Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson

Having already brought Windows 11's backup tool to Windows 10, Microsoft is porting more apps back to the older version of its operating system.

The latest Windows 11 app to be offered to Windows 10 users is the Photos app. But if you are wondering why Microsoft continues to eliminate reasons to upgrade from Windows 10 to Windows 11, the company has a few tricks up its sleeve.

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Users of the archiving utility WinRAR are being advised to update their software as soon as possible following the discovery of a serious Remote Code Execution vulnerability.

Tracked as CVE-2023-40477, the security flaw was discovered back in June and it allows malicious code to run when opening a RAR archive. Two months on, the issue has been fixed, but users of the software will have to ensure that they have the latest update installed to guarantee protection.

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Google has announced a new online hub called Transparency Center, where it will provide information about the policies that relate to its various products and services, including AI-related policies.

The company says that in the Transparency Center, visitors can find details about the decisions and processes that resulted in certain policies, access transparency reports and more. The hub can also be used to report policy violations to Google.

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Few people would argue with the notion that Windows 11 comes with more than a little baggage. If you buy a computer with the operating system pre-installed, you can almost always expect the inclusion of bloatware from the manufacturer, but there are plenty of unwanted components even after a clean installation.

With the latest build of Windows 11, however, this is changing. Microsoft is apparently aware, and -- more importantly -- taking notice, of the fact that users are annoyed by having apps forced upon them without the option of uninstalling them. So the company is making it possible to remove more of Windows 11's built-in apps and components.

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For power users, people troubleshooting problems, and anyone looking to kill a troublesome app, Windows' Task Manager is a seriously useful utility. Having been around for so many years, you might think there would be nothing new to learn about the tool. Think again!

Microsoft has just shared details of a keyboard shortcut that works in the Windows 10 and Windows 11 versions of Task Manager. For anyone who has been frustrated by the speed at which the list of processes changes, this tip is absolute gold.

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Windows 10 users who installed the recent KB5028244 update have been experiencing issues with apps deployed with ClickOnce. The problems have seemingly been widespread as Microsoft has been forced to implement a Known Issue Rollback (KIR).

No details about the cause or scale of the issues have been revealed but KIRs are relatively rare, pointing to serious concerns. Microsoft has also issued some advice to those who have run into problems.

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There can be few tech-heads out there -- particularly if they are readers of BetaNews -- that are not aware of PowerToys. This outrageously useful collection of Windows utilities has an avid following, and each new release is eagerly lapped up as new modules are added.

The latest project for the PowerToys team is to give the app a "new homepage experience". What this means in practice is an update to the app that introduces a central dashboard that provides an overview of which modules are currently enabled, also showing helpful information such as useful keyboard shortcuts for individual utilities.

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A few months back, we learned of Microsoft's new Windows Backup app. At the time it was only made available to users of Windows 11 signed up as Insiders on the Dev channel.

Now this handy utility is making its way to Windows 10 as well. For now, it is included in the build pushed to the Release Preview Channel last week, but this means it won't be long until Window 10 users have access to an official backup tool from Microsoft which is about more than just safeguarding files.

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Mozilla has issued a notice to developers, saying that it is preparing to launch support for an open ecosystem of extensions on Firefox for Android.

Pointing out that the move will make Firefox the only major Android browser to support such an ecosystem for extensions, Mozilla says everything sound be in place before the end of the year. The change means that it should not be long before Firefox users with Android handsets are able to use more than just the handful of extensions that are currently available.

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Change is often divisive, and with a UI tweak in iOS 17 Apple is certainly dividing opinion. In the latest beta version of the iPhone operating system, the company has made the decision to move the End Call button.

Shifting the button from the center of the screen -- where it has resided for many, many years -- is causing confusion and wails of discontent from beta testers. Having becomes use to the button being in a central position for well over a decade, users are complaining that the new location is a problem for muscle memory.

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With the latest Canary build of Windows 11, Microsoft is at it again, hiding new features for anyone who knows where to look. In Windows 11 build 25926, it is a new section in the Settings app that has been secreted away.

Added with no announcement, and no mention in the release notes, a hidden System Components section in Settings can be enabled with the likes of ViVeTool or Microsoft’s own StagingTool. It provides a list of Windows 11's built-in apps and tools, and allows many to be uninstalled.

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Microsoft has announced the availability of the public preview of Windows 365 Switch. The utility makes it easy for Windows 11 users to jump between a Windows 365 Cloud PC and the local desktop.

The company highlights the benefits of the feature to BYOD scenarios, pointing to a seamless experience from within Windows 11 via the Task view feature. Using Windows 365 Switch, switching between a Cloud PC and a local desktop can be achieved with keyboard commands, as well as a mouse-click or a swipe gesture.

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Google has announced that it will release security updates for Chrome on a weekly basis, doubling the speed with which fixes are delivered to the stable channel.

This will not change the release schedule for significant new versions of Chrome, but it means that users of the browser can enjoy greater security. Google's change in pace is designed to reduce the "patch gap", with the company saying that it treats "all critical and high severity bugs as if they will be exploited".

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Microsoft has released a large new cumulative update for Windows 11 in the form of the KB5029263 update.

As this release fixes a series of security issues in the operating system, everyone running Windows 11 22H2 should install it as soon as possible. KB5029263 is a mandatory update so it will be installed automatically -- eventually -- but it is important enough to justify taking manual action to ensure you have it immediately.

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There is always an element of risk involved in using beta software, particularly beta versions of drivers. But the latest pre-release GPU driver from Intel comes with a very unpleasant payload.

Run through the Intel Graphics Driver install without paying sufficient attention, and it will install in "typical" mode. This automatically signs you up for the Intel Computing Improvement Program (CIP), a telemetry feature which collects a huge amount of data including information about the websites a user visits.

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