Latest news with #DevChannel
CNET
6 days ago
- CNET
Microsoft Accidentally Replaces Windows 11 Startup Sound with Vista Chime
Microsoft briefly transported users back to 2007 this week when the company mistakenly swapped Windows 11's familiar startup chime with the iconic Windows Vista boot sound. The mix-up appeared in a recent Windows 11 Insider Preview build in the Dev Channel. Users who rebooted their systems noticed that instead of the modern Windows 11 tone, they were greeted by Vista's distinct (and now nostalgic) startup sound. Microsoft has since acknowledged the issue, calling it an unintentional change and confirming it will be fixed in an upcoming update. "This week's flight comes with a delightful blast from the past and will play the Windows Vista boot sound instead of the Windows 11 boot sound," the Windows Insider team wrote in its release notes for the latest Dev Channel build. Though the switch was accidental, the brief return of Vista's audio cue sparked curiosity and nostalgia online, with some users even preferring the retro flair. But for now, it looks like Vista's comeback is limited to this brief cameo, as Windows 11's usual startup sound will return shortly.
The Verge
13-06-2025
- The Verge
Microsoft has started testing its AI agent in the Windows 11 Settings app.
First announced last month, the feature lets users describe what they need in Settings, like 'my mouse pointer is too small.' The AI agent will then provide suggestions about how to address the issue, and can even fix it for them if users give permission. Microsoft is bringing the AI agent to Windows 11 Insiders in the Dev Channel, but only for Snapdragon-based Copilot Plus PCs to start.
The Verge
09-06-2025
- The Verge
You can now try Microsoft's new Start menu for Windows 11
Microsoft is now allowing Windows 11 testers to try out a new, larger Start menu that includes a scrollable interface, new views, and more customizability. An early version of the new Start menu first started showing up in Windows 11 builds in April, followed by Microsoft's official announcement in May. Today's Dev Channel release lets you try it out officially for the first time. 'We're making it easier for you to launch your apps with our updated, scrollable Start menu,' explains the Windows Insider team. This scrollable Start menu means that all apps is now at the top level, so you don't have to navigate to a second page to find your apps. You'll also be able to disable the recommended section so you can see more of your apps, and choose two new views: category and grid. The default category view groups apps by category, and the grid view is ordered alphabetically more like a traditional list view. Microsoft has also made the Start menu larger based on the screen size of your device or monitor. 'On larger devices, users can expect to see 8 columns of pinned apps, 6 recommendations, and 4 columns of categories in the Start menu,' says the Windows Insider team. 'On smaller devices, you'll see 6 columns of pinned apps, 4 recommendations, and 3 columns of categories.' There's also a new mobile device button on the Start menu that lets you expand or collapse the Phone Link interface that appears alongside the Start menu. Microsoft is also allowing Windows 11 users to choose what lock screen widgets appear, allowing you to add or remove widgets and rearrange them for the lock screen.
Mint
31-05-2025
- Mint
Microsoft provides major revamp to Notepad, adds support for new formatting, hyperlinks and more
Microsoft is providing a much-needed upgrade to Notepad, allowing the vintage Windows app to format text in various styles such as bold and italic, while also adding support for hyperlinks and Markdown. The new update has rolled out to Notepad Canary and the Dev Channel, though there's no confirmation yet on when it will be available for stable users. You may be interested in Dave Grochocki, Principal Group Product Manager – Windows Inbox Apps, while announcing the update in a blog post wrote, 'Microsoft is adding text formatting to its Windows Notepad app. The significant Notepad update is available for Canary and Dev Channel testers on Windows 11, and introduces bold and italic styling, alongside hyperlinks and even Markdown support.' The new lighweight formatting options are part of a new format tab that is located at the top alongside the File, Edit and View options. Apart from choosing styles like Bold and Italic, there is also an option to add lists for Headings and that too in different sizes. Formatting on Notepad The new options will definitely go a long way in helping users write in a more structured manner. However, given that most Windows users are accustomed to writing in plain text, Microsoft also offers the option to clear all formatting or fully disable the new feature by heading to the Notepad settings. Notably, the announcement about the new formatting feature comes almost a week after Microsoft revealed it is bringing the power of generative AI to Notepad. Users can now write new text using AI or improve their existing text directly within the Notepad app. With these updates, Notepad is beginning to look eerily similar to Microsoft Word and even Google Docs, which has become a popular free alternative to Microsoft's service. While the Notepad experience remained unchanged for years, Microsoft now seems determined to overhaul it with new functionality in this era of generative AI.
The Verge
30-05-2025
- Business
- The Verge
Microsoft releases a bold new update for Notepad
Microsoft is adding text formatting to its Windows Notepad app. The significant Notepad update is available for Canary and Dev Channel testers on Windows 11, and introduces bold and italic styling, alongside hyperlinks and even Markdown support. The addition of text formatting in Notepad means there's now a formatting toolbar at the top of the app, alongside the existing File, Edit, and View options. The toolbar includes access to bold, italic, and hyperlink options, but it also includes support for lists and headings. 'The experience supports Markdown style input and files for users who prefer to work directly with the lightweight markup language,' explains Dave Grochocki, principal product manager lead for Microsoft's Windows inbox apps. 'You can switch between formatted Markdown and Markdown syntax views in the view menu or by selecting the toggle button in the status bar at the bottom of the window.' Since Notepad is usually used with plain text, you can also easily clear all formatting from the formatting toolbar or from the edit menu in the app. If you're not a fan of the lightweight formatting options, you can also fully disable this new support in the Notepad app settings. This formatting addition to Notepad comes just a week after Microsoft started testing a new feature in the app that can generate text for you using AI. The new Write feature in Notepad can be used to 'quickly draft text based on your prompt,' and alongside these formatting options Notepad is starting to look a lot more like Microsoft Word.
