In our tests, Windows Latest previously observed that Device Encryption is turned on by default. Over the weekend, users also noticed that Microsoft has already enabled it in Windows 11 24H2 RTM preview builds, suggesting the feature is likely coming this year when the update rolls out to everyone.

When we asked Microsoft, the company confirmed to Windows Latest that it recently adjusted the prerequisites to enable device encryption.

“We have adjusted (removal of Modern Standby/HSTI validation and untrusted DMA ports check) to enable device encryption so that it is automatically enabled when doing clean installs of Windows 11,” Microsoft said in a statement.

As Microsoft explains in its documentation, Device Encryption uses BitLocker to encrypt the data applied to all system drives. You must backup your BitLocker key to your Microsoft account or save it to an external USB disk. Without this, you cannot access your data.

Windows can request the BitLocker recovery key while resetting or reinstalling the operating system. However, procuring the recovery key can be challenging if the feature is enabled without the user’s approval. If you lose access to your Microsoft Account, you will also lose access to the PC.

BitLocker has a list of hardware requirements, including a TPM 1.2 or newer chip and UEFI. Since Windows 11 checks for these changes during installation, escaping BitLocker is impossible. However, there are workarounds.

How to turn off automatic Device Encryption in Windows 11

During installation, you can disable Device Encryption using a Registry hack:

1. Press Shift + F10 to open the Command Prompt window. Type regedit and press Enter to launch Registry Editor.
2. Navigate to the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\BitLocker subkey.
3. Right-click the empty side and select the New > Dword (32-bit) Value option from the context menu.
4. Name the value “PreventDeviceEncryption”.
5. Set the value date to 1 and click on the OK button.
6. Close the Registry Editor.

You can also create a bootable USB drive with Rufus. It can prepare a modified Windows 11 installation media to bypass system requirements and disable BitLocker.

With Rufus, you can interact with the GUI interface, which is more accessible for less tech-savvy Windows users.

The post Microsoft confirms Windows 11 24H2 turns on Device Encryption by default appeared first on Windows Latest

The references to Windows 11 AI snapshot and recall features are in line with the previous rumours. For those unaware, AI Explorer is supposed to record everything you do on your PC, including app activities, email activities, documents, meetings, movies, and more.

For example, if you were working on documents about your company’s quarterly reports but can’t remember where they are, you can invoke AI Explorer, which could appear at the top of the screen, and ask the AI to “show me documents about quarterly reports viewed last week,’ and AI Explorer will find them.

This is possible because AI Explorer records everything you do on your PC. It also makes your activities searchable by creating a snapshot of the moment. References to the snapshot feature were recently spotted in the preview builds:

Microsoft watcher Xeno also spotted “snapshot” references in the Control Center. Then there’s a recall feature, which I think lets you go back in time and browse that moment again.

This is another speculation, but based on these references, I think you’ll be able to recall a snapshot by clicking on a toggle in the Control Center on Windows 11.

Microsoft watcher Albacore previously spotted similar references to features like “Snapshot”, “Screen Understanding”, and “Discovery”.

While screen understanding could mean Windows 11 AI Explorer recording your screen, Snapshot lets you go back in time and recall the moment on your PC. On the other hand, Discovery could refer to suggestions like “remove background from an image” that may appear when you’re editing photos.

Similarly, references to a new AI cursor were also spotted in recent Windows 11 24H2 builds.

What makes AI Explorer useful in Windows 11?

Other use cases of AI Explorer could be searching your everyday tasks, such as your spreadsheet. For example, just type ‘find me that spreadsheet Jack shared with me earlier this month,’ and you’ll find it.

Had a discussion with a colleague about a new project but can’t recall the details? You can type ‘find conversations about the new project,’ and AI Explorer will bring up those chats and when they took place.

AI Explorer uses an NPU chip and it won’t save your data in the cloud, and it’s also powered by Microsoft’s small or large language models, which means you can search using everyday language.

When can you try AI Explorer?

Microsoft watcher Zac Bowden previously reported the feature could be unveiled during Microsoft’s AI event on May 21.

However, you won’t be able to use the AI feature on Windows 11 unless you’re willing to upgrade to the Snapdragon X-powered PC.

Here are the full system requirements of Windows 11 24H2 AI Explorer:

1. Snapdragon X Elite and Snapdragon X Plus.
2. 16GB of RAM
3. 256GB of SSD.
4. NPU
5. Windows 11 24H2

In other words, you won’t be able to use it on your existing device because the feature is written for ARM hardware. It also means Microsoft is confident the AI Explorer is so useful that it might convince you to buy a Snapdragon X PC.

In our tests, Windows Latest also observed that Snapdragon X Elite PCs easily outperform Intel and AMD PCs in AI processing capabilities, and the performance gap is so large that these numbers can’t even be compared:

Other details of AI Explorer are unavailable, but we recently spotted references to the “AI sessions” at the Build 2024 developer conference, where we might learn more about the technical details.

The post Leak: Windows 11’s new AI integration will have “snapshots” that you can recall appeared first on Windows Latest

AI Explorer, which has nothing to do with File Explorer, is a new feature that relies on 45 TOPs-capable NPU chips to log everything you do, see, and use on your Windows 11 PC. This includes the apps you open, websites you visit, emails you read, documents you edit, and presentations you create in PowerPoint.

It’s all captured by Windows 11’s AI Explorer, and stored locally, which is why it requires PCs with powerful NPUs. So, how does the feature work? According to references in the preview builds, AI Explorer can understand what’s on your screen, suggest actions, and make all your activities ‘searchable.’

AI Explorer, which is context-friendly, shows up at the top of the screen when it is turned on.

According to a new .dll file spotted by Microsoft watcher Albacore on X, Microsoft is also working on a few new cursors for AI Explorer, but we don’t know how and where these cursors will be used.

The cursor has been spotted in AIX (AI Explorer) DLLs and it may be just a mockup for the demo. At the same time, it is also possible AI cursor could pop-up when you try to interact with your scren using AI Explorer.

AI cursor isn’t a new concept

The idea of the AI cursor isn’t entirely new in Microsoft’s ecosystem.

According to a document found by Windows Latest, Microsoft has an Office project codenamed “Sophia,” which comes with an AI cursor.

As shown in the above screenshot spotted by Windows Latest, Office AI cursor shows up only when you use the Alt + C keyboard shortcut. This cursor allows you to interact with the data that’s on your screen, including texts generated by a large language model.

Office AI Cursor makes it easy to ask follow-up questions without accidentally opening other features. For example, when you’re using the Office Sophia AI project, you can press Alt + C to open the “AI cursor,” then select an area on the screen (content) and ask a question.

This also works in an empty space where you can use AI cursor to create a blue print, document, content, images, and more.

“The AI cursor provides a way for you to interact with the data that’s generated or ask a new question. It responds to natural language commands and provides contextual recommendations as you navigate the content,” Microsoft explained how the AI cursor could work in Office.

AI Cursor in Office is a concept for a now, but it shows that the tech giant has been exploring new cursor ideas for AI.

I don’t know if Microsoft is also working on a AI cursor for AI Explorer in Windows 11, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the tech giant unveils a new way to interact with specific regions of the screen using AI.

The concept of AI Explorer is interesting because it makes everything you do on your PC “searchable.” For example, if you read an article about a pizza recipe several weeks ago but can’t remember where, which browser, email, or app, you can use AI Explorer to find the details.

Similarly, AI Explorer will integrate with other Microsoft services like Teams, allowing you to go back in time and find something interesting from your previous meetings’ transcripts.

While there is a lot of speculation about it above, the whole purpose of AI Explorer is to make everything searchable.

Microsoft is also making this feature exclusive to Snapdragon X Elite PCs with 16GB of RAM, 256GB of SSD storage, and a 45 TOPs NPU chip.

The post Windows 11 leak points to a possible new cursor for some AI Explorer actions appeared first on Windows Latest

Let’s first talk about the new adaptive interface. For those unaware, WhatsApp interface was not really adaptive until the recent update on Windows. When attempting to resize the WhatsApp window to a more compact user interface (small window), the contacts list and chat were displayed together.

This made it difficult to read messages as the interface was shared by both the contacts list and chat. Meta is rolling out a new update that hides the contacts list inside the menu, and chat page now takes the full screen space.

As a result, you can now use WhatsApp on Windows 11 in a compact layout.

Multi-window support rolls out to WhatsApp on Windows

WhatsApp is also adding a new button that lets you open chat in a new window.

This is similar to Telegram’s open in a new window feature, and it allows you maintain multiple “chat” windows of WhatsApp.

Here’s the part where the integration gets interesting: When you click pop-up chat, it opens the selected chat in a new window without all other features. The pop-up window will only have your chat, and it has a more compact UI.

The third feature is a new hamburger menu, which shows your contact statuses and chats in WhatsApp.

All these features are rolling out to stable version.

Windows Latest understands that the menu could be used for AI features, such as shortcuts to Meta AI. At the same time, the new hamburger menu also reduces clutter, and lets you quickly access the  features like chats, statuses, settings and more.

As Windows Latest reported recently, WhatsApp is also testing “Meta AI” integration in the desktop app.

In our tests, we observed that Meta AI’s large language model shows up on Windows 11 only when you use the bot on your phone, and try to access it on desktop later.

It is not possible to initiate the chat directly from desktop, but this could change in a future release.

As shown in the screenshot above, Meta is testing a native dialog for AI features, warning that your messages in Meta chat could be used to train the AI.

The post WhatsApp on Windows 11 gets a new adaptive UI, multi-window and navigation menu appeared first on Windows Latest

Starting with the File Explorer, you will find a duplicate tabs option when you right-click on an open tab in the File Explorer. The feature creates another tab with the same folder location. Earlier, it required a Vivetool trick to enable it, but now it is available by default.

KB5037008 patches a File Explorer memory leak while accessing archive folders. In addition, it fixes the spacing between desktop icons, which was unusually wide otherwise. File Explorer’s Home section loads faster, and the accidentally appearing address bar drop-down menu won’t bother you anymore.

The Task Manager now displays the RAM speed in MT/s instead of MHz which describes the amount of data it can transfer per second. You can check out the Performance section in the app. The sort feature has been improved, and processes will be released faster after receiving the End process request.

If you have trouble resizing the Task Manager window, grab the top bar to adjust its size. This build also irons out a bug that blocked the “Safely Remove Hardware” option for ejecting USB devices if the Task Manager was open.

Several more improvements to the app’s accessibility have been made. The complete list of fixes is on Microsoft’s announcement page.

The beta update (KB5037008) also hides an upcoming upgrade to File Explorer’s archive feature.

You can create archives in 7z and TAR format

Windows Latest extensively covered the support for compressing files in new formats when it first surfaced in the Windows 11 24H2 build. We expected Microsoft to roll out the feature with the 24H2 update for stable channel users, but the feature is now spotted in the Beta build.

Unlike the tab duplication feature, archive support for 7z and TAR is disabled by default. You will need Vivetool to enable it, or you can wait for a few weeks until Microsoft makes it available in the Beta channel. Since this feature is backported from 24H2, the chances of arriving in 23H2 are very high.

You can compress files and folders in three formats, including the ZIP format, which has been available for decades. Microsoft has yet to find common ground with WinRAR, so the native support for RAR format compression is out of the picture, at least for now.

The post Windows 11 KB5037008 beta makes Task Manager and File Explorer faster appeared first on Windows Latest

VPN connections failure

On the second Tuesday of April, Windows 11 received the KB5036893 update, while Windows 10 received the KB5036892 update. After installing the update, users began reporting issues when connecting to their VPN network.

We don’t think the issue is widespread, but Microsoft has still updated the KB5036893 support page to confirm VPN issues.

Windows Latest tested the April 2024 Update with our Windscribe VPN but had no problems connecting to a network. We also tested several other VPN apps with Windows 11 KB5036893 and KB5036980 updates, but there were no visible performance issues.

The support page still mentions the VPN issues, meaning that it hasn’t been fixed for everyone in the April 23, 2024 update.

According to the official release health status page, this VPN problem affects numerous Windows 10 and 11 editions. The list includes Windows 11 (23H2, 22H2, and 21H2), Windows 10 (22H2 and 21H2), and multiple Windows Server builds.

Blank White Screen Error

Many users contacted us about their problems with the KB5036893 update.

For many, the update failed to install and produced multiple error codes. Windows Latest also noticed a white screen after applying the update. It was a blank white screen with no elements, leaving us scratching our heads.

However, the problem disappeared after disconnecting the WiFi, and the PC successfully booted onto the desktop. The white screen problem didn’t occur after restarting the PC.

A user found success after switching to safe mode and then turning off a few services.

Even the Feedback Hub app, which lets you submit problems with your PC, stopped working for many.

Changing Profile Picture Produces Errors

Microsoft’s April security update also breaks the ability to change user account profile. If you try to change the user account profile picture, you might encounter the 0x80070520 error message.

This issue is present in all April 2024 updates, including security and optional updates.

In our tests, Windows Latest observed that the profile picture can be changed smoothly when Windows 11 is connected to a Microsoft account. However, when we tried to change the profile picture on a local account, Windows 11 refused to apply changes with the following error:

Windows 11 April 2024 updates have been available for a month now, but there’s still no patch in sight. Microsoft says it’s working on fixing these problems, but for now, the only resolution is to remove the April 2024 update from your Windows PCs.

To do that, search for Uninstall updates in the Start Menu and click the Uninstall button next to the most recent security update.

Other notable problems with the April 2024 Update include performance issues, inability to recognize external monitors, and laggy mouse and other system elements.

The post Windows 11 April 2024 Update is causing three major issues appeared first on Windows Latest

Earlier, Microsoft had planned to roll out this feature with the Windows 11 24H2 update, which is expected to release somewhere later this year. But now, this feature has been backported to versions 22H2 and 23H2. This means you soon will be able to use it in the stable version of Windows.

As noticed by PhantomOfOcean on X, this feature is currently available in Windows 11 build 22635.3566 on the Beta channel and is disabled by default.

In our tests, Windows Latest observed that you can use it by right-clicking on a file, choosing Compress to from the context menu. You’ll get different options to compress your file, including converting it to a ZIP file, 7z file, and TAR file.

You can click either of these options, and then Windows will create a compressed version of that file with the same name.

This process works instantly, and it can compress all file formats, thanks to Microsoft’s open-source integration. We also observed that it’s particularly good and faster when compressing files to .7z and .tar.

However, it is not capable of handling password protected archives. Windows Latest understands that Microsoft is working on another update that will add a few additional options to the archive support.

You’re getting more control over the compressed file

Windows has also added a new Additional options in the Compress to menu.

We reported about this option a few months ago, when it was made available in Windows 11 Canary build 26040.

Clicking it opens up a Create Archive window that contains different options, including choosing the location where you want to save the compressed file, selecting the archive format, compression method, and compression level.

There are also options to Retain symbolic links and Retain hard links. You can use them to keep certain types of shortcuts in your file safe when it is compressed into an archive. Once you have configured these options, you can click the Create button to begin the compression process.

While you can now compress files natively on your Windows computer, Microsoft is yet to introduce the feature to compress files into the .rar format.

Perhaps we’re not going to see it happening anytime soon. This is because WinRAR recently clarified that Microsoft cannot add .rar support to Windows unless they are willing to pay for it.

The post Windows 11 23H2 is getting full-fledged Create Archives for ZIP, 7z and TAR appeared first on Windows Latest

We’re also seeing reports that Microsoft now shows the pop-up in multiple languages (like Spanish) based on your system settings, and it makes sense, as the company previously confirmed everyone will see the alert once.

Windows Latest first spotted the pop-up in the second week of March 2024. In our tests, we observed that the pop-up is being pushed to everyone via a server-side update, and the whole experience is powered by two files BCILauncher.EXE or BingChatInstaller.EXE, which can be found under c:\windows\temp\mubstemp

One of our readers, Kasey, who lives in the United Kingdom, recently spotted the Bing pop-up on their Windows 11 PC and shared the following screenshot.

Similarly, more and more people are seeing the pop-up urging them to try Bing as their default search engine. The pop-up cites Bing Chat (now Copilot) and free access to GPT-4 to sell the search engine to the users.

Microsoft also highlights that it is possible to switch back to your previous search engine if you don’t like Bing.

If you accidentally click the “Yes” button to see what it does, you’ll be redirected to some Microsoft website that will install the “Bing Search for Chrome” extension, which reduces the limitations with Copilot or Bing Chat.

When Microsoft tries to sneak in the extension that pushes more Bing stuff, Google shows a warning that default settings have been changed by the Bing extension, which leads to another pop-up by Microsoft urging you not to delete Bing.

The second pop-up reminds you to keep using Bing for free access to GPT 4, DALL-E 3, and other AI stuff.

Microsoft previously confirmed to Windows Latest that this is a one-time notification, and it will appear for everyone on Windows 11 (and Windows 10). You’ll also see localized versions of these pop-ups in your preferred language.

“This is a one-time notification giving people the choice to set Bing as their default search engine on Chrome. For those who choose to set Bing as their default search engine on Chrome, when signed in with their MSA they also get more chat turns in Copilot and chat history. We value providing our customers with choice, so there is an option to dismiss the notification,” Microsoft told Windows Latest in a statement.

In our tests, we observed that that pop-up is tied to a server-side update from Microsoft, which was not sneaked in through Windows Updates.

As much as I want Bing to succeed, I am still against these pop-up ads, which are just bad and do not work most of the time. It can be particularly annoying when they appear during gameplay.

At the same time, I think we might see fewer ads in Windows as it’s no longer headed by Microsoft Bing leadership.

Also, Bing is slowly becoming a better search engine than Google for many queries. It’s gaining more users, which might convince Microsoft to show fewer ads for Bing in the OS.

The post Windows 11’s pop-up nagging Chrome users to use Bing rolls out to more PCs appeared first on Windows Latest

If you don’t understand how this File Explorer works in Windows 11, here’s a simple explanation: If enabled, the feature restores all your open File Explorer windows when you restart or log into your PC. It doesn’t work when you shut down your PC.

After updating to Windows 11 22H2, many users found themselves in a predicament. The “Restore previous folder windows at logon” stopped working, which forced them to reopen all the File Explorer windows again manually.

A workaround emerged, which required turning off the tabs feature in File Explorer using third-party tools. The workaround worked for some time, but it backfired with the Moment 4 update, which started causing problems with the File Explorer when tabs feature was forcefully turned off.

Windows Latest also received feedback from several users and spotted a lengthy Reddit thread on the File Explorer problem.

There are several complaints on Microsoft forums, too. However, in Windows 11 23H2 after recent updates, the problems do not occur anymore.

We enabled the “Restore previous folder windows at logon” settings and signed out of the PC. After logging in, all the previously opened File Explorer windows reappeared. The same was the case after restarting the PC.

You don’t have to turn off the tabs feature to fix the issue. If you are on Windows 11 22H2, updating to 23H2 can fix this problem. Also, remember that Microsoft won’t support Windows 11 22H2 after October 8, 2024, which is just six months away from now.

Meanwhile, several new changes are arriving to File Explorer in 24H2

File Explorer will get duplicate tabs, context menu labels, and more

Windows Latest noticed multiple File Explorer features being tested in the Windows 11 24H2 Insider channel. One of them is adding labels for common actions in the File Explorer’s context menu so that clicking on any icon won’t be confusing.

Another significant change is the ability to create archives in more new formats. File Explorer currently supports ZIP archives, but soon, you can create TAR and 7z archives without needing a third-party app like WinRAR.

A duplicate tab option in the tab’s context menu and Copilot integration are also among the upcoming feature upgrades for File Explorer.

The post Microsoft fixes restore previous folder feature in Windows 11’s File Explorer appeared first on Windows Latest

After facing a lot of flak, Microsoft has decided to roll back the change in the Windows 11 Beta Build 22635.3566. Now, the Show desktop icon will appear in the extreme right corner of the Taskbar like it used to, and the Copilot icon will revert to its original position to appear before the Show desktop.

Windows Latest spotted this change while testing Beta build number 22635.3566. The official post has also been updated to reflect this change. Originally, the Copilot icon appeared with other taskbar icons.

In our opinion, the right side of the Taskbar feels bloated when it has two icons. If you want, you can keep both the Copilot and Show desktop icons. However, you might accidentally click the Copilot icon when trying to show the desktop, which is why the company turned off the Show Desktop button to pin Copilot instead.

Microsoft has now rolled back the changes, and the Show Desktop button will now appear by default.

Since this change is exclusive to the beta build, you’ll still need to visit the Settings > Personalization > Taskbar section to re-enable the Show Desktop button in the stable builds.

Then, under Taskbar behavior settings, enable the “Select the far corner of the desktop to show the desktop” option. After that, hide the Copilot icon to restore the Show desktop icon’s original decluttered look.

It could be a while before Micorosft delivers this change in an update for Windows 11. We previously covered Microsoft’s accidental addition of the Copilot app with a Microsoft Edge update.

The Copilot app has a purpose

Users noticed a new Copilot app after updating the Edge browser to version 123. This app appeared in the list of Installed apps and was 16 KB in size. Moreover, it didn’t appear in the Start menu search results.

In our conversation with Microsoft, we learned that the app doesn’t do anything now. It isn’t designed to replace the current Copilot app and only exists to add new AI features in the future.

Microsoft has been working on multiple changes for Copilot in Windows. For example, we recently spotted that Microsoft doubled the characters limit to 8,000 from 4,000. If you’ve Copilot Pro, you can now use up to 16,000 characters. Additionally, you can directly upload documents – PDF, .doc, .xls, and .ppt to summarize.

Windows Latest has extensively covered upcoming AI features in Windows 11 24H2, which includes AI Explorer, Super Automatic Resolution, Paint NPU, and more. Some of these features will need an NPU and might remain exclusive to upcoming AI PCs powered by Snapdragon X Elite.

The post Microsoft rolls back a Windows 11 feature that replaced Show Desktop with Copilot appeared first on Windows Latest