Microsoft has unveiled a lineup of scheduled sessions for the upcoming Build 2024 conference, with a particular focus on the "next generation of Windows on ARM" and the "all-new Windows AI feature."
Author: Sergey Tkachenko
Windows 11 Builds 22621.3520 and 22631.3520 fix several issues for Release Preview insiders
Microsoft releases a new Windows 11 version for Release Preview insiders, builds 22621.3520 and 22631.3520. This time you won't find plenty of new features, but there is a good set of fixes. They are packed into KB5036980, and apply to Windows 11 23H2.
Windows 11 Start menu has got a new kind of ads in the Recommended section
You may remember that starting in Windows 10, Microsoft is "promoting" apps to the end users from the Store. They initially appear as empty shortcuts, but quickly become installed as you connect to the Internet. In addition, the Start menu may occasionally show app recommendations in the app list. But that's not all. Now, the Start menu can promote apps in the Recommended section, that is new to Windows 11.
Snipping Tool is getting support for emoji annotations, QR code decoding, and HDR correction
Microsoft is updating Snipping Tool with a set of new options that will allow you to annotate your captures with emoji. Besides, it will be able to detect and recognize QR codes in the screenshot. Finally, it gets an option to correct HDR colors.
Cumulative Updates for Windows 11 and 10, April 9, 2024
Traditionally, the second Tuesday of each month is Patch Tuesday for Microsoft, when the software giant is releasing new cumulative updates for supported Windows versions. Such updates don't ship drastic changes to the operating system, but may include feature updates that improve user experience, fix bugs, and eliminate vulnerabilities. Today's updates are already available in Windows Update.
These apps will prevent Windows 11 version 24H2 from installing on your PC
Windows 11 version 24H2, the upcoming OS version that comes to the public in the second part of this year, has a list of apps that prevent it from being installed. If you use one of them, you may be out of luck with upgrading to 24H2 unless you remove the app. Here's the list.
Microsoft: Windows on ARM devices will be able to outperform Apple Air series
It took Qualcomm several years to build a truly powerful ARM desktop processor, crucial for the success of Windows on ARM. Meanwhile, Apple has successfully released multiple generations of devices featuring its own ARM-designed processors, seeming to dominate the market without any real competition in sight.
PowerToys 0.80 adds WebP/WebM support to Peek, allows pre-configured setup with winget
PowerToys 0.80 is another release of the famous app suite developer by Microsoft. It is a major update to the software that brings with it a number of new features. The Peek, a tool that supports quickly previewing the files from within the Explorer, can now handle WebP and WebM formats. Also, you can now use winget to install PowerToys preconfigured. It now supports an ultimate set of options for desired state configuration, that you can use to specify what feature to enable or disable in each and every tool, along with base installer options.
Windows 11 Build 22635.3430 (Beta) adds new Copilot icon animations
Microsoft today released Windows 11 Build 22635.3430 to insiders on the Beta channel. It puts Teams to the Windows Share dialog and also updates the Copilot taskbar icon. A dedicated icon will appear for image and text processing mode individually.
Microsoft Store receives a significant performance boost
Microsoft Store will receive a significant performance boost with the release of the latest update. The Redmond firm is already testing the improvements with insiders from the Dev and Canary channels. It should not take long for Microsoft to release the new Store version to a wider audience.
