Excel can now explain formulae with Copilot
Microsoft just found a new use for AI. Excel users can now turn to the new Explain Formula feature which uses Copilot to use artificial intelligence to understand how a formula works.
There are many advantages to this. It can serve as a way to learn about how to create new formulae of your own, but it is also a handy way to not only understand how a formula works as well as a means of debugging if the output is not what you were expecting it to be.
Microsoft OneNote finally gets unformatted text pasting
Microsoft OneNote is an incredibly useful tool, and a clever one – sometime too clever. After being absent for far too long, it now finally has an unformatted text pasting option.
It is hard to believe that it has taken over twenty years for this to arrive – and it is not clear why it has taken so long – but it is finally here. No longer will you have to strip out unwanted formatting, change color and so on. Unformatted text pasting is now just a keyboard shortcut away.
Microsoft launches Windows 365 Reserve preview to reduce downtime
Microsoft has launched a limited public preview of Windows 365 Reserve, a new cloud-based service to help reduce downtime and disruption for business when disaster strikes.
Whether there is a system failure, a cyberattack, or something else goes wrong, Windows 365 Reserve provides access to a Cloud PC to help reduce disruptions. Microsoft says that it offers businesses “secure and on-demand Cloud PC access from anywhere when you need it most”.
Business is booming for AI assistants as they take on bigger roles
The AI assistant market is projected to grow from $3.35 billion this year to $21.11 billion by 2030, according to Indian research firm MarketsandMarkets.
This represents a compound annual growth rate of 44.5 percent, with North America forecast to have the largest share during that five year period.
Copilot 3D is Microsoft’s latest generative AI experiment
There is no shortage of generative AI tools out there, and the latest is Copilot 3D. This experimental tool from Microsoft does very much what you would expect of it – it creates three-dimensional images using artificial intelligence.
As this is an experimental tool, there are a couple of things to keep in mind. Firstly, it is not a completed product so there may be issues with it. Secondly, this is an experimental tool which is still being developed, so it could change dramatically or even disappear altogether. But let’s take a look at what is currently available.
PowerToys may get a new clipboard tool called ClipPing
A proposal has been put forward to add a new clipboard tool to the PowerToys utility collection. Already available as a standalone app, ClipPing is a simple tool that provides a visual notification whenever the clipboard is used.
Although still in relatively early stages of development, both the tool itself and the suggestion of integrating it into PowerToys have been well-received. ClipPing serves at least a couple of purposes – both useful and security-focused.
Microsoft ‘rationalizes’ Windows Search settings in latest Windows 11 build
Microsoft has released Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27919 to Windows Insiders signed up for the Canary channel. While not a release that is jam-packed with new treats, it does include important changes to Windows Search.
Describing the changes, Microsoft uses very curious language saying that it has taken steps to “rationalize and organize Windows Search settings”. What this means in practice is that things are being made more logical, with the company apparently taking time to focus on user experience a little more.
Extended Windows 10 support means ditching your local account for a Microsoft Account
The drum heralding the end of support for Windows 10 has been beaten almost to death, but even at this late stage there is more news about the death of the operating system.
With the mid-October date for mainstream support fast-approaching, there are still plenty of people using Windows 10. Some have opted to take up Microsoft on its last-minute offer of extended support – but a new catch has just been revealed.
Microsoft Lens is the latest victim of AI
Users of Microsoft Lens – originally launched several years ago as Office Lens – have just a few short weeks left to use the tool.
Microsoft has announced that the incredibly popular iOS and Android app is to be “retired” (translation: killed off). Having started life under a different name over a decade ago, the app provides a way to convert images to PDF, Word, PowerPoint, and Excel files and much more. But not for very much longer.
Microsoft warns of serious vulnerability in hybrid Exchange deployments
Microsoft has issued a warning about a high-severity vulnerability in hybrid Microsoft Exchange Server deployments.
Tracked as CVE-2025-53786, the vulnerability could allow for privilege escalation by cyber threat actors with administrative access to an on-premise Microsoft Exchange server. Although there is not currently any indication of active exploitation, the issue is considered extremely serious and requires immediate attention.
Microsoft brings AI to the Game Bar with Gaming Copilot
It seems that nothing is immune to being injected with AI – certainly not if Microsoft is involved. Now the company is bringing Gaming Copilot to the Game Bar.
Currently in beta testing, Gaming Copilot is now available in Game Bar for Windows PC for Xbox Insiders enrolled in the PC Gaming Preview. The arrival of Copilot in another Microsoft tool is far from being surprising, but just what does this mean for gamers?
Microsoft says that it will make WinUI ‘truly’ open source
Microsoft has announced that it has plans to “truly open sourcing” WinUI, the user interface framework that is embedded in Windows. Although no specific timeframe has been mentioned, the company is “actively working toward it”.
Pointing out that making the WinUI repository open source is not just a “flip-the-switch moment” but a “deliberate process”, Microsoft lead software engineer Beth Pan says that the process is a complicated one. This is part of the reason for not being willing to commit to a specific end date for any particular milestone.
Microsoft to disable features in outdated Office apps
Microsoft is always keen for people to use the latest versions of its software, and things are no different with Office. The company has just announced that if users of Microsoft 365 Office apps will need to be fully updated or they will lose access to some key features.
The announcement indicates that Microsoft is upgrading backend services that power some features and that as a result of this, older versions of apps will no longer be supported. But just what does this mean and when will users be affected?
Microsoft Recall is bad at filtering sensitive information
Whenever there are privacy concerns voiced about software, they are almost always downplayed. But fears about Microsoft Recall appear to be well justified.
Announced and previewed last year, Microsoft Recall is a feature of Windows 11 which Microsoft says enables users to retrace their steps. It does this by capturing screenshots of computing activity, which can then be analyzed and searched using AI to home in on data, return to a project, and much more. But there have been lots of vocal protests about the potential for invasions of privacy.
Microsoft announces end of support for Windows 11 SE
It is not just Windows 10 that Microsoft is ready to forget – the company is adding Windows 11 SE to the list as well.
In a quiet announcement, Microsoft says that in a little over a year, Windows 11 SE will no longer be supported and will no longer receive updates of any description. But what does this mean for users, and where does it leave them?
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