Windows annoyances you can fix right now

Plus: Type with your voice  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ [Windows Intelligence](#) [Windows Intelligence](#) Brought to you by: =​ Happy Friday! It was quite a week in Windows, with big news for everybody: - Windows 10 will one day require a subscription for security. - Windows 11 will finally make an annoying feature optional. - "Windows 12" was detailed in a fascinating leak full of AI features. While all the AI chatter is absolutely fascinating, I'm more focused on the software we're all using today. This week, I'll show you how to fix the worst annoyances in Windows and make your PC much more pleasant to use. Scroll down to this week's Things to Try section to learn more. [Chris Hoffman, AUthor] Chris Today's read: ⌚ 3 Things to Know: 2 minutes ⌚ 3 Things to Try: 1 minute 30 seconds ⌚ Top Thurrott Thoughts: 30 seconds ⌚ Just for Fun: 20 seconds ​ [] [3 Things to Know This Week] ​ 1. A next-gen "AI" version of Windows arrives in 2024 ➜ THE SHORT VERSION: A next-generation version of Windows will arrive in September or October of 2024. Its major new feature will be "an AI-powered Windows Shell." (On Windows, the shell is the overall graphical interface, including the desktop, taskbar, and Start menu.) 🔎 KNOW MORE: Codenamed "Hudson Valley," this may be an update to Windows 11 or it may be called "Windows 12" — that's apparently up to Microsoft's marketing people. - This new version of Windows will include an "advanced Copilot" AI that's constantly working in the background, a history feature that remembers what you do on your PC, and AI-enhanced search. - Many of these features may require a PC with a neural processing unit (NPU) to do the AI processing locally. For example, "Super Resolution" will use that hardware to AI-upscale videos and games. - Other changes in discussion include a "creator" area in the Start menu, moving elements of the taskbar and system tray to the top of the screen, and enhanced energy saver mode for longer battery life. 📌 READ MORE: Windows Central has an [exclusive in-depth report about the next-generation version of Windows](). --------------------------------------------------------------- 2. Windows 10 security will become a subscription service ➜ THE SHORT VERSION: Microsoft will stop releasing normal security updates for Windows 10 PCs on October 14, 2025. But, if you're willing to pay a subscription fee, you can get a few more years of security updates. 🔎 KNOW MORE: Microsoft offered paid "Extended Security Updates" (ESUs) to businesses for Windows XP and Windows 7. Now, for the first time, Microsoft will offer this paid service to individual Windows 10 PC users, too. - You can still use Windows 10 after October 14, 2025 without paying — you just won't get security updates. (That's not a great idea!) - Microsoft says it will announce pricing and more details "at a later date." One thing Microsoft did say is that this will be an annual subscription service. - For many people, going through the "unofficial" process to upgrade an old Windows 10 PC to Windows 11 may be the best bet come October 2025. Windows 11 has some strict PC hardware requirements, but they're easy to bypass on many PCs. 📌 READ MORE: Take a look at a [quick overview of what we know about extended updates for consumers](=). --------------------------------------------------------------- 3. Windows 11's obnoxious Widgets feed will be optional ➜ THE SHORT VERSION: The Widgets pane is my least favorite part of Windows 11 thanks to the cluttered feed of often-clickbait stories from "Microsoft Start." Microsoft is about to provide some welcome relief. 🔎 KNOW MORE: That "feed" of web articles in the Widgets pane will become optional soon — for everyone, not just people using the better new version of Windows for Europe that's on its way. - A new setting in Windows will let you only show widgets on your Widgets board, hiding the "feed" — if you like. - This change is currently only available in an Insider build of Windows 11, but hopefully it will arrive on all Windows 11 PCs before long. - Few apps provide Windows widgets — why would they want to appear next to that feed so many people dislike? — so it's unclear how useful Widgets will be after this change. 📌 READ MORE: Check out [the new settings coming for Widgets](=). SPONSORED MESSAGE Web3 news, translated into plain English [Robot saying, "Oh, now I see."](​ Want to learn about Web3 but sick of pretending to know what “layer 2 cross-chain protocol” is? (Or maybe you do know, if you’re reading this newsletter!) Whether you get it already or not, the team at [Web3 Daily]( is taking all the hullabaloo around Web3 and crypto, and sharing it in a way that makes it easy to understand, and — dare we say? — enjoyable to read. Why else you should get Web3 Daily: 🙊 No hype, no BS, no jargon 🤝 It is totally free ➜ [Cut through the noise of Web3 news by subscribing to Web3 Daily with just one click!](​ [​UPGRADE YOUR BRAIN FOR FREE ➜]( ​ [] [3 Things to Try This Week] 1. Fix a lot of Windows annoyances I love Windows, but it sure can be annoying sometimes. Luckily, there are ways to tame many of those annoyances. With a few tweaks, you can make your Windows desktop experience much more pleasant. ➜ From mandatory Bing search in the Start menu to "suggestions" from Microsoft that feel more like advertisements, there are a lot of ways you can tweak Windows to make your Windows PC do what you want it to — not just what Microsoft wants it to. ⌚ You can run through these options in a minute or two. 💻 These fixes work on both Windows 10 and Windows 11. 📌 Read [my new guide to Windows annoyances](=) for all the details. --------------------------------------------------------------- 2. Speed up window-switching on the taskbar When you have multiple windows open for a single application, Windows "groups" them on the taskbar — and, when you click the application's taskbar icon, you'll see thumbnails of your open windows. But you may want to switch to your last used window with a single click on the taskbar. Thankfully, there's a way to do that. ⌚ This trick will take you 2 seconds to use. 💻 This works on both Windows 10 and Windows 11. ➜ Before clicking an application icon with multiple windows on your taskbar, press and hold the Ctrl key. When you Ctrl-click the taskbar icon, you'll keep switching between recently used windows — with no preview menu that makes you pick a window. Hold Ctrl and click repeatedly to pick a window. [Thumbnails for multiple Google Chrome windows on the Windows 11 taskbar.] 🔟 Want Windows 10 to work like this all the time? You can make this the default behavior by activating [the "LastActiveClick" option](=) in the registry. No holding Ctrl necessary! Unfortunately, this registry hack no longer works on Windows 11. --------------------------------------------------------------- 3. Type — and use your PC — with your voice Microsoft is axing the classic Windows Recognition feature in favor of the newer Voice Access feature. If you haven't used Voice Access yet, it's not just a way to control your PC with your voice — it's a convenient dictation feature that lets you use your voice to type in nearly any Windows app. ⌚ You can start typing with your voice in just 5 seconds. 💻 Voice Access is included on both Windows 10 and Windows 11. ➜ To get started, just open your Start menu, search for "Voice access," and launch the "Voice Access" application. You can then say "voice access wake up" or click the microphone on the Voice Access bar at the top of your screen. To start typing with your voice, just click in any text field and start talking into your microphone. Voice Access will convert the words you say into text. [The Voice Access bar on Windows 11.] You can also use Voice Access to control your desktop — for example, to launch applications or click things. Look for the "?" icon at the right side of the Voice Access toolbar and click it to learn more. Or, say "What can I say?" out loud. ​ [] [Top Thurrott Thoughts] Some standout links and expert analysis from our friends at Thurrott, who have been covering Windows since 1994: - ​[PlayStation Users Will Soon Lose Access to All Purchased Discovery Content]() - As usual, digital "purchases" are more like rentals. - ​[Google Announces Gemini, Its Most Capable AI Model](=)​ - More competition for Copilot and ChatGPT. - ​[I Love You Sonos, But it’s Time to Make Up With Google (Premium)](=) - Google and Sonos are still battling.​ - ​[30 Venture Capital Firms Tell the FTC to Back Off on Microsoft/Activision Blizzard]( - The FTC is fighting to rewind the already-completed acquisition. - ​[First Zorin OS 17 Beta Offers First Peek at New UI, Multitasking Features]() - A 3D desktop cube interface! I remember when that splashy feature really put the Linux desktop on the map. ​ [And Just for Funsies...] Reversi! Wait, I'm getting ahead of myself. This week, I want to share a [famous Windows 1.0 advertisement featuring Steve Ballmer from 1986](=). Apparently this was a parody advertisement shown internally at Microsoft and not to the public at a time. (What a shame!) You may have seen it before, but it's just a minute long, and it's a classic — I think it rewards a re-watch. Better yet, I've found a remastered version with higher-quality video and audio. I've never seen this clip in HD before! [[video preview]​](=) It's also a fascinating time capsule — it's impossible for me to personally imagine Satya Nadella making a video like this for Windows 12. It was a different time and a different Microsoft. Until next time... That's all for this week! Have a great weekend, and I'll be back in your inbox next week. 🤚 Wait! Before you go: What'd you think of this issue? [Thumbs Up](=) [Thumbs Down]( Hit the thumbs-up or thumbs-down to cast your vote and let me know. Want less email? 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