Best Windows apps this week
Six-hundred-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.
Proton has launched a privacy-first document editing feature that is attached to its Proton Drive service.
This hidden Windows 11 feature can prevent your PC from slowing down
There are lots of ways that you can speed up Windows without performing pricey hardware upgrades, including disabling running processes and features. Windows comes with a handy, lesser-known feature which can boost your system performance by killing off annoying resource hogs you didn’t even know were running.
If you install a lot of software, you’re probably aware that many apps will automatically set themselves to run at login. This may be useful to you, but equally it could be a pain, and consume system resources without your permission, or even your knowledge. You can check to see what’s running using task manager, but there’s a way of being alerted automatically without having to lift a finger.
Best Windows apps this week
Six-hundred-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.
Good news for Windows 10 users. Micro-patching service 0Patch will support the operating system at least until 2030 with security updates.
Microsoft releases KB5039302 update to fix the Windows 11 Snipping Tool, restore the Show Desktop button, and more
Microsoft has released a preview version of next month's KB5039302 update for Windows 11. Although there are no security fixes, the update addresses a number of problems such as distorted audio in Snipping Tool recording and issues with ejecting USB devices.
This update also sees the welcome return of the Show Desktop button in the taskbar and brings new TAR and 7-Zip creation options to the context menu of File Explorer. But there's much more too.
Best Windows apps this week
Six-hundred 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.
Many of the AI features that Microsoft is working on currently in Windows will only be available on Copilot+ PCs. This creates a multi-tier system of Windows users.
Microsoft has an amazing New+ PowerToys module under development for Windows power users
Developers working on the PowerToys collection of utilities have a lot of exciting things in the pipeline for eager users. Building on the New entry in the Windows content menu, New+ is a module that, in the words of its main developer, Christian Gaardmark, "enables users to create files and folders from a personalized set of templates".
As there are already numerous third party utilities that extend the capabilities of the New menu, there is clearly an appetite for the likes of New+. It's aimed at Windows power-users, developers and, over time, also regular users who find themselves often creating files or folders that contain similar content, such as VS Code development projects, job applications and cover letters, scripts, etc and it already looks incredibly intriguing.
Microsoft launches Windows 11 24H2 for Copilot+ PCs, creating a confused multi-tier system of Windows users
With the official launch of Copilot+ PCs, Microsoft has also unleashed Windows 11 24H2. This most recent update to Windows 11 has been a long time in the works, and there have been numerous preview builds available.
What is interesting is the way in which this launch is taking place. Copilot+ PC are now available with Windows 11 24H2 pre-installed, and it is also available to Insiders. The fact that systems have this version of the operating system installed means that development is complete (well, as complete as such work ever is), but the launch is dividing the Windows userbase into haves and have-nots -- in more ways than one.
Yes, Microsoft Cross Device Service is causing high CPU usage in Windows 11; no, there is no fix
If you have been experiencing higher than normal CPU usage in Windows 11 recently, you are certainly not alone. There is good and bad news.
The good news is twofold. Firstly, the cause of the issue has been identified by Microsoft, and secondly, it only affects Insider builds of Windows 11. The bad news, however, is that there is no fix available, and no indication of when this may change.
Best Windows apps this week
Five-hundred-and-ninety-nine 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 is changing the functionality of the controversial Recall AI feature to improve quality and security. It won't release the feature on June 18 to Copilot+ PCs, but plans to introduce it to the Windows Insider Platform first.
Microsoft postpones Recall so new Copilot+ PCs will launch without this flagship feature
Since it was first announced, the Recall feature for Copilot+ PC has been a major headache for Microsoft. The AI-powered feature has raised all manner of privacy concerns, and now the company has responded by putting the brakes on rolling it out.
Microsoft doesn't use words like "delay" or "postpone", of course. In an update to an earlier blog post about the rollout of the feature, the company now says: " We are adjusting the release model for Recall to leverage the expertise of the Windows Insider community to ensure the experience meets our high standards for quality and security".
Lucky for some -- Windows 13 is everything Windows 11 should be
Microsoft is busy introducing AI functionality across Windows 11. That's great, but a lot of users would prefer to see an operating system that’s more user-friendly and lets you customize it as you see fit.
The tech giant has a history of not necessarily following expected naming conventions -- whatever happened to Windows 9? -- so this look at an OS that’s Windows 13, not Windows 12, perhaps shouldn’t seem too outlandish.
Microsoft has quietly withdrawn Windows 11 24H2 after Recall privacy fiasco
When Microsoft announced the new Recall feature that is coming to Windows 11 later this year, privacy concerns were very quickly voiced by many.
In response to this, the company announced that Recall would not be enabled by default and would be made an opt-in feature. This PR move was made very publicly for maximum attention, but Microsoft has also withdrawn the build of Windows 11 which provided early access to Recall.
Microsoft is making it possible to access your smartphone from File Explorer in Windows 11
The way Windows 11 interacts with mobile devices -- and, in turn, the way it lets users interact with them -- has been a little odd for some time. The Your Phone / Phone Link app showed that using Windows to use or browse your smartphone was really something of an afterthought for Microsoft.
Continuing the piecemeal approach to mobiles, it looks as though the company is finally about to give File Explorer the ability to browse smartphone contents. The option has been unearthed in Windows 11, although we don't yet know when it will be released properly.
Microsoft rolls out major privacy overhaul for Windows 11 Recall after user backlash
Microsoft is responding proactively to user feedback on its upcoming Recall feature for Windows 11 Copilot+ PCs, enhancing privacy controls ahead of its release. This move comes as part of an ongoing effort to balance powerful AI functionalities with user privacy and security, a critical focus as the tech giant pushes forward with innovative new features designed to redefine personal computing.
Introduced on May 20, the Recall feature aims to transform the way users interact with their PCs by enabling them to retrieve previously viewed content through an AI-powered visual timeline. This system captures and encrypts snapshots of the user's screen, storing them locally to maintain privacy. Users can manage, pause, or delete these snapshots at their discretion, ensuring control over their digital footprint.
Best Windows apps this week
Five-hundred-and-ninety-eight 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 has reopened the Windows 10 beta channel after nearly three years of inactivity. It has done so to test new features before they land in Windows 10 Stable. No word on those features though.