Microsoft’s Start menu design debate has taken a new turn: a growing chorus of users are asking the company to bring the new, reimagined Start menu interface—the one shipping with recent Windows 11 updates—back to the “regular” Windows 10 experience, and that request exposes tensions between...
Microsoft is rolling out a Windows 11 Insider build that rethinks how users find apps and share files, with a refreshed “All apps” Start menu that groups apps into grid and category views and a new drag-to-share tray that surfaces sharing targets at the top of the screen. Overview
The changes...
Microsoft is quietly testing Copilot recommendations inside the Windows 11 Start menu — a small interface change that marks a strategic shift: Microsoft is no longer content to confine Copilot to a sidebar or system tray; it wants the AI assistant surfaced where users begin tasks, and it’s...
ai features
ai in windows
copilot
enterprise it
group policy
insider builds
microsoft
monetization
privacy
promotion
recommendations
registry
startmenu
subscription
telemetry
user experience
ux design
windows 11
Windows 11 hides a surprising amount of useful functionality behind simple toggles and keyboard combos — the kind of small discoveries that turn a pleasant OS into a genuinely efficient workspace.
Background / Overview
Windows 11’s design refresh brought a centered Taskbar, rounded corners, and...
Windows 11’s latest 25H2 preview builds polish many of the small, everyday interactions that shape how people work on Windows — from tidier context menus and smoother taskbar animations to Start menu reorganizations and File Explorer refinements — all delivered as part of an incremental...
25h2
ai features
arm64
context menu
copilot
enablement package
enterprise it
file explorer
preview
productivity
search
semantic indexing
staged rollout
startmenu
taskbar
ui polish
windows 11
Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26200.5751 (Dev Channel) — what IT should know
By WindowsForum Staff — August 15, 2025
Summary
Microsoft released Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26200.5751 (KB5064071) to the Dev Channel on August 15, 2025. The flight continues Microsoft’s...
0x80070005
arm64
click to do
copilot
dev channel
enterprise
file explorer
insider preview
it administration
rollback
snipping tool
startmenu
taskbar
ui issues
visual studio
window recording
windows 11
wpf
xbox bluetooth
Today’s Beta‑Channel flight brings Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.5751 (KB5064071), a focused incremental update that continues Microsoft’s push to make AI features like Recall and Click to Do more useful and more reliable while tightening up a raft of UI and reliability fixes for...
ai features
beta channel
click to do
copilot
dwm-crashes
enterprise it
file explorer
insider preview
live captions
recall feature
security
startmenu
taskbar
ui polish
windows 11
xbox bluetooth
Windows 11’s out-of-box experience (OOBE) still spends too much time selling users on apps and features while hiding the handful of settings that actually shape day‑one comfort, privacy, and productivity — and that needs to change now. The common-sense fix is simple: replace promotional screens...
Windows 11 is a technically impressive and visually refined operating system, but it still carries inherited trade-offs—strict hardware gates, opaque telemetry, and a feature set that sometimes prioritizes new aesthetics over practical user control—that older operating systems solved more...
Microsoft’s Windows Insider program delivered a compact but meaningful set of user-facing improvements during the first half of August 2025, focused squarely on UI consolidation, cross-device convenience, and tightening the long-running migration of legacy Control Panel functionality into the...
control panel
cross-device
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file explorer
insider builds
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microsoft 365
phone link
pinning
privacy
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settings
settings migration
share ui
startmenu
ui-consolidation
windows 11
windows insider
This month’s Patch Tuesday isn’t just another round of security fixes — it’s a functional pivot for how Windows 11 helps you recover, control, and interact with your PC. Microsoft’s preview updates introduce Recall export and reset controls (EEA-only export), a system-level Quick Machine...
click to do
copilot
draft with copilot in word
eea
immersive reader
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it administration
on-device ai
patch
privacy
quick machine recovery
reading coach
recall exports
recall feature
settings agent
snap
startmenu
windows 11
windows search
winre
Microsoft's most sweeping Windows redesign in years has arrived: a roomy, AI-aware Start menu, deeper Phone Link integration, and File Explorer that begins to act like an assistant — changes Microsoft bills as a major evolution of the Windows desktop and that industry outlets are calling the...
25h2
ai actions
ai integration
all apps view
category view
cloud ai
copilot
cross-device
desktop
enterprise deployment
file explorer ai
insider preview
on-device ai
phone link
privacy telemetry
productivity
semantic search
startmenu
ui redesign
windows 11
Microsoft has pushed Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26200.5742 to the Dev Channel, a focused update that reshuffles several legacy Control Panel options into Settings, tightens up File Explorer performance and visuals, and rolls out a redesigned mobile device companion inside the Start menu —...
arm64
build 26200
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settings migration
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time language region
unicode
windows 11
Microsoft has released Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.5742 (KB5064075) to the Beta Channel, introducing significant enhancements and fixes for users on Windows 11, version 24H2.
Transitioning Time and Language Settings to the Settings App
In this build, Microsoft continues its initiative...
24h2
accessibility
arabic
beta channel
build 26120
cloud files
control panel migration
date and time
file explorer
fixes
hebrew
ime
improvements
insider preview
kb5064075
keyboard settings
known issues
language and region
language settings
live captions
narrator
settings app
startmenu
task manager
time and language
unicode
windows 11
windows update
xbox controller
Microsoft has released Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26200.5742 (KB5064075) to the Dev Channel, introducing a suite of enhancements aimed at refining user experience and system functionality.
Redesigned Mobile Device Companion in Start Menu
The Start menu now features an updated mobile device...
accessibility
build 26200
cloud files
dev channel
feedback hub
file explorer
ime
insider preview
kb5064075
keyboard settings
known issues
language and region
live captions
narrator
performance
phone companion
settings app
settings migration
startmenu
task manager
time and language
time-language-settings
unicode
windows 11
Microsoft has released Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26200.5742 (KB5064075) to the Dev Channel, introducing a series of enhancements aimed at improving user experience and system functionality.
Redesigned Mobile Device Companion in Start Menu
The Start menu now features an updated layout for...
dev channel
dialog box
file explorer
ime
input method editor
insider preview
kb5064075
known issues
language and region
narrator
performance
phone companion
settings app
startmenu
time and language
ui refresh
unicode
windows 11
Here is a summary of the key changes, fixes, and known issues in Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.5742 (KB5064075) released to the Beta Channel for Windows 11, version 24H2:
Key Changes and Improvements (Gradually rolling out with toggle ON)
Settings
Time & Language: More time and...
accessibility
beta channel
build 26120
chinese ime
control panel
file explorer
fixes
input
insider preview
kb5064075
known issues
live captions
preview
settings
startmenu
task manager
time and language
windows 11
windows insider
xbox controller
A subtle shift is unfolding in the daily experience of Windows 11 users—a long-standing irritation has been diminished, just as a new, more persistent frustration emerges. Microsoft’s latest moves to streamline the setup and ongoing management of Windows 11 may reflect progress, but they also...
ad intrusiveness
backup prompts
cloud computing
microsoft
onedrive
os customization
out of box experience
pop-up notifications
privacy
regulatory compliance
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software tips
startmenu
tech industry
tech news
ui changes
user experience
windows 11
windows update
Aggressive new pop-ups in Windows 11 are sparking widespread controversy as users find themselves persistently nudged toward Microsoft 365 subscriptions, with little recourse to turn off these recommendations. Microsoft’s latest push leverages the visibility of the Start menu, making the...
cloud backup
cloud storage
in-app advertising
microsoft 365
microsoft strategy
monetization
notifications
onedrive
os advertising
pop-up notifications
privacy
software controversy
startmenu
tech news
user control
windows 11
windows backup
windows update
windows upgrade
Windows 11 users have grown increasingly frustrated as the operating system’s Start menu now persistently displays warning-style banners urging users to back up their PCs to the cloud using OneDrive. This aggressive push, which prominently features an “Action advised – back up your PC” message...
cloud backup
cloud storage
customization
eu privacy laws
microsoft 365
microsoft ecosystem
nagware
notifications
onedrive
os updates
privacy
regulatory compliance
software update
startmenu
ui design
user control
user experience
windows 11