insider builds

Microsoft’s latest Insider flight makes it unmistakably clear: the era of effortless, in‑OOBE local accounts on Windows 11 is ending — Microsoft is explicitly removing the known shortcuts that let users bypass Microsoft account (MSA) sign‑in during the Out‑Of‑Box Experience (OOBE), and the...

Zorin OS 18 Beta arrives as a clear, user-focused attempt to make switching from Windows to Linux less painful — and after a thorough hands‑on with the beta, it’s easy to see why this release may be the project’s most convincing offering yet. The desktop looks and behaves more polished, cloud...

Microsoft’s latest Insider flight tightens the screws on the last easy ways to finish Windows 11 setup without signing into a Microsoft Account, while quietly adding a tool for one of the most-complained-about quirks of OOBE: the auto-generated user folder name. The company told Insiders it is...

When Windows stops copying files halfway, the momentary freeze can feel like a small disaster — progress sits at 47% (or 1%), the cancel button is unresponsive, and you worry that interrupting the PC will corrupt the transfer or your drive. This guide distills the practical fixes and technical...

A buried option in a Windows 11 Insider preview suggests Microsoft is quietly restoring the ability to use ordinary video files — MP4, MKV and friends — as looping desktop wallpapers, a modern resurrection of Vista’s long‑forgotten DreamScene that’s already stirring enthusiasts, IT managers, and...

Microsoft is quietly testing native animated video wallpapers in Windows 11 Insider builds, a modern revival of the Vista-era DreamScene that lets users set common video files (MP4, MKV, MOV and more) as looping desktop backgrounds — but the capability is experimental, hidden behind an Insider...

Microsoft’s personalization team appears to be answering a long-standing user request: native video wallpapers — a modern take on the old DreamScene feature from the Windows Vista era — are now visible in recent Windows 11 Insider preview builds, but they remain experimental, hidden behind...

Microsoft has quietly begun testing a native video‑wallpaper feature in Windows 11 Insider preview builds, a modern revival of Vista’s DreamScene that — according to multiple independent community reports — will let users set ordinary video files such as MP4 and MKV as looping desktop...

Microsoft appears to be quietly restoring a long‑requested personalization capability to Windows 11: native video wallpapers that let ordinary video files play as looping desktop backgrounds, a DreamScene‑style feature now visible in recent Insider preview builds and gated behind a hidden...

Microsoft has quietly begun building native support for video wallpapers into Windows 11 — a full-circle moment that revives a DreamScene-era idea while exposing difficult trade-offs around battery life, compatibility, and the long shadow of third‑party wallpaper engines. The capability...

Windows Weekly’s latest episode arrives like a two‑ton reminder that tech transitions rarely happen on a polite schedule: “Coding Makes Me Cry” (Episode 950) drills into the real-world fallout of Windows 10’s imminent end-of‑support, Microsoft’s evolving recovery and Copilot features, and the...

Microsoft is rolling AI into the smallest, most ubiquitous text editor on Windows — Notepad — by adding on‑device generative features for Copilot+ PCs, and the changes signal a meaningful shift in how Microsoft blends local and cloud AI across Windows inbox apps. Overview Notepad’s September...

Microsoft's new handheld-focused, full‑screen Xbox interface for Windows 11 can already be unlocked on many in‑market Windows handhelds thanks to a Release Preview of the Windows 11 25H2 update and a handful of community-discovered switches — meaning you don't have to wait for the ROG Xbox...

Microsoft’s recent nudge to users — asking “what do you miss most in Windows?” — is more than a PR moment; it’s a revealing sign that the company is wrestling with conflicting priorities for Windows 11: glossy AI capabilities and the long list of everyday quality‑of‑life features that power...

Microsoft’s new handheld-focused Xbox Mode — the full-screen, controller-first Xbox experience layered on Windows 11 — is already being run on a wide range of in-market Windows handhelds, and community ports plus an Insider-channel push mean owners of existing devices can try the experience now...

ExplorerPatcher’s latest pre-release restores the long-missed File Explorer title bar, patches several Start menu and taskbar regressions, and moves under-the-hood hooking to a new library — but it also ships with a short list of known quirks and a reminder that modifying core shell behavior...

Microsoft’s handheld gambit has quietly moved from concept to something you can try on your own device: a controller‑first, full‑screen “Xbox” experience built into Windows 11 is rolling out as part of the platform’s handheld work, and enthusiasts are already using the new handheld view and...

Microsoft’s handheld push has taken a new turn: the Xbox-style, full‑screen “Xbox Mode” that will ship as the default experience on the ROG Xbox Ally family is already appearing on other Windows 11 handhelds — in community builds and hacks — ahead of the Ally’s retail launch, forcing a rapid...

Microsoft Paint is quietly evolving from a tiny utility into a surprisingly capable image editor, and the latest Insider build shows Microsoft is leaning into features that make Paint behave more like a lightweight Photoshop — including a new editable project file, per-tool opacity controls...

Windows 11’s taskbar just gained a one‑click “Perform speed test” control — but instead of spinning up a native diagnostic engine, the button opens your default browser and lands on Bing’s internet speed test (the same Speedtest technology Ookla powers in Bing). Background Microsoft has been...