Articles about Microsoft

When Google announced the death of G Suite legacy free edition in the hope of getting users to pay for Google Workspace, there was understandable annoyance. The company later launched the fee-free Workspace Essentials Starter Edition to appease disgruntled G Suite users but for many the damage was already done.

Microsoft is taking full advantage of the irritated Google userbase. The company has revealed a special offer that it hopes will entice small businesses that have been using Google legacy G Suite into using Microsoft 365. The incentive? A hefty 60 percent discount.

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We've already written about the release of Windows 11 Build 22000.526 to testers on the Beta and Release Preview channels, but this update warrants further investigation. With the release of the KB5010414 update, Microsoft not only fixes a lot of Windows 11 problems, it also introduces some important tweaks to the taskbar that will delight users of Microsoft Teams, as well as people with more than one monitor connected to their computer.

There are various important additions to the taskbar as well as changes to functionality. These changes, such as the decision to (finally!) include the clock in all taskbars on multiple monitors, represent a pleasing evolution of a staple feature of Windows and are likely to be well-received -- but there is still room for improvement.

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For the second week running quality issues have prevented Microsoft from releasing a new Windows 11 build to Insiders in the Dev Channel.

However the tech giant is rolling out a build to the Beta and Release Preview Channels, and this fixes a huge amount of issues with the new operating system.

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Microsoft usually rolls out new Windows 11 Dev Channel builds to Insiders on a Wednesday, although occasionally this slips to Thursday or even Friday.

There was no new build last week due to "quality issues". The plan was to get back on track for this week, but once again Windows Insiders are facing disappointment.

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Microsoft has revealed details of how it managed to simultaneously boost the performance of Teams, while reducing power consumption. Such are the efficiency improvements that have been implemented that Microsoft Teams now uses less than half the power it did a year and a half ago.

This is hugely significant at any time, but all the more so given the number of people now working remotely and reliant on internet-based meetings. For organizations who have turned to Microsoft Teams during the coronavirus pandemic, the cost savings add up significantly.

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It is the time of the month when Microsoft releases updates for Windows, and we've already looked at KB5010386 for Windows 11. There are also two updates available for Windows 10 users to install -- KB5010342 and KB5010345.

The update you need depends on which version of Windows 10 you are running. KB5010342 is for Windows 10 versions 20H2, 21H1 and 21H1, while KB5010345 is for anyone still running Windows 10 version 1909.

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Microsoft has released a significant update for Windows 11 that not only fixes a number of bugs, but also addresses security issues.

The KB5010386 update takes Windows 11 up to build 22000.493 and it includes a fix for a problem with LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol). On top of this, there are numerous fixes in this security and quality improvement update. Microsoft has also shared a number of Windows 11 tips.

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In so many ways macros have made life easier for Office users, helping to automated and speed up a variety of tasks. But they also pose a gigantic security threat, particularly in documents downloaded from the internet.

Now Microsoft is taking action, and will block internet macros by default in Office. The reason for the move is the widespread exploitation of VBA macros by bad actors to spread malware.

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Delving into the underbelly of just about any software can reveal exciting secrets, and this is certainly true of Windows. A software detective has taken a peek behind the curtain and found no fewer than three exciting new features hidden away in Windows 11. These are likely to be features that Microsoft is currently still working on and will unlock in a future update for the operating system.

An intrepid explorer has unearthed evidence of upcoming changes to the way notifications work and a possible renaming of Focus Assist to simply "Focus". Other gems include wallpaper stickers and a new energy conservation section of Settings that, among other things, will assign your computer an Eco Score and provide recommendations for how you can reduce its energy consumption.

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It feels as though it has been a little while since there was a new version of Windows Terminal, but Microsoft has now rectified this. The company has released Windows Terminal Preview 1.13 with an impressive list of new features, options and fixes.

There are a few particularly noteworthy changes including the introduction of a new text rendering engine. There is also a new Windows 11-style UI for Settings, and a newly added option to have a profiles automatically elevated so it launches as Administrator. But the list of changes and additions is much longer than this.

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Microsoft usually rolls out new Windows 11 builds to Insiders in the Dev Channel on a weekly basis, but it won’t be doing so this week as it has run into some quality issues with its planned flight.

What the software giant has done however, is lifted the lid on what’s coming to the Windows Insider Program this year. Microsoft says it has more people running test builds of Windows 11 than it did with Windows 10, and going forward its focus will be on trying out new, more experimental features and services.

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It may only be a few days since Microsoft released PowerToys v0.55.0 complete with new utilities, but there is already another update available to install.

This time around, with the release of PowerToys v0.55.1, there are -- sadly -- no exciting new toys to play with... but this does not diminish the significance of the update. This is an important patch release which addresses a number of issues that have come to light.

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There are a number of Linux distros for WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux) available to download from the Microsoft Store. Big names on offer include Ubuntu, Debian, Kali, SUSE and openSUSE. Now one more has arrived -- Oracle Linux.

Sneaking into the store with little fanfare on Monday, January 31, the official arrival of Oracle Linux 8.5 will be welcomed by any developers wanting to run Linux software in a Windows environment.

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We have already written about the KB5008353 update that was released for Windows 11 last month. Made available as a preview, the update addressed a number of issues with the operating system, including problems with Bluetooth audio and the taskbar.

But it seems there may have been more to KB5008353 than met the eye, or than Microsoft revealed. According to reports, the update has helped to boost the performance of Windows 11 while apparently fixing an on-going issue with various types of hard drive.

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Making good on its recent promise to add a new mouse tool to PowerToys, Microsoft has released a new version of the utility collection complete with the addition of Mouse Pointer Crosshairs (previously previewed as Inclusive Mouse). But it doesn't end there -- there are two more new tools to explore as well!

The release of PowerToys v0.55.0 also sees the addition of two new add-ons for Explorer. For developers, there is now support for 150 file type previews, as well as a new tool for generating STL file format thumbnails.

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