Articles about Microsoft

New tiny11 build shrinks Windows 11 23H2 smaller than ever and gives you Copilot... if you want it

tiny11 2311

Windows 11 is many things, but small it ain't. This is something that tiny11 exists to address, and we've covered this stripped-back version of Windows 11 before. Now it has been updated with new features and a smaller footprint than ever.

The latest version of tiny11 is based on Windows 11 23H2 and has been shrunk by a massive 20 percent from the previous version. There is a new naming system that makes much more sense (this is tiny11 2311), the software is updatable to future cumulative updates, and Copilot is available as an option. And that's just scratching the surface.

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Download Microsoft's new Windows XP Bliss wallpapers for mobile, desktop, or Teams

This holiday season, Microsoft has gone back in time to create an "ugly sweater" based on its iconic Bliss wallpaper from Windows XP.

If you like the look of it, the software giant is making the sweater available to buy (in limited quantities) for $69.99. That’s not all though. The company has also produced four stylish Bliss wallpapers for phone, Teams background, or desktop.

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Microsoft goes back to Windows XP for this holiday season's ugly sweater -- here's how you can get one

Every holiday season, Microsoft brings out an "ugly sweater" and this time it’s going way, way back with a special XP-themed Bliss design.

This sweater, which features the iconic Bliss backdrop from Windows XP, (originally a photo of a pretty blue sky and rolling green hills taken in Sonoma County, California) has been created in part to support The Nature Conservancy.

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Play Windows PC games on your Android phone for free using Winlator 3

It's easy enough to get Android games running on your PC. You can use third-party emulators like Bluestacks or NoxPlayer, or you can make use of the built-in Windows Subsystem for Android on Windows 11.

If you want to do the reverse and play Windows games on your Android device, that's a little harder, but it can be done. For this you'll need Winlator. We’ve covered this Android app before, but it’s just been updated to improve compatibility and performance, and fix a number of problems.

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Microsoft warns that a key accessibility feature is broken in Windows 11 23H2

Windows 11 tiles

Microsoft has acknowledged an issue with Windows 11 23H2 which causes the Narrator accessibility tool to fail.

The company warns that people using either physical media or ISO images to install Windows 11 2023 Update may find that Microsoft Narrator does not start. There is currently no fix for the problem.

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Microsoft launches Defender Bounty Program to find bugs in its security software

Wanted poster

Microsoft has added yet another bug bounty program to its growing portfolio. With the launch of the Microsoft Defender Bounty Program, the company is offering financial rewards to researchers who "uncover significant vulnerabilities" in its range of security products and services.

The program is focused solely on vulnerabilities of Critical or Important severity, and Microsoft is putting up rewards of between $500 to $20,000 for eligible submissions. Starting off somewhat limited in focus, the aim is to open up the program to have a wider scope further down the line.

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Microsoft releases Copilot to Windows 10 users

Copilot in Windows 10

Microsoft may have been engaged in a game of will-they/won't-they when it comes to the possibility of hiring OpenAI's Sam Altman, but it has not stopped the company from making good on its recent promise to give Windows 10 users access to Copilot.

Rumors of the AI assistant migrating from Windows 11 to Windows 10 were circulating for a little while before Microsoft confirmed that it would indeed be happening. The big day has now arrived, and Windows 10 users can now access Copilot... providing certain conditions are met.

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Windows 11 is finally making it easier to refresh the Wi-Fi network list

Purple cartoony wifi logo

After what feels likes years of user complaints, Microsoft is at long last introducing a way to quickly refresh the list of available wireless networks in Windows 11.

Added in the recently released build 25997 of Windows 11 but -- for reasons we'll go into shortly -- not mentioned by Microsoft in the changelog, there is finally a "Refresh network list" button in the Wi-Fi popup menu.

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Microsoft gives Windows 10 admins an update option from Windows 11

Windows 10 laptop

Despite its age and the not-unrelated fact that end of support can be seen on the horizon, Microsoft continues to surprise by bringing new features and options to Windows 10.

With the release of this month's optional updates for the operating system, the company has announced a new option for Windows 10 admins that allows for great control of system updates. It's a feature that is being ported across from Windows 11.

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Microsoft finally makes Windows 11 23H2 available via the Media Creation Tool

Windows 11 laptop and mobile

There are a number of ways to install Windows 11, including using Microsoft's Media Creation Tool to creation installation media.

While Windows 11 23H2 has been available for a little, now, many people were disappointed that the Media Creation Tool could not be used to download it. Now this changes.

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Get 'Teach Yourself VISUALLY: Excel 365' (worth $18) for FREE

Excel-erate your Excel 365 knowledge with the celebrated Teach Yourself VISUALLY series.

In Teach Yourself VISUALLY: Excel 365, veteran tech educator and writer Paul McFedries delivers a practical, step-by-step guide to using the latest version of the world’s most popular spreadsheet app.

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Best Windows apps this week

Five-hundred-and-sixty-nine in a series. Welcome to this week's overview of the best apps, games and extensions released for Windows 10 and 11 on the Microsoft Store and elsewhere in the past seven days.

Microsoft confirmed that Windows Copilot is coming to Windows 10. The AI promises combines Bing Chat functionality with Windows-specific functions.

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Microsoft will give Europeans the option to remove Edge and Bing from Windows

Windows 11 logo on a laptop

Microsoft is giving users of Windows 10 and Windows 11 living in the European Economic Area (EEA) greater control over their software. The company will soon be making it possible to extricate Microsoft Edge and Bing from the operating system.

This is not really by choice, however. Microsoft is introducing the changes in order to comply with the EEA's Digital Markets Act (DMA). The removal options will be rolling out to Windows 11 users in preview first followed by Windows 10. Microsoft says that both Windows 10 22H2 and Winodws 11 23H2 will be fully compliant by March next year.

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Get 'Mastering Microsoft 365 Defender' (worth $39.99) for FREE

Microsoft 365 Defender is an XDR platform that provides security across multi-platform endpoints, hybrid identities, emails, collaboration tools, and cloud apps. Mastering Microsoft 365 Defender will teach you how to get started and use Microsoft’s suite effectively.

You’ll start with a quick overview of cybersecurity risks that modern organizations face, such as ransomware and APT attacks, how Microsoft is making massive investments in security today, and gain an understanding of how to deploy Microsoft Defender for Endpoint by diving deep into configurations and their architecture.

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Bing Chat is reborn as Copilot as Microsoft continues its AI push with a rebrand

Copilot -- your everyday AI companion

Microsoft has announced a rebranding of Bing Chat and Bing Chat Enterprise to Copilot as part of its "vision to bring Microsoft Copilot to everyone". There is now a lengthy list of products under the Copilot banner, including Microsoft Copilot and Copilot in Windows, but this latest rebrand feels a little odd.

Despite describing Bing as "our leading experience for the web" Microsoft has opted to ditch much of the Bing branding as it embraces Copilot more fully. The company has also revealed that Copilot will become generally available on December 1.

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