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Windows Insider Program Release Preview channel updates (including 26H1 for the first time? - A preview of the June Patch Tuesday updates - Shared audio, NPU usage in Task Manager, multi-app camera support, Magnifier improvements. Taskbar updates come to Insiders! Also in Canary, weʼre throwing them a bone this time. Enshittification remedies all around Microsoft just held a WinHEC for the first time since 2018 and thereʼs a new Windows Driver Initiative! Microsoft will soon let us remap Copilot key to Right Ctrl, which is what it was in the first place. A Linux privacy nut YouTuber confuses privacy and security and doesnʼt understand Windows 11 so... ... Paul wrote a complete guide to the local account de-Microsoft experience in Windows 11 Microsoft Edge will stop loading all passwords into clear text on startup like a big boy browser. Hardware Paul came home to an ASUS Zenbook A16 and ohmygodohmygodohmygod Surface Microsoft finally revs Surface Laptop and Surface Pro for Business, with Intel chips and VERY high prices. Snapdragon X2 variants in late 2026 because of supply issues wa-waa-waaaaa. AI MDASH is Microsoftʼs answer to Anthropic Mythos, in-house only. Elon Musk and Sam Altman are both terrible but a jury decided against Muskʼs frivolous lawsuit. OpenAI and Apple might head to court over Siri promises OpenAI Codex is on mobile via the ChatGPT app Google unleashes an AI tsunami at Google IO this week. A few relevant takeaways: Overview of the major announcements Google advances Android as a developer platform Chrome is turning into a proactive assistant Google AI subscriptions are an incredible value Related: The Gemini Intelligence feature for Googlebooks and more has steep hardware requirements - 12 GB of RAM, flagship SoC So Pixel 10 series/Galaxy S26 series and newer only etc. Just a reminder that Microsoft makes a Linux distribution ... for Azure specifically More dev WWDC schedule is up for June 8 opening day Build 2026 kicks off June 2 in SFO After another boring .NET 11 preview release, we finally get our first look at a major change: MAUI is switching from the Mono runtime to the CoreCLR runtime. And we should pause for a moment to remember S "Soma" Somasegar, who sadly passed away this week. Xbox and Gaming Next Xbox Elite controller leaks and it is glorious Related: An Xbox Cloud-Connected controller leaks too and it is less than glorious. Forza Horizon 6 is here, and itʼs on Game Pass on Day One. Be sure to read Laurentʼs detailed review. Haters gonna keep hating: Fans want Xbox exclusives because their heads are still in the sand. Sony is allegedly returning to this model for single player experiences Related: Sony raises prices on PS Plus Fortnite comes back to the Apple App Store worldwide *excluding Australia for some reason. Tips and Picks Tip of the week: Google AI Studio. Vibe-code your next app with this incredible free tool. Related: A look at Markdown editors. App pick of the week: DeskScapes 2026 Stardock DeskScapes 2026 is normally $9.99 but it will cost just $6.99 during the launch period. Also: Firefox 151 is a big update on desktop and mobile, the latter gets the AI kill switch RunAs Radio this week: UEFI Secure Boot with Richard Hicks Brown liquor pick of the week: Daftmill Winter Batch Release These show notes have been truncated due to length. For the full show notes, visit https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly/episodes/984 Hosts: Leo Laporte, Paul Thurrott, and Richard Campbell Sponsors: outsystems.com/twit trustedtech.team/windowsweekly365 zscaler.com/security
It's not just Recall: Security vulnerabilities that require you to sign into an account on your PC are not necessarily vulnerabilities. Also, Windows 11 gets its first big feature updates in this week's Patch Tuesday releases. Snapseed 4.0 comes to Android/iOS, and Claude FM is great for relaxing or getting coding/work done. Plus, the Helium browser has emerged as a favorite with 2 notable caveats: No online settings sync and no mobile client. Windows 25H2/24H2: Xbox Mode, Agents on the Taskbar, more 26H1: Smart App Control improvements, other things we saw previously (26H1 is like the stable version of Canary, it seems) Microsoft used a new Mythos-like model called MDASH to find vulnerabilities this month, so expect the numbers of fixed bugs to jump in coming months A low-latency profile for Windows will let it optimize for app/UI launch performance just like mobile platforms already do New builds across most channels with two major changes: Touchpad improvements in Experimental and free upgrade path to Pro for education users in Experimental Beta. A new threat emerges Google announces Googlebook, an Android-based laptop platform with Google Intelligence Some morning-after thoughts, including Microsoft promising AI and that Copilot will be the new Start, while Google delivers AI and is remaking the laptop as an intelligent device AI Microsoft Edge gets big AI and productivity updates on desktop and mobile An Anthropic engineer argues that AI should use HTML for output, not Markdown. He's right. About that 4 GB Gemini Nano model that Chrome secretly downloads OpenAI brings Codex to Google Chrome Security A Bitlocker concern emerges Microsoft Edge loads all saved passwords into plain text when it launches, Microsoft says this is as intended Mozilla patched 423 vulnerabilities in Firefox during April, most courtesy of Anthropic Mythos 465 million Amazon customers have enrolled in passkeys Xbox & gaming Xbox Insider Program: New build for console with previously announced new boot animation, tiered Gamerscore badges, new filters in Game Library Forza Horizon 6 leaks on Steam, those who play it early will be banned until the sun swallows the earth Discord Nitro now has an Xbox Game Pass Starter Edition perk Mojang will host a special MINECRAFT LIVE event on May 30 Sony sold just 1.5 million PS5s in most recent quarter, its lowest number yet Nintendo sold just 2.49 million Switch 2s in quarter, lowers annual estimates Supreme Court gives Apple the 🖕 so Epic v. Apple will head to remedy phase Tips & picks Tip of the week: A web browser is the 1st step for anyone looking to escape Big Tech App pick of the week: Helium RunAs Radio this week: Production LLMs with Vaishnavi Gudur Brown liquor pick of the week: Gouden Carolus Port Oak Hosts: Leo Laporte, Paul Thurrott, and Richard Campbell Download or subscribe to Windows Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly Check out Paul's blog at thurrott.com The Windows Weekly theme music is courtesy of Carl Franklin. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: canary.tools/twit - use code: TWIT trustedtech.team/windowsweekly365 threatlocker.com/twit
Microsoft's earnings report went out last week, and the company spent a lot on AI in the quarter. Microsoft updates its customers on what it's done to address Windows 11 problems. And Xbox kills Copilot plans for the console. Microsoft Earnings Microsoft announced that it earned a net income of $31.8 billion on revenues of $82.9 billion in the previous quarter. Windows: 1.6 billion monthly active devices, a focus on quality after years of enshittification - but revenues from PC makers were down 2 percent YOY. Microsoft Edge "has taken share for 20 consecutive quarters," which isn't supported by the evidence. Bing "monthly active users reached one billion for the first time," raising questions about how Microsoft defines the term "user." Xbox: "The team is recommitting to our core fans and players, and shaping the future of play," new records for monthly active Xbox users and game streaming hours. AI: Capex spending in the quarter was $32 billion, down from previous quarter as previously described, but up 49 percent YOY. More earnings Apple, Google/Alphabet, and Amazon. AMD - Up because of AI datacenter. Qualcomm - Plus, Intel just hired away a key Qualcomm exec. Windows Microsoft shares an update about what it's done to address Windows 11 pain points so far. Marcus Ash is one of the good guys. Some of this is happening in Insider, some is rolling out to retail. Windows Insider Program and Windows Update improvements we discussed last week - two primary channels in WIP now. Simplifying AI experiences - fewer Copilot icons (Notepad, etc.). File Explorer improvements - performance, fewer hangs, better polish and consistency. Widgets - Feed will be off by default, fewer interruptions, no hover activate. System performance - Smaller memory footprint, more aggressive RAM restoration, and more. Soon: Taskbar updates, Start updates, and more to share at Build in June. Week D update arrives with a peek at May's Patch Tuesday. Major: Xbox Mode, AI agents on the Taskbar are the first two big features of 2026. Minor: Also adds File Explorer improvements, new haptic feedback effects, touch keyboard improvements, and more. Shocking new report that Microsoft Edge is incredibly insecure should surprise no one. AI Microsoft Agent 365 Platform is out of preview, supports local AI agents and Copilot Cowork Agent arrives on mobile with plugin support. Microsoft launches a Legal AI Agent in Word. Apple's plan to open up to multiple third-party AIs is a good one. Canonical's plan to add AI to Ubuntu is also good, but you're never going to believe what happened next. Xbox and Gaming Asha Sharma reorgs Xbox, kills Copilot on the console. Forza Horizon 6, more coming to Game Pass in May. Xbox April Update is out with updates for all platforms. Next Call of Duty will not ship on Xbox One, PS4. Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition is coming to the Mac for some reason. And finally, with the Supreme Court refusing to block the implementation of the ruling in Epic v. Apple, Microsoft's Xbox game store for mobile is one step closer to happening. Tips and picks Tip of the week: Embrace inconvenience. App pick of the week: Windows Defender. RunAs Radio this week: Securing Active Directory with Spencer Alessi. Brown liquor pick of the week: Stalk & Barrel Whisky. These show notes have been truncated due to length. For the full show notes, visit https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly/episodes/982 Hosts: Leo Laporte, Paul Thurrott, and Richard Campbell Sponsors: outsystems.com/twit threatlocker.com/twit joindeleteme.com/twit promo code TWIT helixsleep.com/windows cachefly.com/twit
Julia Liuson is leaving Microsoft. Liuson joined Microsoft in 1992, the same year as CEO Satya Nadella (she worked on Access at first). She helped build the first version of Visual Studio and was the first female corporate vice president at Microsoft. Liuson has been president of Microsoft's Developer Division since 2021. Also, curious about life on the other side of the fence? Paul has a tip for finding games that are optimized for Linux. Plus, Chrome joins the 21st century with vertical tabs and a real reading view. Just be sure to install those anti-tracking extensions. Windows Microsoft promises more native apps for Windows 11, but... which apps? New apps? Replacements for existing apps? Thanks for making us revisit the web app vs. native app thing yet again, Microsoft Windows 11 version 25H2 is now being pushed to all compatible PCs Compatibility milestone, not a big deal because 24H2/25H2 features are identical, same underlying codebase - but some will complain that Microsoft is "forcing" 25H2 on them Secure Boot certificate notifications are now available so you can see where your PC is at Another month, another emergency Windows Update patch New Dev/Beta builds add Xbox Mode, new haptic effects, etc., plus a new Canary build with features we've seen before Microsoft is taking the Insider Program on the road Component shortages trigger another Raspberry Pi price hike, but also a promise for the future The AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D2 Dual Edition processor will be available from leading retailers starting Apr. 22 with a retail price of $899 AI Microsoft's terms of service for Copilot say it's for entertainment purposes only. Yes, really. Microsoft AI releases new foundational models for transcription, voice, and images Word on iPhone gets Copilot co-create capabilities - used to be AI Mode, you need a Microsoft 365 Copilot subscription Anthropic has hired away a key AI executive from Microsoft, and what he has to say about the opportunity is interesting Anthropic brings Computer Use to Windows Google: Seriously, we are not training AI with your Gmail Google AI Pro plans now offer 5 TB of cloud storage, yikes Xbox & gaming Xbox is refreshing the look of achievements on the console Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, more coming to Game Pass this month Was this the best COD ever? In search of greatness Also: Forza Horizon 6 launches May 19 and will be available on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC and Xbox Cloud as an Xbox Play Anywhere title, and playable day one with Xbox Game Pass Xbox will hold FanFest events around the world Tips & picks Tip of the week: So you want to try gaming on Linux App pick of the week: Google Chrome RunAs Radio this week: Securing AI Agents with Niall Merrigan Brown liquor pick of the week: Corowa Peated Single Barrel 521 Hosts: Leo Laporte, Paul Thurrott, and Richard Campbell Download or subscribe to Windows Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly Check out Paul's blog at thurrott.com The Windows Weekly theme music is courtesy of Carl Franklin. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: zscaler.com/security helixsleep.com/windows cachefly.com/twit
Microsoft's AI ambitions overflowed into GitHub, sparking backlash when ads appeared in pull requests and raising new concerns about where your code is really going. GitHub is going to automatically use your data to train AI, so Paul tells how to opt-out if you don't want that. Plus, there's a new Microsoft 365 alternative in town, and this one is from a little tech company you can trust Windows Week D updates go live last Thursday - Smart App Control, many other minor changes And here we go again: Microsoft issues emergency patch for March Week D optional update Microsoft says it will replace web-based in-box apps and experiences with native apps ... somehow Four builds across three channels - Canary with opt-in gets a huge Windows Console upgrade, Dev/Beta get Administrator Protection (again), more AMD has a new flagship gaming processor AI/Dev Microsoft Research AI has a new Critique feature that uses ChatGPT and Claude together in an unholy Frankenstein's monster of orchestration A week of Siri AI rumors/leaks - This is Apple's version of Microsoft trying to buy TikTok Google makes it easier to switch to Gemini - This is like Mac vs. PC, but for AI Mozilla's approach to AI in Firefox is both right and correct The plan to the save the open web from Big Tech The future of Firefox includes a Smart Window mode that works like Private window but for AI SwiftUI SDK for Android is now available Xbox and gaming New Xbox chief seeks to reset Xbox brand image - reminder, that's not the same as changing anything Xbox announces 14 Day One Game Pass titles coming soon Xbox Games Showcase 2026 and Gears of War E-Day Direct are coming in June Sony to raise PS5 prices soon Nintendo to raise prices for physical Switch 2 games soon Tips & picks Tip of the week: Opt-out of training AI on GitHub App pick of the week: Proton Workspace with Meet RunAs Radio this week: My Home Lab Brown liquor pick of the week: Jeptha Creed Six Year Old Wheated Bourbon Hosts: Leo Laporte, Paul Thurrott, and Richard Campbell Download or subscribe to Windows Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly Check out Paul's blog at thurrott.com The Windows Weekly theme music is courtesy of Carl Franklin. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: threatlocker.com/twit joindeleteme.com/twit promo code TWIT
In 2015, Satya Nadella said that he wanted users to love Windows. But Microsoft has only enshittified Windows more aggressively since then. Paul wrote a book. And now Microsoft says it's changed, baby, and it's serious this time. Here's what was said ... and what was not said.A Timeline Early signs of positive change: Rust in the Windows kernel, numerous new security features in Windows 11 - "two sides" of Windows, the engineering side and the "let's push AI at all costs/UX" side - more recently, Baseline Security Mode and User Transparency and Consent announcement Last September, Pavan Davuluri took over Windows and reorganized the business immediately, bringing Server/Core back in-house In December, Paul saw the first signs of positive changes in OneDrive, while not perfect, a major step back from the enshittification there. It took a few months to understand exactly what changed. In January, there are over one billion Windows 11 users. Davuluri first mentions a push for quality in 2026 - "pain points" In February, Nadella announced leadership changes that included people directly in charge of security and engineering quality Now, Microsoft has announced that it will address (some of) the complaints about Windows 11, and this includes performance and reliability improvements across the board Microsoft said it will Let you move the Taskbar to other screen edges, finally Improve File Explorer performance Make changes to how users to skip Windows Updates (vaguely) Make improvements to Widgets (but what about the quality problem?) Remove unnecessary Copilot entry points Make the Windows Insider Program more transparent More relevant recommendations in Start - ?? Reduce resource usage across the board, give more resources to what you're doing (good for gaming, especially) Reduce interaction latency - WInUI3 Reduce search latency throughout - also context menus and navigation (which is WinUI3, I guess) Make improvements to Windows Subsystem for Linux OS, drive, and in-box app reliability improvements Windows Hello improvements - Wonders if this is tied to the complaint about speed here What Microsoft didn't discuss Of the several items in the Windows 11 Enshittification Checklist, only one was addressed by Davuluri's post, Windows Update chaos, and then only partially. Not mentioned: Forced telemetry, bundled crapware, forced Microsoft account sign-ins, forced Microsoft Edge usage and configuration harassment, hardware requirements (less relevant today), OneDrive behaviors (partially addressed already). Recall is rare in that it's opt-in, but most of the AI and unwanted features are opt-out or worse Controlled Feature Releases are not controlled, but they do suck Microsoft has monthly Security Updates that include new features. Security and Feature updates should be separate and have different pausing rules Microsoft is not removing Copilot from Windows, nor is it doing less AI; it is just removing Copilot icons from most places and trying to be more thoughtful about how it deploys AI in Windows 11 The Windows Insider Program makes 0 sense right now, and this was only partially addressed; it's not clear what's changing yet Davuluri says that WinUI3 UIs are the solution to many performance problems, but just using an old Mor These show notes have been truncated due to length. For the full show notes, visit https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly/episodes/976 Hosts: Leo Laporte, Paul Thurrott, and Richard Campbell
There's an ongoing narrative that Windows is worse than ever today and people are leaving in droves. Paul does not see that, and will simply point to Windows 8 and remind folks that it can be (and was) worse. Also, PowerToys 0.98 adds a major new feature to Command Palette, big changes to Keyboard Manager and CursorWrap, and about 100 other updates. This is a big one. Plus, Mozilla Firefox is staging a comeback and may be worth another look. Windows Rajesh Jha is retiring and Microsoft is reorging its Experiences + Devices team Release Preview: A peek at next week's Week D update (and April's Patch Tuesday) shows we're getting improvements to Narrator, Settings, Smart App Control, Pen settings, Display, File Explorer, and the Windows Recovery Environment (WRE). The trend continues! New Canary, Dev, and Beta builds - Nothing new in Canary. Dev/Beta: Drag Tray is being renamed to Drop Tray, you can change the user folder name during Setup, Restore points are getting a modern update finally Intel goes nuts with new "Arrow Lake refresh" processors; these are not Copilot+ PC capable and it's unclear what the Panther Lake comparison looks like IDC now expects 11.3 percent decline in PC market in 2026, 7.6 percent decline for tablets AI Microsoft may sue OpenAI for contract breach - the best Microsoft divorce since IBM Major reorg in Microsoft's AI businesses Former Snap exec in charge of consolidated Copilot offerings across consumer and commercial Mustafa Suleyman to focus on Microsoft's foundational models There has been a lot of retiring and a lot of outside hires for top-level executive positions in Microsoft over the past year or more. Curious. Rumors vs. reality in Microsoft scaling back AI ambitions in Windows Rumor: Microsoft is backtracking on some Copilot features Reality: Microsoft is not backtracking on its AI ambitions, it's just going to try to do a better job with branding and positioning Microsoft launches Copilot Health in the U.S. Google Personal Intelligence ships in the U.S. OpenAI releases GPT-5.4 mini and nano models GPT-5 mini is available as a reasoning model on Duck.ai Xbox and gaming Rumor vs. reality in Xbox strategy Rumor: Microsoft removed "This is an Xbox" messaging from website so it must be focusing on consoles again Reality: Literally nothing has changed Xbox Insiders is testing per-game Quick Resume toggle Also more groups on Home, custom colors, profile badges in guide Big half month for Game Pass, with Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, more coming Starfield is coming to PS5 on April 7 NVIDIA launches DLSS 5, changes existing games, people are freaking out Tips and picks Tip of the week: The grass is always greener App pick of the week: PowerToys 0.98 RunAs Radio this week: Sustainable AI with Darshna Shah Brown liquor pick of the week: Teeling Small Batch Whiskey Hosts: Leo Laporte, Paul Thurrott, and Richard Campbell Download or subscribe to Windows Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly Check out Paul's blog at thurrott.com The Windows Weekly theme music is courtesy of Carl Franklin. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: outsystems.com/twit zscaler.com/security
From bug-busting AI that's transforming Firefox to personal coding breakthroughs, the team breaks down how practical applications are cutting through skepticism and reshaping developer workflows. Plus, hear why lighter Patch Tuesdays are refreshing from time to time! Windows 11 Patch Tuesday's familiar list of updates: Network speed test, Camera tilt and pan controls, sysmon, RSAT improvements, Quick Machine Recovery improvements, WEBP support for desktop wallpaper, Emoji 16.0, etc. It's been a light year so far for Patch Tuesday features - that's a good thing New builds for Canary, Dev, and Beta late last week. Canary is nothing, Dev/Beta get Administrator Protection, Drag Tray refinements, File Explorer improvements, and fixes Android 16 QPR3 brings Desktop Mode to Android devices - and a hands-on with Pixel phones and tablets shows the way forward for Android-based laptops later this year Intel has new gaming processors for creators and gamers and they look excellent and are inexpensive AI and dev Copilot Cowork is literally Claude Cowork in Microsoft 365 - "Wave 3" for Microsoft 365 Copilot begins with a lot of agentic features, in private preview at first Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Drive get big Gemini updates for consumers and Workspace customers Mozilla partners with Anthropic to use AI to find bugs, and it's paying off nicely Visual Studio Code moves to a weekly update schedule The .NET 11 Preview 2 is here Xbox and gaming Microsoft starts talking up next Xbox console! It's called Project Helix and, yes, it will run Windows games New Xbox Mode is on the way Project Helix dev kits to game makers in 2027 Satya Nadella explains why he/Microsoft are "long" on gaming Gaming is a core identity for Microsoft alongside platforms, developers, and knowledge workers Tips and picks Tip of the week: Nostalgia with a purpose App pick of the week: Stardock Clairvoyance RunAs Radio this week: SQL Server in 2026 with Bob Ward Brown liquor pick of the week: Canadian Centennial Rye Whisky Hosts: Leo Laporte, Paul Thurrott, and Richard Campbell Download or subscribe to Windows Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly Check out Paul's blog at thurrott.com The Windows Weekly theme music is courtesy of Carl Franklin. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: helixsleep.com/windows cachefly.com/twit
Can Microsoft's push for cloud PCs and AI-powered agents redefine where and how we work? If you keep to the defaults, Windows 11 is secure. Copilot+ PC is even more secure. But you can take additional steps to secure it either way, and you should. Plus, Paul's been trying to play different types of games, and Resident Evil Requiem is better (in his opinion) than Silent Hill f and Silent Hill 2 remake... if you want a horror game. Also, there's a cheaper new Audible plan thanks to Spotify! Windows 11 Shenanigans? If you use a third-party AI client in Edge Canary... you will not be amused. Bitwarden (TWiT sponsor) is (possibly the 1st?) third-party password manager to support passkey sign-ins on Windows 11 New Canary, Dev, and Beta builds last Friday- Canary is more of the same, Dev/Beta get shared audio improvements, narrator improvements, new IT policies ASUS and Dell will soon sell Windows 365 Cloud PCs Google is moving Chrome to a two-week dev schedule. Should we assume Microsoft will follow suit with Edge? Dell is up 39 percent, but because of AI servers not PCs NVIDIA revenues up 73 percent to $68.1 billion AI/dev OpenAI closes $110 billion funding round as the AI circle jerk continues Microsoft brings Copilot Tasks to consumer Copilot Google introduces AppFunctions for Android, it's way to make mobile apps work like MCP (be semantic), similar to what Microsoft is doing in Windows Windows App Development CLI updated to 0.02 with Store CLI integration and .NET project support Build 2026 is in San Francisco, as expected, but in June - overlap with WWDC? Xbox and gaming Here come the first Game Pass titles of March Microsoft highlights some indie games to consider Xbox ROG Ally gets AI-based game recaps Legion Go Fold is the star of the new PCs at MWC Sony might be backtracking on its PC games plans Developing: Epic/Google settlement was approved Tips & picks App pick of the week: Resident Evil Requiem Tip of the week: Secure your Windows 11 PC RunAs Radio this week: Hiring in 2026 with Suzi Edwards-Alexander Brown liquor pick of the week: St. Augustine Florida Straight Bourbon Hosts: Paul Thurrott, Richard Campbell, and Mikah Sargent Download or subscribe to Windows Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly Check out Paul's blog at thurrott.com The Windows Weekly theme music is courtesy of Carl Franklin. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsor: threatlocker.com/twit
Just last week, we asked about Phil Spencer and why he's been so quiet lately. Now we know why! Also, OneDrive for the Mac is finally going to look like it belongs on the Mac. And Google Chrome finally picks up a split view like the rest of the planet, plus a few other new features. PHIL SPENCER OUT AT XBOX Phil Spencer has retired from Microsoft and his heir-apparent, Sarah Bond, left Microsoft as well Report details the Xbox reorg Ex-Xbox executive issues an old guy shouting at sky assessment New Microsoft Gaming CEO discusses "return to Xbox" Hot-take: This person seems unqualified to run Xbox/MS Gaming, but let's give her a chance Alternative hot-take: She is literally here to wind down this business, which makes no sense... unless there's a spin-off Windows WSJ report sheds some light, and adds a lot of confusion, to Nvidia's Windows PC plans Week D arrived on time this month Preview of March Patch Tuesday updates Network speed test, pan and tilt in Camera settings, sysmon, RSAT improvements, Quick Machine Recovery improvements, WEBP background image support, Emoji 16.0 And you thought the Canary channel was weird already -New builds for Canary, Dev, and Beta. Canary gets features we already saw elsewhere, Dev and Beta get context menu, settings, and Taskbar improvements Paul has published (an incomplete version of) De-Enshittify Windows 11 De-enshittifying Copilot and AI is doable but not yet automated What about the alternatives? Next step: Security and Apps chapters HP revenues up 6.9 percent to $14.4 billion but RAM warning is more dire than expected Apple to add multitouch to MacBook Pro lineup in late 2026. Oh the irony AI Xbox February update brings 1440p streaming to Xbox consoles, updates for Xbox ROG Ally, more Xbox app is delivering post-game recaps on Windows 11 for Insiders EA had the most game downloads on PC and console in 2025, thanks to having the three most popular AAA games of the year (BF6, EA Sports FC 25, and EA Sports FC 26). Microsoft was number two, followed by Take-Two, Ubisoft, and Sony. Fortnite is somehow still the biggest game overall on console, and Counter-Strike 2 (!!!!) is the biggest on PC. 20 million Fortnite players on PS, 15 million on Xbox Tips and picks Tip of the week: OneDrive for the Mac App pick of the week: Google Chrome RunAs Radio this week: SaaS on Multiple Clouds with Steve Buchanan Brown liquor pick of the week: Sons of Vancouver Wheated Rye Whisky Hosts: Leo Laporte, Paul Thurrott, and Richard Campbell Download or subscribe to Windows Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly Check out Paul's blog at thurrott.com The Windows Weekly theme music is courtesy of Carl Franklin. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: bitwarden.com/twit zscaler.com/security