Best Windows apps this week
Five-hundred-and-four 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 may release the first feature update for Windows 11, version 22H2, as early as next month, according to a new rumor.
Microsoft is rolling out a Windows 11 update that adds widget notifications to the taskbar
When Microsoft introduced widgets to Windows 11, there was broad agreement that the company had not fully realized the potential of the feature. This is something that is somewhat addressed by a new update to the Windows Experience Pack.
The update means that widgets, including the weather widget, will now be able to get your attention by throwing up announcements and notifications. It's an update that could make widgets genuinely useful, but you may not see the new functionality immediately.
Microsoft releases Windows 11 Build 25182 with lots of important fixes
Some weekly Windows 11 builds come with new features for Dev Channel Insiders to play around with, while others are more about offering fixes and just generally improving the overall user experience.
Today’s new flight, Build 25182, falls into the latter camp, and comes with lots of important fixes. These include:
Microsoft may release Windows 11 22H2 update on September 20
When it comes to the release dates for big updates to Windows, Microsoft is notoriously cagey. The company gives itself a big window of opportunity to release feature updates by giving them names such as Windows 11 22H2. This tell us nothing more than the release can be expected in the second half of 2022.
But now we may be able to narrow down the release date to something rather less vague than a six-month period. Sources familiar with Microsoft's plans say that the release of Windows 11 22H2 is scheduled for September 20 -- so just a month from now.
Windows 12 wallpapers created by AI -- download them now
Windows 11 hasn’t been with us very long, but you’ve probably seen reports that Microsoft is already working on its successor, Windows 12.
While there aren’t any screenshots, or anything else, to view of Windows 12 just yet, we asked an AI text-to-image tool to give us its take on what the future operating system might look like.
Will Microsoft never learn? The company hits paid-up Office 2021 users with ads for Microsoft 365
There are various business models for software these days, ranging from simple purchases to subscriptions. There are also freemium apps and games that are cost-free but feature advertising. If you have spent money on software, you might rightly expect it to be free from ads, but not in the case of Microsoft Office 2021.
Microsoft is certainly no stranger to using its products -- such as Windows 11 -- as platforms to advertise other products and services. Office 2021 is just the latest example, with Microsoft using the software -- for which users have paid a one-off fee -- to advertise the subscription-based its Microsoft 365 products.
Best Windows apps this week
Five-hundred-and-three 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 published a warning this week that a recent update has broken XPS viewing. Microsoft also released a new Windows 11 build; this one enabled File Explorer tabs for all users.
Microsoft releases twin Windows 11 beta builds -- 22621.575 and 22622.575
As well as a new Windows 11 build for Insiders on the Dev Channel, Microsoft has today rolled out two new Beta builds.
Build 22622.575 comes with an improvement to File Explorer and a large number of fixes. Build 22621.575 doesn’t have the new features, or all of the changes, but it does still have other fixes.
Microsoft releases Windows 11 Build 25179 with File Explorer Tabs for all users
It’s a Wednesday, so that means a new Windows 11 build for Insiders on the Dev Channel (as well as twin Beta builds).
Build 25179, which is also available in ISO format for clean installs, comes with a good set of changes, improvements, and fixes.
Microsoft warns Windows users that a recent update has broken XPS viewing
Craving another problem caused by an update to Windows? Microsoft is happy to oblige! The company has issued a warning that users who install the KB5014666 update -- yes, the same update that caused printing problems and issues with the language bar -- may experience difficulties with XPS files.
The problem means that XPS documents with non-English language characters might not open, and it is not limited to those who have installed the KB5014666 update.
Microsoft releases KB5016629 update to fix Windows 11 Start menu problems and security issues
It is that time of the month again -- the time that Microsoft releases updates for Windows 11. This time around, the company has released the KB5016629 update to not only fix a problem that prevented the Start menu from opening, but also to address various security issues.
This is a cumulative update which also includes the changes that were part of the KB5015882 update that was made available last month. This means that the KB5016629 update fixes problems with File Explorer as well as introducing new Focus Assist features and better Windows 11 updating.
Best Windows apps this week
Five-hundred-and-two 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.
Universal Print, a solution for organizations to manage their print infrastructure through serverless cloud services from Microsoft, is now also available on Windows 10.
Microsoft releases PowerToys v0.61.0 with numerous 'quality of life improvements'
It is time for a new build of everyone's favorite Windows utility collection, PowerToys. Microsoft has just released version 0.61.0 of the tools, with the company saying that the v0.61 release cycle is focused on stability and improvements.
But don't let this somewhat self-deprecating description put you off -- there's actually quite a lot to this update. Key changes include updates to the ever-popular FancyZones, as well as Always on Top and PowerToys Run, and updates to the Windows 11 context menu.
MINISFORUM NUCXI5 and NUCXI7 Windows 11 mini PCs have NVIDIA GeForce graphics
Mini desktop computers are all the rage these days, as consumers shy away from the giant towers of yesteryear. Tiny desktops are great for those that don't have a lot of desk space. These days, small computers are pretty powerful too, although they usually only have integrated graphics. In other words, they often lack discrete graphics, which means they aren't ideal for modern PC gaming.
Popular mini-desktop-maker, MINISFORUM, has two new offerings that actually do come with dedicated NVIDIA graphics. The ultra-slim desktop PCs are powered by 11th gen Intel Core processors. Called "NUCXI5" and "NUCXI7," the former is powered by a Core i5, while the latter is equipped with an i7.
Best Windows apps this week
Five-hundred-and-one 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 released the first development version of Windows 10 version 22h2 to the Release Preview channel; this marks the final stage of development before official release later this year.