Tag: windows 10

AI

Even Cortana was more useful than Windows Copilot is right now

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Remember Cortana? Most may not remember the personal assistant that Microsoft baked into Windows. Even though it was rather mediocre, Cortana actually provided better Windows functionality than Microsoft’s new lovechild Windows Copilot.

Included in Windows 10, Cortana was Microsoft’s answer to Apple’s Siri and Amazon’s Alexa. It was a voice-activated tool designed to help users in various ways. Core functions included asking Cortana for directions, to add entries to a Calendar, open Windows apps or look up the weather forecast.

A tiny group of users liked Cortana. The vast majority ignored it and a small group of dedicated users tried various hacks to remove Cortana from their devices.

Microsoft announced the end of Cortana support this year. It was clear for a while that Cortana did not play a big role anymore in Microsoft’s plans and the deprecation of the app and service sealed its fate.

Now there is Windows Copilot and AI. Windows Copilot is not Cortana 2.0. At this time, it is mostly Bing Chat as a sidebar in Windows. Microsoft did highlight that Windows Copilot would support Windows-specific features, but it never published a full list and gave only a few basic examples.

Tip: you can disable Windows Copilot in Windows easily.

Cortana vs. Windows Copilot

Windows Copilot

Let’s start with Cortana. The personal assistant reacted to specific voice commands. Microsoft has an entire Help page on its website — still — that lists some of these.

Here is a selection of what you could use Cortana for:

  • Open Windows applications and Settings.
  • Look up Calendar information, including finding time to meet with someone.
  • Looking up Meeting information, including booking meetings.
  • Find out about people in an organization.
  • Make lists and set reminders.
  • Get definitions and answers to questions.
  • Make calculations, including currency conversions.
  • Get weather information.
  • Look up the latest news.
  • Control and play music.
  • Get directions.

Windows Copilot supports just a few of these options and some new ones. Microsoft describes Copilot’s Windows-specific functionality in the following way:

Need to enable Bluetooth or connect a new pair of headphones? Copilot can help. Not sure of the best way to capture a screenshot? Ask Copilot to do it for you. Copilot in Windows can change the way you use your PC and inspire you to try new things that you may not have thought of before. It is where productivity and creativity meet.

Microsoft improved Copilot to add at least some of the promised features. You may now ask Copilot to launch a Windows app and it will do so.

The process is somewhat complicated though. Write “open firefox” and press Enter to send the command to the AI. It will then process it in the cloud, which may take a couple of seconds, to return a “dialog box” in the end. You need to activate this box to start the program.

You can also open Start, type firefox and press Enter to launch the application this way. This is faster and does not require an Internet connection.

Similarly, Windows Copilot may open the Settings app or control, very specific, devices, such as Bluetooth. When asked to open the wireless Settings, Copilot returned a button to open the Settings and another to turn on Bluetooth. Not exactly what the command wanted.

Windows Copilot supports some of the other features that Cortana supported. You can get the weather forecast, get directions, or to make calculations.

The AI produces strange answers sometimes. When asked about next week’s appointments, it returned information about typical pregnancies.

odd answer Copilot

News is another weakness of Copilot, as it has no real-time access at the time. When you ask the AI about recent events, e.g., latest Football or Soccer scores, you will inadvertently end up with old information. The weather report is accurate, however.

Copilot’s weaknesses and flaws

Windows Copilot has certain weaknesses and flaws that make it less of an ideal assistant or partner on Windows.

Two of the main issues are that it requires an Internet connection for all of its functionality and that it lacks access to (most) real-time information.

The Internet requirement delays certain commands, including the opening of programs on the system. In fact, users still need to click on a button to launch a program, provided that Windows Copilot identified it correctly.

A better approach would be to process certain commands locally. It makes no sense to send the “open app” command to the Internet to return a button that the user needs to click to launch it.

Another issue is hallucinations. The AI may sometimes return information that is not accurate or unrelated to the user’s request.

Closing Words

Microsoft’s work on Windows Copilot continues; this is a good thing, as it needs work to become a useful tool for some users. Right now, it loses out against the deprecated Cortana in many regards.

The fact that most Windows users ignored Cortana or did not like it does not help make a case for Windows Copilot either.

Only time will tell whether Windows Copilot will become a useful tool for Windows users and administrators, or if it will land on Microsoft’s growing pile of deprecated services in the next couple of years (only to be replaced with the next big thing).

Now You: do you use digital assistants or AI tools?

Update installation

Control Optional Windows Updates with Group Policy

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Optional Windows Updates fly under the radar on many Home systems. They come as different types. The most common is the monthly non-security preview update for Windows 10 and Windows 11.

There are other optional updates, e.g., bug fixes, other non-security updates and also improvements.

Up until recently, administrators had to search for optional updates manually on Windows to install them. This changed with the introduction of a new setting in Windows Updates.

Administrators who open Settings > Windows Update on Windows 11 see the “Get updates as soon as they’re available” option there. The same option is also available on Windows 10.

Windows Update Settings about optional updates

Microsoft explains on this Help page that the setting allows users to get “the latest non-security and feature updates as soon as they become available”. The caveat; Microsoft says that this only applies if the update becomes available for the device.

In other words: while it ensures that the update is installed when it becomes available, it still leaves it to Microsoft when that happens.

The following happens when the functionality is enabled in Settings. The device “will be among the first to get the latest non-security updates, fixes, improvements, and enhancements” says Microsoft. The setting does not affect security updates, which will still be pushed to devices, even if set to Off.

The “check for updates” button of Windows Updates also downloads and installs the most recent updates for the device.

The Group Policy gives administrators more control over the functionality.

Optional Windows Updates Group Policy configuration

Optional Windows Updates

Administrators may use the Enable Optional Updates policy to control the installation of these updates on managed devices.

  1. Open the Start Menu, type gpedit.msc and select the Edit Group Policy from the results. This launches the program.
  2. Navigate to Local Computer Policy > Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates >B Windows Components > Windows Update > Manage updates offered from Windows Update > Enable optional updates.
  3. Set the policy to Enabled to configure the delivery of optional options. Set it to Disabled to turn off the optional updates delivery on the device.

A menu lists the three configuration options when Enabled is selected.

  • Automatically receive optional updates (including CFRs) — This installs the latest optional updates on the device. It includes Controlled Feature Rollouts and optional cumulative updates.
  • Automatically receive optional updates — Same as above, but without Controlled Feature Rollouts.
  • User scan select which optional updates to receive — The user is in control via Windows Updates in Settings.

Notes on optional updates and their delivery

At least some optional updates need to be considered beta. This is true for the optional non-security updates that Microsoft releases about two weeks before their inclusion in the regular cumulative updates for the operating system.

Most Windows users may want to skip the installation of optional updates, especially on production machines.

It is also a good idea to create backups regularly, not Windows Backup though, as it doesn’t include all data. Windows includes some restoration functionality, but it has failed for some users in the past.

Closing Words

Administrators may want to disable Optional Windows Updates on most managed devices to limit potential issues that could arise from the installation. Home users may also want to block these for the most part. There is still the option to activate the “check for updates” button, if you read about a new update that you want to install.

Now You: how do you handle optional updates?

O&O AppBuster: uninstall locked Windows apps

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

O&O AppBuster is a free application by O&O Software GMBH. The program enables Windows 10 and 11 users to uninstall apps that Microsoft does not want users to remove from the system.

While some apps are critical components of Windows, the same can’t be said for all locked apps. Apps like Photos, Phone Link, Game Bar or Tips can’t be uninstalled from the Settings app.

PowerShell has long been the primary option to remove locked apps on Windows 10 and 11. It is a great option for system administrators and experienced users. You may check out my guide on uninstall the Photos app on Windows 11 as an example.

Regular Windows users may not feel comfortable enough running commands from PowerShell.

O&O AppBuster comes to the rescue. It has an easy-to-use interface to remove locked apps. Other features include mass removal of apps, including third-party apps, and more.

Tip: check out our review of O&O ShutUp10++ as well. This free program may improve your privacy.

O&O AppBuster: an overview

O&O AppBuster interface

You can run the application right after the download. An installation is not required. The application has a clean interface that lists all installed apps and programs immediately.

The program lists all applications with their name and publisher, installation date, status, storage and also the number of users it is available for. A click on a column header at the top allows users to sort the list accordingly.

This is a handy option to sort by installation date or storage.

The Desktop and Windows tabs at the top lead to filtered listings:

  • Desktop lists all user-installed programs.
  • Windows lists all native apps and Store-installed apps.

A search allows users to find specific apps next to these. The search matches the name and publisher, which is an excellent option to quickly find multiple apps.

Using the program to remove Windows apps

Remove Windows 10 and 11 apps

One of the main applications of O&O AppBuster is the removal of native Windows apps. While Microsoft is making progress in this regard, by unlocking more apps for removal, it continues to lock some.

It is a welcome change of course, but slow-paced and not complete. O&O AppBuster supports other features that make it a good choice. First, by supporting mass uninstalls. Second, through an optional safety feature that relies on System Restore.

Here are the required steps to remove native Windows apps:

  1. Select Actions > Create a System Restore point to create a restore option.
  2. Pick “yes” when asked whether you want to create a system restore point.
  3. Switch to the Windows tab in the program interface.
  4. Check any of the apps that you want to remove.
  5. Activate the “Remove” button once done.
  6. O&O AppBuster displays a prompt immediately afterwards with three options:
    • Current user — removes the app(s) only for the logged in user
    • All users — removes the app(s) for all users that exist consequently.
    • Computer — removes the apps from the entire machine.
  7. Select yes after you have made the selection.
  8. At this instant, O&O may display a prompt to create a system restore point. This happens only if you have not created one previously.
  9. Select Close to complete the removal.

Other features of O&O AppBuster

The program supports a number of other features furthermore. While the main focus is on the removal of Windows apps, it may also be used for other purposes.

You can use it to uninstall Win32 programs. This works a bit differently as the default uninstaller is spawned each time.

You need to be careful here, as some installers may prompt for a reboot.

Mass removal of apps and programs is a useful feature of the program. Just select all of them and hit the remove action afterwards.

Closing Words

O&O AppBuster is a useful program for Windows. It offers an elegant option to remove system apps from Windows as well as regular desktop programs.

Integration of System Restore ensures that you can go back to a previous state. Mass uninstalls is another useful feature, as it speeds up the process significantly.

Now You: do you keep or remove native Windows apps on your devices?

How to edit System Environment Variables on Windows

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Environment Variables are an essential part of the Windows operating system. The variables are mostly useful for command line usage and also in scripts. As an example: when you type a program name on the command line, e.g., notepad.exe, Windows searches the variables to find the application.

System environment variables determine locations for certain folders as well. The temporary files folder, for instance, is set using the temp variable. Apart from path information, variables may also provide information to programs. They may reveal the operating system’s name, the architecture or the number of processors.

Environment variables are available as user and system variants. The main difference is that the former applies only to the logged in user while the latter to all users of the system.

Editing System Environment Variables on Windows

Launch the Environment Variables Editor

All versions of Windows include an editor for system variables. It is a rather basic tool that has not been updated in a long while.

The following instructions explain how to launch the editor on any version of Windows and how to use its functionality.

Follow these steps to launch the Editor:

  1. Open the Start Menu.
  2. Type env.
  3. Select the “Edit the System Environment Variables” result. The System Properties window opens.
  4. Activate the Environment Variables button.

The following program window opens.

System Environment Variables Editor

Windows separates user and system variables in the interface. Options to add variables, edit or delete existing ones are provided.

A double-click opens the edit interface. You may select a line and then edit alternatively. Opening Path this way, you’d end up with the following editing interface:

All basic options are available. You can add, edit and delete variables here. A double-click lets you edit the selected variable right away.

Note that the order is important as well. Windows goes through the locations from top to bottom.

Use the “move” options to change the priority of path variables.

A click on new lets you add new folder locations to the variable. These are added to the bottom by default, but you can use move to change the priority after creation.

Adding locations to path is useful for development, users who create script files regularly, and also users who run programs from the command line often.

Security-wise, it is a good idea to check path variables as well. Remove any variable that you don’t require. Some programs and also malware may add variables to the path variable.

Edit Environment Variables from the command line

Edit system environment variables from the command line

You can list and edit variables using a command prompt. Launch a new command prompt window by opening Start, typing cmd.exe and pressing the Enter-key.

Type set and press Enter to display all environment variables. To change a variable name, run the command setx NAME “VALUE”, e.g. setx TEMP “e:\temp”, to set the new TEMP folder location to e:\temp.

System Environments of note

Some environment variables are more important than others. Here is a quick overview of important variables and their functionality:

  • Temp and Tmp — These point to the temporary folder used by the system. Windows and apps store temporary files in the folder. You could edit the path to point it elsewhere. One interesting option is to set the path to a ramdrive location. Doing so would erase temporary files automatically on every shutdown.
  • Path — The path variable is used for a variety of purposes. It defines the locations that Windows looks in when you try to run executable files. Most native Windows tools, notepad, paint or wordpad, are launched when you type their name in a command prompt. Third-party apps, like firefox or chrome, are not however. The reason is simple: their location is not included in the path variable. You can edit the Path variable to add more locations.

Third-party editors

Third-party tools may be used to edit variables. These may offer additional features that the native editor lacks. Notable are support for backups, error checking, or selecting paths visually instead of typing them.

  • Rapid Environment Editor — A free tool to manage system environment variables on Windows. Last updated in 2018, it works well with any version of Windows. Notable features include backups, error checking, visual path selecting, a variable inspector and support for editing paths of any user on the system.
  • Windows Environment Variables Editor — the last update dates back to 2014, but it still runs fine on Windows 10 and 11 systems. It is not as powerful as Rapid Environment Editor.
  • Microsoft PowerToys — Microsoft added a System Environments Variables editor tool to PowerToys 0.75. It offers a cleaner interface, but lacks advanced features.

Now You: how do you edit variables on Windows?

O&O ShutUp10++ review: tame Windows’ data hunger

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

O&O ShutUp10++ is a free tool for Microsoft’s Windows operating system to improve privacy. Designed initially for Windows 10, the program is now also available for Windows 11.

While its main focus is on blocking the operating system’s data hunger, it is also a helpful tool for managing other Windows settings.

First, the basics. You can download the free tool from the official project website. Just run the program after download, an installation is not required. Note that elevated privileges are required to modify settings on the system.

The main interface looks like this on start.

O&O ShutUp10++ interface

O&O ShutUp10++ groups settings for better recognition. You may disable that under View > Group by Categories if you prefer a long list. There is also a search to find settings that match search terms quickly.

Using O&O ShutUp10++ to improve Windows Privacy

All tweaks use a color coding to indicate whether a feature is enabled or disabled. Each setting has a toggle to turn a feature on or off. A short description and a recommendation is also displayed.

Note that you may hover over any description and click with the left mouse button to display additional information. Excellent if you need to know more about a setting.

Many options are self-explanatory, but some may require additional research. “Disable People icon in the taskbar” is quite clear, but “disable input personalization” or “disable automatic receipt of updates” may not.

You can modify individual options with a click on the switch next to a setting. The program prompts you to create a system restore point, which you should accept. It allows you to restore the system to the previous state. The settings do not have the capacity to break the system, but it is still better to have a restore option.

The Actions menu at the top lists bulk options for the most part. You may use them to apply all recommended settings among other things. These are safe changes that should not impact usability on the device.

Bulk Actions in O&O ShutUp 10++

Options to apply “somewhat recommended” or all settings are also available, but this is not recommended. It is better to go through the remaining settings manually to make changes.

The two other options let you reset everything to factory defaults and to create a system restore point manually.

Administrators may also switch between the user and machine tabs. User settings apply only to the logged-in user, machine to all users on the system.

Verdict

O&O ShutUp10++ is a useful tool for Windows users. It is easy to use, free for personal use and includes major privacy settings. The settings don’t have the capacity to break a system, but some of the advanced options may impact certain settings or features on the device. It is easy enough to restore these, should you ever run into any issues in this regard.

All in all, O&O ShutUp10++ is an excellent program that every Windows user should run after installation and major upgrades. O&O Software updates the program frequently to include new options, which is another major plus.

Spacedrive: cross-platform file manager with a twist

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Spacedrive is an open source cross-platform file explorer that is powered by a virtual distributed filesystem written in Rust.

Note: the software is alpha at this point. It may contain bugs and issues, and its main purpose is testing at this stage. I experienced some hangs and issues during the test.

All modern operating systems come with file managers. Windows has its File Explorer, macOS Finder and Linux lots of them.

These file managers provide basic functionality. While that is usually sufficient to find, run, move or delete files, they are also lacking in many areas.

Windows’ File Explorer, for example, only lists data from connected drives. Anything that is not connected at the time is not displayed. Other issues may include a lack of organization, a messy interface, search that works so-so only or a focus on folders.

Spacedrive is a different kind of file manager

Spacedrive interface

Spacedrive uses virtualization to display files from any location that you have added in the past. This can be folders and files from different local, removable or network locations, and even files from different systems.

This location-based approach changes a core characteristic of traditional file managers.

When you launch Spacedrive for the first time, you are greeted with emptiness. The file manager displays files only from locations that you add to its virtual filesystem. The first task, therefore, is to press the Add Location button to add a location to it.

The app supports local drives and partitions, folders, network drives as well as removable drives. Spacedrive indexes the content so that it remains visible in the app even after the storage location is disconnected.

The developers describe Spacedrive in the following way:

Organize files across many devices in one place. From cloud services to offline hard drives, Spacedrive combines the storage capacity and processing power of your devices into one personal distributed cloud, that is both secure and intuitive to use.

The Virtual Distributed Filesystem

At its core, Spacedrive’s virtual distributed filesystem (VDFS) is keeping a record of all storage locations that users added to the application. Record is another word for index. This index is not restricted to a single device or machine either, which is one of the main advantages of the technology.

The developers point to a UC Berkeley research paper by Haoyuan Li, which offers information on the underlying VDFS concept. The focus of the paper was on cloud computing, but the developers of Spacedrive say that the concepts apply to consumer software as well.

The core idea is not new. Applications such as DiskCat for Windows index drives or disks and make the data available even while offline. These solutions are not as advanced as this one and often not open source, but the main idea is similar.

What you can do with Spacedrive right now

Media viewer in Spacedrive

The current version lets you add local and network locations to the virtual filesystem. Support for adding devices is coming in the future.

Select the add location option and pick a drive letter or folder on a connected drive. Spacedrive indexes the location so that it remains accessible, even if disconnected.

The app lists all indexed files in its interface. It supports three display modes currently: grid, list and media view. The first two modes list all files, the last only media files. Options to change the size of icons and sorting are also available already.

You may then browse individual locations or all data. A search is provided to find files across all locations quickly. Double-click on a file to launch it using the default file viewer or press the Space-key to display it in the program’s own quick viewer.

Options to edit files, e.g., rename or delete files, are also provided. You may add tags to files and create new tag categories. These may then be accessed in the sidebar directly.

A check of the preferences lists options to switch between light and dark mode, change display formats and even keybindings. There is a lot to explore already.

The future

The developers of Spacedrive have big plans for the app. The roadmap lists a key manager, to use encryption, an AirDrop-like feature and cloud integration as the next features in versions 0.2 and 0.3 of the file manager.

That is not all though. The roadmap reveals plans to add extensions supported, a media encoder, encrypted vaults, a timeline feature and much more.

Verdict

Spacedrive may not be ready for use in production environments, it is alpha software after all. It is one of those projects that you want to keep an eye on, as it is ambitious and could turn out to become an interesting app for many computer users.

Photographers or media archivers, for example, may use it to keep an always up-to-date index of all their media files, regardless of location.

Windows Backup is not a “real” backup solution

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Microsoft developed a new app for Windows 10 and 11, called Windows Backup, which is rolling out to systems that install the latest updates for these operating systems.

Previous backup options, such as File History, remain available for now.

The backup application uses Microsoft OneDrive to save some data. While that sounds like a good feature on paper, it is far away from that.

Windows Backup: the functionality

Windows Backup main interface

Windows users may run Windows Backup from the Start Menu. Open the Start Menu, type Windows Backup and select the result.

The application opens after a brief moment. It displays the “Let’s back up your PC” screen on start. The app lists the various backup elements in the middle, the estimated storage space on OneDrive, and back up and cancel buttons.

Apps, Settings, and Credentials are automatically transferred if the user is signed-in with a Microsoft account. Only the content listed under Folders is not.

Windows Backup lists just the special folders for backup there: Desktop, Documents, Pictures, Videos and Music. The app may omit some folders, especially if they don’t contain any user files. There is no option to select a custom folder for backup.

Each supported folder is listed with its size and a toggle to remove it from the task. A click on back up transfers the files to OneDrive.

The length of the process depends on the number of files in the selected folders. There is no option to restore files directly from the app. You need to open OneDrive, either on the local system or online, to access the files and restore them to the local system.

The “other” sources that backup uses

Windows Backup supports backing up information about apps, settings and credentials.

  • Remember installed apps and pinned app preferences.
  • Remember Windows settings and preferences: accessibility, language preferences and dictionary, other Windows settings, personalization.
  • Remember Wi-Fi networks and other passwords.

Here is what’s wrong with the Backup app

Windows users may only use the app if they sign-in with a Microsoft Account. Additionally, it can’t be used if Enterprise or Education accounts are used to sign-in.

If there is one point to criticize, it is the lack of backup options. Windows Backup supports backing up just the special folders. There is no option to select custom folders, let alone back up an entire drive.

Windows users who want to back up these folders can do so already using OneDrive, which is also available on Windows PCs.

Even File History, which remains available, supports backing up any folder to local drives or network drives.

The Windows Backup app lacks any option to restore files using it in addition. While Windows uses the backups on new PC setups or resets, it is the extent of the feature.

Not surprisingly is the focus on OneDrive as the only backup location, at least currently. All Microsoft account users get some OneDrive storage free of charge, but it is only 5 gigabytes. Microsoft charges a monthly subscription fee if users require more storage. Since OneDrive is the only option, there is little that users can do about that.

Manage Backups

Windows users may open Start > Settings Accounts > Windows Backup to control the backups. There, they may deselect the syncing of preferences and also add or remove folders from the backup process.

Note that these settings are specific to the active PC. There is no option to manage the backups of other Windows PCs from the Settings.

How to remove Windows Backup

Windows Backup is a system component. As such, it is not possible to remove it from the Windows device according to Microsoft.

A better backup alternative

There are quite a few free backup solutions available for Windows. The one that I use is Paragon Backup & Recovery, which ticks all the right boxes. Free, lets you back up files, folders, disks and the operating system, schedule backups and includes recovery options.

It is a full backup solution for Windows. You do need a second hard drive or optical disk device for the backups though, as cloud backups are not supported by it.

Now You: which backup application do you use?

Cloud Content Search: disable it in Windows 11

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Microsoft’s Windows 11 operating system runs local and remote searches when users use the search functionality. A relative recent addition is the ability to find cloud files. Windows Search may return content from OneDrive, Outlook and other Microsoft services alongside local results.

Some Windows users may find cloud search functionality useful, especially if they use OneDrive or Outlook. Others may want to disable the feature, as they may have no need for it or are concerned about privacy.

The operating system’s search uses connected Microsoft, work or school accounts, automatically when users sign-in with those.

Windows 11 users may connect personal or school/work accounts independently of that in the Settings:

  1. Select Start and select Settings, or use the keyboard shortcut Windows-I to open Settings.
  2. Go to Accounts > Email & accounts.
  3. Locate “Accounts used by other apps”.
  4. Select “Add a Microsoft account” to add a personal account.
  5. Select “Add a work or school account” to add an organizational account.

You are asked to provide the username and password for the account to add it.

Here is what happens when Cloud Content Search is enabled

Users who use a personal Microsoft account will see items from OneDrive, Outlook and other Microsoft services in Windows Search. A search for a filename may, for example, return files found on OneDrive.

Additionally, results will be personalized when searching the web or getting web search suggestions in Windows Search. Bing searches in the Windows search box will earn users Microsoft Rewards points.

Work or school accounts connected to Windows 11 may see organizational content returned in Windows searches. This may include content from OneDrive for Business, Outlook, SharePoint and other Microsoft services.

Disabling cloud-based searches in Windows

Cloud Content Search settings in Windows 11

Windows 11 includes options to disable cloud content search functionality. The functionality is enabled by default and users need to become active to turn it off.

The following guide provides step by step instructions on disabling cloud content search in Windows.

  1. Open Start and select Settings, or use the shortcut Windows-I to open Settings.
  2. Select Privacy & Security from the sidebar on the left.
  3. Click on Search permissions.
  4. Two Cloud Content Search options are available:
    • Microsoft account — handles personal account content.
    • Work or School account — for users signed-in with these types of accounts.
  5. Toggle one or both of the options to the Off state.

Windows 11 won’t pull data from remote Microsoft services, such as OneDrive, Bing or Outlook anymore, when turned off.

Windows 10 also includes options to turn off the feature. Here is how that is done on Windows 10 devices:

  1. Select Start and then Settings to open the Settings application.
  2. Select Search from the available categories in the Settings app.
  3. Find Cloud content search.
  4. Toggle Microsoft account and/or Work or School account to Off to disable the feature.

Turning off cloud searches with the Group Policy Editor

Administrators may use the Group Policy Editor to turn off Cloud Content Search for all users of the operating system.

Note: The Group Policy Editor is only available in professional and enterprise / education editions of Windows 11. Windows 11 Home systems need to make the change in the Registry; this is explained further down below.

  1. Use the keyboard shortcut Windows-R to open the run box.
  2. Type gpedit.msc and press the Enter-key to start the Group Policy Editor.
  3. Navigate to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Search.
  4. Locate Allow Cloud Search on the right-side and double-click on the policy.
  5. Change the state from “Not Configured” to “Enabled.
  6. Use the menu under Options to select “Disable Cloud Search” to turn it off.
  7. Select OK to apply the change.
  8. Close the Group Policy Editor.
  9. Restart the PC.

Disabling Cloud Search in the Registry

Home edition users need to make the change in the Registry directly. It applies the same policy.

  1. Open the Start Menu, type regedit.exe and press the Enter-key to launch the Registry Editor.
  2. Confirm the security prompt that Windows displays.
  3. Use the hierarchical structure on the left to go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > SOFTWARE > Policies > Microsoft > Windows > Windows Search
    • If one of the keys is not available, right-click on the previous key and select New > Key. Name it accordingly to create the path.
  4. Search for the Dword AllowCloudSearch on the right side.
    • If it is not there, right-click on Windows Search and select New > Dword (32-bit) Value.
    • Name it AllowCloudSearch.
  5. Double-click on AllowCloudSearch.
  6. Set its value to 0 to turn off Cloud Search for all users.

After 7 years, Microsoft ends free Windows 7 and 8 upgrades to Windows 10 and 11

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

When Microsoft released the initial version of Windows 10 in 2015 it allowed users to upgrade from Windows 7 and 8 devices to the operating system for free.

Windows 7 and 8 product keys carried over during setup. Upgrades to Windows 10 accepted the key as well.

Microsoft did end the free upgrade option officially in 2016 but the company never made the change on the backend; this meant, that customers could still use their Windows 7 or 8 product keys to install Windows 10 or upgrade to the system without running into licensing issues.

The release of Windows 11 in 2021 did not change that. Customers could use their Windows 7 or 8 product keys to install Windows 11 and activate the operating system. Similarly, those with compatible systems, could also upgrade to Windows 11 from these older versions of Windows.

Microsoft ended support for Windows 7, Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 in January 2023. The end of servicing did not affect the ability to use the product keys of these older versions of Windows to install Windows 10 or 11, or to upgrade to these systems.

The free upgrade ride ends

The situation changed this week. German site Deskmodder was the first to report about the change. Microsoft published new information on its Device Partner Center website that confirms that the company has stopped the free upgrade path.

Microsoft writes:

Microsoft’s free upgrade offer for Windows 10 / 11 ended July 29, 2016. The installation path to obtain the Windows 7 / 8 free upgrade is now removed as well. Upgrades to Windows 11 from Windows 10 are still free.

In other words: Windows 7 and 8 systems upgrades to Windows 10 or 11 are still permitted and not blocked. Product keys of these older systems may not be accepted, however.

Windows users need to purchase a new product key for Windows 10 or 11 to activate the operating systems in this case.

Neowin ran a quick test and discovered that the product keys could be used to activate Windows 11 version 22H2 or earlier, but not newer versions of Windows 11 anymore. The situation is likely similar on Windows 10.

Affected users might try and upgrade their devices to these earlier versions of Windows 10 or 11, as it still seems to work at the time of writing. Microsoft could end this option at any time in the future though.

Microsoft notes that upgrades from Windows 10 to 11 continue to remain free. It is likely that the company will change this after Windows 10 reaches end of servicing in October 2025.

Buying a Windows 10 or 11 license

Microsoft charges $139 for Windows 11 Home and $199 for Windows 11 Professional on its Store. Windows 10 is no longer sold there.

Retail stores may offer licenses for cheaper, but usually not by much. Another option is to buy product keys from key resellers. Keys cost around $20 when bought from these.

You can check out eBay and other marketplaces. Key reselling may not be allowed in all regions and markets though.

Checking the activation status

Multiple options exist to check the activation status of a Windows device. One of the easiest options is the following one:

  1. Use the keyboard shortcut Windows+R to open the Run box.
  2. Type slmgr.vbs –xpr.
  3. Activate the Enter-key on the keyboard.

Windows returns the activation status in a small popup window. You may also run this command from Terminal or Command Prompt windows.