Microsoft Launcher is an app that can replace the default launcher on Android devices, which offers a bunch of customization options to change the look and feel of the home screen and many other tweaks. Starting with version 4.10 and later, Microsoft Launcher is adding a very useful feature that allows parents to quickly find out their children location and app activities on their Android phones . The new feature is part of the family experience of the Microsoft account, which means that in order to work, you must add the young person as a child family member, and you need to install the Microsoft Launcher on their Android phones....

UPDATED 8/8/2023: The redesigned Outlook app for Windows 11 now supports Google’s Gmail service, and in this guide, you will learn how to add your Gmail account. The latest preview of the new Outlook app is available for everyone , including those using the classic desktop version through a Microsoft 365 subscription and those without a subscription using the Mail and Calendar app. In addition to the new interface and features, the preview is also rolling out with support for third-party email services....

To change volume label on Windows 11, open File Explorer > This PC , right-click the drive, choose “Rename,” type the new label name, and press “Enter.” Alternatively, open PowerShell (admin) and run the ‘Set-Volume -DriveLetter DRIVER-LETTER -NewFileSystemLabel “NEW-LABEL”‘ command to change the volume label name. On Windows 11 , you can assign a custom label for each volume that appears in File Explorer, and in this guide, you will learn how....

The Mail app on Windows 10 makes it easier to manage your emails no matter the service you use, including Outlook, Gmail, iCloud, POP, and IMAP. Although the app is pretty basic, you can customize various aspects of the experience, including the background image that appears when no email is selected. If you want to refresh the app look and feel, the Windows 10 Mail app ships with several background images, themes with specific backgrounds and colors, and you can even set a custom wallpaper or disable the feature....

On the new Outlook app for Windows 11 (and 10), you can change the notification settings, and in this guide, you will learn how. Microsoft has a new version of the Outlook app to replace the Mail and Calendar apps (and the classic desktop version of Outlook) with a design based on the web experience, and as part of the customization settings, the email client allows you to manage various notifications settings....

If you have peripherals, such as a mouse, keyboard, pen, or headphones, chances are they’re connected using Bluetooth, and if you want to check the battery level, you typically have to use their software or battery indicator in the peripheral itself. However, on Windows 10, you can also check the battery level more quickly using the Settings app. Of course, this is possible only if the Bluetooth device supports this feature....

Although you may have bought a new desktop computer or laptop featuring an Intel Core i9 processor, this doesn’t necessarily mean that you have the latest or fastest processor. In the old days, when Intel and other chip makers labeled their processors using their gigahertz speeds, the higher the number, the better. However, because hertz is not a real indicator of a processor’s performance, Intel changed its chip name scheme with the “Core” series to shift its marketing away from frequency....

Windows 10 version 1909, November 2019 Update, is on track to roll out to compatible devices sometime in late October, or early November, and if you want to avoid problems the best way to upgrade to the new version is to perform a clean installation. Although an in-place upgrade using Windows Update is typically the recommended method, there’s always a chance of issues and errors, which could result from custom configurations, apps and drivers incompatibility, and other problems....

On Windows 11 , when you launch the Windows Terminal, you have to run a command to start the tool or move to the tool’s directory to use it. Although it’s easy for those who are used to running commands, it can take some extra steps. If you usually use the same tool, you can save some extra steps by creating a Terminal profile that will launch the program automatically. In the case that the command-line tool doesn’t have an interface, meaning that you only need to run the command with specific options to return the output, then you can create a profile that starts the Windows Terminal in the program’s location to make it easier to use the tool....

To crop and lock an app on Windows 11, open “PowerToys” and enable the “Paste Crop And Lock” feature, then use the “Windows key + Ctrl + Shift + T” keyboard shortcut to crop a region of the app. Or use the “Windows key + Ctrl + Shift + R” keyboard shortcut to crop and lock an interactive region of the app. On Windows 11 , PowerToys includes a tool that allows you to crop and lock an application, and in this guide, you will learn how....

To delete files older than 10 days on Windows 11, use the “ForFiles” tool. Use this command: ForFiles /p “FOLDER-PATH” /s /d -10 /c “cmd /c del /q @file” . In the example, change “10” for the number of days you want and the folder path. On Windows 11 , you can use Command Prompt and PowerShell to delete files older than a specific number of days to free up space....

UPDATED 3/24/2025: On Windows 11 , you can disable “driver signature enforcement” to install unsigned drivers through the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) . This security feature ensures that only drivers signed by Microsoft are permitted, safeguarding system integrity. While it’s recommended to verify the integrity and publisher of any driver to prevent potential system instability or security risks, there are scenarios where installing an unsigned driver may become necessary. For instance, you might need to install an older driver version from a trusted source, use a device lacking a signed driver from its manufacturer, or test a custom, unsigned driver....

Timeline on Windows 10 is a feature that leverages the Microsoft Graph and allows you to get back to activities (for example, app, document, website) you were working in the past. These activities could have been started on the same computer or other devices, such as a laptop, tablet, and even your phone that are connected with the same Microsoft account. The only caveat is that in order to resume tasks across devices, Windows 10 has to track your PC activities, which for many users isn’t a big deal, but for others it can be a privacy or security concern....

On Windows 10 , Swift Pair is a feature that allows you to connect Bluetooth peripherals to your computer quickly. Swift Pair has been available since version 1803 , and basically, it’s a feature that reduces the steps required to pair a device. When enabled, you can set the Bluetooth peripheral closer to your computer for Windows 10 to detect it and display a notification to complete the pairing. However, if the feature isn’t already enabled, you must turn it on from the Settings app before using it....

Microsoft’s digital assistant, Cortana, is now integrated on Xbox One , but only on the United States and UK. As part of the Anniversary Update for Xbox One, the software giant is adding a slew of new features and changes. Perhaps one of the most noticeable changes is Cortana on Xbox One , but unfortunately it’s a feature only available for those who have set US-English or UK-English as their default system language....

Microsoft is finally bringing dark mode support to its OneNote app for Windows 10. The option is available through the settings page, and it allows you to change the look and feel of the app, just like the rest of the Office apps and File Explorer . When the dark mode is enabled, the background and navigation elements of OneNote will switch from the bright white to a more subtle black and dark gray color scheme....

On Windows 10, Eye Contact is a feature that uses artificial intelligence (AI) of the Surface Pro X processor to adjust your gaze on a video call to appear like if you’re looking into the camera, instead of the display, which is the natural behavior. The feature is rolling out as part of the Windows 10 build 20175 , and once it’s enabled through the Surface app, the eye contact correction will apply automatically to any app that use the front-facing camera of the Surface Pro X , such as Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Skype, and others....

On Microsoft Edge , you can enable an option to save screenshots of the sites you visit that will then appear as thumbnail previews in the History tab, and in this guide, you will learn how to enable the feature. In the latest preview of the browser (version 117) available in the Canary Channel (via Gizmochina ), Microsoft is testing a new feature that allows Edge to take a screenshot of the websites you visit to make them available as preview thumbnails when hovering over the link in the History tab to make it easier to identify the page you want to visit again....

Extract text from images on Windows 11 from Snipping Tool Extract text from images on Windows 11 from Photos Extract text from images on Windows 11 from PowerToys Extract text from images on Windows 11 from Click to Do To extract text from images with Snipping Tool, capture a screenshot, click “Text Actions,” select the text, right-click the selection, and choose the “Copy text” option. Or choose the “Copy all text” option from the “Text Actions” menu....

If you are using VirtualBox to create and run virtual machines on Windows 10 , it is likely that at one point or another, you may end up with an “E_FAIL (0x80004005)” error code that will prevent the virtual machine from starting. Usually, the failure will occur after upgrading to a new version (build) of Windows 10 or after you made changes to the Microsoft Hyper-V feature . Whatever the reason, if you see the error 0x80004005, you can quickly fix the issue by disabling the feature on Windows 10 ....