Articles about Microsoft

If you want to be among the first to try out the latest features and options of Window 11, being part of the Windows Insider program is the place to be. But even if you are signed up to the Dev Channel, there are hidden secrets to unearth, and this is true of the latest release.

For anyone who has Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 25281 installed, there is a new Volume Mixer. While Microsoft has not made it easy to activate the feature, it is possible. Here's what you need to know.

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Windows 11 promises to be the fastest, most secure, and most flexible version of the Microsoft operating system yet. With a promise like that, of course you want to start using it, as quickly as possible!

Windows 11 For Dummies gives you that speed, security, and flexibility by getting you up to date with the latest in Windows. Windows expert and bestselling author Andy Rathbone gives you a helping hand by showing you how to get around the newly updated Windows 11 interface, how to use the new Windows tools like Teams and widgets, and how to use Android apps.

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Microsoft has released a Windows 10 update to address a series of bugs in the operating system. The preview version of the KB5019275 update is due for a wider release next month, but is available now for those who would like it sooner.

This is a non-security update but with it Microsoft has fixed a series of problems afflicting Windows 10, including issues with searchindexer.exe and conhost.exe, as well as adding support for longer URLs.

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A month ago we reported that Microsoft was experimenting with bringing tabs to Windows Notepad in Windows 11.

Today, the software giant takes a step forward by making the feature available for users to try for themselves. To make use of this opportunity, however, you will need to be a Windows Insider in the Dev Channel.

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The latest Windows 11 build for Insiders in the Dev Channel sees Microsoft experimenting with changes to Windows Spotlight.

That’s not all, of course, there is also a visual update to the graphics settings page, and the usual round of fixes and known issues to be aware of.

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Earlier this week, Microsoft released the KB5021751 update. Unusually it has no fixes or new features for users whatsoever -- it is an update purely for Microsoft's benefit.

Designed for Office 2007, Office 2010 and Office 2013, the slightly sinister-sounding update "will run one time silently" and gather information that is then fed back to Microsoft.

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Microsoft has issued a warning about yet another known issue with Windows 11. Affecting version 22H2 of the operating system, the problem means that users may experience problems launching certain apps after performing a system restore.

The company says that the bug caused problems with any application that uses the MSIX Windows app package format, and concedes that various titles of its own -- including Office and Terminal -- are affected.

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Microsoft has released a new update for Windows 11 in the form of KB5022360.

The release is only for Windows Insiders participating in the Release Preview Channel running Windows 11 22H2. Although it may be a little while before it is made available more widely, it sees Microsoft not only fixing a number of issues -- including one relating to searchindexer.exe and another to conhost.exe -- but also introducing changes that reduce the number of reboots experienced by users upgrading to Windows 11 22H2.

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Microsoft plans to end support for the Home and Pro versions of its Windows 10 operating system on October 14, 2025. The company released a new feature update for Windows 10, called Windows 10 version 22H2, just last month.

With the new support dates in effect, this version of Windows 10 will be supported until May 14, 2024. With less than 18 months of support left after May 14, 2024, some administrators and users may wonder about Microsoft’s plans in the coming three years regarding feature updates.

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AI services are more than a trend, they are a phenomenon, and every technology company wants to get in on the action. Microsoft is no exception; the company has just announced that its Azure OpenAI Service is now generally available, giving access to a far wider audience.

Microsoft is pushing Azure as "the best place to build AI workloads", and part of this involves harnessing the power of GPT-3-powered natural language. On the horizon is ChatGPT, which is described as "a fine-tuned version of GPT-3.5 that has been trained and runs inference on Azure AI infrastructure".

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Towards the end of last week, Microsoft confirmed an issue that stemmed from a flawed Microsoft Defender for Endpoint ASR rule that results in the deletion of app shortcuts from the Start menu, desktop and taskbar.

The company issued an update to prevent the problem from arising again, but said that there was no alternative but to manually recreate any shortcuts that had been lost. Now though Microsoft has released a PowerShell script that will automatically recreate some -- but not all -- deleted shortcuts. The company has also released a trio of advanced hunting queries (AHQs) to help with the issue.

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The writing has been on the wall for Groove Music for quite some time now, with Microsoft having resurrected Media Player as a replacement in Windows 11.

Now, as expected, the company is doing the same for Windows 10 users. Microsoft is bringing the same Media Player app found in Windows 11 to the older operating system, migrating users away from the Groove Music app.

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David Ringstrom coined the phrase "Either you work Excel, or it works you!" after observing how many users carry out tasks inefficiently.

In this book, Exploring Microsoft Excel's Hidden Treasures, you’ll learn how to get more done with less effort. This book will enable you to create resilient spreadsheets that are easy for others to use as well, while incorporating spreadsheet disaster preparedness techniques.

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Microsoft has been gradually evolving Windows 11, and the insider builds are where much of the innovation is to be found. But even for eager users who install the latest builds as soon as they are available, sometimes a little extra legwork is needed.

And this is true of two hidden search features -- one for the taskbar and one for the Start menu. These secret options can only be enabled using a special third party tool, and they give a very interesting glimpse into what Microsoft has planned for Windows 11 in the future.

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With the holidays becoming a distant memory, Microsoft is back to its weekly Windows 11 release schedule for Insiders in the Dev Channel.

Today's new flight, Build 25276, comes with the usual set of improvements and fixes, and includes a change for Task Manager and adjustments to the Settings account page. This build also sees the Network Troubleshooter being replaced with a new network connectivity troubleshooting experience through the Get Help app.

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