Latest news with #WindowsInsider
Time of India
21 hours ago
- Time of India
Microsoft releases first preview of Windows 11 25H2 update for these users
Microsoft has released the first version of this year's Windows 11 update called the 25H2. As announced by the company, the 2025 update is now available to Windows insiders. Announcing the new build in a blog post, the company said 'Today, Windows 11, version 25H2 became available to the Windows Insider community, in advance of broader availability planned for the second half of 2025.' Tired of too many ads? go ad free now 'Get ready for a reset of the 36-month support lifecycle for Enterprise and Education editions and the 24-month lifecycle for Pro, Pro Education, and Pro for Workstation editions,' it further added. The blog states that the 25H2 update installation package is 40% smaller than the previous version. Another improvement coming with the version is the Windows shared servicing branch. This capability applies the same technology used for the monthly update process to the annual feature updates. 'This process is called "feature updates via servicing," and the updates are implemented through enablement packages (eKB). An eKB is an update package that helps update a device to the next version of Windows with a single restart that reduces downtime.' The blog post reveals that Windows 11 25H2 and 24H2 share the same source code. How to install the new 25H2 build As mentioned earlier, the first 25H2 version of Windows 11 is available for Windows insiders. Those interested can enroll in the Windows Insider Program and join the Dev Channel. Once enrolled, head to Settings, choose Windows Update, and allow the latest updates to download and install. After the usual beta testing, Microsoft will officially began rolling out the Windows 11 24H2 update to all users on October 1.
Forbes
3 days ago
- Forbes
Microsoft's Free New Windows Upgrade: How It Works And How To Get It
Microsoft stops supporting Windows 10 in just over 100 days on Oct.14, 2025. But on June 25, the company introduced the Extended Security Updates (ESU) program, which will mean users will supported for an extra year, for free. Windows 10 and Windows 11 This is a big change: until a few days ago, to gain an extra year, you needed to pay the company $30. Now, there's a free option, but there are things you need to do. Essentially, you need to link your Microsoft account and sync Settings to the cloud. First, as Microsoft explains, you need to sign in to Windows on a device running Windows 10, version 22H2 Home, Professional, Pro Education, or Workstation edition with the latest update installed. To enroll your device in ESU, go to Settings, then Update & Security, then Windows Update. Assuming you meet the requirements, you should see a link to enroll. If you choose not to sync your PC settings, the $30 fee still applies. Windows Latest, ahead of the game as usual, has already done all this as part of the Insider Program, so has seen it in action. 'In our tests, it just takes a few seconds to extend support. You'll see the 'Enroll now' button on the right side of the Windows Update. On some installations, it also appears below the Check for updates button. I assume Microsoft is A/B testing the toggle, but once you click the 'Enroll now' button, it opens a pop-up window titled 'Enroll in Extended Security Updates.' The pop-up says it'll help you extend security updates support beyond October 14, 2025, when Windows 10 support ends,' Mayank Parmar explains. The wizard will check whether your PC meets the requirements which are not, of course, the same as those needed to upgrade to Windows 11. When it's all done, a success screen appears. 'You're enrolled in Extended Security Updates through Oct. 13, 2026,'it says. If you're really not interested in moving on from Windows 10, and that's the case for hundreds of millions of users, this is a simple way to keep your PC secure until late 2026 for free.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
After about a bazillion user requests, Windows finally lets you move the audio volume pop-up
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Rejoice, for Microsoft has repented. At last, you can move the audio volume pop-up in Windows. At least, you can in Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.4452, released yesterday. Actually, you can now configure all of the hardware indicators, including brightness, volume, airplane mode, and virtual desktops, choosing between the existing default, which is bottom centre, top left and top centre. In other words, we're talking about the overlays that pop up when you hit the volume or brightness keys on your keyboard. Until now, they popped up bottom centre with no options to alter that. Now you can choose from three locations. OK, this is not exactly revolutionary. But as Microsoft itself says, this is a "highly requested setting," and, generally, added configurability is always welcome. Of course, these kinds of beta builds of Windows typically come with a raft of tweaks and optimisations, and Insider Preview Build 26120.4452 is no different. Among other highlights, Microsoft continues to plug away at the controversial and sometimes problematic Recall feature. For the new build, Microsoft is "making it easier and faster for you to find and reconnect with the apps and websites that matter to you by introducing a new personalized homepage to Recall. The new homepage brings your recent activity and top-used content front and center, enabling you to easily get back to your previous tasks." Once you opt in, the homepage will display your most recent snapshots captured by Recall, plus a "curated view" of the top three applications and websites you have spent the most time on in the past 24 hours. As before, you can manually configure exactly which apps are captured by recall. That means you can make sure really sensitive apps, like banking, for instance, are excluded. Elsewhere, other fixes include an issue that was causing the Windows Vista boot sound to play on start up instead of the correct Windows 11 sound, and some niggles with File Exporer. You can find out more at the Windows Insider Blog page for the new build.
The Verge
24-06-2025
- The Verge
Windows 11's indicators for volume and brightness can soon be moved out of the way
Microsoft is testing a new feature in Windows 11 that will let you move hardware indicators pop-ups like volume and screen brightness to the top-left and top-center positions of a display. The customization feature is part of a new Dev Channel build of Windows 11 that also includes a new Recall homepage that lists the top three apps and websites you've used in a 24-hour period. Currently, Windows 11 shows the volume, brightness, and airplane mode indicators in the bottom center of a screen. In the latest Dev Channel build you can now choose the position of these on-screen indicators so they're less in the way of apps you're using. You won't be able to pick the top right position though, presumably because that would place the indicator too close to the minimize, maximize, and close buttons for apps. Alongside the indicator changes, Microsoft is also testing a new Recall homepage. 'The new homepage brings your recent activity and top-used content front and center, enabling you to easily get back to your previous tasks,' says Microsoft's Windows Insider team. The homepage shows recent snapshots as well as top apps or websites that have been used in the past 24 hours. Recall is also getting a new navigation bar on the left side, which lets you quickly switch between this new home interface and the Timeline feature to scroll through all your snapshots. Microsoft is currently testing these changes with Windows Insiders, so expect to see them appear more broadly in Windows 11 in the coming months.
Yahoo
22-06-2025
- Yahoo
Snipping Tool Is Getting a Big GIF Upgrade
GIFs remain one of the most popular image formats on the internet, despite their age. They're even natively integrated into most messaging apps. Now, Microsoft is testing the ability to create and export them using Windows's native screenshot and screen recording tool. In the current version of Snipping Tool, the only GIFs you can export are static, just like a JPG, PNG, or BMP file. However, a new version of the Snipping Tool currently in the Canary and Dev channels lets you save your screen recordings as an animated GIF instead of an MP4 file. Most common video formats (especially MP4s) are typically smaller for any given video length, but GIFs have a few advantages. They don't require anything special to work—even a device from 2000 could run one natively—and they loop automatically, which is often a plus if you're using a GIF reaction to express something over text. Actually using the new GIF export function is refreshingly straightforward. On PCs running the correct experimental versions of Windows, all you need to do is press Windows+Shift+R to launch the screen recorder, capture what you'd like, and then click the 'GIF' button in the top right corner. You're provided a few export options: the ability to name the file and a vague 'quality' setting, which only includes high or low. That is about as straightforward as it gets, and it certainly beats capturing a recording, then importing that recording into a third-party program to trim up and export as a GIF. The length of a GIF is limited to 30 seconds—any longer than that and Snipping Tool will prompt you to export it in a video file format instead, like MP4. Though the feature is in its infancy, it would be nice to see an 'Advanced' option that provides a little more granular control over the GIF, like the ability to set the quality a bit more specifically, or an option to set the framerate. It could be a while. The current GIF export feature is being tested in the Canary and Developer Channels. Generally speaking, features tested in those channels take longer to make it to the live version of Windows than features you see in the Beta channel. It is also much more common for features tested in those channels to never make it to Windows, though given how practical a native ability to handle GIFs would be, it seems likely that this one will survive. In the interim, there are a number of screen recording apps that support creating and exporting GIFs. If you like free and open source software (FOSS), ShareX is a pretty good option. It has a huge range of features above and beyond what Windows 11's Snipping Tool currently offers. ScreenPresso is another popular application that supports exporting GIFs, though it isn't FOSS and has a paid version.
