The Windows feature Mac users envy

Plus: Cast your Windows PC to your TV  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ Thanks for reading this special early preview edition of Windows Intelligence, brought to you in partnership with [Thurrott.com](=). This design is merely a placeholder for what's to come. Stay tuned! ​ I've been reminded why I love the Windows desktop so much lately. Between all the emails, documents, spreadsheets, and everything else flying around my desktop as I get Windows Intelligence up and running, I can't imagine doing all of this on a tablet or smartphone. The Windows Snap feature has boosted my productivity so much. It's easy to fall into the habit of using full-screen windows all the time, and I know a lot of people who do — but you're missing out if you do. Snap is one of those nice features Apple hasn't really matched, either. Mac users have to hunt down third-party apps to get something that even comes close to matching what Windows offers out of the box. This week, let's take a look at the feature that makes Mac users envious. Chris Today's read: ⌚ 3 Things to Know: 2 minutes ⌚ 3 Things to Try: 2 minutes ⌚ Top Thurrott Thoughts: 30 seconds ⌚ Just for Fun: 30 seconds [] ❱❱ 3 Things to Know This Week 1. A new Office app just launched on Windows ➜ THE SHORT VERSION: Microsoft Office (now part of Microsoft 365) just got a new application to sit alongside Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Teams on Windows. 🔎 KNOW MORE: Microsoft Loop is a new note-taking, collaboration, and project management organization app with "components" that can sync across all your other Office apps. - Loop was already available on the web, as well as for Android and iPhone. Microsoft just launched Loop as a Windows app in [the Microsoft Store](=). - Microsoft Loop will be immediately familiar to anyone who's used Notion, a popular "all-in-one workspace" for organizing everything in one place. - While Loop is targeted at team productivity, I know some people who swear by using a tool like this to organize their personal notes and projects, too. 📌 READ MORE: Get [the grand tour of Microsoft Loop](=) on Microsoft's website. --------------------------------------------------------------- 2. It's time to say goodbye to Cortana ➜ THE SHORT VERSION: Microsoft is betting big on AI, but the company's Halo-themed voice assistant is going away — starting right now. 🔎 KNOW MORE: Microsoft is rolling out an update that disables the Cortana app on Windows 11, and a similar update is coming for Windows 10. - Microsoft has been deemphasizing Cortana for years after making a big push with it in Windows 10, where Cortana came pinned to the taskbar. - An official support document notes that Windows and Edge have "increased AI capabilities" to fill the gap. Those new AI capabilities will be branded with Microsoft's "Copilot" branding — not "Cortana." - You can always visit Cortana by playing Microsoft's Halo games, where Cortana eventually becomes a rogue AI trying to take over the galaxy, or something like that — no wonder Microsoft doesn't want the Cortana name on its future AI efforts. 📌 READ MORE: Check out[this announcement of Cortana's demise](=) to learn more about how we got here. For the practical details, read [Microsoft's end of support note](). --------------------------------------------------------------- 3. Microsoft's hidden feature tool is out in the wild ➜ THE SHORT VERSION: Microsoft has an internal tool its employees can use to enable hidden features in Windows 11. The company just leaked that tool to the entire world. Woops! 🔎 KNOW MORE: Named "StagingTool," this official Microsoft tool gives enthusiasts the ability to enable hidden features in Windows Insider preview builds of Windows 11. - Microsoft often hides new features in Windows Insider builds, or performs A/B testing so they're only available on some PCs and not others. Enthusiasts (and us tech journalists) often want to try and test the latest features right away. - Third-party tools like ViVeTool can enable these hidden features, too, but StagingTool does it in the official Microsoft way. - We don't recommend trying this at home — not unless you're already the type of person enabling experimental features on Windows Insider builds! 📌 READ MORE: Learn more about the leak in [this informative article](=). ​ [] ❱❱ 3 Things to Try This Week 1. Master your Windows PC's Snap feature Snap is the essential multitasking productivity feature on Windows PCs. It's easy to use from the mouse or keyboard, and once you've played with it a little bit, it should be second nature. It's great on Windows 10, but it's even more powerful on Windows 11. (And Microsoft has an even more flexible alternative to Snap for power users.) ⌚ You can snap a window in just 5 seconds. Budget 2 minutes to learn everything. 💻 Snap is built in on both Windows 10 and Windows 11. ➜ Just grab a window by the titlebar and drag it to the left or right edge of your screen — or one of the four corners of your display — to snap it. Or, from the keyboard, hold the Windows key and press the arrow keys to move windows around, snapping them back and forth. 📌 This is just scratching the surface of what you can do. I've got everything you need to know in [my Computerworld column](=). --------------------------------------------------------------- 2. Cast your Windows desktop to your TV Did you know that you can cast your Windows PC's desktop to your TV or another wireless display you may have around? Microsoft is working on making this "easier to discover," but you can discover it yourself right now. ⌚ You can start casting in as little as 10 seconds. 💻 This works on both Windows 10 and Windows 11. ➜ To get started, press Windows+K to open up the Cast dialog. It will search for nearby displays. Click one to start a connection. When I tried this, Windows 11 instantly found my Roku TV and prompted me to cast. I clicked it, saw a message on my TV asking if I wanted to let my PC cast, and I agreed on the TV itself. That's it — no extra setup necessary on either device with the default settings. [The Cast popup on Window 11.] ❓ Your mileage may vary. This may not work on your PC or with your wireless display. It depends on your PC's hardware, what your wireless display supports, and the settings on both your wireless display and your PC. The "Miracast" standard this relies on can be finicky. The good news is that, if your hardware is compatible, it will often work easily in a few clicks — especially if you have a PC and a TV made in the past few years. 📌 Microsoft has some [troubleshooting steps that may help]() if casting doesn't "just work" with your hardware. --------------------------------------------------------------- 3. Rename piles of files with lightning speed Want to rename more than one file at once? You need Microsoft's PowerRename tool. Microsoft just updated PowerRename and made it even faster when renaming huge numbers of files, too. ⌚ With PowerToys installed, you can rename multiple files in just 15 seconds. 💻 This Microsoft tool runs on both Windows 10 and Windows 11. ➜ To get started, just install Microsoft's PowerToys package — if you've already installed it, you're good to go. Select multiple files in File Explorer, right-click them, and select "PowerRename" in the context menu. The PowerRename window will appear. You can use it to quickly rename the files however you want, complete with a preview of what will happen when you hit that "Apply" button. It's a lot easier to use than a lot of those extremely complex "bulk rename" tools for Windows. [Microsoft's PowerRename PowerToy on Windows 11.] 📌 Install PowerToys from [the Windows Store]() to get PowerRename and other PowerToys tools on your PC. For more tips, check out Microsoft's [detailed PowerRename documentation](. ​ [] ❱❱ Top Thurrott Thoughts - ​[Tech Nostalgia: John Romero’s Definitive History of Wolfenstein 3-D, DOOM, and Quake]() - Paul dives into John Romero's autobiography and Id's culture. - ​[Mozilla Issues Firefox 116 with Improved Sidebar Switcher, More]( - Firefox is a fine browser choice in 2023. - ​[The End of Windows? Hardly (Premium)]( - News articles are predicting the decline of Windows once again. - ​[Google Announces a New Fitbit App, Coming This Fall]( - I'm looking forward to it. - ​[What I Use: Mexico City (July 2023) (Premium)]( - Read about Paul's latest Mexico City trip and what he's using. - ​[Lenovo Yoga Book 9i Review](=) - This dual-screen laptop was the talk of CES back in January. (Yes, you read that right: It's a laptop with two screens instead of a screen and a keyboard.) ​ [] ❱❱ And Just for Fun... Google isn't the only company that kills a lot of products. The [Killed by Microsoft]() page is a memorial of sorts for all those Microsoft projects that have been axed. Think of it as the Microsoft alternative to the popular [Google Graveyard](. Visit the site and scroll down to relive history, remembering all those Microsoft products that are gone — and perhaps discovering new ones you've never heard of. One notable product you'll see here is the Microsoft Kin, a line of "social phones" Microsoft was working on alongside Windows Phone. The Kin was so unpopular that Microsoft killed it after just 48 days on the market. Back in 2010, an unnamed Microsoft employee gave the following quote about the Kin to [Insider](): "We had a huge launch party on campus, and I bet that party cost more than the amount of revenues we took in on the product." [The Microsoft Bob logo.] Scroll down to the bottom and you'll find Microsoft Bob, "Microsoft's Strangest Creation." Here's [why my former colleague Joe Fedewa absolutely loved it](). ​ The weekend approaches... It's only the third issue, but I'm really enjoying writing these! I hope you're enjoying reading them — and that you're getting some useful tips and tricks out of them. That's what it's all about. I also hope you have an awesome weekend. Until next time! Thanks for reading Windows Intelligence and being a part of our early preview phase! We'd love to hear what you think so far. ​[Submit your feedback here]() — or just reply to this email. We'll read every single comment, and your thoughts will absolutely help shape and guide what this newsletter becomes. You received this email because your address was signed up for the Windows Intelligence early preview. If you didn't mean to sign up or no longer wish to be subscribed, you can [unsubscribe or update your preferences here](=).