If you've been using Windows for a while, you'll be very comfortable with how Microsoft's operating system looks and works. Although Windows 11 sports a centered taskbar, that OS isn't hugely different to its predecessor, Windows 10.

Familiarity with Windows makes it very difficult for users to switch to a non-Microsoft operating system, but Freespire's latest update aims to make users of Windows 10 or Windows 11 feel more at home using Linux.

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Five-hundred-and-forty-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.

Windows 12 is still just a rumor, but that is not keeping users from creating Windows 12 wallpapers already. You can check out Wayne's article covering the latest batch of wallpapers here.

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Microsoft has acknowledged that a recent update for Windows 11 is causing "intermittent issues" with speech recognition for some users.

The company says that the problems come after installing the KB5022913 update or later for Windows 11 22H2. As well as affecting speech recognition, the update is also causing issues with expressive input and handwriting. Microsoft has provided details of a workaround, but there is no fix currently available.

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Good news for Windows Insiders in the Dev Channel as Microsoft today releases a new Windows 11 build with some welcome tweaks and new features.

Additions in Build 23451 include a Modernized Details Pane in File Explorer and improvements to Windows Spotlight.

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Microsoft is slowly beginning to kill off Windows 10, stopping major feature updates for the operating system and hoping to persuade more users to move to Windows 11. While that’s the obvious upgrade path, some users will want to hang on for Windows 12, which is reported to be under development at the moment.

But if you’re happy to consider another option, then Nitrux might be the operating system for you.

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While the release of Windows 12 may not be on the horizon anytime soon, this hasn't deterred designer Addy Visuals from showcasing his vision for Microsoft's future operating system.

For those who haven't seen it yet, you can check out his video in our previous post here. In addition, Addy has now made the wallpapers from his Windows 12 concept available for free download.

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Linux users have long had access to package managers for downloading software; there are a huge number to choose from. Windows users have the option of using Microsoft's Winget (or Windows Package Manager as it is also known), but as this needs to be used via the Windows Terminal, PowerShell or the Command Prompt, it is not a tool for everyone.

And this is why WingetUI exists for both Windows 10 and Windows 11. It gives the text-based Winget a friendly, accessible user interface that makes it much, much easier to use. WingetUI 1.7.0 has just been released, improving on previous versions with a range of additions such as package skipping.

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Microsoft has announced that Windows 10 will receive no more feature updates. This means that Windows 10 22H2 is the last version of the operating system.

The 22H2 feature update was made available back in October, and it will continue to receive security updates for some time. Microsoft is keen for people to move on, however, saying: "We highly encourage you to transition to Windows 11 now as there won't be any additional Windows 10 feature updates".

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Arriving just in time for the weekend, Microsoft has released a new Windows 11 build for Insiders in the Canary Channel.

From this flight, Microsoft has changed the name of the branch shown in the desktop watermark to ZN_RELEASE. The build also comes with new widget picker experience.

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Five-hundred-and-forty 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 won't release any new feature updates for Windows 10 anymore going forward. The operating system reaches end of support in October 2025 and will receive security updates only up to that date.

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Updates to Windows 11 are a necessary part of using the operating system, and Microsoft releases them on a predictable schedule. Patch Tuesday (the second Tuesday of the month) is when updates are usually released to everyone, but there are exceptions.

In the case of important security updates, Microsoft may choose to release them on an out-of-band basis, but the company also releases preview versions of updates each month which anyone who seeks them out is free to install. However, Microsoft has just introduced a way to have these preview updates installed automatically if this is your preference. Here's how to do it.

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Microsoft today announces the expansion of its Phone Link feature, finally allowing iPhone users to connect to -- and interact with -- Windows 11 PCs.

Microsoft Phone Link for iOS on Windows 11 is beginning to roll out today in 39 languages across 85 markets, with the process expected to be completed by mid-May.

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While Microsoft is keen for everyone to run Windows 11 22H2, older versions of the operating system remain supported. And it is with this in mind that the company has released the preview version of next month's KB5025298 update for Windows 11 21H2.

This is a non-security update, just like the KB5025305 update released for Windows 11 22H2, and it addresses a range of problems. The update also introduces firewall settings changes that mean it is now possible to configure application group rules.

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We've reached the point of the month when Microsoft releases previews of the updates that will get a wider launch next month. As such, the company has released the KB5025305 update for Windows 11 22H2, and although this is not a security update, it includes a number of important changes and additions.

Microsoft draws attention to the arrival of animations to icons on the Widgets taskbar button when hovering over them, or when there is an announcement. This update also makes it easier to get hold of non-security updates faster, and makes a key change to Windows firewall as well as fixing numerous bugs and issues.

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Valve's Steam Deck is a very popular handheld computer that allows people to play modern PC games on the go. Powered by a Zen 2-based AMD APU, Steam Deck also makes a great emulation machine. The Linux PC can play thousands of ROMs from classic consoles, such as N64, PS1, and more. Hell, it can even run modern Nintendo Switch games!

Unfortunately for Valve, the Steam Deck is about to become obsolete. You see, earlier today, AMD launched its all-new new Zen 4-based Ryzen Z1 Series processors. These chips are designed to provide a high-end gaming experience for handheld PC consoles. Make no mistake, the gaming systems powered by Z1 will make the current Steam Deck old hat.

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