GoKawiil
Tech News
Microsoft maintains PowerToys, a free collection of more than 30 utilities for Windows 11 and Windows 10 (version 2004 and later) on x64 and ARM64 machines, distributed under an MIT license on GitHub. Users can install it via the Microsoft Store, GitHub, or WinGet, and switch individual tools on or off as needed, including a window-arranging module called FancyZones.
Microsoft has published specifics behind its earlier claims that 8GB Windows 11 machines now run up to 20% more responsively and 40% faster at multitasking. Since January, changes include faster Start menu, File Explorer and Settings access, quicker Edge launches, default Efficiency Mode in Teams, and apps like Word, PowerPoint, Excel and Outlook using up to 360MB less RAM. Microsoft also points to features like sleeping inactive tabs after 15 minutes and on-demand widget loading as further memory-saving measures.
Microsoft announced optimizations to Windows 11 aimed at devices with only 8GB of RAM, claiming the system is now up to 20% more responsive and 40% faster at multitasking in its own lab tests. The company says it achieved this through memory compression that keeps up to 2GB more active data in RAM, reduced background indexing during active use, and efficiency tweaks including a 33% faster Edge browser launch.
Microsoft says updates in Windows 11 improve speed and memory handling specifically for PCs with 8GB of RAM, letting them run multiple apps and files more efficiently. The company outlined three goals: better use of existing memory, prioritizing tasks that need to feel instant, and reducing the memory footprint of Windows and key apps. Users can see the changes by updating to the Windows 11 26H2 build.
Researchers identified a new UEFI bootkit, tracked as BlackX, that infected Windows machines even though they had installed all of Microsoft's patches addressing the 2023 BlackLotus bootkit. Like BlackLotus, BlackX exploits a flaw called 'Baton Drop' in the Windows boot manager to bypass Secure Boot and run malicious code before the operating system and its security defenses fully load.
Microsoft released a Windows 11 update that it says makes the OS up to 20 percent more responsive and multitasking up to 40 percent faster on PCs with 8GB of RAM, according to Windows chief Pavan Davuluri. The gains come largely from improved memory compression, letting Windows keep up to 2GB more active data in RAM rather than offloading it to slower disk storage, alongside memory-saving changes to Edge, widgets, and Microsoft 365 apps that Davuluri says cut committed-memory growth by up to 900MB.
Tiny11 developer NTDEV demonstrated booting Windows 11 version 26H2 on a system with just 128MB of RAM, far below Microsoft's stated 4GB minimum. The stripped-down build could still load the desktop, File Explorer, Start menu and Notepad, though the developer described performance as painfully slow.
Microsoft's new Insider Experimental Preview Build (26340.9843) allows users to type an app's name into Windows 11's taskbar Search and launch it directly on a connected Android phone, mirroring it on the PC via Phone Link. The same build adds the ability to call, text, or trigger phone actions like Do Not Disturb from Search, currently for Android with iPhone support promised early next year. The feature works with select phones from Samsung, HONOR, OPPO, ASUS, vivo, Xiaomi, iQOO, and Realme.
Microsoft has confirmed that Windows 11 version 26H2, released September 29, 2026, is now rolling out to all eligible devices running 24H2, 25H2 or compatible hardware. The upgrade also remains free for up-to-date Windows 10 systems enrolled in extended support, though earlier Windows 10 versions no longer qualify.
Microsoft has fixed an issue that left the Smart App Control security feature grayed out and unable to be turned on for some Windows 11 24H2+ devices after installing the October 2026 KB5127648 update. The company says the fix is included in the KB5127936 preview update released October 28, 2026, and devices that already had Smart App Control enabled were never affected. Microsoft also published a registry-edit workaround for enterprise admins who prefer to wait for next month's cumulative update rather than install the preview patch.
Windows 11 includes a built-in shortcut, activated with Win+X, that opens what is known as the Quick Link Menu or Windows-X Menu. This menu gathers a curated set of system management and troubleshooting tools in one place, rather than requiring users to hunt through separate settings panels.
A writer with a decade-old laptop ineligible for Windows 11 tried ChromeOS Flex before installing Fedora Linux, a process that took under 15 minutes. They reported the machine ran smoothly on the GNOME desktop, handling multiple apps and browser tabs without noticeable slowdown.