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Mouse gestures are now available for testing in Microsoft Edge by Taras Buria Earlier this year, Microsoft confirmed that it plans to add mouse gestures support to the Edge web browser, allowing users to perform quick actions and access various features faster. Later, a screenshot revealed that Edge would let you customize more than 14 different gestures. If you have been waiting for this feature, good news: mouse gestures are now available for testing in preview versions of Microsoft Edge. Microsoft has not announced mouse gestures yet, and enabling them requires adding a command to the browser's shortcut. However, the feature is available for everyone to try, unlike the other changes Microsoft frequently rolls out in waves (controlled feature rollout). Note that mouse gestures are available in Microsoft Edge 114 (and newer), which is coming to the Stable Channel this week. For now, mouse gestures are only available in Edge Beta, Dev, and Canary. Here is how to enable them (via Deskmodder). Enable mouse gestures in Microsoft Edge Go to edge://settings/help and ensure you have Edge 114 or newer. Right-click your Microsoft Edge shortcut and select Properties. You can also right-click Microsoft Edge on the taskbar, then right-click Microsoft Edge in the jump list, and then press Properties. Click the Target field in the Properties window and place one space after the path, then paste the following command: --enable-features=msEdgeMouseGestureDefaultEnabled,msEdgeMouseGestureSupported Click Ok to save the changes. Launch Microsoft Edge using the modified shortcut. Now you can use mouse gestures to perform various actions by moving the mouse while holding the right-click button. Microsoft Edge will highlight your mouse track and show a hint indicating what action the gesture will trigger. You can customize gestures by navigating to edge://settings/mouseGesture or Menu > Settings > Appearance > Mouse Gesture. Unfortunately, the feature does not support custom shortcuts, so there is room for improvement. Still, it is great to see Microsoft implementing a much-requested feature, especially after rejecting it for many months.

Statcounter: Edge falls below 10%, Safari continues climbing by Taras Buria The first day of a new month means it is time for Statcounter's latest findings. The May 2023 report is now available with details about the most popular browsers and their market share changes. Click here to learn how Statcounter gathers its data. To no one's surprise, Google Chrome is still the number one go-to browser on most platforms. Its desktop variant holds a 66.02% share with minor fluctuations from month to month. In May 2023, Chrome lost 0.2 points. Apple's Safari, the only non-cross-platform desktop browser, is cementing its new place after taking over Microsoft Edge in April 2023. Safari's customer base increased from 11.89% to 12.79%, further gapping Microsoft Edge. The latter once again dipped below the 10% mark and reached a 9.91% share (-0.98 points). According to Statcounter, Edge is not the only browser having problems with increasing its market share. Firefox continues bleeding customers, and in May 2023, its share decreased from 5.59% to 5.28%. For reference, in July 2022, its market share was at 8%. Opera is the fifth most popular desktop browser, with a market share of 4.02% (+0.9 points). Finally, the honorable mention goes to Internet Explorer and its 0.45% share. Google Chrome - 66.02% (-0.2 points) Apple Safari - 12.79% (+0.9 points) Microsoft Edge - 9.91% (-0.98 points) Mozilla Firefox - 5.59% (-0.31 points) Opera - 4.02% (+0.9 points) And here is the mobile side of the market, where Google, Apple, and Samsung hold over 93% of users. Interestingly, Google Chrome lost a notable chunk of customers during the last three months. Safari, on the other hand, is experiencing a continuous spike. Google Chrome - 61.09% (-0.67 points) Apple Safari - 27.81% (+0.81 points) Samsung Internet - 4.97% (+0.14 points) Opera - 1.8% (-0.09 points) UC Browser - 1.54% (-0.17 points) You can find more information on the official Statcounter website.

Microsoft Edge 113.0.1774.57 by Razvan Serea Introducing the new Microsoft Edge. Rebuilt from the ground up to bring you world-class compatibility and performance, the security and privacy you deserve, and new features designed to bring you the best of the web. Microsoft Edge is also available on iOS and Android, providing a true cross-platform experience. The new Microsoft Edge provides world class performance with more privacy, more productivity and more value while you browse. Built on the same technology as Chrome, Microsoft Edge has additional built-in features like Startup boost and Sleeping tabs, which boost your browsing experience with world class performance and speed that are optimized to work best with Windows. Microsoft Edge security and privacy features such as Microsoft Defender SmartScreen, Password Monitor, InPrivate search, and Kids Mode help keep you and your loved ones protected and secure online. Microsoft Edge has features to keep both you and your family protected. Enable content filters and access activity reports with your Microsoft Family Safety account and experience a kid-friendly web with Kids Mode. The new Microsoft Edge is now compatible with your favorite extensions, so it’s easy to personalize your browsing experience. Microsoft Edge 113.0.1774.57 changelog: Fixed various bugs and performance issues. Download: Microsoft Edge 113.0.1774.57 (64-bit) | 145.0 MB (Freeware) Download: Microsoft Edge 113.0.1774.57 (32-bit) | 134.0 MB View: Microsoft Edge Website | Release History Get alerted to all of our Software updates on Twitter at @NeowinSoftware

Opera reveals AI-powered Aria to rival Edge's Bing Chat by Omer Dursun Opera has recently introduced Aria, an AI feature designed to enhance the browsing experience for its users. Aria may provide free access to generative AI services natively built into the browser. It also enables users to collaborate with AI while searching the web, writing text or code, and obtaining product information. Aria leverages Opera's "Composer" architecture, which enables integration with OpenAI's GPT. This advanced infrastructure allows Aria to connect to multiple AI models, providing users with a versatile range of AI-powered services. Furthermore, Aria incorporates live web results, ensuring that users access up-to-date information from the internet, eliminating any limitations associated with outdated content. The current iteration of Aria takes the form of a chat interface, facilitating direct interaction between users and the AI system. This initial step serves as a foundation for future development, with Opera planning to integrate Aria more deeply into the browser in subsequent editions. The incorporation of Aria into Opera signifies a remarkable development in web browsing. Users now have the opportunity to leverage the power of AI while performing various online tasks, including web searches, content creation, and seeking product information. "AI is rapidly changing how we work, browse the web and naturally, how we think about browsers and the part they can play in users' online experience," said Product Director, Opera for PC. "Fittingly, Aria is our first product that named itself." Opera's collaboration with OpenAI's GPT technology and its plans to integrate additional services demonstrate the company's commitment to improving Aria's capabilities continuously. Aria is accessible in over 180 countries through early access versions of Opera One. Users interested in testing Aria can download the latest version of Opera One (development version) on a desktop or the beta version of Opera for Android from the Google Play Store. You are required to have an Opera account to test Aria.

Microsoft announces Edge redesign with Mica, rounded corners, and more by Taras Buria Microsoft has some excellent news for those rocking Edge as their primary desktop browser. During the Build 2023 conference, the company announced its browser redesign with the fan-favorite Mica material, rounded tab corners, content containers, revamped animations, and other visual changes. Microsoft says the updated design was inspired by customer feedback and the company's desire to create an aesthetically pleasing, easy-to-use browsing experience. As a result, Microsoft Edge now features the Mica material on its toolbar, tab strip, sidebar, and other parts. In addition, the company is bringing rounded corners for tabs detached from the address bar to make the toolbar, address bar, and tab strip more visually distinct. Finally, you will notice that the profile button has a new home—now it sits in the top-left corner, giving you easier access to profile-related controls and settings. Another notable change in the new Edge is the container system providing a structural change for a better experience when working with multiple items at once. Edge will place the main content and additional elements in containers with rounded corners complementing the rest of the browser's visuals. The updated Microsoft Edge is not all about visuals. The company is bringing new capabilities to progressive web apps (PWA) powered by Microsoft Edge. PWAs published in the Microsoft Store will receive support for Payment Request API to allow querying digital product details, viewing existing purchases, checking purchase history, and processing the payment flow between the Microsoft Store and users. Also, Microsoft is making it easier for developers to optimize their progressive web apps for the sidebar in the Edge browser. According to the company, only a few lines of code are necessary to optimize a PWA for running in Edge's sidebar. You can learn more about the latest PWA improvements and other app-related changes in the Microsoft Store in our dedicated coverage. Also, be sure to catch up with the rest of Build 2023 news here.

Microsoft announces public rollout of Edge Workspaces by Taras Buria Microsoft's annual developer conference, Build, has brought us lots of news about the company's products. Edge, for example, is about to get a revamped UI with the Mica material, rounded tab corners, and other visual changes. For business customers, Microsoft has prepared a dedicated experience called Microsoft Edge for Business that aims to make it easier to keep private data separate from work without resorting to another browser. Edge Workspaces is another feature debuting today—Microsoft has announced the upcoming public rollout for all Edge users. Edge Workspaces is a tool for collaborative work in Microsoft's desktop browser. It allows sharing tab sets with other people and watching changes in real time. With Edge Workspaces, everyone can view the same project websites and the latest working files in one place. The feature was initially unveiled at Microsoft Ignite earlier this year, and the company has spent a few months testing it with a limited number of Edge users. Now it is about to roll out to all customers within the next few months, and those wanting to participate in the preview can join via this link. In addition to providing the convenience of a single space for project-related pages, Edge Workspaces ensure security and privacy for sensitive files and apps, with only approved people having access to them. Getting started with Edge Workspaces is easy: click the workspace button in the upper-left corner, give your workspace a proper name, select a color, then share the invitation with others. After that, you can open webpages, files, and apps within the workspaces and watch everyone working together in real-time. Unlike Microsoft Edge for Business, Edge Workspaces will be available for all customers, not just those with managed devices and work accounts. You can catch up with the rest of the Microsoft Build 2023 announcements here.

Microsoft announces Edge for Business—a dedicated mode for companies and organizations by Taras Buria In addition to announcing a major design overhaul and a few PWA-related improvements in its browser, Microsoft revealed a new set of features coming to enterprise customers and organizations using Microsoft Edge. "Microsoft Edge for Business" is the new work-focused browser experience with dedicated visual elements and a rich set of enterprise controls, security, and productivity features. It will be the standard browser mode for organizations activated when the user logs in using Azure Active Directory or AAD. Microsoft Edge for Business aims to fix problems caused by hybrid work with blurred lines between personal and work experiences. On one side, customers want to keep their private data, passwords, browsing history, and other parts of daily browsing separate from their organization. Conversely, IT Admins strive to maintain their company's safety and security. As a result, many organizations support multiple browsers that, in turn, make the experience less secure and convenient. This is where Microsoft Edge for Business comes into play. The new work-focused Microsoft Edge experience separates your personal and work life into dedicated windows with their own icons, caches, browsing data, passwords, storage location, and more. Also, Microsoft wants to make the switching process automated and seamless by launching Microsoft Edge for Business whenever you log in with your work account to Microsoft 365 and other websites. And since each organization and user have their own needs and preferences, Microsoft allows customizing lists of websites that trigger switching between personal and work experiences. Microsoft Edge for Business in action In addition to making the browsing experience more convenient for the end users, Microsoft Edge for Business makes life easier for IT Admins with a single browser for all tasks. Microsoft says such an approach reduces the surface area for cyberattacks and ensures personal data remains private and off enterprise sync. Microsoft Edge for Business is available for public preview on managed devices starting today. According to Microsoft, the feature will be available on non-managed devices in the coming months. You can learn more about Microsoft Edge for Business here. Catch up with the rest of Microsoft Build 2023 announcements here.

Edge's built-in VPN to offer 5GB of free data to everyone by Taras Buria Last year, Microsoft started testing a built-in VPN for the Edge browser. Dubbed "Secure Network," the service provides basic VPN capabilities that let you circumvent restrictions, reduce risks when using public networks, prevent tracking, mask your location, and more. Unlike traditional VPN services, Edge Secure Network does not allow selecting countries, and the amount of data you get is minimal. And while we do not expect Microsoft to add more powerful VPN features to its browser, the data limit seems to have changed. Early versions of Edge Secure Network allowed using 1GB of free traffic. Later, Microsoft increased the limit for some users to a more impressive 15GB. After months of testing, the company seems to have set its mind on how much free data to provide to Edge customers. As spotted by u/Leopeva64-2 (Reddit), Edge Secure Network will offer 5GB of free traffic per month. The change is now available to some Edge insiders in the Canary Channel. Here is how Microsoft describes Edge's built-in VPN: Secure Network is a built-in VPN that can help secure your network connection from online hackers, protect against online trackers and keep your location private. You'll get 5GB of free Secure Network data each month when you sign in to Edge with your Microsoft Account. Microsoft clarifies that Edge Secure Network is not intended to use with streaming services—the browser automatically reroutes streaming and video content outside Secure Network to ensure your cap is not gone, reduced to atoms in one hour. Therefore, 5GB of free traffic should be enough for basic browsing. In addition to limiting its capabilities on streaming services, Edge Canary lets you enable Secure Network on select websites only or force the VPN on all pages. Edge Secure Network seems like a great addition to the browser's ever-growing list of features. That assumes you trust Microsoft enough to let the browser route all your traffic through the selected servers. Some may have a problem with that after the recent debacle with Edge leaking your websites. Let us know in the comments what you think about this.

Microsoft Weekly: bugs, apps, IE not dead, and the overall calm before Build by Taras Buria Another weekend—another issue of Microsoft Weekly, your regular seven-day recap of everything that happened in the world of Microsoft. This week was relatively tame and quiet, something you can call the calm before the storm Build, Microsoft's annual developer conference. It is kicking off next week, and we expect many announcements from the software giant. But before that, time to look back at this week full of Windows bugs, apps, updates, Bing, and other news. Confirmed Windows Bugs and other troubles This week, Microsoft confirmed several issues and bugs in its operating systems. It all started with multiple users reporting cryptic errors when installing the latest Windows 11 cumulative updates. In addition, some complained about VPN slowdowns that Microsoft subsequently confirmed. Later, Microsoft admitted it could not fix issues with the Local Security Authority feature and offered a temporary workaround. Interestingly, LSA is not the only problem Microsoft has a hard time fixing: the company confirmed the return of the bug causing issues with the Start menu, Office apps, Window Search, UWP apps, and other components. This time, the only workaround as we wait for a real fix is to uninstall specific apps, which might not be acceptable for many. Finally, Microsoft detailed a weird bug causing internal hard and solid-state drives to show as removable media in Windows 11. Funny enough, it is one of those ancient annoyances from the Windows Vista era, and it still haunts modern Windows versions, such as 11. Luckily, Microsoft has provided a workaround. It is not all bad news It is not all negative, though. This week also brought some good news, such as the updated Windows Clock app, in which Microsoft finally mended its "game-changing" feature. After months of neglect, one of Windows 11's productivity-boosting capabilities is working again. Another great improvement (do not praise Microsoft for it) is the Weather app infected with ads and MSN News. After a wave of criticism, Microsoft removed all banners and news, resulting in a much cleaner and more pleasant application. Other app-related news includes the global rollout of the Phone Link app for iOS that now allows you to send iMessage (sort of) from your PC, make calls, and receive notifications. Windows PCs now play much better with iPhones, and it is excellent. Besides, Microsoft has released an update for the Windows Photos app with support for the WebP image format. Windows 11's built-in photo viewer is now much better at handling still exotic and unconventional for many formats, such as WebP or AVIF. Internet Explorer lives... wait, what? This week, Microsoft reverted some of its initial plans to bury the good-old Internet Explorer for good. The company explained that Windows updates would no longer remove visual references from its operating system (icons on the taskbar or Start menu), leaving companies in control over determining the timing to remove IE11. Also, Microsoft would ensure some exceptional scenarios still allow access to IE11 within Edge. So there you go, Internet Explorer is still not dead™. EU and China say "Go," and Microsoft loves GeForce Now Every week brings new developments to the ever-going saga of Microsoft trying to get its hands on Activision-Blizzard. After failing to score the green light from the UK, the software giant received approval from the European Union and China. One of the biggest and most interesting gaming-related news (especially in light of CMA's discontent with the Microsoft-ABK deal) is Microsoft bringing its games to Nvidia's GeForce Now streaming service. The company has announced its plans to let gamers stream Gears 5 and more projects in the future using GeForce Now and not just Xbox Cloud Gaming or xCloud. Finally, if you are looking into something new to play, check out the latest addition to the Xbox Game Pass library that now includes FIFA 23, Railway Empire 2, Planet of Lana, and more. Bing or be careful who you call ugly in Middle School Bing is no longer Microsoft's unloved child; it gets new updates almost weekly. On May 16, Microsoft announced new AI-powered features to its mobile apps, such as Bing, SwiftKey, Edge, and Skype. Those updates will help you leverage the power of artificial intelligence in your daily life and make things much easier than before. Not so long ago, Microsoft opened Bing Chat to all users, leaving no customer in the waiting line. This week, the company made another notable change with Bing no longer requiring a Microsoft Account to access its artificial intelligence power. It is worth noting, though, that you will not get all features when accessing Bing without an MSA, so the best experience still requires an account. In addition, Microsoft is rolling out a bunch of features it promised to deliver earlier. Users can now share their conversations with Bing or export them into PDF, text, or Word documents. Finally, the character limit was increased from 2,000 to 4,000, and the service now supports video overlays and extra enhancements in Edge. Bing's rapid growth and customer interest have made some manufacturers consider swapping Google with Microsoft's upgraded search engine. However, things are not changing in favor of Bing as Samsung has not decided to ditch Google on its smartphones. No_builds week The Windows Insider program was quiet this week, with no new builds for those rocking Canary and Dev Channels. All eyes of insiders are now on the upcoming Build 2023 conference, where we want to see some Windows 11-related announcements and details about future updates. Regarding future updates, reliable sources confirmed this week that the upcoming Windows 11 23H2 update would still arrive as an enablement package based on the 22H2 version with a minor build bump. Although we haven't got any preview builds to test, Microsoft released a few apps and Xbox updates for early trials. For example, the Windows Subsystem for Android received a few neat features improving security and performance thanks to anti-virus software support and memory reallocation. The Xbox app for Windows got a few bugs squashed, and Xbox Insiders received an updated Home experience with improved Reward points integration. As for unofficial updates and projects, the original Surface Duo received another set of drivers that enabled this tiny dual-screen device to run Windows 11. Version 2305.45 brought improved sensor support, compatibility with the Surface app from the Microsoft Store, and more. Accusations and a new investigation This week, Twitter sent a letter to the Microsoft CEO complaining that the company has been "improperly using Twitter data" without paying and sharing it without permission. A Microsoft spokesperson was quick to react and told The New York Times that the software giant does not pay Twitter for its data and that Microsoft would review the complaint and respond to it accordingly. Another not-so-positive story of the week is a new antitrust investigation from the EU. The watchdog is now looking into accusations of Microsoft behaving anti-competitively and abusing its access to confidential information to leverage and compete with other cloud providers. Fun, useful, and free stuff Internet Explorer is not the only Microsoft product refusing to die this week. In a surprising move, Microsoft announced a giveaway of an unopened Zune player to help promote Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Although the giveaway sounds extremely exciting, there is one catch: Microsoft does not know if the never opened Zune works ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Adam Bottjen, your source of weekly tips, has published a new guide describing how to stop Edge from automatically loading on Windows startup. It is a handy tip for those wanting to maximize performance on startup and ensure Windows boots as "clean" as possible. Now to the freebies and discounted stuff: Epic Games is giving away free copies of the highly acclaimed Death Stranding. Also, many games are discounted during the Epic Games Store Mega Sale (coupons included) and you can save up to 90% on games in this weeks Deals with Gold that remain live until Monday. Finally, John Callaham published a guide to all the major streaming gaming events in the next few weeks to help everyone keep up with the upcoming announcements. Dates, time, and where to watch—everything included. Signing off And that is all for the week of May 15, 2023. As we approach the annual Build conference, brace yourself for a massive drop of Microsoft news next week. And to never miss a single Microsoft announcement and support us, subscribe to the Neowin Newsletter.

Microsoft Edge 113.0.1774.50 by Razvan Serea Introducing the new Microsoft Edge. Rebuilt from the ground up to bring you world-class compatibility and performance, the security and privacy you deserve, and new features designed to bring you the best of the web. Microsoft Edge is also available on iOS and Android, providing a true cross-platform experience. The new Microsoft Edge provides world class performance with more privacy, more productivity and more value while you browse. Built on the same technology as Chrome, Microsoft Edge has additional built-in features like Startup boost and Sleeping tabs, which boost your browsing experience with world class performance and speed that are optimized to work best with Windows. Microsoft Edge security and privacy features such as Microsoft Defender SmartScreen, Password Monitor, InPrivate search, and Kids Mode help keep you and your loved ones protected and secure online. Microsoft Edge has features to keep both you and your family protected. Enable content filters and access activity reports with your Microsoft Family Safety account and experience a kid-friendly web with Kids Mode. The new Microsoft Edge is now compatible with your favorite extensions, so it’s easy to personalize your browsing experience. Microsoft Edge 113.0.1774.50 changelog: Fixed various bugs and performance issues. Stable channel security updates are listed here. Download: Microsoft Edge 113.0.1774.50 (64-bit) | 145.0 MB (Freeware) Download: Microsoft Edge 113.0.1774.50 (32-bit) | 134.0 MB View: Microsoft Edge Website | Release History Get alerted to all of our Software updates on Twitter at @NeowinSoftware

Microsoft testing reorder buttons in Edge Sidebar, a widely-requested feature by Rahul Naskar Last year when Microsoft launched the Sidebar feature in Edge, users were divided on how useful it could be. Luckily for Microsoft, it wasn't one of the scenarios where the company was criticized for adding new functionalities, as the Sidebar was and still is optional. For those who like Sidebar in Edge, Microsoft is taking concrete steps to improve the experience and not just listening to feedback but also acting on them. Microsoft is working on a new Edge Sidebar feature to allow for more customizations. Many users have complained that they should have the option to reorder buttons in Edge Sidebar. It will let users put the Sidebar buttons in whatever order they like. To address this issue, Microsoft is currently working on the ability to reorder buttons in Edge Sidebar. Reordering buttons in the Sidebar will be easy. You will be able to drag the button using your mouse cursor and drop it where you like it to be on the Sidebar. Microsoft is currently testing it with select users in Edge Canary, which means there is no guarantee that we will be able to use it right after installing the browser on your PC. However, if you are one of the lucky ones to see the new Sidebar functionality in Edge Canary, remember that there are some bugs in it, as pointed out by Leopeva 64-2 on Twitter. This is understandable, given that it's in the early stages of development. We are hoping that things will only improve from here. In Edge Canary Microsoft is already TESTING the option to reorder the Sidebar buttons (the feature has some bugs right now), many users had requested this option:https://t.co/YrvDXMCo2k . pic.twitter.com/9baiQa4UVW — Leopeva64 (@Leopeva64) May 18, 2023 Besides the ability to reorder Edge Sidebar buttons, Microsoft is also working on thumbnail options for Edge's "Favourites" hub to allow users to preview a small image representation of a larger web page image. It is also in the early stages of development and is limited to select Edge Canary users. Meanwhile, you can download Edge Canary here from the official Microsoft Edge Insider website.

Microsoft announces new AI features for Bing, SwiftKey, Edge, and Skype by Taras Buria Microsoft has announced a new feature drop for its mobile applications to match what the company currently offers on desktops. In addition to new AI-powered capabilities for Bing, Edge, Skype, and SwiftKey on smartphones, the company has started rolling out the features it announced earlier this month. They include history, richer responses with videos, knowledge cards, graphs, and improved formatting. SwiftKey The Compose feature is now available for SwiftKey users on Android and iOS. It allows generating drafts according to your preferred parameters, such as tone, format, length, and topic. Also, the company expands on the recently released tone feature with two new styles—witty and funny. These two tones join the existing four that include professional, casual, polite, and social. Microsoft says the updated tone feature will help you create the right message from a one-liner to a work email. Finally, the third new feature is an AI-powered translator built into SwiftKey. You can tap a button on the toolbar, paste some text, and quickly translate it into many languages. Edge Edge for Android and iOS will soon receive support for contextual chat, allowing you to ask Bing Chat questions related to the content on the current page. For example, you can tap the Bing Chat icon and ask it to pick the best wine for the recipe you are currently viewing. Another similar new feature is text actions. You can highlight a word or phrase on a page and ask Bing to provide more context, explain something, and more. Skype The AI-powered Bing bot is now available in all group chats, meaning there is no more need for participants to search for Bing and att it to their contacts. Microsoft says the update is currently rolling out to Skype users and will arrive to all customers worldwide within a few days. Bing App Finally, there are a few neat improvements to the Bing app. Microsoft has prepared a new widget to access Bing Chat from the home screen on your iPhone or Android smartphone. Also, in upcoming weeks, Microsoft will let you transfer conversations from your desktop to mobile using QR codes. At last, Microsoft increased the number of supported languages for voice input and improved the quality of non-English chats, allowing users to choose from various languages and voices for an optimal and delightful experience. You can learn more about the new features coming soon to your mobile devices in a post on the official Microsoft Bing blog.

How to stop Edge from automatically loading on Windows startup by Adam Bottjen When Windows 10 and 11 boot up, Microsoft Edge also loads into memory using a feature called startup boost. This way when you go to open it, it's already in memory and loads much faster. If you do not use Microsoft Edge or wish it wouldn't load with Windows, here is how to disable it. Open Microsoft Edge. Click the 3 dots in the top right. Click Settings at the bottom. In the search box of settings type Startup and press enter. Flip the switch off next to startup Boost. That's it! Now Microsoft Edge will no longer be starting with your computer! Happy Computing! If you learned something today, great! If not, maybe share your own tech tip in the comments below! I'm Adam, I'm known as Warwagon on the forums. For the past 19 years, I've been operating my own computer repair business. In doing so, I deal with the average computer user on a day-to-day basis. Every bit of information I provide for people I do so with the lowest common denominator in mind. It's a common misconception that everyone who joins or browses a tech site is a techie. Some people are just looking for guidance. That is why for some, these tech tips may seem a bit too simplistic but they are educational for others.

Edge 114 arrives in the Beta Channel with Workspaces and an extra taskbar for your PC by Taras Buria Shortly after releasing Edge 113 in the Stable Channel and Edge 115 in Dev, Microsoft is bringing Edge 114 to insiders in the Beta Channel for the final testing before the public launch next month. The latest release adds two new features: Workspaces (in preview) and a detachable, taskbar-like-looking sidebar. Edge Workspaces is the feature Microsoft announced several weeks ago. It allows inviting other users to your browsing session and sharing one set of tabs for collaborative work. You can view changes in real-time and see what other people do in the shared workspaces. Currently, Edge Workspaces is in the public preview, and you can learn how to participate using the official documentation. As for the updated sidebar (spotted earlier in Canary builds), it works just like it sounds. You can remove Edge's sidebar from the main window and fix it on your desktop, creating a weird-looking double-taskbar experience. The sidebar will remain pinned upon switching to other apps or minimizing Edge, and you can use it to access your favorite websites, built-in tools, Bing, etc. To try the updated sidebar, update Edge Beta to version 113 and click a "popout" icon in the bottom-right corner. Microsoft Edge 113 Beta is now available for download from the official Edge Insider website. Supported platforms include Windows 10 and 11, macOS, Linux, and Android. If you already use Edge Beta, update to the latest release by heading to edge://settings/help or the Menu > Help & Feedback > About Microsoft Edge.

Microsoft reduces size of Windows Server Container images, will undock Edge in the future by Paul Hill Microsoft has announced some modifications to its Windows Server Container images to help reduce their size. It has removed some hive files from something called the servicing layer, disabled unnecessary scheduled tasks, and pruned non-essential log files. The company explained that its Windows Service Container images contain a base layer and servicing layer which overlays serviced binaries. To help shrink the size of the images, Microsoft has removed some hive files in the Windows\System32\Config directory from the servicing layer. Microsoft isn’t content with the aforementioned changes. In the coming months, it wants to find a way to remove the Edge browser as a default component in the Server and Windows images. Rather than being pre-installed, users will be able to install Edge as an optional component. Over time, Microsoft is planning to undock other components, but Edge is first. Another way it’s planning to reduce the size of images is to remove foreign layers from the Windows container base images. This change will apparently allow customers to redistribute container images from their container registries - Microsoft said this will also improve the experience for developers. You can now get the slimmer images from the Microsoft Artifact Registry. The available images include Nano Server, Server Core, Server, and Windows.

Microsoft Weekly: more Edge problems, Windows concepts, broken features, and updates by Taras Buria Here is your weekly recap of Microsoft news published on Neowin between April 30 and May 6, 2023. We had a lot of interesting stories, controversies, neat Windows concepts, app updates, and fresh insider builds for Windows and Xbox Insiders. Edge goes down. The biggest story of this week is Statcounter's latest browser report. According to the company, Microsoft Edge is no longer world's second desktop browser. In April 2023, Edge lost its place to Safari, the only non-cross-platform mainstream browser. Some users may say the decline is well-deserved since Microsoft continues pushing user-hostile practices. Numerous reports indicate that the latest cumulative updates for Windows 10 and 11 are forcing customers to switch to Edge. Also, Outlook and Teams will soon open all links in Microsoft Edge, regardless of your default browser. Yikes! Windows 11 goes up, but not without problems. Unlike Edge, Windows 11 shows no signs of stopping or declining—both Statcounter and Steam say Windows 11 continues its steady rise. 23% of all Windows PCs already run Microsoft's latest OS; on the gaming side, about 33% of Steam users have upgraded from Windows 10 to 11. However, every rose has its thorn—some Windows 11-related news this week was not-so-positive. For starters, a popular app for debloating the OS got kicked out of the Microsoft Store allegedly due to an invalid certificate. The developer said the app has everything it needs to remain in the Microsoft Store and called the latter "a tragedy." Another head-scratching story last week involved Windows 11's hopelessly broken "game-changing" feature. Many users noticed that the Spotify integration Panos Panay hyped so much in 2021 no longer works and returns a blank login screen whenever you try to connect to Spotify. Microsoft has confirmed that it is working on resolving the problem, but the service remains inoperable for almost three months. Microsoft also confirmed a new known issue in Windows 11 22H2. The company says users may experience issues with speech recognition when using specific languages. Fortunately, the problem affects only two languages, and it will get a fix soon. On a slightly puzzling side, Microsoft allegedly reduced Windows 11's OOBE quality—it now plays at 30FPS instead of 60FPS, and no one knows why. Mouth-watering concepts. Feast your eyes on these two fantastic Windows concepts. One imagines Windows "12" with a highly-customizable taskbar to please everyone and another imagines what could Windows 11 Mobile look like had Microsoft not abandoned its mobile OS in 2017. Dev Channel Let's get to app updates, fresh Windows and Xbox Insider builds, and more. Windows Insiders received a build in almost every channel this week: 25357 in Canary, 23451 in Dev, and 22621/4.1690 in Beta. In addition to features and changes mentioned in the official release notes (you might not like some of them), those builds have several hidden improvements you can enable with our favorite ViVeTool app: Notable improvements for tab management in File Explorer An iOS-like widget picker A much-better virtual desktop experience with restored animations and desktop indicators Speaking of widgets, a new report emerged last week, spilling the beans on Microsoft's plans to finally let Windows 11 users place widgets on the desktop. It is the most-requested widget-related change, and Microsoft is finally on track to deliver it. Here are app updates from the last week: Edge 113 in the Stable Channel UUP Media Converter now lets you download Canary builds New virtual backgrounds for Microsoft Teams Windows Photos app received a feature Microsoft removed earlier (and more) Xbox app for Windows with several game library improvements A major update for Microsoft Lists with UX optimizations and double the speed A revamped Microsoft OneDrive for Work and School Finally, last week, Microsoft launched community voting for the best Microsoft Store apps in 2023. The voting is now over, so stand by for the results. On the Xbox side of Microsoft's Insider program, gamers received new fixes and improvements in Beta, Delta, and Omega Rings. Besides, Microsoft released a refined home experience for Alpha, Alpha Skip-Ahead insiders, and it features a simplified layout with more emphasis on users' backgrounds. Games Kicking off the gaming section, check out John Callaham's look back at Wolfenstein 3D, which turned 31 years old. Hogwarts Legacy arrived on the previous-gen consoles with a dedicated Arachnophobia Mode, and a Phil Spencer interview reveals details about the disappointing Redfall (as some say Redfell) launch. This week also offered plenty of freebies for gamers: Four games in the weekly Free Play Days program on Xbox A 7-day trail for non-Prime members on Amazon Lune (now runs Fortnite) Massive Deals with Gold discounts on Bioshock, Guardians of the Galaxy, and other games Other notable gaming news includes a new referral trial program that lets you give your friends a 14-day Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass trial. After accepting an invitation, they will be able to play hundreds of games, plus several titles coming later this month. Finally, Microsoft announced a new custom controller in partnership with the OPI nail brand, and Xbox Game Showcase and Starfield Direct dates. Windows Security During the last seven days, Microsoft released many security updates. A new anti-malware package for Windows images is now available, allowing configuring WIM and VHD formats with the latest security definitions. Also, Microsoft published new Defender guides to help clients enable key security features on their systems. Another notable change for IT admins this week is email notifications about known Windows issues. Administrators can now receive an email whenever Microsoft details a new known problem in its operating system and apply necessary changes or mitigations much faster. Reviews This week, Steven Parker published a review of the GEEKOM Mini IT12, a mini PC powered by Intel's 12th gen processors. It turned out to be a solid, well-built, and powerful device with a few small nuances. Be sure to check out the review via this link. Trivia As usual, during this week, we had several editorials and trivia articles. An article by Usama Jawad detailed why Windows 10 will turn into Windows 7 in terms of market share and users' unwillingness to move on. John Callaham's "look back" article revives the memories of the first Microsoft Mouse released nearly 40 years ago (great read in light of the news about Microsoft stopping its mice and keyboard production). Also, check out Aditya Tiwari's brief history of Microsoft-owned LinkedIn as it turned 20 years old. And that is it for this week's recap—plenty of Microsoft news both good and not-so-much. And with the annual Microsoft Build conference upon us, I am looking forward to what this month will soon bring us. If you think I missed some interesting stories, share them in the comments section. Also, you can always find more Microsoft news under the "Microsoft" tag here on Neowin. If you like weekly recaps like this, be sure to subscribe to Neowin Newsletter. It will deliver the most interesting news directly to your inbox. Previous Microsoft Weekly roundups are available via this link.

Microsoft Edge 113.0.1774.35 by Razvan Serea Introducing the new Microsoft Edge. Rebuilt from the ground up to bring you world-class compatibility and performance, the security and privacy you deserve, and new features designed to bring you the best of the web. Microsoft Edge is also available on iOS and Android, providing a true cross-platform experience. The new Microsoft Edge provides world class performance with more privacy, more productivity and more value while you browse. Built on the same technology as Chrome, Microsoft Edge has additional built-in features like Startup boost and Sleeping tabs, which boost your browsing experience with world class performance and speed that are optimized to work best with Windows. Microsoft Edge security and privacy features such as Microsoft Defender SmartScreen, Password Monitor, InPrivate search, and Kids Mode help keep you and your loved ones protected and secure online. Microsoft Edge has features to keep both you and your family protected. Enable content filters and access activity reports with your Microsoft Family Safety account and experience a kid-friendly web with Kids Mode. The new Microsoft Edge is now compatible with your favorite extensions, so it’s easy to personalize your browsing experience. Microsoft Edge 113.0.1774.35 changelog: Improvements to enhanced security mode. Enhanced security mode provides an extra layer of protection when browsing the web and visiting unfamiliar sites. In this release updates include consolidating the security level settings to Balanced and Strict mode. For more information, see Browse more safely with Microsoft Edge. Switch from Microsoft Autoupdate to EdgeUpdater for macOS. Microsoft Edge for macOS will start using a new updater named EdgeUpdater. This change only affects Microsoft Edge on macOS. If you use update preferences for Microsoft Autoupdate to prevent browser updates, you will need to transition to the new EdgeUpdater UpdateDefault policy before Microsoft Edge 113 to prevent future automatic updates. For more information, see Microsoft Edge for macOS switches from Microsoft AutoUpdate to EdgeUpdater. New policy for PDF View Settings. The RestorePdfView policy lets Admins control PDF View Recovery in Microsoft Edge. When enabled or if the policy isn't configured, Microsoft Edge will recover the last state of PDF view and land users on the section where they ended reading in the last session. Updated Microsoft Root Store policy. The MicrosoftRootStoreEnabled policy will now be supported in Microsoft Edge version 113 and 114. It will be removed in Microsoft Edge version 115. For more information, see Changes to Microsoft Edge browser TLS server certificate verification. New policies RestorePdfView - Restore PDF view EnforceLocalAnchorConstraintsEnabled - Determines whether the built-in certificate verifier will enforce constraints encoded into trust anchors loaded from the platform trust store ReadAloudEnabled - Enable Read Aloud feature in Microsoft Edge ShowDownloadsToolbarButton - Show Downloads button on the toolbar TabServicesEnabled - Tab Services enabled Download: Microsoft Edge 113.0.1774.35 (64-bit) | 145.0 MB (Freeware) Download: Microsoft Edge 113.0.1774.35 (32-bit) | 134.0 MB View: Microsoft Edge Website | Release History Get alerted to all of our Software updates on Twitter at @NeowinSoftware

Latest Microsoft Edge brings security improvements, updated PDF policies to all by Sayan Sen Microsoft has released the latest version of Edge stable version. The new version, 113.0.1774.35, brings improvements to Edge's enhanced security mode, a new EdgeUpdater for macOS, new policies for PDF viewing and Microsoft Root Store. The full changelog is given below: Feature update Improvements to enhanced security mode. Enhanced security mode provides an extra layer of protection when browsing the web and visiting unfamiliar sites. In this release updates include consolidating the security level settings to Balanced and Strict mode. Switch from Microsoft Autoupdate to EdgeUpdater for macOS. Microsoft Edge for macOS will start using a new updater named EdgeUpdater. This change only affects Microsoft Edge on macOS. If you use update preferences for Microsoft Autoupdate to prevent browser updates, you will need to transition to the new EdgeUpdater UpdateDefault policy before Microsoft Edge 113 to prevent future automatic updates. New policy for PDF View Settings. The RestorePdfView policy lets Admins control PDF View Recovery in Microsoft Edge. When enabled or if the policy isn't configured, Microsoft Edge will recover the last state of PDF view and land users on the section where they ended reading in the last session. Updated Microsoft Root Store policy. The MicrosoftRootStoreEnabled policy will now be supported in Microsoft Edge version 113 and 114. It will be removed in Microsoft Edge version 115. Policy updates New policies RestorePdfView - Restore PDF view EnforceLocalAnchorConstraintsEnabled - Determines whether the built-in certificate verifier will enforce constraints encoded into trust anchors loaded from the platform trust store ReadAloudEnabled - Enable Read Aloud feature in Microsoft Edge ShowDownloadsToolbarButton - Show Downloads button on the toolbar TabServicesEnabled - Tab Services enabled You may find more details about these policies on Microsoft's official website here.

Microsoft Bing Chat is in open preview, and will add chat history, visual search and more by John Callaham Over the past couple of weeks, Microsoft has been fairly quiet with its updates on its Bing Chat service. However, there have been hints that the company was preparing some big announcements for its AI chatbot. Today, the company revealed a ton of new and upcoming features for Bing Chat and its Edge web browser. That includes the news that Bing Chat is now in full Open Preview mode. While Microsoft seemed to have eliminated the Bing Chat waitlist a couple of months ago, the company has now officially stated that there is indeed no more waitlist to try out the chatbot. All you need is a Microsoft Account and you are all set to use Bing Chat on mobile or via Edge on the desktop. Microsoft claims that there are now over 100 million daily active users for Bing Chat, with over half a billion total chats since its launch. It also says that daily installs of the Bing mobile app have gone up four times more than normal since Bing Chat was first introduced. One of the most requested features by Bing Chat users is a way to save previous chats. Today, Microsoft said that ability will be put in "shortly", allowing users to stop a chat in mid-session and then return again where the chat was paused. It added: And when you want to dig into something deeper and open a Bing chat result, your chat will move to your Edge sidebar, so you can keep your chat on hand while you browse. Over time, we’re exploring making your chats more personalized by bringing context from a previous chat into new conversations. Microsoft will also be adding ways to quickly export chat conversations and also share them on social media. It stated: For times when you want to easily share your conversation with others in social media or continue iterating on a newly discovered idea, you can export it directly – the format stays the same to make an easy transition to continue in collaborative tools like Microsoft Word. In March, Microsoft launched Bing Image Creator, a way to use text prompts to create art with generative AI. Since then the company claims that over 200 million images have been generated with the AI program. Today, the company said that Bing Image Creator is expanding its reach. Previously it only supported English, but now the AI art maker can now accept text prompts from all of Bing's over 100 supported languages. The company added it is working to add visual searches to Bing Chat, so you can upload images in the chat to search for content related to it in Bing. It will also add visual elements for searches in chat, including things like charts and graphs. Microsoft also revealed some changes coming to its Edge browser in relationship to Bing: Edge mobile will also soon include page context, so you can ask questions in Bing chat related to the mobile page you're viewing. The compose feature in sidebar can also now tailor drafts based on feedback you give like tone, length, phrasing and more. Bing Chat will also offer improvements for summaries of large articles and documents within Edge, and will introduce what Microsoft calls Edge actions: Available in the coming weeks, people will soon be able to lean on AI to complete even more tasks with fewer steps. For example, if you want to watch a particular movie, actions in Edge will find and show you options in chat in the sidebar and then play the movie you want from where it’s available. Microsoft adds that it will continue to monitor the use of Bing Chat to make sure that its safeguards are working for the ethical use of its AI tools. It stated: Together with our partners at OpenAI, we’ve continued to implement safeguards to defend against harmful content based on what we’re learning and seeing in preview. Our teams continue to work to address issues such as misinformation and disinformation, content blocking, data safety and preventing the promotion of harmful or discriminatory content in line with our AI principles. The new info on Bing Chat updates comes on the same day that the CEOs of Microsoft, Google, OpenAI, and Anthropic will be meeting with US Vice President Kamala Harris in Washington DC to discuss plans for keeping the use of AI ethical and responsible.

Statcounter: Microsoft Edge is no longer world's second desktop browser by Taras Buria According to Statcounter's April 2023 report, Microsoft Edge is no longer world's second most popular desktop browser. Apple Safari, the only non-cross-platform browser, has taken over Microsoft's Chromium-powered Edge. Disclaimer: Reports from Statcounter and other companies are never 100% accurate, and the idea is to provide average values and pinpoint general trends. You can learn how Statcounter gathers its data in the official FAQ. Statcounter says Safari is now in second place with a market share of 11.87%, a 0.95 points uplift compared with the previous month. Edge is now third, struggling to surpass an 11% mark for almost a year. In April 2023, Microsoft Edge lost 0.15 points. As for Chrome, it holds 66.13%, with a 0.36 points month-over-month increase. Here are the most popular desktop browsers per Statcounter's latest findings: Google Chrome - 66.13% (+0.36 points) Apple Safari - 11.87% (+0.95 points) Microsoft Edge - 11% (-0.15 points) Firefox - 5.65% (-0.82 points) Opera - 3.09% (-0.08 points) Most things have stayed the same on the mobile side of the market. Chrome and Safari continue holding almost 90% of all users, leaving a little less than 5% to Samsung, 2% to Opera, and the rest to less-known browsers. Google Chrome - 61.96% (-2.66 points) Apple Safari - (+1.73 points) Samsung Internet - 4.8% (+0.31 points) Opera - 1.88% (+0.08 points) UC Browser - 1.71% (+0.18 points) You can learn more about the April 2023 browser report from Statcounter on the official website.

Microsoft Weekly: Windows security, Edge leakage, and the end of Windows 10 by Usama Jawad It's Saturday, which means that it's time yet again to recap all the important news of the past few days from the world of Microsoft. This was an absolutely jampacked news week as you'll soon find out with items about Windows security, Microsoft Edge, and the end of Windows 10. Find out more in our latest digest covering April 23 - April 28! Windows security Windows security was a hot topic in our news coverage this week. Microsoft released various PowerShell scripts to help IT admins identify if recent patches have mitigated security flaws in their Windows 10 and 11 environments. It also shared a timeline covering the next few months of Windows hardening for various protocols including Netlogon and Kerberos. However, the firm continues struggling with existing security issues in its operating systems. It confirmed yesterday that the latest Patch Tuesday update has broken Local Account log-in on both Windows 10 and Windows 11, a workaround has been issued. It has also cautioned about interop issues in its Local Administrator Password Solution (LAPS) but has recently fixed most, if not all of them, too. IT admins can also leverage an unofficial third-party GUI tool to manage both versions of LAPS, at their own risk. Another problem related to Local Security Authority (LSA) protection in Windows Defender has been patched too. Additionally, Microsoft revealed more details about the security features present in its revamped Teams desktop app. It might interest some of you to know that the firm is considering unbundling Teams from its Office suite of apps to appease EU regulators and also empower Teams users on Android to disable automatic firmware updates. And if you like to mess around with Windows installations, you might want to check out AtlasOS, which is a third-party, lightweight version of Windows 10 that's supposedly better for gaming. It received updates during this week and is set to get back Windows Defender soon too, with the developer making a seemingly tall claim that AtlasOS will be even more secure than the official Windows 10. But if you'd rather mess with your existing installation at a smaller scale, you can check out Wintoys for Windows 11 instead. Edge leakage Edge and Microsoft's other browser-related efforts found themselves in the news a lot throughout this week, for both good reasons and bad. For starters, someone made a rather startling discovery that Edge is apparently leaking all the websites you visit in the browser to the Bing API, even if you don't use Bing. Microsoft is still investigating this claim and has promised swift action once its findings are complete. Brave has also decided to stop using the Bing API to serve search results and its search index is now 100% independent. We also learned that Microsoft has started to insert ads for the new AI-powered Bing in the search bar if you visit Google Bard through Microsoft Edge. Bing Chat itself received a few updates this week to further decrease the disengagement rate and improve answers for traveling and cooking questions. Talking more about browsers, Windows 11's Mica effect is slated to arrive in Chrome soon. Moreover, the latest Edge Dev 114 update has added several fixes and a shortcut for toggling Sidebar. A recent Canary build is also making it easier to tweak Windows 11-style rounded corners in Edge. In fact, Microsoft has announced that Edge users will soon be able to disable some unnecessary features as well. There were other items to cover in the Microsoft 365 sector too. All Microsoft 365 apps and services will begin using the more neutral "cloud.microsoft" domain soon. Microsoft has also been improving its Microsoft 365 apps and services themselves in recent days. It has detailed all the improvements it made to Excel in April, added the Accessibility ribbon to Outlook for Windows, integrated the Today tab in the latest Skype Insider build, and is implementing a way to make it easier for Outlook mobile users to reply to emails on time. Meanwhile, Microsoft Loop can now be tested via personal accounts on iOS and Android while Microsoft Designer is now available in full via a public preview. Something that will displease Windows Weather app customers though is that Microsoft has decided to infest it with MSN news content, which is ludicrous, to say the least. The end of Windows 10 Microsoft announced earlier this week that version 22H2 is the last version of Windows 10. What this means is that while customers using the OS will continue receiving minor improvements and security updates until October 14, 2025 (and beyond if you're an LTSC customer), there will be no more feature updates. In addition, Microsoft has also announced that the LTSC version of Windows 11 will arrive in the latter half of next year. Windows 10 recently received April's non-security preview update with lots of improvements too. Another thing being discontinued is Microsoft-branded mice, keyboards, webcams. The remaining accessories will only be sold until current supplies last, after which Microsoft will focus only on Surface-branded accessories. In more end-of-support news, the Steam client has started "End of Life" alerts for some users as it will be dropping support for Windows 7, 8, and 8.1 on January 1, 2024. Roughly 2% of Valve's user base utilizes these three operating systems, which means that the vast majority won't be affected. Windows 11 continued to be Microsoft's focus of attention when it came to operating system releases this week. Apart from the expected April non-security preview updates for Windows 11 version 21H2 and 22H2, there were a few Insider releases too. Windows 11 Beta build (KB5025303) fixed LAPS and ReFS issues, and added new Widgets. Meanwhile, Canary build 25352 brought a new widget picker experience. Some may also find it interesting that Microsoft is looking to make Rust a part of the Windows 11 kernel due to the numerous advantages it offers in writing safer and more optimized code. But in terms of what's available generally right now, we have Phone Link for iOS and guidance for how to get Windows 11 updates faster. And if you're still on the fence about giving Windows 11, make sure to try out the Redmond tech firm's latest evaluation virtual machines for the OS. Git gud Microsoft faced probably its biggest roadblock yet in its bid to purchase Activision Blizzard when the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) decided to block its deal, citing potentially reduced competition in the cloud gaming space. As Activision stock tanks, Microsoft has decided to appeal the decision, with president Brad Smith calling this initial outcome "bad for Britain". Although another report claimed that Microsoft may close the deal without the U.S. Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) approval, that rumor was based on the UK CMA giving its blessing in the first place. Now that this hasn't happened, it's unlikely that the purchase will close anytime soon. For now, Microsoft's acquisition has been approved in Ukraine and the firm has signed yet another 10-year cloud gaming deal with a European firm too (Nvidia GeForce Now will continue to get Xbox games despite this setback too). Activision's CEO Bobby Kotick fully expects the CMA's decision to be reversed following the appeal. In other gaming news, there have been a few Xbox Insider builds to fix game art issues and other bugs. And if you're eagerly awaiting Redfall, you can build themed Xbox controllers based on the game through Xbox Design Lab. Similarly, if you reside in London or NYC, you might want to check out the dedicated gaming zones that Microsoft has built with Samsung. Coming over to game updates, Flight Simulator World Update XIII is now available, it targets Oceania and Antarctica. Quantum Break fans will also be pleased to know that the title is back on digital storefronts and is available on PC Game Pass for the first time too. Meanwhile, Grounded players can tackle wasps as a new foe, with the game also being Steam Deck verified now. And in a major win for accessibility, Turn 10 Studios has announced that it is working on tons of accessibility options for the next Forza Motorsport, allowing blind players to enjoy the game as well. Finally, talking about the deals and promotions currently going on, Xbox Free Play Days is offering four games, namely Crusader Kings III, Hell Let Loose, Don’t Starve Together, and Leap. May's Games with Gold have also been announced and they are Hoa and Star Wars Episode I Racer. And if you're on the lookout for games on the cheap, check out the latest Xbox Deals with Gold and this Weekend's PC Game Deals, curated by our News Editor Pulasthi Ariyasinghe. Dev Channel Microsoft's Q3 2023 results show growth but Windows, Xbox, and Devices numbers continue to decline Rufus 4 is out with improvements and a default 64-bit executable Rufus alternative WinToUSB has received "Windows 11 Lite" support Latest WingetUI has a new UI, faster loading performance, and lots more Microsoft has decided to continue working with private Russian companies not under sanctions Fluent Emoji Gallery app is now available with access to Microsoft's three emoji styles Apple Music Preview for Windows has finally netted media keys and lyrics support Microsoft-backed BSA has called for federal rules and guidelines on AI You can now create Power BI reports directly in Jupyter Notebooks Under the spotlight News Reporter John Callaham took a look back at Windows Server 2003, which launched 20 years ago this week. It was the server version of Windows XP and is reportedly still being used in some enterprise environments. Read more about its interesting, but brief, history here. John took another trip down memory lane this week as he reminisced about Microsoft's first PC game, simply called Microsoft Adventure. Meanwhile, News Reporter Taras Buria penned a guide about how you can use a Windows laptop or a tablet as a secondary monitor. Finally, forum member Adam Bottjen published his latest Tech Tip Tuesday guide explaining how you can quickly fill an online form with ease. Logging off Our most interesting news item for this week involves someone building a ChatGPT client in Java that is capable of running on Windows 98, ME, 2000, XP, Vista, 7, 8, 10, and 11. It's called JavaGPT and weighs in at just 6MB. While it's doubtful that it has any real-world use considering that you can just access the service from a browser, it's interesting to see experiments like these from time to time. Find out more details about the open-source Java utility here. If you'd like to get a weekly digest of news from Neowin, we have a Newsletter you can sign up for either via the 'Get our newsletter' widget in the sidebar, or through this link. Missed any of the previous columns? Check them all out at this link.

Bing Chat improves answers for recipes and travel questions in this week's update by John Callaham It's been yet another pretty quiet week on the Bing Chat front, in terms of adding new features and major new improvements. However, the team has still been busy with some backend changes. In this week's Bing Chat blog update. it reveals that the team has made some improvements for answers to questions about travel and recipes: For both, we improved the accuracy of citations. For recipes, we used improved grounding data from recipe content providers and made sure that citations directed you to the recipe site instead of Bing.com. Expect us to make further grounding improvements based on your feedback. The blog post added that the team is continuing to make efforts to reduce the number of times a conversation in Bing Chat will simply end with the AI stating things like "I’m sorry but I prefer not to continue this conversation." The team has reportedly made some backend changes "to reduce some of the most egregious scenarios" when this has occurred. Finally, the blog post mentions that a bug has been fixed when using the Bing Chat sidebar in the Edge web browser. The bug was causing Bing Chat to not "recognize the content in the browser’s active tab" but now it has been dealt with. With the start of a new month in just a few days, we hope the Bing Chat team will be able to add more and bigger improvements in the coming weeks.

Microsoft tries to steal users with Bing ads when they visit Google Bard in Edge by Taras Buria The great war of AI-powered search engines is raging on, and after a rushed and botched launch, Google is at a clear disadvantage compared to Bing. Microsoft understands it has a once-in-a-lifetime chance to beat Google, so it uses all possible methods to make users stick to Bing and avoid using Google's Bard. As spotted by Vitor de Lucca on Twitter, Microsoft is now showing large Bing banners when people use Google Bard in the Edge browser. Vitor spotted the banner in Microsoft Edge Dev, as did we in the Canary Channel, despite still being on the waitlist to access Bard. The prompt offers to compare Bard's answers with Bing, and clicking the ad opens Bing Chat in a split-screen tab (a new feature Microsoft introduced earlier this year). Tactics like this are not new, and Google is also guilty of using aggressive user-poaching methods. However, this time, Microsoft's approach at least seems reasonable since it allows users to compare two products and decide which is better. It is far better than the shameless ad Microsoft placed on the Google Chrome website several months ago (and fortunately ditched shortly after). What do you think about Microsoft's latest tactic to promote its search engine? Share your thoughts in the comments section.

Microsoft Edge will soon let you remove some of its unnecessary features by Taras Buria Microsoft is testing a new feature for its browser in the Canary Channel, which will make many users happy. The company wants to let customers disable non-essential parts of Microsoft Edge to make the browser run faster and deliver a less cluttered experience. The option for toggling on or off different features in Microsoft Edge is rolling out to some users in the Canary Channel as a part of the so-called Controlled Feature Rollout. Those with a lucky ticket can disable optional components by heading to Settings > Optional Features or the edge://settings/optionalFeatures link. Screenshot by @Leopeva64 In a nutshell, optional features in Microsoft Edge work the same as those in Windows 10 and 11. Here is how Microsoft describes the latest addition: Microsoft Edge now lets you turn off optional browser features so as to make it the fastest browsing experience for you. Features that are turned off are still available to you but will require a small download to enable. Many people have been complaining that Microsoft is turning what was once a decent and fast browser into bloated adware, so the new Optional Features settings section will please many users who are not happy with questionable features, such as built-in games. It is a sign that Microsoft is paying attention to feedback and wants to deliver a better experience. Of course, it remains to be seen what features will be removable, but at least things are now moving in the right direction.

Microsoft is making it easier to tweak Windows 11-styled rounded corners on Edge by Sayan Sen Microsoft is working on a new toggle which is meant to make it easier for users to disable the Windows 11-styled rounded corners for browser windows in Edge. Microsoft already allows disabling and enabling rounded corners for browser windows inside Settings. The option dubbed "Use rounded corners for browser windows" is available in the Appearance section of Edge Canary. This can be toggled on or off. However, with the new Canary, Microsoft is apparently experimenting with a new handy option to toggle on or off browser windows right on the three-dot menu. This means users will not have to navigate all the way to the three-dot menu > Settings > Appearance. The change was spotted by Deskmodder and you can see how the option would work in the images below. The left image shows the new toggle which is present right at the top while the right image shows the change after the browser was restarted with the toggle set to disabled. Notably, this option is not available for everyone as it seems to be a controlled feature rollout. This feature could be available to all once it is ready for the Stable channel release sometime in the future.