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If you run a recent version of Windows 11 on your PC you may have noticed — or not — that Microsoft installed a new application automatically on the device. Called OneDrive Photos, it brings OneDrive’s gallery view to the operating system. To make things worse, reports suggest that Microsoft is pushing the app to non-managed and managed devices.

As always, Microsoft has not confirmed any of that at the time. However, there are multiple reports on sites like Reddit that confirm the installation of the app on devices. Some Windows administrators have created scripts that remove the app from devices, which shows up as Beta for some.

To make matters even worse, it seems that the app installs itself again after it has been removed. Windows Latest suggests that it is linked to the synchronization of OneDrive, but this has not been confirmed yet.

You can check in Settings > Apps whether the extra OneDrive app is installed, or use other means, such as winget to find out. You could also check the following two locations for the actual app that Microsoft pushed to the system:

• %userprofile%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\OneDrive\OneDrive.App.exe
• C:\Program Files\Microsoft OneDrive\OneDrive.App.exe

So what can you do about it? If you do not use OneDrive, you could remove the app entirely and be done with it. If you do, you might be able to replace it with a dummy file in the directory and write protect it. I did not test this, as I’m still running Windows 10 on my main PC.

Just when you thought that Microsoft might have finally understood what users want, it is falling back to old habits. Seems the company never really learns.

It took Microsoft five years to correct a course that it set when it released the Windows 11 operating system. Back then, Microsoft more or less crippled the taskbar functionality by limiting it to the bottom. Users who were used to displaying the taskbar at the sides or top were left with little options, other than relying on working but sometimes unstable third-party solutions.

This year, Microsoft revealed plans to do better. To focus on quality and to a degree what users of the operating system really want. Turns out, it is not really more AI, but a stable system that gives them the freedom to do whatever they please.

After launching taskbar improvements in the experimental Insider channel earlier this year, Microsoft has now moved the improvements to the beta channel.

The changes allow Windows 11 users to move the taskbar to any edge of the screen, just like it was the case on Windows 10 and earlier versions of Windows. Furthermore, Microsoft is introducing an option to free up more space by changing the taskbar’s size to compact mode.

Microsoft writes:

You can now change the position of taskbar on your screen. In Settings > Personalization > Taskbar > Taskbar Behaviors, you can select the side of the screen you want your taskbar on: bottom, top, left, or right. In these other positions, tooltips, flyouts, and animations will still come from the taskbar, and most customization settings like never combine taskbar icons will work with all locations.

We’re introducing a smaller taskbar for users who want to maximize screen space, especially on smaller devices. While the default taskbar remains unchanged, this setting provides a more compact experience with smaller icons and a reduced taskbar height, giving you more room for your apps. Core elements like Start, Search, and the system tray scale appropriately to stay aligned and consistent.

While the move to Beta is the next step in a wider rollout to all users, Microsoft notes that some features are not finished yet.

Support for touch gestures, Search box, and Ask Copilot in alternate locations is in progress. Auto-hidden taskbar and touch optimized taskbar are not currently supported. Smaller taskbar is currently supported only for top and bottom positions.

It seems likely that these issues will get fixed before the final release. Once you have it, you find the new options under Settings > Personalization > Taskbar > Taskbar Behaviors.

How much RAM should a Windows 11 PC have? Microsoft set the bare minimum to 4 GB of RAM in the official system requirements. Clearly, that is far from ideal and specifically set for ultra-low cost devices.

When Microsoft launched the Copilot+ PC label, it set the minimum to 16 GB of RAM. Now, with exploding memory prices, Microsoft announced plans to optimize the Windows 11 operating system for PCs with 8 GB of RAM and above.

Windows head Pavan Davuluri published a new article on the Windows blog to reiterate Microsoft’s plan to improve Windows quality. Most of the post looks at what Microsoft achieved already, but the final part highlights upcoming changes to the operating system.

Here is the important bit:

Memory optimization for 8GB and above. Reducing Windows memory footprint to deliver a fast and responsive Windows experience across the PCs customers use every day.

Davuluri does not reveal directly how Microsoft plans to reduce the memory footprint of the operating system. However, here is what the company outlined elsewhere:

• More Efficient Memory Allocator: Microsoft is updating the core OS memory allocator to lower administrative overhead and manage RAM allocation across system processes and applications more efficiently.
• WinUI 3 Optimization & Migration: WinUI 3 (the modern user interface framework) is being tuned to consume less RAM by design. Additionally, Microsoft is rewriting more legacy/hybrid shell elements using WinUI 3—including the Widgets board, the Run dialog, and file/folder properties windows—to improve both RAM efficiency and UI latency.
• WebView2 & Chromium Efficiency: Embedded web-based interfaces across Windows 11 rely on WebView2 (Chromium engine), which can be memory-heavy due to background process creation. Microsoft is directly targeting these components to reduce their process count and memory footprint.
• Reducing Idle Baseline Consumption: The team is targeting how much RAM the OS claims at initial system startup before any third-party applications (like browsers or game launchers) are opened.

Microsoft has not published exact information about the RAM that it hopes to free up this way nor when the optimizations will find their way into stable versions of the operating system.

Earlier this month, I wrote about a new version of the Windows tweaker Win11Debloat and its new feature to block automatic driver companion app installations on Windows. I also listed native Windows options to remove the LG Monitor App and unwanted installations.

This came after LG was found to push its Monitor App via Microsoft’s cloud to Windows devices with LG monitors. The app gives users some control over monitor features and also popup ads.

The outcry must have been loud enough to reach the higher ups at Microsoft, as the company just posted an official announcement on X:

According to the post of Microsoft Executive Vice President, Windows and Devices, Pavan Davuluri’s post, Microsoft has come to an agreement with LG regarding the matter. LG, according to Microsoft, will stop showing the popup ad on Windows devices.

While that is the right thing to do, considering that the app auto-installed and started to show the popup without users knowing what hit them, it does not address the elephant in the room: nothing is keeping LG or any other device maker from doing so again in the future.

At the very least, Microsoft should introduce new regulations that prevents a scenario like this from happening in the future. Should companies be allowed to display ads or popups in their apps? Certainly, but not when they have the power to auto-install software or updates on user devices.

Until that happens, it may be a good idea to block the automatic installation of manufacturer apps on your Windows devices to avoid these scenarios. You may still download and install (most) apps manually from the Microsoft Store or the manufacturer’s website.