MD-100 information source - Windows 10 Updated: 2023 | ||||||||
MD-100 Dumps and Practice software with Real Question | ||||||||
![]() |
||||||||
|
||||||||
Exam Code: MD-100 Windows 10 information source November 2023 by Killexams.com team | ||||||||
MD-100 Windows 10 Deploy Windows Deploy Windows 10 • configure language packs • migrate user data • perform a clean installation • perform an in-place upgrade (using tools such as MDT, WDS, ADK, etc.) • select the appropriate windows edition • troubleshoot activation issues Perform post-installation configuration • configure Edge and Internet Explorer • configure mobility settings • configure sign-in options • customize the Windows desktop Manage devices and data Manage local users, local groups, and devices • manage devices in directories • manage local groups • manage local users Configure data access and protection • configure NTFS permissions • configure shared permissions Configure devices by using local policies • configure local registry • implement local policy • troubleshoot group policies on devices Manage Windows security • configure user account control (UAC) • configure Windows Defender Firewall • implement encryption Configure connectivity Configure networking • configure client IP settings • configure mobile networking • configure VPN client • troubleshoot networking • configure Wi-Fi profiles Configure remote connectivity • configure remote management • enable PowerShell Remoting • configure remote desktop access Maintain Windows Configure system and data recovery • perform file recovery (including OneDrive) • recover Windows 10 • troubleshoot startup/boot process Manage updates • check for updates • troubleshoot updates • validate and test updates • select the appropriate servicing channel • configure Windows update options Monitor and manage Windows • configure and analyze event logs • manage performance • manage Windows 10 environment Deploy and update operating systems Plan and implement Windows 10 by using dynamic deployment • evaluate and select an appropriate deployment options • pilot deployment • manage and troubleshoot provisioning packages Plan and implement Windows 10 by using Windows Autopilot • evaluate and select an appropriate deployment options • pilot deployment • create, validate, and assign deployment profile • extract device HW information to CSV file • import device HW information to cloud service • troubleshoot deployment Upgrade devices to Windows 10 • identify upgrade and downgrade paths • manage in-place upgrades • configure a Windows analytics environment • perform Upgrade Readiness assessment • migrate user profiles Manage updates • configure Windows 10 delivery optimization • configure Windows Update for Business • deploy Windows updates • implement feature updates • monitor Windows 10 updates Manage device authentication • manage authentication policies • manage sign-on options • perform Azure AD join Manage policies and profiles Plan and implement co-management • implement co-management precedence • migrate group policy to MDM policies • recommend a co-management strategy Implement conditional access and compliance policies for devices • implement conditional access policies • manage conditional access policies • plan conditional access policies • implement device compliance policies • manage device compliance policies • plan device compliance policies Configure device profiles • implement device profiles • manage device profiles • plan device profiles Manage user profiles • configure user profiles • configure Enterprise State Roaming in Azure AD • configure sync settings • implement Folder Redirection, including OneDrive Manage and protect devices Manage Windows Defender • implement and manage Windows Defender Application Guard • implement and manage Windows Defender Credential Guard • implement and manage Windows Defender Exploit Guard • implement Microsoft Defender Advanced Threat Protection • integrate Windows Defender Application Control • manage Windows Defender Antivirus Manage Intune device enrollment and inventory • configure enrollment settings • configure Intune automatic enrollment • enable device enrollment • enroll non-Windows devices • enroll Windows devices • generate custom device inventory reports Review device inventory Monitor devices • monitor device health (e.g., log analytics, Windows Analytics, or other cloud-based tools, etc.) • monitor device security Manage apps and data Deploy and update applications • assign apps to groups • deploy apps by using Intune • deploy apps by using Microsoft Store for Business • deploy O365 ProPlus • enable sideloading of apps into images • gather Office readiness data • configure and implement kiosk (assigned access) or public devices Implement Mobile Application Management (MAM) • implement MAM policies • manage MAM policies • plan MAM • configure Windows Information Protection • implement Azure Information Protection templates • securing data by using Intune | ||||||||
Windows 10 Microsoft Windows information source | ||||||||
Other Microsoft examsMOFF-EN Microsoft Operations Framework Foundation62-193 Technology Literacy for Educators AZ-400 Microsoft Azure DevOps Solutions DP-100 Designing and Implementing a Data Science Solution on Azure MD-100 Windows 10 MD-101 Managing Modern Desktops MS-100 Microsoft 365 Identity and Services MS-101 Microsoft 365 Mobility and Security MB-210 Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Sales MB-230 Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Customer Service MB-240 Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Field Service MB-310 Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations, Financials (2023) MB-320 Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations, Manufacturing MS-900 Microsoft Dynamics 365 Fundamentals MB-220 Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Marketing MB-300 Microsoft Dynamics 365 - Core Finance and Operations MB-330 Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations, Supply Chain Management AZ-500 Microsoft Azure Security Technologies 2023 MS-500 Microsoft 365 Security Administration AZ-204 Developing Solutions for Microsoft Azure MS-700 Managing Microsoft Teams AZ-120 Planning and Administering Microsoft Azure for SAP Workloads AZ-220 Microsoft Azure IoT Developer MB-700 Microsoft Dynamics 365: Finance and Operations Apps Solution Architect AZ-104 Microsoft Azure Administrator 2023 AZ-303 Microsoft Azure Architect Technologies AZ-304 Microsoft Azure Architect Design DA-100 Analyzing Data with Microsoft Power BI DP-300 Administering Relational Databases on Microsoft Azure DP-900 Microsoft Azure Data Fundamentals MS-203 Microsoft 365 Messaging MS-600 Building Applications and Solutions with Microsoft 365 Core Services PL-100 Microsoft Power Platform App Maker PL-200 Microsoft Power Platform Functional Consultant PL-400 Microsoft Power Platform Developer AI-900 Microsoft Azure AI Fundamentals MB-500 Microsoft Dynamics 365: Finance and Operations Apps Developer SC-400 Microsoft Information Protection Administrator MB-920 Microsoft Dynamics 365 Fundamentals Finance and Operations Apps (ERP) MB-800 Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central Functional Consultant PL-600 Microsoft Power Platform Solution Architect AZ-600 Configuring and Operating a Hybrid Cloud with Microsoft Azure Stack Hub SC-300 Microsoft Identity and Access Administrator SC-200 Microsoft Security Operations Analyst DP-203 Data Engineering on Microsoft Azure MB-910 Microsoft Dynamics 365 Fundamentals (CRM) AI-102 Designing and Implementing a Microsoft Azure AI Solution AZ-140 Configuring and Operating Windows Virtual Desktop on Microsoft Azure MB-340 Microsoft Dynamics 365 Commerce Functional Consultant MS-740 Troubleshooting Microsoft Teams SC-900 Microsoft Security, Compliance, and Identity Fundamentals AZ-800 Administering Windows Server Hybrid Core Infrastructure AZ-801 Configuring Windows Server Hybrid Advanced Services AZ-700 Designing and Implementing Microsoft Azure Networking Solutions AZ-305 Designing Microsoft Azure Infrastructure Solutions AZ-900 Microsoft Azure Fundamentals PL-300 Microsoft Power BI Data Analyst PL-900 Microsoft Power Platform Fundamentals MS-720 Microsoft Teams Voice Engineer DP-500 Designing and Implementing Enterprise-Scale Analytics Solutions Using Microsoft Azure and Microsoft Power BI PL-500 Microsoft Power Automate RPA Developer SC-100 Microsoft Cybersecurity Architect MO-201 Microsoft Excel Expert (Excel and Excel 2019) MO-100 Microsoft Word (Word and Word 2019) MS-220 Troubleshooting Microsoft Exchange Online | ||||||||
Are you looking for MD-100 MD-100 Dumps with real questions for the MD-100 test prep? We provide recently updated and great MD-100 Dumps. Detail is at http://killexams.com/pass4sure/exam-detail/MD-100. We have compiled a database of MD-100 Dumps from real exams. If you want to can help you put together and pass MD-100 test on the first attempt. Just put together our Q&A and relax. You will pass the exam. | ||||||||
MD-100 Dumps MD-100 Braindumps MD-100 Real Questions MD-100 Practice Test MD-100 dumps free Microsoft MD-100 Windows 10 http://killexams.com/pass4sure/exam-detail/MD-100 Question: 60 HOTSPOT You have 20 computers that run Windows 11. You need to enable Windows Sandbox on the computers. How should you complete the command? To answer, select the appropriate options in the answer area. NOTE: Each correct selection is worth one point. Answer: Explanation: Box 1: Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature To Enable Windows 10 Sandbox with PowerShell, Question: 61 You have a Microsoft Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) tenant. Some users sign in to their computer by using Windows Hello for Business. A user named User1 purchases a new computer and joins the computer to Azure AD. User1 attempts to configure the sign-in options and receives the error message shown in the exhibit. You open Device Manager and confirm that all the hardware works correctly. You need to ensure that User1 can use Windows Hello for Business facial recognition to sign in to the computer. What should you do first? A. Purchase an infrared (IR) camera. B. Upgrade the computer to Windows 10 Enterprise. C. Enable UEFI Secure Boot. D. Install a virtual TPM driver. Answer: B Explanation: References: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/security/identity-protection/hello-for-business/hello-planning-guide Question: 62 You have a public computer named Computer1 that runs Windows 10/ Computer1 contains a folder named Folder1. You need to provide a user named User1 with the ability to modify the permissions of Folder1. The solution must use the principle of least privilege. Which NTFS permission should you assign to User1? A. Full control B. Modify C. Write D. Read & execute Answer: A Explanation: References: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/previous-versions/windows/it-pro/windows-server-2008-R2-and-2008/cc732880%28v%3dws.10%29 http://www.mdmarra.com/2013/11/full-control-v-modify-why-you-should-be.html Question: 63 You have a computer that runs Windows 10. You need to configure a picture password. What should you do? A. From Control Panel, configure the User Accounts settings. B. From the Settings app, configure the Sign-in options. C. From the Local Group Policy Editor, configure the Account Policies settings. D. From Windows PowerShell, run the Set-LocalUser cmdlet and specify the InputObject parameter. Answer: B Question: 64 HOTSPOT You have computers that run Windows 10 Enterprise as shown in the following table. Both computers have applications installed and contain user data. You plan to configure both computers to run Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC 2019 and to retain all the existing applications and data. You need to recommend a method to deploy Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC 2019 to the computers. The solution must minimize effort to install and configure the applications. What should you include in the recommendation for each computer? To answer, select the appropriate options in the answer area. NOTE: Each correct selection is worth one point. Answer: Explanation: Graphical user interface, text, application, chat or text message Description automatically generated References: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/deployment/upgrade/windows-10-upgrade-paths Question: 65 CORRECT TEXT Please wait while the virtual machine loads. Once loaded, you may proceed to the lab section. This may take a few minutes, and the wait time will not be deducted from your overall test time. When the Next button is available, click it to access the lab section. In this section, you will perform a set of tasks in a live environment. While most functionality will be available to you as it would be in a live environment, some functionality (e.g., copy and paste, ability to navigate to external websites) will not be possible by design. Scoring is based on the outcome of performing the tasks stated in the lab. In other words, it doesnt matter how you accomplish the task, if you successfully perform it, you will earn credit for that task. Labs are not timed separately, and this test may more than one lab that you must complete. You can use as much time as you would like to complete each lab. But, you should manage your time appropriately to ensure that you are able to complete the lab(s) and all other sections of the test in the time provided. Please note that once you submit your work by clicking the Next button within a lab, you will NOT be able to return to the lab. Username and password Use the following login credentials as needed: To enter your password, place your cursor in the Enter password box and click on the password below. Username: Contoso/Administrator Password: Passw0rd! The following information is for technical support purposes only: Lab Instance: 10921597 You need to create a user account named User5 on Client2. The solution must meet the following requirements: Prevent User5 from changing the password of the account. Ensure that User5 can perform backups. Use the principle of least privilege. To complete this task, sign in to the required computer or computers. Answer: On Client2, press the Win + X keys on your keyboard. Then, click or tap the Computer Management option from the menu. Expand the Local Users and Groups from the left side of the window, and select Users. Right-click somewhere on the blank space found in the middle section of the window, and click or tap on New User. This opens the New User window, where you can enter all the details about the new user account. Type the user name and, optionally, its full name and description. Type the password to be used for that user and confirm it. Select the User cannot change password check box. Click Create and Windows immediately creates the user account. When you are done creating user accounts, click Close in the New User window. Press the Win + R keys to open Run, type secpol.msc into Run, and click/tap on OK to open Local Security Policy. Expand open Local Policies in the left pane of Local Security Policy, click/tap on User Rights Assignment, and double click/tap on the Back up files and directories policy in the right pane. Click/tap on the Add User or Group button. Click/tap on the Object Types button. Check all the boxes for Object types, and click/tap on the OK. Click/tap on the Advanced button. Click/tap on the Find Now button, select the name of the user or group Click/tap on OK. Click/tap on OK. When finished, you can close Local Users and Groups. Question: 66 Your company has an on-premises network that contains an Active Directory domain. The domain is synced to Microsoft Azure Active Directory (Azure AD). All computers in the domain run Windows 10 Enterprise. You have a computer named Computer1 that has a folder named C:Folder1. You want to use File History to protect C:Folder1. Solution: You enable File History on Computer1. You then encrypt the contents of Folder1. Does this meet the goal? A. Yes B. No Answer: B Explanation: File History only backs up copies of files that are in Libraries, and Desktop folders and the OneDrive files available offline on your PC. If you have files or folders elsewhere that you want backed up, you can add them to one of these folders. Reference: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/17128/windows-8-file-history Question: 67 HOTSPOT For each of the following statements, select Yes if the statement is true. Otherwise, select No. NOTE: Each correct selection is worth one point. Answer: Explanation: Graphical user interface, text, application, email Description automatically generated Question: 68 Your network an Active Directory domain named adatum.com. The domain contains 50 computers that runs Windows 8.1. The computer has locally installed desktop application that are compatible with Windows 10. You need to upgrade the computers to windows 10, The solution must preserver the locally installed desktop applications. Solution: You use Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT) and create a task sequence. One each compute, you run the task sequence. Does the meet the goal? A. Yes B. No Answer: B Question: 69 You have a computer named Computer1 that runs Windows 10. Computer1 is in a workgroup. Computer1 contains the local users shown in the following table. The Users group has Modify permissions to a folder named D:Folder1. User3 creates a file named File1.docx in Folder1. Which users can take ownership of File1.docx? A. Administrator and User1 only B. Administrator only C. Administrator, User1, and User2 D. Administrator and User2 only Answer: B Explanation: Only a member of the Administrators group can take ownership of a file or folder. Question: 70 HOTSPOT You have a computer that runs Windows 10. You view the domain services status as shown in the following exhibit. Use the drop-down menus to select the answer choice that completes each statement based on the information presented in the graphic. NOTE: Each correct selection is worth one point. Answer: Explanation: Device is Azure AD joined; not domain joined. The MDM URLs in the exhibit indicate the device is enrolled in Intune. References: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/active-directory/devices/troubleshoot-device-dsregcmd https://github.com/MicrosoftLearning/MD-101T00-ManagingModernDesktops/blob/master/Instructions/Labs/0403- Enrolling%20devices%20in%20Intune.md Question: 71 Note: This question is part of a series of questions that present the same scenario. Each question in the series contains a unique solution that might meet the stated goals. Some question sets might have more than one correct solution, while others might not have a correct solution. After you answer a question in this section, you will NOT be able to return to it. As a result, these questions will not appear in the review screen. You manage devices that run Windows 10. Ten sales users will travel to a location that has limited bandwidth that is expensive. The sales users will be at the location for three weeks. You need to prevent all Windows updates from downloading for the duration of the trip. The solution must not prevent access to email and the Internet. Solution: From Accounts in the Settings app, you turn off Sync settings. Does this meet the goal? A. Yes B. No Answer: B Question: 72 HOTSPOT You have two workgroup computers named Computer1 and Computer2 that run Windows 10. The computers contain the local security principals shown in the following table. Which security principals can be members of GroupA and GroupC? To answer, select the appropriate options in the answer area. NOTE: Each correct selection is worth one point. Answer: Explanation: Graphical user interface, text, application, chat or text message Description automatically generated Question: 73 You have a file named Reg1.reg that contains the following content. What is the effect of importing the file? A. A key named command will be renamed as notepad.exe. B. In a key named Notepad, the command value will be set to @="notepad.exe". C. In a key named command, the default value will be set to notepad.exe. Answer: C For More exams visit https://killexams.com/vendors-exam-list Kill your test at First Attempt....Guaranteed! | ||||||||
A surprise update from Microsoft adds artificial intelligence to older PCs. Microsoft is bringing a preview of its generative AI Copilot tool to Windows 10 for businesses and home users to start; Copilot will come to managed PCs later when IT pros get the tools to support and manage it. While Copilot won’t be in today’s Windows 10 update, as it requires additional testing before release, Microsoft will be using it to refine the update experience for what it calls “seekers,” adding a new Get The Latest Updates As Soon As They’re Available toggle to Windows Update. Selecting this will opt you into early access to non-security updates, including Windows Copilot as soon as it is available. The arrival of Copilot in Windows 10 isn’t changing the operating system’s end-of-life date, which is still scheduled for Oct. 14, 2025. Microsoft is describing this release as about “bringing the value of AI and specifically Copilot” to Windows 10. Jump to: An unexpected Windows 10 updateDuring his Microsoft Ignite keynote on Nov. 15, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella called this the “age of copilots.” Microsoft is now delivering its AI assistants to places we weren’t expecting; Windows Copilot is coming to Windows 10 (Figure A). Figure A ![]() When Microsoft rolled out the 22H2 update to Windows 10 in October 2022, it was expected to be the last major update to Windows 10 before its support lifecycle ends in 2025. Microsoft has announced that it is bringing at least some of the features of its Copilot AI assistant to Windows 10, launching it in a Windows Insider build, as well as teasing possible additional changes in the future. However, the arrival of this update doesn’t mean that Microsoft is changing when support ends. Microsoft’s growing family of Copilots launched in February 2023 as Bing Chat, which has since been rebranded as part of Microsoft’s suite of AI assistant tools. It builds on top of Microsoft’s OpenAI partnerships and the GPT-series of large language models, delivering on Microsoft’s long-held ambition of adding natural user interfaces to Windows. Windows Copilot uses a mix of GPT’s language parsing capabilities and its summarization tools to provide answers to questions, using the database behind the Bing search engine as a source of information beyond GPT’s own training data, with other data sources and services where needed. As a result, it has been rolling out different Copilots, focusing on specific tasks: coding, business applications, security and more. Copilot for Windows is intended to help you find things on and about your PC that you might not find by other means, where they might be buried several layers down in Settings, as well as provide you quick access to chat-powered services. Windows 11’s Copilot rolled out as part of the 22H2 Moment 4 update earlier this fall, with access to Bing search and to a subset of Windows features and system applications. You can use it to open tools like Focus or change between light and dark modes. Who can access Windows Copilot in Windows 10Access to the preview of Windows Copilot in Windows 10 will be via a non-security update, initially for Windows Insiders in the Release Preview channel. There are hardware limitations, too: You will need at least 4 GB of RAM and a 720p display to use Copilot. Not all countries will get access to this first release, with it being limited to North America and parts of Asia and South America. The initial release will only be available for consumer PCs that have opted in to the Windows Insider program, applicable to Home and Pro installs that aren’t managed by an IT department. This will allow IT professionals to try it out on sandboxed PCs before Microsoft makes it available to all Windows 10 devices. How to access Windows Copilot in Windows 10Like the Windows 11 Copilot, the Windows 10 version will be an embedded web view launched via a Copilot button in the taskbar. Unlike Windows 11, this button will be at the far right of the taskbar, next to the date and time. Click the button, and Copilot will open on the right of your screen without overlaying your other windows, which will be resized and moved. You will be able to open Copilot using the familiar Win C shortcut used to launch Cortana. Windows 10 Copilot vs Windows 11 CopilotNot all the features and skills in the Windows 11 version of Copilot will be available in the Windows 10 version of the AI assistant because the APIs those features use aren’t part of Windows 10, and there are no plans to add them. Where APIs are available, additional skills will be added in future updates to Windows 10’s Copilot. Other Copilot features that depend on Windows 11 hardware capabilities are unlikely to be delivered because Microsoft can’t certain their availability on older devices. One important aspect of this update is that many Windows Copilot features depend on information that’s associated with a user’s Microsoft account. An account wasn’t necessary for Windows 10, so users will need to create one to get the most from the service. Why Windows 10 Copilot makes senseWhile adding Copilot to Windows 10 is an unexpected change, it’s one that makes sense for Microsoft and its users. Adding AI to Windows 10 will provide older PCs a new lease of life, and Microsoft will get more data on how people use AI while refining its growing natural language capabilities. More news from Microsoft Ignite: Microsoft Copilot Announced for Azure and New Solutions Offer More Security and Productivity from Windows in the Cloud There’s a lot to be said for open source software. The ability to change code to suit one’s needs, the fact that security vulnerabilities can be easier to find, and the overall transparency are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the strengths of using open source software. And, while Microsoft is no Apple when it comes to locking down their source code, their operating system is still, unfortunately, closed. Don’t despair, though! There is a project out there that aims to change this. No, they’re not stealing anything or breaking into any computers to obtain Microsoft’s code. They’re writing their own version of Windows called ReactOS that aims to be binary-compatible with Windows. The software has been in development for over a decade, but they’re ready to release version 0.4 which will bring USB, sound, networking, wireless, SATA, and many more features to the operating system. While ReactOS isn’t yet complete for everyday use, the developers have made great strides in understanding how Windows itself works. There is a lot of documentation coming from the project regarding many previously unknown or undocumented parts of Windows, and with more developers there could be a drop-in replacement for Windows within a few years. It’s definitely worth a shot if you fondly remember the frontier days of Linux where doing things like studying information on a CD required extensive experience using the terminal. If this is a little too much, though, there are other unique operating systems out there to investigate. Thanks for the tip, [Matt]! The Steps Recorder app for Windows is going away. Microsoft has quietly confirmed it’s killing off the Step Recorder, famous for recording screen on Windows 7, in a future release of Windows, likely via a cumulative update. This was confirmed in a quality updated support document. Windows 7-era Steps Recorder app’s primary purpose is to help consumers troubleshoot a problem on their devices by recording the screen. This includes exact steps to reproduce the issue, which is why the name “Steps Recorder”. With Steps Recorder, users could send the recorded video to the tech support team and help them diagnose the problem. As part of its efforts to reduce bloatware in Windows, Microsoft plans to remove the Steps Recorder app in a future release of Windows. The company confirmed the app is no longer being “updated” and recommends switching to modern options like web-based Clipshamp, Snipping Tool or Game Bar. ![]() “Steps Recorder is no longer being updated and will be removed in a future release of Windows. For screen recording, we recommend the Snipping Tool, Xbox Game Bar, or Microsoft Clipchamp,” Microsoft noted. Some people still use and love Steps Recorder on WindowsIn a conversation with Windows Latest, some users reminisced about the often-overlooked utility, Steps Recorder, as Microsoft plans to discontinue it in Windows 11. Some people still use the Steps Recorder for troubleshooting issues on Windows and consider the tool pretty straightforward and lightweight, albeit with some quirks, especially when recording Command Prompt sequences. ![]() One of our readers highlighted Steps Recorder’s role as a troubleshooting aid, detailing its straightforward activation process via psr.exe. The tool’s capability to capture keyboard and mouse activity in screenshots, coupled with descriptions, made it a helpful app for creating troubleshooting tutorials. With Steps Recorder going away, you can use Microsoft’s native screen recorders like Game Bar, Snipping Tool and Clipchamp or switch to a third-party open-source alternative like OBS. Other apps going away on WindowsIn addition to Steps Recorder, Microsoft plans to remove several legacy apps and services in the coming months. This includes the unpopular “Tips” app, which is being deprecated for now, and the content will continue to be updated with new information. Microsoft is also removing the Computer Browser driver and service, Webclient (WebDAV) Service, Remote Mailslots, Windows Timeline for Microsoft Entra accounts, VBScript and more. That’s not all. Windows 12 won’t even ship with WordPad as Microsoft wants people to try Word or NotePad, which supports rich text documents.
At a glance
Expert's RatingPros
Cons
Our VerdictMicrosoft’s Windows 11 2023 Update (23H2) is the most meaningful update in years, striding toward the promise of an AI PC. But it’s not there yet. Price When Reviewed$139.99 Best Prices Today: Windows 11 2023 UpdateMicrosoft’s most accurate update to Windows 11, formally known as the Windows 11 2023 Update (23H2), is the most consequential update in some time. Of course, you probably think you know why: Windows Copilot, Microsoft’s first step in creating a Windows “AI PC.” But there’s as much under the hood and within updates to familiar applications like Paint that almost overshadow the rest. Microsoft began rolling out the Windows 11 2023 Update at the very end of October, and you should see it start to deploy on your PC in the coming weeks — if it’s not there already. Consider this to be a review of the new features, but also recommendations to those you should try. It’s important to note that Windows 11’s 2023 Update is both a cumulative update, as well as one that won’t be rolled out in one fell swoop. I expected to see some features in my Windows 11 Home test laptops, including features that other publications have reported were present. At press time, some of those have shown up; a few haven’t. To ensure that you do the latest features, update your PC via Windows Update after checking the “Get the latest updates as soon as they are available” box. Check the Microsoft Store, too, for individual app updates. My favorite new features in the Windows 11 2023 Update? Passkeys, the updates to Paint and Photos, and heck, even Snipping Tool. Copilot is…okay. But killing off Mail in favor of the new Outlook app? Boo. BOO. ![]() Mark Hachman / IDG Windows Copilot (Copilot) is blandly effectiveWindows Copilot, now just called Copilot, is the flagship feature of Windows 11’s 2023 Update, and for good reason: Copilot helps usher in a new generation of AI-infused PCs. Copilot is an odd amalgamation of Bing Chat with some of the capabilities of Windows’ old Cortana app, now deprecated. Type in a question to the small chat box (up to 2000 characters, or less than about 500 words) and Copilot will return a Bing Chat-like response with a couple of sources at the end. Ask it to draw you a picture, and it will. It even can perform a few Windows tasks for you, such as shifting your PC to dark mode. You’ll find the Copilot icon on your Taskbar, most likely just to the right of the Search box. (Or else use Windows+C). Copilot is rudimentary at best. It’s slow: on a 400Mbps home broadband connection, it took about eighteen seconds to respond to a request, and several more to generate a response. Copilot churns through its response, line by line, reminiscent of how a dot matrix printer’s head would go back and forth. ![]() Mark Hachman / IDG On average, Copilot is a novelty. It’s not omnipresent, such as how your browser’s URL/search bar is. Instead, it must be opened via the small Copilot icon on your taskbar. Somewhat ironically, it appears right next to the Windows Search box — which really does nothing of the sort, search-wise. Microsoft has yet to commit to a genuine search experience on the desktop, and Copilot isn’t it. Copilot can be used as a search tool, and functions pretty well when it’s asked to provide a lengthy response on a given Topic — such as what it itself can do. Ask it for assistance with a pitch deck, and it provides good advice. But as someone who has written for a living for about a quarter of a century, Copilot’s sourcing mechanism — a footnote, with a link at the bottom — is depressing. A list of links, whether it be from Bing, Google, Brave or elsewhere, provides some visual context as to what that page contains. There’s no indication whether Copilot knows what it’s talking about. The key with Copilot: experiment. Do not think of it as a search engine, with narrow, factual queries. The best test of Copilot is to try open-ended queries. Copilot does have access to Bing, so asking it for up-to-date information will work: I asked it a question about a accurate world event, and it cited information recorded on the date I asked it. One weakness: The information Copilot cited came from a report on its own news service, MSN, which only gave the headline when I hovered over it. As it turned out, the source was a respected news source, Reuters, but that’s not obvious. And then there’s the personality. Which is to say, there isn’t one. Windows 11’s Copilot offers the same three personality modes at the beginning of the conversation: Creative, Precise, and Balanced. Changing them doesn’t seem to have much effect, as far as most generic inquiries are concerned. ![]() Mark Hachman / IDG Microsoft goes to ludicrous lengths make sure you’re not offended or that it’s not violating privacy policies. “How do I create a pitch deck” warned me that the conversation wouldn’t be saved, as the information wouldn’t be public. God forbid you ask it anything even remotely racy, such as a question about the role of the male prostate. “My mistake, I can’t provide a response to that right now. Let’s try a different topic” will be a frequent response. And if you do choose to exercise your adult prerogative, it gets snippy: “That is not an appropriate Topic for me to chat about. Please respect my boundaries and let’s talk about something else. Thank you. 🙔 Copilot feels less like a personal assistant and more like a young HR representative sitting next to your desk. Copilot will also summarize a web page, which is really handy for long articles or papers. The catch is, naturally, that it only understands Web pages which were opened in Edge, and it has to have been opened before the Web page loads, not the other way around. But yes, this is a useful feature. One problem, though, is that Copilot isn’t consistent across Windows. A version of Copilot is tucked away inside Edge; if you click the icon in the upper-right-hand corner, you’ll see a Copilot window open up. But this version of Copilot is the less powerful one: if you ask it to switch your PC to dark mode, Copilot will provide you a list of instructions that includes locating and switching the Windows setting. The Windows Copilot on the taksbar will offer a button to actually perform the process, instead. ![]() Mark Hachman / IDG Windows has always lacked a robust, one-stop-shop for help, tips, and new features. Copilot’s ability to guide and adjust settings on your Windows PC feels like a step forward, but it’s still so very random. I was rather pleased when I was able to ask Copilot exactly what it could do, and received a nice summary: take a screenshot, change your PC to dark mode, manage Bluetooth, and initiate a screen cast. All these are sort of useful, though painfully slow to use. And they work. But what Copilot can do to manage your PC feels like such a tiny teaspoon of features set against the gallons of things Windows can already accomplish that it’s just not worth even asking. Even just being able to link to the appropriate Settings menu would be a good start. But there is potential, even now. When I asked Copilot for help creating a pitch deck, it offered to open PowerPoint, and then gave me a list of ideas to construct it. And when I opened PowerPoint, I noticed that it had chosen to highlight “pitch deck” templates. That’s exactly what users will want Copilot to do. Microsoft is not going to be in a race to convince users that Copilot can accomplish their tasks — but to convince users to assume Copilot will be able to perform those tasks. Until Microsoft can build a dependence upon Copilot, the feature will flounder. File Explorer’s UI update feels useful for business usersI was pleasantly surprised by how much I value the new changes to File Explorer, specifically a new “carousel” view of files that puts the most recommended files atop File Explorer’s new “Home” view, and a “Gallery” view that shows you your photo thumbnails. Windows 11 only seems to allow access to the carousel view if you have a corporate SharePoint account (my employer, IDG, does) and not if you use a personal Microsoft 365 subscription. But not only is it a nice way of keeping frequently-used documents handy, it also seems to aggregate documents that were emailed to a work account. Note that the documents File Explorer collects seem to be different than the “Recommended” files that the Windows Start menu collects. ![]() Mark Hachman / IDG If a file does appear in the carousel view, you’ll see some accompanying information attached to it, who created it, if you recently edited it, and so forth. You’ll even see “conversations” about it. The latter, though, assumes that you’re working and chatting about it in Windows apps. Emails about it didn’t seem to be referenced, and if you discuss the file in, say, Slack, I wouldn’t expect those conversations will appear. There are many ways of transferring photos from a phone to a PC, including the Your Phone app that Microsoft provides for Android phones. The File Explorer Gallery view is another option, with a no-nonsense mosaic of photos that it pulls from your PC — from your phone’s camera roll, or via screenshots that you’ve saved via your PC. Normally, I use the Photos app for this, reviewing my photos and then editing them. Here, it takes an additional step to edit your photos, via Photos or some other app. But the advantage here is that you can treat the files as files — selecting multiple files, saving them in a ZIP file, or quickly sharing images with contacts via a OneDrive link. That’s a handy feature that Photos lacks. In that app, “sharing” a handful of files means Windows will simply embed them inside an email. ![]() Mark Hachman / IDG The one thing I don’t like about the Gallery view: it’s slow. I can take a photo on my Android smartphone and it takes minutes to show up, even if it can be found on OneDrive’s Camera roll and in the Windows Photos app, which connects to it. I can understand a delay, but I finally gave up on looking for a accurate shot and moved on. File Explorer now thankfully unpacks RAR and 7-Zip files, among others, which has been substantially overdue. Passkeys are the future, nowI love passkeys. One of the advantages of Windows Hello is how simple it makes logging in, using just your face or a fingerprint to identify yourself. Web developers have long promised that we’ll start to see those in everyday web sites, just as mobile applications are now beginning to use biometric logins as either a secondary form of identification of just a primary login. Put another way, to log in to Google, all you need to do is let Windows recognize your face. That’s it! Either way, we’re just starting to see passkeys appear. So far, I’ve only seen them offered for Microsoft, Google, and most recently, Amazon. Setting up a passkey can be as simple as accepting the invitation from the Web site to set up a passkey. In Amazon’s case, you’ll need to dig through your account settings to find the option. Unfortunately, while Favorites and passwords can be synced via Edge, Passkeys currently do not. That means that if you move from PC to PC, you’ll need to re-apply the passkey. ![]() Mark Hachman / IDG To manage your passkeys, navigate to Settings>Accounts>Passkeys within the Windows 11 Settings menu. While you’ll need to sign up with a web browser, it doesn’t matter if that browser is Microsoft Edge or Google Chrome; the passkeys will be saved to Windows on your PC. Supposedly Windows offers the option of using a nearby phone as a security token to provide another level of authentication, but I was never offered that option. Windows Backup and Restore overpromises, underdeliversI can’t say I love the new Windows Backup and Restore option nearly as much. I’ve made my feelings clear in a separate story, but the bottom line is this: the new Windows Backup app is solid in what it promises. Backup takes your apps (but only apps that can be found in the Windows Store, mind) and stores them in the cloud. It should do the same with your documents and files. Upon configuring a new PC, the “Out of the Box Experience” should offer to restore those apps and files. But the whole process is a mess. Videos don’t carry over. Neither do games and apps that you didn’t download from the Microsoft Store. And I’ve truly begun to dislike the whole “placeholder” file concept, which makes me wade through numerous icons to find the files I’m looking for, unless I hide them behind some master file folder. ![]() Mark Hachman / IDG Backup and Restore should essentially clone my PC’s drive into the cloud, then reproduce it on a new PC. It doesn’t come close to that. Microsoft should either rename “Backup and Restore” to something that doesn’t promise a full backup and restoration, or possibly buy a company like PCMover. (Ironically, PCMover doesn’t transfer apps that can be acquired from the Microsoft Store.) With speedy broadband, downloading applications isn’t that big of a deal. But with games and big video files, transferring them from one PC to another can be a real pain. Windows Backup and Restore doesn’t really solve that problem yet. UI improvements in Taskbar, Settings, and the Volume interfaceThe Start menu and the Taskbar are left relatively unchanged in the Windows 11 2023 Update. Some people (me included, on occasion) like when an app pinned to the Taskbar shows you what it actually is, instead of an icon. This feature an be configured in Personalization > Taskbar within the Settings menu in the Windows 11 22H2 update: “Combine taskbar and hide labels.” If you set it to “never,” the icons on your Taskbar will be replaced with badged labels. (Even on a widescreen monitor, though, you won’t be able to see too much.) ![]() Mark Hachman / IDG Microsoft has said that it will be replacing the “Chat” app on your Taskbar with the oddly named Microsoft Teams (free), complete with an overhaul and with SMS texting. It’s not here yet, though. Likewise, Settings has been improved, so that the first “home” page consolidates information that was previously scattered about several pages. It’s a front door to changing system settings like your display, personalizing your PC’s background, and managing your Bluetooth devices. Some people may care that the “Apps” section now separates some Windows apps, now labeled as “System components,” into a separate page. ![]() Mark Hachman / IDG Settings now leans a bit too much toward subscriptions — most people probably don’t need a constant reminder of their OneDrive quota and Game Pass subscription, but it’s understandable. Microsoft has also provided an updated audio mixer for Windows 11, which is a step forward. You’ll need the click the volume controls in the Taskbar, than navigate through to the small “wires” icon to the right of the volume bar to make any adjustments. But it’s a fairly natural interface, even if it “drops down” a bit, forcing you to scroll down. Muting works as expected. App improvements overshadow Windows 11’s ownIn years past, updates to various Windows apps were part and parcel of the Windows upgrade experience itself. No longer. Instead, updating your applications within the Microsoft Store app brings with it a whole host of improvements that, in this update, might just overshadow what Windows 11 now offers. ![]() Mark Hachman / IDG AI “appears” inside the Microsoft Store app, as part of an “AI Hub” page that indexes some “AI” powered apps, including ones you may have heard of (Adobe Lightroom) and others you haven’t (Gamma). If you’re intrigued by AI, then it’s worth checking out — sort of a curated page of AI-powered apps that may become more important as AI itself does. It’s a point I’ve tried to make tangentially in other stories, but it’s worth repeating: Microsoft cares about storing your data in its cloud, using AI to access it, and charging you a subscription fee for the whole package. Intel, Qualcomm, and AMD are trying to sell you local AI, that runs on your PC, for free. The two approaches may eventually go to war with one another…or not. But it’s worth keeping an eye on. ![]() Mark Hachman / IDG Instant Games is another new novelty: quick games that you can play right from the Store without having to install them. There’s a dozen or so — but nothing that’s really worth seeking out. AI in Paint and Photos: Wow!The humble Microsoft Paint has also been supercharged in time for the Windows 11 2023 Update, with three distinct improvements: layers, Cocreator, and background removal. The three go hand in hand. Layers have been a feature of photo-editing tools for some time. You can separate a primary layer in Adobe Photoshop, where you can add a photo or illustration; in another layer, you can add a secondary illustration, such as a background. When the editing is done, you can export the image with both (or more) layers combined together. Paint now has a simple version of this, where a Layers tool allows you to construct multiple layers, than combine them together via a Merge function. I am a very basic amateur artist, which means that I initially struggled to use the Layers tool. Cocreator, though, helps. As the name suggests, it’s an AI image creator, much like Bing Image Creator. What’s odd about it, though, is that Bing Image Creator not only generates images of better quality and resolution, but works off a separate “credit” system. (Exhaust your credits, and the images are generated more slowly, at least on Bing Image Creator.) However, there are drop-down menus to choose styles, such as “oil painting,” that aren’t in Bing Image Creator. ![]() Mark Hachman / IDG The easiest and best way I found to use the updated Paint was to import a photo (or use Cocreator), then extract the subject from the background. Again, that uses AI to identify the subject of the photo — no “magic lasso” or selection necessary. I then created a background layer. All of this is a bit like the Magic Select tool that I loved in Paint 3D. This is a victory for Microsoft. You’re not going to get the sophisticated elements of a photo editing tool like Photoshop or Lightroom with the new Paint. Still, the update gently introduces you into lightweight AI art generation and editing, even if it’s a bit obtuse for newcomers. There’s a small AI-enhanced addition to Photos, too: background blur, and it’s fantastic. You’re probably aware that traditional DSLRs add background blurring, or bokeh, as a natural byproduct of how a lens focuses. A digital camera or smartphone’s “portrait mode” adds this via AI. So too, does Photos. You’ll need to select a photo in Photos, then edit it using the leftmost teeny-tiny icon above it. You’ll then see the interface that looks much like it did a year ago. What’s new, though, is the additional “background blur” option that appears to the far right. Click it, and Photos identifies the foreground subject and blurs the rest of the image. You have an option to adjust the blur function, and even unblur specific areas. Let’s put it this way: I take a lot of photos with a Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, and it does just an average job at identifying the sharp, distinct edge of a laptop in portrait mode. Photos does it nearly perfectly. With the Photos’ Retouch /”Spot fix” feature back in place to erase bits of dust and dirt, plus Auto Enhance and now Background Blur, we can hopefully bury my old Photos complaints. I’m going to stand up and cheer for the AI improvements in Photos and Paint. They’re not front and center like Copilot is, but they’re equally (if not more) important. Snipping Tool is more than just a way to capture screenshots, though that’s the way I (and probably you) still think of it. But you can capture an image or video, and you can adjust the app’s settings to include audio from your mic and the system sounds. In reality, you can basically record an app while you narrate what’s going on. Microsoft doesn’t explicitly connect the Snipping Tool to Clipchamp, but that would be the next step to edit your videos. ![]() Mark Hachman / IDG Snipping Tool also has a new component: the ability to extract and redact text. Windows 11 uses optical character recognition to extract text, and it does an excellent job when it does so. All you need to do is highlight an area on screenshot or PDF, and the tool copies the extracted text into the copy buffer. (I didn’t test this on a protected PDF, but it works just fine on a normal one.) The app also is surprisingly intelligent when it comes to redacting text, too. As a test, I gave it a screenshot of a document the Consumer Electronics Association had sent me for CES. Snipping Tool automatically redacted my email and a personal identification number the CEA sent me. Unfortunately, it doesn’t automatically identify my username when I try and take a screenshot of the Windows Settings menu, however. This probably isn’t what Microsoft had in mind, but there’s an undeniable 1980s Cold War vibe that I get when Snipping Tool extracts text from a PDF or redacts personal information. RGB lighting controlsDynamic Lighting doesn’t actually qualify as a Windows app, but it’s a sort of “uber app” within the Settings menu (Personalization > Dynamic Lighting) that supposedly eliminates the proprietary apps that govern peripherals with RGB lighting. Peripherals from Razer are still the favorites here, but you may find more are added over time. ![]() Michael Crider/Foundry Ideally, Dynamic Lighting was designed to take RGB peripherals from Corsair, Razer, NZXT, Logitech and more and provide one app to rule them all, so to speak, rather than force you to download and load apps from each manufacturer to control all of the sparkly, blinking lights. Unfortunately, it’s sort of limited to a lot of modern Razer peripherals and not a whole lot else. I have an old left-handed Razer DeathAdder that I really like, but Dynamic Lighting does nothing to stop its constant pulsing. Outlook is replacing MailOne of the reasons not to get the Windows 11 2023 Update is the new Outlook app (which differs from the more robust Outlook app in Microsoft 365 — and no, I have no idea why there’s two). You may find, as I did, that Windows finally killed off Mail and replaced it with the lightweight Outlook app. Mail did just what it needed to do, and no more, with a dense UI that emphasized the essentials. If you try to load Mail, the app will open, crash, then be replaced by Outlook. I have no idea why Microsoft can deprecate Movies & TV and Windows Maps but leave them in the Microsoft Store, but it can’t do that with Mail. Please bring Mail back, Microsoft! Things we expected to see, but didn’tIn our introduction to Windows 11 2023 Update, we expected to see in-field inking: if you were to write “Bluetooth” in the search box, the ink would be inputted and accepted as “Bluetooth.” That isn’t the case, unfortunately. Windows Spotlight appears to be the same as before, allowing you to opt in to Microsoft’s selection of desktop backgrounds. We’re not seeing options to up- or downvote backgrounds yet. Microsoft is also allowing HDR displays to display HDR-backgrounds in HDR, which appears to be the case on an HDR monitor. There’s no explicit mention of this that we can find, though. All of these features may be headed to your PC (and ours!) in the future. Conclusion: a step aheadIt’s been a while since PCWorld has written a Windows 11 feature update review, and a while since we’ve had a feature update worth reviewing. Windows 11 finally feels livelier, more energetic. I’m not entirely sure that Windows is headed in the direction most users care about, if only because I’m not sure Windows 11 users are demanding the AI future that Microsoft envisions. To its credit, though, Microsoft’s first attempt at an AI-infused PC put artificial intelligence both high and low: as a high-profile assistant with Copilot, but also with more subtle, pointed improvements within Paint and Photos. My contacts in the chip industry feel that those very specific, localized features will be how AI PCs eventually succeed. Yes, you might walk away thinking that you’ll never need all this AI junk in your operating system. I can’t help but think these incremental updates will generally ease that reluctance, but over time. If I had to deliver a letter grade, it would be somewhere around a B. Microsoft’s Windows 11 2023 Update is a step toward the AI PC, providing a foundational update that Microsoft can build upon. This review was updated on Nov. 7 to clarify the differences between Copilot for Windows and Copilot for Microsoft Edge. Despite plenty of misgivings, artificial intelligence—and in particular, generative AI that produces text and images from prompts—continues to be pushed into the hardware and software we use every day. Microsoft has been active in the space, adding AI chatbot capabilities to its Bing search engine earlier this year, and it's now previewing an early version of its new Copilot AI assistant in Windows 11. Copilot has been built to "enhance your creativity and productivity," Microsoft says, and it works in a similar way to Bing's chatbot—capable of coming up with everything from travel advice to an original poem. To get Copilot in Windows 11, make sure you're running the very latest version of the operating system: Head to Windows Update in Settings to check (you might need to turn on the Get the latest updates as soon as they're available toggle switch). By default, you should see a Copilot button on the taskbar, which you can click to launch it (head to Personalization then Taskbar in Settings if you want to change this). You can also launch Copilot with the Win+C keyboard shortcut, or via the Start menu. Text and Image Generation If you're completely new to generative AI, just dive in and try something: You can tell Copilot to compose a short poem, an introduction to a cover letter, or text for an email to a coworker. When you start a new chat, you'll see you can choose between More Creative, More Balanced, and More Precise conversation styles, just like Bing Chat on the web—so you can tweak how imaginative Copilot gets with its responses. You're not just limited to generating text though, because you can ask Copilot questions as well. Thanks to its links to Bing and the web, it can tell you about the must-see sights in a particular place, provide you cooking and recipe tips, or offer advice on the best ways to fix a DIY problem around the home. You'll see that the responses come with links to where the information has been sourced from online.
Windows 11’s 2023 Update is here, bringing with it a number of new features to explore. But which ones are worth trying? We’ve listed our favorites, below. Windows 11’s 2023 Update is (eventually) being pushed to your PC as a free, cumulative update, which means that it encompasses features and applications that may have already arrived on your PC. Windows 11 users will receive most of the 2023 Update features by Nov. 14, though it may take longer for some systems. As our review shows, the latest Windows 11 2023 Update feels meaningful, in a way that Windows hasn’t for a while. In part, that’s because of what it promises: an evolution into an “AI PC,” a term adopted by Microsoft, Intel, AMD, Qualcomm, and PC makers. True, AI might be the hot new term in the way “metaverse” once was, but it offers some tangible benefits right now, with more to come. Here are the must-try new features of Windows 11’s 2023 Update. PasskeysIf you have a Windows 11 2023 Update PC with Windows Hello, you’ll have access to passkeys — a password-free future that can’t get here soon enough. They’re the least sexy thing about the Windows 11 2023 Update, but they’re so, so useful. At one time sitting down to your PC meant entering your password to log on for the day. Windows Hello did away with that. Now, visiting a website means that you need a password manager or browser to store your passwords. Wouldn’t you like Windows Hello to do that, too? That’s what a passkey does. ![]() Mark Hachman / IDG Websites aren’t throwing passkeys at you, but they’re out there. Microsoft supports the newfangled technology, as does Google. Amazon does too. For each site, you’ll need to set up a passkey. The drawback? They only work on one PC, not mobile, and they don’t roam from PC to PC, either. But I’m all in favor of letting a Web site recognize me, just like my PC. To manage your passkeys, navigate to Settings > Accounts > Passkeys within the Windows 11 Settings menu. CopilotOnce known as Windows Copilot, it’s the obvious place to start. Copilot is basically Bing AI Chat with a bonus: you can provide it commands to tweak your PC settings, without knowing exactly how to do it. We’re going to be up front: While this is the flagship feature of Windows 11’s 2023 Update, it’s not its best. But it is absolutely something you need to try, to understand what Copilot and AI can and can’t do. Copilot’s icon can be located in the Taskbar, just right of the search box, or type Win+C to activate it. (You’ll see a similar Copilt icon nesting in the upper right-hand corner of Microsoft Edge. The difference is that Edge’s version can only function as a chatbot; the version “within Windows” can make adjustments to your PC.) Click it, and a sidebar will slide over from the right. Ignore the “Creative,” “Balanced,” and “Precise” choices, as they don’t make much difference. ![]() Mark Hachman / IDG Instead, start asking it questions. Don’t treat it as a search engine: you’re looking for opinions and analysis, not answers. And be creative. You can ask, “How much is Oprah worth,” but it’s much more enlightening to ask if she’s more influential than Barack Obama or Tyler Perry. Was Joe DiMaggio a better player than Albert Pujols? Try it and see. Copilot’s smart enough that if you tell it that “I’m 40, with $85,000 in the bank. How do I maximize my retirement?” it will actually go out, search the Web, plug in those numbers into an AARP retirement calculator, and start suggesting strategies — all without opening a Web page. Copilot’s not always objectively right, but it will cite its sources, via footnotes and links. Copilot will also accept photos or images as input, and answer questions about them. Copilot uses Bing as a search engine, so it stays up to date. You can ask it to draw images, too. ![]() Mark Hachman / IDG Copilot’s weaknesses are that it’s slow — queries can take several seconds to respond to. It’s bland, lacking personality, aside from the odd emoji or two. If you try to ask something that’s Not Safe For Work, it will shut you down and refuse to answer — and that can get annoying. Conversations last just 30 responses. And you can’t be 100 percent sure it’s right, either. You can ask Copilot to tweak various elements of your PC, like setting it to dark mode or taking a screenshot. The annoying thing is that Copilot doesn’t easily tell you what you can or can’t do, which makes it an exercise in frustration. (And no, asking Copilot doesn’t work that well, either.) Still, Copilot is an AI tool you should know. PaintWe celebrated Paint’s new lease on life back in 2019, and since then Microsoft has finally brought Paint back into the fold. After adding accessibility enhancements back in 2019, Paint has seen something of a renaissance: adding background removal, transparency and layers, and even Cocreator, an AI art tool that leverages Bing Image Creator. Paint remains Paint, at its core: a basic tool to resize, draw upon, add arrows to, and generally mark up images. But the three latest features provide it some Photoshop-like capabilities: you can take a photo, use AI to highlight and pull out the subject of a photo, add an AI background to it, and republish it as a whole new piece of art. It’s simple, though not the most intuitive for those who have never used Photoshop. ![]() Mark Hachman / IDG Still, Paint’s ethos has always been simplicity, and the Windows 11 2023 Update takes some of the better elements of generative AI art and applies them to Paint. There’s room for improvement, but it’s a really interesting addition. The Windows Photos app has a new background blur feature, which I personally find extremely useful when snapping a quick photo of a laptop. But you’re not me, and I think that the Snipping Tool will be much more universally accessible. Snipping Tool is Microsoft’s screenshot tool (Win+Shift+S), and has two purposes: record an image of what’s on the screen, or (alternatively) a video. I suspect not enough people use the latter function, preferring Canva or Clipchamp instead. But the video recording now adds mic and/or system audio, too. ![]() Mark Hachman / IDG The better feature is the automated text extraction and redaction. Take a screenshot, click the little “text extraction” button, and Windows automatically copies the text from the image, using OCR. On my tests, it works really, really well. If you’re at a sales conference or an academic retreat and just want to quickly grab text via a photo, this is the tool to use. Snipping Tool is also smart enough to recognize text that you don’t want to share. This is impressive, too. I haven’t tested it extensively with, say, filing travel expenses for an expense report, but Windows seems smart enough to redact personal information from the documents I’ve tried it on. But wait, there’s more!That’s not all the Windows 11 2023 Update has to offer– check out our Windows 11 23H2 review for more. If you’re into gaming, for example, you may find Dynamic Lighting to be right up your alley, while productivity-minded folks will want to check out the File Explorer improvements. But these are the four biggest improvements Windows 11 will bring to your PC, for free. ![]() No matter how many features Microsoft crams into its Windows 10 operating system, there will always be users looking for a faster, better or different way of doing things. Microsoft’s acknowledgment of this force of human nature is the Microsoft PowerToys download. With the general release of Microsoft Windows 11, developers are now referring to this project as Microsoft PowerToys rather than Windows 10 PowerToys. A set of slightly unusual free Windows tools has been a part of the Windows operating system landscape since Windows 95, but their availability was noticeably absent for Windows 10 and Windows 11 — at least until September 2019. In 2019, Microsoft partnered with Janea Systems and released the first two PowerToys for Windows 10, accompanied by a promise of more releases in the near future. This TechRepublic cheat sheet describes each available tool or feature provided by Microsoft’s official Microsoft PowerToys and describes what each system utility can do. Jump to: When was Microsoft PowerToys first made available?The first set of Microsoft PowerToys were first made available for Windows 95. That first set of 15 free utilities were published and endorsed by Microsoft and made available in a free download. From the beginning, PowerToys were designed for “power users” who were seeking ways to tweak how the operating system functions. In some cases, inexperienced users were able to make a careless change while using a PowerToys utility, which could wreak havoc within the Windows operating system; as such, novice users have often been encouraged to use caution. For the most part, though, PowerToys have allowed users — whether they considered themselves power users or not — to more easily make tweaks to the look and feel of Windows without a deep dive into configuration screens or the dreaded and dangerous edit of the Windows Registry file. Even in the earliest iterations of PowerToys, Microsoft offered users many valuable functionalities. Windows 95 PowerToys included:
Through the years and various Windows versions, individual PowerToys have come and gone. Each Windows version inspired a new set of tools based on what developers perceived was needed to Improve and enhance that version. Windows 10 inspired a completely new set of PowerToys. Additional resources for Windows usersHow can I get Microsoft PowerToys?Traditionally, each of the Microsoft PowerToys has been offered as a separate executable file, available as a free download from a specific Microsoft website. For Windows 10 and Windows 11, Microsoft has taken a slightly different approach. All Windows 10 PowerToys are now included as part of a free downloadable system that users can configure. Figure A shows you what the Microsoft PowerToys system looks like. Figure A ![]() Windows PowerToys Version v0.75.0 is available on GitHub right now. Release v0.75.0 adds an Environment Variables editor to the toolset already available in PowerToys. The new release also makes quality-of-life improvements and bug fixes. Environment Variables allows users, particularly software developers, to add, change and apply profiles, user information and system setting variables. These PowerToys are currently available:
SEE: All of TechRepublic’s cheat sheets and smart person’s guides What can Microsoft PowerToys do?Here is a list of available Microsoft PowerToys with a brief description of what each toy does. FancyZonesFancyZones allows users to manage where and how each application window that is open on a Windows desktop will display. SEE: Learn more about how to use and configure FancyZones. For example, you could use FancyZones to set up a Windows 10 desktop where Outlook always displays on the right-hand side of the desktop, Twitter or other social media always displays on the left-hand side of the desktop, and Word or Excel always displays in the middle between the other two. There would be three distinct and perpetual zones displayed at all times (Figure B). Figure B ![]() Windows key Shortcut GuideThe Windows key Shortcut Guide displays all of the available keyboard shortcuts for the current Windows desktop (Figure C). This PowerToy is activated by holding the Windows key down for the length of time specified in the tool’s configuration settings. The default is 900ms. SEE: Here’s how to use the Windows key Shortcut Guide. With this feature, users don’t have to remember so many Windows key-related shortcut combinations. Figure C ![]() PowerRenameThe PowerRename Windows PowerToy provides users with advanced tools for bulk renaming of files. The toy extends the Windows Shell Context Menu to add an entry for PowerRename to File Explorer (Figure D). Figure D ![]() With PowerRename enabled, simple search and replace or more powerful regular expression matching are added to your toolset for the bulk renaming process. A preview area is displayed as you perform search and replace procedures, so you can see how file names will change before initiating the action. Preview Pane add-ons for File ExplorerThis Windows PowerToy expands on the Preview Pane feature already available in the standard File Explorer application by adding additional file types. Preview Pane allows users to preview the contents of a file after clicking it in File Explorer without actually opening the file (Figure E). Figure E ![]() Version 0.16.0 adds preview support for Scalable Vector Graphics (.svg) and Markdown (.md) files. Subsequent PowerToys releases have added more file types including source code files and geometric code. Image ResizerThe Image Resizer Windows PowerToy adds more functionality to File Explorer by allowing users to apply bulk image resizing. Users can select images in File Explorer and then select the new Resize Pictures item on the context menu, revealed with a right-click on any image (Figure F). Figure F ![]() Window WalkerThe Window Walker Windows PowerToy is designed to be an alternative to the standard Alt-Tab feature in Windows 10 and Windows 11. Users press the CTRL-Windows key combination instead of Alt-Tab to pull up a search box (Figure G). Users then enter keywords into the search box to narrow down the currently open apps and screens on their desktop. Figure G ![]() PowerToys RunPowerToys Run acts as a quick launcher in Windows. It is another extension of the ALT-Tab concept and taps into the Windows file indexing system. To activate the tool, use the keyboard combination ALT-Space and start typing the name of your desired application (Figure H). Figure H ![]() PowerToys Run will search the system and start listing possible applications based on your search phrase. When the application you desire appears, click or tap to run. Keyboard ManagerThe Keyboard Manager application in Microsoft PowerToys is a simple keyboard remapper. Run the application from the PowerToys menu (Figure I) and either remap a single key on your keyboard or remap a shortcut keyboard combination. Whatever you remap will remain active as long as Keyboard Manager is enabled and PowerToys is running in the background. Figure I ![]() Color PickerColor Picker was contributed to the Microsoft PowerToys project by Martin Chrzan. The utility allows you to identify any color on your screen by either its HEX or RGB code and then save that information to the Windows clipboard for later use (Figure J). It is a simple tool, but it can save time and prevent frustration for developers and content creators working on color design. Figure J ![]() Video Conference MuteAs a number of organizations shifted to remote work structures during the COVID-19 pandemic, many of us now rely on video teleconferencing for work and school interactions and collaboration. The Video Conference Mute tool in Microsoft PowerToys allows you to mute the audio and video on your PC with a single key combination (Figure K). Figure K ![]() You may mute both audio and video at the same time or independently. The same key combination will toggle the audio and video back to the on position. The Video Conference Mute tool works regardless of what app you are using or what app is currently in the foreground. AwakeThe Microsoft PowerToys tool Awake was contributed to the PowerToys project by the community with attribution given to Den Delimarsky. Awake allows users to keep their computer awake on-demand without having to manage its power settings (Figure L). Figure L ![]() Mouse utilitiesMouse utilities was contributed to the Microsoft PowerToys project by Raymond Chen. Mouse utilities is a collection of features that enhance the mouse and cursor functionality on Windows systems. SEE: Learn how to activate and use the Windows Mouse utilities. With two consecutive presses of the Left CTRL key, Find My Mouse will locate your mouse cursor and highlight its current position with a halo (Figure M). Pressing the Esc key will dismiss the highlight. The Find My Mouse feature is useful for presentations on large displays when you want to draw the audience’s attention to a specific area of the screen. Figure M ![]() Always on TopAlways on Top allows users to designate the application window currently in focus as “always on top” with a keyboard shortcut toggle (Figure N). Figure N ![]() Regardless of what commands, mouse clicks or other inputs are made from that point on, the designated window will remain at the forefront, superseding any other open windows until Always on Top is toggled off. The default keyboard shortcut for the Always on Top toggle is Windows Key + CTRL + T. Screen RulerThe Microsoft PowerToys utility, Screen Ruler is a quick and easy way to measure the pixels represented on your display screen (Figure O). The tool is perfect for determining the pixel size of a potential screen capture or for lining up objects in a document. Figure O ![]() Quick AccentQuick Accent is an alternative way to type accented characters, which is useful for when a keyboard doesn’t support that specific accent with a quick key combo (Figure P). Use this utility to create accented characters, especially for writing in languages other than English. Figure P ![]() Text ExtractorThe Microsoft PowerToys utility Text Extractor is a convenient way to copy text from anywhere on your screen (Figure Q). This code is based on Joe Finney’s Text Grab. Text Extractor uses optical character recognition to read the text on the screen, so it may require editing or proofreading. Figure Q ![]() File LocksmithThe Microsoft PowerToys utility File Locksmith is a Windows shell extension for checking what files are in use and by which processes (Figure R). After installing, right-click on one or more selected files in File Explorer, and then select “What’s using this file?” from the context menu. Figure R ![]() Hosts File EditorThe Window PowerToys utility Hosts File Editor is a quick and simple utility for editing a local hosts file (Figure S). Note, the application will only work if a hosts file exists. Figure S ![]() Mouse JumpThe Microsoft PowerToys utility Mouse Jump is a new feature for the existing set of mouse utilities (Figure T). Mouse Jump allows you to instantly move the mouse pointer great distances on the same screen and even jump from one screen to another, if you wish. SEE: Learn more about the features that released with PowerToys 0.68.0. Figure T ![]() Paste as TextThe Window PowerToys utility Paste as Text is a keyboard combination shortcut that allows users to paste formatted clipboard contents as plain unformatted text (Figure U). Using this tool will also replace the formatted text with plain text in the clipboard, so users can always paste as text. Figure U ![]() Registry PreviewPowerToys Registry Preview, released in Version 0.69.0, is designed to simplify the process of visualizing and editing Windows Registry files (Figure V). The utility app also allows you to write registry changes directly to the Windows Registry file without using the standard Regedit app that comes built into the Windows operating system. Figure V ![]() Mouse Without BordersPowerToys Mouse Without Borders, released in Version 0.70.0, gives users the ability to interact with other computers using the same keyboard and mouse they are using for their current PC (Figure W). With Mouse Without Borders, users can also share clipboard and files between the machines. Control of the other computers is granted using an encryption key. Figure W ![]() PeekPeek, released in Version 0.70.0, allows users to see a quick preview of files they select in File Explorer when they press a specified keyboard shortcut (Figure X). The keyboard shortcut can be modified to a user’s preference. Figure X ![]() Crop And LockPowerToys Crop And Lock, released in Version 0.73.0, allows users to crop a current application into a smaller window or create a thumbnail (Figure Y). The utility allows you to focus attention on a specific section of an application window without shutting down the application’s running functions. Essentially, from the application’s perspective, the window is normal, but from the user’s perspective, the window is smaller or thumbnail size. Figure Y ![]() Environment VariablesPowerToys Environment Variables, released in Version 0.75.0, allows users to add, change and apply profiles, user information and Windows system setting variables (Figure Z). The tool is particularly useful for software engineers, programmers and other IT professionals when testing and iterating applications, platforms and systems during the development process. Figure Z ![]() Are more Microsoft PowerToys coming soon?New Microsoft PowerToys are periodically added to the Windows library to address new user expectations and requirements. As new PowerToys are released, this list of available tools will be updated to reflect that expansion. Additional resourcesWhy are Microsoft PowerToys important?Microsoft PowerToys provide tools and features that can make users of the Windows operating system more productive and, by extension, happier. Over the years, many users have come to depend on one or more of these PowerToys for their daily computer productivity. For many power users, PowerToys Improve their quality of work and life. SEE: Build a Microsoft 365 Services Usage Policy with this template from TechRepublic Premium. Beyond making users more productive, PowerToys have also provided a glimpse into what features and tools could and should become an integral part of the Windows operating system in the future. Many of these once-separate tools have become just another part of the operating system during its next iteration. How much RAM does PowerToys use?The amount of RAM Microsoft PowerToys uses is entirely dependent on how many tools and apps you have decided to run in the background. The PowerToys Settings app, which runs in the background and can be accessed from the Windows 11 system tray, requires about 104 MB of RAM. Each additional running app requires more RAM to support it, which you can gauge for yourself in Windows Task Manager (Figure AA). Figure AA ![]() In general, the amount of RAM required by PowerToys apps is significant enough that you should activate only the tools you are actually using. If you determine an app is not something you use on a regular basis, it may be advantageous to set it to the “off” position. You can always turn it on again when you need it. Editor’s note: This article was updated to reflect the latest version of Microsoft PowerToys. Microsoft Goes Big with Multiple Copilots at Ignite EventMicrosoft's Ignite event happening this week elicited the declaration that "Microsoft is the Copilot company" now, and there were lots of product announcements attesting to it. Microsoft's generative artificial intelligence-based Copilot assistants are integrated across Microsoft 365 apps, Azure services, and developer and administrative tools. New Copilots pop up frequently, and Microsoft sometimes changes the names of the ones that had been introduced earlier in the year. A few Copilots have already reached the "general availability" (GA) commercial-release stage, such as Microsoft 365 Copilot, released earlier this month, which Microsoft has now renamed as "Copilot for Microsoft 365." The ability to use plugins and Microsoft Graph connectors with Copilot for Microsoft 365 is currently at the preview stage. IT pros can find and set policies for these plugins via the Microsoft 365 Admin Center, a capability that's at GA stage. Microsoft also commercially released Copilot in Power Apps last month. In July, Microsoft Sales Copilot in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales, now called "Copilot for Sales" (renamed from "Viva Sales"), reached the GA stage. The following Copilot updates mostly derive from this announcement by Colette Stallbaumer, general manager of Microsoft 365 and future of work, and this announcement by Jared Spataro, corporate vice president of modern work and business applications, plus Microsoft's Book of News, section 5. Copilots Minus the Bing
Copilot is expected to reach the GA release stage on Dec. 1. Details can be found in the Bing blog. Microsoft had released Bing Chat Enterprise as a preview back in July as a free offering for Microsoft 365 E3, E5, Business Standard and Business Premium subscribers. It'll also be available maybe on the Dec. 1 GA date for Microsoft 365 F3 subscribers, which is a new product addition. In August, Microsoft announced a preview of Bing Chat Enterprise in the Windows Copilot preview, which will require having E3- or E5-type Microsoft 365 licensing to use it. Microsoft also plans to release Copilot (formerly Bing Chat Enterprise) as a "standalone" product offering, priced at $5 per user per month. As for Windows Copilot, it's at the preview stage, and is available with the Windows 11 version 23H2 operating system product that was released last month. New Copilots Copilot for Azure, used for gaining insights into Azure workloads, is now at the preview stage. Copilot for Azure may depend on using Azure Arc, Microsoft's multicloud management solution, as Microsoft stated that "Copilot [for Azure] will leverage large language models (LLMs), the Azure control plane and insights about a user's Azure and Arc-enabled assets." On the Dynamics 365 product side, new products include "Copilot for Service" and "Copilot for Sales" for use with customer relationship management solutions. Microsoft indicated that Copilot for Service will be integrated with "Salesforce, ServiceNow and Zendesk," and can be "extended to other systems with more than 1,000 pre-built and custom connectors." Copilot for Sales, on the other hand, actually reached the GA release stage in July, although it was called "Microsoft Sales Copilot in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales" back then. Microsoft also has a separate Copilot in Dynamics 365 Sales product, which got a few updates this week. For more on the Dynamics 365 Copilots, please see this RCPmag.com article. Copilot in Microsoft Fabric is now at the preview stage. It works with the Azure OpenAI service and can used to "create dataflows and data pipelines, generate code and entire functions, build machine learning models or visualize results" using natural language prompts. Copilot in Microsoft Loop is at the preview stage, with a more general rollout expected "next year." Microsoft Loop, which lets people collaborate on Microsoft 365 app components, reached GA this week. Copilot in Viva Insights was described as "our latest experience." It lets users query data harvested by the Viva Insights employee productivity and performance app. Copilot in Viva Insights "will be in private preview in January 2024." Other Microsoft Viva apps getting Copilots include:
Copilot in Microsoft Outlook, helping users with meeting preparation and scheduling, "will begin to roll out in early 2024." Copilot for Microsoft 365 Developer Sandbox is at the private preview stage. It lets developers "build and test plugins and Graph connectors in a non-production tenant environment." Microsoft Security Copilot in its "embedded experience" is currently at the private preview stage. It works with the Microsoft Intune Admin Center to provide guidance on endpoint policy creation and deployment. Security Copilot also is getting integrated with Microsoft Purview and Microsoft Entra, as well as Microsoft Defender XDR and Microsoft Sentinel. Microsoft additionally mentioned that it has a "new Copilot profile" capability for Microsoft 365 users. Copilot profile lets Copilot for Microsoft 365 users gain "greater control over your Copilot interactions" by specifying their preferences. Copilot profile will be coming first to the Word and PowerPoint Microsoft 365 apps, but the timing was not indicated. Copilot Studio Copilot Studio is used for connecting Copilot AI solutions to data sources. It has prebuilt plugins for that purpose, or custom plugins can be used. It also works with OpenAI's GPTs, or generative pre-trained transformers, used with large language models for generative AI. Its use with GPTs lets organizations "create a tailored version of ChatGPT that is more helpful for specific tasks," including the ability to customize Copilot for Microsoft 365. Organizations can use Copilot Studio to connect Copilot for Microsoft 365 to other data sources besides the Microsoft Graph data that underlie Microsoft 365 services. Here's Microsoft's description to that end:
Microsoft indicated that Copilot Studio works with "any system of record, from SAP, to Workday, to Service Now, to your own proprietary line of business solutions." Copilot Studio users can also use it to access Azure AI Studio, which is designed for use by "professional developers with the ability to run Azure OpenAI on your data and leverage custom language models." The ability to use Copilot Studio to customize Copilot for Microsoft 365 is at the public preview stage right now. The ability for organizations to create "a custom copilot" using Copilot Studio is at the GA stage. IT Tools Microsoft also promised that it is beefing up its Adoption Score tool to show generative AI-based "content summarization and creation" use across an organization. This information will be available under Adoption Score's "AI assistance category." A new Microsoft Copilot Dashboard, "powered by Viva," is another tool for IT pros. The Microsoft Copilot Dashboard provides stats on Copilot use across apps and is currently at the public preview stage. Microsoft Copilot Dashboard will be "coming to the Viva Insights app in Teams and on the web in December 2023." Microsoft also announced Copilot in Microsoft 365 Admin Center, which is used for managing Edge for Business, which is Microsoft's scheme for separating business Microsoft Edge browsing data from personal browsing data. Copilot in Microsoft 365 Admin Center is "currently available in private preview." Microsoft also described a "Copilot for Microsoft 365 admin" offering, also in private preview, that's designed to help IT pros with Microsoft 365 tooling and configurations, plus Microsoft Edge and Windows Update management. It seems to be the same thing as described above. About the Author Kurt Mackie is senior news producer for 1105 Media's Converge360 group. | ||||||||
MD-100 test Questions | MD-100 download | MD-100 test | MD-100 test success | MD-100 student | MD-100 history | MD-100 history | MD-100 test contents | MD-100 information search | MD-100 Topics | | ||||||||
Killexams test Simulator Killexams Questions and Answers Killexams Exams List Search Exams |