user-experience

  1. Windows SCOOBE: Full-Screen Microsoft 365 Billing Reminder in Windows 11 Insider Build 26220

    Windows Insiders are now seeing a new, full‑screen Microsoft 365 billing reminder that uses Windows 11’s Second Chance Out‑of‑Box Experience (SCOOBE) to tell users their subscription “needs attention” — a change Microsoft shipped to the Dev and Beta channels as part of Insider Preview Build...
  2. Windows 11 Adds One-Click Speed Test in Network Flyout (Bing Widget)

    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...
  3. Windows 10 Maps for Phone: Touch-First UI, Offline Maps, 3D & Cross-Device Sync

    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...
  4. Windows 11 SCOOBE Renewal Prompt in Insider Builds: UX, Security, and Trust

    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...
  5. Windows 11 SCOOBE: Full-Screen Renewal Prompt in Insider Builds

    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...
  6. Windows 11 24H2 Adds Mouse Scroll Direction Toggle in Settings

    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...
  7. Windows 12.2 Concept: Instant Theming, Floating Widgets, and Containers

    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...
  8. Chrome Canary: Convert Tab Groups to Bookmark Folders for Archival

    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...
  9. Windows 11: Resume from your phone enables cross-device app handoff (Spotify)

    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. (blogs.windows.com) (theverge.com) Background Microsoft’s...
  10. Windows 11 Android-to-PC Handoff Begins with Spotify

    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...
  11. Resume Android Apps on Windows 11: Stream from Phone to PC

    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...
  12. Windows 11: Dark Mode Extends to Legacy File Dialogs in Insider Builds

    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...
  13. Windows 11 Dark Mode Extends to Legacy Dialogs in August 2025 Preview

    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...
  14. Microsoft Tests Copilot Prompts in Windows 11 Start Menu

    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...
  15. Firefox Nightly Tests Prompt for Private Browsing Downloads

    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...
  16. Why Windows Needs Modular Desktop Environments for True UI Freedom

    After two decades on Windows and a few months of serious Linux testing, one thing stands out: desktop environments are the feature I wish Windows would borrow wholesale — a modular, swappable shell model that turns the platform into a true creative canvas rather than a single locked-in UI. rview...
  17. Notepad Gets Compact, File Explorer–Style Context Menu for Quick Edits

    Microsoft has taken a long-running complaint about Notepad’s overstuffed right‑click menu seriously: Insiders are now seeing a compact, File Explorer–style context menu that surfaces core edit actions in a single top row while keeping AI and less‑used commands below — a move that trims pointer...
  18. Notepad Gets Refreshed Right-Click Menus in Windows 11 for Faster Editing

    Microsoft has quietly rolled out a refreshed right‑click experience for Notepad in Windows 11, aligning the long‑running text editor with the redesigned, streamlined context menus Microsoft introduced across the OS — a change now appearing in Notepad builds shipping to Windows Insiders and...
  19. P

    Windows 8 Chrome's incognito mode

    I clicked on the tab to go into incognito mode. I would now like to opt out, not disable incognito. Is this done by closing the browser and opening it again? Thank you
  20. Windows 7 Looking for some decent web forums for third-party Windows software

    I know its poor etiquette to ask for a forum in another forum... but I'm looking for a decent list of discussion boards/forums on Third Party Windows Software... but all my search results keep yielding friggin forum software instead of software forums... hyuk hyuk... even while using quotation...