It’s Saturday, which means it’s time again to go through all the important things that have happened in the Microsoft verse over the past few days. This has been one of the busiest weeks yet in terms of news and we had items related to Internet Explorer, Microsoft Edge, Windows 11, app previews and leaks pouring in constantly. Be sure to check out our weekly recap for July 30th – August 5th!
The return of Internet Explorer
Internet Explorer (IE) is dead and shouldn’t even be bundled in Windows 11. However, some internet sleuths have managed to find it in the depths of Microsoft’s latest operating system. It turns out that the GUI for IE still exists in Windows 11 and can be activated quite easily. You can even set a shortcut for it. Interestingly, Microsoft has kept quiet about this, although before this week there was a clear public perception that Windows 11 is the first version of the operating system to ship without an IE bundle.
But when it came to Microsoft’s latest browser, Edge also received a few notable updates. Edge Dev 105.0.1336.2 introduced Narrator, a new management policy, and a number of performance improvements. The company also enabled Enhanced Security Mode (formerly Super Duper Secure Mode) by default in Edge 105.0.1293.44 Beta and then quickly rolled out the configuration with a new Basic option for everyone in Edge Stable via version 105.0.1293.47.
Speaking of browsers in general, Edge comes closer to 11% of the desktop market share. This is clearly still a long way behind Chrome’s current share of 66.19%, but it’s a start. Meanwhile, DuckDuckGo has now committed to blocking Microsoft scripts in its browser and extensions. Microsoft has also stated that it will not profile DuckDuckGo users when clicking on ads, even though the site is advertised in partnership with Microsoft.
Windows 11 build 25174
Microsoft rolled out Windows 11 Dev Channel build 25174 this week. Most notably, this build introduces the Game Pass widget so you can get a taste of newcomers, impending departures, and more. There are a number of bug fixes for File Explorer, Settings, and Taskbar, as well as a long list of known issues. A maintenance version 25174.1010 (KB5017214) was also released yesterday.
There were also a few interesting things about build 25174. While this may be due to a bug, there are hints that Microsoft is changing the icons in the Exit dialog box. In the same vein, some Windows 11 users managed to activate a floating, rounded taskbar. However, Microsoft later pointed out that this is a bug, much to the disappointment of many.
On the other hand, the beta channel received builds 22621,450 and 22622,450. As usual, the former has new features disabled by default, while the latter has them enabled. Some improvements have been made to File Explorer, but there are also several known issues. Speaking of issues, Microsoft also fixed a display bug that affected the input indicator and language bar in Windows 10.
Nvidia comes to the security side of Windows and has released version 473.81 of its GeForce driver. This will also be made available for unsupported Windows 7 and Windows 8 systems as it fixes some important security vulnerabilities. Meanwhile, Smart App Control (SAC) in Windows 11 can now block LNK, ISO, RAR, IMG, VHD, and VHDX files, among others.
App Previews, Leaks and Updates
We have a lot to cover in this section, so I’ll try to keep it short. We’ll start with Microsoft PowerToys – which still hasn’t reached version 1.0 – with some updates. Version 0.61.0 brought quality of life improvements to Always on Top, FancyZones and PowerToys Run. Meanwhile, version 0.61.1 was just a minor release to fix some issues.
In addition, Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) has received version 0.65.1, which has introduced a number of changes and is available to all Windows Insiders. On the other hand, the August update of Windows Subsystem for Android (WSA) brought input compatibility in apps such as games, network and window improvements, and reliability updates. Windows Package Manager (Winget) has also been updated to version 1.3 and it was quite a significant update that added the ability to display installation notes, extended logs, new settings and more.
On the Microsoft 365 side, Microsoft has started rolling out a new Teams client that runs natively on Apple Silicon, which is good news for Mac users looking for performance improvements. The collaboration app also gets a Video Clip feature so you can create and send short video messages. In addition, Word on the web has been given a Review mode that basically does not grant editing rights, but allows reviewers to read documents and provide feedback.
Similarly, Office Insiders in the beta channel on Windows and the web can now try dictation in OneNote. Meanwhile, Surface customers will be happy to know that the Surface app has been updated with many new features for you to try out now.
Interestingly, Microsoft also started rolling out Outlook Lite for select emerging countries. The app weighs only 5 MB and includes the core features of the email client. In a similar vein, Clipchamp, the company’s cloud-powered video editing service, has ditched its complicated pricing plans in favor of a free plan and a premium plan that costs $11.99 per month.
Some more details about Microsoft’s “Designer” – codenamed “Oasis” – have also been leaked. It looks like it will be a successor to Sway and allow users to create new designs for social media and marketing messages using AI.
Finally, if you’re using Rufus, you should know that version 3.20 is out. It adds the option to automatically create an account and the ability to copy regional settings from the current Windows installation.
Well done
We’ll kick off our gaming section by drawing your attention to: Sea of Thieves‘ highly anticipated Season 7, which is now live. It introduces players to new captaincy and ship ownership features, battle passes, cosmetic items, challenges and many quality of life improvements.
And if you’re wondering how Sony is sitting still about Microsoft’s pending acquisition of Activision Blizzard, it turns out that’s definitely not the case. In some recent publications made public, Sony has emphasized the importance of Duty, the potential of being a Microsoft exclusive, implying that the latter would cause players to ditch PlayStation. Of course, the jury is still out on whether the takeover will eventually go through or not.
Microsoft, on the other hand, has other areas of focus. The company has emphasized that while its gaming business is rooted in Xbox, its future growth is beyond the console and draws more towards Xbox Cloud Gaming. To that end, it has also fixed some issues in the Xbox app for Windows that caused the user interface to crash during Xbox Cloud Gaming. And since we’re on the subject of platforms, those who keep up with this sort of thing should know that Windows 11’s market share on Steam has fallen for the first time since its release.
The Redmond tech giant has also started testing a family subscription for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate in Ireland and Columbia. It allows people to share the full benefits of the subscription with up to four other users at a cost of $25/month. Microsoft’s global rollout plans for the new plan are still a bit unclear.
Speaking of game subscriptions and the value they offer, it’s time to talk about it too Ghost Recon Wildlands, Shenzhen IO, cooking simulator, and more are heading to Xbox Game Pass this month. In a similar vein, Calico and Saints Row 2 are now free through Games with Gold while Batman and Hymn headline this week’s Deals with Gold. Also don’t forget the latest Xbox Free Play Days promotion, currently sporting Far Cry 6, The Serpent Villainand villain book.
As for the hardware, Microsoft has revealed that it has freed up “hundreds of extra megabytes” in the Xbox Series S for developers to play with, meaning games can now take advantage of more memory. Oh, and there’s also a weird “singing” Xbox controller that you can win through some sort of lucky draw.
Finally, don’t forget to take a look at this weekend’s PC game deals, collected in handy lists by our news editor Pulasthi Ariyasinghe.
Developer Channel
In the spotlight
Like every week, forum member Adam Bottjen – better known as Warwagon – wrote a handy and short Tech Tip Tuesday guide on how to print to PDF.
Adam has also written a guide on how to create a shortcut to launch Internet Explorer in Windows 11 because he likes to watch the world burn.
Next, we have an article from News Reporter Taras Buria on which browser is the best in terms of efficiency on Windows. If this is something you’re curious about, check out Taras’ thoughts here.
Meanwhile, news editor Paul Hill has written a detailed guide on how to make use of the obscure download manager in Telegram.
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Finally, I have written a list of the top 10 features people are asking for Microsoft OneNote. While the list is interesting, it’s disappointing to see Microsoft not responding to feedback.
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Our most interesting news item of the week revolves around god of war on Xbox… sort of. In short, a game called Gods of war Zeus or Child (yes, really) that clearly detracts from Sony’s beloved franchise that sold on Xbox for $3.99. Although Microsoft eventually removed it, questions were raised about how the game made it through the certification process and stayed in stores for days. And while gods of war removed, there is another problematic entry from the same developer. It is called Dinasaur Falling Survival (that’s not a typo) and it actually “borrows” from Autumn boys. it is unclear why this title has not yet been removed.
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