Microsoft appears keen to go ahead with plans to build a data center in Slough, England. Plans could be submitted as soon as this autumn, according to The Slough Express.

Recently, a consultation was held to receive feedback from local residents about the data center. In that process, Microsoft said: "Data centres have become integral to our lives, with social media, contactless payments and remote working all reliant on the functionality they provide."

The tech giant added, "The UK needs more new data centres to power the economy of the future."

The consultation covered several topics related to the proposed data center, including on-site parking and if the building of the data center would affect local traffic.

Councillor Chandra Muvvala discussed the impacts of data centeres with the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS). "Not having a data centre is not a problem, but having a data centre is certainly a problem," said Muvvala.

The councillor also noted things Microsoft could do to help the community, such as planting trees or improving local parks.

A petition to pause the data center project has over 600 signatures at the moment. Petitioners want an independent assessment to be completed to determine the impacts of the project.

Controversial data centers

The proposed data center in Slough is not alone in drawing criticism. Microsoft has also faced pushback about its planned data center in Leeds, England.

That project has been controversial since its inception. Over 43,000 people signed a petition to prevent the construction of the data center. Hundreds of protesters appeared at the site earlier this week, according to The Yorkshire Evening Post.

The complaints about the project in Leeds are similar to those from people in Slough. Residents in both areas have expressed concerns about the environmental impact of the data centers and raised flags about potentially high noise levels and other ways the data centers could harm their respective surrounding areas.

Microsoft has already received the go-ahead to build the data center from the Leeds City Council, which voted unanimously to approve the project. But the final decision on the project will come from Chief Planning Officer Martin Elliot.

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Microsoft just announced a Windows and Surface event for October 7, 2026. The event will be held in San Francisco and will focus on "how local AI will shape the next chapter of the PC." It will start at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella will be at the event, as will Surface chief Pavan Davuluri. NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang will also be there, so we can expect to see RTX Spark discussed on stage.

RTX Spark is NVIDIA's new superchip. It powers the Surface Laptop Ultra and Surface RTX Spark Dev Box. Microsoft already announced those devices but has not shared key details yet, including pricing and availability. The event in October could be a chance to share more about the devices and the RTX Spark in general.

Microsoft is also expected to highlight improvements to Windows 11. The tech giant is deep into its Windows K2 initiative that aims to reduce pain points in the operating system and smooth the overall experience. We've seen some early wins from that initiative, such as the option to resize and move the Taskbar on Windows 11.

But Microsoft still has a long way to go before Windows 11 is redeemed in the eyes of many. Windows updates often ship with bugs and the operating system still has mismatching UI elements. Fixing Windows 11 is a large project that will take time, and Microsoft would be wise to show what it's already done to improve the OS and point to what's on the way.

While Microsoft could always surprise us with more hardware announcements, its quote about "how local AI will shape the next chapter of the PC" aligns well with devices we already know are on the way. The Surface Laptop Ultra and Surface RTX Spark Dev Box are designed to run AI locally.

Based solely on that quote, we could see Microsoft discuss Project Zenith at the event. That's the codename of a new class of devices aimed at developers that want to build apps and local AI experiences.

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Microsoft is having a bit of a rough September when it comes to bugs. Another issue has been discovered in Windows 11. This time, it's Excel's copy and paste feature that's been broken by an OS update.

That bug was discovered shortly after Microsoft confirmed issues with Hyper-V Linux folder shares, Remote Desktop, and USB audio. Those have since been fixed through an out-of-band update, but the Excel bug has not been fixed yet.

Here's what's wrong, according to Microsoft:

"In Microsoft Excel 2024, 2021, 2019, and 2016, the paste operation might fail silently. Although users try to paste content, the source remains selected and the destination is unmodified. When this issue occurs, users receive no indication of the failure, such as a beep or error message. Microsoft is researching the issue and will post more information in this article when the information becomes available."

The September Patch Tuesday update has almost 1,000 security fixes, so it is important to install it on PCs. But it may be worth holding off a bit if your workflow would be hindered by lingering bugs.

I don't want to come across as a doomsayer. The sky is not falling because copy and paste in Excel is broken. But it's frustrating to see bugs creep into Windows 11 updates.

Microsoft is aware of negative feelings many users have toward Windows 11. The company has a Windows K2 initiative that aims to reduce pain points and improve the overall Windows 11 experience. Part of that initiative centers around improving Windows updates.

On paper, Microsoft is trying to reduce how many updates people need to install each month. But I've had to install several Windows 11 updates just in September, including the out-of-band update that fixed the audio issue.

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Windows 11 just received an out-of-band update that addresses several issues with the operating system. The September Patch Tuesday update includes almost 1,000 security fixes and other improvements, but it also had bugs that broke folder shares in Hyper-V-based Linux virtual machines, Remote Desktop Services, and certain audio devices.

Microsoft released the out-of-band update shortly after the issues were confirmed. It should download automatically in the background if you're running Windows 11 versions 26H1, 25H2, or 24H2. You can also grab the update through the Microsoft Update Catalog.

For the sake of clarity, Microsoft refers to these types of updates as out-of-band updates, but many people refer to them as emergency updates because installing them is urgent enough to ship the fixes immediately.

Here's a quick summary of the fixes, as outlined by Microsoft:

"Microsoft has identified issues that affect some devices after installing the September 2026 Windows security update, released September 8, 2026. On affected devices, host folder shares might be unavailable in Hyper-V-based Linux virtual machines, Remote Desktop Services might stop responding, which can prevent new sessions from being created and can prevent local and remote sign-in, and some USB Audio Class 1.0 devices might fail in multichannel audio modes."

Out-of-band updates have been released more in 2026 than in previous years. Some bugs in Windows 11 have required multiple patches.

When we publish a piece on Windows Central about a Windows 11 update, it's normal to see comments asking what the update will break. When there are inevitably issues with Windows 11, people ask "what do you expect" or something along those lines.

Obviously, if Microsoft finds issues, it needs to patch them. Emergency updates should be used when needed. My question is: why are they needed more frequently this year?

The situation is so bad that people celebrated the option to pause Windows 11 updates forever.

Microsoft is in the middle of an initiative to improve Windows 11 and reduce pain points in the operating system. But no one will care if they can move the Taskbar to the top of the screen or customize the Start menu if their speakers don't work.

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The latest Windows 11 update gives you plenty of reasons to upgrade, including hundreds of security fixes. But it also includes some bugs that range from frustrating to workflow-breaking.

Microsoft recently confirmed that a bug in Windows security update KB5124008 can cause some audio devices to fail. Affected systems will see one or more of the following issues:

• The device displays an error in Device Manager: "This device cannot start (Code 10).” 
• No audio output.
• Volume controls are unresponsive or remain at zero. 
• Sound settings are unresponsive or unavailable. 
• Some devices might function in standard stereo configurations but fail when using multichannel audio features, including 8-channel or 3D audio modes. Some customers have reported that they're able to restore audio in these cases by switching to 2-channel mode. 

I believe my PC was affected by this bug. After installing the most recent Patch Tuesday updates, my external USB speakers stopped working, and Windows automatically defaulted my audio output back to my docked laptop's built-in speakers.

The problems only affect USB Audio Class 1.0 devices. Just about any operating system or platform that supports USB audio works with USB Audio Class 1.0. That class was the first standard for audio devices and shipped in 1998. There are USB microphones, headsets, speakers, and many other devices that fall into the category.

Because some modern platforms (most notably gaming consoles like the PS5 and Nintendo Switch) do not support newer standards, headsets and other peripherals are often made to be USB Audio Class 1.0 devices so they work everywhere.

The bug affects Windows 11 versions 26H1, 25H2, and 24H2. Microsoft has confirmed the issue but has not released a fix at this time.

You may be able to workaround the bug by switching to 2-channel mode, but that is not a permanent fix. You can also uninstall the KB5124008 update, though it may be better to just wait for an official fix or to find a workaround.

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Microsoft Copilot will soon support Grok models from xAI. Word, Excel, and PowerPoint users in the Microsoft Frontier Program can test Grok models now, with general support expected to roll out in the future.

Grok models are being added to Microsoft's Online Services Subprocessor list. By offering different models as subprocessors, Microsoft can give customers access to those models without people having to switch away from the overall Copilot experience.

For example, Researcher Agent in Microsoft Copilot works with Claude AI models from Anthropic. Other Copilot experiences may use multiple AI models to complete tasks.

"Our multi-model strategy gives customers access to leading AI models while maintaining the trusted Copilot experience," said Microsoft in a Tech Community post.

For different models to appear as options, admins need to enable them through the settings of their respective organization.

During the testing period, Grok models will not be available in the European Union, European Free Trade Association, or the United Kingdom.

What is a subprocessor?

Subprocessors are third-party providers that help Microsoft deliver online services. Microsoft has an expansive list of subprocessors used for everything from powering data centers to completing tasks in Copilot.

Using Grok as a subprocessor helps Copilot tackle different tasks and provides redundancy that protects against outages or issues with other subprocessors. But users should not expect the witty or irreverent tone and style that Grok has become known for on X.

Subprocessors sit under Microsoft's system prompts and enterprise guardrails, so the generated responses will still be professional. Essentially, you get the benefit of Grok's multi-step logic and mathematical prowess but within Copilot.

Once an admin enables the integration, you can set Copilot in apps like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint to automatically pick the best model for a task, or manually pick between GPT, Claude, or Grok directly from a drop-down menu in the interface.

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Google Gemini now competes with Microsoft Copilot for space on your keyboard. Google just released Gemini for Windows, and that app uses the same keyboard shortcut as Copilot (Alt + Space).

That shortcut is popular and those hoping to use Gemini may have to remap some shortcuts to perform other tasks. In addition to summoning Copilot, Alt + Space opens PowerToys Run.

The Gemini app is available for both Windows 11 and Windows 10. You can download it through Google's website.

The general functionality of the Gemini app is similar to Gemini's web experience. One key difference is that you can summon the AI tool with a keyboard shortcut, which allows you to launch it quickly.

The macOS version of Gemini supports sharing your screen and other native capabilities, such as dictating by pressing both Command keys. Google explains that more native features will ship to the Windows version of Gemini in the future.

I prefer Gemini over Copilot for many tasks. I recently swapped to Google's AI tool for a month to see how it performed as an editor. While Copilot felt more personal, Gemini was often more accurate when it came to correcting tasks.

"In my specific use case, Gemini felt like an upgraded Microsoft Editor while Copilot felt like a modern Clippy," I said a couple months ago.

Both Copilot and Gemini have their strengths and weaknesses, but Google's option is better for my workflow. Our readers disagreed.

21% of those who voted in our poll about proofreading with AI use Microsoft Editor. Another 29% of participants use Microsoft Copilot. Only 11% of voters rely on Gemini to proofread documents.

Of course, Gemini and Copilot can do a lot more than proofread documents. Google recommends the new Gemini app for fact-checking documents, coming up with titles for a presentation, and creating images and videos.

For more complex tasks, you can hand things off to Gemini Spark within the app.

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Apple unveiled the iPhone Duo this week, taking the tech world by storm and dominating social media. While folding phones are hardly new, Apple used some clever tricks to make the iPhone Duo stand out. Apple's classic approach of perfecting a product category after other companies have tested the waters is fully on display.

Windows Central readers and Surface enthusiasts were quick to point out that Apple's new foldable has a remarkably similar name to the Surface Duo. Multitasking on the iPhone Duo also works in a similar way to split-screen work on the Surface Duo.

From the passport-like aspect ratio to multitasking to the literal name of the device, it's clear that Apple took inspiration from Microsoft's foldable. It appears that someone in the Apple marketing department had a bit of fun with this fact.

In a video demonstrating the multitasking capabilities of the iPhone Duo, Apple chose to have an article from Surface Magazine appear on the screen. That piece is not just a mockup made by Apple, it's a real article that was published in 2018.

X users @zenbookpro1 spotted the Surface article.

It's an interesting read about how Comporta, Portugal became a hot spot for architecture and how the area evolved from its agricultural roots. It also seems to have nothing to do with the iPhone Duo, at least directly.

I confess that I'm not an Apple historian. There is a chance that Comporta's rich architectural history is somehow related to the iPhone Duo, but that seems unlikely.

Before joining Windows Central full time, I worked for a company that presented on stage at WWDC. While I wasn't part of making that presentation, I have experience working on a team that makes videos for that audience.

Marketing videos are meticulously edited. At a company the size of Apple, every single frame that appears on stage will have been looked over several times by an entire team of people. There's almost no chance that the word "Surface" appeared by accident. The only debate that's possible is arguing that there's some other reason for it to appear.

Easter eggs like this are commonplace in the tech industry. Heck, Office 97 had an Easter egg that was not discovered until this year.

I suspect the appearance of Surface in the iPhone Duo announcement is a mixture of a playful jab at Microsoft and a nod to the work done on foldables to refine the category.

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Move over iPhone Duo announcement, the real news is here. Windows 11 will soon feature a few more emojis. Microsoft recently shipped Windows 11 Builds 26100.9539 and 26200.9539 to Insiders in the Release Preview Channel. Among other changes, the update adds support for Emoji 17.0.

Since these are Release Preview builds, many of the included changes have already been seen during earlier Insider testing.

Several changes have been made to File Explorer that should make for a smoother experience. Home within File Explorer now preserves the state of sections, so the next time you open the app things will be expanded or collapsed as before. Thumbnail previews for cloud files should appear more consistently as well following this update.

Emoji lovers will be happy to hear that Emoji 17.0 support comes with this build of Windows 11. Emoji 17.0 adds the distorted face, fight cloud, and hairy creature (Bigfoot) emojis.

Microsoft continues on its recent push to create more widgets. These Insider builds add a Tips widget that provides guidance about Windows features. Microsoft recently announced a battery widget that's in the works as well.

Another welcome change is the update to remap the Copilot key to function as the Right Control key or Context Menu key. Copilot already has a keyboard shortcut (Alt + Space) for those who want to use it, so having a dedicated key for a niche tool felt a bit like overkill.

Microsoft detailed the changes that are gradually rolling out.

Build 26100.9539/26200.9539

File Explorer

• New! This update adjusts how the preview pane handles files downloaded from the web. For HTML files, a new Preview anyway button lets you acknowledge the warning and preview the file. Non-HTML files, such as PDFs, are now previewed automatically.
• New! File Explorer Home now preserves the state of sections (expanded or collapsed), so you can pick up where you left off.
• New! This update improves the reliability of thumbnail previews for cloud files in the Details pane. The pane has also been reorganized so file properties are easier to find and review at a glance.
• New! This update addresses an issue that could clear the address bar contents when entering edit mode by clicking near the right side of the address bar.

Emoji

• New! This update adds support for Emoji 17.0, including new emoji such as distorted face, fight cloud, and hairy creature. To insert them, press Windows key + Period (.) to open the emoji panel.
• New! This update also refines the design of several existing emoji for better consistency across platforms, including saluting face, face with peeking eye, goose, lotus, and kissing cat.

Widgets

• New! This update introduces the Tips widget, which provides short, helpful guidance about Windows features. To add it to your Widgets board, open the board, select Add widgets, and then choose Tips. To add it to your lock screen, go to Settings > Personalization > Lock screen and add Tips to your lock screen widgets.

Personalization

• This update includes a variety of improvements to desktop background experiences:
  • This update improves the reliability of the Personalization > Background page in Settings.
  • This update adds support for using DIB image files as desktop backgrounds.
  • This update improves the reliability of desktop slideshow transitions on newly created accounts.
  • This update improves the resolution of previews when selecting a desktop background in Personalization > Background.
  • This update improves the desktop background preview display in Settings for users with portrait mode monitors.
  • This update improves the reliability of processing desktop wallpaper changes when they happen in quick succession.
  • This update adds support for using slideshow wallpapers with multiple desktops, so that it won't automatically switch you back to Picture.

Bluetooth

• This update contains several enhancements to improve reliability and the experience when connecting to and using Bluetooth devices:
  • During voice calls, the Windows shell volume flyout now appears when adjusting the volume of a Bluetooth Classic Audio accessory using the volume controls on the accessory, providing visual feedback of the new volume level.
  • This update improves the accuracy of the connection state displayed by Windows for accessories that have disconnected from the PC.
  • This update improves the stability of the Bluetooth & devices page in Settings when managing Bluetooth and audio devices.
  • This update resolves an issue where the Bluetooth radio could be turned off, but the radio control toggle on the Bluetooth & devices page in Settings appeared on.
  • This update improves Bluetooth audio stability and compatibility.
  • This update improves microphone compatibility with certain Bluetooth Classic Audio accessories.
  • This update resolves an issue that could result in a crash (error code 0x139) while streaming Bluetooth audio.
  • This update improves reliability and performance with LE Audio accessories.
  • This update improves the reliability of shared audio.

Accessibility

• New! This update introduces Open apps maximized, an accessibility setting that automatically maximizes app windows as they open. It removes a bit of everyday friction whether you use a screen reader or magnification, work in tablet mode, or simply prefer a consistent, full-screen workspace. To turn it on, go to Settings > Accessibility > Visual effects and turn on Open apps maximized.
• This update improves navigation of the Bluetooth quick settings page when using keyboard input, gamepad input, or Narrator.

Magnifier

• New! This update brings a modernized visual refresh to Magnifier on the taskbar:
  • Updated icons: Magnifier's toolbar icons align with the Windows 11 visual design, giving the tool a cleaner, more modern feel.
  • Refined spacing and padding: The padding is adjusted with consistent spacing across the toolbar for a more polished layout.
• Views, zoom controls, keyboard shortcuts, and Read Aloud all behave exactly as they did in earlier versions.

Settings

• This update improves the reliability of Settings when interacting with the contents of the Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners page.
• This update updates Settings > Apps > Installed apps to show the version number at the top level for packaged apps, as it already does for other apps.
• This update improves the time picker control in Settings so that it reflects your preferred time format when you switch between 12-hour and 24-hour formats. This applies in places such as setting active hours and scheduling night light.
• This update improves the persistence of the Allow multiple apps to use camera at the same time option in Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Camera.

Touchpad

• New! Additional gesture controls for precision touchpads are available in Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Touchpad:
  • Single-finger scrolling: Scroll vertically with one finger starting from the left or right side of the touchpad.
  • Automatic scrolling: Keep scrolling without lifting your fingers by moving them near the edge of your touchpad while scrolling.
• Previously, gesture controls for scroll and zoom speed and accelerated scrolling were released in the July 2026 update (KB5101684).

Copilot key

• New! This update introduces a new Windows 11 setting that lets you remap the Copilot key to function as the Right Ctrl or Context Menu key, helping preserve familiar keyboard shortcuts and accessibility workflows. For more information, see Understand updates to the Copilot key on Windows devices.

Camera Roll

• New! This update introduces Camera Roll Backup in Settings, helping eligible users protect their photos with OneDrive. You can turn on the feature from the Settings Home or Accounts page and complete setup on your mobile phone using a QR code.¹

Fonts

• New! This update adds support for the Garay and Beria Erfe scripts to the Ebrima font, the first Microsoft font to support both. Garay was encoded in Unicode 16.0 and Beria Erfe in Unicode 17.0.
• New! This update also refines the Adlam glyph designs in Ebrima to align with the current Unicode standard and improve consistency.

Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE)

• New! This update enables WinRE to automatically reuse eligible Wi-Fi profiles already saved in Windows, including supported certificate-based networks. Devices can now get online automatically during recovery scenarios such as quick machine recovery or cloud rebuild, without preconfiguring Wi-Fi credentials in WinRE. This capability is on by default, and IT admins can disable it. For more information, see Windows Recovery Environment (Windows RE).
• New! This update adds a recovery remote management plug-in for extending WinRE management capabilities for mobile device management (MDM) providers. For more information, see Recovery Remote Management Overview.

Kiosk mode

• The Windows key + Tab keyboard shortcut is now disabled when using a restricted user experience kiosk.
• The Windows key + A and Windows key + C keyboard shortcuts are now disabled when using single-app kiosk mode.

Windows Backup

• PC-to-PC Migration is no longer available. This feature, introduced through a phased rollout, previously allowed you to transfer files and settings directly from your previous PC when setting up a new Windows PC. To back up and restore your files, settings, and other supported items when moving to a new PC, use Windows Backup. For more information, see Back up and restore with Windows Backup.

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Apple didn't shock the world this week by unveiling the iPhone Duo, but it has taken the tech world by storm. With Apple joining the folding phone fray, we now have millions of people considering foldables that never would have considered the category.

With the iPhone Duo sharing so much with the Surface Duo, it's natural to make comparisons. Our Zac Bowden explained what went wrong with Surface Duo and highlighted Apple copying the names of Surface products.

But the iPhone Duo announcement stood out to me for another reason. It shows what happens when a company knows its own identity and leans into it. Apple is far from the first company to make a foldable phone, but the iPhone Duo tackles foldables in a way that's quintessentially Apple.

In normal Apple fashion, the company bided its time and waited for Samsung, Motorola, Xiaomi, and other companies to work out the biggest issues with foldables. Through years of trial and error, other manufacturers have determined the best form factor for a folding phone. They've also figured out use cases for folding screens and the large displays provided by what are essentially tablets that fold into phones at this point.

Apple's patient approach does more than give its engineers real-world feedback about a product category. By waiting until foldables became normal, Apple has left potentially the most difficult task to be completed by other companies: getting people to even consider a folding phone that costs a fortune.

Every time Apple introduces a new product or feature that's been seen elsewhere, people online joke about Apple "inventing" things. I get it. It's an easy joke and some Apple heads are smug and ignore advances made by other companies. But Apple's strategy works. In addition to making Apple money hand over fist, it creates good products.

Apple knows what it is. The leaders at Apple have a clear strategy and know how to make new products. Microsoft is lost when it comes to Surface, and the iPhone Duo shows that.

Before you jump to the comments, I am fully aware that Microsoft had a foldable phone years before Apple. The buggy mess that was the Surface Duo launched in 2020. After silently fixing a few bugs and realizing people want NFC and good cameras in a smartphone, Microsoft unveiled the Surface Duo 2. But Microsoft abandoned the Surface Duo lineup and never even released the Surface Duo 3, so I'm not going to give it the benefit of the doubt.

By not sticking with the Surface Duo lineup, Microsoft gave up its pioneer status. The company could have made a Surface Duo 3 that addressed concerns and then unveiled a model with a folding screen by now. But instead, Surface Duo is dusted.

When it comes to tech, you need to carve out a niche. That's often done by being the first, the best, or the most affordable. You can also succeed by being unique or by being over the top. Surface used to check some of these boxes, but it rarely does anymore.

What is Surface in 2026? It's no longer the innovative hardware maker that drove the 2-in-1 form factor. Experimental projects have been pushed to the wayside, leaving Lenovo to pick up the slack. Surface PCs were never the most affordable, and I'd argue they aren't even the best options in their respective categories anymore.

Microsoft has shown some small signs of moving in the right direction with the Surface Laptop Ultra, but I still have my reservations. Surface still seems lost, and I don't see Microsoft returning to the experimental roots of the product family.

Microsoft no longer pushes the limits of computing with experimental hardware. But it also does not wait long enough to see a category fully mature and then swoop in with a perfected version. Surface is stuck in the middle of a crowded PC space and feels like a leftover appendage of a bloated company.

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Windows 11 now includes new family safety features that can reduce how much adult content children are exposed to or able to view. Microsoft has a pair of blog posts on the topic, one that focuses on consumer-facing features and another that covers how APIs and Microsoft accounts are used to make the Windows experience safer.

The first change Microsoft highlighted is not a new feature, but a speed boost to an existing one. Granting parental approval is now faster than before, which allows parents and guardians to quickly approve things like additional screen time, access to specific apps, and purchases.

Speed is important when it comes to family safety. Occasionally children run into blocks when trying to access content that is required for homework or that is otherwise age-appropriate. Delayed approvals leave children sitting around and can cause frustration for kids and parents.

Microsoft has also made it easier for parents to keep track of web activity, app activity, and spending. Managing family groups has been improved as well, including options that make it simpler to add or remove members.

The importance of Microsoft accounts

Some people complain about Microsoft accounts being a requirement to use certain services. Microsoft has budged a bit in this area. For example, it's now possible to sign in to Microsoft Edge with a Google account.

But managing family safety settings relies heavily on a Microsoft account, as explained by the company:

"At Microsoft, we believe safety should be easier for families to understand and easier for developers to build into experiences for children to use. On Windows, that starts with the account. Microsoft account is a trusted foundation through which Windows brings age-appropriate protections and parental choices into more of the digital experiences encountered by children and teens every day."

Setting up accounts for children is a requirement to set parental controls for individuals. Microsoft accounts also allow Windows to know if a user is a child, teen, or adult.

Microsoft has introduced a new API to extend age awareness beyond the OS and across the entire Windows ecosystem. The Windows Age APIs can verify a user's age and then send that verification to an app without sharing personal information. It's a bit like Windows Hello but for age verification.

The new Windows Age APIs are available now to Windows Insiders and should ship to all Windows users soon.

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Windows and Windows Phone users struggled with the app gap for years, often leading to frustration when their favorite app was unavailable. But recent advances in AI have led to a different kind of problem: an explosion of development. Microsoft recently shared the challenges caused by AI accelerating the development of extensions for the Edge browser.

"How do we keep up with the pace at which the ecosystem is growing, while maintaining a high bar for quality?" asked Microsoft's Edge team.

Microsoft approves extensions that appear in the Edge Add-ons site. Since AI can speed up the process of developing or updating apps, Microsoft has more submissions to take care of. To better handle the workload, Microsoft has automated some validation checks for extensions.

The company emphasizes that it still has the same standards for an extension to pass. The automation centers around common problems so humans can focus on more complex cases.

If an extension passes enough quality checks, it will earn a "Featured" badge in the Edge Add-ons site. Microsoft now refreshes Featured badges every 15 days.

"With this more frequent cadence, high-quality extensions can earn recognition sooner, and developers receive faster feedback on their investments in quality," said Microsoft. "At the same time, users benefit from a more up-to-date view of the extensions that meet our quality standards."

Edge extensions have come a long way. The browser first required developers to put in a lot of work that was exclusive to Edge. That changed when Edge was relaunched as a Chromium browser. That switch greatly improved compatibility and resulted in more extensions being in the Edge Add-ons site.

Being based on Chromium also comes with some downsides, however. Microsoft is following in the footsteps of Google by moving from Manifest V2 to Manifest V3. There are a variety of effects of that change, but the one many care about the most is it means uBlock Origin will no longer work on Edge (it already does not work on Chrome).

Microsoft revamped the Edge Add-ons site with a better browsing experience and new categories last year. The new site shows better suggestions as you type and lets you install extensions without having to jump to a different page.

With that refresh and the recent uptick in extension submissions, it should be easier than ever to find a quality extension.

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Windows 11 will finally support automatic switching between dark mode and light mode. The most recent Windows Insider build that shipped to the experimental Channel shows strings for the feature, though we still lack key information about the option.

It's been possible to schedule shifts between light and dark mode on Windows 11 for a while, but it has required a third-party application. Auto Dark Mode works well and is a must-have app for Windows 11.

The ever-popular PowerToys can also handle theme switching through its "Light Switch" feature. PowerToys is made by Microsoft but it only recently added the Light Switch utility. It's also not built in to Windows 11.

While both those apps are great, some features need to be built into Windows 11. People shouldn't have to search for an app or install a multi-tool utility to automate theme switching.

The upcoming feature for Windows 11 was spotted by X user "phantomofearth." They shared some of the strings that appear in the latest build, which give us a glimpse of how the feature will work:

• "Schedule auto mode"
• "Mode only changes when PC is idle"
• "This prevents the mode from changing while you're working or in meetings"
• "Turn on location services to automatically schedule dark mode. When location services are turned off, dark mode is active from [START] to [END]."

Since there are likely many other strings about the feature, we only have a small idea of how auto mode will work. But the snippets we can see now look promising.

It appears that the feature will support shifting between modes based on your location to better match sunrise or sunset. Alternatively, you'll be able to schedule switches for specific times.

The feature also looks like it will have the option to only switch themes when your PC is idle, which should prevent a jarring change from happening in the middle of important work.

Again, this functionality is already available on Windows 11 through apps, but I'll be happy to see it ship to Windows 11. I love tinkering with apps to customize my PC, but general users shouldn't have to do that to get such a straightforward feature.

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Another record-setting Patch Tuesday is here for Windows 11. The operating system has a massive number of security patches and fixes that are now available to hundreds of millions of PCs.

At the time of publication, we do not have the change log of the latest updates. You can, however, grab the most recent builds through the Microsoft Update Catalog. We will update this piece as more information becomes available.

According to The Verge, this month's Patch Tuesday update includes more than 650 security fixes just for Windows. That's a six-fold increase over what we normally saw in a usual month until recently. But advances in AI have sped up the process of discovering vulnerabilities as well as the need to patch them swiftly.

This is a breaking news story. It will be updated after Microsoft releases the change log for this month's Patch Tuesday updates.

Thanks in large part to AI, it's now common to see hundreds of security patches ship on a Patch Tuesday.

AI is a useful tool for Microsoft's engineers, but it can also be used by malicious actors. We're seeing an AI arms race for discovering and patching vulnerabilities.

In addition to helping discover vulnerabilities, AI can help malicious actors take advantage of vulnerabilities that have been discovered or disclosed. That process has been accelerated greatly by AI, putting pressure on organizations and IT admins to test security patches quickly so they can be rolled out.

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The Bing Wallpaper app is one of the few items under the Bing brand that's praised. The app provides beautiful images that can be set to rotate as your desktop background. But the app is in the headlines for the wrong reasons this week.

Some unlucky users have had their desktop background swapped to a fullscreen ad for a collection of Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts films.

People have taken to Reddit to complain about the ad-filled wallpaper. A Microsoft Learn post shares similar complaints.

There's often debate about what counts as an ad on Windows 11. For example, prompts to use OneDrive are called ads by some but are viewed simply as optional features by others.

Promotional content isn't entirely new to Bing Wallpaper. The app frequently cycles through images tied to popular movies or Xbox games. Perhaps I'm splitting hairs, but I view the new Harry Potter wallpaper differently than a normal background image.

Bing Wallpaper features a gorgeous clean image of David Corenswet's Superman. It's a well-framed shot with dynamic lighting that captures the hopeful tone of Corenswet's rendition of the character. While the image is from Superman (2025), it is not a promotional poster with text about how to buy the movie.

In contrast, the Harry Potter wallpaper is specifically about the 11-film collection. The lower-right corner of the image says "AVAILABLE NOW" in all caps.

If the image were simply of Hogwarts and the surrounding area, it would be different. People are passionate about Harry Potter and other franchises. It's completely natural to enjoy a wallpaper showing off a favorite character or iconic setting.

I'd be just as bothered if the Superman image featured prominent text telling me the movie is available on Amazon. If Microsoft needs to monetize the Bing Wallpaper app, that needs to happen without crowding the images. Clicking to learn more about an image from a movie and being told about the film is fine. A big promo on my desktop is not.

Bing Wallpaper is an optional app, so it's not as if Microsoft is pushing more ads through Windows 11's settings. But as mentioned earlier, Bing Wallpaper is one of the only parts of the Bing brand that's well received. Tarnishing it with ads is penny wise, pound foolish.

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Windows 11 will soon feature a Battery Status widget that you can pin to the Widget Board or your PC's lock screen. The feature is still in the works at the moment, but you don't have to wait for it to be finished. Third-party app "Battery Flyout" already supports a Battery Status widget and is available right now.

Just like Microsoft's widget that's in progress, Battery Flyout's widget shows the battery status of your PC and connected devices. It's a quick way to check if your keyboard, mouse, or other accessories are charged.

The Widget Board has been underutilized since it launched in 2021. There are fewer than 100 widgets available, many of which are tremendously niche. I hope the existence of the Battery Status widget indicates that Microsoft is going to invest the time needed to grow the library of Windows 11 widgets.

Microsoft has made some other improvements to the Widget Board lately, such as turning off the MSN feed by default. I hope this is a turning point for the feature. If not, at least we can rely on third-party developers to use the space.

If you had a previous version of Battery Flyout installed, you may need to update the app before being able to use the widget.

As a built-in feature of Windows 11, the Battery Status widget will be available for free. Battery Flyout costs $3.19 (on sale from $3.99). But some lucky Windows Central readers will be able to get Battery Flyout for free. The app's developer shared a code for a giveaway and I'll run that on the r/windowscentral subreddit. Make sure to subscribe there and keep an eye out.

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A new Windows app that aims to replicate the Dynamic Island of macOS just got a major update. Notchify now performs better and has new features like a built-in Clipboard history. It's a promising continuation of the app's development.

It's always interesting to pit Windows 11 against macOS. The two operating systems overlap but approach so many challenges in different ways.

While many are passionate defenders of a specific operating system, I think if we're all honest there are features and elements across the aisle worth envying. But it was a bit surprising to see that some Windows 11 users want a macOS-esque notch on the top of their screen.

The notch along the top of certain Macs came out of hardware limitations, not Apple deciding a black cutout of a screen was a brilliant design. But as Apple often does, the company found a way to turn a limitation into a feature that could be marketed. The Dynamic Island is a genuinely useful feature that provides quick access to information, notifications, and quick actions.

Notchify brings that part of the Dynamic Island to Windows 11. You don't need to permanently carve out part of your screen to use it though, which is nice.

Here is the change log for the latest update to Notchify, as shared by the app's developer on Reddit:

Performance and rendering

• Optional GPU (hardware) rendering for much smoother animations
• Large drop in idle CPU and memory use
• Fixed a system-wide keyboard lag some people were hitting
• Better fullscreen detection so it stays out of the way in games
• Selectable frame rate from 60 to 240 Hz, so it can match a high refresh rate monitor

Clipboard and Tray

• Clipboard history built into the island: pin, delete, clear
• Drag items straight out into Discord, WhatsApp, Paint, or Explorer, or click one to copy it
• The file tray now supports drag and drop: drop files in to stash them, drag them out into any app

Notifications

• An in-app notifications panel with swipe to dismiss
• Click a notification to jump straight to the app
• Stacking, like the real thing

New widgets

• To-do and Notes, now with a proper calendar date picker
• Quick System Actions: lock, sleep, mute, dark/light toggle, screenshot, settings
• App Shortcuts: pin apps, folders, or links
• Calendar with your next event

Bluetooth and media

• Connected device card with a battery ring, now including BLE devices
• Media player with scrubbing, shuffle, repeat, and an album-colored visualizer

Quality of life

• Optional hover to reveal: the island appears when your cursor reaches the top edge, even in fullscreen
• Redesigned settings
• 10 languages
• Multi-monitor and high-DPI fixes

Our Editor-in-Chief Daniel Rubino took a closer look at Notchify recently. He used a massive 52-inch Dell Ultrasharp monitor, so he can afford to give up a bit of space for convenience.

"I still don’t love the idea of a notch (it’s not my aesthetic), but I can’t deny how practical it is," said Rubino. "Having a small, centralized hub for quick info saves me from scanning the corners of my display. It’s one of those things that quietly improves workflow without demanding attention."

One of the biggest limitations of Notchify is that it's a third-party app, meaning Windows 11 does not cater to it the way macOS does to the Dynamic Island. Apps do not wrap around Notchify, which can result in content being covered.

Notchify costs $1.99. There is a free trial available, so there's no harm in giving it a try.

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I've probably eaten my entire body weight in chicken nuggets over the course of my life. I'm in my late 30s, so that's a lot of meals to hit that milestone, but I can confidently say that I'm a nugget expert. I've eaten 20-piece boxes since they were limited-time promotions during the summers of my childhood.

It should come as no surprise that I had to try the Halo-inspired Moa McNuggets that are currently available. I'm pretty sure this article makes the order a business expense.

I've reviewed my fair share of Xbox-related fast food items. To this day, Nether Flame Sauce is the best sauce I've ever had from McDonald's. I even reviewed an Xbox doughnut once.

So, how does the latest gaming Xbox-themed snack stack up? I'm sorry to say that the black pepper and garlic nuggets are not my favorite. They're made consistently and I'm sure there are people who like them, including our Richard Devine. But I found there to be too much pepper in each nugget.

The nuggets also felt dryer than standard McNuggets, which surprised me. I ordered them on two different days to see if it was a fluke, but the additional ingredients in the breading dry things out in my experience.

You may be tempted to dip the Moa McNuggets in the Dragon Breath Fiery Buffalo Dip inspired by Azeroth from World of Warcraft, but I'd recommend against it. That buffalo dip is meant to pair with Chicken Selects. Combining it with black pepper and garlic crowds the mouth. The sauce on its own is fine, albeit hotter and more vinegar-filled than Nether sauce.

I wasn't a fan of the Blamco Cheesy Potato Bites either, though basing a food item on a post-apocalyptic game isn't the best idea anyway.

Shifting back to the McNuggets you all are so eager to read about, the black pepper and garlic nuggets have an interesting history that connects them to Japan.

Reusing gaming assets

I found it interesting that the Moa nuggets are not new, just a rebrand. McDonald's in the UK sold the same recipe last year as part of the World Heist menu. Black pepper and garlic nuggets were first sold at McDonald's in Japan and proved popular.

So, why did McDonald's reuse its Japanese McNuggets as part of its Halo promotion? That's hard to say. According to Halo Waypoint, "the taste of Moa meat is barely distinguishable from beef." People joke that everything tastes like chicken, but it seems odd that McDonald's wouldn't make its Moa product from beef.

While I have questions about Moa meat and the lore accuracy of the latest nuggets, there is some consistency when it comes to flavors to pair with the fictional food. The Pringles Wavy Moa Burger crisps that came out in 2021 featured garlic. They also had pepper, though chili and red rather than black. Those crisps (or chips to my American audience) were also supposed to taste like beef, so I still think McDonald's is on thin ice trying to promote chicken as Moa meat.

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Windows 11 will soon be able to provide a "distraction-free" experience with less clutter... as long as you are a developer with an extremely expensive PC. Microsoft just announced Project Zenith, which feels like a mixture of marketing speak and a good idea.

Project Zenith devices will come with pre-enabled settings and pre-installed apps to reduce how much developers need to do to start working. None of the features are exclusive to those devices, however. You could just manually set Windows 11 a certain way and install apps like Visual Studio Code.

Project Zenith devices also need to have at least 64 GB of unified memory and at least 250 GB/s memory bandwidth.

But if you can already buy a PC with those specs and install apps and change settings yourself, what's the point of Project Zenith? That's a fair question, but I think there is a solid idea to build on.

Biggest News of the Week

Windows 11 runs on over a billion devices, ranging from lightweight laptops in classrooms to powerful gaming rigs. There are different SKUs of Windows 11 already, but too many people are tossed into the standard Windows experience out of the box.

Having a configuration of Windows 11 tailored to developers is a fine idea, and I'd love to see Microsoft explore the concept further. We're seeing that a bit on the gaming side of things with Game Mode and Project Helix.

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The concept of a tailored version of Windows is not new. Microsoft has toyed around with the idea several times over the years. We saw a glimmer of hope with Windows 10X, but that version of Windows never made it out of testing. Windows 10 S mode was another attempt to tweak the OS for certain users.

I'd love to see a dynamic version of Windows with entire components stripped out if they're unneeded. A glorious modern version of Windows that can easily add full legacy support with the flip of a switch. But that doesn't seem realistic.

Instead, Microsoft needs to lean into the idea of tailoring the "full fat" version of Windows 11 to different use cases. For example, a lot of people hate AI but Microsoft appears to be a big fan of it. Microsoft could have Copilot+ PCs come with AI features pre-enabled and Copilot pre-installed. The tech giant could then have a "non-AI" version of Windows 11 that has AI features disabled or not installed at all.

Alternatively, this could be done through the unboxing experience. Microsoft already asks you questions to determine how you plan to use your PC. Having different modes could make that process more impactful. But since your PC is running Windows 11, you could always enable or install what you need later.

Of course, this would require Microsoft to admit that there's a real demand for an AI-free version of Windows 11, and that users shouldn't need an EU mandate just to get a PC without ads.

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Gaming continues to improve on Windows 11 PCs powered by Snapdragon X chips. A recent Adreno GPU driver improves stability and quality for several titles, though the exact changes you'll see depend on if your system has a Snapdragon X chip or a Snapdragon X2 chip.

Well-known titles including Halo Infinite and Black Myth: Wukong are among the games that will benefit from the driver update for those with Snapdragon X2 processors. Avowed, Borderlands 4, and Dishonored 2 are among the library of games that will improve when running a Snapdragon X chip.

Windows 11 PCs powered by Snapdragon processors have come a long way. A massive library of apps now run natively on Windows 11 on Arm and emulation has improved to fill remaining gaps.

While there are pieces of enterprise and legacy software that do not work with Windows 11 on Arm, the biggest remaining gap is gaming.

In both our own testing of Snapdragon X gaming support and game compatibility testing by Ghobso Gaming show that games can perform well on Snapdragon X systems. But there are still titles that are not supported or that are poorly optimized. For example, Halo: Campaign Evolved has a major texture bug that basically makes the game unplayable on Windows 11 on Arm.

Easy Anti-Cheat is now supported, as is Logitech G HUB. Many games now perform better on Snapdragon X systems, but I think it's safe to call it a work in progress.

There are two change logs to go through, one for Snapdragon X and one for Snapdragon X2, both of which were shared on Reddit by user "lexcyn":

Snapdragon X Series Platforms: Game Stability/Quality Improvements

• Avowed
• Borderlands 4
• Dishonored 2
• Dishonored: Death of the Outsider
• DREDGE
• Nobody Wants to Die
• RoboCop: Rogue City - Unfinished Business
• Seven Deadly Sins: Origin
• Split Fiction
• Squad

Snapdragon X2 Series Platforms: Game Stability/Quality Improvements

• 007 First Light
• Black Myth: Wukong
• Borderlands 3
• Dishonored 2
• Dishonored: Death of the Outsider
• F1 2022
• Granblue Fantasy: Relink
• Hades 1
• Halo Infinite
• Hollow Knight
• It Takes Two
• Lies of P
• Seven Deadly Sins: Origin
• Split Fiction
• Star Wars Outlaws
• Yakuza Kiwami 3

Qualcomm and Microsoft continue to work on the gaming experience on Snapdragon X systems. A recent update to Snapdragon Control Panel redesigned game library navigation and improved the software experience.

The Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme and other Snapdragon X2 chips are more powerful, allowing them to better handle modern games.

When announcing those chips, Qualcomm did not mention gaming in its press release, but it's clear that the company has plans to power gaming PCs with its Snapdragon X processors. ASUS took a different approach and listed the Zenbook A16, highlighting its gaming capabilities.

As more games are optimized and supported, gaming on Windows 11 on Arm will trend upward.

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