The November 2021 firmware update is now available for Surface Laptop 4 (Intel-based configurations) and the original Surface Studio (released in October 2016). There are no new features or significant improvements, but users should welcome bug fixes, new drivers, and other minor enhancements.
Author: Taras Buria
Taras is here to cover stories about Microsoft and everything around, although sometimes he prefers Apple.
Windows 10 finally supports dark mode for Windows Search
Windows 11 is now available to eligible devices, but Microsoft is not giving up on Windows 10 yet. While it is true that the most exciting new features may be Windows 11-exclusive, the Software giant will continue supporting Windows 10 with bug fixes and noticeable improvements at least until October 2025. One of such improvements is an updated Windows Search, which now has a dark theme.
Office will soon support font syncing across devices and platforms.
Microsoft posted an update on the official Microsoft 365 feature roadmap—a place where the company describes new capabilities coming soon—notifying users about an exciting feature for Word and, presumably, other Office apps as well.
Microsoft confirms Windows 11 attempts to charge your laptop battery beyond 100%
Using a preview version of Windows 11 (or any operating system, for that matter) may get you to experience annoying or funny bugs. Some users have noticed that latest Dev builds of Windows 11 attempt to charge laptop batteries well beyond 100%. GlitchyDragon65 posted a screenshot on Reddit, revealing his battery indicator with a 115% charge level. Another user reported the same issue with a 104% charge level.
Intel removed DX12 support from fourth-gen CPUs to fix a security issue
In a somewhat radical move, Intel decided to purge the DirectX 12 support from old Haswell-based processors. Beginning with the driver 15.40.44.5107, integrated graphics in fourth-gen Intel CPUs no longer work with the latest graphics APIs from Microsoft. The chipmaker says they had to remove the DirectX 12 support to fix a security issue.
Microsoft is hosting an education-focused event on November 9
On November 9, 2021, Microsoft is hosting an education-focused event where the company plans to reveal "new technology from Microsoft Education." The event's description is available on the news.microsoft.com website, and it says the following:
KB5008295 is here to resolve all issues with apps in Windows 11
On November 4, 2021, Microsoft released a preview update for Windows Insiders to fix the broken Snipping Tool in Windows 11. We expected Microsoft to include the patch in the cumulative updates, due to release on November 9, 2021. That appeared not to be true. Microsoft decided not to wait, and now ships an out-of-band update to all Windows 11 users earlier.
OneDrive will soon stop supporting Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 & 8
On the official Tech Community Forum, Microsoft announced upcoming changes to the built-in OneDrive client in Windows. On January 1, 2022, Microsoft will stop supporting OneDrive in old Windows versions, namely Windows 8.1, 8, and 7. The company says it wants to focus resources on new technologies and operating systems and "provide users with the most up-to-date and secure experience."
How to Change Power Mode in Windows 11
This article will show you how to change power mode in Windows 11. It is a feature Microsoft introduced in 2017 in the days of Windows 10. The operating system received a slider to adjust performance to energy efficiency ratio. It allows users to find a perfect balance in various working scenarios.
Microsoft Authenticator has finally received modern icon and new features
Microsoft started rolling out an updated version of the Authenticator app, bringing users an updated Fluent Design icon, plus a bunch of new enterprise-related features.
