Windows 11’s built‑in search can be handy, but for many power users it’s long felt sluggish, cluttered with web suggestions, and inconsistent when dealing with non‑indexed folders or massive file collections — which is why dozens of lightweight, keyboard‑first launchers and indexers have sprung...
Google has quietly moved search from the browser to the desktop with an experimental new app for Windows that brings a Spotlight‑style search bar, Google Lens integration, and an “AI Mode” for conversational answers — and it’s already available to a small group of U.S. users via Google’s Search...
Google's new Windows experiment drops a summonable Google search bar onto the desktop — press Alt + Space, highlight anything on screen with Google Lens, and get web, Drive and local-file results without opening a browser.
Background
For more than two decades Google Search has been primarily a...
accessibility
ai mode
aimode
drive integration
enterprise
gemini
google
google lens
google windows app
local search
localsearch
multimodal
ocr
os-level search
privacy
searchlabs
spotlight like search
windows
windows 10
windows 11
Consumer advocates have formally asked Microsoft to keep the lights on for Windows 10 security updates for ordinary consumers, arguing that the company’s announced October 14, 2025 cutoff and the narrowly scoped, account‑linked or paid Extended Security Updates (ESU) option will leave millions...
consumer reports
cybersecurity
data privacy
digital equity
e-waste
end of support
esu
extended security updates
patch management
privacy
small business
tech policy
windows 10
windows 10 end of life
windows 10 esu
windows 10 security updates
windows 11 upgrade
windows 11 upgrade path
windows 22h2 enrollment
Google’s new experimental desktop app for Windows drops a compact, Spotlight‑style search overlay onto the PC and promises to unite local files, installed apps, Google Drive documents, and the web — all reachable with a quick Alt + Space keystroke — while folding in Google Lens and an optional...
ai-mode
aimode
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google
google app for windows
google lens
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multimodal ai
privacy
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spotlight like search
windows
windows-10
windows-11
Microsoft’s October 14, 2025 deadline for ending free security updates for Windows 10 has prompted a rare public rebuke from consumer advocates, who say the cutoff risks leaving millions exposed to cyberattacks and could produce a massive wave of electronic waste — unless Microsoft rethinks the...
consumer advocacy
consumer reports
cybersecurity
e-waste
end of life
end-of-support-2025
esu
extended security updates
extended-security-updates
hardware upgrade
microsoft
pirg
privacy
tech policy
tpm 2.0
windows 10
windows 11
windows 11 requirements
windows backup
windows-10
Microsoft’s decision to draw a line under Windows 10 on October 14, 2025 is doing more than closing a chapter — it is sharpening the upgrade calculus for millions of users and accelerating a hardware-led shift toward AI-enabled PCs, commonly sold as Copilot+ or “AI PC” devices. What began as an...
40 tops
ai hardware
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channel partners
copilot+
end of life
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esu
extended security updates
hardware refresh
local ai
neural processing unit
npu
oems
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recall
security
windows 10
windows 11
If you just unboxed a new Windows 11 laptop, there are five settings you should consider turning off right away to tighten privacy, reduce distractions, and reclaim background resources for the tasks that matter most.
Background / Overview
Windows 11 ships with a range of convenience features...
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diagnostics
do not disturb
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focus mode
group policy
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windows 11
windows 11 privacy
Google is quietly bringing its signature search experience to the Windows desktop with an experimental app that unifies results from your PC, Google Drive, installed applications and the web — all summoned with a simple Alt + Space shortcut.
Background
Google has long treated search as a...
ai mode
alt space shortcut
drive
enterprise
enterprise controls
google
google app for windows
lens
lens ocr translation
local file indexing
multimodal ai
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spotlight like search
unified local drive web search
windows
windows desktop app
windows search labs
Open‑source software today offers Windows users a practical way to reclaim control, improve privacy, and boost productivity — and ZDNET’s compact roundup of “10 open‑source apps I recommend every Windows user try — for free” is a useful starting kit that does exactly that.
Background
ZDNET’s...
autohotkey
backups
bitwarden
duplicati
encryption
file converter
flow launcher
franz
libreoffice
local ai
nextcloud
ollama
open source
privacy
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self-hosting
windows
yazb
Consumer Reports has formally asked Microsoft to keep delivering free security updates for Windows 10 consumers beyond the company’s announced October 14, 2025 end‑of‑support date, arguing that the announced one‑year consumer Extended Security Updates (ESU) bridge and the paid options that...
consumer extended security updates
consumer reports
e-waste
education
end of support
esu enrollment options
extended security updates
microsoft
one year esu
privacyprivacy tradeoffs
secure boot
security updates
small business
tpm 2.0
windows 10
windows 10 end of support
windows 11
windows 11 tpm 2.0
Google has quietly shipped an experimental Windows desktop application that puts Google Search, Google Lens and its conversational AI Mode a single keystroke away — a Spotlight‑style overlay that searches your PC, installed apps, Google Drive and the web without switching windows.
Background /...
ai mode
alt space hotkey
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gemini
google
google app for windows
lens integration
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on-device indexing
privacyprivacy analysis
productivity
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Google has quietly dropped an experimental, Spotlight‑style search app for Windows that aims to make web, cloud and local file search a single keystroke away — summoned by Alt + Space by default — and bundled with integrated Google Lens and an optional AI Mode powered by Google’s generative...
ai mode
alt space
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desktop search
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google drive
google lens
google search labs windows
local search
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windows 10
Microsoft has set a firm end-of-support date for Windows 10—October 14, 2025—and the flurry of "30 days" headlines that followed this announcement compresses a complex, staged retirement into a single-sentence alarm that obscures exactly what will and won't change for users and IT teams...
22h2
ai-capable-hardware
avd
azure
azure virtual desktop
backup
backup and migration
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channel-management
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zero trust
Google has quietly pushed a compact, Spotlight‑style search overlay to Windows as an experiment — a one‑keystroke gateway that stitches together web results, Google Drive, installed apps and local files while folding in Google Lens and an AI Mode for conversational answers.
Background
Google’s...
ai mode
ai-mode
alt-space
data governance
drive integration
enterprise
enterprise controls
google
google lens
google windows labs
labs
local file search
on-device indexing
privacyprivacy and enterprise
productivity
spotlight style search
unified search
windows overlay
Google is quietly rolling a new Windows-native search experience into its Labs program that brings the company’s web search, Google Lens, and its AI-powered AI Mode onto the desktop — reachable instantly with an Alt + Space hotkey and designed to search your local files, installed apps, Google...
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...
Microsoft has set a firm deadline: Windows 10 will reach end of support on October 14, 2025, and that change alters the security, upgrade, and disposal calculus for millions of PCs worldwide. Microsoft will stop providing routine OS security patches, feature and quality updates, and standard...
cloud computing
consumer esu
e-waste
end of support
enterprise esu
esu
extended security updates
microsoft 365 apps
microsoft rewards
migration
onedrive
pc maintenance
privacy
security updates
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windows 10
windows 11 upgrade
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Google has quietly placed a Spotlight‑style search overlay on the Windows desktop, and this experimental app — available through Google’s Search Labs — promises to bring unified local, Drive, and web search plus Google Lens and AI Mode to a single, summonable interface reached with the Alt +...
Google has quietly begun testing a new desktop search experience for Windows that looks and feels like macOS Spotlight but with Google’s distinctive multimodal and generative-AI capabilities layered on top, bringing web search, Google Drive, local files, installed apps, and Google Lens into a...
ai
ai mode
alt space
cross-platform
desktop search
enterprise
google
google drive
google lens
installed apps
local files
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privacy
productivity
search labs
security
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windows