Microsoft round-up: cloud defaults, Start menu redesign, Copilot and OneNote crop

This week’s Microsoft round-up reads like a compact weekend thriller: Apple launched a high‑profile ad mocking last year’s mass BSOD incident, Microsoft pushed a visible Start‑menu redesign into Insider rings while quietly changing legacy .NET packaging, OneDrive received a major Copilot and photos push that will change default save behavior in Office, and a clutch of Insider and app updates — including a long‑requested OneNote image crop feature — continue to reshape everyday Windows workflows.

Background​

Microsoft’s product surface is broad and increasingly interconnected: OS, cloud storage, productivity apps, browsers, and gaming services now influence each other more tightly than ever. That architecture makes single events — a mass outage, a UI redesign, a change to default save behavior — reverberate through enterprise operations and consumer habits alike. The stories this week are connected by the same theme: convincing users to accept cloud and AI defaults while IT teams wrestle with operational continuity and control. Neowin’s weekly recap captured the headlines and user sentiment; the primary technical announcements and timelines behind those headlines are confirmed in Microsoft’s own Insider communications and major tech outlets.

---

Apple’s “BSOD” ad: marketing, memory, and operational context​

Apple released an eight‑minute short film in its Underdogs series that dramatizes a trade‑show meltdown caused by the kind of mass Blue Screens of Death the industry saw after a faulty CrowdStrike kernel agent update last year. The ad frames macOS as architecturally insulated from that class of failure and offers a marketing‑leaning narrative of reliability. Independent coverage confirms the ad and its messaging.

Why the spot landed — and why it matters​

• The CrowdStrike‑related incident exposed how vendor rollouts and kernel‑level agents can create rapid, large‑scale outages when a widely deployed endpoint component misbehaves. That operational failure is a legitimate news event and it’s understandable that Apple would use it as a contrast narrative.
• The ad’s core engineering point — that macOS enforces stricter kernel boundaries (System Integrity Protection, DriverKit, EndpointSecurity frameworks) — is directionally accurate. Those protections reduce the attack surface for some classes of third‑party system extensions.

Practical read: marketing versus operations​

• The ad simplifies a complex operational failure into a single product comparison. That’s effective marketing but a poor substitute for an operational resilience program.
• For IT teams the real takeaways are operational: insist on staged rollouts, require canary testing for widely distributed agents, maintain robust recovery tooling, and build vendor SLAs and rollback plans into procurement. Apple’s message is a reminder, not a magic solution.

---

Redesigned Start menu: a practical UX overhaul with operational caveats​

Microsoft shipped Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27965 (Canary) featuring a single, scrollable Start menu, new Category and Grid views for “All apps,” and tighter Phone Link integration — plus the in‑box, open‑source command‑line editor Edit and a packaging change that removes .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 as a Feature on Demand (FoD). These changes were announced in the official Windows Insider blog and are being rolled out with staged enablement.

What changed for users​

• Scrollable, single‑canvas Start: Pinned apps, recommended items, and All apps are now presented in one vertical surface with responsive column counts for different screen sizes.
• New All apps views: Category view automatically groups apps into buckets (Productivity, Communication, Games, etc.), while Grid offers a tile‑based browsing mode. Users can still choose a classic List view.
• Phone Link entry in Start: A mobile device button lets Phone Link content surface directly in Start on supported devices.
• Edit: A lightweight editor available for Terminal-based workflows.
• Operational packaging change: .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 is no longer delivered as a Windows FoD; Microsoft points customers to a standalone installer for legacy scenarios.

Strengths​

• The usability wins are concrete: fewer clicks to reach apps, better use of tall displays, and direct controls to hide Recommendations respond to long‑standing user complaints about the original Windows 11 Start layout.
• The Category view helps discovery for users with many installed apps and improves first‑time discoverability.

Risks and impact for IT​

• Rollout fragmentation: server‑side enablement and feature flags mean devices with identical builds may show different experiences, complicating support and screenshots for helpdesk documentation.
• Legacy app compatibility: moving .NET 3.5 out of FoD makes it operationally significant; imaging or automated deployments that expect FoD behavior must be adjusted and tested. Enterprises should inventory apps that require .NET 3.5, stage the standalone installer, and include it in recovery images.
• Stability: Canary builds are experimental; known issues (File Explorer network transfer crashes, Settings crashes for drive info, power regressions) are still present. Do not deploy Canary builds in production.

Practical checklist for pilots and admins​

• Create a small pilot group across hardware types (laptop, desktop, high‑DPI).
• Collect offline installers and updated imaging scripts for .NET Framework 3.5.
• Test Phone Link privacy posture in your environment before enabling wide rollouts.
• Update support docs for Start screenshots, and train helpdesk staff on feature‑flag variance.

---

OneDrive and Office defaults: Copilot, autosave, and a photo‑first vision​

Microsoft used a Copilot + OneDrive event to announce several moves that change how documents and photos behave in the Microsoft ecosystem: Copilot integration in OneDrive for enterprise customers, a push to auto‑save new Word documents to OneDrive by default (Autosave on), and the previewing of a redesigned OneDrive Windows app that emphasizes a gallery, Moments, and AI photo features. Coverage from major outlets and Microsoft’s event materials confirm these shifts.

Headline changes​

• Word’s default save location switches to OneDrive for new documents (Insider builds rolling out), with Autosave enabled by default — a major UX pivot away from the local “unsaved” buffer model. Users can opt out, but the default flips to cloud by design.
• OneDrive gets deeper Copilot integration — enabling AI agents to help with searching, album creation, and photo edits, and to act on enterprise metadata where permitted. The OneDrive event also teased a Windows app redesign with Moments and People views.

Why this matters​

• Data governance and compliance: defaulting new Office files to OneDrive reduces the chance of work‑data being siloed on local drives, which helps backup and DLP coverage — but it also raises privacy and policy questions for regulated industries. Admins and security teams must reassess Group Policy, tenant‑level controls, and user education.
• User behavior: many users are conditioned to “Save As” locally; flipping the default shifts user mental models and requires communications to avoid surprise or trust erosion.
• Productivity upside: Autosave + cloud defaults reduce data loss due to local disk failures and make collaboration frictionless.

Operational recommendations​

• Review and update tenant-level retention and DLP policies, and confirm how Autosave behavior interacts with retention holds and eDiscovery.
• Prepare communications and opt‑out guidance for users who need local files for compliance or bandwidth reasons.
• Pilot the OneDrive app redesign with power‑user groups and collect telemetry on sync patterns and photo indexing performance.

---

Windows Insider changes: online requirement, Copilot app expansion, and the OOBE debate​

Insider previews this week included more than UI changes. Microsoft introduced a change that tightens the requirement for an Internet connection during OOBE for local‑account setups — making offline local account creation harder — and expanded Copilot’s ability to create Office documents and connect to third‑party services. Independent reporting and the Insider notes confirm both developments.

The OOBE internet requirement: implications​

• The tightened OOBE behavior nudges more users toward Microsoft accounts and online sign‑in flows during setup. While the Insider flight still has bypass methods reported in community guides, the deliberate push steers the platform toward account‑centric experiences that unlock cloud features and telemetry.
• IT and privacy‑conscious users should note this direction and plan images or provisioning flows (autopilot, provisioning packages, DISM images) accordingly. For devices in isolated environments, validate deployment scripts and provisioning alternatives.

Copilot grows teeth​

• The Copilot app can now create Office documents directly from chat and connect to Outlook/Gmail for content retrieval, accelerating draft generation and document assembly workflows. This expands the surface of automated content creation and raises permissions questions — Copilot needs explicit access to mail and files to be useful, and administrators must gate those connections carefully.

---

OneNote finally gets picture crop: small feature, big productivity win​

OneNote for Windows has long required external tools or clumsy workarounds to crop images. Microsoft’s updates have closed that gap: cropping is now supported in the OneNote app (newer OneNote builds) and OneNote for the web had crop support earlier; community tracking and release notes show cropping functionality landing in OneNote v2509 builds for Windows. Microsoft’s support pages describe cropping in web and mobile OneNote; community trackers and release notes document the Windows rollout.

Why it matters​

• For users who routinely paste screenshots or photos into notebooks, native cropping eliminates repetitive context switching and reduces friction for note capture workflows.
• The new feature is limited to normal images (printouts remain non‑editable), so scanned PDFs and printouts still need external tools.

Practical tip​

• If your organization relies on OneNote for knowledge capture or field note workflows, update to the latest OneNote build and adjust documentation to leverage the crop tool in instructional materials.

---

Browser updates: profiles, summaries, and clearer profile selectors​

This week also brought browser usability updates that impact daily workflows:

• Firefox rolled out built‑in profile support and a mobile “Shake to Summarize” (also presented as Share to summarize in some coverage) that earned a TIME mention for its user‑facing brevity and on‑device AI usage on supported iPhones. These moves enhance session compartmentalization and mobile summarization.
• Microsoft Edge received a refreshed profile flyout and a redesigned profile selector to help users distinguish personal from work accounts; Microsoft’s rollout comms and enterprise message center items confirm these changes and how administrators can control behavior via policy.
• Chrome continues to refine notification and quieter prompts across platforms (covered in broader updates this week).

Why this matters to Windows users​

• Profile separation in browsers is a tangible productivity and privacy improvement: easier sign‑in segregation, cookie isolation, and predictable link opening behavior (Edge now offers policies to open external links in a primary work profile by default for Entra‑joined devices).
• Mobile summarization features reflect a broader trend: browsers increasingly embed micro‑AI tools for quick content digestion, changing how users interact with long articles and research material.

---

Gaming and services: Game Pass pricing, new titles, and anti‑cheat wins​

The gaming ecosystem had its own set of notes this week:

• Microsoft offered price‑lock notifications to some Game Pass Ultimate subscribers in selected countries, letting them retain old pricing provided they don’t cancel — a temporary retention tactic as pricing adjusts in some markets. Neowin highlighted this customer message.
• Several anticipated titles were announced for Game Pass in October — a signal Microsoft’s first‑ and third‑party pipelines remain central to Xbox’s value proposition.
• Activision/RICOCHET anti‑cheat metrics showed aggressive short‑time bans during a Call of Duty beta, highlighting anti‑cheat posture and enforcement appetite.

---

Analysis: what these moves mean for users, IT, and Microsoft’s product strategy​

1) Microsoft is standardizing cloud as the default experience​

From OneDrive autosave to OOBE nudges for online accounts, the company is intentionally nudging users into cloud‑enabled flows. That reduces local data loss risk and unlocks AI features, but it centralizes control — and thus responsibility — on tenant settings, compliance, and vendor governance. Organizations must treat defaults as policy decisions rather than user convenience items.

2) UX wins can create operational work​

The Start menu redesign is a visible UX improvement, but the .NET packaging change and staged enablement mean imaging, install scripts, and legacy apps need audit and modification. UX and platform teams must coordinate closely with IT operations to avoid surprises.

3) AI and Copilot integrations accelerate productivity while increasing trust surfaces​

Copilot’s ability to create Office files and act on inbox content is a strong productivity lever. It’s also a permissions and trust event: for enterprises, access controls, audit logging, and data retention policies must be clarified before enabling broad Copilot features.

4) Marketing moments influence procurement debates but do not replace resilience​

Apple’s ad will shape perception. IT decisions should respond to operational lessons — staged rollouts, testing, and recovery planning — not brand messaging.

5) Small features matter​

The OneNote crop function is a seemingly minor update with outsized daily impact for many users. Microsoft continues to deliver these small, high‑value features alongside large platform changes.

---

Actionable guidance (clear steps for admins and power users)​

• For all admins:
• Inventory devices on Windows 11 version 23H2 and plan upgrades; Home/Pro 23H2 reaches end of updates on November 11, 2025. Confirm timelines and ESU options for edge cases.
• Audit applications for .NET Framework 3.5 dependencies and stage a standalone installer in imaging pipelines.
• Revisit OneDrive and Office autosave policies: update tenant controls, DLP, and user communications.
• For Windows power users:
• If you prefer local files, learn the Office option to save locally and how to opt out of default OneDrive autosave in the Office settings.
• If testing Insider builds, restrict Canary builds to non‑production devices and keep recovery media handy.
• For privacy‑minded users:
• Verify Copilot app permissions before linking email or cloud accounts; treat third‑party integrations as potential attack surfaces.

---

Strengths, limits, and unverifiable pieces​

• Strengths: Microsoft’s coordinated approach — UI polish (Start), utility updates (OneNote), and productivity enhancements (Copilot / OneDrive) — shows a pragmatic product roadmap that balances consumer delight with enterprise needs. Many of these changes genuinely reduce friction for everyday tasks.
• Limits: Staged rollouts and Canary instability mean feature visibility is inconsistent. The .NET packaging change demonstrates that platform modernization still creates short‑term operational friction.
• Unverifiable claims: Some marketing narratives — for example, exact device counts affected during the CrowdStrike incident as repeated in some community posts — vary between reports. Where public numbers are cited in secondary coverage, they should be treated as estimates unless confirmed by primary incident reports or vendor disclosures. Exercise caution when acting on single‑source figures.

---

Conclusion​

This week’s developments show Microsoft refining the daily Windows experience while accelerating the cloud and AI defaults that will shape future workflows. The Start menu redesign is a pragmatic, user‑centered fix to a long‑standing gripe; OneDrive’s Copilot and autosave moves make cloud the path of least resistance; and small wins like OneNote’s crop tool improve productivity in plain sight. At the same time, the platform’s increased reliance on cloud defaults and staged feature activation places a heavier burden on IT: inventory, staged testing, clearer user communications, and updated governance are no longer optional.
The headlines will attract attention — Apple’s ad will encourage platform debates, and Copilot/OneDrive will shift daily habits — but the operational work is where most organizations will win or lose. Plan for upgrades, test legacy dependencies, and treat defaults as policy levers rather than inevitabilities.

---

Source: Neowin Microsoft Weekly: Apple mocks BSOD, new Start menu, redesigned OneDrive, and more