Computerworld.com [Hacking News]

Apple faces a renewed threat in the UK, where a new report from the top antitrust regulator says both it and Google are holding back innovation in the mobile browser market. By far, most of the criticism is being leveled at Apple.

The final Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) inquiry report finds that Apple wields too much power. Not only does it determine what mobile browsers can do on its devices, which limits differentiation, but it also gives Safari greater or earlier access to key operating system functions and new WebKit features before offering them to any other browser or browser developer.

This, they claim, has a “negative impact on competition and innovation,” which means “consumers and businesses could be missing out on potential innovative features that mobile browsers can provide.”

Safari and Chrome, ‘holding back innovation’

“Following our in-depth investigation, we have concluded that competition between different mobile browsers is not working well, and this is holding back innovation in the UK,” said Margot Daly, chair of the CMA’s independent inquiry group. “The analysis set out in our report and the range of potential interventions considered to address the market issues we have identified, merits consideration by the CMA under its new powers, which have been specifically designed for digital markets.”

Some of these arguments seem moot.

For example, it seems appropriate that Apple would introduce new operating systems via its own controlled browser first, in order to maintain security while the new features are bedded in, and in that regard early access seems an acceptable thing. However, the report points out that those risks could be managed in other ways that would not involve a complete ban on other browser engines, such as by the imposition of minimum security standards on browsers that don’t use WebKit.

No change yet, but it’s coming

The report suggests a number of changes, but a lot will \ rest on another decision currently going through the CMA. Under new powers contained in the recently-approved Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act, the CMA can now declare some firms as having Strategic Market Status (SMS). A firm that receives SMS status must submit to the CMA, which can impose legally binding conduct requirements or intervene to force changes in systems.  

We don’t know whether Apple will be given SMS status — that investigation only began in January — but it seems probable, after which it can expect to be forced to engage in a range of changes in its business practices, including in mobile browsing.

It is important to note that rather than demanding immediate changes, the CMA has shunted responsibility to the wider market investigation ongoing into Apple. Presumably, this means the CMA plots a series of demanded changes that go beyond those distilled in today’s report. It also means that, for the moment, Apple can carry on as it is already.

What will Apple need to change?

As for today’s new report, some of the changes Apple might be forced to make could include being:

• Required to support browser engines other than WebKit.
• Forced to offer competing browsers access to key functionalities from the operating system.
• Forced to provide proper support for Progressive Web Apps, as many smaller UK app developers have complained that the higher cost of native app development is holding back their business.
• Required to make it possible to link to web content from within an app on iOS, enabling traffic to be directed to competing browsers. It is interesting that the CMA highlights Facebook as being a company that wants to be able to do this. I presume if it were to do so, this would utterly undermine hard-won privacy controls; it isn’t clear whether privacy could become a minimum standard required from third parties. 
• Placed in position to allow Safari to become an optional choice when setting up a new iPhone. The CMA resolutely believes the default nature of Safari on new devices forms a barrier to entry to other browser vendors.

The regulator did walk back previous criticisms concerning cloud gaming on iOS devices, saying it is satisfied with recent changes Apple made to its approach.

Follow the money…

Perhaps the biggest and most expensive problem identified by the CMA is the lucrative revenue-sharing deals between Apple and Google over search traffic. The CMA says these revenues are so great that neither Apple nor Google are strongly motivated to compete. The lock-in they share, given that both Apple and Google share dominance of the smartphone market, makes it that much harder for independent browsers to thrive.

“We find both Apple’s and Google’s product design choices about when, whether and how users make certain decisions about mobile browsers, also known as ‘choice architecture,’ are making it significantly harder for users to drive competition by making active choices about their use of mobile browsers,” the report says.

This latest salvo of bad news for Apple from the UK follows hot on the heels of the UK government’s criminally shameless attempt to undermine iPhone security for people worldwide with a demand to create a secret back door into iPhone data. That decision, made in private and subject to very little public scrutiny, also affects people outside of the UK. It’s understood that Apple will protest the demand in a top secret UK court later this week — though the nature of the pernicious legislation is such that even when it does, the people actually impacted by the decision won’t get to learn about it. 

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OpenAI on Tuesday launched Responses, a new api intended to eventually replace Assistants. The big draw? Responses provides a number of new tools that companies and organizations can use to create their own AI agents.

The agents can, for example, be used to find relevant information among a company’s files or on the web, Techcrunch reports.

The AI agents Operator and Deep Research are already available in ChatGPT; now they can also be used in other apps.

Over the next few years, agentic AI is expected to bring not only rapid technological breakthroughs, but a societal transformation, redefining how we live, work and interact with the world. And this shift is happening quickly.

“By 2028, 33% of enterprise software applications will include agentic AI, up from less than 1% in 2024, enabling 15% of day-to-day work decisions to be made autonomously,” according to research firm Gartner.

Unlike traditional AI, which typically follows preset rules or algorithms, agentic AI adapts to new situations, learns from experiences, and operates independently to pursue goals without human intervention. In short, agentic AI empowers systems to act autonomously, making decisions and executing tasks — even communicating directly with other AI agents — with little or no human involvement.

One key driver is the growing sophistication of large language models (LLMs), which provide the “brains” for these agents. Agentic AI will enable machines to interact with the physical world with unprecedented intelligence, allowing them to perform complex tasks in dynamic environments, which could be especially useful for industries facing labor shortages or hazardous conditions.

The rise of agentic AI also brings security and ethical concerns. Ensuring these autonomous systems operate safely, transparently and responsibly will require governance frameworks and testing. Preventing the law of unintended consequences will also require human vigilance.

Because job displacement is a potential outcome, strategies for retraining and upskilling workers will be needed as the technology necessitate a shift in how people approach work, emphasizing collaboration between humans and intelligent machines.

To stay on top of this evolving technology, follow this page for ongoing agentic AI coverage from Computerworld and Foundry’s other publications.

Agentic AI news and insights How to know a business process is ripe for agentic AI

March 11, 2025: Deloitte predicts that in 2025, 25% of companies that use generative AI will launch agentic AI pilots or proofs of concept, growing to 50% in 2027. The firm says some agentic AI applications, in some industries and for some use cases, could see actual adoption into existing workflows this year.

With new division, AWS bets big on agentic AI automation

March 6, 2025: Amazon Web Services customers can expect to hear a lot more about agentic AI from AWS in future with the news that the company is setting up a dedicated unit to promote the technology on its platform.

How agentic AI makes decisions and solves problems

March 6, 2025: GenAI’s latest big step forward has been the arrival of autonomous AI agents. Agentic AI is based on AI-enabled applications capable of perceiving their environment, making decisions, and taking actions to achieve specific goals. 

CIOs are bullish on AI agents. IT employees? Not so much

Feb. 4, 2025: Most CIOs and CTOs are bullish on agentic AI, believing the emerging technology will soon become essential to their enterprises, but lower-level IT pros who will be tasked with implementing agents have serious doubts.

The next AI wave — agents — should come with warning labels. Is now the right time to invest in them?

Jan.13, 2025: The next wave of artificial intelligence (AI) adoption is already under way, as AI agents — AI applications that can function independently and execute complex workflows with minimal or limited direct human oversight — are being rolled out across the tech industry.

AI agents are unlike any technology ever

Dec. 1, 2024: The agents are coming, and they represent a fundamental shift in the role artificial intelligence plays in businesses, governments, and our lives.

AI agents are coming to work — here’s what businesses need to know

Nov. 21, 2024: AI agents will soon be everywhere, automating complex business processes and taking care of mundane tasks for workers — at least that’s the claim of various software vendors that are quickly adding intelligent bots to a wide range of work apps.

Agentic AI swarms are headed your way

November 1, 2024: OpenAI launched an experimental framework called Swarm. It’s a “lightweight” system for the development of agentic AI swarms, which are networks of autonomous AI agents able to work together to handle complex tasks without human intervention, according to OpenAI. 

Is now the right time to invest in implementing agentic AI?

October 31, 2024: While software vendors say their current agentic AI-based offerings are easy to implement, analysts say that’s far from the truth.

Quick: How many tabs do you have open in Chrome on your Android phone right now?

• If the answer is zero, you’re an animal. Seek immediate psychiatric help.
• If the answer is one to two, you’re obsessively organized and a model Android device owner. Go get yourself a cookie as a reward (browser-based or snickerdoodle — your choice)!
• If the answer is three to seven, sorry, pal — but you’ve got a minor problem.
• And if the answer is eight or more, you’re an animal. Seek immediate psychiatric help.

Personally, I tend to fall in either the first or the last category. Occasionally, when I’m feeling the itch to organize, I’ll go through and file all my opened tabs into somewhere I might actually see ’em or find ’em again later.

But more often, I tend to tap on stuff when I encounter it, then leave it sitting open with the thought that I’ll get back to it later. (Surprise twist: I rarely do.) It’s not a great system, and it ends up leading to endless clutter and confusion.

No matter which Chrome tab trend describes you, your browser tab philosophy could almost certainly use some added intelligence. And you’d never know it, but Google’s got a pair of promising new options to accomplish exactly that within the Chrome Android arena.

All you’ve gotta do is know where to look.

[Want even more advanced Android knowledge? Check out my free Android Shortcut Supercourse to learn tons of time-saving tricks.]

4 steps to Android tab enlightenment

All right — ready to crank up your Chrome Android tab IQ?

I promise it’s easy:

1. Open up Chrome on your Android device — any Android device, no matter who made it or how old it might be.
2. Tap the three-dot menu icon in the browser’s upper-right corner and select “Settings.”
3. Look for the recently added “Tabs” section, beneath the “Advanced” header on that screen. (Depending on your screen size, you might have to scroll down a bit before you see it.)
4. Tap that “Tabs” line, then bask in the glory of these two new tab treasures:

Behold: Chrome’s new tab organization options on Android.

JR Raphael, IDG

(Ooh, ahh, etc.)

If you tap “Inactive,” you’ll see a series of choices for exactly how Chrome should help manage your inactive tabs for you:

• First, you can instruct it to consider a tab “inactive” if you haven’t interacted with it in seven, 14, or 21 days — after which point it’ll be moved into a special new “Inactive tabs” area of the Chrome Android app (visible within the browser’s tab switcher area, if you tap the outlined number at within the address bar or swipe downward on that area of the screen).
• And second, you can activate (or opt not to active) two other advanced options for inactive tabs:
  • Chrome can automatically move any duplicate tabs into that same “Inactive tabs” area for you, if you flip the switch for the first option.
  • And Chrome can flat-out close any tabs that have been inactive for 60 days, if you activate the other.

Chrome’s inactive tab management system gives you plenty of choices.

JR Raphael, IDG

Now, back out in the main Chrome Android Tabs menu, we’ve got one more new possibility to address: “Automatically open tab groups from other devices.”

This nifty li’l ditty does exactly what you’d expect: If you fire up a new tab group in Chrome on a computer or a different Android device, it’ll — y’know — automatically open on this Android device, too. Potentially handy in the right sort of situation, wouldn’t ya say?

(And if you aren’t familiar yet with Chrome tab groups, you can get an in-depth look at how they work on the desktop front here. The setup is essentially the same on Android: In that Chrome tab overview area, you can just drag and drop different tabs on top of each other to group ’em. Then, once you have a group, you can tap it to view all the tabs within it, rename it, or assign it a custom color.)

One last note that isn’t obvious from this settings section: With or without that auto-opening option, you can also manually find and open tab groups from other devices within the Chrome Android browser.

Just go back to that tab overview screen — once more, by tapping the outlined number on Chrome’s address bar or swiping downward on that area of the screen — then tap the four-square icon directly next to the tab number count at the top of the screen.

And there, you’ll see a list of all your recent tab groups, including active groups from other devices — so long as you’re signed into Chrome with the same Google account in all of those places.

Chrome tab groups, available across devices — with or without automatic opening.

JR Raphael, IDG

That’s it! Enjoy the new tab tricks up your sleeve, and see if maybe, just maybe, you can use ’em to cut out some of your Chrome clutter and achieve a whole new level of Android browsing serenity.

Get even more advanced Android knowledge with my free Android Shortcut Supercourse. You’ll learn tons of time-saving tricks for your phone!

Microsoft has ridden its multibillion-dollar investments in generative AI (genAI) to become the world’s second-most valuable company, with a valuation of roughly $3 trillion, depending on the day’s stock price. This year, it plans to invest $80 billion on data center costs alone, and that doesn’t count how much it’s spending to build its in-house AI team.

At some point, though, Microsoft needs to start getting serious revenue from its genAI investments. It’s been almost three years since Microsoft-funded OpenAI released ChatGPT, on which Microsoft’s Copilot AI line is based, and more than 14 months since Microsoft 365 Copilot made its debut.  

The time for getting serious is now.

That’s easier said than done. Enterprises that use Microsoft 365 have been balking at paying $30 a month per seat  for Copilot in addition to the basic Microsoft 365 fee — the $30 add-on can double the price companies pay for the office suite. 

A research note from Morgan Stanley, reported by Business Insider, gives one example of why they’re reluctant. It details why the CIO of a pharmaceutical company canceled his enterprise’s use of Microsoft 365 Copilot after only six months. He complained presentations created in PowerPoint by Copilot were like “middle school presentations,” called Copilot’s Word features “marginally useful at best,” and said it wasn’t particularly useful for Excel.

“The price is double” the cost of Microsoft 365, he told Morgan Stanley. “And we really just do not see the value we’re getting out of those tools worth double.”

Microsoft has been at work trying to beef up Copilot so that enterprises and consumers will see real value and be willing to pay for it. That’s all to the good. But the company is doing something else: squeezing its customers to get them to subscribe, but not adding any additional value. 

Here’s how Microsoft is doing it.

Disabling useful Microsoft 365 app features to get businesses to buy Copilot

In January, Microsoft quietly killed two very useful features in its Microsoft 365 apps. One is a Word feature called Researcher, which performs powerful, targeted searches of scientific and academic journals, and embeds properly formatted citations directly into documents. The second is Smart Lookup, which lets you easily do highly targeted online searches from within Word, PowerPoint, and Excel; just highlight a phrase or a word, and it does the searching for you.

In the past I’ve highlighted both features as among the best in Word in Computerworld’s “Word for Microsoft 365 cheat sheet.” But as I was updating the article recently, I couldn’t find either feature. So I did a little digging and found out that Microsoft killed them, because the company claims Copilot duplicates those capabilities and they’re no longer needed.

That’s not true. First off, if you’re a business or educational customer, you have to pay $30 per user per month for Copilot for researching capabilities that used to be baked into Microsoft 365. Beyond that, Copilot is inferior to both Smart Lookup and Researcher. Copilot doesn’t confine itself to using the vetted, high-quality journals Researcher uses; instead, it does a garden-variety web search. It also won’t embed properly formatted citations into Word. As for Smart Lookup, it’s more difficult to perform a search with Copilot than with the original tool. With Copilot you can’t highlight words or phrases in a document and have a web search automatically done. 

There’s also a much bigger problem: Copilot still has a tendency to “hallucinate,” which is a fancy way of saying it makes things up that simply aren’t true. Researcher and Smart Lookup use vetted, reliable sources — and don’t hallucinate. Since you can’t trust Copilot not to hallucinate, you’ve got to do extra work checking its facts — and even then you might not be able to spot its hallucinations.

Forcing customers to buy Copilot when they buy Microsoft 365

Microsoft has taken an even more direct way of getting people to buy Microsoft 365 Copilot — bundling the genAI tech into the suite and charging an additional fee for it, whether people want Copilot or not. In January, Microsoft bundled Copilot into the consumer version of Microsoft 365 and increased prices by $3 per month or $30 per year. It was the first time Microsoft had increased prices on the consumer line since it introduced the subscription versions of Office 12 years ago. 

The company hyped the inclusion of Copilot into the consumer line in a blog post. However, the post neglected to mention that consumers were going to have to pay for it.

The move will bring the company significant new revenue. Microsoft said it had 84.4 million subscribers to the consumer version of Microsoft 365 as of the quarter ending in September 2024. That means the move could bring in more than $2.5 billion in additional revenue a year. 

Microsoft isn’t bundling Copilot with the enterprise version and increasing the price of it, at least not yet. But don’t be surprised if the company eventually takes that tack.

The upshot

Treating your customers this way might be good for short-term revenue boost. But in the long term, it’s not the right way to run a business. Taking away useful features to get people to buy an add-in they don’t want and that isn’t as good as the old features won’t endear Microsoft to its customers. Neither will charging an additional bundling fee for a product they don’t want to buy.

Far better would be to create a powerful genAI tool that people would be willing to pay extra for. I’m hoping that’s what Microsoft will eventually do. 

Microsoft 365 (and Office 365) subscribers get more frequent software updates than those who have purchased Office without a subscription, which means subscribers have access to the latest features, security patches, and bug fixes. But it can be hard to keep track of the changes in each update and know when they’re available. We’re doing this for you, so you don’t have to.

Following are summaries of the updates to Microsoft 365/Office 365 for Windows over the past year, with the latest releases shown first. We’ll add info about new updates as they’re rolled out.

Note: This story covers updates released to the Current Channel for Microsoft 365/Office 365 subscriptions. If you’re a member of Microsoft’s Office Insider preview program or want to get a sneak peek at upcoming features, see the Microsoft 365 Insider blog.

Version 2502 (Build 18526.20168)

Release date: March 11, 2025

This build fixes several bugs, including one in which some Word files with numerous tracked changes and comments were slow. It also includes a variety of security updates: see details.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

Get more info about Version 2502 (Build 18526.20168).

Version 2502 (Build 18526.20144)

Release date: March 5, 2025

This build fixes a wide variety of bugs, including one in Word in which the default font size may not be 12pt as expected, and another in which PowerPoint automatically closed when the system went into hibernate or sleep mode.

Get more info about Version 2502 (Build 18526.20144).

Version 2501 (Build 18429.20158)

Release date: February 11, 2025

This build removes the option to display Track Changes balloons in left margin in Word. It also includes a variety of security updates. See “Release notes for Microsoft Office security updates” for details.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

Get more info about Version 2501 (Build 18429.20158).

Version 2501 (Build 18429.20132)

Release date: January 30, 2025

In this build, the advanced Track Changes option to set the margin for balloons in Word has been removed.

A wide variety of bugs have also been fixed, including one in which ActiveX controls used an excessive amount of GDI handles in PowerPoint, and another for the entire Office suite in which images couldn’t be pasted from SharePoint.

 Get more info about Version 2501 (Build 18429.20132).

Version 2412 (Build 18324.20194)

Release date: January 16, 2025

This build fixes one bug, in which apps would exit unexpectedly when running on Windows Server 2016.

Get more info about Version 2412 (Build 18324.20194).

Version 2412 (Build 18324.20190)

Release date: January 14, 2025

This build fixes a bug in Word in which the layout of tables were changed unexpectedly. It also includes a variety of security updates. See Release notes for Microsoft Office security updates for details.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

Get more info about Version 2412 (Build 18324.20190).

Version 2412 (Build 18324.20168)

Release date: January 7, 2025

This build makes tables in Outlook more accessible for screen readers. It also fixes a wide variety of bugs, including one in Word in which a document saved to a network shared folder and set to “Always Open Read-Only” would open in “Editing” mode, and another for the entire Office suite in which application didn’t render the grid properly after switching from page break preview to normal view.

Get more info about Version 2412 (Build 18324.20168).

Version 2411 (Build 18227.20162)

Release date: December 10, 2024

This build fixes a bug in Word and Outlook where characters didn’t render correctly when using Save Selection to Text Box Gallery. It also includes a variety of security updates. See Release notes for Microsoft Office security updates for details.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

Get more info about Version 2411 (Build 18227.20162).

Version 2411 (Build 18227.20152)

Release date: December 5, 2024

This build fixes a wide variety of bugs, including one in Excel in which some cells might not be rendered properly upon scrolling in a worksheet using freeze panes, one in Word which prevented emails with linked SVG content from saving or sending, and one in which some PowerPoint presentations created by third-party tools didn’t open correctly and some content was removed.

Get more info about Version 2411 (Build 18227.20152).

Version 2410 (Build 18129.20158)

Release date: November 12, 2024

This build fixes a variety of bugs, including one in Word in which all characters didn’t appear correctly when creating an Outlook task from OneNote, and one in PowerPoint in which embedded BMP images in the PowerPoint slide were not opening.

This build also includes a variety of security updates. See Release notes for Microsoft Office security updates for details.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

Get more info about Version 2410 (Build 18129.20158).

Version 2410 (Build 18129.20116)

Release date: October 28, 2024

This build enables filtering capabilities for the comment pane in Excel and fixes a variety of bugs, including one in Word in which the title bar no longer showed a “Saved” status for locally saved files, and one in PowerPoint in which a graphics-related issue caused the app to close unexpectedly at times.

Get more info about Version 2410 (Build 18129.20116).

Version 2409 (Build 18025.20160)

Release date: October 15, 2024

This build fixes a single bug in Word, in which emails with linked SVG content couldn’t be saved or sent.

Get more info about Version 2409 (Build 18025.20160).

Version 2409 (Build 18025.20140)

Release date: October 8, 2024

This build fixes a variety of bugs, including one in Word in which text wasn’t clearly visible in High Contrast Mode when using “Draft with Copilot” and referencing a meeting under “Reference your content.”

This build also includes multiple security updates. See Release notes for Microsoft Office security updates for details.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

Get more info about Version 2409 (Build 18025.20140).

Version 2409 (Build 18025.20104)

Release date: September 25, 2024

This build fixes a single bug, in which when you saved a file in Word, the save status was missing from the Title bar.

Get more info about Version 2409 (Build 18025.20104).

Version 2409 (Build 18025.20096)

Release date: September 23, 2024

This build improves the user experience for selecting which users should have which permissions when a sensitivity label configured for user-defined permissions is applied to a file or when configuring standalone Information Rights Management through the Restrict Access feature. This change affects Excel, PowerPoint, and Word.

The build also fixes a variety of bugs, including one in Word in which Document Mode would switch from “editing” to “viewing” if user enabled “Track Changes” and set “For Everyone.”

Get more info about Version 2409 (Build 18025.20096).

Version 2408 (Build 17928.20156)

Release date: September 10, 2024

This update will remove Flip video support when the service goes offline on October 1, 2024. The build also includes a variety of security updates. Go here for details.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

Get more info about Version 2408 (Build 17928.20156).

Version 2408 (Build 17928.20114)

Release date: August 26, 2024

This build allows you to disable connected experiences for privacy concerns without impacting data security policies, such as sensitivity labels. Services associated with Microsoft Purview (e.g., sensitivity labels and rights management) are no longer controlled by policy settings to manage privacy controls for Microsoft 365 Apps. Instead, these services will rely on their existing security admin controls in Purview portals.

The build also fixes a variety of bugs, including one in Outlook that caused default SMIME labels to fail to apply when a user replied to or forwarded an unlabeled message, and one for the entire suite in which people couldn’t install Microsoft 365 apps on an enrolled device.

Get more info about Version 2408 (Build 17928.20114).

Version 2407 (Build 17830.20166)

Release date: August 13, 2024

This build includes a variety of security updates for Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, Project, Visio, and the entire Office suite. See Microsoft’s Release notes for Office security updates for details.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

Get more info about Version 2407 (Build 17830.20166).

Version 2407 (Build 17830.20138)

Release date: August 1, 2024

This build fixes a wide variety of bugs, including one in which coauthoring on text boxes in Excel sometimes gave unexpected results, another in PowerPoint in which line widths were not preserved when exporting arrow shapes to PDF, and another in Word in which revisions were sometimes skipped when reviewing using VBA.

Get more info about Version 2407 (Build 17830.20138).

Version 2406 (Build 17726.20160)

Release date: July 9, 2024

This build fixes several bugs, including one in Word and Excel in which characters don’t appear correctly in Text Box Gallery. It also fixes a number of security holes. For details, see Release notes for Microsoft Office security updates.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

Get more info about Version 2406 (Build 17726.20160).

Version 2406 (Build 17726.20126)

Release date: June 26, 2024

This build fixes a wide variety of bugs, including one in which Excel documents might be unexpectedly edited when a mandatory sensitivity label has not been applied, one that caused Outlook to exit unexpectedly shortly after launch for some users, and one in which pasting data from Word or Excel to an Outlook template as a link would cause an error message to appear.

Get more info about Version 2406 (Build 17726.20126).

Version 2405 (Build 17628.20164)

Release date: June 19, 2024

This build includes a variety of unspecified bug and performance fixes.

Get more info about Version 2405 (Build 17628.20164).

Version 2405 (Build 17628.20144)

Release date: June 11, 2024

This build fixes one bug, which prevented users from sending mail for a few hours after updating add-ins with on-send events. It also fixes a number of security holes. For details, see Release notes for Microsoft Office security updates.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

Get more info about Version 2405 (Build 17628.20144).

Version 2405 (Build 17628.20110)

Release date: May 30, 2024

This build fixes a wide variety of bugs, including one in Excel in which an embedded workbook in .xls format might not have closed properly, one that that caused Outlook to close when using Copilot Summarize, one in Word in which content controls may have been removed when coauthoring, and one for the entire Office suite in which the Organization Chart Add-In for Microsoft programs was not loading properly.

Get more info about Version 2405 (Build 17628.20110).

Version 2404 (Build 17531.20152)

Release date: May 14, 2024

This build fixes a number of bugs, including one in Word where content controls might be removed when coauthoring, and one that caused Sovereign users to be unable to create ToDo tasks from Outlook.

It also fixes a number of security holes. For details, see Release notes for Microsoft Office security updates.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

Get more info about Version 2404 (Build 17531.20152).

Version 2404 (Build 17531.20140)

Release date: May 7, 2024

This build fixes two bugs in Outlook, one in which it closed unexpectedly using the Scheduling Assistant when creating a new meeting or viewing an existing meeting, and another that caused add-in developers to hit timeouts when retrieving notifications from an Outlook client context.

Get more info about Version 2404 (Build 17531.20140) .

Version 2404 (Build 17531.20120)

Release date: April 29, 2024

This build reduces workbook size bloat from unnecessary cell formatting with a new “Check Performance” task pane. In addition, it fixes a wide variety of bugs, including one in Excel in which the default font could not be set; one in Outlook in which custom forms from MAPI form servers stopped responding; one in PowerPoint in which online videos did not play in some cases; one in which when opening certain Word documents would cause the error, “Word experienced an error trying to open the file”; and one in which the Office update installer appeared to be unresponsive.

Get more info about Version 2404 (Build 17531.20120) .

Version 2403 (Build 17425.20176)

Release date: April 9, 2024

This build fixes a number of security holes. For details, see Release notes for Microsoft Office security updates.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

Get more info about Version 2403 (Build 17425.20176).

Version 2402 (Build 17328.20184)

Release date: March 12, 2024

This build fixes three bugs: one in which Access closed unexpectedly, one in which Excel closed unexpectedly when opening files with pivot tables and table design in macro-enabled files, and one in which Word closed unexpectedly when the undo function was used.

This build also fixes a number of security holes. For details, see Release notes for Microsoft Office security updates.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

Get more info about Version 2402 (Build 17328.20184).

Version 2402 (Build 17328.20162)

Release date: March 4, 2024

This build fixes several bugs, including one that crashed Outlook when a link was clicked on, and another for the entire Office suite in which opened Office apps didn’t automatically start when a laptop was reopened, and an error message appeared after manual relaunch.

Get more info about Version 2402 (Build 17328.20162).

Version 2402 (Build 17328.20142)

Release date: February 28, 2024

This build fixes a variety of bugs, including one that caused Outlook to exit unexpectedly when expanding a conversation in the search results from a search of “All Mailboxes,” and another in which users were not able to create a bullet list with hyphens in PowerPoint.

Get more info about Version 2402 (Build 17328.20142).

Version 2401 (Build 17231.20236)

Release date: February 13, 2024

This build fixes several bugs, including one in which macros were being corrupted when saving Excel files and another that affected the entire Office suite in which add-ins would not load after Click trust for content add-in was selected.

This build also fixes a number of security holes. For details, see Release notes for Microsoft Office security updates.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

Get more info about Version 2401 (Build 17231.20236).

Version 2401 (Build 17231.20194)

Release date: February 1, 2024

This build fixes a single bug in which expanded groups in the message list collapsed when users changed which column they were arranged by.

Get more info about Version 2401 (Build 17231.20194).

Version 2401 (Build 17231.20182)

Release date: January 30, 2024

This build fixes a wide variety of bugs, including one in which Excel would stop responding when saving changes, one in PowerPoint in which Notes and Slide layout would open with incorrect proportions when a file was opened from a protected view, and one in Word in which comment cards appeared too wide and cut off text when changing or switching the screen in use.

Get more info about Version 2401 (Build 17231.20182).

Version 2312 (Build 17126.20132)

Release date: January 9, 2024

This build fixes a number of security holes. For details, see Release notes for Microsoft Office security updates.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

Get more info about Version 2312 (Build 17126.20132).

Version 2312 (Build 17126.20126)

Release date: January 4, 2023

This build introduces a new sensitivity toolbar in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint that helps users understand the security policies that apply to their documents. It’s available when users are creating copies of their documents in File / Save As. In addition, Office now had a new default theme, which Microsoft says is “more modern and accessible.”

It also fixes a wide variety of bugs, including one in Excel in which Custom Menu text was truncated when right-clicking in a cell, one in PowerPoint in which restoring a previous version of a presentation was not working as expected when using Version History, and one in Word in which the content control end tag was marked at the end of the document automatically if the document was edited in Word Online and then opened in Word desktop.

Get more info about  Version 2312 (Build 17126.20126).

Version 2311 (Build 17029.20108)

Release date: December 12, 2023

This build fixes one bug in Outlook, in which the message list was blank when switching between the “Focused” and “Other” views.

It also fixes a number of security holes. For details, see Release notes for Microsoft Office security updates.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

Get more info about Version 2311 (Build 17029.20108).

Version 2311 (Build 17029.20068)

Release date: November 29, 2023

This build automatically inserts image captioning for Excel’s images. When you insert an image into a spreadsheet, accessibility image captioning is automatically generated for you.

It also fixes a wide variety of bugs, including one in Excel in which list box controls would not respond to mouse clicks after scrolling using the mouse wheel, and one in Word in which the language of a presentation was not retained when saving or exporting the presentation to a PDF file.

Get more info about Version 2311 (Build 17029.20068).

Version 2310 (Build 16924.20150)

Release date: November 14, 2023

This build fixes several bugs, including one in which Outlook failed to comply with the default browser settings for some users, and another in which new lines were added to an Outlook signature when pressing Enter in the body of the email.

It also fixes a number of security holes. For details, see Release notes for Microsoft Office security updates.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

Get more info about Version 2310 (Build 16924.20150).

Version 2310 (Build 16924.20124)

Release date: Oct. 31, 2023

This build fixes a bug that caused Outlook to exit unexpectedly when clicking the More link in the Search results list.

Get more info about Version 2310 (Build 16924.20124).

Version 2310 (Build 16924.20106)

Release date: Oct. 25, 2023

In this build, the Teams Meeting App works in Outlook, too. With it, you’ll be able to configure a meeting app while scheduling an invite in Outlook. The meeting app will be ready to use when you chat or join the meeting on Teams.

A wide variety of bugs have also been fixed, including one in Excel where certain Pivot Tables would load slowly; one in which OneNote would close unexpectedly when rapidly navigating from one .PDF file to another .PDF file between different sections, or when performing an undo operation on a .PDF printout insertion; and one in the entire Office suite that caused unexpected black borders to appear around screen captures added with the Insert Screenshot functionality.

Get more info about Version 2310 (Build 16924.20106).

Version 2309 (Build 16827.20166)

Release date: October 10, 2023

This build fixes two bugs, one in which users were missing their Outlook add-ins, and another in Word in which subheading numbering with a custom Style would disappear if the file was saved and reopened. It also fixes a number of security holes. For details, see Release notes for Microsoft Office security updates.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

Get more info about Version 2309 (Build 16827.20166).

Version 2309 (Build 16827.20130)

Release date: September 28, 2023

This build introduces two new features, including the ability to disable specific types of automatic data conversions in Excel and support for the “Present in Teams” button to present local files in PowerPoint Live in Microsoft Teams.

Several bugs have also been fixed, including one in which the setting to control how Outlook opens previous items at start-up was missing from the Options window, and another in Word in which the Add-ins tab was not visible when using custom toolbar information.

Get more info about Version 2309 (Build 16827.20130).

Version 2308 (Build 16731.20234)

Release date: September 12, 2023

This build fixes several bugs, including one that caused Outlook to close unexpectedly when viewing an email, and another in PowerPoint in which the presenter view slide section zoomed in and out when zooming in the notes section.

It also fixes a number of security holes. For details, see Release notes for Microsoft Office security updates.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

Get more info about Version 2308 (Build 16731.20234).

It’s no big revelation that project management can be a chore.

Enterprise teams need to be able to easily collaborate, track progress, and gain important insights from data, but they often don’t have a cohesive platform on which to do so, creating fragmentation, administrative burdens, and ultimately slowing project momentum.

Zoho Corporation is aiming to take the headaches out of this process with its release Tuesday of Projects Plus. The data-driven project management (DDPM) platform pulls together disparate data so that internal and external teams can collaborate, communicate, and get projects done more quickly and easily.

DDPM “takes guesswork out of the project management equation,” said Aarthi Elizabeth, Zoho senior evangelist. “Team members and project managers can start to make informed decisions rather than having to rely on intuition.”

Building on Zoho Projects

Projects Plus integrates four Zoho applications — Projects, WorkDrive, Analytics, and Sprints — to support collaboration, file management, real-time business intelligence (BI), and agile or waterfall workflows.

Using data from time tracking, budgeting, task completion, and team and deliverability metrics, Projects Plus supports predictive analysis (to estimate timelines or anticipate risk or resource needs); progress tracking (moving beyond static project management tools like Gantt charts); and quality control analytics throughout a project’s timeline.

“Our aim is to make data accessible to everyone on project teams, not just data engineers or analysts,” Elizabeth said. “This will increase transparency and improve efficiency among cross-functional teams.”

Zoho has also brought its in-house AI engine, Zia, to the platform to automate data analysis and generate insights. For instance, Zia can spot project bottlenecks and take corrective action, determine where resources are being underutilized or overutilized and tap the right people based on their skills, and make predictions based on how a project is going so that managers can make adjustments to avoid delays and cost overruns.

“Zia’s ability to generate real-time insights based on various project metrics significantly increases the success probability of the project, and conversational AI enables users to ask questions about the project,” Elizabeth explained. For instance, teams can ask Zia to show them overdue tasks, and Zia will automatically pull out that data.

Multiple use cases

One Zoho customer, a commercial automobile manufacturing team, uses Projects for both simple redesigns and more complex new projects, Elizabeth noted. The team uses the platform for everything from R&D redesign to production, unifying metrics to understand common delays and risks. Using these insights to modify their processes, they have improved client satisfaction by 20%.

Elizabeth also pointed to another customer, a financial institution, that undergoes a half dozen internal audits a year, leaving employees with a list of issues and action items to track and resolve under deadline. Zia helps them pull together the materials and data they need to remediate flagged issues, providing progress reports via dashboards along the way. 

“Zia can break down the progress perfectly for them,” said Elizabeth.

Supports Zoho’s ‘upmarket trajectory’: analyst

The new platform is an extension of Zoho Projects, one of Zoho’s earliest products. The company has steadily built upon Projects over the last two decades, finding that nearly 20% of customers use it alongside other Zoho apps such as Analytics.

The goal with Projects Plus, Elizabeth said, is to help customers from different verticals get started with a single platform.

Zoho has many competitors in an increasingly cluttered field — including Zendesk, HubSpot, Microsoft, Salesforce, and Creatio. However, Elizabeth pointed to the fragmented nature of rival platforms; users of different systems, such as Asana or Monday.com, have to use a combination of apps from different vendors to communicate and collaborate. 

Zoho said that Projects has pulled ahead of other third-party apps in the market, with 55% of new users migrating from Microsoft Projects and Jira.

Elizabeth noted that the company owns its entire tech stack — data centers, hardware, software, and apps — and integrates with other components of its software suite, as well as with third-party software including Microsoft Office 365, Google Workspace, and popular repository management, collaboration, customer service, and analytics tools, via its online business app store, Zoho Marketplace.

“The Projects Plus Platform launch underscores Zoho’s continued commitment to meeting customers where they are,” said Evelyn McMullen, research manager at Nucleus Research.

For customers not yet ready to adopt more advanced project management capabilities, the new offering is a good option to support them as their requirements evolve over time, said McMullen. And large enterprises should take note that the platform is designed to meet the specific needs of organizations in complex verticals such as e-commerce, construction, manufacturing, and automotive.

“Overall, this move supports Zoho’s upmarket trajectory while offering different levels of functionality to support the entirety of its broad client base,” said McMullen.

Projects Plus is available for immediate use globally. Cost in the US is $16 per user per month, which Zoho said is 27% lower than the licensing price of its individual components; regional pricing is available on the Zoho website.

Google is jazzing up videoconferencing and chat features in its Workspace suite with new generative AI (genAI) features, including image and background enhancements for Google Meet and built-in translation for Google Chat, the company said on its Workspace update page. 

The latest features rely on Google’s Gemini AI model, which the company is integrating into its Workspace Business and Enterprise plans. The company started the integration earlier this year without the need for customers to buy an add-on plan for Gemini.

The Gemini model used for Google Meet can generate or improvise custom backgrounds, touch up the looks of a participant in a meeting and use machine-learning to reduce background noise and adjust lighting. And Google Chat now gets built-in real-time translation features for 120 languages. Because the feature is built on Gemini, users don’t have to switch to another window to translate.

Systems administrators can decide which users get access to the features, and the users can then choose whether to enable the new options. 

Google’s efforts to include better Gemini-powered tools in Workspace — and now offering them for no additional charge — make the software more competitive, said J.P. Gownder, vice president and principal analyst at Forrester Research. “But Microsoft isn’t standing still, and Microsoft 365 Copilot continues to improve,” he said. “It remains a big challenge for Workspace to unseat Microsoft 365, regardless of the quality of individual Gemini-based features.”

Over time, Google’s investments in AI and migration tools might reach a tipping point for some companies to switch. But most of Workspace’s problems lie outside of the AI space.

“Transitioning from the Microsoft stack, and the millions of documents a large company has in Office formats, is a daunting challenge, despite Google’s attempts to create migration tools,” Gownder said.

Organizations would have to overcome a great deal of inertia to make the switch, Gownder said. “Imagine using thousands of Excel macros in the finance department, all of which no longer work in Workspace. And Google Workspace hasn’t reached feature parity with Microsoft 365,” he said.

As for Microsoft, it recently announed it was shutting down Skype and moving the software’s functionality to Teams. Videoconferencing providers are also constantly plugging more AI tools into interfaces; Zoom has a feature to touch-up appearances, and also provides an AI assistant.

Ever since OpenAI made ChatGPT available to the public in late 2022, the large language model (LLM)-based generative AI (genAI) revolution has advanced at an astonishing pace.

Two years and four months ago, we had only ChatGPT. Now, we have GPT-4.5, Claude 3.7, Gemini 2.0 Pro, Llama 3.1, PaLM 2, Perplexity AI, Grok-3, DeepSeek R1, LLaMA-13B, and dozens of other tools, ranging from free to $20,000 per month for the top tier of OpenAI’s Operator system.

The consensus is that they’re advancing quickly. But they all seem stuck on three fundamental problems that prevent their full use by business users: Their responses are often 1) generic, 2) hallucinatory, and/or 3) compromised by deliberate sabotage. 

Serious action is being taken to address these problems, and I’ll get to that in a minute. 

Problem #1: Generic output

GenAI chatbots often produce results that are too generic or lacking in nuance, creativity, or personalization. This issue stems from their reliance on large-scale training data, which biases them toward surface-level responses and homogenized content that reflects a kind of average. 

Critics also warn of “model collapse,” where repeated training on AI-generated data makes the problem worse by reducing variability and originality over time. 

Problem #2: hallucinatory output

Far too often than anyone wants, AI chatbots produce factually inaccurate or nonsensical responses that’s presented with confidence. This surprises people, because the public often assumes AI chatbots can think. But they can’t. LLMs predict the next word or phrase based on probabilities derived from training data without the slightest understanding of the meaning or how those words relate to the real world. 

Compounding the problem, the training data inevitably contains biases, inaccuracies, or insufficient data, based on the content people produced. 

Also, LLMs don’t “understand” the words they’re piecing together in their responses and don’t compare them to an understanding of the real world. Lawyers have gotten in trouble for turning over their legal arguments to chatbots, only to be embarrassed in court when the chatbots make up entire cases to cite. 

To an LLM, a string of words that sounds like a case and a string of words referring to an actual case argued in a real court are the same thing. 

Problem #3: Deliberately sabotaged output

The chatbot companies don’t control the training data, so it can and will be gamed. One egregious example comes from the Russian government, which was caught doing “LLM grooming” on a massive scale. 

Called the “Pravda” network (also called “Portal Kombat”), disinformation specialists working for the Russian government published — are you sitting down? — 3.6 million articles on 150 websites in 2024. That’s 10,000 articles per day, all pushing a couple hundred false claims that favor Russia’s interests, including falsehoods about the Russia/Ukraine war. The articles were published with expertly crafted SEO but got almost no traffic. They existed to train the chatbots. 

As a result of this LLM grooming, the watchdog group Newsguard found that when asked about Russia-related content, the 10 leading chatbots — ChatGPT-4o, You.com, Grok, Pi, Le Chat, Microsoft Copilot, Meta AI, Claude, Google’s Gemini, and Perplexity — produced disinformation from the “Pravda” network one-third (33%) of the time.

“Pravda” engages in an extreme version of “data poisoning,” where the goal is to change the behavior of chatbots, introduce vulnerabilities, or degrade performance. 

Malicious actors such as hackers, adversarial researchers, or entities with vested interests in manipulating AI outputs can engage in data poisoning by injecting falsified or biased data into training sets to manipulate outputs, perpetuate stereotypes, or introduce vulnerabilities. Attackers might assign incorrect labels to data, add random noise, or repeatedly insert specific keywords to skew model behavior. Subtle manipulations, such as backdoor attacks or clean-label modifications, are also used to create hidden triggers or undetectable biases. 

These techniques compromise the model’s reliability, accuracy, and ethical integrity, leading to biased responses or misinformation.

What the industry is doing about these flaws

While we’ve grown accustomed to using general-purpose AI chatbots for special-purpose outcomes, the future of genAI in business is customized, special-purpose tools, according to new research from MIT (paid for by Microsoft). Called “Customizing generative AI for unique value,” the study surveyed 300 global technology executives and interviewed industry leaders to understand how businesses are adapting LLMs. The report shows the benefits of customization, including better efficiency, competitive advantage, and user satisfaction. 

There are several ways companies are starting to customize LLMs. One of these is retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), which is a core technique. RAG enhances model outputs by grabbing data from both external and internal sources, while fine-tuning the prompt engineering ensures the model is really taking advantage of internal data. 

According to the report, companies are still struggling to figure out the data privacy and security aspects of customizing LLM use. 

Part of the trend toward customization relies on emerging and new tools for developers, including streamlined telemetry for tracing and debugging, simplified development playgrounds, and prompt development and management features. 

The road to quality

LLM providers are also focusing on the quality of output. The business AI company, Contextual AI, this month introduced something called its Grounded Language Model (GLM), which the company claims is a big advance in enterprise AI. 

The GLM achieved an impressive 88% factuality score on the FACTS benchmark, beating leading models like OpenAI’s GPT-4o and Google’s Gemini 2.0 Flash. 

Traditional language models often struggle with “hallucinations,” where they generate responses that diverge from factual reality. These inaccuracies can have serious consequences in enterprise settings, such as misinterpreting financial reports or healthcare protocols. Contextual AI’s GLM addresses this by prioritizing strict adherence to provided knowledge sources and not relying on generic, potentially flawed, or compromised training data. 

The GLM operates under the principle of “parametric neutrality,” which means it suppresses pretraining biases to prioritize user-supplied information.  It’s simultaneously a kind of customization and a biasing approach (to bias the LLM with better sources).  The GLM can also provide responses with quality sourcing embedded into the response, making it easy for the user to fact-check. 

All chatbots should work more like Contextual AI’s GLM. 

While it can sometimes feel as if the industry is charging forward and ignoring the frustrating generic, hallucinatory, or deliberately compromised data, the truth is that companies are also chipping away at these problems and providing solutions. 

As buyers or users of LLM-based chatbots, our role in the evolution of this category of information resource is to act as discerning customers based on our usage, not on the flashiness of a chatbot or, say, the degree to which its audible voice sounds like a real person. What’s key is the quality of its output. 

Don’t settle for generic content and falsehoods. Better alternatives are available through customization and the selection of chatbots optimized for your industry — and for telling the truth more often. 

Soon after the non-appearance of the most important Apple Intelligence feature, Apple now finds itself in danger of digging an even deeper hole by promising iOS 19 will be the most significant upgrade in years. The problem: it again runs the risk of promising too much and not delivering enough. It’s a dangerous approach.

If the world’s most prolific source of spookily accurate speculation is correct, Apple plans “one of the most dramatic” upgrades to its operating systems yet. The report is short on detail, but it does reveal changes that appear to be focused on the user interface. Apple apparently wants to “simplify the way users navigate and control their devices,” among other things:

• The report also says to expect updates to icons, menus, apps, windows, system buttons and a new design across all systems that loosely reflects the UI of visionOS. 
• And we are promised wider support for existing Apple Intelligence features across apps.

Is this really more dramatic than iOS 18? Around this time last year, Mark Gurman declared that iOS 18 would be the “biggest software update yet.” As we all know, Apple hasn’t completed that rollout yet — and already, it seems, plans another “dramatic” upgrade. I’m a little skeptical, particularly as the claim follows iOS 18, which with its bundled AI really was a dramatic upgrade, albeit it a botched one.

The problem is that at its core, Apple is a software company. It is the software that drives its story. Would the iPhone Apple introduced in 2007 have gotten anywhere without the software it ram? I don’t think so. 

Apple is a software company

At its best, Apple turns tech into something that is deeply useful, and with Apple Intelligence hopes to turn AI into something that supports you in your life, rather than dominating how you live. An applied, private, and personalized agentic AI system that helps you with your daily tasks is a really big deal. So how does Apple beat it? 

To some extent, the company has become a slave to its own change cycle.

At some point, it pivoted toward software as the main driver to its product strategy. Sure, Apple makes hardware that generally works really well, but it is the software that makes the hardware invaluable. Apple’s decision to make big news with operating system upgrades each year isn’t just a developer-focused benefit, it’s also the anvil upon which the success of its hardware releases is honed. 

The software story feeds the hardware story; annual free software updates usually improve the experience Apple customers have with the hardware they already own, which keeps them interested, loyal, and likely to invest in new Apple hardware next time they need to do so. The improvements usually get announced at WWDC in June, tested during the summer, and introduced in fall. 

Surprise, delight – and hype…

The thing is, the software does matter. So, is Apple now under pressure to build up expectations for the software updates it plans to introduce this year? If so, I think it is ill-advised to make big promises now. Having already broken its stated release schedule for what is arguably the most interesting piece of Apple Intelligence, the company would be better advised to lower expectations in order to exceed them, rather than struggle to meet them.

Surprise and delight is usually better than inflated hype.

It is worth noting that the kind of contextually personalized intelligence Apple promised to put inside Apple Intelligence is not currently available anywhere else, because it is so hard to build. That means when (or if) Apple can introduce it, it will still be ahead of most. But it still has to maintain credibility – and calling a few tweaked user interface elements the most dramatic upgrade ever doesn’t do that.

People lose faith one broken promise at a time. So, stop with the drama and promises, Apple, and focus on the art. 

You can follow me on social media! Join me on BlueSky,  LinkedIn, and Mastodon.

The new OpenAI challenger Manus is designed to create personalized solutions and provide detailed evaluations without any human intervention.

shutterstock – QINQIE99

The next would-be “OpenAI killer” is coming from China, after DeepSeek set out to dethrone the industry leader in 2024. The new artificial intelligence goes by the name of Manus and was developed by the startup Butterfly Effect. According to the company, its product is a “general agent” designed to improve the tools offered by Western companies.

Manus is best compared to OpenAI’s Deep Research, a service that searches online services to find information. What is found is then compiled into documents which, according to OpenAI, should produce a comprehensive report at the level of a research analyst within half an hour.

Other points of reference are tools such as Anthropic’s Computer Use API and OpenAI’s Operator Agents. Both tools can be used in a web browser to perform basic tasks such as filling out forms and using e-commerce sites.

Manus claims to be able to do all this and much more and, according to its own benchmarks, it should also be faster than the competition. In a video for the market launch, the AI agent is shown performing three tasks at top speed.

Multi-tasking

It is intended to take on a variety of tasks, including analyzing job applications, creating property reports and carrying out stock correlation analyses.

According to the creators, the special thing about this is that the tool goes beyond simple queries by expanding tasks independently. For example, it can not only rank CVs, but also analyze skills and compare them with market trends in order to make optimized hiring decisions.

For real estate inquiries, Manus considers additional factors such as crime rates, rental trends and weather conditions to provide a customized selection of properties.

While ChatGPT-4 and Google’s Gemini rely on human prompts, Manus is designed not to wait for instructions. Instead, it is designed to tackle tasks independently, evaluate new information and adapt its approach dynamically. According to Forbes, Manus should not only focus on the task at hand, but also independently expand the task with additional, helpful parameters.

Cloud-based Ubuntu workstation

Manus presents itself with a chatbot user interface including a blank text field for prompts. Early testers have described their experience to news portal The Register as being like sitting with someone at a keyboard, turning vague instructions into precise output with extraordinary speed.

The service runs on “Manus’ Computer,” which is apparently an Ubuntu workstation in the cloud. The launch video states that the service operates as a multi-agent system based on several different models. Some of these models are to be released as open source later this year.

Reality check

However, testers have already expressed their first doubts about Manus: The Register, for example, had the AI agent create an itinerary for a two-month trip to “Australia, then New Zealand, Argentina (and other parts of South America) and Antarctica”. Citing just 17 sources, Manus claimed that a flight in business class was only twice as expensive as economy class.

In reality, however, such a flight costs at least three times as much. According to the developers, the bot arrives at such results by opening several browser windows simultaneously to collect data and analyzing them at lightning speed. The AI also did not provide the promised downloadable summary.

The key to its performance is said to lie in its multi-agent architecture. When Manus is assigned a complex task, it divides the problem into manageable components, assigns them to the appropriate agents and monitors their progress. This structure allows the tool to handle multi-step workflows that previously required multiple AI tools to be manually stitched together.

Cloud-based asynchronous operation is said to be another advantage. With conventional AI assistants, users have to lend a hand themselves — Manus does not need them, according to the developers. It carries out its tasks in the background and only reports back when the results are available.

Party-poopers not allowed

What the agent cannot do, however, is criticize the Chinese Communist Party. Prompts that lead to an answer that puts those in power in a bad light lead to mistakes.

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), backed by Elon Musk, has expanded the deployment of its custom AI-powered chatbot, GSAi, to approximately 1,500 government workers at the General Services Administration. The move signals a push for AI-driven efficiencies amid widespread layoffs, raising concerns over the use of automation to justify job cuts.

Following a February pilot program that granted access to about 150 GSA employees, the department has rapidly expanded the chatbot’s availability, reported Wired. Quoting sources, Wired reported that while the AI tool has been in development for months, DOGE has significantly accelerated its deployment timeline and been fine-tuned specifically for government use.

The GSAi system operates through a ChatGPT-like interface and leverages multiple AI models, including Anthropic’s Claude Haiku 3.5, Claude Sonnet 3.5 v2, and Meta’s LLaMa 3.2, selecting different models based on the specific task requirements, the report added. Despite its capabilities, initial feedback suggests it offers “generic and guessable answers” and functions “about as good as an intern.”

GSAi: A leaner, tech-driven government?

An internal memo reviewed by Wired instructs employees to use GSAi for tasks such as drafting emails, creating talking points, summarizing documents, and writing basic code. However, strict guidelines prohibit entering non-public government information, personal data, or confidential work products, limiting its scope for more sensitive tasks.

While its current functions are relatively basic, DOGE aims to expand GSAi’s role in federal operations. Future applications could include contract analysis, procurement data management, and other government workflow optimizations. This aligns with DOGE’s broader vision of leveraging AI to reduce bureaucratic inefficiencies.

“AI-driven automation like GSAi can be a viable solution for improving government efficiency, provided it is implemented with careful consideration of the need for human oversight in critical functions,” said Charlie Dai, VP, principal analyst at Forrester. “By adopting a balanced and thoughtful approach, governments can harness the benefits of AI while safeguarding the essential human elements that ensure accountability, ethics, and public trust.”

Workforce reduction: AI as justification?

DOGE’s layoffs have been extensive. Last month, over 1,000 GSA employees were abruptly dismissed, and the agency has plans to reduce its Public Building Service staff by 63%. Additionally, DOGE has shuttered GSA’s technology consulting unit, 18F, which housed nearly 100 tech specialists focused on digital modernization.

Critics argue that deploying AI tools like GSAi serves to rationalize the mass firings, presenting AI as a means to maintain efficiency with a reduced workforce. Musk and co-leader Vivek Ramaswamy have previously advocated for a streamlined government, stating in a Wall Street Journal op-ed that DOGE aims to build a “lean team” of legal and technology experts.

Several former employees of Musk’s various technology companies have reportedly joined DOGE, further fueling speculation that the agency is shifting towards a more Silicon Valley-style operational model, prioritizing automation over human expertise.

However, DOGE’s rapid rollout of AI raises concerns compared to other government-led digital transformation efforts worldwide. “DOGE’s approach is characterized by its rapid deployment, cost-cutting focus, and ambitious goals,” Dai added. “However, it lacks the careful planning, ethical considerations, and public trust-building seen in other global efforts.”

He cautioned that without a more balanced approach combining innovation with accountability, the agency risks repeating past mistakes and undermining the efficiency it seeks to achieve.

DOGE’s controversial legacy

Established through an executive order, DOGE replaces the US Digital Service (USDS) and has been tasked with modernizing federal technology. However, former USDS employees have criticized DOGE’s direction, accusing Musk and his allies of undermining the agency’s original mission and politicizing its operations.

USDS was originally a nonpartisan initiative that recruited top talent from tech giants like Amazon and Google for short-term government service. The agency played a crucial role in improving services at the Social Security Administration, Veterans Affairs, and other federal institutions.

While DOGE insists on increasing government efficiency through technology, its aggressive cost-cutting measures and reliance on AI have fueled concerns over job security and the effectiveness of AI-driven governance. Whether GSAi proves to be a breakthrough in public sector technology or a cover for workforce reductions remains to be seen. The implications of DOGE’s strategy could redefine how AI is integrated into government operations, setting a precedent for automation-led reforms in the public sector.

Word has always been the workhorse app of the Microsoft Office suite. Nearly everyone who uses Office ends up using Word at some point, whether it be for writing memos, typing up agendas, creating reports, crafting business correspondence or any of a thousand other uses.

Microsoft sells Office under two models: Individuals and businesses can pay for the software license up front and own it forever (what the company calls the “perpetual” version of the suite), or they can purchase a Microsoft 365 subscription, which means they have access to the software for only as long as they keep paying the subscription fee.

When you purchase a perpetual version of the suite — say,  Office 2021 or Office 2024 — its applications will never get new features, whereas apps in the “365” subscriptions are continually updated with new features. For more details, see our in-depth comparison of the two Office models.

This cheat sheet gets you up to speed on the major business features that have been introduced or changed in Microsoft 365’s Word for Windows desktop client over the past few years. (If you’re using the perpetual-license Office suite, see our separate Office 2021 and 2024 cheat sheet, which includes Word tips.) We’ll periodically update this story as new features roll out to Word in Microsoft 365.

In this guide:

• Use the Ribbon
• Search to get tasks done quickly
• Collaborate in real time
• Use Microsoft 365 Copilot in Word
• Get instant translations
• Add new types of charts
• Use AutoSave as a safety net while you work
• Review or restore earlier versions of a document
• Other new features worth checking out
• Use keyboard shortcuts

Use the Ribbon

The Ribbon interface, which puts commonly used commands in a tabbed toolbar running across the top of the application window, is alive and well in the current version of Word. As always, just click one of the Ribbon’s tabs to see related commands — for example, click Insert to find buttons for inserting tables, images, page breaks, and more.

Microsoft has tweaked the Ribbon’s looks numerous times over the years, but it still works the same way it always has, and you’ll find most of the commands in the same locations as in earlier versions. Also note that you can use the search box above the Ribbon to find commands.

Through the years, Word’s Ribbon has gotten a variety of cosmetic changes, but it still works largely the way it always has.

Preston Gralla / Foundry

Just as in earlier versions of Word, to make the commands underneath the tabs on the Ribbon go away, press Ctrl-F1. (Note that the Ribbon tabs — File, Home, Insert, and so on — stay visible.) To make the commands appear again, press Ctrl-F1. You can also make the commands on the Ribbon go away by clicking the name of the tab you’re currently on. To make the commands reappear, click any tab.

You’ve got other options for displaying the Ribbon as well. To get to them, click the Ribbon display options icon (a down arrow) on the bottom of the Ribbon at the far right, just below the Share button. A drop-down menu appears with these four options:

Full-screen mode: This makes Word take up your entire screen and hides the Ribbon. To get out of full-screen mode, click the three-dot icon at the upper right of the screen.

Show tabs only: This shows the tabs but hides the commands underneath them. It’s the same as pressing Ctrl-F1. To display the commands underneath the tabs when they’re hidden, press Ctrl-F1, click a tab, or click the Ribbon display options down arrow and select Always show Ribbon.

Always show Ribbon: This displays the entire Ribbon, both the tabs and commands underneath them.

Show/Hide Quick Access toolbar: This displays or hides the Quick Access toolbar, which gives you fast access to Word features you want to have always available, such as New, Save, Print, and many others. When you enable the toolbar, it starts off empty. To populate it, click the small down arrow to the right of the toolbar and from the menu that appears, choose which features to put on it. If you don’t see a command you want, click More Commands. Find the command you want on the left and click Add.

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You can add commands to the Quick Access toolbar for easy access.

Preston Gralla / Foundry

You can have the toolbar appear either at the top of the screen, just to the right of the AutoSave button, or instead just underneath the Ribbon. To move it from one place to another, click the down arrow to the right of the toolbar and from the menu that appears, select either Show Below the Ribbon or Show Above the Ribbon.

Microsoft has for many years teased a simplified version of the Ribbon that hides most of the commands to reduce clutter. That simplified Ribbon is available in the Word web app, but there’s currently no sign that it will appear in the Word desktop app.

There’s a useful feature in what Microsoft calls the backstage area that appears when you click File on the Ribbon: If you click Open, Save a Copy, or Save As from the menu on the left, you can see the cloud-based services you’ve connected to your Microsoft account, such as SharePoint and OneDrive. Each location now displays its associated email address underneath it.

Select Add a Place on the left to add a new cloud storage service for Word.

Preston Gralla / Foundry

This is quite helpful if you use a cloud service with more than one account, such as if you have one OneDrive account for personal use and another one for business. You’ll be able to see at a glance which is which.

Search to get tasks done quickly

It’s easy to overlook one of Word’s most useful features, Search, which is extremely helpful when you want to do a task that you haven’t done before or have forgotten how to do.

To use it, click in the Search box — it’s above the Ribbon in the blue title area. (Keyboard fans can instead press Alt-Q to go to the Search box.) Type in a word or phrase related to a task, and you’ll get a list of possible matches. Click the task you want to get instructions on how to do it.

For example, I typed  envelope and chose the Envelope result, and the screen you use for addressing envelopes appeared. When I typed in the query write an essay, it popped up a link to Word’s Researcher feature that lets you do research from within Word, add sources from the research you find, and then cite the sources in the document. (More on Researcher in a moment.) If you type in a query and hover your mouse over a result instead of clicking it, you’ll see a screen describing what you can do if you click the results.

The Search box gives advice on addressing an envelope (or any other task).

Preston Gralla / Foundry

It’s a big time-saver, because you don’t have to hunt through the Ribbon to find the command you want. And it remembers the features you’ve previously selected in the box, so when you click in it, you first see a list of previous tasks you’ve searched for. That way, tasks that you frequently perform are always within easy reach.

Users of enterprise and education editions of Microsoft 365 can also use the Search box to find people in their organization, SharePoint resources, and other personalized results from within Word. (See the Microsoft Search support page for more details about all it can do.)

Collaborate in real time

With Word for Microsoft 365, you can  collaborate in real time on documents from anywhere in the world with an internet connection. Microsoft calls this “co-authoring.”

There are only three requirements for collaboration in Word for Microsoft 365: You must be logged into your Microsoft account or Microsoft 365 account; the document must be stored in OneDrive, OneDrive for Business, or SharePoint Online; and AutoSave must be turned on.

To share a document so you can collaborate on it with others: first open it, then click the Share button in the upper-right part of the screen. If you haven’t yet saved your file in OneDrive, OneDrive for Business, or SharePoint Online, you’ll be prompted to do so.

Clicking the Share button pops up the “Send link” window. Here you can send an email with a link where others can access the document.

Use the “Send link” pane to share a document and the “Link settings” pane to fine-tune its access permissions.

Preston Gralla / Foundry

First, decide whether anyone with a link can edit the document, or only those whose email addresses you enter. If you see the text “Anyone with the link can edit” near the top of the pane, you can change that by clicking it, then choosing Specific people on the screen that appears. Similarly, if “Specific people” appears above the email addresses, you can change that by clicking it, then choosing Anyone with the link can edit from the screen that appears. (If you use a business, enterprise, or education edition of Office, you may have somewhat different sharing permissions and options set up by your IT department, such as an option to allow anyone within your organization to edit the document.)

On this second screen you can also determine whether people can edit the document or can only view it without making changes. To do that, click Can edit and select Can view. You can also set an expiration date after which people won’t be able to access the file. And you can set a password so that only people who have the password can access it.

Back in the main “Send link” window, enter the recipients’ email addresses (as you type, Word will suggest people from your address book whom you can select), optionally type in a message, and click Send. An email is sent to all the recipients with a link they can click to open the document.

(If you’d rather send recipients a copy of the file as a Word document or PDF rather than a link, and thus not allow real-time collaboration, click Send a copy at the bottom of the “Send link” screen and choose either Word document or PDF.)

Your link will be sent via Outlook. If you don’t use Outlook, or simply prefer to send the link yourself rather than relying on Outlook to do it automatically, there’s another way to share a file stored in a personal OneDrive for collaboration: At the bottom of the “Send link” window, pane, click Copy link. When you do that, you can copy the link and send it to someone yourself via email. Note that you have the same options for allowing editing, not allowing editing, and so on as you do if you have Word send the link directly for you. Just click Anyone with the link can edit or Specific people below Copy link, and follow the instructions above.

(Note that if you want to copy a link, you don’t have to go to the Send link screen. Instead, when you click Share button on the upper right of a Word document, choose Copy Link rather than Share.)

To begin collaborating: When your recipients receive the email from you, they click a button or link to open the document, which opens in the Word web app  in a browser rather than in the Word desktop client. They can either edit or read it in the web app, depending on the permissions you granted, or open it in the Word desktop client by typing open in desktop in the search box at the top of the screen, and selecting the Open in Desktop option that appears.  The web version isn’t as fully featured as the client version — for instance, there aren’t as many formatting options and you can’t insert shapes, take screenshots, use mail merge, or use several other features. But for basic editing, it works fine.

When any collaborators open the document, you’ll see a colored cursor bar for each person that indicates their presence in the document. Each person gets their own unique color. Hover your cursor over anybody else’s cursor bar to see their name. Once they begin editing, you can see what each collaborator does as they do it, including deleting, editing, and adding text. They see what you do as well.

You can see other collaborators’ edits in real time, with a different colored cursor for each collaborator.

Preston Gralla / Foundry

Collaboration includes the ability to make comments at specific places in a document without actually changing the document’s contents. To do it, place your cursor in the document where you want the comment to appear (or select a word or phrase), click the Comments button in the upper right of the screen and select New.A new comment box appears in the right margin; type in your comment there.

If you want to draw a colleague’s attention to a comment, @ mention them in the comment — type @ and the first few letters of the person’s name, then choose their name from the list that appears. They’ll receive an email notification with a link to the comment in the document.

Everyone collaborating can see all comments in the right margin. To reply to a comment, hover over it, click the Reply button, and type your response. There’s also a Resolve button that grays out the comment.

To reply to a comment, hover over it, click the Reply button, and type your reply.

Preston Gralla / Foundry

Be aware that how well real-time collaboration works depends on the strength of your internet connection. On slow or flaky connections, you won’t immediately see edits that other people make and they won’t see yours immediately — there will be a lag. So it’s always best, when possible, to have the strongest connection possible when collaborating.

At any time, you can see who has access to the file by clicking the Share button. In the “Send link” screen that opens, click the three-dot icon in the upper right and select Manage access to see a list of people who can access the file. Here you can change edit/view permissions, revoke someone’s access, or remove the sharing link altogether.

Use Microsoft 365 Copilot in Word

For an additional subscription fee, business users of Word can use Microsoft’s generative AI add-in, Microsoft 365 Copilot. You can have Copilot create new documents from a description you give it or from an existing document, summarize documents, and more. If you have a Microsoft 365 Personal or Family subscription, many of those features are now bundled with your core subscription.

To get started using Copilot in Word, you can click the Copilot icon in the left margin of your document or press Alt + I to bring up the “Draft with Copilot” panel (this is the more powerful option for writing drafts), or you can click the Copilot button at the right end of the Ribbon’s home tab to open the Copilot sidebar on the right (better for getting summaries or asking questions about the document).

In Word, Microsoft 365 Copilot can help you summarize a document or generate a draft.

Preston Gralla / Foundry

For details about how to use Copilot in Word, see our guide to using Copilot for writing tasks in Word, Outlook, and OneNote.

If you’re wondering what happened to Word’s Smart Lookup and Researcher features, well, Copilot ate them. Until recently, these two useful features let you search the internet from inside Word, with Smart Lookup intended for quick web searches and Researcher for more in-depth searches across academic journals and other sources.

But at the beginning of 2025, Microsoft removed Smart Lookup and Researcher from Word and the other Microsoft 365 apps. Now the only way to search the web and do research from inside Word is via Copilot. Copilot lacks some features of Smart Lookup and Researcher, notably the ability to insert citations and footnotes in documents.

Also, keep in mind that Copilot at times suffers from “hallucinations” — that is, it makes things up that aren’t true. So you’ll have to double-check its results. For help in reducing the number of Copilot’s hallucinations, see “Microsoft Copilot tips: 9 ways to use Copilot right.”

Get instant translations

Another useful addition is the Translator pane, useful for those who need to work in multiple languages. To translate words or phrases, select them, right-click your selection, and choose Translate from the menu that appears.

The Translator pane appears. The top of the pane shows your selection, and the bottom shows the translation. The top pane attempts to identify the original language, which it does with uncanny accuracy. If it misidentifies the language, though, simply select the right one. After that, in the bottom of the pane select the language you want to translate to.

The translation appears. To insert it somewhere into the document, move your cursor to the spot where you want it to appear, then click the Insert button at the bottom of the pane. You can also copy and paste any part of the translation into the document or another document.

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With Translator, you can translate a word, a section of a document, or the entire document from one language to another.

Preston Gralla / Foundry

Translator can also translate an entire document. To do it, go to the Review tab on the Ribbon, and in the Language section, click Translate > Translate Document. The Translator pane appears. You can let it auto-detect the original language or click the From drop-down to set it. Then click the To drop-down to set the language you want to translate the document to and click the Translate button. Word opens the translated document in a new window.

Keep in mind that Translator is part of Microsoft’s Intelligent Services, the artificial intelligence behind other Office features including Search and Researcher. You’ll need to enable it before using any of these features.

Translator is also available in Outlook, Excel, and PowerPoint; see our story on translation in Office for details.

Add new types of charts

Over the last decade, Microsoft has added several new types of charts you can add to documents, spreadsheets, and presentations: Treemap, Sunburst, Waterfall, Histogram, Pareto, Box & Whisker, Funnel, and Map charts. Each provides a unique way to display data visually. See our Excel for Microsoft 365 cheat sheet for details about the new chart types, including what each one looks like and what type of data it’s best suited for.

To insert any of the new chart types (or any other chart) in a document, select Insert > Chart and then choose the type of chart to insert. When you do that, the chart appears in your document with placeholder data, and a pop-up window appears that looks like a mini Excel spreadsheet. Enter or edit the data, or else click the Edit Data in Microsoft Excel button to open it up in Excel and edit it there.

When you insert a chart, a window where you can edit the data pops up.

Preston Gralla / Foundry

Note that the Pareto chart does not show up when you select Insert > Chart. To insert one, select Insert > Chart, select Histogram, and at the top of the screen that appears, select the option to the right, Pareto.

Use AutoSave as a safety net while you work

If you’re worried that you’ll lose your work on a document if you don’t constantly save it, you’ll welcome the AutoSave feature. It automatically saves your files for you, so you won’t have to worry about system crashes, power outages, Word crashes, and similar problems. It only works only on .docx documents stored in OneDrive, OneDrive for Business, or SharePoint Online. It won’t work with files saved in Word’s older .doc format or files saved to your hard drive.

AutoSave is a vast improvement over the previous AutoRecover feature built into Word. AutoRecover doesn’t save your files in real time; instead, every several minutes it saves an AutoRecover file that you can try to recover after a crash. It doesn’t always work, though — for example, if you don’t properly open Word after the crash, or if the crash doesn’t meet Microsoft’s definition of a crash. In addition, Microsoft notes, “AutoRecover is only effective for unplanned disruptions, such as a power outage or a crash. AutoRecover files are not designed to be saved when a logoff is scheduled or an orderly shutdown occurs.” And the files aren’t saved in real time, so you’ll likely lose several minutes of work even if all goes as planned.

AutoSave is turned on by default in Word for Microsoft 365 .docx files stored in OneDrive, OneDrive for Business, or SharePoint Online. To turn it off (or back on again) for a document, use the AutoSave button on the top left of the screen. If you want AutoSave to be off for all files by default, select File > Options > Save and uncheck the box marked AutoSave files stored in the Cloud by default on Word.

Using AutoSave may require some rethinking of your workflow. Many people are used to creating new documents based on existing ones by opening the existing file, making changes to it, and then using Save As to save the new version under a different name, leaving the original file intact. Be warned that doing this with AutoSave enabled will save your changes in the original file. Instead, Microsoft suggests opening the original file and immediately selecting File > Save a Copy (which replaces Save As when AutoSave is enabled) to create a new version.

If AutoSave does save unwanted changes to a file, you can always use the Version History feature described below to roll back to an earlier version.

Review or restore earlier versions of a document

There’s an extremely useful feature hiding in the title bar in Word for Microsoft 365: You can use Version History to go back to previous versions of a file, review them, compare them side-by-side with your existing version, and copy and paste from an older file to your existing one. You can also restore an entire old version.

To do it, click the file name at the top of the screen in an open file. A drop-down menu appears. Click Version History, and the Version History pane appears on the right side of the screen with a list of the previous versions of the file, including the time and date they were saved.

Use Version History to see all previous versions of a document, copy and paste from an older file to your existing one, or restore an entire old version.

Preston Gralla / Foundry

In the Version History pane, click Open version under any older version, and that version appears as a read-only version in a new window. Scroll through the version and copy any content you want, then paste it into the latest version of the file. To compare the two versions, click Compare on the old version, and you’ll see them side-by-side, and also see edits made to the older version. To restore the old version, overwriting the current one, click the Restore button at the top of the editing window.

Version History works best when used in conjunction with AutoSave. You can use it without AutoSave, but it’s not as useful because you don’t get as many saved versions to go back to.

Other features worth checking out

Several other features added over the past few years may prove useful for business users:

Work in a distraction-free environment

If you’re the kind of person who needs help focusing on the work at hand, you’ll be pleased with Word’s Focus mode. When you put Word into Focus mode, the Ribbon and all toolbars are hidden, and all parts of your screen that aren’t Word turn black. So you’ll find no distractions at all.

To put Word into Focus mode, choose View > Focus (the Focus button is in the Immersive group near the left end of the Ribbon) or press Alt-W, then O. To get out of Focus mode, press the Esc key. When you’re in Focus mode, if you want the Ribbon to appear (with white text and icons against a black background), move your cursor to the top of the screen. Press Esc or start typing in Word to make the Ribbon go away.

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Focus mode helps you block out distractions when you’re working on a document.

Preston Gralla / Foundry

If you want more options for getting rid of distractions, you can use what Microsoft calls Immersive Reader. It gives you even more options for focusing on your text, including displaying only a few lines of text at a time, changing the page color, and more. You can also have it read the text to you, and have it display text in which words are broken down into individual syllables. To use it, choose View > Immersive Reader, then choose your options. Click Close Immersive Reader to return to your normal view.

Get to favorite folders quickly

You likely have a handful of folders where you frequently save and frequently open files. And you likely get annoyed every time you have to browse through your disk to get there. Pinned folders solve the problem.

When saving or opening a file, in the Save or Open dialog, hover your mouse over any folder that you want to pin, and then click the pin icon. From now on, that folder will stay at the top of the Save or Open dialogs, so you can get to them quickly.

Note that Save and Open don’t share pinned folders — you pin them separately.

Write better with the Editor

Those who want to make sure their writing is concise and grammatically correct should turn to the Editor, a beefed-up version of grammar- and spell-checking. Select Home > Editor, and the Editor pane appears with an easy-to-scan summary of a document’s readability, along with tools to improve it. At the top you’ll see your overall score, with 100% being the best.

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You don’t have to be a word maven to improve your writing skills. Word’s Editor offers solid help.

Preston Gralla / Foundry

It then shows you the number of sentence-by-sentence improvements you can make in various writing categories, including corrections in spelling in grammar and refinements for clarity, concision, and so on. Click any category, and Editor will bring you to each issue that can be improved and offer recommendations.

Paste in the format you want

Word also includes an improved way to handle content pasted from the web or other sources. You can now set your default paste options so whatever you paste matches the look and feel of the document into which you’re pasting it rather than the source material.

When you paste something, you get three options:

• Keep source formatting. This keeps the original formatting and layout, such as font size, color, bold and underlining, list formatting, and so on, of the content you’re pasting.
• Merge formatting. This uses some of the original formatting of what you’re pasting (such as bold, underline, lists, and table structure), but matches it to the style of the document into which it’s being pasted (such as font family, size, and color).
• Keep text only. This keeps the text but strips out things such as bullets, table structure, and images. The text will match the formatting of the existing text just before your cursor.

To change your default paste option, select Select Default Paste and from the list that appears, select which you want it to be. To change it to another option, go to File > Options > Advanced, scroll down to “Cut, copy, and paste,” click the Pasting from other programs down arrow, and select what you want the new default to be.

Make documents more inclusive with the Accessibility Checker

Many people have problems accessing a document’s content, such as those who have issues with their vision. Microsoft’s Accessibility Checker in Microsoft 365 can check documents you create to make sure that they’re more accessible to people, such as by eliminating colors with poor contrast that can be hard to read.

Get to it from the Ribbon by selecting Review > Check Accessibility > Check Accessibility. A right-hand pane called the Accessibility Assistant appears. It flags and helps you fix accessibility issues.

The Accessibility Checker checks documents for accessibility issues.

Preston Gralla / Foundry

Create a Sway web page from a document

If you’re one of the few people who use Microsoft’s Sway app, which lets you easily create simple, web-based presentations, you’ll want to try out a feature that lets you create a Sway page from a Word document.

To do it, select File > Transform. The Transform to Web Page pane appears. Select a style in the pane, then click the Transform button. A web page is created on the web and opened in the Sway app in your browser. To share it with others, select the Share button on the Sway page and follow the instructions.

Note that if you have problems with doing this, your administrator may not have given you the proper permissions, or you may need to update your copy of Microsoft 365. Check with your administrator for details.

Use keyboard shortcuts

Using keyboard shortcuts is one of the best ways to accomplish tasks quickly in Word. You can even use them to navigate the Ribbon. For instance, Alt-H takes you to the Home tab, and Alt-G takes you to the Design tab.

Press the Alt key to see tool tips calling out the Ribbon shortcuts.

Preston Gralla / Foundry

But there are many other keyboard shortcuts to help you accomplish a vast array of tasks in Word. See our story “Handy Word keyboard shortcuts for Windows and Mac” for the ones we find the most useful.

This article was originally published in October 2019 and most recently updated in March 2025.

[ See more Microsoft cheat sheets ]

A Windows launch isn’t the end a process — it’s really just the beginning. Microsoft continually works on improving Windows 11 by fixing bugs, releasing security patches, and occasionally adding new features.

In this story we summarize what you need to know about each update released to the public for the most recent version of Windows 11 — currently version 24H2. For each build, we’ve included the date of its release and a link to Microsoft’s announcement about it. The most recent updates appear first.

The easiest way to install updates is via Windows Update. Not sure how? See “How to handle Windows 10 and 11 updates” for full instructions. Note that Windows 11 version 24H2 is being released as a phased rollout and may not be available to you in Windows Update yet.

If you’re still using Windows 10, see “Windows 10: A guide to the updates.” And if you’re looking for information about Insider Program previews for upcoming feature releases of Windows 11, see “Windows 11 Insider Previews: What’s in the latest build?”

Updates for Windows 11 24H2 KB5053598 (OS Build 26100.3476)

Release date: March 11, 2025

This update has a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and March 2025 Security Updates.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

There are two known issues in this build, including one in which players on Arm devices are unable to download and play Roblox via the Microsoft Store on Windows.

(Get more info about KB5053598.)

KB5052093 (OS Build 26100.3323) Preview

Release date: February 25, 2025

In this build, a variety of new features are being rolled out gradually, including one that lets you snooze or turn off the “Start backup” reminder in the File Explorer address bar. This only applies if you are not already backing up your files and folder. To view this new option, right-click Start backup.

A number of bug fixes are being rolled out gradually, including one for a bug in which the address bar overlapped files in File Explorer when you used the F11 full-screen mode. A variety of bug fixes take immediate effect, including for a bug in which there were display rendering issues when you tried to connect to certain PCs.

There are two known issues in this build, including one in which Arm devices are unable to download and play Roblox via the Microsoft Store on Windows. In addition, devices that have certain Citrix components installed might be unable to complete installation of the January 2025 Windows security update. This issue was observed on devices with Citrix Session Recording Agent (SRA) version 2411.

(Get more info about KB5052093 Preview.)

KB5051987 (OS Build 26100.3194)

Release date: February 11, 2025

This update has a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and February 2025 Security Updates.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

There are three known issues in this build, including one in which players on Arm devices are unable to download and play Roblox via the Microsoft Store on Windows.

(Get more info about KB5051987.)

KB5050094 (OS Build 26100.3037) Preview

Release date: January 28, 2025

In this build, a variety of new features are being rolled out gradually, including one in which an icon will appear in the system tray when you use an app that supports Windows Studio Effects. This only occurs on a device that has a neural processing unit (NPU). Select the icon to open the Studio Effects page in Quick Settings. To view the app that is using the camera, hover over the icon for a tooltip.

A number of bug fixes are being rolled out gradually, including one for a bug in which a search would sometimes repeat when you didn’t want it to. Other bug fixes are immediately available, including one in which the display of some games appears oversaturated when you use Auto HDR.

There are three known issues in this build, including one in which Arm devices are unable to download and play Roblox via the Microsoft Store on Windows. In addition, following the installation of the October 2024 security update, some customers report that the OpenSSH (Open Secure Shell) service fails to start, preventing SSH connections. And devices that have certain Citrix components installed might be unable to complete installation of the January 2025 Windows security update

(Get more info about KB5050094 Preview.)

KB5050009 (OS Build 26100.2894)

Release date: January 14, 2025

This update has a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and January 2025 Security Updates.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

There are three known issues in this build, including one in which players on Arm devices are unable to download and play Roblox via the Microsoft Store on Windows.

(Get more info about KB5050009.)

KB5048667 (OS Build 26100.2605)

Release date: December 10, 2024

This update has a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and December 2024 Security Updates.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

There is one known issue in this build, in which players on Arm devices are unable to download and play Roblox via the Microsoft Store on Windows.

(Get more info about KB5048667.)

KB5046740 (OS Build 26100.2454) Preview

Release date: November 21, 2024

This build adds a number of interface features are being rolled out gradually. The system tray shows a shortened date and time, and there’s a new section for touchscreen edge gestures in Settings. When you right-click an app on the Start menu, a jump list will appear (if the app has a jump list). And if you hold Ctrl + Shift down when you click a jump list item, you open the item as an admin.

A variety of bugs have been fixed in this build, including one in which the users page might have caused Task Manager to stop responding when you use the keyboard.

There is one known issue in this build, in which Arm devices are unable to download and play Roblox via the Microsoft Store on Windows.

(Get more info about KB5046740 Preview.)

KB5046617 (OS Build 26100.2314)

Release date: November 12, 2024

This update has a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and November 2024 Security Updates.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about KB5046617.)

KB5044384 (OS Build 26100.2161) Preview

Release date: October 24, 2024

In this build, you can now configure the Copilot key on the keyboard. On new devices, the key opens the Copilot app. If you sign in to your account using a Microsoft Entra ID, the key opens the M365 app. You can make the key open a different app or open Search. To do this, go to Settings > Personalization > Text input. 

In addition, a variety of features are being rolled out gradually, including one in which you can stop the suggestions to turn off notifications from certain apps. Select the ellipsis (…) in the notification and turn it off. You can also go to Settings > System > Notifications and turn it off from there. 

A variety of bugs have also been fixed, including one in which you were unable to view some parts of the UI when you run certain apps.

There is one known issue in this build, in which Arm devices are unable to download and play Roblox via the Microsoft Store on Windows.

(Get more info about KB5044384 Preview.)

Windows 11 24H2 KB5044284 (OS Build 26100.2033)

Release date: October 8, 2024

This update has a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and October 2024 Security Updates.

This build also fixes one bug in which the Remote Desktop Gateway Service stopped responding when a service used remote procedure calls (RPC) over HTTP.

There is one known issue in this build, in which Arm devices are unable to download and play Roblox via the Microsoft Store on Windows.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about KB5044284.)

Windows 11, version 24H2

Release date: October 1, 2024

The Windows 11 24H2 update (also called Windows 11 2024 Update) is now being gradually rolled out. It may take some months before it reaches everyone, so you may not have it yet. As with previous annual Windows updates, it’s not a major upgrade, but does include a variety of minor new features.

Following are the highlights for end users:

• File Explorer gets several new features, including support for TAR and 7z compression and the ability to add metadata to PNG files, so you can add information to your images.
• New privacy settings for Wi-Fi networks give more control over which applications can access the list of nearby Wi-Fi networks. Limiting the applications that can access that list can make it more difficult for others to pinpoint your location.
• You can now join Wi-Fi networks by scanning QR codes, and create a QR code to allow others to share your mobile hotspot with others.
• A new Energy Saver mode reduces electric consumption on desktop PCs as well as laptops, helping you reduce your carbon footprint and improving laptop battery life. It reduces energy consumption from background tasks as well as those running in the foreground.
• Copilot now runs as a separate app, and is movable and resizable like any other app, rather than running in a sidebar panel.
• Copilot+ PCs get several new features, including Cocreator in Paint, which uses AI to generate images; enhancing video calls with AI-powered noise cancellation and improved lighting; and what Microsoft calls Auto Super Resolution, which gives games higher resolution and offers smoother gameplay.

For IT admins, highlights include:

• Policy improvements and automatic account management for Windows Local Administrator Password Solution (LAPS)
• Personal Data Encryption (PDE) for users’ Documents, Desktop, and Pictures folders
• App Control for Business
• Windows protected print mode
• Local Security Authority (LSA) protection
• Support for Wi-Fi 7
• SHA-3 support

See this blog post from Microsoft’s Harjit Dhaliwal for more information.

Prerelease updates for Windows 11 24H2 KB5043178 (OS Build 26100.1882) Preview

Release date: September 30, 2024

This build for Windows 11 24H2 offers a variety of new features, some of which will show up immediately and some of which are being rolled out gradually. Among the features that will roll out gradually is a new energy recommendation to turn off high dynamic range (HDR). This helps to conserve energy on devices that have HDR displays. Go to Settings > Power & battery > Energy recommendations.

Among the features available immediately is one that lets you manage your Copilot Pro subscription in Settings. Sign in to your Microsoft account and go to Settings > Accounts.

Several bugs have been fixed, including one in which Task Manager stopped responding when you switched from a high-contrast theme to a normal theme.

There is one known issue in this build, in which Arm devices are unable to download and play Roblox via the Microsoft Store on Windows.

(Get more info about KB5043178 Preview.)

KB5043080 (OS Build 26100.1742)

Release date: September 10, 2024

This update has a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and September 2024 Security Updates.

There is one known issue in this build, in which Arm devices are unable to download and play Roblox via the Microsoft Store on Windows.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about KB5043080.)

KB5041865 (OS Build 26100.1591) Preview

Release date: August 27, 2024

This build for Windows 11 24H2 offers a variety of new features that are being rolled out gradually, including one in which you can share content to your Android device from the Windows Share window.

Several bugs have been fixed, including one in which a deadlock occurred in the domain controller when it started up in the DNS client.

There is one known issue in this build, in which Arm devices are unable to download and play Roblox via the Microsoft Store on Windows.

(Get more info about KB5041865 Preview.)

KB5041571 (OS Build 26100.1457)

Release date: August 13, 2024

This update has a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and August 2024 Security Updates. It also fixes several bugs, including one in which the “Use my Windows user account” checkbox was not available on the lock screen to connect to Wi-Fi.

There is one known issue in this build, in which Arm devices are unable to download and play Roblox via the Microsoft Store on Windows.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about KB5041571.)

KB5040529 (OS Build 26100.1301) Preview

Release date: July 30, 2024

This build for Windows 11 24H2 offers a variety of new features that are being rolled out gradually, including the new account manager being on the Start menu. When you use a Microsoft account to sign in to Windows, you will get a glance at your account benefits. This feature also makes it easy to manage your account settings.

One feature is being rolled out immediately, in which Widgets icons on the taskbar are no longer pixelated or fuzzy. You also get a larger set of animated icons.

Several bugs have been fixed, including one in which devices that use certain WLAN cards stopped responding.

There is one known issue in this build, in which Arm devices are unable to download and play Roblox via the Microsoft Store on Windows.

(Get more info about KB5040529 Preview.)

KB5040435 (OS Build 26100.1150)

Release date: July 9, 2024

This update has a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and July 2024 Security Updates. It also This update adds PCR 4 to PCR 7 and 11 for the default Secure Boot validation profile.

There is one known issue in this build, in which Arm devices are unable to download and play Roblox via the Microsoft Store on Windows.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about KB5040435.)

KB50439304 (OS Build 26100.1000) Preview

Release date: June 28, 2024

This build fixes a variety of bugs, including one in which Windows Defender Application Control (WDAC) failed to verify the policies of some apps.

There is one known issue in this build, in which Arm devices are unable to download and play Roblox via the Microsoft Store on Windows.

(Get more info about KB5041865 Preview.)

KB5039239 (OS Build 26100.863)

Release date: June 15, 2024

This build pins Copilot to the taskbar and makes it behave like a traditional app that can be resized and moved. The build also fixes several bugs, including one in which the volume of Bluetooth devices were automatically set to maximum when you connected to them.

There is one known issue in this build, in which Arm devices are unable to download and play Roblox via the Microsoft Store on Windows.

(Get more info about KB5039239.)

Updates to Windows 11 version 23H2 KB5043145 (OS Builds 22621.4249 and 22631.4249) Preview

Release date: September 24, 2024

This build, for both Windows 11 22H2 and 23H2, offers a variety of new features and bug fixes, some of which will show up immediately, and some of which are being rolled out gradually. Among the features that will roll out gradually is the ability to share local files directly from the search results that appear in the Search box on the taskbar. Among the bug fixes that roll out immediately are one that addresses an issue in which Task Manager stopped responding when you switched from a high contrast theme to a normal theme.

(Get more info about KB5043145 Preview.)

KB5043076 (OS Builds 22621.4169 and 22631.4169)

Release date: September 10, 2024

This update has a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and September 2024 Security Updates.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

There is one known issue in this build, in which you might face issues with booting Linux if you have enabled the dual-boot setup for Windows and Linux in your device. Your device might fail to boot Linux and show the error message “Verifying shim SBAT data failed: Security Policy Violation. Something has gone seriously wrong: SBAT self-check failed: Security Policy Violation.”

(Get more info about KB5043076.)

KB5041587 (OS Builds 22621.4112 and 22631.4112) Preview

Release date: August 27, 2024

This build, for both Windows 11 22H2 and 23H2, includes the ability to share content to your Android device from the Windows Share window. To do it, must pair your Android device to your Windows PC and use the Link to Windows app on your Android device and Phone Link on your PC.

In Voice Access, you can also now dictate the characters that you spell at a faster speed, and you have more editing options for the commands that select, delete, and move within text. The build also fixes several bugs, including one in which when you pressed Ctrl + F, sometimes the search did not start.

The new features and bug fixes will roll out to users gradually.

(Get more info about KB5041587 Preview.)

KB5041585 (OS Builds 22621.4037 and 22631.4037)

Release date: August 13, 2024

This update has a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and August 2024 Security Updates.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about KB5041585.)

KB5040527 (OS Builds 22621.3958 and 22631.3958) Preview

Release date: July 25, 2024

This build, for both Windows 11 22H2 and 23H2, offers a variety of new features and bug fixes, some of which will show up immediately and some of which are being rolled out gradually. Among the features that will roll out gradually is pinning apps to the taskbar by dragging them from the Pinned section of the Start menu, and right-clicking a tab in File Explorer to duplicate it. Among the bug fixes that will roll out gradually is a memory leak that occurred when you interacted with archive folders.

Among the bugs fixed immediately is one in which in Group Policy Preferences you could not choose a group from the target domain for ILT or choose an account from Local Users and Groups.

(Get more info about KB5040527 Preview.)

KB5040442 (OS Builds 22621.3880 and 22631.3880)

Release date: July 9, 2024

This update has a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and July 2024 Security Updates.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

There is one known issue in this update, in which enterprise users may face issues while upgrading from Windows Pro to a valid Windows Enterprise subscription. OS upgrade operations may fail, and this might be shown in the LicenseAcquisition scheduled task in Task Scheduler > Task Scheduler Library > Microsoft > Windows > Subscription as ‘Access denied error (error code 0x80070005)’ under ‘Last Run Result.’

(Get more info about KB5040442.)

KB5039302 (OS Builds 22621.3810 and 22631.3810) Preview

Release date: June 25, 2024

This build, for both Windows 11 22H2 and 23H2, offers a variety of new features and bug fixes, some of which will show up immediately and some of which are being rolled out gradually. Among the bug fixes that will show up immediately is one that addresses an issue in which ejecting USB devices using the Safely Remove Hardware option failed when Task Manager was open.

Among the features that will roll out gradually is a new account manager on the Start menu that makes it easier to manage your account settings and lets you see your account benefits. Also being rolled out gradually is support for Emoji 15.1.

(Get more info about KB5039302 Preview.)

KB5039212 (OS Builds 22621.3737 and 22631.3737)

Release date: June 11, 2024

This update fixes a variety of bugs, including one in which the taskbar might briefly glitch, not respond, or disappear and reappear.

In addition, it has a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and June 2024 Security Updates.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about KB5039212.)

KB5037853 (OS Builds 22621.3672 and 22631.3672) Preview

Release date: May 29, 2024

This build introduces a variety of minor feature updates, including one that lets you use your mouse to drag files between breadcrumbs in the File Explorer address bar and another that lets you create QR codes for webpage URLs and cloud files from the Windows share window.

The build also fixes a variety of bugs, including one in which File Explorer stopped responding when you swiped from a screen edge after turning off edge swiping, and another in which handwriting panels and touch keyboards did not appear when you used a pen.

(Get more info about KB5037853 Preview.)

KB5037771 (OS Builds 22621.3593 and 22631.3593)

Release date: May 14, 2024

This update fixes a bug that caused VPN connections to fail, and another in which Server Message Block (SMB) clients failed to make SMB Multichannel connections, making file transfers are slow.

In addition, it has a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and May 2024 Security Updates.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about KB5037771.)

KB506980 (OS Builds 22621.3527 and 22631.3527) Preview

Release date: April 23, 2024

In this build, the Recommended section of the Start menu will show some Microsoft Store apps. In addition, widgets icons on the taskbar are no longer pixelated or fuzzy, and Windows widgets on the lockscreen are more reliable.

The build also fixes a variety of bugs, including one in which Windows Local Administrator Password Solution’s Post Authentication Actions (PAAs) did not occur at the end of the grace period. Instead, they occurred at restart.

There is one known issue in this build, in which you might be unable to change your user account profile picture.

(Get more info about KB5036980 Preview.)

KB5036893 (OS Builds 22621.3447 and 22631.3447)

Release date: April 9, 2024

This build offers a wide variety of minor new features, including dedicated mode for Windows 365 Boot. When you sign in on your company-owned device, you also are signed into to your Windows 365 Cloud PC. This uses passwordless authentication, like Windows Hello for Business.

The update also adds suggestions to Snap Layouts. When you hover over the minimize or maximize button of an app to open the layout box, app icons will display various layout options. Use them to help you to choose the best layout option.

In addition, the update changes the apps that appear in the Windows share window. The account you use to sign in affects the apps that are in “Share using.” For example, if you use a Microsoft account (MSA) to sign in, you will see Microsoft Teams (free). When you use a Microsoft Entra ID account (formerly Azure Active Directory) to sign in, your Microsoft Teams (work or school) contacts show instead.

This build also has a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and April 2024 Security Updates.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about KB5036893.)

Windows 11 KB5035942 (OS Builds 22621.3374 and 22631.3374) Preview

Release date: March 26, 2024

In addition, in Windows Hello for Business admins can now use mobile device management to turn off the prompt that appears when users sign in to an Entra-joined machine. To do it, turn on the “DisablePostLogonProvisioning” policy setting. After a user signs in, provisioning is off for Windows 10 and Windows 11 devices.

There is one known issue in this build, in which Windows devices using more than one monitor might experience issues with desktop icons moving unexpectedly between monitors or other icon alignment issues when attempting to use Copilot in Windows.

(Get more info about KB5035942 Preview.)

KB5035853 (OS Builds 22621.3296 and 22631.3296)

Release date: March 12, 2024

This build fixes a bug that affected the February 2024 security and preview updates. They might not have installed, and your device might shave stopped responding at 96% with the error code “0x800F0922” and the error message, “Something did not go as planned. No need to worry – undoing changes. Please keep your computer on.”

This build also has a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and March 2024 Security Updates.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about KB5035853.)

KB5034848 (OS Builds 22621.3235 and 22631.3235) Preview

Release date: February 29, 2024

In this build, you can now use the Snipping Tool on your PC to edit the most recent photos and screenshots from your Android device. You will get an instant notification on your PC when your Android device captures a new photo or screenshot. To turn this on, go to Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Mobile devices. Choose Manage devices and allow your PC to access your Android device.

The build also adds support for the USB 80Gbps standard, the next generation of USB4 that has twice the bandwidth of USB 40Gbps. To use USB 80Gbps, you must have a compatible PC and USB4 or Thunderbolt peripheral.

The build also fixes several bugs, including one in which the Windows Settings Home page randomly stopped responding when you went to the page, and another in which devices failed to make the automatic switch from cellular to Wi-Fi when they could use Wi-Fi.

There is one known issue in this build, in which Windows 11 devices attempting to install the February 2024 security update, released February 13, 2024 (KB5034765), might face installation failures and the system might stop responding at 96%.

(Get more info about KB5034848 Preview.)

KB5034765 (OS Builds 22621.3155 and 22631.3155)

Release date: February 13, 2023

In this build, the Copilot in Windows icon now appears on the right side of the system tray on the taskbar. Also, the display of “Show desktop” at the rightmost corner of the taskbar will be off by default. To turn it back on, go to Settings > Personalization > Taskbar. You can also right-click the taskbar and choose Taskbar settings. These changes will be gradually rolled out.

This build also has a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and February 2024 Security Updates.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about KB5034765.)

KB5034204 (OS Builds 22621.3085 and 22631.3085) Preview

Release date: January 23, 2024

This build fixes a variety of bugs, including one that stopped search from working on the Start menu for some users because of a deadlock, and another that that caused devices to intermittently stop responding after you installed a print support app.

There is one known issue in this build, in which Windows devices using more than one monitor might experience issues with desktop icons moving unexpectedly between monitors or other icon alignment issues when attempting to use Copilot in Windows (in preview).

(Get more info about KB5034204 Preview.)

KB5034123 (OS Builds 22621.3007 and 22631.3007)

Release date: January 9, 2024

This build fixes several bugs, including one in which devices shut down after 60 seconds when you used a smart card to authenticate on a remote system, and another in which some Wi-Fi adapters could not connect to some networks, particularly those that use 802.1x to authenticate.

It also has a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and January 2024 Security Updates.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

There are three known issues in this build, including one affecting ID admins, in which using the FixedDrivesEncryptionType or SystemDrivesEncryptionType policy settings in the BitLocker configuration service provider (CSP) node in mobile device management apps might incorrectly show a 65000 error in the “Require Device Encryption” setting for some devices in your environment. To mitigate the issue in Microsoft Intune, you can set the “Enforce drive encryption type on operating system drives” or “Enforce drive encryption on fixed drives” policies to not configured.

(Get more info about KB5034123.)

KB5033375 (OS Builds 22621.2861 and 22631.2861)

Release date: December 12, 2023

This build has a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and December 2023 Security Updates.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

There are four known issues in this build, including one which affects ID admins, in which using the FixedDrivesEncryptionType or SystemDrivesEncryptionType policy settings in the BitLocker configuration service provider (CSP) node in mobile device management (MDM) apps might incorrectly show a 65000 error in the “Require Device Encryption” setting for some devices in your environment. To mitigate the issue in Microsoft Intune, you can set the “Enforce drive encryption type on operating system drives” or “Enforce drive encryption on fixed drives” policies to not configured.

(Get more info about KB5033375.)

KB5032288 (OS Builds 22621.2792 and 22631.2792) Preview

Release date: December 4, 2023

In this update, Copilot in Windows (in preview) can be used across multiple displays, and it can be used with Alt+Tab. When you press Alt+Tab, the thumbnail preview for Copilot in Windows appears among other thumbnail previews of open windows. You can switch between them using the Tab keystroke. This is available to a small audience initially and will deploy more broadly in the months that follow.

The update also fixes a wide range of bugs, including one in which the Copilot icon did not show as being as active when it’s open on the taskbar.

There are four known issues in this update, one applicable to IT admins, in which using the FixedDrivesEncryptionType or SystemDrivesEncryptionType policy settings in the BitLocker configuration service provider (CSP) node in mobile device management (MDM) apps might incorrectly show a 65000 error in the “Require Device Encryption” setting for some devices in your environment.

(Get more info about KB5032288 Preview.)

KB5032190 (OS Builds 22621.2715 and 22631.2715)

Release date: November 14, 2023

This build introduces a preview of the Copilot for Windows AI assistant and a File Explorer with a new interface that includes new files displayed as a carousel, and that recognizes local and cloud folders. It also introduces the Windows Backup app that can be used to quickly get your current PC backed up and ready to move to a new PC. In addition, there are many other new features and interface changes throughout Windows, including for Settings, Windows Spotlight, security graphics, voice access, Narrator, and others.

It also includes a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and November 2023 Security Updates.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

There are three known issues in this build, including one that affects ID admins in which using the FixedDrivesEncryptionType or SystemDrivesEncryptionType policy settings in the BitLocker configuration service provider (CSP) node in MDM apps might incorrectly show a 65000 error in the “Require Device Encryption” setting for some devices in your environment. To mitigate the issue in Microsoft Intune, you can set the “Enforce drive encryption type on operating system drives” or “Enforce drive encryption on fixed drives” policies to not configured.

(Get more info about KB5032190.)

KB5031455 (OS Builds 22621.2506 and 22631.2506) Preview

Release date: Oct. 31, 2023

This update introduces a preview of the Copilot for Windows AI assistant and File Explorer with a new interface that includes new files displayed as a carousel, and that recognizes local and cloud folders. It also includes minor interface changes to many parts of the operating system, including taskbar, system tray, security notifications, and more.

There is one known issue, which applies to IT admins: using the FixedDrivesEncryptionType or SystemDrivesEncryptionType policy settings in the BitLocker configuration service provider (CSP) node in mobile device management (MDM) apps might incorrectly show a 65000 error in the “Require Device Encryption” setting for some devices in your environment.

(Get more info about KB5031455 Preview.)

KB5031455 (OS Build 22621.2506) Preview

Release date: Oct. 26, 2023

This build introduces a preview of the Copilot for Windows AI assistant and a File Explorer with a new interface that includes new files displayed as a carousel, and that recognizes local and cloud folders. It also introduces the Windows Backup app that can be used to quickly get your current PC backed up and ready to move to a new PC.

There is one known issue in this build that applies to IT admins: using the FixedDrivesEncryptionType or SystemDrivesEncryptionType policy settings in the BitLocker configuration service provider (CSP) node in mobile device management (MDM) apps might incorrectly show a 65000 error in the “Require Device Encryption” setting for some devices in your environment.

(Get more info about KB5031455 Preview.)

KB5031354 (OS Build 22621.2428)

Release date: October 10, 2023

This build includes a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and October 2023 Security Updates.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about KB5031354.)

KB5030310 (OS Build 22621.2361) Preview

Release date: September 26, 2023

This update adds websites to the Recommended section of the Start menu. These websites come from your browsing history. You can remove any website URL from the Recommended section using the shortcut menu. To turn off the feature, go to Settings > Personalization > Start.

It also fixes a variety of bugs, including one in which the search box tooltip did not appear in the correct position, and another in which the search button disappeared when you interacted with the search flyout box.

In addition, if you want to use a variety of new features, such as the AI-driven Copilot for Windows and improvements to File Manager, Paint, and other apps, go to Settings > Windows Update, toggle on “Get the latest updates as soon as they’re available,” and then restart your PC. For more details, see Microsoft’s blog post.

(Get more info about KB5030310 Preview.)

KB5030219 (OS Build 22621.2283)

Release date: September 12, 2023

This build removes a blank menu item from the Sticky Keys menu and includes a variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and September 2023 Security Updates.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about KB5030219.)

The launch of a major Windows 10 update isn’t the end of a process — it’s really just the beginning. As soon as one of Microsoft’s feature updates (such as Windows 10 version 22H2) is released, the company quickly gets to work on improving it by fixing bugs, releasing security patches, and occasionally adding new features.

In this story we summarize what you need to know about each update released to the public for the most recent versions of Windows 10 — versions 22H2 and 21H2. (Microsoft releases updates for those two versions together.) For each build, we’ve included the date of its initial release and a link to Microsoft’s announcement about it. The most recent updates appear first.

For details about how to install and manage Windows updates, see “How to handle Windows 10 and 11 updates.” If you’re looking for information about Insider Program previews for upcoming feature releases of Windows 10, see “Windows 10 Insider Previews: A guide to the builds.”

Updates to Windows 10 versions 21H2 and 22H2 KB5053606 (OS Builds 19044.5608 and 19045.5608)

Release date: March 11, 2025

The update has a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and March 2025 Security Updates.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

There are two known issues in this build, including one in which devices that have certain Citrix components installed might be unable to complete installation of the January 2025 Windows security update.

(Get more info about KB5053606.)

KB5052077 (OS Build 19045.5555) Preview

Release date: February 25, 2025

This build fixes several bugs, including one in which the OpenSSH (Open Secure Shell) service failed to start, preventing SSH connections.

There are two known issues in this build, including one in which certain Citrix components installed might be unable to complete installation of the January 2025 Windows security update. This issue was observed on devices with Citrix Session Recording Agent (SRA) version 2411.

(Get more info about KB5052077 Preview.)

KB5051974 (OS Builds 19044.5487 and 19045.5487)

Release date: February 11, 2025

The update has a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and February 2025 Security Updates.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

There are three known issues in this build, including one in which devices that have certain Citrix components installed might be unable to complete installation of the January 2025 Windows security update.

(Get more info about KB5051974.)

KB5050081 (OS Build 19045.5440) Preview

Release date: January 28, 2025

This build includes the new version of the Outlook app. IT admins can learn how to manage the new version at the Microsoft Learn page “Control the installation and use of new Outlook.”

The build also fixes a variety of bugs, including one in which the Capture Service and Snipping Tool stopped responding when you pressed Windows logo key + Shift + S several times while Narrator was on.

There are two known issues in this build, including one in which the OpenSSH (Open Secure Shell) service fails to start, preventing SSH connections. In the other one, PCs that have certain Citrix components installed might be unable to complete installation of the January 2025 Windows security update.

(Get more info about KB5050081 Preview.)

KB5049981 (OS Builds 19044.5371 and 19045.5371)

Release date: January 14, 2025

The update has a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and January 2025 Security Updates.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

There are two known issues in this build, including one in which devices that have certain Citrix components installed might be unable to complete installation of the January 2025 Windows security update.

(Get more info about KB5049981.)

KB5048652 (OS Builds 19044.5247 and 19045.5247)

Release date: December 10, 2024

The update has a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and December 2024 Security Updates.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about KB5048652.)

KB5046714 (OS Build 19045.5198) Preview

Release date: November 21, 2024

This build fixes a variety of bugs, including one in which Win32 shortcuts did not back up to the cloud. 

(Get more info about KB5046714 Preview.)

KB5046613 (OS Builds 19044.5131 and 19045.5131)

Release date: November 12, 2024

This update fixes a bug in which some games did not start or stopped responding after you installed KB5044384. This occurred because some games use a third-party DRM component that are not compatible with that update. This update makes changes to support those games while the game developers address the DRM issue.

The update also has a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and November 2024 Security Updates.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about KB5046613.)

KB5045594 (OS Build 19045.5073) Preview

Release date: October 22, 2024

This build starts the rollout of the new account manager on the Start menu that makes it easy to view your account and access account settings. To change to a different user, select the ellipsis (…) next to “Sign out.” Not everyone will see this change yet, because it’s rolling out gradually.

The build also fixes a variety of bugs, including one in which a vmswitch triggers a stop error. This occurs when you use Load Balancing and Failover (LBFO) teaming with two virtual switches on a virtual machine (VM). In this case, one virtual switch uses single root Input/Output virtualization (SR-IOV).

(Get more info about KB5045594 Preview.)

KB5044273 (OS Builds 19044.5011 and 19045.5011)

Release date: October 8, 2024

This update has a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and October 2024 Security Updates.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about KB5044273.)

KB5043131 (OS Build 19045.4957) Preview

Release date: September 24, 2024

This build fixes several bugs, including one in which playback of some media might have stopped when you use certain surround sound technology, and another in which Windows server stopped responding when you used apps like File Explorer and the taskbar.

There is one known issue in this update, in which you might be unable to change your user account profile picture.

(Get more info about Windows 10 22H2 KB5043131 Preview).

KB5043064 (OS Builds 19044.4894 and 19045.4894)

Release date: September 10, 2024

This update has a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and September 2024 Security Updates.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about KB5043064.)

KB5041582 (OS Build 19045.4842) Preview

Release date: August 29, 2024

This build fixes several bugs, including one in which when a combo box had input focus, a memory leak could occur when you closed that window.

There is one known issue in this update, in which you might be unable to change your user account profile picture.

(Get more info about KB5041582 Preview.)

KB5041580 (OS Builds 19044.4780 and 19045.4780)

Release date: August 13, 2024

This release has a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and August 2024 Security Updates.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about KB5041580.)

KB5040525 (OS Build 19045.4717) Preview

Release date: July 23, 2024

This build fixes a variety of bugs, including one in which the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) send code caused systems to stop responding during routine tasks, such as file transfers. This issue led to an extended send loop.

There is one known issue in this update, in which you might be unable to change your user account profile picture.

(Get more info about KB5040525 Preview.)

KB5040427 (OS Builds 19044.4651 and 19045.4651)

Release date: July 9, 2024

This update has a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and July 2024 Security Updates.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

There are two known issues in this build, including one in which you might be unable to change your user account profile picture.

(Get more info about KB5040427.)

Windows 10 2022 Update (version 22H2)

Release date: October 18, 2022

The Windows 10 2022 Update is, in Microsoft’s words, “a scoped release focused on quality improvements to the overall Windows experience in existing feature areas such as quality, productivity and security.” In other words, there’s not much new here, although Computerworld blogger Susan Bradley did uncover a handful of new group policies in the release.

Home and Pro editions of the 2022 Update will receive 18 months of servicing, and Enterprise and Education editions will have 30 months of servicing.

To install the update, go to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update and select Check for updates. If the update appears, select Download to install it.

(Get more info about the Windows 10 2022 Update.)

Windows 10 November 2021 Update (version 21H2)

Release date: November 16, 2021

Version 21H2, called the Windows 10 November 2021 Update, is the second feature update to Windows 10 released in 2021. Here’s a quick summary of what’s new:

• Wi-Fi security has been enhanced with WPA3 H2E standards support.
• GPU compute support has been added in the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) and Azure IoT Edge for Linux on Windows (EFLOW) deployments for machine learning and other compute-intensive workflows.

There are also a number of features designed for IT and business:

• Windows Hello for Business has a new deployment method called cloud trust that simplifies passwordless deployments.
• For increased security, there have been changes to the Universal Windows Platform (UWP) VPN APIs, which includes the ability to implement common web-based authentication schemes and to reuse existing protocols.
• Apps can now be provisioned from Azure Virtual Desktop. This allows those apps to run just like local apps, including the ability to copy and paste between remote and local apps.
• The release closes the gap between Group Policy and mobile device management (MDM) settings. The device configuration settings catalog has been updated to list more than 1,400 settings previously not available for configuration via MDM. The new MDM policies include administrative template (ADMX) policies, such as App Compat, Event Forwarding, Servicing, and Task Scheduler.
• An upgrade to Windows 10 Enterprise includes Universal Print, which now supports print jobs of up to 1GB or a series of print jobs from an individual user that add up to 1GB within any 15-minute period.
• Universal Print integrates with OneDrive for web and Excel for web. This allows users of any browser or device connected to the internet to print documents hosted in OneDrive for web to a printer in their organization without installing printer drivers on their devices.

Microsoft has also announced that starting with this release, Windows 10 will get feature updates only once a year.

Windows 10 May 2021 Update (version 21H1)

Release date: May 18, 2021

Version 21H1, called the Windows 10 May 2021 Update, is the most recent update to Windows 10. This is a relatively minor update, but it does have a few new features.

Here’s a quick summary of what’s new in 21H1:

• Windows Hello multicamera support: If you have an external Windows Hello camera for your PC, you can set the external camera as your default camera. (Windows Hello is used for signing into PCs.) Why should this change matter to you? If you have an external camera, you probably bought it because it’s superior to the built-in, internal one on your computer. So with this change, you’ll be able to use the more accurate camera for logging into your PC.
• Improved Windows Defender Application Guard performance: Windows Defender Application Guard lets administrators configure applications to run in an isolated, virtualized container for improved security. With this change, documents will open more quickly. It can currently take up to a minute to open an Office document in it.
• Better Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) Group Policy Service support: Microsoft has made it easier for administrators to change settings to support remote work.

Windows 10 October 2020 Update (version 20H2)

Release date: October 20, 2020

Version 20H2, called the Windows 10 October 2020 Update, is the most recent update to Windows 10. This is a relatively minor update but does have a few new features.

Here’s a quick summary of what’s new in 20H2:

• The new Chromium-based version of the Microsoft Edge browser is now built directly into Windows 10.
• The System page of Control Panel has been removed. Those settings have been moved to the Settings app.
• The Start menu’s tiled background will match your choice of Windows themes. So the tiled background will be light if you’re using the Windows 10 light theme and dark if you’re using the Windows 10 dark theme.
• When you use Alt-Tab, Edge will now display each tab in your browser in a different Alt-Tab window. Previously, when you used Alt-Tab, Edge would get only a single window. You can change this new behavior by going to Settings > System > Multitasking.
• When you pin a site to the taskbar in Edge, you can click or mouse over its icon to see all your browser tabs that are open for that website.
• When you detach a keyboard on a 2-in-1 device, the device will automatically switch to the tablet-based interface. Previously, you were asked whether you wanted to switch. You can change that setting by going to Settings > System > Tablet.
• The Your Phone app gets a variety of new features for some Samsung devices. When using one of the devices, you can interact with the Android apps on your phone from the Your Phone app on Windows 10.

What IT needs to know: Windows 10 version 20H2 also has a variety of small changes of note for sysadmins and those in IT.

• IT professionals who administer multiple mobile devices get a new Modern Device Management (MDM) “Local Users and Groups” settings policy that mirrors options available for devices that are managed through Group Policy.
• Windows Autopilot, used to set up and configure devices in enterprises, has gained a variety of small enhancement, including better deployment of HoloLens devices, the addition of co-management policies, enhancements to Autopilot deployment reporting, and the ability to reuse Configuration Manager task sequences to configure devices.
• Microsoft Defender Application Guard now supports Office. This allows untrusted Office documents from outside an enterprise to launch in an isolated container to stop potentially malicious content from compromising computers or exploiting personal information found on them.
• Latest Cumulative Updates (LCUs) and Servicing Stack Updates (SSUs) have been combined into a single cumulative monthly update, available via Microsoft Catalog or Windows Server Update Services.
• Biometric sign-on has been made more secure. Windows Hello now has support for virtualization-based security for certain fingerprint and face sensors, which protects, isolates, and secures a user’s biometric authentication data.

For more details, see Microsoft’s “What’s new for IT pros in Windows 10, version 20H2.”

Windows 10 May 2020 Update (version 2004)

Release date: May 27, 2020

Version 2004, called the Windows 10 May 2020 Update, is the most recent update to Windows 10. This is a relatively minor update but does have a variety of new features for both users and system administrators. For more details, see: “Review: Windows 10 May 2020 Update delivers little tweaks that add up to… well, not a lot.”

Here’s a quick summary of what’s new in 2004:

• Cortana now runs as a standalone app in a resizable window. It also loses a variety of capabilities, such as playing music, controlling home devices, and working on the lock screen.
• Task Manager now displays new information, including the temperature of your GPU and your disk type.
• Settings gets many small tweaks, including adding a header with account information, and a redone network status page that combines information that used to be found on multiple pages, such as your IP address, current connection properties and data usage.
• The Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) gets more features. It now uses a real Linux kernel, and is faster than previously.
• IT can now take advantage of Windows Hello biometrics logins rather than passwords, by setting that up as the default on enterprise devices.
• Installing and setting up Windows for others has been made easier thanks to new controls added to Dynamic Update, which can lead to less downtime during installation for users.
• A variety of new commands have been given to PowerShell for Delivery Optimization, a Windows networking service that reduces bandwidth consumption by sharing the work of downloading update and upgrade packages among multiple devices in business deployments.
• The security of the Chromium version of Edge has been improved, thanks to porting Application Guard to it.

Windows 10 November 2019 Update (version 1909)

Release date: Nov. 12, 2019

Version 1909, called the Windows 10 November 2019 Update, is the most recent update to Windows 10. There are very few new features in this update, making it more like a service pack of old than a feature update. At this point it’s not clear whether in the future there will be one full-featured update and one service-pack-like update per year or whether Microsoft will go back to its two-feature-updates-a-year schedule. For more details, see “What we know so far about the unusual Windows 10 1909” and “5 unanswered questions about Windows 10 1909.”

Here’s a quick summary of what’s new for users in 1909.

• It lets you create calendar events straight from the taskbar. To do it, click the time on the taskbar and you’ll open the Calendar view. Now click a date and time, then type the event’s name into the text box. You’ll also be able to choose the date, time and location.
• When you type a search into the search box, it will now search through files in your OneDrive account as well as on your PC. Also, as you type, a drop-down menu with suggested files appears. Click a file to open it.
• Voice assistants in addition to Cortana, including Amazon’s Alexa, will be able to run on Windows 10’s lock screen.
• Under-the-hood improvements should speed up the performance of some PCs, as well as increase the battery life in some laptops.
• The Start Menu has gotten minor tweaks. When you hover over items in the navigation pane on the left side of the menu, the items clearly show what you’re about to click.

What IT needs to know: The following features in 1909 are of note for IT staff.

• Windows containers no longer need to have their host and container versions match. That requirement restricted Windows from supporting mixed-version container pod scenarios. Previously, containers from older versions of Windows 10 couldn’t be run on newer versions of Windows 10. In this update, it’s possible, so that a container made using 1903, for example, can be run on 1909.
• Windows Defender Credential Guard, which protects enterprise users’ logins and credentials against theft, is now available for ARM64 devices. Some Windows 10 convertible PCs use ARM64.
• Enterprises can now use Microsoft’s Intune enterprise mobility management (EMM) service to allow devices running Windows 10 in S mode to install and run Win32 (desktop) apps. Before this, S Mode only allowed devices to run apps from the Microsoft Store. Microsoft Store apps don’t run on the desktop.
• The security of BitLocker encryption has been improved. Whenever BitLocker is used to encrypt a device, a recovery key is created, but before this security improvement, it was possible for an unauthorized user to get access to the recovery key and decrypt the device. Now, PCs have additional security if a key is exposed. Here’s how Microsoft explains the change: “Key-rolling or Key-rotation feature enables secure rolling of Recovery passwords on MDM managed AAD devices upon on demand request from Microsoft Intune/MDM tools or upon every time recovery password is used to unlock the BitLocker protected drive.”

There are two known issues in this update: one in which some users cannot set Win32 program defaults for certain app and file type combinations using the Open with… command or Settings > Apps > Default apps, and another in which Microsoft Notepad and other Win32 programs cannot be set as default applications.

(Get more info about KB4464455.)

Windows 10 October 2018 Update (version 1809)

Release date: October 2, 2018; paused October 5; re-released November 13, 2018

Version 1809, called the Windows 10 October 2018 Update, is the feature update that preceded the May 2019 Update. Here’s a quick summary of what’s new for users in it. (For more details, see our full review.)

• A new, powered-up Windows Clipboard can hold multiple clips, store clips permanently, let you preview clips and choose which one you’d like to paste into a document, and share clips across Windows 10 devices.
• A new screenshot and annotation tool called Snip & Sketch lets you capture and annotate the entire screen, a rectangular portion of the screen or a freehand-drawn portion of it. After you take a screen capture, you can annotate it and then save it to a file, copy it to the Clipboard, open it in another program or share it via email, social media and other methods.
• Storage Sense, which helps save storage space, now works with OneDrive Files On-Demand to clean out files you’ve downloaded from OneDrive cloud storage to your PC but that you don’t use any longer. You can choose how long you would like the cloud files to stay on your PC unused before you want them deleted, from never to 60 days.
• The Microsoft Edge browser lets you set autoplay permissions for sound and video on websites on a site-by-site basis. It also lets you look up word definitions in its built-in eReader for books and PDFs, and mark up PDFs and books using a highlighter and by adding notes.
• The new Your Phone app links Windows 10 devices to iOS and Android phones. It allows you to start web browsing on an iOS or Android device and then continue where you left off on your PC. It also lets you view photos on your Android phone from your Windows 10 PC.
• Search Previews have been powered up slightly. You no longer need to click to display the preview panel; it opens automatically. It also now shows files found on your PC.
• Smaller changes include a new dark theme for File Explorer; the addition of the SwiftKey swipe keyboard, which lets you enter text by swiping a finger across an onscreen keyboard; updates that are less intrusive; and faster sign-ins on shared PCs.

What IT needs to know: There are few significant changes that affect IT in the Windows 10 October 2018 Update, other than New Microsoft Edge Group Policies that let admins enable and disable full-screen mode, printing, the favorites bar, and browser history saves. IT can also allow or ban Edge extensions (not that there are many available) and configure the Home button and new tab page and startup options.

Windows 10 April 2018 Update (version 1803)

Release date: April 30, 2018

Version 1803, called the Windows 10 April 2018 Update, is the major update to Windows 10 that preceded the October 2018 Update. Here’s a quick summary of what’s new for users in it. (For more details, see our full review.)

• The most important new feature is Timeline, which lets you review and resume activities and open files you’ve started on your PC, or any other Windows PCs you have. It also tracks what you’ve done on iOS and Android devices if you install Microsoft’s digital assistant Cortana on them and are logged in. It shows a list of activities day by day for up to 30 days. Each activity shows up as a large tile, with the file name and document title or URL and website name across it, and the name of the application or app that created it across the top. Click any activity to reopen it. (Note that at present, Timeline only tracks activities in certain Microsoft programs such as the Edge browser and Office applications.)
• The new Diagnostic Data Viewer is supported, which Microsoft is designed to let you see the “diagnostic data collected from your Windows devices, how it is used, and to provide you with increased control over that data.” However, the information is presented in such a complex, technical way that even programmers will likely have a difficult time understanding it. The viewer isn’t built directly into the Windows 10 April 2018 Update. Instead, you have to download it from the Microsoft Store.
• The My People feature now lets you pin up to 10 contacts on the Windows taskbar. Previously, you could only pin up to three.
• Microsoft Edge gets several minor tweaks, including a revamped Hub, the ability to mute auto-playing audio in tabs, and a forms-filler for web-based forms.
• The Notebook feature of Cortana gets a new, cleaner interface for its Notebook. It now has two tabs, Organizer and Manage Skills. The Organizer makes it easier to create lists and set reminders. The Manage Skills tab lets you add “skills” to Cortana, such as controlling your home and its appliances, connecting Cortana to music services such as Spotify, tracking your fitness and more.
• You get more control over app permissions, such as whether they can access your camera, location and contacts.

What IT needs to know: IT staff should be aware of these features that are new in the Windows 10 April 2018 Update:

• Windows 10 Professional now gets the Windows Defender Application Guard, which protects Microsoft Edge. There’s also a new feature in the application guard that lets users download files inside Edge instead of directly to the operating system, as a way to increase security.
• There are new policies for Group Policy and Mobile Device Management (MDM) that can better control how Delivery Optimization is used for Windows Update and Windows Store app updates. You can also now monitor Delivery Optimization using Windows Analytics.
• Windows AutoPilot also gets a tweak that lets IT make sure policies, settings and apps are provisioned on devices before users begin using them.
• Windows gets the Linux curl and tar utilities for downloading files and extracting .tar archives built directly into Windows. Windows also now natively supports Unix sockets (AF_UNIX) with a new afunix.sys kernel driver. That will make it easier to port software to Windows from Linux as well as from other Unix-like operating systems.
• There are a host of improvements to the Windows Subsystem for Linux, which lets you run a variety of Linux distributions on Windows 10. Linux applications can run in the background, some launch settings for Linux distributions can be customized, and Linux applications have been given access to serial devices. The new Unix sockets report is available for the Windows Subsystem for Linux as well as Windows itself.
• The Windows 10 Pro for Workstations version of Windows 10 gets a new power scheme called Ultimate Performance it’s only for desktop PCs, not those that can be powered by batteries. In addition, Windows 10 Pro for Workstations no longer ships with games like Candy Crush or other similar consumer-focused apps. Instead, it features enterprise- and business-related apps.
• Administrators have been given the power to configure an enterprise’s PCs to run custom scripts during feature updates, which will make configuration and deployment easier.

For  more details, see the Microsoft blog post “Making IT simpler with a modern workplace.”

Windows 10 Fall Creators Update (version 1709)

Release date: October 17, 2017

Version 1709, called the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update, is the major update to Windows 10 that preceded the April 2018 Update. Here’s a quick summary of what’s new for users in it. (For more details, see our full review.)

• OneDrive gets a new feature called Files On-Demand that gives you access to all of your OneDrive files on every device, without having to download them first. You’ll be able to see all the files you have in OneDrive, even if they’re only in the cloud and not on your PC. Icons tell you which are local and which are in the cloud. Just open the file, and if it’s not on your PC, it gets downloaded.
• The new My People feature lets you pin three contacts to the Windows taskbar and then communicate with them instantly without having to open a separate app such as Skype or Mail. You can also click to see a list of all communications between them and you at a glance.
• You can now send web links from your iOS or Android device to your PC and have them open in Microsoft Edge.
• Cortana gets several new features, including displaying results in a scrollable flyout panel, so you don’t have to launch a web browser.
• Microsoft Edge gets some minor improvements, including better Favorites handling and the ability to mark up PDFs and e-books.
• Security has been beefed up, including the addition of Windows Defender Exploit Guard, which includes intrusion rules and policies to protect against a variety of threats, notably zero-day exploits. A new anti-ransomware feature called Controlled Folder Access has also been added; it lets only approved apps have access to Windows system files and folders.
• New privacy features include the ability to review the kinds of devices and services apps from the Microsoft Store want access to before you download them.
• The update incorporates Microsoft’s new design system and guidelines, called Fluent Design. Overall, transitions are smoother, and there are subtle changes to the transparency effect.

What IT needs to know: IT staff should be aware of these features that are new in the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update:

• The notoriously insecure SMBv1 networking protocol, exploited in recent ransomware attacks including WannaCry and Petya, won’t be included on clean installs of the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update, but SMBv1 components will remain if you do in-place upgrades on PCs that already have the component installed.
• Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection (ATP), a suite of tools introduced in Windows 10 that helps enterprise customers protect their users and networks against threats and respond to attacks, is being beefed up. Among other things, it will run on the Windows Server OS.
• ATP is also part of Windows Defender Application Guard for Microsoft Edge, available only for Windows 10 Enterprise Edition. It protects against malware attacks by confining visits to unknown or untrusted websites to a virtual machine, so that attacks can’t spread to a PC or the network.
• Windows AutoPilot, which improves self-service deployments of Windows 10 PCs, gets a variety of tweaks, including better mobile device management (MDM) services.
• Windows Analytics’ new Device Health tool gathers information on how PCs perform in an enterprise, and based on that, identifies potential issues and outlines steps to resolve them.
• Enterprises get more control over what kind of information Windows Analytics gathers for the IT staff. In order to improve users’ privacy, IT staff can limit the information collected by Windows Analytics to only diagnostic data.

For more details about new features for IT, see “What’s new in Windows 10, version 1709 IT Pro content,”  “Announcing end-to-end security features in Windows 10” and “Delivering the Modern IT promise with Windows 10” from Microsoft.

Windows 10 Creators Update (version 1703)

Release date: April 5, 2017

Version 1703, dubbed the Creators Update, is the major update to Windows 10 that preceded the Fall Creators Update. Here’s a quick summary of what’s new for users in the Creators Update. (For more details, see our full review.)

• It helps you better organize the Start menu by letting you put multiple tiles for apps into a single folder — for example, you can group all social media apps into one folder.
• Users are given a bit more control over the update process: They can delay an update for three days and keep delaying it in three-day increments, or choose specific times for updates to install.
• The Edge browser has gotten some improvements, including having Flash disabled by default for security reasons and supporting the ePub and PDF formats for reading books and other content.
• Microsoft added some 3D and virtual reality features, including running HoloLens virtual reality and mixed reality apps for the first time, and introducing a Paint 3D app for creating 3D objects.
• System settings that previously were in multiple locations have been consolidated into the Settings app.
• There’s a new all-in-one security dashboard called Windows Defender Security Center that consolidates many security and computer health settings and information.
• New gaming features include streaming gaming sessions over the internet; a Game Mode to improve gaming performance; and a Game bar to let you record your gameplay, take screenshots and perform games-related tasks.
• The Cortana personal assistant gets a few modest additions, including scheduling monthly reminders and helping you set up devices.

What IT needs to know: IT staff should be aware of these features that are new in the Windows 10 Creators Update:

• Security has been improved in a number of ways, including adding new features and insights into Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) to better investigate and respond to network threats. Among the new features are sensors in memory, better intelligence and improved remediation capabilities.
• Several new configuration service providers (CSPs) available in the Creators Update let administrators manage Windows 10 devices through Mobile Device Management (MDM) or provisioning packages. The DynamicManagement CSP, for instance, can enable or disable certain device features depending on location, network presence or time.
• New mobile application management capabilities can protect data on personal mobile devices without requiring each device to be part of the corporate MDM.
• The Windows Configuration Designer (previously called Windows Imaging and Configuration Designer) includes new wizards to make it easier to create provisioning packages, including for desktop devices, Windows mobile devices, Surface Hub devices, HoloLens devices and kiosk devices.
• Enterprise security administrators get a more comprehensive documentation library for Windows Defender Antivirus.
• If an enterprise-wide update policy hasn’t been configured, users with Windows Pro, Windows Enterprise or Windows Education editions have much more control over how Windows updates. With the Creators Update, users can now automatically delay cumulative monthly updates for up to 30 days, and can delay feature updates by up to 365 days.

For more details about new features for IT, see the Microsoft blog posts “Windows 10 Creators Update advances security and best-in-class modern IT tools” and “What’s new in Windows 10, version 1703 IT pro content.”

Companies creating generative AI (genAI) tools that can clone voices are not doing enough to prevent scammers from using them to defraud customers, according to a study from Consumer Reports.

The study found that four of six companies providing the services didn’t construct enough barriers to prevent individuals’ voices from being fraudulently cloned.

Consumer Reports tested voice cloning tools and found that four companies — ElevenLabs, Speechify, PlayHT, and Lovo — didn’t provide any way to ensure the user had a speaker’s consent to clone their voice. The software also placed no technical guardrails to prevent voice cloning.

The publication was able to easily create voice clones using publicly available audio with tools from the four companies. It only required marking a check box that the user had the legal right to create a voice clone.

Two companies, Descript and Resemble AI, had more safeguards in place by limiting uploads of pre-recorded audio. 

Descript required a user to read the consent statement, which was used as a basis to create the voice clone. Resemble AI required a person to do a voice recording in real time to create a high-quality clone; attempts to create a clone based on pre-recorded audio were of poor quality.

Still, the testers were able to bypass those safeguards, prompting the magazine to call for tighter standards. “We argue that the nascent voice-cloning industry should adopt norms and standards to mitigate the risk of fraud,” Consumer Reports said.

GenAI tools have made voice-cloning a possibility, and it is increasingly being used for fraud.

Scammers use the tools as a form of social engineering to cheat victims out of money or to spread misinformation. In many cases, they create realistic audio of a close relative or friend in trouble and deceive callers to fraudulently send money or to divulge sensitive information.

The technology is also being used to access bank accounts by bypassing voice identity verification. The FBI issued an alert in December about video- and voice-cloning schemes being used for financial fraud.

One UK-based bank, Starling, is recommending customers use phrases to verify the person on the line isn’t a clone. The bank also recommends that users protect their voice by limiting social media access.

Productivity tools from Synthesia and D-ID that create digital avatars from voice and video cloning are being used in enterprises for marketing and presentations. The tools can create realistic videos that combine the video and voice clones of individuals, which saves on the cost of hiring production teams.

Synthesia has an ethics and AI policy to prevent abuse. It prevents non-consensual cloning by putting biometric-based checks in place to ensure the person initiating the cloning request is the same as the person in the footage, said Alexandru Voica, a Synthesia spokesman.

The company also applies robust content moderation at the point of creation, before a video is generated, based on publicly available policies to prevent the creation of harmful content. 

“We work with independent red teaming organizations to ensure our approach is as robust as possible,” Voica said.

One of the hottest trends right now involves work on reasoning AI models — tools that can more or less arrive at the right conclusion on their own. (The best-known reasoning models at the moment are the Chinese Deepseek-R1, as well as o1 and o3-mini from OpenAI.

However, credible reports suggest Microsoft has decided to seriously challenge Deepseek and OpenAI by developing its own set of reasoning AI models called Microsoft AI (MAI).

If successful, Microsoft would eventually not have to use its partner OpenAI’s o1 models in Copilot, Bloomberg reports.

Exactly when MAI might be released to the public is unclear at the moment, though experts expect a launch later this year.

Following widespread speculation about ongoing problems, Apple has announced that one of the key features of Apple Intelligence will be delayed — perhaps until 2026. The delay could harm Apple’s brand during a critical time for the tech industry. It remains unclear whether the company will be able to successfully manage its way through these choppy waters.

What Apple said

Apple initially promised it would introduce contextual intelligence in Apple intelligence about now. But Apple spokesperson Jacqueline Roy recently told Daring Fireball:

“Siri helps our users find what they need and get things done quickly, and in just the past six months, we’ve made Siri more conversational, introduced new features like type to Siri and product knowledge, and added an integration with ChatGPT. We’ve also been working on a more personalized Siri, giving it more awareness of your personal context, as well as the ability to act for you within and across your apps. It’s going to take us longer than we thought to deliver on these features, and we anticipate rolling them out in the coming year.”

The coming year could mean quite a lot here, including pushing the rollout back into 2026.

When it didn’t make the grade

Apple Intelligence currently combines two systems: an older one based on machine intelligence and pattern matching and a new system based on a large language model (LLM). The new system can handle changes in your questions in Siri, for example, but the existence of two forms of AI on the device makes successful deployment more complex.

Apple had originally planned to introduce these new tools with iOS 18.4, but this was delayed into May. It now seems those efforts have fallen short, despite efforts from Apple’s top developers who were airlifted in to bail things out.

Failure was sealed when Craig Federighi, Apple senior vice president of software engineering, slammed the brakes on public introduction of the tools because the features just weren’t up to speed. Results are inconsistent and fail to meet the promises Apple has made. This is reminiscent of previous failures.

From A to B and back again

Way back when Apple introduced Apple Maps, it did so with a blaze of glory. But the system quickly failed to live up to the hype. A variety of issues plagued the nascent Apple service, critics went crazy and top software leader Scott Forstall lost his job. Apple Maps quickly became a joke, with Apple fans and critics alike choosing alternative services. They didn’t see Maps as a serious option, a view that took years of development and millions of dollars to break. Apple today arguably offers the best mapping service in the world.

The sin Apple committed with Apple Maps was to promise more than it could actually deliver. Once the service hit the market, its weaknesses were quickly identified, leading to the reputational hit that took years to recover from. 

Apple’s existing AI assistant, Siri, has a similar reputation — this time, by starting as something fantastic and quickly becoming something of a joke when compared to competing services. Apple Intelligence was meant to change that, but the latest delay threatens to make it worse, cementing in public opinion the idea that Apple doesn’t know how to do AI at the very worst moment in industry evolution.

An unforced error?

We know that Apple recognizes the importance of AI. That’s why the company has been promoting Apple Intelligence so urgently in nearly all its hardware advertising. (That includes the ads the company pulled over the weekend promoting the now delayed contextual intelligence in Siri.) Hoping that the future would seem better tomorrow, Apple bet its marketing push on services it hadn’t yet made.

Apple’s hype machine sang out the coming benefits of Apple Intelligence loudly. While the choir sang, teams inside the company made progress on preparing the company’s ecosystem for the new AI features. That included introducing entry-level products equipped with enough memory to run the promised new AI features. Outside Apple, the company was energetically promoting the new features among customers and developers and maintaining belief in the company trajectory among its customers and advocates. 

You could argue that every root and branch of the company was focused on setting the scene for this new super smart Siri, the introduction of which was intended to be the point in time at which the company absolutely nailed AI.

After months (and years) of steady planning and execution, this was to be the flourish, the time when others sharing the tech chess board moved their kings aside.

That’s was the plan, at least.

Grabbing the wrong puck

While you can argue it’s good Apple didn’t introduce a flawed product, it will be judged as if it did so. Because the company chose to focus so much energy promoting Apple Intelligence on the basis of a set of features it has not been able to deliver in time.

In promoting this vaporware, Apple created expectations it couldn’t meet. That’s always bad business, but on a product as strategically important as AI it could pose an existential challenge. Overcoming that challenge is going to take all the time-tested approaches we’ve seen Apple use before when it gets things wrong: High-level changes, public apology, interviews, and possibly a resignation or two before the company gets it right.

Meanwhile, as a result of the blunder, Apple will need to squander its energy battling the idea that Apple Intelligence isn’t smart enough. That’s a perception directly fed by all the AI-focused marketing over the last year or so. (There’s a reason Steve Jobs said the real artists are the people who ship).

This is a big problem for Apple and it knows it.

I fear heads will roll, and in the context of the many other challenges the company faces, this weakest link erodes the capacity of the team. And Siri still doesn’t have a clue.

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In his address to Congress last week, US President Donald J. Trump renewed his criticism of the CHIPS Act, the initiative aimed at reshoring the semiconductor industry, calling it “horrible.” He also called for any remaining funds to be returned to taxpayers.

Instead, Trump wants to use tariffs on foreign chipmakers to force companies to build new research and fabrication facilities on US shores.

This CHIPS Act, however, relies on tax breaks and grants to incentivize TSMC, Intel, Micron, Texas Instruments, Samsung and others to expand or build new facilities around the country. Many of those projects are already well under way.

The legislation, passed in 2022 un then-President Joseph R. Biden Jr., also provided financial support to smaller semiconductor R&D companies, and highlighted the need to rebuild the industry to secure the US supply chain, reduce geopolitical risks, and maintain technological and military superiority.

Headquartered near the rusted skeletal remains of Bethlehem Steel Works in Pennsylvania, nine-year-old iDEAL Semiconductor is a fabless semiconductor company specializing in the development of energy-efficient chips. The company’s technology process involves engineering at the atomic level to deliver higher efficiency and voltage performance using standard silicon materials versus more expensive silicon carbide.

iDEAL Semiconductor CEO and Co-founder Mark Granahan, in this Q&A, explains his concerns about the potential dissolution of the CHIPS Act and the critical lack of worker talent needed to rebuild a US semiconductor workforce.

Mark Granahan

What happens if the CHIPS Act goes away? Does it really stop the expansion of semiconductor development and production in the United States. Or do you expect it will happen with or without it? “This is going to make it a little tougher. We spent a lot of time in 2018 and 2019 in DC, lobbying for and taking meetings with anybody who would take a meeting to discuss the criticality of semiconductors and the fact that all the advanced semiconductors were being done in one fab on one island, 60 miles away from China.

“And so we personally felt, and continue to feel, that the CHIPS Act has raised the stake on semiconductors overall. And the premier reason for the CHIPS Act was to de-risk the economic and defense impacts of these types of technologies being manufactured outside the US, companies like Apple and Broadcom, Nvidia, Qualcomm, and AMD. All of these companies use very advanced [semiconductor] nodes. And so, if anything were to happen [overseas], it would be nothing short of a crisis.

“The CHIPS Act, as envisioned, has certainly brought to light and made very visible to the whole country the criticality of semiconductors. And I think that’s been a good thing.

“The fact that TSMC and, I guess, Samsung are investing heavily now in the US (although not with the most advanced nodes), are a result of that. And so, the CHIPS Act has accomplished, or is on the way to accomplishing [an end to] this economic and defense-related risk the country faced.”

Other than wafer and chip manufacturing, what other processes are important and have been bolstered by the CHIPS Act? “While everybody talks about single nanometer technology and the most advanced [processor] nodes, all of that needs to be packaged and tested. And so they’re bringing that capability here.

“Having that capability for what is turning out to be heterogeneous packaging, chiplets and wafer types of packages is also super critical. The third piece of the pie, as far as we’re concerned, is innovation and a pipeline for future innovation — and raising the visibility of semiconductors, which has created more demand for semiconductor jobs, as well as for semiconductor talent.

“Since the CHIPS Act and all the publicity around semiconductors, we as a start-up company have gotten a lot of renewed interest out of kids that are looking for internships in the semiconductor space, as well as looking for roles in the semiconductor space.

“I haven’t seen enrollment data, but I wouldn’t be surprised if [the CHIPS Act] hasn’t actually increased the enrollment in some of the technology related fields, whether it be chemistry, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering and other semiconductor-related fields. We do see an improvement there.”

What more should the US government do to ensure a reshoring of the industry? “I think we need to do more as a nation, in terms of innovation. It’s unfortunate that we are in the position we are in due to the fact that Intel kind of dropped the ball over the last 10 to 15 years. We have lost the leadership position. So the question is, what can we do as a nation to recover from that? And I think, once again, the CHIPS Act could be helpful there. It certainly does bring more wafer fabrication into the country. I think that will naturally demand more highly educated technical individuals. From that, I would expect some, some level of innovation will happen.

“For instance, the engineers that are going to be running the TSMC facilities, my expectation is that some of those people are very innovative, novel people that are very bright. And from that there should come some level of innovation. The question then is, are we prepared as a nation to be able to support that? Do we have basically the venture capital that’s required to support these types of innovations that these individuals will hopefully be coming up with? And I think the answer there is, ‘not so much.’

“If you look at the number of new company formation in the technology space, and semiconductors in particular, in China that’s in the hundreds if not thousands on an annual basis. In the US, not so much. And so, we definitely need to think about that as the third leg of the CHIPS Act, and what the CHIPS Act really needs to accomplish, whether it be in its current form or some other form that that the current administration envisions.

“We need to put in place a culture … to support innovation such that we can regain our leadership position in technology.”

How did TSMC claim such a dominant roll, while Intel is struggling to regain its former lead? “I think you know people that are experts and that have grown up in the industry and have huge amounts of experience in whatever it is you’re doing. They are the individuals that should be running companies and manage a large industry workforce. I mean, that goes without saying.

“So, what went wrong? I think the wrong guy was running the company and making very poor decisions. And I think the board is accountable to that. And, I think certainly it’s not the talent within Intel. They’re incredibly talented people who do very good work, but they do need to be managed well and given good goals.

“I think it was great Intel brought [former CEO Pat] Gelsinger in, but I think it’s just a tragedy that they cut his legs out from under him. They took him out too quickly. It took Intel 15 years to break something. You’re not going to fix something like this in a short period of time. I mean, a lot of the equipment that you need to help turn this company around has procurement lead times that were two years. So, how can you legitimately expect somebody to do something in three years? I mean, it’s nonsensical.

What makes TSMC so successful? “I think they are single-minded in purpose. They wanted to be the leaders, and they were going to do everything possible to become the leaders. And they work day and night tirelessly to do it.

“Their equipment is no different than the equipment that Intel has. Their material sets are no different than the material sets that Intel has. And so, at the end of the day, they fundamentally have become more innovative and been able to turn innovation into something that’s manufacturable, whereas Intel has not. And I don’t think their people are any better.

“I think it boils down to that fundamental focus and commitment and leadership to deliver the best, and we somehow, we’ve got to reclaim that. I mean, that’s the bottom line…. If you look at companies like Texas Instruments and Analog Devices up in your neck of the woods [Massachusetts], for instance. These are great, mixed-signal types of companies that have huge investments in research and development and that have huge investments in in manufacturing infrastructure right here in the US. They’re doing very well and delivering the world’s best solutions in the space.

“Unfortunately, on the on the memory side of things, all that’s hot is about AI solutions. Samsung, in particular, has really taken the lead there. And TSMC with their nanometer node solutions clearly claimed the AI space.”

What’s changed since the CHIPS Act was passed in 2022? “For the last three quarters, North America has become the largest market for semiconductors. World Semiconductor Trade Statistics data shows the US is now the largest market for semiconductors, and that would be due to AI processors and high bandwidth memory for AI processing applications.

“So, it’s just amazing to me that after literally more than 20 years where Asia, specifically China, has been the leading destination for first for semiconductors, now America is.

Do you believe the financial incentives under the CHIPS Act will work better than Trump’s tariffs in bringing back semiconductor manufacturing and research? “I don’t believe the tariff thing will support the innovation.

“The CHIPS Act was actually envisioned under [Trump’s] administration. Early on, we were there [in Washington] as part of that process, trying to put forth some ideas in terms of what matching funds could provide and things along those lines. I think incentives around innovation and having the capital formation infrastructure that’s required [for new projects] is really important. So, I’m hoping the current administration, much like the last administration, will see the criticality of US technology.

“And so I’m hoping that they can put together incentive programs as a third leg of a CHIPS Act — a CHIPS Act 2.0, or  whatever you want to call it — in order to incentivize infrastructure capitalization, and also closing the critical [talent] gap by potentially drawing more focus on these advanced degrees, perhaps even underwriting some of the expense of these degrees if individuals are willing to go into those fields in exchange.”

In his address to Congress, Trump also mentioned immigration in terms of bringing more talent into this nation. Is that critical as well, and how would that be achieved? “From an immigration perspective, our nation needs the world’s best and brightest to enable us to achieve the innovation that is required to lead in this kind of space, as well as other technology spaces.

“So, I would hope that our immigration policies would recognize that and incentivize that. Quite frankly, we do need to open up more university seats for foreign-born nationals and then provide a fast track to a job here in the US. I can’t tell you how many people that we’ve talked to that have advanced degrees that are looking for jobs in the US, but they are forestalled due to the immigration system. And to me, that’s at odds with what the national objective should be, which is bringing in the best and brightest.”

Can you describe the talent gap in the semiconductor industry? “I don’t think it’s a single thing. It’s not just that there’s not enough electrical engineers, there’s not enough design engineers, there’s not enough layout engineers, there’s not enough technicians, there’s not enough process development engineers, there’s not enough process improvement engineers. It’s the sum total of all of those. There’s just not enough of them.

“And as you start to add infrastructure, as companies are doing now, like TSMC, Samsung and Intel are doing with new plants, you’re seeing the [talent gap] may now be stopping them or slowing them down. Texas Instruments has invested in three new 300 millimeter [fabs in Lehi, UT]. Filling those plants with the appropriate talent, whether it be for construction of the buildings or outfitting them with the equipment…maintaining it, and running it — all of those projects and tasks require a lot of very skilled and educated individuals. We need more of them.

“STEM is a field that requires more and more highly educated individuals as time goes on. I don’t think anyone can dispute that. We don’t have enough of them.”

Has the publicity around the CHIPS Act and reshoring the semiconductor industry increased interest in the industry and education for that? “Yes. Because of our need to focus on semiconductors, there’s going to be a lot more unfilled roles, which means there’s opportunity for advancement in those careers.

“But the other thing that people haven’t talked about is the fact that we have an aging semiconductor workforce in the United States, and that has to be replaced if we literally, want to lead and innovate. And so, not only is it true that we’re trying to expand, which requires more people, [but] that in turn creates great career opportunity. But there’s a bit of a vacuum above [entry-level roles] in terms of great leadership and management. That’s because we as a nation have exported an awful lot of that over the course of time.

“So, I think there’s kind of a double bang for your buck if you get into the into the semiconductor field, as far as opportunity goes. And I also think there’s are some sexy aspects to it. I mean, who’s the world’s richest man in the world right now? He’s someone in the technology space. And so we need to be able to point to more of those examples of people who are hugely successful, not as much for manipulating money, but simply for developing and innovating and bringing incredible new technology to the to the world.”

So, is the current semiconductor talent gap going to have a significant impact on all these reshoring initiatives, both the private ones and the federal ones, i.e., the CHIPS Act? “Absolutely. And I live it day-in and day-out, every day. I’m a startup company. I’m looking for talent, and its talent that I need up and down my organization, whether it be upper leadership, mid-level management, or individual contributors like technicians.

“Go and try to find an electronics technician today. They are really hard to find. And the good ones are even harder to find.

“So, at the end of the day, up and down my organization, there’s a lack of lack of availability of individuals, and that’s hampering my company. And, I’m just a startup company. You know, 100 people. Now go scale that out to 10,000 people [at a large chip maker]. It becomes rather, rather challenging.”

“Sluggish” might be the best word to describe the IT job market after the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) published its data for February employment today.

The data offered mixed signals for US tech jobs: even though the number of tech roles grew, unemployment rose. And while tech companies cut staff, nearly 490,000 job postings were made.

The unemployment rate continued to climb for the IT marketplace, to 3.3% in February from 2.9% in January. It was the second month in a row the unemployment rate grew, according to ComTIA, a non-profit trade association. The numbers represent a dramatic increase in tech unemployment compared with December’s 2.0% rate.

Janco Associates, which uses different metrics than CompTIA to determine tech unemployment, pegged February’s unemployment rate at a much higher 5.4% — though that number is still down from 5.7% in January.

Janco said the number of unemployed IT professionals dropped slightly in February to 148,000 from 152,000 in January.

“There continues to be uncertainty in the outlook for IT initiatives,” said Janco CEO Victor Janulaitis. “A preliminary impact of DOGE is being felt, as many contracts for IT professionals have been put on hold and government IT pros do not have a clear picture of what the future holds for them.”

DOGE stands for the unofficial “Department of Government Efficiency” put into place by President Donald J. Trump; it is being overseen by tech entrepreneur Elon Musk.

According to BLS data, the IT job market shrank by 9,100 positions in early 2025, Janulaitis said. Economic uncertainty, including stock market fluctuations and concerns over inflation, tariffs, tax cuts, and global conflicts, is responsible for the hiring slowdown, he said.

Kye Mitchell, head of tech recruiting firm Experis North America, agreed that tech demand so far this year is down 6%. “It remains challenging for those looking for new jobs, even as employers face talent shortages,” he said. “However, there is optimism that AI can be used to effectively upskill and reskill existing employees as hiring continues to stall and people hold on to the jobs they have, given economic uncertainties.”   

Employer hiring for those with AI skills continues to trend upward, according to a CompTIA analysis of Lightcast job posting data. Active job listings referencing AI skills in some capacity was up 116% in February compared to the same period last year, while hiring for dedicated AI job roles increased 79% during the same time frame, according to CompTIA.

February’s IT unemployment rate remained well below the national unemployment rate of 4.1%. The overall number of unemployed Americans, 7.1 million, changed little from January, and the overall national unemployment rate has remained in a narrow range of 4.0 percent  to 4.2 percent since May 2024, according to the BLS data.

Typically, January and February see increases in employment and a drop in unemployment.

The jobs report shows a market trying to balance itself amid falling consumer confidence and ongoing economic uncertaintyr\, according to Ger Doyle, US country manager for staffing firm ManpowerGroup. While the labor market remains resilient, job seekers face challenges, and signs of cooling indicate cautious employer behavior.

“This year, our real-time data shows that demand is down 6%,” Doyle said in a statement. “We’re also seeing month-over-month declines in areas tied to consumer confidence and goods production — particularly with retail managers, where demand has dropped 16% — and in wholesale and manufacturing, down 20%. These declines are noticeable and indicate that the pace of hiring has slowed.”

Employment by tech sector companies declined by a net 11,514 positions in February, with tech services and tech manufacturing accounting for most of the retreat. At the same time, tech employment across all industry sectors increased by an estimated 177,000 for February, according to CompTIA’s analysis.

“As expected, the report paints a mixed picture, as labor market data catches up to market developments,” said Tim Herbert, chief research officer at CompTIA. “Recent employer tech hiring and future hiring intent indicators remain steady, so [that offers] a degree of reassurance.”

The march toward skills-based hiring continued, as nearly one-half of all tech occupation job postings did not specify a four-year degree requirement for applicants, CompTIA said.

Some IT jobs had a far higher percentage of openings without four-year degree requirements. Those included: network support specialists (85%), tech support specialists (71%), computer programmers (57%), network systems administrators (54%) and web and UI/UX designers (53%).

According to BLS data, employment trended up in vertical markets such as healthcare, financial activities, transportation and warehousing, and social assistance. But US government employment declined, a result of President Donald J. Trump’s efforts to cull the federal workforce through firings and steps by DOGE to eliminate positions and even whole agencies.