Microsoft Edge “startup boost” speeds up the browser start time, and this is how you enable or disable the feature. Microsoft is updating its Chromium version of Edge with a new feature known as startup boost, which launches the browser processes in the background as soon as you sign in to Windows 10. Using this technique significantly reduces the time it takes to open Microsoft Edge when opening the browser to get online or clicking a link from an email or any other app....

Windows 10 includes a bunch of new features and improvements, and perhaps two of the biggest additions are the new Start menu and Cortana. These two new experiences are meant to help us get things done quickly, but nothing always is perfect. It’ll come the time when the Start menu won’t open or Cortana won’t launch due to internal errors, corruption, or other problems. One way you can identify and fix many of the problems related with the Start menu on Windows 10 , or if you’re having issues opening Cortana, is to use the “Start Menu Troubleshooter”....

Windows 11 includes an option to download and install “optional updates,” which are those updates that are not required (but necessary) to operate the computer properly. Usually, these are packages for Microsoft and third-party products, feature updates, optional monthly updates (release C and D), and device drivers (printers, cameras, network adapters, etc.). Optional updates are not new to Windows 11. The idea of giving you the choice of whether to install specific updates has been available since Windows 10 ....

Windows 10 receives two semi-annual updates each year to introduce new features and to improve the overall experience. However, because updates are mandatory, when a new feature update releases — for example, Windows 10 version 1809 (October 2018 Update) — , your device installs it automatically. The only problem is that during the early days, the new version may still have problems that could negatively affect the user experience. Usually, when a new version of Windows 10 becomes available, it may still contain unknown bugs, some features may not work correctly on every system configuration, and device drivers may break due to compatibility problems with the new release, and these are some of the reasons that deferring an upgrade until most issues are fixed can be a good idea....

Microsoft recently has stopped distributing the Windows 10 October 2018 Update as a result of numerous reports of missing files after the upgrade progress. On its support website , the software giant stated: “We have paused the rollout of the Windows 10 October 2018 Update (version 1809) for all users as we investigate isolated reports of users missing some files after updating.” In addition to pulling the update from Windows Update and through the Media Creation Tool and Update Assistant, the company is also recommending users to call its support line to get assistance....

The Windows Subsystem for Linux 2 (WSL2) is a feature that allows you to run Linux distros alongside Windows 10 . The most significant advantage of version 2 over version 1 is the new lightweight virtual machine architecture that offers better system performance and full support for call compatibility, rather than a direct translation between both operating systems. Also, since the distributions are available through the Microsoft Store, they install and behave like an app....

On Windows 10, you can roll back to a previous version of Microsoft Edge as needed, and you can complete this task in two different ways, and in this guide, you’ll learn how. Unlike the legacy version, the Chromium version of Microsoft Edge receives updates periodically indefinitely from the operating system to deliver fixes, improvements, and new features in the same timely fashion as other modern browsers (such as Firefox and Chrome)....

In this tutorial, I am going to show you how to save Microsoft Office 2010 documents to Windows Live SkyDrive; this way you can access them from any computer without the need to save them to a CD, USB drive, or any other type of storage media. Using SkyDrive is easy and convenient. To save a Microsoft Office 2010 document to SkyDrive follow these steps: Start an Office 2010 application, in this case Microsoft Word 2010, work in the document and when you are ready save it, click the File menu and select Save & Send....

Although you can use the web version of Android Messages to send texts from your PC, the Your Phone app for Windows 10 now supports the same functionality. The Your Phone app has been designed to further integrate your phone with your computer giving you quick access to your photos, notifications, and text messages. Initially, the app only included access to your recent photos, but now, it’s been updated to access and send text messages without having to reach for your phone....

To set up a VPN connection on Windows 11, open Settings > Network & internet > VPN , click on “Add VPN,” configure the connection settings, click on “Save,” and from the “VPN” page, click on “Connect” to establish a VPN connection. UPDATED 12/18/2025: On Windows 11 , you can manage Virtual Private Network (VPN) connections through the Settings app using the built-in VPN client, and in this guide, I’ll teach you the steps to complete this configuration....

In case you accidentally merged your Skype profile with a Microsoft account that you didn’t intend to, don’t panic you only need to unlink Skype from the Microsoft account, and then sign-in once again in the Skype Windows 8-style app with the correct email address and everything will be OK. Most likely it won’t be an issue, but you need to know that after you unlink Skype, you will no longer find contacts from the previous account in your profile....

Recently Microsoft announced that now is accepting Bitcoin to buy digital goods , including games, apps, music, and movies through the Windows, Windows Phone, and Xbox Store. For those unfamiliar, briefly, Bitcoin is a type of digital currency in which encryption technology is put in place to regulate the generation of units of currency and verify the transfer of funds, without the need of a central bank. Now if you’ve been harnessing bitcoins as miner or purchasing each bitcoin, you can use them to add money to your Microsoft account to pay for goods at the store....

On Windows 11 , you have multiple ways to see a list of all the installed printers, and in this guide, you will learn how. If you print from the same or different locations, sometimes, you may need to find the printers installed on your computer to ensure you have the correct device or determine if you need to remove one or more devices . Regardless of the reason, on Windows 11, you have different ways to view a list of printers installed on the computer, including using the Settings app, Printer Management, Command Prompt, and PowerShell....

On January 12, 2016, Microsoft finally ends support for older versions of Internet Explorer. Keeping focus on the new default web browser for Windows 10, Microsoft Edge , the software giant is now ending support for Internet Explorer 10, 9, 8. Moving forward Internet Explorer 11, which is the last version of the web browser, will be the only version to continue receiving security updates, compatibility fixes, and technical support in Windows 10 , Windows 8....

Microsoft is now rolling out Windows 11 build 26120.3653 in the Beta Channel as the update KB5053658 as part of the version 24H2 development. This is a significant release that introduces a new Quick Machine Recovery feature, a speech recap for Windows Narrator, a new interface to display the Green Screen of Death error, and much more. Furthermore, build 26120.3653 and higher releases remove the loophole with the OOBE\BYPASSNRO to bypass the internet requirements to install the operating system without an internet connection and with a local account....

Windows 11 build 28020.1371 (KB5073097) rolls out in the Canary Channel. This update includes fixes and improvements. It doesn’t introduce new features. Microsoft has released Windows 11 build 28020.1371 (KB5073097) in the Windows Insider Program for devices enrolled in the Canary Channel with several fixes, improvements, and known issues as part of the version 26H1 development. According to the official changelog , “Windows 11 Insider Preview Quality Update (28020.1371)” addresses the issue with pinned folders in the Start menu....

Photographer Shilpa S. Rao presents a curious but interesting collection of wallpapers in the Liquid Jewels theme. The collection includes 13 images of vibrant colors of flowers, petals softly touched by a few drops of water, simulating beautiful clear gems. You can download the theme from the Microsoft Store, and it is available for free to set as backgrounds on devices running Windows 10 only. If the background images rotate too quickly, after applying the theme on Settings > Personalization > Background , use the Change picture every drop-down menu to adjust the image rotation frequency....

Microsoft’s Windows Defender antivirus is now available for macOS users. According to a new post at the Microsoft Tech Community site , the company reveals that is renaming “Windows Defender” Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) to “Microsoft Defender” Advanced Threat Protection (ATP), and with the new name, the anti-malware protection is now coming to Mac devices. The security software has a similar interface to the one found on Windows 10 , and it offers virtually the same features, including protection for viruses, spyware, ransomware, and other types of malware....

Microsoft is reducing (but won’t eliminate) prompts to use Microsoft Edge on Windows 11 and 10 for users in the European Economic Area. Users can now set a different default browser more easily, and the change applies to more link and file types. These updates are part of changes rolling out in June 2025. Microsoft is making significant changes to Windows 11 and 10 in the European Economic Area (EEA) to comply with the European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA)....

Microsoft is experimenting with a new Command Palette Dock feature in PowerToys for Windows 11. The dock is a persistent, edge-mounted menu bar that can be placed on any side of the screen. It provides one-click access to PowerToys extensions, such as system monitoring and media controls. It partially addresses long-standing complaints about Windows 11’s Taskbar being locked to the bottom. Microsoft is experimenting with a new PowerToys feature that introduces a persistent, edge-docked menu bar on Windows 11 , offering power users an alternative way to access tools and system information without relying solely on the operating system’s static Taskbar....