PCWorld reports that Microsoft is finally addressing long-standing Windows 11 taskbar complaints through a new update packed with customization options. Users can now resize the taskbar, reposition it to any screen edge, and adjust Start menu layouts, restoring features many had missed. The update also cleans up Windows Search by hiding Bing and Microsoft Store clutter, while legacy tools like WMIC are being removed to modernize the OS. With yesterday's Patch Tuesday for September, Microsoft not only fixed a record number of security vulnerabilities but also released several new features for Windows 11, which you can try out now (or soon). Microsoft gradually rolls out new features across eligible Windows 11 PCs. That means most users will gain access to the new features within the next few days or weeks.

When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. It took entirely too long to get the taskbar back on top without mods. But at least I found a cool new program with community-supplied tweaks. This morning I woke up to a freshly rebooted desktop. A bit annoying, but that's just something that happens with Windows 11 -- it reboots to install an update after a while, sometimes even when you don't ask it to.

When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. Everyone assumed the Windows taskbar copied a rival OS. Many assumed NeXTSTEP inspired the Windows taskbar, but Microsoft veterans say its roots trace to a 1991 project called Cairo. In a recent social media thread, Microsoft veterans Brad Silverberg, Joe Belfiore, and Dave Plummer shared a few anecdotes and clarifications about how the taskbar became part of Windows. The taskbar, first introduced with Windows 95, allowed users to keep track of multiple active programs simultaneously, making it one of the highlight features of the cutting-edge operating system.

When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. With optional update KB5120998, Microsoft is making the taskbar repositionable again. But the update comes with some risks. Microsoft just released optional update KB5120998 for Windows 11 24H2 and 25H2. On top of numerous minor improvements, it introduces a few big changes that'll be noticeable in day-to-day use.

When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. It was inevitable: Microsoft plans to carve out space on the Windows 11 taskbar for Copilot, while adding "Hey Copilot" as a wake word to trigger interactions with its AI. While the company isn't making any overt changes to the branding of Windows 11, its executives this week spoke about reinventing the "AI PC," the first generation of PCs it launched with early NPUs. Microsoft plans to make PCs smarter, including agents that can take actions and granting Copilot Vision more powers. Adding Copilot to the taskbar will actually be the most visible change to the Windows 11 user interface.

If you woke up to a Windows PC suddenly without Microsoft's Copilot app installed, you didn't dream the last few years of AI hype, Microsoft just made a mistake. The latest monthly Windows 11 update that rolled out on March 11 "unintentionally uninstalled and unpinned" the AI assistant, according to a Microsoft support article spotted by The Verge. Microsoft is aware that Copilot's gone missing and is "working on a resolution to address this issue." For now, if you want Copilot back, you can redownload its app from the Microsoft Store and manually pin it to your taskbar. Just like any new feature, since Copilot was added to Windows in 2023, there's been people interested in removing it.

It's impossible to ignore the rapid rise in the capabilities of artificial intelligence tools in recent months. Microsoft hasn't been shy in stuffing Windows full of AI features: Windows computers now come with a dedicated key for launching Copilot, Microsoft's AI assistant, which has been integrated into the operating system. We'll guide you through everything you can use Copilot for on your Windows laptop or desktop, and how you can get it up and running. We'll also explain the difference between Copilot and a Copilot PC, which is a label you might have spotted if you've been shopping for a Windows computer lately. When it comes to the Copilot assistant inside Windows, it's very similar to the Copilot app on the web.

Fortunes are being made on that interest, in a way hauntingly reminiscent of the crypto boom and subsequent bust. And absolutely everyone wants to get in on the former and avoid the latter. "Everyone" in this case includes pretty much every possible technology company. While OpenAI is at the center of this particular gold rush, and Nvidia is selling the shovels to digital forty-niners, more conventional players aren't resting on their haunches. As happens with buzzwords, it's quickly becoming diluted -- every new PC is an "AI PC," which means very little for actual users.

Microsoft said Friday that it has begun testing some extremely practical new capabilities for Windows 11, with new features that include Voice Clarity, 80Gbps USB support, and sharing and compression features that accommodate more applications. Windows 11 Build 26040 is part of the Windows 11 Canary Channel, code that may or may not be released to the general public. As proof of this, Microsoft pulled back a "remote capture" feature that had been released to the Canary and Dev Channels last September, making it part of the Snipping Tool app instead. While Microsoft hasn't shipped any groundbreaking features with this release, it has included a number of useful additions that hopefully will make their way to the stable Windows channel this fall. Last fall, Microsoft launched a "remote capture" feature that streamlined the process of capturing and editing photos taken with your smartphone.

The last major Windows 11 23H2 feature update was released in Fall 2023. Contrary to previous fears, Windows 10 users are not completely excluded from further development. Microsoft is also planning new functions for the older operating system. Given the popularity of Windows 10, there is even speculation as to whether Microsoft could extend support beyond the planned end in October 2025. There's also speculation about Windows 11 24H2, which could be called Windows 12 . There have been no official announcements to date. The only thing that seems certain is that the high hardware requirements will remain.