Windows Insider
Microsoft still working to fix Windows Explorer white flashes
Microsoft has confirmed that it’s still working to fully address a known issue that causes bright white flashes when opening the File Explorer on some Windows 11 systems. “Removed white flash when launching new File Explorer windows or tabs when File Explorer was set to open to This PC. Also removed white flashes when resizing […]
Microsoft testing Windows 11 batch file security improvements
Microsoft is rolling out new Windows 11 Insider Preview builds that improve security and performance during batch file or CMD script execution. As Microsoft explained today, IT administrators can now enable a more secure processing mode that prevents batch files from being modified while they run by adding the LockBatchFilesInUse registry value under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Command Processor. Policy authors can […]
Microsoft rolls out native Sysmon monitoring in Windows 11
Microsoft has started rolling out built-in Sysmon functionality to some Windows 11 systems enrolled in the Windows Insider program. Microsoft first revealed plans to integrate Sysmon natively into Windows 11 and Windows Server in November, when it also confirmed that it will soon release detailed documentation. Sysmon (short for System Monitor) is a free Microsoft Sysinternals tool […]
Microsoft updates Notepad and Paint with more AI features
Microsoft is rolling out new artificial intelligence features with the latest updates to the Notepad and Paint apps for Windows 11 Insiders. These changes are rolling out to Windows Insiders in the Canary and Dev Channels, who have upgraded to the latest versions. Notepad version 11.2512.10.0 now streams AI-generated results for Write, Rewrite, and Summarize […]
Microsoft may soon allow IT admins to uninstall Copilot
Microsoft is testing a new policy that allows IT administrators to uninstall the AI-powered Copilot digital assistant on managed devices. The new RemoveMicrosoftCopilotApp policy began rolling out today to systems in the Dev and Beta Insider channels that have installed Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26220.7535 (KB5072046). As the Windows Insider team explained in a […]
Microsoft tests File Explorer preloading for faster performance
Microsoft is testing a new optional feature that preloads File Explorer in the background to improve launch times and performance on Windows 11 systems. According to Microsoft, the app will load automatically once the feature is toggled on without visible changes to users, who should only notice faster File Explorer launches when accessing files and […]
Microsoft testing faster Quick Machine Recovery in Windows 11
Microsoft is testing a faster version of Quick Machine Recovery (QMR) and updated Smart App Control (SAC), allowing users to toggle it without requiring a Windows clean install. QMR enables IT administrators to resolve Windows boot failures remotely, eliminating the need for physical access to the system. If Windows 11 fails to start due to […]
Windows 11 Build 26220.7051 released with “Ask Copilot” feature
Windows 11 Build 26220.7051 is now rolling out to testers in the Insider Program, and there are at least three new features, including Ask Copilot on the taskbar. Up until now, you could access Copilot on Windows 11 via the app or browser, but now you can use a new taskbar-based ‘Ask Copilot’ to interact with […]
Windows will soon prompt for memory scans after BSOD crashes
Microsoft has started testing a new feature that prompts Windows 11 users to run a memory scan when logging in after a blue screen of death (BSOD). These notifications will be displayed whenever the device encounters a bugcheck (a critical Windows kernel or driver error that the operating system cannot recover from), which triggers a […]
Microsoft kills more Microsoft Account bypasses in Windows 11
Microsoft is removing more methods that help users create local Windows accounts and bypass the Microsoft account requirement when installing Windows 11. The change was introduced in the Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26220.6772 (KB5065797) for Insiders in the Dev Channel, indicating that it will likely be included in future production builds. The company claimed […]