Articles about Microsoft

Over the years, Microsoft has found a variety of ways to bombard its customers with ads. As well as using Windows 11 to promote its own Edge web browser, the company has also used the Start menu to "recommend" apps to people.

And now it seems as though Xbox gamers are next. A new report says that Microsoft is working on a program that will display third-party ads in Xbox games. So, what is going on, and is it as bad as it sounds?

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It has been over a decade since we were first introduced to the Microsoft 365 brand -- and now it is one of the most used lines of subscription services in the world. Last year marked the 10th anniversary, and if we take a look back since its early days, the service has only expanded its scope and capabilities especially when it comes to the Security & Compliance Center.

The swift ascension of Microsoft 365 hardly comes as no surprise, given the hybrid world we now find ourselves in. However, as the number of M365 users continues to increase at a rapid pace, the security risks for both users and admins will only grow as well. To break it down,  between January and December 2021 alone, Microsoft Azure Active Directory blocked more than 25.6 billion malicious attempts to hijack enterprise customer accounts by brute-forcing stolen passwords.

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A few days ago, Microsoft released a new build of Windows 11; while this was primarily a problem-fixing release, there were a handful of new additions and changes.

For many people, having issues addressed is the most important feature of any update to Windows 11, but new tools, toys and options are always welcome. With the release of Windows 11 build 22598, Microsoft has some treats for users of Task Manager -- power users in particular.

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Patch Tuesday may have come and gone, but this does not mean that Microsoft has finished pushing out updates for Windows. The latest to be released is the KB5012643 update for Windows 11 and it is jam-packed with fixes for various issues.

Among the numerous improvements are a fix for an issue that caused extremely slow startup times, as well as addressing a memory leak. The update also improves the Secure Boot and Trusted Platform Module (TPM) components.

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Great news for Windows Insiders in the Dev Channel today, as in addition to a new Windows 11 build, there’s also an updated version of the new Media Player available to install.

This new release offers some new features, and also improves performance for users with very large media libraries.

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Windows Insiders in the Dev Channel today not only get a new build to play around with but also new ISO files to allow for a clean install.

In Build 22598, Microsoft is trying out auto-launching of the Get Started app with some Insiders, and testers in China on Lenovo PCs will now be able to update to the latest builds once more after they were briefly blocked.

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Windows 11 users have an important update to install. The KB5012592 update takes the operating system up to build 22000.613 and not only includes a number of important security fixes, but also introduces several significant changes.

Like the previously released KB5011563 update, the new KB5012592 update makes it possible to display up to three high-priority toast notifications simultaneously as well as fixing issues with OneDrive. The update also introduces a simpler way to change the default web browser in Windows 11, although it is a change that has been met with disdain from like likes of Mozilla and Vivaldi.

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When Microsoft launched Windows 11, the company was heavily criticized for just how difficult it was to change the default web browser to something other than Edge.

After listening to these complaints, Microsoft used the KB5011563 update to simplify the process of switching browsers. While a welcome improvement, it was not enough for Mozilla who said that there was still more to be done to reduce the number of steps involved. Now Vivaldi has joined the Firefox-maker in saying that moving away from Edge should be made even easier, and not limited to those who are 'technically competent'. The company goes beyond this, accusing Microsoft of malpractice.

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Later this year, Microsoft will launch a new service called Windows Autopatch which will help users update their software.

The free service will help enterprise customers obtain Windows 10 and Windows 11 quality and feature updates, drivers, firmware, and Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise updates. Microsoft is due to launch Windows Autopatch in July, and the company had provided information about how it will work.

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Microsoft is putting the squeeze on anyone who is hanging doggedly on to an old version of Windows.

The company is ending support for Windows 10 version 20H2 in just a few short weeks, meaning that anyone who fails to upgrade will no longer receive security updates. Microsoft would, of course, like users to upgrade to Windows 11, but this is not the only option.

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There is a lot to love and a lot to hate about Windows 11, and the Feedback Hub is a great way to see just what it is that users are unhappy with. Something that crops up time and time again is the fact that it is not possible to move the taskbar to the side or top of the screen as it was in previous versions of Windows.

Some members of the Windows 11 development team recently took part in an AMA session which was predominantly about Windows 11 productivity and collaboration. The question of the unmovable nature of the taskbar was raised, and it seems that Microsoft views being able to move the taskbar as being much less of a priority than many users do.

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Earlier this week we learned about a prototype PowerToys utility called Peek which is set to bring a macOS-style Quick Look feature to Windows 11. There is no word on when this handy tool will be added to the PowerToys suite but in the meantime, there is a new update to install.

With the release of PowerToys v0.57.2, Microsoft introduced an important number of tweaks, changes and new settings for utilities including PowerToys Run and AlwaysOnTop. There is also a key change to FancyZones for Windows 11 users.

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At its Windows Powers the Future of Hybrid Work event earlier this week, Microsoft revealed various new features that are coming to Windows 11. As well as additions such as tabs in File Explorer and folders in the Start menu, the company revealed a lot of upcoming security features.

One of the security highlights is Smart App Control, which works like an enhanced version of the SmartScreen filter already found in Windows. It will help to block malicious apps, but there is a serious downside that will put off a lot of people.

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Microsoft Word, or MS Word, is a word processor developed by Microsoft. Although Word is one of the office productivity applications included in the Microsoft Office suite, it can also be purchased as a standalone product.

MS Word enables you to create, edit, and save professional documents, among other helpful features. Anyone who wants to get better at working with Word will be able to put their MS Word knowledge to use with this practical guide.

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Imitation, it is said, is the sincerest form of flattery. If this is true, then Microsoft is clearly fawning over macOS as the PowerToys development team are busy borrowing ideas from Apple's operating system.

Just last week we were treated to a big PowerToys update, but it seems that there is even more to look forward to in the future. Influenced heavily by the Quick Look feature of macOS, a new utility called PowerToys Peek is in the pipeline, giving a way to quickly preview files without having to open them.

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