Articles about Windows 11

Microsoft has published details of PowerShell scripts which the company has designed to help automate updating the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) to address a BitLocker security vulnerability.

The security feature bypass vulnerability affects both Windows 10 and Windows 11, and sample scripts are available for different editions of both versions of the operating system.

Continue reading →

Earlier this month, Microsoft made significant changes to the Windows 11 Insider program including introducing a new Canary Channel. While this caused much excitement for those keen to try out the very latest features as soon as possible, the fact that a clean installation of Windows was needed put off some users.

Now Microsoft has decided to make things a little easier for people, notably those lacking a way to create installation media. The company is sending out free USB drives so Insiders can perform a clean installation of Windows 11 and get started with the Canary builds.

Continue reading →

A few days ago, news started to spread that Microsoft appeared to be working on a much-requested feature for Windows 11 -- the ability to move the taskbar to somewhere other than the bottom of the screen.

But it seems that this is not actually the case. The very same source that served as a catalyst for excitement has now poured water on the flames of anticipation. What appears to have happened is that Microsoft accidentally left code in place in a recent build of Windows 11 that made the taskbar movable; there remains no evidence that the option to reposition the taskbar will ever arrive.

Continue reading →

With Windows 11, Microsoft made lots of questionable design, UI and UX choices, but one of the most baffling was the decision to make the taskbar immovable.

If you're one of the many people who would like to untether the taskbar from the bottom of the screen, there could be some good news. In recent preview builds of Windows 11, the taskbar can be moved to the top of the screen in a sign that the company may be ready to back-peddle on its stance that the taskbar has a fixed location.

Continue reading →

Five-hundred-and-thirty-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 released the first build to the newly created Windows 11 Canary Insider channel. Earlier this week, Microsoft announced the creation of the new channel, which takes over the Dev channel's far-in-the-future developments.

Continue reading →

As well as releasing a new Windows 11 build to the 'rebooted' Dev Channel, Microsoft today gives Windows Insiders their very first Canary Channel flight, Build 25314.

Announced earlier in the week, the new Canary Channel will be the "place to preview platform changes that require longer-lead time before getting released to customers". Examples of this will include major changes to the Windows kernel, new APIs, and so on.

Continue reading →

Microsoft announced a massive overhaul to the Windows Insider Program earlier in the week, which includes 'rebooting' the Dev Channel and introducing a new Canary Channel for more experimental features, and where we may well see the first signs of Windows 12.

This week’s new Insider flight, Build 23403, is the first to arrive in the rebooted Dev Channel. If you're wondering what the rebooting means, Microsoft explains:

Continue reading →

Although Windows 11 hasn’t been out that long -- it was only released towards the end of 2021 -- there is already a lot of talk about its successor, presumed to be called Windows 12 (although you never know with Microsoft). If you want to find out what to expect from that OS, you can read about it here.

But even if Microsoft is planning Windows 12, it won’t be out for at least a year or two, and that leaves plenty of time for the company to turn Windows 11 into a raging success. Could Windows 11.1 be the answer?

Continue reading →

It may be old and it may be simple, but Notepad remains a firm favorite for many Windows users, particularly when it comes to coding. And while Microsoft has taken steps to improve the app with the addition of tabs, there are better options out there -- such as Notepad++.

With the release of Notepad++ 8.5, there is an important update that that will make life much easier for Windows 11 users: a context menu entry.

Continue reading →

Microsoft has detailed some of what it has planned for Windows 11 over the coming year, including big changes to the Windows Insider Program. As well as "rebooting the Dev Channel from the ground up", the company is also launching a new Canary Channel where we could see the first signs of Windows 12.

The idea of Canary builds will be familiar to many web browser users who like to be on the cutting edge. The likes of Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge have Beta, Dev and Canary builds offering varying degrees of stability and experimentation. Now Microsoft is updating the Windows Insider Program so it will have four channels -- Release Preview, Beta (22000 series), Dev (23000 series), and Canary (25000 series).

Continue reading →

AI is more than just the latest trend in technology, it is absolutely unavoidable. The likes of ChatGPT and Microsoft's recent OpenAI-driven update to Bing may have brought artificial intelligence to the fore, but it is everywhere... and spreading.

We already know that Microsoft is looking to enhance Windows 11 with AI, and this can already be seen with the introduction of the AI-powered Bing to the taskbar. But there are also signs that the company will be using the technology to make the desktop look better.

Continue reading →

Five-hundred-and-thirty-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.

Microsoft released the second Moments update as a preview update for Windows 11 earlier this week. It brings tabs to Notepad, third-party widgets, new apps, and AI-powered Bing Chat to the operating system. Users who have interface modification tools installed should avoid the update for now, as it may result in startup issues.

Continue reading →

Is Microsoft working on the next version of Windows? Will it be Windows 12? If the answer is yes, how will it look like and differ from Windows 11?

There is quite a bit of uncertainty regarding Windows right now. Microsoft ended support for the popular Windows 7 and the not-so popular Windows 8 operating systems in January 2023, and in less than 3 years, Windows 10 is added to the list of operating systems that are no longer supported. This would leave Windows 11 as the sole version of Windows that is available and supported officially.

Continue reading →

There has been a lot of controversy surrounding Windows 11, but one of the most contentious issues with the operating system has been the recommended content Microsoft pushes on users in various ways.

One medium through which these recommendations -- everything from apps that may (but probably won't) be of interest, to tips and advice -- are delivered is via the Start menu. Hidden away in the latest build of Windows 11, however, is an official toggle that makes it possible to turn off these ads... er, recommendations... once and for all.

Continue reading →

A couple of days ago, Microsoft began to rollout a big update for Windows 11. The Moment 2 update introduces a number of major features, including AI-powered Bing preview on the taskbar.

Of course, development on future updates for Windows 11 continues uninterrupted and today the company releases a new build for Insiders in the Dev Channel.

Continue reading →