Windows 11’s next annual feature update is now moving from staged preview into its final validation ring: Microsoft has made Windows 11, version 25H2 available to Release Preview Insiders and commercial customers for targeted testing, delivered as an enablement package on top of the 24H2...
Releasing Windows 11, version 25H2 to the Release Preview Channel — what you need to know (for Insiders, IT pros, and forum readers)
Today (August 29, 2025) the Windows Insider team made this year’s annual feature update — Windows 11, version 25H2 (Build 26200.5074) — available in the Release...
compatibility
deployment
ekb
enablement package
enterprise it
grouppolicy
insiders
intune
it pros
mdm csp
pilot testing
powershell 2.0 removal
preinstalled store apps
release preview
windows 11
windows 11 25h2
windows insider program
wmic removal
wsus
wufb
Microsoft has warned that the cryptographic roots underpinning UEFI Secure Boot on Windows devices will begin to expire in June 2026, forcing a global certificate update that every IT team and many end users must plan for now to avoid boot-level insecurities and loss of updateability.
Background...
2026 expiration
bitlocker
bootkit
certificate rollover
db
dbx
grouppolicy
intune
kek
linux shim
mdm
oem firmware
pre-boot security
recovery media
secure boot
uefi
vm
windows 11
windows server
windows update
Windows 11 ships with a maze of background services: some are essential, some are convenience features, and a surprising number quietly collect data or spin CPU and disk cycles while you work. A recent practical guide singled out a small set of these services as safe targets for trimming —...
Control Windows Update Interruptions: Active Hours, Pause, and Delivery Optimization
Difficulty: Intermediate | Time Required: 10-15 minutes
Keeping Windows up to date is important for security and performance — but unexpected restarts or large background downloads can interrupt work or slow a...
Microsoft’s AI ambitions inside Windows have quietly been given a new label: mounting evidence from Insider builds and system files suggests Microsoft is preparing to promote a unified artificial intelligence umbrella called Windows Intelligence, consolidating generative-AI controls, app...
adml
ai permissions
ai telemetry
appprivacy
copilot
data governance
device management
enterprise it
generative ai
grouppolicy
os-level ai
per-app permissions
privacy & security
privacy defaults
recent activity
security
windows 11
windows insider
windows intelligence
Microsoft has quietly flipped a foundational behavior in Word for Windows: new documents you create now start life in the cloud, with AutoSave enabled by default and an immediate OneDrive/SharePoint identity — a change rolling out in Word for Windows Version 2509 (Build 19221.20000) and later...
ai integration
autosave
cloud first
cloud storage
co-authoring
copilot
cross-device
data governance
grouppolicy
it administration
microsoft 365
office
offline access
onedrive
productivity
sharepoint
version history
word for windows
Microsoft is rolling out a quiet but consequential change to how Word for Windows saves new documents: starting with Word for Windows Version 2509 (Build 19221.20000) in Insider channels, documents you create will be saved to the cloud (OneDrive, SharePoint, or a preferred cloud location) by...
admx intune
autosave
cloud storage
cloud-first
copilot
cross-device sync
data governance
date-based filenames
document collaboration
enterprise it
grouppolicy
insiders
microsoft 365
offline mode
onedrive
privacy
save options
sharepoint
word for windows
Microsoft is quietly shifting a fundamental part of the Word for Windows experience: new documents created in Word will now default to being saved in the cloud (OneDrive or another configured cloud destination) with AutoSave enabled, and the change begins with Word for Windows version 2509 and...
ai
ai integration
autosave
cloud first
cloud storage
cloud-first
cloudfirst
cloudgovernance
cloudstorage
co-authoring
collaboration
compliance
copilot
cross-device
crossdevice
data governance
dataretention
datasecurity
dlp
document management
ediscovery
enterprise
filenaming
governance
grouppolicygrouppolicy
insiderbuild
intune
it administration
itadministration
itadmins
known folder move
local-first
localfirst
microsoft 365
microsoft365
office
offline access
onedrive
policycontrol
privacy
productivity
remotework
save options
savesettings
sharepoint
team collaboration
version history
windows2509
word
word for windows
wordforwindows
Microsoft has quietly moved Windows Backup for Organizations from preview into the Release Preview channel with the optional, non‑security cumulative update KB5064080 (Build 22631.5837 / OS Build 22621.5840), pairing a cluster of targeted reliability fixes with a strategically important...
device management
entra id
file explorer
grouppolicy
intune
kb5064080
lcu
microsoft entra
narrator accessibility
refs stability
release preview
removable storage policy
rollback strategy
smb over quic
ssu
unicode ime gb18030
wi-fi reconnect
windows 11
windows backup for organizations
Microsoft is rolling the ability to install Windows quality updates during the Out‑Of‑Box Experience (OOBE) into enterprise provisioning flows, making it possible for eligible Entra‑joined and Entra hybrid‑joined Windows 11 devices to arrive at first sign‑in already patched — but only when...
autopilot
deployment planning
device provisioning
enterprise it
entra
entra hybrid joined
entra joined
esp enrollment status page
grouppolicy
intune
mdm
oobe provisioning
os updates
patch management
quality updates
security updates
windows 11 22h2
windows oobe
windows update for business
Whether you’re buying a new PC, upgrading an old one, or trying to avoid paying twice for an OS you don’t need, the practical difference between Windows 11 Home and Windows 11 Pro comes down to three real-world questions: what hardware will you run, how much remote and virtualization control do...
azure ad
bitlocker
copilot
cpu sockets
device encryption
grouppolicy
hyper-v
it professionals
licensing
mdm
ram limits
remote desktop
s mode
small business
upgrade path
windows 11
windows 11 home
windows 11 pro
windows sandbox
Windows 11 hides a surprisingly practical productivity trick behind a single folder name: the so‑called God Mode folder — a Master Control Panel view that gathers hundreds of system settings and administrative tools into one browsable container and can dramatically speed up troubleshooting and...
Microsoft’s PowerToys 0.93 delivered a much-needed Settings dashboard overhaul and major Command Palette performance wins, but the suite still lacks a unified Settings search—and community work tracked on GitHub plus Microsoft’s own roadmap notes indicate a settings search bar is targeted for...
Microsoft's latest Canary‑channel flight continues to dismantle the uneasy coexistence between the decades‑old Control Panel and the modern Settings app — and it does so with two quiet, consequential moves: a batch of time, date, and language controls have been migrated into Settings in Windows...
ai in windows
build 27928
canary channel
control panel
copilot
copilot+ pcs
date and time
dlp
enterprise it
grouppolicy
insider build
language and region
on-device ai
privacy permissions
semantic search
settings app
time and language
unicode utf-8
windows 11
windows insider
Microsoft has begun rolling out a staged Windows Insider preview that adds two tightly linked AI features to the Copilot app: semantic file search for locating documents and images with natural‑language queries, and a redesigned Copilot home that surfaces recent files, apps and Vision‑driven...
Microsoft has confirmed that OneNote for Windows 10 will reach end of support on October 14, 2025, and Microsoft is urging users and organizations to migrate to the newer OneNote on Windows app now to avoid losing editing and sync functionality when the legacy app becomes read-only...
backups
backups-and-sync
classnotebooks
cloudmigration
copilot
copilot-notebooks
datamigration
devicedeployment
education
end of support
endofsupport
enterprise
enterprise it
enterprise-migration
grouppolicy
intune
intune-policy
microsoft 365 apps
microsoft store
microsoft-store
microsoft365
microsoftstore
migrate-to-onenote
migration
migration guide
onedrive
onenote
onenote on windows
onenote-on-windows
onenote-windows-10
onenoteonwindows
read-only
read-only-mode
sharepoint
sync
techguidance
uwp app
uwp-sandbox
windows 10 end of support
windows-10-end-of-support
windows-lifecycle
windows10
winget
winget-deployment
Windows ships with several convenience features turned on by default that quietly share behavioral and system data; disabling a few of them will materially improve your privacy without breaking day-to-day use. The core four I always disable on Windows 11 are Diagnostics & Feedback (telemetry)...
advertising id
app permissions
data collection
diagnostics and feedback
enterprise privacy
grouppolicy
local account
location services
microsoft
privacy
privacy dashboard
privacy hardening
security
settings
telemetry
windows 11
Microsoft’s latest Canary-channel flight sharpens two long-running efforts at once: clearer battery status at a glance, and the slow, methodical migration of legacy Control Panel functionality into the modern Settings app — both arriving in preview builds that continue to reshape how users...
Microsoft has quietly removed the long-standing, user-facing option to permanently switch off automatic app updates in the Microsoft Store for many consumer devices, replacing it with a pause-only model that forces automatic updates to resume after a short, fixed interval (commonly one through...
auto update
enterprise it
grouppolicy
home edition
intune
metered connection
microsoft store
offline installers
pause window
security by default
software distribution
staged rollout
update governance
update management
user control
windows 10
windows 11
windows update
winget