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Microsoft will soon discontinue it in March 2025. However, for those who still want to use Android apps on Windows, there are many ways to do so other than WSA. You can download the Play Games Developer Emulator, use Phone Link to stream apps directly from your phone, or use WSABuilds project till WSA remains up and running.
How to Join the Windows Insider Program: Beta, Dev, Canary and Release Preview
Arjun Sha
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If you want to check out new and experimental Windows 11 features, you can consider joining the Windows Insider Program. You can switch to one of the four Insider channels: Release Preview, Beta, Dev, and Canary. Follow our guide to get started.
You can now install the Windows 11 24H2 update right away. Microsoft has rolled out the update to all eligible users in a phased manner. You can also download the Windows 11 24H2 ISO file and clean install the latest build. That said, much-touted AI features like Recall and Cocreator are not available on x64 PCs. These features are exclusive to Copilot+ PCs.
Split screen on Windows using the Snap windows feature could be incredibly useful for multitasking and enhancing your productivity. There are four ways to split screen on Windows — using snap layout, drag and drop, keyboard shortcuts, and using snap bar.
While Windows Security is more than enough on Windows 11, you might want to try other antivirus software for extra features. Some of the best free antivirus software on Windows 11 are Avast, AVG, Avira, and Bitdefender. They all can exist alongside Windows Security but be warned as most of them come with lots of bloatware baked in, which could slow down your PC.
PowerShell is used by power users and developers alike, and if you haven't updated it in a while, there are lots of ways to do it. Some of the best ways to update Windows PowerShell is using the Windows Store, downloading the installer, using the Winget utility, or updating Windows.
A Windows theme is a collection of images you can set to auto-change so you won't get bored seeing the same desktop wallpaper daily. The store has plenty of themes but not all of them are great. Hence, some of the best themes are Springtime Art, Architectural Structures, Rain in the City, and more mentioned in the article.
There's no shortage of screen recording or screenshot utilities on Windows 11. Windows features a couple of basic screen recording apps that can get the job done, but if you're looking for something advanced, there are third-party software that can do the trick. Some of them are OBS Studio and ShareX.
RSAT stands for Remote System Administrator Tools and it's a collection of tools used for remotely maintaining Windows server. There are two ways to install and uninstall RSAT on Windows 11. These methods involve going into the Settings or using the Windows PowerShell in Administrator mode.
Unzipping files on Windows is no rocket science and involves Windows' built-in GUI Extract option. However, you can also use third-party apps like PeaZip and WinRAR for more advanced zipping/unzipping options, followed by the TAR command in the Terminal if you love using the command line.
Windows has the ability to automatically increase and reduce the paging size, manually changing it in case of significant performance drops is better. You can do so by going to System info > Advanced Settings > Performance tab. Alternatively, you can use the WMIC utility by launching Command Prompt as an administrator.
Screen savers have been deprecated by Microsoft but there are still feint traces of enabling the feature. Contrary to popular belief, the best way to save power when you're away from your PC is to let it sleep but if you're a sucker for screen savers and craving nostalgia, you can set a screen saver by searching for the option in Start menu and choosing a screen saver from the drop down. Besides, you can also set custom Screen Saver using the Wallpaper Engine on Steam.
Installing Windows 11 requires you to go through Windows' out-of-the-box experience steps and sign in to your Microsoft Account. However, if you're unwilling to sign in and want to use Windows 11 with a local administrator account, there are a few ways to do it. One of the is by using the Command Prompt when installing Windows, and the other is by using a third-party, open-source software called Rufus.
Windows Hello is a term Microsoft uses to represent different ways of authenticating and unlocking your Windows machine. Setting up Windows Hello is way more convenient than entering your PIN or password and you can do so by going to Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options.
If you want to completely uninstall apps from Windows 10 without leaving any leftover files and data, you can follow our dedicated tutorial. We have mentioned six different ways to remove apps from Windows 10. You can uninstall apps from the Start menu, Windows Settings, and Control Panel. Besides that, you can use programs like the Wise Uninstaller Program to remove system apps. And of course, Command Prompt and PowerShell lets you uninstall MSIX packages as well.
To enhance performance on Windows 11 and 10, I strongly recommend users to prevent apps from launching on startup. It can significantly improve the boot time and make your PC fast and usable. On both Windows 11 and 10, you can disable startup apps from the Task Manager and Windows Settings.
While BitLocker encryption is a good solution from the point of security and data protection, it can also lead to data loss if you don't have the recovery key. So in this article, I have added a few methods on how to bypass the BitLocker recovery key on Windows 11. You can find the recovery key in your Microsoft account or locate the recovery key on other drives or external storage.
If you wish to disable BitLocker encryption on your Windows 11 or 10 PC, you can do so from the Control Panel or Windows Settings. Apart from that, by using the "manage-bde" command in CMD or PowerShell, you can also turn off BitLocker. Go through our article to find detailed instructions.
Restarting Windows is one of the fundamental things that you'll see yourself doing often. Some of the ways to restart your Windows PC is from the Start menu, using at least three different keyboard shortcuts, using the Command Prompt, by force restarting using the power button, and by creating a shortcut.
What Is the Keyboard Shortcut for Full Screen on Windows and Mac?
Abubakar Mohammed
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Switching to full screen on your PC using full screen keyboard shortcuts makes consuming content a tad bit immersive. Each operating system has different and multiple ways of switching to full screen. On Windows, it's by using the F11 key, whereas on macOS it's Command + F.
The error code 0x80070643 usually occurs when updating a Windows PC. It was first reported to show up after the KB5034441 update on Windows 10. Some of the ways to fix it is by restarting your PC, replacing the old .NET installation with the latest one, and increasing the disk space for the Windows Recovery Environment.
Windows has many built-in ways of zooming in across screens for better visibility, and they're all pretty easy to use. Some of them are by using Windows' built-in Magnifier option, scaling options, adjusting resolution, or using keyboard shortcuts to zoom in or out in a browser like Chrome.
Microsoft has released the Recall AI feature on Copilot+ PCs in the Insider channel. So if you are looking to disable or uninstall Recall AI right away. We have added four different ways to turn off Recall on Copilot+ PCs. You can disable it from Windows Features, Settings, Registry or Group Policy Editor.
Windows Search is a component that's known to break often, and if you're unable to type anything in the search bar right now, there are a few fixes you can try. Some of them include restarting your PC, checking your keyboard, restarting Windows Explorer, and updating Windows.
If you are unable to solve certain issue with your Windows 11 installation, reinstalling Windows could be your last hope. There are three ways to do it — using Windows Media Creation Tool, using the Reinstall Now option in settings, and using the Reset PC setting.
Windows 11 Recall Feature is a Privacy Nightmare; Major Security Flaw Surfaces
Arjun Sha
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A security researcher has pointed out multiple flaws in Recall's implementation on Windows 11. The Recall database is stored in a SQLite database inside the AppData folder and it can be accessed by any program. In fact, another user on the same PC can also access the Recall activity data. On top of that, Microsoft has enabled the feature by default which poses a security risk.
The error code 0x80070570 might occur in both Windows 10 and 11 installations, and it's fairly common. It denotes that Windows cannot process a thing which is corrupted, and some of the ways to get rid of the issue is by restarting your PC, updating it, formatting the media if you're installing Windows, or re-downloading an app.
With the Windows 11 24H2 update, Microsoft has introduced a new Copilot app that brings support for a 'Phone' plugin. It allows the Copilot to interact with your smartphone. You can send messages, retrieve contact details, and find past messages. The feature is currently in the basic form, but more features are expected to land soon.
Force quitting an app is done when an app isn't responding or if you quickly want to force close it using your keyboard. There are many ways to force quit an app on Windows, including using the task manager, a keyboard shortcut, from Windows settings, and using the Windows Terminal.
Microsoft has developed a new Prism layer to run x86 apps on next-gen ARM-based Copilot+ PCs with better compatibility and performance. Microsoft says the new Prism layer offers up to 2x performance jump in single-core tasks. It also translates Windows libraries, game drivers, and x86 binaries for making Windows games playable on Snapdragon X series PCs. In an early report, emulated apps are said to perform even better than native apps running on Intel processors.
You can easily install the new Copilot app on Windows 11, 10, and older builds as well. I have extracted the new Copilot app from the 24H2 build and installed it on my PC running the 23H2 build. The new Copilot app is actually a web-based app and not a native Windows app.
Early Report Indicates Snapdragon X Elite is Powerful But Runs Hotter Than Apple M3
Arjun Sha
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In an early report by Signal65, the Surface Laptop 7, powered by Snapdragon X Elite performs better than Apple MacBook Air M3 in multi-threaded tasks. Its battery life is also pretty good and outperforms the MacBook Air M3. However, when the system is fully loaded for an extended period, the Surface Laptop 7 tends to get hot.
Windows lacks a live or animated wallpaper feature, but some apps can let you set live wallpapers on Windows desktops. Wallpaper Alive, Lively Wallpaper, and Wallpaper Engine are three apps that let you set animated wallpapers on Windows.
A Microsoft-backed third-party website is maintaining a list of Windows games that can be played on ARM-based PCs. You can find games that run perfectly well, some are playable, and some run with glitches. Intensive titles like Fortnite and PUBG currently don't run on Snapdragon X series PCs.
Find the list of all Snapdragon X Elite laptops from OEMs like HP, Samsung, Asus, Acer, Microsoft, Dell, and more. We have added information about which Snapdragon X Elite variant the laptop uses and what kind of performance you can expect.
In a major push to kickstart the new era of AI PCs, Microsoft has announced a new Recall AI feature on Copilot+ PCs. It actively takes screenshots of your PC every few seconds to create a local semantic index. The processing is done locally and the information is encrypted. However, would you be comfortable actively sharing your screen for the Recall feature? We find out.
If you're on Windows and want to use Emojis in text, there are a few ways to do it. One of the ways is by using the keyboard shortcut Windows + "." to open the emoji menu, while the other way is enabling and using the on-screen keyboard from Taskbar settings, in personalization.
Microsoft Build 2024 is afoot and I am pretty excited about all the new AI features, Windows 11 announcements, and Snapdragon X Elite laptops expected to be unveiled at the event. One of the most anticipated features, AI Explorer is coming to Windows 11 24H2 build, and it will be unveiled a day before the MS Build 2024 event.
You can sometimes find exceptional deals in the used laptop market and save a lot of money, but buying a used laptop could be risky. If you are looking to buy a used Windows laptop, some of the things to check are the purchase invoice from the seller, benchmarks, keyboard and camera, display, and battery life.
Beebom Staff
To fix the MSVCP140.dll is missing error on Windows 11, you can try out several ways to fix the issue. The most optimal way to fix the MSVCP140.dll error is to make sure the correct Visual C++ Redistributable package is installed on your PC. The app or game that you are trying to run should have the setup files required to fix MSVCP140.dll is missing error. You can also try System Restore or SFC and DISM commands to fix the issue.
Subin B
Screen flickering is often an annoying issue that leaves users frustrated. If you are facing screen flickering on your new or old Windows 11 machine, you could try adjusting the refresh rate, reinstalling the display drivers, uninstalling unnecessary apps, and checking the cables of your monitor.
While Microsoft has worked on the performance front on Windows 11, it still runs slower on older hardware. So to speed up Windows 11, we have added a number of vital steps including ways to disable Startup apps, removing bloatware, optimizing Windows 11 settings for better performance, and more. You can also free up disk space and delete temporary files for a faster Windows 11 experience.