Microsoft Weekly: Microsoft commits to fixing Windows 11 as more broken updates arrive

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This week"s news recap is here, with the latest stories from the world of Microsoft, including the company"s promise to fix Windows 11 in 2026, more botched updates, the Q2 financial report, new Windows 11 preview builds, and more.

Quick links:

  1. Windows 10 and 11
  2. Windows Insider Program
  3. Updates are available
  4. Reviews are in
  5. Gaming news
  6. Great deals to check

Windows 11 and Windows 10

Here, we talk about everything happening around Microsoft"s latest operating system in the Stable channel and preview builds: new features, removed features, controversies, bugs, interesting findings, and more. And, of course, you may find a word or two about older versions.

This week, Microsoft confirmed more Windows bugs and acknowledged that recent updates made certain Windows PCs unable to boot. The issue only affects commercial devices, but the problem is that at this point, there is no official workaround for the "UNMOUNTABLE_BOOT_VOLUME" error.

Speaking of bugs, a new Windows Defender issue hit ASUS ROG Xbox Ally owners in their Armory Crate app. The Smart App Control feature, which is supposed to block untrusted applications, mistakenly hit the Armory Crate app, which is responsible for controlling core features of the console. The worst part is that you can turn off Smart App Control, but turning it back on requires reinstalling Windows.

The newly-released non-security update for Windows 11 24H2 and 25H2 is also not immune to bugs, as there are already reports of some serious bugs.

The good news is that Microsoft is aware of all the user complaints. This week, Microsoft issued a statement that it plans to fix things in Windows 11 in 2026. Also, it even plans to get rid of useless AI features to streamline the experience. Finally, Microsoft reassured users that they have complete control over their data when using the company"s products, including AI-powered experiences.

To finish this week"s Windows section, here are two editorials discussing the miserable state of Windows Updates. Poor quality assurance processes annoy users and disrupt workflows, leading many to believe Microsoft is vibe-coding its operating system.

Windows Insider Program

Here is what Microsoft released for Windows Insiders this week:

Builds
Canary Channel

Build 28020.1495

This build introduced WEBP support for desktop backgrounds, Start menu improvements, and general bugfixes.
Dev Channel

Build 26300.7674

Look out for File Explorer fixes, Start menu improvements, better Search, and other enhancements across the operating system.
Beta Channel

Nothing in Beta this week
Release Preview Channel

Build 26100.7701 and 26200.7701

This build previewed the January 2026 non-security update for Windows 11, which introduced more languages for the Settings Agent, better cross-device resume, the ability to turn on SAC without reinstalling Windows, and more.

Updates are available

This section covers software, firmware, and other notable updates (released and coming soon) delivering new features, security fixes, improvements, patches, and more from Microsoft and third parties.

This week, Microsoft published the results of Q2 2026, highlighting Copilot growth (despite all the Microslop memes), Windows 11"s growth (it now has 1 billion users), and more. However, the $81 billion quarter was not enough to offset the company"s record-breaking AI spending. As such, its stock went down 6% after hours.

PowerToys is on track to receive plenty of new and useful features. A proposed PR on GitHub suggests adding transparency support to Always on Top, a handy tool that I use daily to improve my productivity and keep important stuff around. Additionally, after releasing a minor bug-fixing update, Microsoft showed an idea of an extra taskbar for Windows 11 with various useful widgets. The company now wants to know what you think about it.

On the browser side, we have a big update for Google Chrome, with Google making Gemini a core part of your browsing experience. There is a new side panel for Gemini and Personal Intelligence support for more personalized answers tailored to your needs and data. Also, Google is working on the ability to launch Chrome when your computer starts, so that you can run it faster when you need it (something similar to Startup Boost in Edge).

While Google pushes AI, Vivaldi, a more niche, productivity-focused browser, is giving mainstream browsers and their AI slop a middle finger with a new update that focuses on important stuff. Version 7.8 arrived with much-improved tab tiling, smarter pinned tabs, and more.

Firefox received a small update to version 147.0.2. It resolved problems with broken browser features on Linux, excessive passkey prompts, and more. A minor update also arrived for Microsoft Edge, fixing security issues and bugs.

Also, check out an overview of all the new features that Microsoft added to Excel in January 2026, including PowerQuery support in Excel for the web, improved Agent Mode, and more. If you use Teams, you can also check out an overview of new features coming soon to the service.

Here are other updates and releases you may find interesting:

Here are the latest drivers and firmware updates released this week:

Reviews are in

Here is the hardware and software we reviewed this week

Steven Parker reviewed the REDMAGIC 11 Air, a flagship game-ready smartphone with a beautiful design, good performance, and a very competitive price tag.

On the gaming side

Learn about upcoming game releases, Xbox rumors, new hardware, software updates, freebies, deals, discounts, and more.

If you use Xbox Cloud Gaming to play games, you may be interested to know that the company is testing a new web interface for the service that looks similar to the Xbox Dashboard. If you want to try it out, go to Xbox Cloud Gaming > Settings > Account and toggle Preview features.

Microsoft Flight Simulator has received a new city update. Update 13 brought plenty of improvements and visual enhancements to California, America"s "Golden State," with more details for 18 urban areas across the state, including its iconic landmarks and popular locations.

If you have a Steam Deck and you play Forza Horizon 5, check out the latest bugfix update for the game, which addresses exploits, improves performance, and adds virtual keyboard support.

Grounded 2, the favorite game of people with arachnophobia, received a new Toxic Tangle update, which introduced snake encounters, a ladybug mount, and a brand-new biome for you to explore.

NVIDIA had some big news for GeForce NOW this week. The service finally has a native Linux app, and we gave it a spin in our hands-on test. Also, the service received a new wave of supported games, including Prototype, Prototype 2, The Bard"s Tale Trilogy, Cairn, The Midnight Walkers, Half Sword, and more.

The Epic Games Store is giving away Definitely Not Fried Chicken, a game you can call a Gustavo Fring simulator, where you build a drug empire disguised as a chicken restaurant chain. As usual, we have more deals and specials in our weekly Weekend PC Game Deals article.

Other gaming news includes the following:

Great deals to check

Every week, we cover many deals on different hardware and software. The following discounts are still available, so check them out. You might find something you want or need.

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