Windows 11 Support Thread

The Copilot app in Windows 11 is getting its own browser, which means that when you follow links provided by the AI, you'll stay within the confines of the app.

Windows Central noticed that Microsoft is set to roll out the in-app browser for the Copilot app on Windows 11 (and macOS), where it will open links in a panel to the side of the chat.

Normally, links would be fired up separately in the default web browser, but with this change, Microsoft aims to keep more activity within the Copilot app.
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HAL 9000 said:

Microsoft turned Windows 11’s lock screen into MSN hell, now it’s undoing most of it - Windows Latest​

View attachment 1938434

Microsoft just quietly removed the most annoying part of the Windows 11 lock screen. Windows Latest first spotted a new addition to Microsoft’s release notes saying Weather is now the only widget shown by default on the lock screen, with users able to add other widgets from Settings.

Windows 11 originally put Weather, Sports, Money, and other MSN-powered cards on the lock screen. Microsoft later let people customize which widgets showed up, but the default experience was cluttered. Now the company is effectively admitting the lock screen works better when it does not throw a mini news portal at you.

Of course, this is a much-needed change. But after going through Microsoft’s lock screen widget controls, I also have a few questions about why the Windows 11 lock screen still feels so bland, for lack of a better word.

Microsoft is finally making the Windows 11 lock screen quieter​

The new addition showed up in the change log for the August 27 preview update, which is what Microsoft added into the mandatory September 8 Patch Tuesday release. Microsoft added the entry on September 14, almost a week after releasing the update:

“[Widgets] New! To provide a quieter, more focused Widgets experience on the lock screen, Weather is now the only widget shown by default. You can add other widgets in Settings > Personalization > Lock screen. This change began rolling out to new users in July and is now rolling out to existing users”
View attachment 1938435

Lock screen settings previously showed Weather and a useless bunch of cards like Daily Wonder, Daily Discovery, and Events Near You, all switched on by default. After the update, there is only the Weather widget.

You can still go to Settings > Personalization > Lock screen and click Add widget to add these widgets back, along with anything else that supports the lock screen’s small widget size.

View attachment 1938436

And if the whole thing is too much, you can also turn off Lock screen Widgets completely, which is what I normally do.

The September 8 update, which brought a movable taskbar, also caused some problems, like Remote Desktop breaking on some PCs, along with Hyper-V and WSL issues, and USB audio devices losing sound on others. Microsoft also confirmed the audio bug in its advisory soon after.

The emergency KB5129195 fix that followed on September 14 patched Remote Desktop and multichannel audio, and that’s when Microsoft added the change in Widgets to the release notes.

www.windowslatest.com

Microsoft turned Windows 11's lock screen into MSN hell, now it's undoing most of it

Microsoft quietly cleaned up the Windows 11 lock screen, dropping cluttered MSN widgets to show only Weather by default.
www.windowslatest.com www.windowslatest.com
Click to expand...
My biggest gripe with the lock screen is not really Microsofts fault.

I run ubuntu on some machines so am pretty used to going to a blank screen and just typing my password in, with windows it needs a click or keytap before you start typing a pin or password in. so yea, frequently typing my pin or password twice when I try unlock a windows pc.
 

Microsoft confirms Windows 11 quietly stopped backing up your files due to a new bug in the September 2026 update - Windows Latest​

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This issue specifically affects File History, which allows you to save files and folders to an external drive or network location, but after the September 2026 update, the feature stopped working.

Microsoft now says it's rolling out a new optional update that finally addresses an issue where File History might fail to back up or restore files to an external drive or network location.

In our tests, we found that the affected devices might incorrectly display a “Reconnect your drive” message even when a compatible backup drive is connected and working properly.

The broken backup feature is not the only issue in Windows 11's September 2026 update. The same patch causes issues with Remote Desktop sessions, audio, Claude Cowork (and some other WSL apps), and even errors on AMD PCs.

Microsoft is aware of all the issues and is rushing out fixes:
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www.windowslatest.com

Microsoft confirms Windows 11 quietly stopped backing up your files due to a new bug in September 2026 update

Microsoft has finally admitted that Windows 11 may no longer correctly back up your files, even if you’ve configured the feature ‘File History.’ According to our tests, the bug affects almost everyone who installed the September 2026 update, but most users may not realize why backups have...
www.windowslatest.com www.windowslatest.com
 

Microsoft killing Windows 11's free Office companion apps which installed automatically - Neowin​

Microsoft to retire Windows 11's Microsoft 365 companion apps on December 16, 2026. Detailed guidance on how to deal with them has been published.

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Last year in August, Microsoft officially confirmed new Office companion apps that were exclusive to Windows 11 and would install automatically on user PCs.

Later in October, the tech giant shared more details on why it was bringing them, explaining that it was doing so to "enhance productivity" and that with Copilot's help, would help get the job done in a "lightning fast" way.

Now, only about a year after their launch, Microsoft has confirmed that it is retiring some of these Microsoft 365 companion apps.

Last week, the company published new documentation regarding this retirement. In this guidance, Microsoft has outlined how admins can remove them using tools within Microsoft Intune or any corresponding software management tools in their organization.

The three apps being retired are Calendar, People, and Files. As their names suggest, they were designed to provide users with a way to quickly access calendar information, contacts, and files, with the apps also being integrated into the Windows 11 taskbar experience.

Microsoft says the apps will be retired and stop functioning on December 16, 2026. However, admins can remove them earlier from managed devices, and the company has already started phasing out their automatic installation through Microsoft 365 Apps updates.

Microsoft says that updates and fixes, including security fixes, are no longer being provided for the companion apps during this retirement period, but existing installations can continue to work until the retirement date; Microsoft, though, recommends removing them.

For enterprises that deployed the apps through Intune, Microsoft says admins should first remove any Required or Available assignments for the Microsoft 365 companion apps, or else Intune could again reinstall them after they have been uninstalled.

Once those deployment methods have been stopped, admins can create an Uninstall assignment in Intune and apply it to the relevant users or devices. Microsoft also recommends monitoring the removal process to identify devices where the uninstallation is still pending or has failed.

For those wondering what happens to their data, there is no need to worry as Microsoft assures removing the companion apps does not delete files, calendar events, or contacts because the data itself is stored in Microsoft 365 services rather than inside these apps.

Calendar and people information can still be accessed through Outlook and Teams, while files remain available through Windows Search, File Explorer, SharePoint, OneDrive, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and other Microsoft 365 apps. Copilot can also be used to find files, people, and calendar information when users only remember a few details about what they are looking for.

Meanwhile, for unmanaged PCs, Microsoft says users will need to uninstall the apps themselves. This can be done from Settings > Apps > Installed apps by searching for "Microsoft 365 companions" and selecting Uninstall.

Alternatively, users can search for Calendar, People, or Files in the Windows Search, right-click the app, and select Uninstall. Interestingly, removing one of the apps should remove all three.

Microsoft's retirement announcement was published to the Microsoft 365 Message Center last week on September 18, meaning businesses now have less than three months to prepare for the final shutdown.

Interestingly, the tech giant is also asking admins to remove references to the apps from internal documentation, deployment guides, training material, and software catalogs in order to prevent users from attempting to install them again.

You can check out the guidance at this link on Microsoft's Learn website. If you have access to the the Microsoft 365 Admin Center portal, the message can be viewed here under ID MC1474111.
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How to enable new Windows 11 25H2 and 26H2 features using ViVeTool - Neowin​

ViVeTool is the most popular utility for enabling hidden Windows 11 features. If Microsoft hasn't enabled a feature for your PC, ViVeTool will do it.

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Microsoft is currently working on a long list of new Windows 11 features. These features are either scattered across various Insider builds or already available to some users.

The rollout is a little messy, though. Even when Microsoft officially releases a feature, it may still take weeks before everyone gets it because of the company’s Controlled Feature Rollout system.

For example, the latest optional update for Windows 11 KB5120998 brought taskbar customization improvements and the redesigned Search experience, but because of the gradual rollout, not everyone has access to them yet.

Windows 11 version 26H2 is also getting closer to release, but that doesn’t mean all of these changes will arrive with it. Microsoft now rolls out many Windows features separately through monthly updates, so some will show up before 26H2, while others may arrive later.

If a feature is already present in your Windows build but Microsoft hasn’t enabled it for your PC yet, there is usually a way to skip the wait. You can use ViVeTool, which lets you manually enable feature flags that are already included in Windows.

ViVeTool is an unofficial command-line utility that interacts with Windows’ built-in feature-control system and allows users to enable or disable features Microsoft has already included in a particular Windows build.

We’ll use ViVeTool to enable features that arrived with KB5120998, since it’s the latest update at the time of writing. But you can use the same method later when Microsoft releases new features. The only thing that changes is the Feature ID of the component you want to enable.

Here’s how to enable the latest Windows 11 features using ViVeTool:
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Looks like Microsoft has removed the separate Microsoft 365 Copilot app for MS Office 365 & combined its functionality into the standard Windows 11 Microsoft Copilot app - hopefully this eliminates user confusion as to which one they had to use for AI assistance... ;)

That Was Then...
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But This is Now...
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Bye Bye, Microsoft 365 Copilot - Hello, Copilot...

Before: Microsoft 365 Copilot displayed on Start menu's alphabetic list:

2026-09-25 MS 365 Copilot 01.jpg

Both app icons displayed on the Taskbar:

2026-09-25 MS 365 Copilot 02.jpg

Both app icons displayed on the Start menu's Pinned list:

2026-09-25 MS 365 Copilot 03.jpg

Both apps last updates as listed in the Microsoft Store's Recent Updates list (as at 23 Sept 2026) :

2026-09-25 MS 365 Copilot 05.jpg

After: No more Microsoft 365 Copilot app on the Start Menu (Alphabetic list or Pinned)...

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No more Microsoft 365 Copilot icon on the taskbar - only the Copilot app icon is displayed:

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Still displayed on Microsoft Store 'Recent Updates' listing (with today's date):

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Copilot app displayed on Settings - Installed Apps listing (with today's date):

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No more Microsoft 365 Copilot app displayed on Settings - Installed Apps listing:

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What happens when you now click on the Copilot app icon on either the Start Menu (Pinned or Alphabetic listings) or on the Taskbar:

2026-09-25 MS 365 Copilot 06.jpg

:unsure:
 
So a few questions.
Son says his Win 11 pc did an update a day or two ago and this morning when he starts it, it seems that its just in an endless loop and does not want start into win 11. Is there a known problem?
Secondly. I am still in Win10. My pc is also something wrong for the last 2 months. It says there is updates but can never complete the update and says there is a problem. Anyway does not bother me. But we tried now making a Win11 USB installation disk on my pc, but it does not give us the option to do it on the usb, tries to do it only on C drive of my pc. We tried this to do a freash Win11 install on son's pc.
 
Jean Claude Vaaldamme said:
So a few questions.
Son says his Win 11 pc did an update a day or two ago and this morning when he starts it, it seems that its just in an endless loop and does not want start into win 11. Is there a known problem?
Secondly. I am still in Win10. My pc is also something wrong for the last 2 months. It says there is updates but can never complete the update and says there is a problem. Anyway does not bother me. But we tried now making a Win11 USB installation disk on my pc, but it does not give us the option to do it on the usb, tries to do it only on C drive of my pc. We tried this to do a freash Win11 install on son's pc.
Click to expand...

Get a clean 16GB USB flash drive, download the latest versions of Rufus & the Windows 11 25H2 ISO (US or International) - see links below - then use the Rufus setup to copy & extract the Win 11 ISO onto the USB flash drive.

Boot up each PC from the USB & let it install Windows 11 25H2 - you get the option to either upgrade (keep existing apps & data) or do a fresh install (wipes it clean) during the installation process...

You can select also options during the Rufus setup to allow Windows 11 25H2 to be installed on a Windows 10 PC or laptop that wasn't able to do the conventional update to Windows 11...

Link to Rufus download here.

Link to Windows 11 ISO download here.
 
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Microsoft 365's social media account is now asking users to follow Microsoft Copilot, even though Microsoft 365 is more than just Copilot, as it includes all Office apps.

And unsurprisingly, users are confused.

Microsoft 365 is still the subscription with Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams, OneDrive, and everything else.

But there's a separate app called 'Microsoft 365 Copilot.'

That app journey has somehow gone from Office to Microsoft 365 to Microsoft 365 Copilot to Microsoft Copilot.Office app > Microsoft 365 > Microsoft 365 Copilot > Microsoft Copilot.

At the same time, Microsoft already had a separate Copilot app, Copilot branding in Windows, Copilot+ PCs, a Copilot key, Copilot in Office apps, and now one unified Copilot account for Microsoft 365 updates.

Regardless, it does not make sense to shut down Microsoft 365's social media accounts and ask users to follow Copilot's social media account for Copilot and Microsoft 365/Office updates.
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https://twitter.com/x/status/2103425257499660339
 
But Wait, There's More... So Much More...

The Copilot+ PC brand is dead: Microsoft and PC makers quietly pull back on tarnished Windows 11 AI PC branding - Windows Central​

In a new interview, Microsoft Surface CVP confirms that its new Surface PCs are no longer called Copilot+ PCs, but will still support all Copilot+ features.

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In 2024, Microsoft and Qualcomm kicked off a new category of Windows hardware it called "Copilot+ PCs" that set the baseline for a new wave of AI-first computers, and launched with exclusive features that would not be made available on PCs that didn't meet a new set of system requirements.

The launch didn't go smoothly. Copilot+ PCs were met with immediate backlash from security researchers after discovering that Copilot+ PCs blockbuster feature, Recall, was woefully insecure. This forced the company to delay Recall and ship this new category of devices without its leading AI experience.

This pretty much tarnished the Copilot+ PC brand, and over the last two years more and more OEMs have dropped the moniker from marketing materials and product names. In fact, even Microsoft has seemingly stopped mentioning it.

I've noticed that none of the Surface PCs launched in 2026 include the Copilot+ PC moniker in their product names, unlike the Surface PCs that launched in 2025 and before. Now, you have to go digging to find any mention of Copilot+ compatibility in specification sheets.
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Read the full article at the link below:

 
Last edited:

Microsoft just rethought its entire AI strategy: What the new Copilot means for Windows & your everyday workflows - Windows Central​

The new Copilot marks a strategic reset as Microsoft shifts toward a unified, more capable Windows AI experience.

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You can't say Microsoft isn't trying everything when it comes to AI, even rolling back some consumer pushes around its PC strategy.

Today during its Copilot event, Microsoft announced a major update to said Copilot, and after going through the material myself, it’s clear the company is aiming for something bigger than a simple AI upgrade.

In a surprise to no one, Copilot is becoming the center of the Microsoft 365 experience. Instead of living inside individual apps (yes, we're all tired of that), it now acts as a unified workspace that connects your documents, conversations, data, and tasks.

This shift shows how Microsoft wants AI to feel natural for everyday users, not just enterprise customers (even though the latter will benefit the most).

This brings us to the actual news with three new Copilot experiences called Home, Code, and Autopilot, each focused on a different part of work. Together they create a more complete picture of what Microsoft thinks productivity should look like in the AI era.
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Say Hello...Wave Goodbye...

These three Microsoft 365 apps lasted just one year before getting axed - Windows Central​

Calendar, People, and Files will stop working in December 2026 despite debuting only last year.

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Microsoft plans to get rid of three Microsoft 365 companion apps before the end of the year. Calendar, People, and Files are all on the chopping block and set to be retired on December 16, 2026.

Calendar, People, and Files are apps that integrate with the taskbar on Windows 11 to allow quick access to certain tasks and pieces of information.

I'd forgive you for not knowing about the companion apps since they only shipped last year.

Microsoft outlined the three companion apps at the time and highlighted how the apps "enhance productivity" by providing quick access to information.

Now, one year later, that productivity boost is going away.

It's interesting to compare the language Microsoft used to describe the apps when they were new and now as the apps approach retirement.

Microsoft's text from when the apps were new:

"Microsoft 365 companions are a suite of apps designed to enhance productivity by providing quick access to people, files, and calendar- powered by the Microsoft Graph, directly from the Windows 11 taskbar."

Microsoft's new text as the apps approach retirement:

"The companion apps were an additional way to find calendar information, people, and files. Removing them doesn't delete or affect any existing capabilities or Microsoft 365 data. You can continue finding the same information by using existing Microsoft 365 and Windows experiences."

It appears sometime over the last year the apps devolved from being ways to enhance productivity to additional ways to find information you can get elsewhere.

Microsoft recommends a mix of Outlook, Teams, Windows Search, File Explorer, SharePoint, OneDrive, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and other Microsoft tools to replace the three companion apps.

The three companion apps will stop working on or before December 16, 2026, so even if you have them installed on your PC, they will not work after the cutoff.
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