• How to Set up Windows 11 Without a Microsoft Account

    Using a Microsoft account with Windows 11 is the best way to access all of its features, including Microsoft Copilot, OneDrive, and more. But some people just don’t want to use a Microsoft Account and have all of their data connected to the cloud, and that’s fine. If you’re one of those people, or if you just plan to give the PC you’re setting up to a friend, you can follow a few simple steps to use a local account instead.

    • Neowin

    How to reinstall Windows 11 without losing your data using Windows Update

    Are you facing some issues with Windows 11 and want to fix it but fear data loss? Here's a simple trick that will help you reinstall Windows 11 with Windows Update without losing your data.

    • Neowin

    Windows 10 reaches 70% market share as Windows 11 keeps declining

    Statcounter reports that Windows 11 continues to lose its market share for the second month in a row. Windows 10, meanwhile, is gaining more users and is now back above the 70% mark.

    • Neowin

    Latest ExplorerPatcher update removes old Windows 10 taskbar in Windows 11 24H2

    ExplorerPatcher has been updated to a new version with one important change: it no longer allows enabling the legacy Windows 10 taskbar on systems with Windows 11 version 24H2 (build 26002 and newer).

    • Neowin

    Unsupported Windows 11 24H2 PC users can legit upgrade from Windows 8 by this bypass trick

    Recently, users discovered a simple one-click method to bypass the system requirements for Windows 11 on unsupported PCs. Another such way has been uncovered and it works on Windows 8.

    • Neowin

    Microsoft Weekly: even more Windows 11 ads, Start menu updates and Windows 10 MSA prompts

    This week's Microsoft news recap brings you the latest stories about more ads in Windows 11, Microsoft Account prompts in Windows 10, Start menu improvements, app updates, and more.

  • Windows 11 now comes with its own adware

    It used to be that you could pay for a retail version of Windows 11 and expect it to be ad-free, but those days are apparently finito. The latest update to Windows 11 (KB5036980) comes out this week and includes ads for apps in the "recommended" section of the Start Menu, one of the most oft-used parts of the OS. "The Recommended section of the Start menu will show some Microsoft Store apps," according to the release notes. "These apps come from a small set of curated developers."  The app...

  • Boost your productivity with Windows 11 Pro, only $30!

    TL;DR: Whether you're a casual user or a working professional, you can make your PC experience more seamless with Windows 11 Pro, now only $29.97 (reg. $199) through April 30! If you're experiencing lag or sub-optimal performance from your beloved PC, you may thinking you need a complete device update. — Read the rest

  • 52 of the Best Windows 11 Keyboard Shortcuts

    These are 52 of the best Windows 11 keyboard shortcuts, covering settings, File Explorer, formatting actions, and much more.

  • How to Install Windows 11 Without All the Extra Junk

    Tiny11Builder is a third-party script that can take a Windows installation ISO, which you can get from Microsoft, and strip it of all of the annoying extra features. Install Windows using this tool and you'll have a truly clean installation: no News, no OfficeHub, no annoying GetStarted prompts, and no junk entires in the start menu.

  • How to check CPU core usage on Windows 11

    Checking your PC’s usage of each CPU core is a good way to determine how your system is dealing with the current workload.  This can help inform you whether you have a powerful enough processor to deal with the task or hand. Most simple tasks will only require the performance of a single CPU core, but more complex workloads, such as video editing or gaming, will require more resources. It’s difficult to determine which components of your PC are causing a performance bottleneck, but...

  • How to Stop Windows 11 Ads in Start Menu

    Windows 11 ads in Start menu were once in testing for beta insiders, but now, Microsoft is serious to slap more ads into your OS.