Microsoft has made available an updated Home experience for the Xbox app. Xbox Insiders can now evaluate the redesigned home page on Windows that combines the best and latest content from both the Game Pass and Microsoft Store tabs. The listing has been created based on user feedback collected for several months. It eliminates the need for you to switch between tabs.
Author: Sergey Tkachenko
How to Enable or Disable Top Notification Toasts in Chrome 130
Google Chrome 130 has introduced a new style of toast notifications that appear when you have successfully done some system action. E.g. it will inform you that a link has been copied to the system clipboard, shared, or added to the reading list. The new toasts appear in the screen center at the top of the browser frame, right below the address bar.
Windows 11 Build 26120.2200 (Dev) improves Dynamic Lighting
Windows 11 Build 26120.2200 is now available to Insiders in the Dev channel with KB5044376 (version 24H2). In this build, Windows Studio Effects have a special taskbar button that opens quick settings and reveals the app that use it. Dynamic Lighting has also got a portion of improvements.
Windows 11 Build 22635.4435 (Beta) greatly improves Start menu jumplists
Windows 11, version 23H2, Build 22635.4435 is now available to Insiders in the Beta channel with KB5044377. One of its changes is the ability to open as Administrator any of the jump list items. For that, you just need to hold the Ctrl + Shift key sequence when click it.
Windows 11 Build 26100.2161 KB5044384 Preview fixes the Windows Update cleanup bug
Microsoft has released optional cumulative update KB5044384 (build 26100.2161) for Windows 11 version 24H2. It comes with several bug fixes and various improvements, including the bugs that prevented Disk Cleanup from removing Windows Update files and make sfc find corrupted files every time you start it.
How to Make Chrome Freeze Tabs in Energy Saver
One of the new features of Chrome 130 is the ability to freeze tabs in Energy Saver mode that consumes a lot of system resources. This will greatly extend battery life of your device. Google is going to gradually enable it in Chrome 131, but you can give a try to this useful feature right now.
Windows 11 24H2 greatly speedups Windows Update due to several optimizations
The latest OS from Redmond, Windows 11 24H2, installs updates much faster than 22H2 and 23H2, thanks to several Windows Update improvements. The servicing stack enhancements lead to installation times that are 45.6% faster, restart times that are 39.7% quicker, and over 15% reduced CPU usage during cumulative update installations.
Microsoft has revealed its new Xbox Wireless Headset with Dolby Atmos
Microsoft has unveiled the Xbox Wireless Headset with Dolby Atmos support. The new version of the Xbox Wireless Headset is completely black without any green elements. Otherwise, the design has not undergone significant changes. Volume and sound balance are still adjusted using the rotating discs on the ear cups.
Photos app with Super Resolution and OCR is rolling out to Insiders
Microsoft is rolling out a new version of the Photos app for Windows 11. Build 2024.11100.17007.0 of the app brings Super Resolution for Copilot+ PC devices. Also, all Windows 11 and Windows 10 devices are getting optical character recognition (OCR), and other performance improvements. The update is available in all Insider channels.
Super Resolution in Photos on Copilot+ PC
This update includes a preview of Super Resolution on Snapdragon-powered Copilot+ PC devices. This feature uses artificial intelligence to enhance and enlarge images up to 8x their original size. Super Resolution is great for improving low-quality images, preparing photos for printing or display on larger displays, and cropping without losing resolution.
Super Resolution uses the Neural Processing Unit (NPU) in Copilot+ PC devices to quickly enhance images. All operations are performed locally, without uploading data to the cloud.
OCR support on Windows 11 and Windows 10
The Photos app now has optical character recognition (OCR), which is designed to increase productivity and simplify interaction with text information in images. With OCR, the app will detect text in an image, be it a document, note, or screenshot, and allow you to copy it to the clipboard. You can copy all the text or individual fragments for pasting into other applications.
The OCR function supports over 160 languages. When text is detected, a special OCR icon will appear at the bottom of the window.
This feature works on all computers running Windows 11 and Windows 10.
Other changes
- Now images in the Gallery can be opened with a single mouse click, making navigation more efficient. Double-click opening also works.
- The zoom has been improved. Large images are now automatically adjusted to fit the viewing window. In addition, the synchronization between the zoom slider and the zoom indicator has become more accurate.
- Fixed bugs in the "Image creator" and "Restyle image" options on Copilot+ PC devices.
Here are the changes in KB5044380 Preview for Windows 11 22H2 and 23H2
Microsoft has released optional cumulative update KB5044380 (builds 22621.4391 and 22631.4391) for Windows 11 versions 22H2 and 23H2, which brings with it bug fixes and various improvements. Here are the list of changes.
