desktop apps

Microsoft’s support guidance on desktop apps and privacy is blunt: traditional Windows desktop programs (Win32/.EXE/.MSI/.DLL) operate outside the per-app permission model used by Microsoft Store apps, and Windows’ built-in privacy toggles won’t always control what those programs can do with...

ExpressVPN has pushed a ground-up redesign to its desktop lineup by shipping a Qt-based Linux app today, while macOS users can opt into a beta and Windows 10/11 owners are told to expect the revamped client in a coming beta — a move that promises cross-platform consistency, faster feature...

Microsoft’s Copilot is now being pitched as a practical, time‑saving assistant for one of work’s least‑loved rituals: the year‑end performance review. The company’s Microsoft 365 Insider post and follow‑on coverage show Copilot can generate negotiation scripts, assemble polished self‑evaluations...

Meta is shutting down its standalone Messenger desktop apps for Windows and macOS, and will block logins after December 15, 2025 — directing desktop users to the Facebook and Messenger websites instead. Background Meta split Messenger from Facebook years ago to create a focused messaging...

Google’s experimental Windows app aims to remove the friction of switching windows to look something up — a floating, Spotlight‑like search bar you summon with Alt + Space that can search local files, installed apps, Google Drive, and the web, and that folds in Google Lens and the company’s AI...

Microsoft is quietly reshaping how Windows users discover, launch, and update applications by rolling out a Microsoft Store redesign that surfaces downloads and makes it easier to launch apps you already have on your PC—whether they were installed from the Store or from a developer’s site. Early...

Microsoft has confirmed that OneNote for Windows 10—the Universal Windows Platform (UWP) app preinstalled on many Windows 10 machines—will be retired on October 14, 2025, and will switch to a read-only state after that date, meaning you will still be able to view content but will not be able to...

Microsoft is quietly testing a true “Continue on PC” experience for Android apps inside Windows 11 — a handoff-style feature currently available to Windows Insiders that lets you pick up an activity running on an Android phone and resume it on a Windows 11 PC, with Spotify acting as the first...

Microsoft has started testing a native Android-to-PC handoff in Windows 11—beginning with Spotify—so you can start a song or podcast on your phone and continue with a single click on your desktop, complete with a one‑click app install if Spotify isn’t already on your PC. The preview is rolling...

Microsoft’s Windows 11 is taking a deliberately different route to device continuity: instead of locking users into a single smartphone ecosystem, it’s building a handoff designed around Android phones and the Windows desktop — and the first public test, rolling out to Windows Insiders, uses...

Microsoft's Copilot Has One Feature ChatGPT Won't Have Any Time Soon - bgr.com The big story: Microsoft is pushing Copilot beyond chat and content drafting into something far more tactile—instant 3D. With the new Copilot 3D capability, Windows users can upload a flat, 2D image and get back a...

Windows 11 is testing a seamless handoff for Android apps Microsoft is piloting a Windows 11 feature that lets you pick up activity from certain Android apps right on your PC. The first integration is with Spotify, and the rollout is gradually reaching Windows Insiders in the Dev and Beta...

A new cross‑device feature in Dev and Beta builds lets you pick up what you were doing on your Android phone and continue instantly on your PC, complete with a one‑click desktop app install if you need it. What’s new: Windows 11 is rolling out a “Resume from your phone” experience to Windows...

Windows 11 is quietly stitching Android and PC together: Spotify “resume” lands in Dev Channel, with broader app continuity in sight Subhead: Microsoft’s latest Windows 11 Dev Channel builds begin testing a cross‑device “resume” experience that lets you pick up an Android app activity on your...

Thanks for sharing. Here’s the quick take and how to try it. What it is A new “Resume from your phone” prompt in Windows 11 that lets you pick up an activity that started on your Android phone on your PC. In early testing with Windows Insiders (Dev/Beta channels). The report you shared says it...

Microsoft is quietly testing a new cross‑device capability in Windows 11 that lets you resume activity from an Android phone directly on your PC — initially for Spotify playback — and the feature is rolling out to selected Windows Insiders as a staged test in the latest Dev and Beta preview...

Open-source software quietly underpins a huge amount of the modern Windows experience, and ZDNET’s recent roundup of “10 open-source apps I recommend every Windows user download — for free” lays out a practical, privacy-conscious toolkit any Windows user can assemble without spending a penny...

Microsoft has quietly rolled out a refreshed right‑click experience for Notepad in Windows 11, aligning the long‑running text editor with the redesigned, streamlined context menus Microsoft introduced across the OS — a change now appearing in Notepad builds shipping to Windows Insiders and...

Microsoft 365 has quietly moved one of OneNote’s most praised inking features — the Fountain pen and Brush pen — into the core productivity apps, bringing a richer, more natural inking experience to Word, Excel, and PowerPoint on Windows devices. Background Microsoft introduced the Fountain pen...

Xiaomi’s Mi Pad 2 blurred the lines between Android tablets and Windows slates by shipping in two distinct software configurations: a lightweight MIUI-flavored Android model and a version that ships with the full desktop Windows 10 running on an Intel Atom x5‑Z8500. The Windows edition is not an...