focusing on cleaning unnecessary files instead of modifying the Registry, BleachBit avoids one of the biggest sources of risk associated with older computer optimization suites.

Does BleachBit make Windows 11 faster?

Not directly. When you delete temporary files, you can free up storage space and occasionally resolve issues caused by bad caches, but it won't make your computer faster.

If Windows 11 feels sluggish because your drive is nearly full, cleanup may help. However, performance issues are usually caused by factors such as not enough memory, older hardware, too many startup apps, malware, or software conflicts, not because your temporary files folder is too large (at least not the majority of the time).

Should you use BleachBit?

If you're comfortable with the built-in cleanup tools available on Windows 11, you may never need another maintenance utility.

However, if you want additional control over browser data, temporary files, app caches, privacy-related cleanup, secure file shredding, and other advanced maintenance tasks, you may benefit from BleachBit.

The open-source nature, easy-to-use interface, and decision to avoid questionable features like Registry cleaning make it one of the few utilities for cleaning up Windows 11 and one of the few alternatives to CCleaner.

Windows Central's Take

In the many years I've used the desktop version of Windows, I've tested and relied on countless cleanup utilities. Some of them were genuinely useful at the time, but many were eventually discontinued, acquired by other companies, or changed so much that they no longer offered the same experience.

Over time, I've become much more selective about the tools I recommend, especially when it comes to software that makes changes to the operating system.

More often than not, I recommend learning and using the built-in tools. However, BleachBit takes a different approach, and that's why I think it stands out. It focuses on cleaning files, not "fixing" the operating system, and I appreciate that it skips gimmicks like Registry cleaning that can do more harm than good.

If you decide to use it, my advice is not to treat it like a one-click optimization tool. Take advantage of the Preview feature, understand what each option does, and only clean what you actually need. If you use it that way, I think BleachBit is one of the few maintenance utilities that still deserve a spot in your toolkit.

What are your thoughts about BleachBit? Do you prefer Windows 11's built-in cleanup tools, or do you use a third-party utility? Let me know in the comments.

More resources

Explore more in-depth how-to guides, troubleshooting advice, and essential tips to get the most out of Windows 11 and 10. Start browsing here:

• Windows 11 on Windows Central — All you need to know
• Windows 10 on Windows Central — All you need to know

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

The Steam Machine is here, and despite an (isolated) issue dubbed the "red line of death" and performance that has been a little underwhelming, those who own the machine seem to be enjoying it. Either way, its egregious $1,000+ price tag is hardly Valve's fault, but rather a reflection of the wider industry as memory prices continue to climb.

The good news is that Valve has now released official Windows drivers for the Steam Machine, reinforcing that it's still a PC at heart. If you want to install Windows instead of SteamOS, you can, giving you the freedom to do pretty much whatever you want with the Gabecube that you own.

As Valve puts it: "Steam Deck and Steam Machine are PCs, and other applications and OSes can be installed" — there is a catch, however, as Steam hardware still doesn't officially support dual-booting, which may or may not be a deal-breaker for some.

I don't even own a Steam Machine, but I would have liked that flexible OS option if I did. Still, despite this, it's great to see how open Valve is. Providing official Windows drivers is a nice touch, and it's something the company already does for the Steam Deck.

Personally, I wanted Steam Machine to enter the market and provide serious competition for the PS5 and Xbox Series X. Unfortunately, that seems to have been wishful thinking on my part, and again, that's through no fault of Valve's. Current market conditions have pushed memory prices to the point where companies are even facing lawsuits over allegations of price-fixing and intentionally restricting supply to keep prices high.

Don't worry, though. I'm sure things can't get much worse — except they can, as I'm sure we're all aware; the memory crisis isn't going anywhere, and we, the consumers, are having to pay the price. But let me know your thoughts on running Windows on Steam Machine by leaving a comment and taking part in our poll below:

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

A bizarre Windows 11 issue is causing a single, bloated folder to swallow massive amounts of storage. In extreme cases, the folder can balloon up to 500GB. Others have seen dozens of gigabytes eaten up by the folder.

A file called "CapabilityAccessManager.db-wal" is the culprit. Windows Latest took a deep dive into the situation and Microsoft has addressed that file with a recent update.

Capability Access Manager is related to granting apps permissions, such as letting an app know your location or giving an app permission to use your PC's camera. The CapabilityAccessManager.db-wal file can grow to be large, though eating up 500GB of storage is not an intended behavior. That's the size of that file for one Reddit user. Others have lost a similar amount of storage to the bloated file.

It appears that Windows 11 is wrongfully logging repeated events for access and then storing that information. Capability Access Manager is supposed to store large amounts of data, but it should store items more efficiently.

July's Patch Tuesday update should fix the issue. You can push the fix right away by installing an optional update.

A Microsoft support document outlines all the improvements rolling out normally (emphasis added):

• [Secure Boot] With this update, Windows quality updates include additional high confidence device targeting data, increasing coverage of devices eligible to automatically receive new Secure Boot certificates. Devices receive the new certificates only after demonstrating sufficient successful update signals, maintaining a controlled and phased rollout.
• [Authentication] This update improves Netlogon secure channel connections between domain controllers, enabling successful connections from member servers to domain controllers set up before 2025.
• [Emoji Panel Update] The emoji panel (Windows key + period (.)) now uses GIPHY for GIF content following the deprecation of Google’s Tenor API. Starting June 30, 2026, install the latest Windows update to continue using GIFs in the Emoji panel. If you don’t update, you will see a "GIF service is not available" error in the panel. Installing the latest Windows update will restore access to GIFs.
• [Networking] This update improves how your device connects to shared network resources. Connections used by apps and system features, such as the NetUseAdd function, now work more reliably, including unauthenticated (null session) connections.
• [Recycle Bin (known issue)] Fixed: This update addresses an issue where the confirmation dialog might display an internal Recycle Bin file name instead of the original file name when permanently deleting a file. This issue might occur after installing the June 2026 security update (KB5094126).
• [Storage] This update improves disk space usage for the CapabilityAccessManager.db-wal file.
• [Taskbar] This update improves notification badge display across your apps. Notification counts and badge visuals now update correctly, helping you stay up to date with new activity.

The change log notes the issue related to the CapabilityAccessManager.db-wal file, but it does not go into much detail.

It is possible to delete the folder containing the CapabilityAccessManager.db-wal file, but you have to be careful. If you delete just the file or erase the wrong item, you could break your PC's Wi-Fi connectivity.

A Reddit user deleted the file and was no longer able to connect to Wi-Fi. In their case, removing the folder and restarting their PC fixed the issue.

If your PC works well and you have enough space for your everyday workflow, you don't have to do anything right away. You can simply wait for the fix to roll out next month.

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

Microsoft has announced another new recovery method for Windows 11 PCs that will allow users to reinstall the OS using the cloud. The new recovery tool is called Cloud Rebuild which will restore a PC to a "clean, known-good state by performing an entire OS reinstall."

The new Cloud Rebuild feature will download the Windows OS along with your devices drivers, and seamlessly install them during the recovery process so that your device is fully functional once the OS reinstalled, all without needing an external USB install drive.

"Unlike Reset this PC, Cloud rebuild downloads both the target Windows image and the device's drivers from Windows Update, so the device comes back fully functional without USB media, without a custom image, and without depending on the health of the currently installed OS."

Reset this PC has had its own cloud download option for a while, but that feature is only useful when the Windows OS is bootable, and acquires drivers from the device locally. In scenarios where the OS has become unbootable, the new Cloud Rebuild option will be a life saver.

Cloud Rebuild also doesn't include an option to maintain apps and files. Reset this PC includes an option to maintain all your data across the reset, but Cloud Rebuild is strictly for reinstalling the Windows OS as a clean slate with device drivers.

The new Cloud Rebuild recovery option is now rolling out in preview to Windows Insiders in the latest Windows 11 preview builds, so it's not generally available just yet but it should begin rolling out to everyone in the coming months.

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

Microsoft has already confirmed that Windows 11 version 26H2 is the next annual feature update, and it's expected to roll out during the second half of 2026. Unlike those feature drop upgrades we used to get, requiring a full installation, this release will follow the same servicing model as version 25H2, arriving as a small enablement package that simply switches the version number from 25H2 to 26H2.

Whenever the company takes this approach, I see the same reaction: "It's not a real update because it doesn't include anything new," and I don't think that's accurate.

The enablement package is just the way the software giant delivers the update. It doesn't determine what's actually included in the release.

Today, Windows 11 evolves through monthly cumulative updates rather than one massive annual upgrade. Throughout the lifecycle of version 25H2, Microsoft continues to roll out new features, interface improvements, and security enhancements. When version 26H2 arrives, all of those additions officially become part of the next supported release.

If you're already running Windows 11 version 25H2, you'll likely receive most of these features before upgrading to 26H2. The actual installation will simply enable the new version while extending support for another two years. If you're upgrading from an older release, however, all of these improvements will arrive together, making the update feel much more substantial.

That alone is reason enough not to dismiss Windows 11 version 26H2.

In this guide, I'll highlight seven features and improvements I'm personally looking forward to the most.

Windows 11 2026 Update (version 26H2) top features

This list is not organized in any specific order. Also, at the time of this writing, the improvements are part of the Windows Insider Program, more specifically in the Experimental channel.

As a result, Microsoft can choose to discard any of them at any time, and remember that the company uses a gradual rollout approach, meaning it could take time for the new improvements to reach every compatible device, even after version 26H2 has been released.

1. Ask Copilot finally feels useful

Microsoft has been adding AI features across Windows 11 over the past couple of years, but not all of them have improved everyday tasks.

Ask Copilot aims to be something different. It introduces a new search box that brings Copilot directly into the search experience, allowing you to interact with AI while also using it as a traditional search tool.

It's not just for chat-style answers. You can use it to quickly find files, open apps, or locate system settings, similar to Windows Search but with AI-assisted results layered in.

What makes this feature more interesting is that it's optional. You're not forced to replace Windows Search. You can choose when to use Copilot instead.

While I'm not fully convinced of Microsoft's AI integration, I like this feature because it's surprisingly fast for surfacing settings and files, and it's optional.

This feature can be managed from Settings > Personalization > Taskbar.

This feature is expected to be available on Copilot+ PCs as well as on regular PCs.

2. A more customizable Taskbar

The Taskbar is probably the part of the desktop I interact with more than anything else, so even small improvements can make a noticeable difference.

This new version is expected to bring long-requested customization options, including the ability to position the Taskbar anywhere on the desktop, and you'll also be able to make the Taskbar smaller.

These Taskbar improvements have specific settings that can be managed from Settings > Personalization > Taskbar, and then by accessing the "Taskbar behaviors" settings to change the position and size.

Giving users more control has always been one of the platform's strengths, and I'd like to see Microsoft continue moving in that direction.

3. The redesigned Start menu

The redesigned Start menu is probably the feature I'm most excited about.

Microsoft is finally making better use of the available space while giving users more flexibility over how the menu looks and behaves.

First, the company is adding a menu setting to choose between smaller and larger sizes, rather than relying on the system to automatically determine size based on screen scaling and resolution.

Then there's an updated layout that makes it easier to organize pinned apps, browse installed applications, and reduce some of the clutter that has frustrated many Windows 11 users since launch.

For example, you can now independently show or hide Pinned, Recent, and All.

Also, note that "Recommended" has now been renamed to "Recent," and it's much clearer to hide it. Also, you can customize what type of content appears in this section.

Furthermore, disabling recent and suggested files will no longer turn off File Explorer's recent history.

Finally, to improve privacy while doing a presentation, you'll find a new option to hide your name and profile picture from the Start menu.

These settings will appear under Settings > Personalization > Start.

Instead of insisting there's only one correct way to use the Start menu, the company is giving users more choices. That's exactly what I expect from the operating system.

4. Windows Search without web results

This may be one of the smallest additions in version 26H2, but it's also one I've wanted for a long time.

Microsoft is finally adding an option to turn off web results in the Windows Search feature.

When I open the Start menu and type something, I'm usually looking for a file, a setting, or an app on my computer, not Bing search results. So, having a built-in setting to turn off web results should make Windows Search feel faster, cleaner, and far less distracting.

This implementation is expected to appear on Settings > Privacy & security > Search, under the "Show suggested search results" setting, where you'll also find an option to prevent search from showing Microsoft Store apps.

Sometimes the best new features are the ones that remove unnecessary clutter.

Currently, this feature is still a work in progress, but it can already be surfaced in the latest preview build of the operating system in the Experimental channel from version 26H2.

5. Better control over Windows Update

Windows Update has improved significantly over the past few years, but I still think users deserve more control over when updates happen.

As part of the new improvements, the company is expanding the Windows Update controls, making it easier to schedule updates and pause installations when needed without (significantly) compromising security.

For example, you can now use a calendar-based setting to pause updates for up to 35 days, and you can pause as many times as you want.

The new setting is available through Settings > Windows Update.

In addition, the company is reducing monthly reboots to only one by aligning the install schedule for drivers, products, and firmware updates with the quality update.

Also, the settings page for updates now groups downloads under a single "Available updates" section, and drivers include clearer labels.

Furthermore, the power options in the Start menu now show independent commands to restart and shut down without installing updates.

While the calendar-based setting to pause updates is gradually rolling out through the July 2026 Security Update, this improvement will also be considered part of version 26H2.

6. Administrator Protection security feature

Security features rarely generate much excitement, but Administrator Protection is an exception.

The feature changes how the operating system handles administrator privileges by adding another layer of protection around elevated processes, making it more difficult for malicious software to gain unrestricted access to the system.

Administrator Protection works by creating a temporary account to execute the task and then deleting the account when the task is complete. This approach ensures that the administrator privileges are not persistent, making the system more secure.

This feature is expected to become available through the "Account protection" page in the Windows Security app.

One thing to note is that this feature will replace User Account Control and will use Windows Hello for authentication.

7. Run dialog with modern design

Microsoft is finally giving the Run dialog box a visual refresh.

The new interface adopts the design language of Windows 11, bringing rounded corners, improved spacing, and a cleaner overall layout that better matches the rest of the operating system.

It's also noticeably larger than the classic version. The expanded layout provides a wider input field for commands and introduces a "recent commands" section positioned above the text box, making it easier to reuse previously entered entries.

Another practical improvement is the ability to surface matching apps as you type, complete with their icons. It's a small but useful upgrade that helps bridge the gap between a simple command launcher and a more modern search-style experience.

What makes this change particularly interesting is that the company isn't forcing it on everyone, at least initially. The redesigned Run dialog will be optional, with a toggle available in Settings > System > Advanced under the "Run dialog" option, allowing users to switch between the classic and modern versions.

Windows 11 doesn't need another major redesign

I understand why some people look at Windows 11 version 26H2 and think it isn't a major release, especially since it installs as a small enablement package.

However, that view places too much emphasis on how the update is delivered rather than on what it actually includes.

Microsoft no longer waits for one big annual release to add new features. Instead, Windows 11 is updated continuously throughout the year. The annual update simply packages all of those changes into a new, supported version of the operating system.

That's why I'm looking forward to the Windows 11 2026 Update.

It will take only a few minutes to install. However, by the time it arrives, it will already include months of improvements across the system, from a redesigned Start menu and a more customizable Taskbar to better search, stronger security, improved Windows Update controls, and a more practical approach to AI.

Windows Central's Take

I think Windows 11 version 26H2 shows that Microsoft has finally settled into a better update strategy. (At least for the foreseeable future.) Instead of holding features back for one big annual release, the company is delivering improvements when they're ready and using the feature update to reset the support lifecycle. That may not be as exciting as the old days of massive releases, but it's a much better experience for people who actually use the operating system every day.

More importantly, I like the direction that the company is taking with many of these changes. The common theme isn't flashy AI features or another visual overhaul. It's giving users more control over how Windows 11 works, whether that's customizing the Start menu, moving the Taskbar, cleaning up Windows Search, or making Windows Update less intrusive.

Of course, not every feature will matter to everyone, and some may still change before the final release. However, if Microsoft follows through on what it's testing today, I think 26H2 could end up being one of the most practical Windows 11 updates yet, even if it arrives as nothing more than a small enablement package.

What are your thoughts on some of the expected features coming as part of the 2026 Update for Windows 11? Let me know in the comments.

More resources

Explore more in-depth how-to guides, troubleshooting advice, and essential tips to get the most out of Windows 11 and 10. Start browsing here:

• Windows 11 on Windows Central — All you need to know
• Windows 10 on Windows Central — All you need to know

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

On Windows 11, even though the operating system is designed to use all the memory installed on your computer, you can limit how much RAM the operating system uses if you need to test software, troubleshoot issues, or simulate a lower-memory system.

However, the system doesn't include a simple setting to tell it to "only use 4GB of RAM." Instead, you have to use the legacy System Configuration tool (msconfig), which is intended primarily for testing and debugging.

In this how-to guide, I'll outline the steps to restrict the amount of memory that Windows 11 can use.

⚠️Important: This setting limits the amount of memory available to the entire operating system. It's not meant for everyday use because it can significantly reduce performance and cause some apps to run slowly or stop responding. You have been warned.

How to limit the system RAM on Windows 11

To restrict the amount of memory available to Windows 11, use these steps:

1. Open Start.
2. Search for System Configuration (or msconfig) and click the top result to open the app.
3. Click the Boot tab.
4. Select the current Windows installation (if applicable).
5. Click the Advanced options button.

6. Check the Maximum memory option.
7. Confirm the amount of memory you want Windows 11 to use (in megabytes).

• Quick tip: Since you have to enter a value in megabytes, use 4096 (4GB), 8192 (8GB), 16384 (16GB), or 32768 (32GB).

8. Click the OK button.
9. Click the Apply button.
10. Click the OK button.
11. Restart the computer.

After you complete the steps, Windows 11 will only use the amount of memory you specified. Any remaining installed RAM will be ignored until you remove the restriction.

While I was testing this configuration, I noticed that Task Manager reported 3GB when I set the memory to 4GB, because the operating system doesn't get the full 4GB, as part of the physical address space is reserved for other components.

If your goal is to test the operating system with exactly 4 GB available, you may want to reserve an extra 1GB. For example, 5120 (5GB) to see 4GB in Task Manager. However, depending on how much memory you want to allocate, you may want to try different sizes.

How to restore full RAM access on Windows 11

To restore the amount of memory available to Windows 11, use these steps:

1. Open Start.
2. Search for System Configuration (or msconfig) and click the top result to open the app.
3. Click the Boot tab.
4. Select the current Windows installation (if applicable).
5. Click the Advanced options button.

6. Clear the Maximum memory option.

7. Click the OK button.
8. Click the Apply button.
9. Click the OK button.
10. Restart the computer.

Once you complete the steps, the operating system will once again detect and use all available RAM.

Why would you limit RAM?

This feature is primarily intended for testing rather than everyday use. Some common scenarios include testing how an app performs with limited memory, troubleshooting memory-related software issues, simulating older or lower-end hardware, and software development.

For instance, we recently tested out how using 8GB of RAM on Windows 11 in 2026 works for performance.

If your goal is to reduce overall memory usage or free up RAM, it's better to turn off unnecessary startup apps, close background applications, or upgrade your system instead of limiting the operating system's available memory.

Why can't you set the maximum memory?

On some modern computers, particularly those using UEFI firmware with Secure Boot enabled, the "Maximum memory" setting may be unavailable or ignored.

If this happens, you may need to temporarily disable Secure Boot before applying the memory limit.

⚠️Warning: Disabling Secure Boot lowers your computer's protection against boot-level malware and may prevent some security features from working as expected. Only disable Secure Boot temporarily if you're testing, and re-enable it afterward.

Disable Secure Boot

To disable Secure Boot, use these steps:

1. Open Settings.
2. Click on System.
3. Click the Recovery page.
4. Click the Restart now button under the "Advanced startup" section.

5. Click the Restart now button one more time.
6. Click on Troubleshoot.
7. Click on Advanced options.
8. Click the "UEFI Firmware settings" option.

9. Click the Restart button.
10. Open the advanced settings page for your motherboard.
11. Select the "Secure Boot" option, then choose the "Disabled" option.

After you complete the steps, restart the device, then configure the "Maximum memory" setting in System Configuration (msconfig).

Enable Secure Boot

Before proceeding, make sure to restore the memory settings from the System Configuration settings, and then to enable Secure Boot, use these steps:

1. Open Settings.
2. Click on System.
3. Click the Recovery page.
4. Click the Restart now button under the "Advanced startup" section.

5. Click the Restart now button one more time.
6. Click on Troubleshoot.
7. Click on Advanced options.
8. Click the "UEFI Firmware settings" option.

9. Click the Restart button.
10. Open the advanced settings page for your motherboard.
11. Select the "Secure Boot" option, then choose the "Enabled" option.

Once you complete the steps, Secure Boot will be enabled on your computer.

FAQs for limiting RAM usage on Windows 11

These are common questions about the process for limiting memory usage in Windows 11.

Windows Central's Take

I've used the Maximum memory option in MSConfig before, but it's one of those features that is easy to overlook because it's not intended as a consumer setting. For developers, network administrators, and anyone who writes about this operating system, though, it's a surprisingly useful way to test how a device behaves on lower-end hardware without physically removing memory or creating a separate virtual machine.

That said, I wouldn't recommend using this to "save RAM" or improve performance. Windows 11 is designed to manage memory efficiently, and artificially limiting it can only slow the system.

It's also another reminder that many of the most useful troubleshooting tools are still buried inside decades-old utilities like msconfig. Microsoft continues to modernize the operating system, but some of the diagnostic features remain hidden in legacy tools.

What are your thoughts about using MSConfig to limit RAM on Windows 11? Let me know in the comments.

More resources

Explore more in-depth how-to guides, troubleshooting advice, and essential tips to get the most out of Windows 11 and 10. Start browsing here:

• Windows 11 on Windows Central — All you need to know
• Windows 10 on Windows Central — All you need to know

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

Leaked materials from 2024 have revealed that Microsoft has built a working prototype Copilot OS that is platform agnostic, derived from the Microsoft Edge web browser and runs on top of Windows or Android, focused on the web and agentic experiences.

This project is codenamed Aion, and while its status is currently unknown, the leaked materials confirm that such a project was in active development and reached a stage in which the code was functional. With all the material leaked, we have a pretty good idea about how this OS experience looked and functioned.

According to the leaked materials, Aion is a UI shell built entirely with web tech, using a modified version of the Edge web browser. The interface is Edge, but altered to include desktop-like interfaces and functionality such as a Start menu, Taskbar, and cascading windows.

The documents confirm that Aion was capable of running on top of Windows 11 as a desktop shell replacement, or on AOSP Android. There's also a third compatible OS mentioned called Win3, which sources say was a special modified version of the Windows codebase with less legacy cruft, resulting in a lighter OS experience with faster boot times, longer battery life, and better security at the expense of legacy app support.

Aion seemingly wasn't compatible with legacy Windows apps, with the leaked video mentioning it only running web apps and websites, with tight Windows 365 integration for when users need access to a legacy Windows experience.

The Aion interface was built around Copilot and agentic AI experiences. It features a familiar looking Taskbar along the bottom of the interface, where the system tray and running apps appear. It also features a Start menu, except this time it's powered by Copilot and features a Copilot icon instead of a Windows one.

The Copilot Start menu is where users go to begin tasks, browse the web, or open web apps. The entire interface is built around Copilot, with users interacting with the OS via a multi-modal omnibox that can jumpstart tasks or workflows, find files, browse the web, initiate AI chat, and open web apps.

The new Start menu provides quick access to recent websites and files, and also groups recent activites into Spaces that let you launch multiple activities at once via a single click, curated by Copilot. Web apps will run in their own floating windows like real apps do on Windows, letting users cascade, minimize, and snap them.

The Spaces that Copilot curates also appear in the Taskbar when open. These appear as buckets, highlighted in a different color to let you know that these items are all being grouped together by the AI for picking up where you left off at a later point.

Because Aion only runs web apps, it's capable of understanding the context of everything you have open using Copilot. That means Copilot as an agent is capable of completing tasks on your behalf if asked by the user, and can answer any questions about the things that are open or were recently viewed at any time.

Aion also includes a feature that lets users complete tasks while staying in the flow of chat. For example, if the user wanted to send a summary of a web page to a friend or colleague via email, users could simply ask Copilot to do that, and the agent would pull in an email draft and let the user check it over and send it without ever leaving the Copilot chat interface.

It's unclear if Project Aion is ever intended to ship, or if it'll remain an internal experiment never to see the light of day. So far, we've not seen any official confirmation that a Copilot OS is going ahead. Microsoft recently announced Project Solara, an agentic OS that runs on Windows and Android codebases that utilizes a just-in-time UI approach to generate experiences on the fly.

While not the same, perhaps Microsoft has opted to go in a different direction for its agentic OS vision.

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Despite decades of people calling for "the year of Linux," fresh data from Steam's Hardware Survey for June 2026 suggests Windows is still firmly the norm. Linux's market share fell by 0.30 percent to 3.69%. Yes, that's a relatively small decline, but considering Linux's smaller gains have often been celebrated, I think it's only fair to mention it. To keep things balanced, though, Linux is still well ahead of where it was this time last year, when it sat at just 2.57%.

Before we jump into what we all actually care about (Windows), macOS also saw a small increase, rising by 0.05 percent to 2.21%, up from 1.76% this time last year. I know rattling off percentages can get a little mind-numbing, but there are actually some genuinely interesting trends hiding in this month's data, so let's get into the Windows side of things, because that's where things get particularly interesting.

Looking at Steam's Hardware Survey for June 2026, Windows 11 climbed by another 0.68 percent, while Windows 10 declined by 0.43 points, showing a continued shift toward Windows 11. The modern OS now accounts for 70.44% of Steam users. It's hardly a dramatic jump, but it does suggest more PC gamers are choosing to move to Windows 11 rather than one of the growing number of Linux distro alternatives.

Is anyone calling it "The year of Windows 11"? That's what I'll be calling it for the foreseeable future — I jest, of course. Windows has its fair share of issues and gets plenty of deserved flak online, but Linux has given me a bad experience every time I've had the displeasure of trying it. Despite my frustrations with Windows, it typically does just work, Copilot shenanigans aside.

I always enjoy looking at these kinds of trends across the industry. There's something interesting about seeing what operating systems, hardware, and configurations people are actually using. Somehow, despite Microsoft seemingly shooting itself in the foot several hundred times over, people are still choosing Windows 11.

But let me know your thoughts. Is this really a sign of satisfaction with Windows 11, or are people simply being forced to upgrade as Windows 10 reaches the end of its life? Share your thoughts in the comments below, and as always, be sure to take part in our poll below:

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A leaked video has revealed that Microsoft has explored building a dedicated AI OS powered by Microsoft Edge and a new lightweight Windows codebase called Win3. This exploration was codenamed Aion, and was built around web tech, placing Copilot at the heart of the experience.

The 3 minute video, which my sources say is real, was first leaked on Discord server BetaWiki and provides a handy walkthrough of what looks to be real (but early) working code, showcasing a new desktop UI that features a similar Taskbar along the bottom, Start menu-like interface powered by Copilot, and more.

"Aion is an example of a web-based agent OS that natively builds Copilot into the core of the shell," says the video's narrator. The entire experience is built around Copilot and a multi-modal input box, which is where users go find files, open apps, and browse the web.

The Taskbar includes a unique feature called "Spaces" that automatically groups your apps and sites into a bucket on the Taskbar that you can quickly return to at a later point. These spaces appear in the Start menu too, providing a one-click method of opening multiple things at once.

The video explains that Aion is built around the web, meaning it doesn't run native Windows apps. It only runs web apps and websites, leaning on Windows 365 to remote into a Cloud PC and stream desktop apps if the user needs access to one.

The video does mention that there's a version of Aion that also runs on top of Windows 11, which would presumably support running Windows apps natively. But the version in the video appears to be based on the Win3 version, which sources tell me is a stripped back version of the Windows codebase that does not include support for legacy Win32 apps in exchange for faster updates, longer battery life, and better security.

My sources also say this video is quite old, recorded sometime in 2024, and it's unclear if this was just a Hackathon project or something more. I understand that Aion was experimental in nature, designed to explore what a desktop UX is capable of if built from scratch around an agentic AI. That means it's unclear if Aion is something that Microsoft ever intends to ship.

With that said, it would be surprising if some of the lessons Microsoft has learned from the Aion project aren't already shaping the version of Windows shipping today. While I don't expect Aion to ship as depicted in the video above, agentic OS capabilities are already finding their way into Windows 11.

Microsoft has also recently announced Project Solara, an agentic OS experience that utilizes just-in-time UI to generate experiences as the user asks for it. It runs on both AOSP and Windows, similar to Aion. Perhaps Aion evolved into Solara?

Either way, this is a fascinating look at what what at least one team thought the future of desktop computing could be like with Copilot at the heart of the experience. Given the sheer backlash around Copilot in the last year or two, I wouldn't be surprised if Microsoft is already rethinking much of this.

Windows Central reached out to Microsoft for comment, but the company declined to provide one.

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On Windows 11, if GIFs suddenly disappeared from the emoji panel, the problem wasn't caused by a broken update. It was caused by a service the operating system depended on quietly going away.

Starting June 30, 2026, users on versions 24H2, 25H2, and 26H1 began seeing a "GIF service is not available" message after pressing the Windows key + . (period) keyboard shortcut to open the emoji panel. Microsoft has now confirmed the issue affects devices that haven't installed its latest optional update, which replaces Google's Tenor service with GIPHY.

Why this happened

This wasn't a traditional bug with the operating system. The emoji panel relied on the Tenor API to search and display animated GIFs, but Google retired that service on June 30. Once the API was switched off, Windows 11 had nowhere to retrieve GIFs, leaving the feature effectively offline.

"Starting June 30, 2026, install the latest Windows update to continue using GIFs in the Emoji panel. If you don't update, you will see a 'GIF service is not available' error in the panel," Microsoft explains.

Instead of restoring Tenor, the company moved to GIPHY before the shutdown. Microsoft included the change in the June 23 preview update for versions 25H2 and 24H2 (KB5095093) and for version 26H1 (KB5095091), allowing updated systems to continue displaying GIFs without interruption.

Why GIFs may look different

The fix also changes the experience. Since Windows 11 now pulls results from GIPHY instead of Tenor, searches may return different animations, rankings, and content for the same keywords. The feature works the same way, but the library behind it has changed.

How to restore GIFs

If you're seeing this error, you can restore the functionality by installing the latest quality update from Settings > Windows Update. If you're doing this before the Patch Tuesday update release, then turn on the "Get the latest updates as soon as they're available" toggle switch.

Once the update is installed, the emoji panel automatically switches to GIPHY, and no additional configuration is required.

This is a reminder that even built-in features increasingly depend on online services outside Microsoft's control. When one of those services disappears, a feature that looks native to the operating system can stop working overnight until Microsoft rewires it to something else.

Windows Central's Take

On Windows 11, when a core feature suddenly stops working, the default reaction is usually to assume Microsoft broke something in the latest update. However, after tracking updates for years, I've learned that the operating system is often (not always) just caught in the crossfire of third-party service changes.

In this case, the company handled the transition as smoothly as it could. Instead of leaving users stranded, they already had a replacement lined up, and installing the latest update fixes the issue immediately. Just keep in mind that since GIPHY is taking over for Tenor, your typical reaction GIFs might look a bit different from now on.

Have you noticed any changes to the GIFs in the Windows 11 emoji panel, or are you still seeing Tenor? Let me know in the comments.

More resources

Explore more in-depth how-to guides, troubleshooting advice, and essential tips to get the most out of Windows 11 and 10. Start browsing here:

• Windows 11 on Windows Central — All you need to know
• Windows 10 on Windows Central — All you need to know

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A small change is on the way to Windows 11, but it will make a big difference to a select group of users. Windows Insiders can now test the option to make the taskbar smaller on Windows 11.

Windows 11's taskbar has always been controversial. Microsoft rebuilt the taskbar when creating the operating system, but the company did not include every feature from the Windows 10 taskbar.

As a result, options like being able to move the taskbar to the side or top of the screen never made it to Windows 11. Microsoft is addressing some of the most frequently shared complaints. Soon, you'll be able to move the taskbar and resize it. Progress!

Windows Insiders have been able to move the taskbar around since earlier this year, but until recently have had limited options for resizing it. Insider builds presented the option to "show smaller taskbar buttons" but enabling that feature only shrinks the buttons. The actual taskbar remains the same height.

Windows 11 Experimental Preview Build 26300.8758 adds a toggle to change the size of the taskbar. Switching the taskbar to "small" reduces the height of the taskbar and also enables smaller icons.

It's also possible to enable small icons while keeping the taskbar its default height.

Build 26300.8758: Changes

Taskbar

• Taskbar customization just got easier. As we continue to make improvements to the Taskbar experience mentioned last month, we've introduced a dedicated Taskbar Size setting, making it simpler to find, understand, and personalize your ideal taskbar experience.
• We've also made refinements to the transitions between taskbar sizes for a smoother overall experience.

File Explorer

• We've improved the reliability of thumbnail previews for cloud files in the Details pane. The pane has also been reorganized so file properties are easier to find and review at a glance.
• Fixed an issue where the OneDrive shortcut in File Explorer stops working when File Explorer is run in administrative mode.
• Fixed an issue where the confirmation dialog might display an internal Recycle Bin file name instead of the original file name when permanently deleting a file.

Sounds

• Improved system sounds when using Windows in dark mode.

Microsoft released a bunch of builds recently, but most of them were rather minor. An unnoted change is that Xbox mode is now called XBOX mode.

An initiative to improve Windows 11 known as Windows K2 will include changes large and small. Microsoft plans to address serious "pain points" across Windows 11. Performance, design, and reliability are all being worked on by the tech giant.

Tiny details like taskbar resizing help Windows 11 feel more polished and personalized.

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June is closing out, making it a good moment to recap the latest Windows 11 changes Microsoft delivered in the second half of the month. While there are no headline-grabbing feature drops, the updates continue to refine the overall experience with a steady set of improvements across the system. Microsoft also confirmed active development of Windows 11 version 26H2, the next major release on the roadmap.

During the final two weeks of June, preview builds in the Experimental channel transitioned their versioning from 25H2 to 26H2, signaling the formal shift toward the next development cycle.

At the same time, Taskbar customization gained more flexibility, allowing users to adjust its size independently of button scaling, offering finer control over the desktop layout.

Meanwhile, the Future Platforms channel received a broader set of enhancements, including Screen tint, reduced reboot requirements for Windows Update, improved Magnifier zoom options, and refinements across Personalization, Storage, and Audio settings.

In the Experimental channel, we've seen builds 29617, 28120.2374, 26300.8758, 28120.2315, and 26300.8697. In the Beta channel, the company released builds 26220.8754, 28020.2366, 28020.2308, and 26220.8690.

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 June 2026

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

Windows 11 version 26H2

Although it's not a feature, starting with build 26300.8697 in the Experimental experience, Microsoft officially changed the version number from 25H2 to 26H2.

You will find the change in Settings > System > About, under the "Windows Info" section. Also, the version number can be found when running the "winver" command. However, the "Windows Insider Program" still reports this channel as "Windows 11, version 25H2."

This means that everything that the company makes available in the Experimental channel will become part of the version 26H2.

However, another point to note is that versions 25H2 and 26H2 share the same core file system, meaning that even though the company has announced the development of the new version, virtually all the changes intended for version 26H2 will also be available for version 25H2.

Privacy & security page redesign

Build 26300.8697 also updates the "Privacy & security" page with a new header that includes an entry point to the Windows Security app and a glance at details for various features, including location, camera, and microphone features.

On the rest of the page, the development team is also reorganizing the items into new sections, including "Your info," "Communication," "File access," and "System."

Other new entry points include "Custom Dictionary" and "Passkeys."

Although it's not officially available, it has been found that on the "Search" page, Microsoft is updating the "Show suggested results" setting to include options to disable web searches and Microsoft Store apps from search results in the Windows Search feature.

Mobile Devices changes

As part of the change for version 26H1, in the Beta and Experimental channels, builds 28120.2374 and 28020.2366 update the Mobile Devices page in the Settings app and add the ability to configure and manage mobile devices.

Emoji panel changes

Also, in version 26H1, the company is changing the GIF provider to GIPHY, replacing the Tenor API to improve the experience for browsing and sharing GIFs.

Taskbar resize option

Microsoft also made available build 26300.8758 for version 26H2, which updates the Taskbar settings with a new dedicated option to make the Taskbar smaller.

The setting is called "Taskbar size," and it features two options, including "Default" and "Small."

If you use the "Small" option, this action turns off the "Show smaller app icons" feature.

The description under the "Automatically hide the taskbar" option is also new in this release.

Sounds in dark mode

This isn't a flashy improvement, but it's worth pointing out that build 26300.8758 improves system sounds when using the system dark mode.

XBOX branding

In the Gaming section, the Xbox mode page is being rebranded to "XBOX mode" as the company refreshes the brand based on feedback.

Screen tint new feature

On Windows 11 build 29617 for the Future Platforms version, Microsoft introduced a new accessibility feature called "Screen tint." It's a system-wide color overlay designed to reduce eye strain and soften overly bright or saturated displays.

Unlike the Night Light feature, which primarily reduces blue light for nighttime use, Screen tint changes the overall intensity and color tone of the display during the day. The software giant notes that the two features solve different problems and can work together.

The feature is available in Settings > Accessibility > Vision > Screen tint, with six preset tint colors and an option to create a custom color.

In addition, you can also adjust the intensity with the available slider. However, one thing to point out is that enabling Screen tint disables Color Filters, and vice versa.

Magnifier new zoom controls

The Magnifier feature is receiving several enhancements for the Future Platforms version.

For instance, it's now possible to enter a specific zoom percentage directly in the interface instead of repeatedly clicking the zoom-in and zoom-out buttons.

Also, in the Magnifier settings, you can now find additional zoom presets, including 5, 10, 25, 50, 100, 150, 200, and 400 percent.

Personalization changes

The company has also improved the personalization experience by enhancing the accuracy of automatic accent color selection. This allows the operating system to better match the chosen accent color to the colors in your desktop wallpaper.

In addition, Microsoft has fixed a problem to improve how background images are preserved across restarts and upgrades.

These improvements are already available in other channels, but they won't arrive in the Future Platforms version until build 29617.

Windows Central's Take

I like the direction Microsoft is taking with these Insider builds. There isn't a single feature that completely changes how I use Windows 11, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Some of the best updates are the ones that quietly make the operating system more polished over time. A dedicated Taskbar size setting, a cleaner "Privacy & security" page, and accessibility improvements may not grab headlines. However, they're the kinds of refinements people notice after using the operating system every day.

The official move to version 26H2 is also significant. Based on Microsoft's recent release strategy, I expect the next feature update to focus more on improving what already exists than on introducing major new experiences. If that's the case, I'd much rather see the company continue investing in performance, consistency, and usability than chase flashy features that don't solve real problems.

Of course, these are still preview builds, so I wouldn't recommend installing them on a primary computer unless you're comfortable testing unfinished preview builds.

What do you think about these latest Windows 11 changes? Let me know in the comments.

More resources

Explore more in-depth how-to guides, troubleshooting advice, and essential tips to get the most out of Windows 11 and 10. Start browsing here:

• Windows 11 on Windows Central — All you need to know
• Windows 10 on Windows Central — All you need to know

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

Microsoft has issued a warning to all Windows 11 Home and Pro users still running the now two year old 24H2 release that support for this version of the OS is ending in just a few months.

All new versions of Windows 11 ship with a support window that lasts 24 months for consumers and 36 months for commercial customers. As 24H2 first launched in 2024, it's now coming to the end of its support window for consumers.

"Windows 11, version 24H2 Home and Pro editions will reach end of updates on October 13, 2026," Microsoft says in a recent update changelog. "Devices running these editions will no longer receive fixes for known issues, time zone updates, technical support, or monthly security and preview updates containing protections from the latest security threats."

The good news is everyone running 24H2 today should be fully compatible with 25H2, which is the current shipping version of Windows 11 and fully supported, based on the exact same codebase as 24H2. In fact, they're so similar, the 25H2 upgrade is very small and comes with no compatibility issues or complex update processes. It's essentially the flip of a switch.

That's the easiest fix for those still on 24H2 and worried about losing support. Once you upgrade to 25H2, you'll be fully supported once more until October 2027. If you want to wait until October this year, you can jump straight to 26H2 when that begins rolling out in the fall.

25H2 and the upcoming 26H2 release are based on the same platform release as 24H2, codenamed Germanium. This means the underlying OS doesn't change between the releases, only surface level features and changes are present between them. If you've been hanging onto 24H2 because you're worried about the upgrade breaking anything, there's really nothing to be concerned about. 25H2 is basically 24H2 part 2.

For commercial customers, there's not anything to worry about just yet. Windows 11 version 24H2 for commercial customers will continue to be supported until October 12, 2027, so over a year to go before those devices will need to be updated.

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