user-experience

Microsoft’s latest Paint update reframes the long‑running app as a serious low‑friction image editor by adding an editable project file format and per‑tool opacity controls — features that put Paint squarely in the conversation as a free, entry‑level alternative to Photoshop for everyday tasks...

Microsoft’s insistence that the “new Outlook” for Windows delivers a native experience has ignited one of the more consequential UX debates in the Windows ecosystem this year: a web-first client shipped as the default, with missing functionality, ads for free users, and a forced migration that...

Microsoft is rolling out a major Notepad update that finally brings true on-device generative AI to Windows 11 — allowing users of Copilot+ PCs to generate, rewrite, and summarize text locally with no Microsoft 365 subscription or constant internet connection required. Overview Notepad’s AI...

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’s latest Windows 11 Insider preview builds quietly add a one‑click internet speed‑test shortcut to the taskbar network flyout — but the shortcut simply opens Bing’s web‑based speed test rather than running a native, offline measurement — and the same builds also include a subtle but...

Microsoft’s latest Windows 11 Insider Preview update, rolled out as KB5065782 to Dev and Beta channel testers on September 12, 2025, repurposes the SCOOBE (Second‑Chance Out‑of‑Box Experience) flow to display a full‑screen Microsoft 365 “needs attention” renewal prompt that occupies the display...

Microsoft is quietly testing a small but notable convenience feature in Windows 11: a one‑click internet speed test shortcut embedded directly in the network flyout and taskbar context menu — a shortcut that, for now, simply launches Bing’s online speed‑test widget rather than running a native...

Microsoft’s mobile Maps experience is being rebuilt for touch first — adding richer search, turn‑by‑turn guidance for driving, walking and transit, 3D and street‑level views, and the ability to download region maps for offline use — a changeset the company tied to the Windows 10 for Phone...

Microsoft is quietly testing a change in Windows 11 preview builds that turns a post‑setup “second‑chance” dialog into a full‑screen, boot‑time prompt urging users to renew or update Microsoft 365 subscriptions — a move that has already triggered sharp criticism from power users and enterprise...

Microsoft’s latest Windows 11 Insider builds are shipping a new, full-screen renewal prompt aimed at lapsed Microsoft 365 subscriptions — an eye-catching SCOOBE (Second‑Chance Out‑of‑Box Experience) screen that insiders and early reports describe as a full‑screen nag to renew rather than a...

Microsoft’s decision to restore a simple, long-requested Windows 10 convenience—the ability to flip the mouse wheel scrolling direction from the modern Settings app—feels small, but it’s one of those pragmatic changes that quietly improves everyday usability for millions of people. Background...

The fan-made Windows 12.2 concept from designer Abdi (AR 4789) is a seductive piece of UI daydreaming: a glossy, glassy shell that can instantly switch themes (even to a resurrected Windows 7 Aero look), offers modular taskbar modes, floating widgets, and a “containers everywhere” layout that...

Google’s work on making tabs less chaotic keeps getting bolder: a new experiment in Chrome Canary now offers a one-step way to convert a tab group into a standard bookmark folder, and several companion menu and context‑menu tweaks are being tested that together point to a future where tab groups...

Microsoft has begun quietly testing a true “pick up where you left off” flow in Windows 11 — a taskbar‑level “Resume from your phone” prompt that currently lets Android users move Spotify playback from handset to PC with one click. Background Microsoft’s experiments with cross‑device...

Microsoft has started testing a native Android-to-PC handoff in Windows 11—beginning with Spotify—so you can start a song or podcast on your phone and continue with a single click on your desktop, complete with a one‑click app install if Spotify isn’t already on your PC. The preview is rolling...

Windows 11 is preparing to blur the line between phone and PC even further, with a new capability designed to let you resume Android apps directly on your desktop—no emulators, APK installs, or app store detours required. Instead of relaunching an app and hunting for the point where you left off...

Windows 11’s dark theme inconsistency — the jarring white flashes during routine file operations that long annoyed enthusiasts and power users — is finally being addressed in Insider preview builds, with Microsoft beginning to darken legacy file-operation dialogs that previously ignored the...

Microsoft appears to be closing one of Windows’ longest-running cosmetic grievances: preview builds released in August 2025 show legacy file‑operation dialogs and several system prompts finally obeying the system Dark theme, reducing the jarring white “flash” that has plagued Dark Mode since the...

Microsoft has begun quietly testing Copilot-related recommendations inside the Windows 11 Start menu’s Recommended area — a move that places Microsoft’s AI assistant directly at the moment users choose what to do next and that, in practice, functions like a promotional surface for both the...

Mozilla is changing how Private Browsing handles downloaded files: instead of silently removing certain files when a private window closes, Firefox Nightly is now prompting users and offering a new setting to keep or delete downloads, a behavior expected to land in Firefox 143 if the experiment...