Articles about Microsoft

Although new Windows 11 test builds typically arrive on a Wednesday, they can drop almost any day of the working week.

Today, Microsoft releases a new Windows 11 build to Insiders in the Beta Channel, and makes changes to how future features will be delivered going forward. Insiders will have the choice to be among the first to receive new features, or to just get them gradually, over time.

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Windows 11 users in many parts of the world are now able to access Windows Copilot -- although, notably, not in the EU (privacy law, natch).

Much has been made of Microsoft's AI-powered assistant, and while it is still early days for the ChatGPT-based tool, Microsoft is already working on significant interface changes. The focus is on making Windows Copilot more customizable rather than forcing a one-size-fits-all design onto everyone.

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Browser tabs were introduced to help fix the problem of having too many browser windows open at once; now instead of being overrun with browser windows, we have the issue of too many tabs. Chrome's upcoming Organize Tabs feature is Google's latest attempt to tame things.

The feature is still undergoing beta testing, but when it lands it will take some of the hard work out of tab management. For anyone happy to hand control over to Google, Organize Tabs will automatically sort open tabs into appropriate Tab Groups, much like the comparable AI-driven feature already to be found in Microsoft Edge.

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Microsoft may be saying nothing about the release of Windows 12, but that's not stopping news slipping out about the successor to Windows 11. And thanks to information from Intel, it seems that 2024 is when we can expect to see a new Windows release.

The leak comes courtesy of David Zinsner -- Chief Financial Officer at Intel -- who confidently referred to "the Windows refresh" which he says is due to land next year. While his comments are not solid confirmation of the launch of Windows 12, it is a credible addition to the ever-growing pile of Windows rumors.

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Microsoft continues to add new features to Windows 11, and Windows Insiders in the Canary Channel get to try out some of the more experimental ones.

New in Build 25967, released today, is a redesigned homepage in Settings that offers a "dynamic and personalized experience". Microsoft says it provides an overview of your device, quick access to key settings, and helps manage your Microsoft account.

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The UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is launching a market investigation into the supply of public cloud infrastructure services in the UK. Between them, Amazon and Microsoft enjoy a combined market share of 60-70 percent of Britain's cloud computing industry.

This follows a referral by telecoms regulator Ofcom which has expressed concerns around egress fees, discounts -- which may incentivize customers to use only one cloud provider, and technical barriers to switching.

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Windows 11 is far from being new. The current version of Microsoft's desktop operating system has been with us for a couple of years and has been treated to numerous significant updates and new features since its launch.

Despite this, Windows 11 remains pretty unpopular. We're not just talking about people having complaints and quibbles about the OS. The latest figures show that the vast majority of Windows users are avoiding Windows 11, with Windows 10 remaining almost three times as popular.

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The big new update for Windows 11 began rolling out last week. This introduces a wealth of new features to the operating system, chief of which is Copilot, Microsoft’s new AI-powered assistant.

This addition is still quite new, and so not without its problems, but Microsoft is working on improving it. Windows Insiders in the Dev Channel today get a new build which adds to Copilot's abilities. There are a number of known issues with Copilot to be aware of, however.

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Excel 365 is Microsoft’s latest cloud-based version of its world-famous spreadsheet app. Powerful and user-friendly, it’s an ideal solution for businesses and people looking to make sense of -- and draw intelligence from -- their data.

The Excel 365 Bible carries over the best content from the best-selling Excel 2019 Bible while reflecting how a new generation uses Excel in Excel 365. The authoring team with their decades of Excel and business intelligence experience and recognition from the Excel community as Excel MVPs delivers an accessible and authoritative roadmap to Excel 365.

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Problems with Windows updates are incredibly common, and this is certainly the case with the monthly update previews Microsoft releases. The cumulative KB5030310 update brought with it not only the Windows Copilot preview, but also bugs for users with AMD graphics cards.

Although Microsoft is yet to confirm any problems relating to the KB5030310 update, it appears to be causing issues with AMD's Adrenaline configuration software. Users report "unexpected failure" messages as well as settings not being retained. Read on for a solution!

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Microsoft is updating OneDrive as part of a major revamp of the cloud storage service. With the third generation of OneDrive, there are not only visual changes, but also new tools and features to use along with, almost inevitably, a dash of AI courtesy of Copilot.

Described as heralding the "future of file management”, Microsoft's OneDrive update includes a redesign home experience to help speed up finding what you need. File sharing has been simplified, there is better offline support, and there are numerous performance enhancements. What is currently rolling out is only the beginning; Microsoft promises even more tools and features soon.

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While the world waits for Microsoft to announce Windows 12, there are a number of talented concept creators coming up with their own visions for what that future OS might look like. Some are even showing us entirely original Windows creations.

One such example of this is Windows Utopia, which concept designer AR 4789 came up with two months ago. As with his previous concepts, the video takes us through the "installation" process, and one of his ideas from this has just arrived in Windows 11.

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The current enthusiasm for everything to be injected with a dose of AI means that just about nothing is left untouched by artificial intelligence, and that includes Windows 11. 

Microsoft recently started the roll out of Copilot, its AI assistant, and it has received something of a lukewarm reception. Promising much but currently delivering little, the disappointment surrounding Copilot is heightened by the presence of various bugs -- especially for anyone who is reliant on Narrator.

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Microsoft Lists, the company's task manager app, has been made available to anyone who is looking for a way to manage a range of projects. Now three years old, Lists was originally limited to business and enterprise users, but Microsoft has taken the decision to open it up to everyone.

The move comes after the company conducted a limited test with several thousand consumer-level users. During its time as a business/enterprise-only app, Microsoft Lists gained a reputation for ease of use, an intuitive workflow and an impressive range of templates for managing a variety of tasks on iOS, Android and the web.

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Microsoft is actively working to improve Windows 11, and this week it released a big new update to add a wealth of new features to the operating system, including Copilot, its AI-powered personal assistant.

That said, Windows 11 is still far from perfect, and has a lot of design inconsistencies that annoy and frustrate users daily. Rectify11 is a third-party tool that fixes those problems and makes the OS more usable, and it’s just received a notable update of its own.

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