Microsoft Weekly: People roast Copilot ads, File Explorer gets faster

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This week"s news recap is here, bringing you the most interesting stories from the world of Microsoft during the last seven days. We have more users roasting Microsoft for stupid ads, questionable performance improvements for File Explorer, new 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.

Microsoft held its annual Ignite conference this week, where it dropped a metric ton of various announcements, most of which were developer or enterprise-focused (you can find all the news from Ignite 2025 here). However, there were some consumer-facing announcements as well. For example, AI agents and components are becoming a critical part of Windows 11 as the company transitions into the next generation of Windows with AI-focused experiences.

Fortunately, some of the upcoming changes do not rely on slop. Microsoft revealed additional recovery features, giving users a new way to restore a broken system with minimal disruptions. Also, at long last, Microsoft is bringing Agenda View to Windows 11"s Calendar Flyout, allowing you to check out upcoming events in the system tray.

Remember when people roasted Windows chief for posting out-of-touch Windows strategies to the point of him shutting down the reply section? This week, we had another round of misfired PR and Microsoft falling flat on its face to the thunderous mocking. The company published a cringe Copilot video where the AI struggles to do what it was supposed to do. After taking enormous piss from users, the company took the ad down.

Finally, there were less interesting or exciting updates, such as the latest recovery updates for Windows 10 and Windows 11. Windows 10 also received KB5072653 to address error 0x800f0922 preventing Windows Update from applying updates, and Windows 11 version 23H2 received a new non-security update with a bunch of fixes. As for bugs, a regular section of each Microsoft Weekly recap, Microsoft confirmed that most of major Windows 11 components are broken in certain scenarios.

Windows Insider Program

Here is what Microsoft released for Windows Insiders this week:

Builds
Canary Channel

Build 28000.1199

This Windows 11 version 26H1 build introduced some minor fixes here and there for the only (so far) H1 release of Windows 11, which is coming early 2026 to select devices.
Dev Channel

Build 26220.7262

This build introduced a new section for experimental agentic settings, big Narrator improvements, Click to Do updates, fixes, and more.

Build 26220.7271

The second Dev build of the week brought the Xbox Full-screen Experience to all Windows 11 PCs, performance improvements for File Explorer (sort of), and more.
Beta Channel
Release Preview Channel

Builds 26100.7296 and 26200.7296

These builds for Windows 11 versions 24H2 and 25H2 brought improvements for Copilot+ PCs, updates to File Explorer, restored taskbar animations, and fixed a lot of bugs.

In addition to new builds in every preview channel, Microsoft quietly released a redesigned Windows Insider website. It now features more modern looks, proper explanations of each channel, and AI, of course, there is AI. Ironically, the AI turned out to be quite dumb, as it does not know who is at the helm of the Windows Insider Program, nor can it explain the history of Windows.

Also, Microsoft released a new update for Notepad, which introduced table support and streaming results for on-device AI processing.

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.

We also had a bunch of stories about PowerToys, a very useful set of utilities for Windows 10 and 11. Version 0.96 arrived this week as the latest major update. No new tools in this one, but there are plenty of useful upgrades for existing modules, such as Advanced Paste, Light Switch, and more.

Also, Microsoft is considering adding a new tool that makes you look better during video calls by placing a virtual ring of light around your screen. Right now, Windows Edge Light (developed by a Microsoft engineer) is available as a separate application, and Microsoft is thinking about integrating it into PowerToys.

Office apps across supported platforms will soon receive a major change to how the apps generate alt text. Microsoft wants them to be powered by generative AI models rather than the existing Azure Vision model moving forward.

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

Aryeh Goretsky reviewed the Lenovo ThinkPad X9 15 Gen 1 Aura Edition. In the review, he shared his experience of owning this powerful laptop for six months and how its hardware stood up to the testing.

Also, we published a review of the NUU B40 5G, a budget-friendly Android phone that tries to rival in the entry-level segment with stuff like nice design, good screen, and some interesting quirks. While it is not perfect, it is a great option to consider, especially with the discounted price of just $199.99.

On the gaming side

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

Xbox Design Lab, a special service that lets you create a custom and unique-looking gamepad, is now available to more users. This week, Microsoft announced a partnership with ESW, which enabled the company to ship custom-made controllers to over two dozen new countries across the globe.

Game Pass is getting new games for you to play. As usual, Microsoft announced a new wave of games that will be or already are available on consoles, PCs, and in the cloud. The latest additions include Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault, Kulebra and the Souls of Limbo, Revenge of the Savage Planet, Monsters are Coming! Rock & Road, and more.

Epic Games Store has finally received a much-needed feature for those who want to purchase games for their friends. The launcher now allows you to gift titles to your friends and relatives. Speaking of the Epic Games Store, you can grab Zoeti, a turn-based roguelike that utilizes a deck of playing cards for ability combos and skills. Steam is also offering a freebie, this time Warhammer: Vermintide 2. More deals can be found in our weekly Weekend PC Game Deals series.

If you use Nvidia"s GeForce NOW cloud streaming service, you will be glad to know that the company has completed the upgrade process to RTX 5080 rigs. This enabled massive performance and resolution uplifts, resulting in the ability to play games at up to 5K 120FPS.

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.

This link will take you to other issues of the Microsoft Weekly series. You can also support Neowin by registering a free member account or subscribing for extra member benefits, along with an ad-free tier option.

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