I opened Paint and a small banner asked me to join “Windows AI Labs” — an opt‑in program that, according to the on‑screen card and an attached programme agreement, will let selected users test experimental AI features inside Microsoft Paint before those features are broadly released.
Overview...
ai experiments
ai features
ai in windows
ai labs
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cloud ai
copilot
copilot+ pcs
data governance
enterprise admin
enterprise policy
feature-gating
feedback loop
flight
generative tools
hardware requirements
inbox apps
microsoft
microsoft ai
moderation
mu model
notepad
notepad ai
npu
on-device ai
opt-in
opt-in testing
paint
paint ai
paint features
phi-models
photos
privacy
privacy telemetry
safety moderation
server side flights
server-side-gating
snipping tool
software testing
staged rollout
tech news
telemetry
user consent
ux design
windows 11
windows apps
windows insider
windows testing
windows-labs
Microsoft has quietly added a one‑click Internet speed test launcher to Windows 11’s taskbar and quick settings, and it’s arriving alongside continued enhancements to the Snipping Tool (a.k.a. “Scissors”) that push the app from a basic screenshot utility toward a compact image and video capture...
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...
advertising id
diagnostics
do not disturb
enterprise
focus mode
group policy
notifications
performance
privacy
registry
search highlights
security
startup apps
system tips
telemetry
webview2
widgets
windows 11
windows privacy
Microsoft is quietly testing a one‑click internet speed test in Windows 11 Insider builds that places a “Perform speed test” / “Test internet speed” control directly in the Taskbar’s network menu and Wi‑Fi quick settings — for now the control launches Bing’s web speed‑test widget in your default...
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 +...
accessibility
ai mode
alt-space
drive
enterprise
google
google lens
labs
local search
multimodal ai
privacy
productivity
search
search labs
spotlight
telemetry
windows
Google has quietly brought a Spotlight‑style search overlay to Windows, launching an experimental Google app that lets you summon a floating search bar with Alt + Space to query the web, local files, installed apps and Google Drive — and it combines that with built‑in Google Lens and Google’s...
ai mode
alt key
alt-space
desktop
drive
enterprise
google
google app for windows
integration
labs
lens
local search
multimodal ai
privacy
productivity
search
spotlight
spotlight like search
telemetry
windows
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...
accessibility
admin controls
ai assistant
ai mode
ai-powered launcher
alt key
alt space launcher
alt-space
app
app-experiment
beta
closed source
cloud ai
cloud search
command palette
cross surface search
cross-platform
dark mode
dataflow
desktop
desktop apps
desktop search
drive
drive integration
end users
enterprise
enterprise it
enterprise privacy
enterprise readiness
everything vs google
experiment
file search
generative ai
google
google app for windows
google apps
google drive
google drive integration
google gemini
google lens
governance
installed apps
integration
it admin
keyboard
keyboard launcher
lab-testing
labs
launcher
launcher overlay
lens
lens integration
lens ocr
lens-capture
local and cloud search
local and web search
local files
local indexing
local search
local-and-web
microsoft copilot
multimodal ai
multimodal search
ocr
open source
opt-in
os integration
os search ux
overlay
overlay launcher
performance
permissions
power users
powertoys
privacy
productivity
productivity tools
screen capture lens
search
search ecosystem
search labs
security
shell
shortcuts
spotlight
spotlight like search
spotlight-like launcher
start menu
telemetry
translation
unified results
unified search
user interface
ux design
visual search
web results
web search integration
windows
windows 10
windows 10+
windows 11
windows apps
windows search
windows ux
windows-labs
workflow
workspace
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...
Google’s new Windows app drops a Spotlight‑style search bar onto the desktop — press Alt + Space and a floating search capsule can find files on your PC, Drive documents, and web results, and it even includes Google Lens and the company’s AI Mode for multimodal, follow‑up capable answers. What...
ai mode
alt key
alt-space
desktop search
drive integration
google
google app for windows
google drive
google gemini
lens
lens integration
local search
privacy
search
search labs
spotlight like search
telemetry
unified search
Windows 10’s ascent from cautious upgrade to the world’s most-used desktop operating system finally reached a symbolic milestone in December 2018, when third‑party telemetry showed Windows 10 edging past Windows 7 in global market share. That crossover—reported as 39.22% for Windows 10 versus...
crossover
directx 12
enterprise it
gaming
legacy systems
market share
microsoft
net applications
netmarketshare
operating system
os adoption
security compliance
statcounter
telemetry
upgrade
windows 10
windows 7
windows as a service
windows lifecycle
windows update
Microsoft will begin installing the Microsoft 365 Copilot app automatically on Windows devices that already have the Microsoft 365 desktop apps, a background rollout that starts this fall and is expected to reach completion by mid‑November — but it won’t happen for devices in the European...
2025
admin center
admin controls
ai productivity
app integration
applocker
auto install
automation
background install
copilot
copilot rollout
data governance
data residency
deployment
device management
device settings
eea
eea carve-out
eea exclusion
end users
endpoint management
enterprise it
enterprise rollout
european economic area
fall 2025 rollout
gdpr
group policy
help desk
helpdesk planning
intune
it admin
it administration
it governance
licensing
licensing gating
microsoft 365
microsoft 365 apps admin center
microsoft copilot
microsoft education
microsoft office
modern app settings
onboarding discovery
opt-out
policy management
powershell
powershell uninstall
privacy
privacy compliance
privacy telemetry
productivity tools
registry
regulatory compliance
remote provisioning
rollout
security
security compliance
srp
start menu
telemetry
tenant opt-out
turnoffwindowscopilot
user adoption
user experience
user training
windows
windows 11
windows deployment
windows management
windows update
Microsoft is quietly testing a new, built‑in internet speed test for Windows 11 that places a one‑click network diagnostic into the taskbar’s system tray and Wi‑Fi quick settings — but the convenience comes with important trade‑offs: the shortcut opens Bing’s web‑based speed tester rather than...
bing speed test
browser
enterprise
enterprise it
insider preview
internet speed
native vs web
privacy
quick settings
speed test
taskbar
taskbar speed test
telemetry
web based speed test
windows 11
Windows 11 now puts a quick internet speed check one click away in the Taskbar — but it’s a launcher to Bing’s web tool, not a native measurement engine, and that choice has real implications for accuracy, privacy, and enterprise control. Background
Microsoft quietly began testing a new...
bing
bing speed test
browser-based test
diagnostics
enterprise
insider
internet speed
microsoft
network
ookla
privacy
speed test
taskbar
taskbar speed test
telemetry
web widget
windows 11
Windows 11 now surfaces a one‑click path to a network speed test directly from the taskbar — but for now it’s a shortcut to Bing’s web tool (which itself delegates to Speedtest by Ookla), and it’s only available to Windows Insiders in preview channels.
Background
Microsoft has quietly started...
A subtle change hidden inside a recent Windows 11 preview build surfaces a new, one‑click path to measure internet speed directly from the taskbar: a “Perform speed test” option now appears in the network icon’s context menu and in the Wi‑Fi quick settings, and selecting it launches the default...
Microsoft’s plan to push the Microsoft 365 Copilot app onto many Windows desktops next month is the clearest signal yet that the company intends to make an AI assistant a default part of the Windows productivity surface — but the details, caveats, and operational impact matter as much as the...
Dutch education and research network SURF’s Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) of Microsoft 365 Copilot finds persistent privacy and safety gaps that make the service unsuitable for broad use in schools and research institutions — and even after ongoing talks with Microsoft, two of the...
ai governance
ai hallucinations
automation bias
data retention
data security
data-subject-rights
dpia
edtech
education technology
gdpr
institution
microsoft copilot
on-premise-processing
privacy
provenance
research institutions
risk management
surfing
telemetry
transparency
Microsoft will begin automatically installing the standalone Microsoft 365 Copilot app onto many Windows devices this fall, pushing a dedicated Copilot entry into the Start menu on eligible machines unless administrators explicitly opt out — a move Microsoft describes as a background...
admin settings
applocker
copilot
deployment
device settings
eea
eea exclusion
fall 2025 rollout
mdm
mdm policies
microsoft copilot
microsoft store
modern app settings
opt-out
privacy
start menu
telemetry
windows
Microsoft is testing a small but meaningful change in Windows 11 that lets the Xbox button on controllers do more: a long press will open Task View so gamers can quickly switch between apps and games, while a short press still opens the Game Bar and a sustained hold continues to power off the...
accessibility
controller mapping
feature rollout
full-screen-exclusivity
game bar
handheld gaming
insider program
oem partnerships
press-duration
rog ally
task view
telemetry
third-party remappers
three-state-mapping
windows 11
xbox button
xbox controller
Microsoft has quietly begun remapping the Xbox controller’s central Guide button in recent Windows 11 Insider builds so that a short tap still opens the Game Bar, a long press now opens Task View, and a sustained hold continues to power the controller off — a small input-change that signals a...
accessibility
accessibility windows
bluetooth
controlled rollout
controller
devbeta
developer tips
full screen
game bar
game mode
gaming
gaming hardware
handheld gaming
insider
insider program
microsoft gaming
multitasking
oem partnerships
power off controller
rog ally
system navigation
task switching
task view
telemetry
third-party remappers
windows 11
windows handhelds
windows update
xbox button