Microsoft

Windows Insiders in the Dev Channel usually get new builds on a Wednesday. This week they’ve had to wait an extra day, but it’s definitely worth it with this latest flight.

Build 22543 comes with quite a few improvements, including updated visuals for some UI areas.

When Chief Product Officer of Windows and Devices at Microsoft, Panos Panay, wrote about "a new era of the PC", he revealed some of what we can expect from Windows 11 in the future. But his blog post also shed light on just how the operating system has been received by users.

Panay reveals the impressive statistic that Windows 11 upgrades have been taken up by users at twice the rate of Windows 10 upgrades. Satisfaction levels are said to be high, and as a result Microsoft is well ahead of its mid-2022 target for the rollout of Windows 11.

In a new blog post in which he discussed a number of things, including the (near) future of Windows 11, Panos Panay, Chief Product Officer, Windows + Devices talked about how the new operating system is driving 3x more traffic to the newly redesigned Microsoft Store.

"We’re energized by the feedback from both our customers and partners about the new Microsoft Store" he said. But hmm... Perhaps he needs to step out from his bubble and see what Windows customers are really saying about it.

Let’s be honest here. Windows 11 has the makings of being a good operating system, but it’s not there yet. Some of the features that Microsoft touted in its original presentation -- such as native support for Android apps -- aren’t even available yet.

However, Microsoft today addresses what’s coming next for the new OS and you won’t have long to wait to try out the new features and functionality.

Having released a preview of next month's updates for Windows 11, Microsoft has also done the same for Windows 10. With the release of KB5009596, the company has addressed an issue that prevented the Windows Subsystem for Linux 2 (WSL2) localhost relay from starting, as well as fixing a couple of audio problems.

This particular update also sees the addition of a reminder to Internet Explorer 11 users about the browser’s upcoming retirement. One of the more interesting additions that comes with the KB5009596 update is the new feature called Sync Your Settings which has been designed to make it easier to migrate to Windows 11.

Microsoft is not exactly a stranger to -- how can we put this gently? -- slightly underhand tactics. And if complaints about recent updates for Windows 11 are anything to go by, this is not something that's changing any time soon.

According to reports, automatic updates for Windows 11 have been used to not only deliver security fixes, but also to change people's default web browser to Microsoft Edge. Some are also complaining that Bing.com loads every time Windows starts up. The behavior has led some to accuse Microsoft of being "very sneaky".

We are coming to the end of the month and that means it is time for Microsoft to unleash the preview versions of the Windows updates that will be released on Patch Tuesday. As such, the company has released the KB5008353 update preview for Windows 11, addressing dozens of issues.

The list of changes, fixes and improvements included in this optional, non-security update is fairly lengthy, but there are some definite highlights. Among the most significant changes are fixes for problems with Bluetooth audio, as well as fixes for issues with Windows 11's taskbar that caused app icons to appear unnecessarily.

Task Manager may not be the most exciting component of Windows 11, but it is something that proves very useful from time to time. If you have ever looked at the tool and thought that it could do with a visual revamp, you are not alone -- Microsoft agrees.

So much so that the company has gone ahead and created an updated version of app and locked it away in Windows 11. Here's how you can activate it.

Outlook is currently available in various versions, and Microsoft is looking to consolidate them into the aptly named One Outlook. Previously referred to as Project Monarch, the app includes not only an email component, but also a calendar.

Originally due for release last year, it is now looking as though One Outlook is going to be available for limited testing some time in the spring. Wider scale beta testing is expected to start in the summer, but the timetable remains flexible.

It is, of course, no secret that Microsoft would like as many people as possible to use Windows 11. While it may not be realistic for the company to expect all computer users -- or even all Windows users, for that matter -- to install the latest version of the operating system, it can at the very least ensure that it minimizes the number of systems out there running unsupported versions of Windows.

And this is precisely what is happening with machines that currently have Windows 10 2004 installed. Microsoft is automatically (or forcibly, depending on your perspective) upgrading such computers to Windows 10 21H2. And next in the company's sights are people still running Windows 10 20H2.

Microsoft has been wielding its axe at the Control Panel in Windows for a while now, gradually migrating options to the Settings app. This is not something that has been universally welcomed by Windows 11 users, so a (slight) change of heart will come as welcome news for fans of the Control Panel.

While there are numerous settings that now have to be accessed through Settings, one Control Panel option has been given something of a reprieve. The applet in question is Network Connections (ncpa.cpl).

There are a huge number of ways to customize, optimize and tweak Windows, some of which involve using third party utilities, while others rely on tools that are built into the operating system -- like Group Policy Editor.

System administrators have used group policies to implement a wide range of settings for a long time now, but there are some that should be avoided. Microsoft has shared information about some of the legacy group policies that should not be used; some because they have no effect at all, some because they have unwanted or unexpected side effects. Take a look through the list and see if you need to make any changes to the policies you have put in place.

Do you want to make your Microsoft 365 account a productivity behemoth? Do you want to squeeze every last bit of awesome from Word, Excel, and PowerPoint and learn a little more about Outlook, too? Microsoft 365 Portable Genius has you covered.

A seasoned tech expert and trainer, author Lisa A. Bucki shows you how to build Word documents, Excel workbooks, and PowerPoint presentations the right way, as well as how to use high-impact design techniques to make your documents pop.

If you have ever had to change a setting in your Microsoft 365 account, you'll possibly have been irritated by the fact that you have to do so in your browser rather than in Windows. But this is changing.

Last week, Microsoft released Windows 11 Build 22000.466 (KB5008353) to Windows Insiders signed up for the Beta and Release Preview channels. What many people -- including us! -- failed to notice in the changelog, or in the build itself, was an important change to the Settings app that means it is now possible to view and change options relating to your Microsoft account.

Some of the newest additions to the handy collection of tools known as PowerToys have been mouse-related. Sticking with the theme, Microsoft has just revealed that there are plans for more utilities to enhance the capabilities of mice around the globe.

We have already seen the very useful Find My Mouse and Mouse Highlighter tools in recent versions of PowerToys, and later this month there is going to be yet another member of the family -- Inclusive Mouse.