windows productivity

Microsoft's classic Outlook app, widely used through Office 365, has been experiencing a frustrating and significant typing lag issue that users have reported for months. The root cause, Microsoft has now acknowledged, is a serious CPU usage spike—sometimes up to 30-50%—triggered during routine...

The transition from Windows 7 to Windows 11 has brought numerous enhancements, yet it has also led to the omission of several beloved classic games that were once staples of the Windows experience. Games like Minesweeper, Solitaire, and Chess Titans have been notably absent in recent Windows...

When Typing an Email Turns Your CPU into a Furnace: Unpacking the Latest Outlook Bug Picture this: you’re drafting a simple email in the classic Outlook for Microsoft 365, and suddenly your computer sounds like a jet engine taking off. Your CPU usage spikes wildly, soaring to 30-50% utilization...

Rolling out updates is a bit like hosting a dinner party for the in-laws: you’re never quite sure who’s going to show up early, complain about the appetizers, or inadvertently bring the place to its knees—possibly with a blue screen, if we’re talking Windows. Enter Windows 11’s KB5055627, a...

In a world obsessed with major overhauls and shiny new features, it’s the incremental steps—the subtle but strategic tweaks—that often reveal a company’s real direction. Microsoft’s rollout of Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26200.5570 to the Dev Channel stands as a definitive example. This...

For anyone facing the daunting task of setting up a new Windows installation, the path from a blank slate to a fully functional machine is often both time-consuming and tedious. Whether you’re upgrading, downgrading, switching Windows flavors like LTSC, or recovering from a system failure...

Microsoft has been steadily shifting the user experience in Windows from the old Control Panel to the modern Settings interface—and a new beta build confirms that even the classic mouse properties options aren’t exempt from this transition. This isn’t an overnight transformation; it’s a...

Perplexity AI’s long-awaited Windows app has officially arrived, marking a significant milestone both for the company and a surging market of AI-powered productivity tools. After launching the Mac version in late 2023 and listening to sustained demand from the Windows community, Perplexity has...

Few things frustrate seasoned Windows users more than the persistent, creeping feeling that their familiar desktop environment is morphing into something less about productivity and more about persistent promotional nudges. Windows 11, Microsoft’s latest flagship OS, has doubled down on this...

The clock is ticking for one of the most relied-upon tools in the world of Windows productivity: the Remote Desktop app for Windows is officially living on borrowed time. Microsoft, never shy about making bold moves in the realm of software evolution, has thrown a curveball to IT professionals...

Microsoft Publisher's Retirement: What It Means and How to Navigate the Transition For decades, Microsoft Publisher has stood as the go-to desktop publishing tool for countless Windows users, carving out its niche alongside the likes of Word, PowerPoint, and Excel. Its approachable interface...

The latest wave of updates for Microsoft’s Copilot app on Windows is more than just an iteration—it's a decisive leap toward making artificial intelligence an ever-present, accessible assistant on millions of desktops. With the rollout of the “press-to-talk” feature, Copilot becomes not only...

The Start menu stands at the heart of the Windows operating system, yet its evolution has not come without controversy or resistance. While Microsoft’s transition to a minimalist, widget-driven Start menu in Windows 11 strives for modern appeal and touch-friendliness, a vocal portion of the...

Productivity on Windows has always depended as much on your toolkit as your workflow discipline. With the evolution of Windows 10 and Windows 11, Microsoft continues to enable users with built-in utilities – but, as ever, the true power User finds room for specialized apps to shape a personal...

The world of digital productivity is saturated with feature-rich tools, but sometimes, the most effective solution is also the simplest. For many Windows users, one such tool is the understated yet powerful Sticky Notes app. While it’s easy to overlook, especially compared to robust task...

In the digital age, where torrents of files and folders pile up on every Windows PC, the humble act of searching for a document, project, or even a music file can turn from a five-second task into an exasperating ordeal. Windows Search—the tool offered out-of-the-box by Microsoft—is notorious...

Paul Thurrott’s name has become synonymous with authoritative Windows coverage. With a three-decade career that traces the operating system’s evolution from Windows 3.1 to the cloud-connected present, Thurrott’s current explorations continue on Thurrott.com—a haven for in-depth Windows...

Anyone who spends a sizable chunk of their day in classic Outlook knows the feeling: you’re firing off an email, only to watch your system's CPU usage leap alarmingly. It’s a productivity disaster, transforming the simple act of typing into a sluggish, stuttering struggle. For months, the...

File Explorer gets the basics of file management right, but in a world where efficiency and customization dictate our digital workflows, the base experience often leaves power users and even enthusiastic novices wanting more. The good news? File Explorer can become an ultra-productive powerhouse...

Windows 8 is often the punchline in discussions about Microsoft’s chequered operating system history, its radical design shift sparking a backlash that seemed to overshadow everything else it accomplished. Yet, beneath the tiles and the tainted first impressions, Windows 8 quietly planted the...