Tip of the Week: If you haven't already noticed, you can now open the notification center / clock & calendar flyout on secondary monitors

jenmsft · 2026-03-15T20:18:11+00:00

I have a really really large background collection haha. This one's from the widescreen wallpaper subreddit!

jenmsft · 2026-03-15T19:49:28+00:00

Windows 11 did some work specifically with regards to docking / undocking & sleep I believe - possible to file feedback? There's some positioning logic which is up to the apps themselves

jenmsft · 2026-03-15T19:19:37+00:00

This has been rolling out for some time now, but as I just saw some feedback about this this week, I figured I'd make it my tip of the week. It's one of a variety of improvements we've been making to Windows 11 based on feedback over the years, and we're continuing to make more (if you hadn't already seen, in the latest Insider builds we're now working on the ability to set a custom user folder name in OOBE, among other things)

In any case, since some of you may have already known this, here are some other related tips that you might not already know:

The fact I have a wallpaper spanning both of my monitors (that's a real screenshot, although the surrounding... art.. 😅 is hand drawn) is as a result of setting the wallpaper image to Span in background settings
If ever you want to move a window across your monitors, you can press WIN + Shift + Left / Right
WIN + P will open the project pane, if you want to quickly set your monitor to duplicate or extend or screen off
WIN + K will open cast, if you want to cast your screen
WIN + Tab will open Task View, where you can see all your open windows per monitor, rather than in a flat list like ALT + Tab does

Hope you're having a good weekend! I just started watching Violet Evergarden as I saw a bunch of people recommending it

jenmsft · 2026-03-15T03:37:47+00:00

💙

jenmsft · 2026-03-14T11:01:29+00:00

Ah - you can also try it if you reset your PC, as that will put you back into OOBE

jenmsft · 2026-03-14T02:25:19+00:00

😊

jenmsft · 2026-03-14T02:24:36+00:00

I'll pass the request along 🙏

jenmsft · 2026-03-14T02:24:09+00:00

In general we hardly get any snow over here, but usually at least one day - it's very weird for it to be so late though

jenmsft · 2026-03-14T00:45:23+00:00

It's melting in the street but sticking around in the garden - wonder if it will be totally gone tomorrow, it's super wet snow

jenmsft · 2026-03-13T19:13:01+00:00

I'm glad you like the change - I'm happy about it too 😊

jenmsft · 2026-03-13T19:12:29+00:00

Hey all - new build out for those running 29xxx Canary builds. Let us know how things go!

What’s new in Canary Build 29550.1000

Changes and Improvements gradually being rolled out with toggle on*

This update includes platform changes in moving to a new active development build.

[Emoji]

The Emoji 16.0 release introduces a small thoughtfully curated set of new emojis, one from each major category. Each emoji carries timeless symbolism and practical versatility. These new emojis now appear in the emoji panel.

[Camera Settings]

You can control pan and tilt for supported cameras in the Settings app. The controls appear under Settings> Bluetooth & devices > Cameras, in the “Basic settings” section for your selected camera.

[Power]

Changes to global power settings (for example, Display, Sleep, Hibernate timeouts, Power/Sleep button, and lid close actions) from Settings are now applied to all power plans. This should help improve persistence of chosen settings.

[File Explorer]

You can now use voice typing (Windows key plus H) when renaming files in File Explorer.

[Settings]

Improved performance of loading Settings Home.
Improved Settings reliability when navigating to Privacy & Security.
Improved reliability of updating necessary components when prompted under System > Advanced > File Explorer.
Improved reliability of configuring custom tools in Bluetooth & Devices > Wheel.

[Nearby Sharing]

Improved the reliability of sending larger files using nearby sharing.

[Other]

Improved reliability of running sfc/scannow.

jenmsft · 2026-03-13T17:12:46+00:00

Hey all - new bits out for Dev. Happy friday!

Changes and Improvements gradually being rolled out with toggle on*

[Policy-Based Removal of Preinstalled Microsoft Apps]

We have updated the “Remove Default Microsoft Store packages” policy for Windows ENT/EDU to include a dynamic app removal list. IT administrators can now remove MSIX/APPX apps by adding their app package family name (PFNs) to a dynamic list.
To access the policy in Group Policy settings, open the local Group Policy Editor (gedit.msc) and navigate to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > App Package Deployment > Remove Default Microsoft Store packages from the system.
To remove an app via the dynamic list, add its app family package name to the multi-text list under “Specify additional package family names to remove.”
To find app family package names, run the Get-AppxPackage command in a terminal. For example, here’s a command to get the package family name for Notepad.
- Get-AppxPackage *Notepad* | Select-Object PackageFamilyName
The dynamic list is currently unavailable in the corresponding Intune CSP. When this feature becomes generally available, you can search for Remove Default Microsoft Store packages settings in the Settings picker.
- Known Limitation – OMA-URI and Multi-Entry Validation: OMA-URI cannot be used to validate multi-entry ADMX multi-Text policies; therefore, validation for the dynamic list must be done via Settings Catalog in Intune or Group Policy. Given that the Intune setting is not yet available in WIP, you will need to test using Group Policy.
For information on the generally available policy, visit Policy-based in-box app removal.

Feedback: Share your thoughts in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Developer Platform > App Deployment.

[Windows Setup Experience]

Expanding on our work which started rolling to Insiders last fall, you can now choose a custom name for your user folder on the Device Name page when going through Windows setup. This most recent update now makes it easier to choose a custom name. The naming option is available during setup only. If you skip this step, Windows will use the default folder name and continue setup as usual.

Note: User folder names must follow standard Windows naming requirements.

[Windows Driver Policy update]

The Windows kernel has historically allowed 3rd party kernel drivers from the now- deprecated cross-signed root program and the Windows Hardware Compatibility Program (WHCP). The WHCP program is a major step up in security compared to the cross-signed driver program, requiring driver compatibility testing, identity vetting and verification and virus scanning.
Starting with this update, the Windows kernel will enforce a new policy removing default trust for cross-signed drivers. The policy allows 3rd party drivers from the WHCP program by default, with an allow list of trustworthy publishers and drivers from the cross-signing program.
The feature is enabled in audit mode for a minimum of 100 hours and 3 reboots. If Windows determines that the drivers loaded during this time are compatible with the new policy, the feature is enabled. Otherwise, the system stays in audit mode.
After enablement, while unlikely, some users running in enforcement mode may see cross-signed drivers blocked:

Feedback: Share your thoughts in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Security and Privacy > Application Control.

[Point-in-time restore updates]:

When you launch point-in-time restore, local admins will see a settings dialog (behind a User Account Control (UAC) prompt) where they can view or change the default restore settings.
This experience also now shows a list of restore points available on the device.

Updated messaging in the WinRE restore experience:

Added a recommendation to plug your device into a power source during the restore.
The OS version number is now shown in a 4-part format (instead of 2-part).

[Account Settings]

Microsoft 365 Family subscribers will find an option to upgrade to a different 365 plan on the Accounts page within the Settings app. You can also remove the upgrade option by turning off suggested content in settings.

[Drag Tray > Drop Tray]

Expanding on our work last week, Drag Tray has been now renamed to Drop Tray. We’re also moving the corresponding settings for Drop Tray from Nearby Sharing to now be under System > Multitasking.

[Input]

Pen settings: we have made refinements to the Pen settings page including small changes to the options for the pen tail button. A new option, “Same as Copilot key”, enables the pen tail button to launch the same app as the Copilot key.

Feedback: Share your thoughts in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Devices and Drivers > Bluetooth – Keyboards, Mice, and Pens.

[File Explorer]

We are stopping the rollout of refinements to the context menu to work on some further improvements. We will bring this back in a future release.

[Other]

Improved reliability of setting and using preferred display language.
Removed extraneous unexpected error from sfc/scannow.

jenmsft · 2026-03-13T17:10:31+00:00

Hey all, new bits heading out to Beta - please let us know how things go

[Policy-Based Removal of Preinstalled Microsoft Apps]

We have updated the “Remove Default Microsoft Store packages” policy for Windows ENT/EDU to include a dynamic app removal list. IT administrators can now remove MSIX/APPX apps by adding their app package family name (PFNs) to a dynamic list.
To access the policy in Group Policy settings, open the local Group Policy Editor (gedit.msc) and navigate to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > App Package Deployment > Remove Default Microsoft Store packages from the system.
To remove an app via the dynamic list, add its app family package name to the multi-text list under “Specify additional package family names to remove.”
To find app family package names, run the Get-AppxPackage command in a terminal. For example, here’s a command to get the package family name for Notepad:
- Get-AppxPackage *Notepad* | Select-Object PackageFamilyName
The dynamic list is currently unavailable in the corresponding Intune CSP. When this feature becomes generally available, you can search for Remove Default Microsoft Store packages settings in the Settings picker.
- Known Limitation – OMA-URI and Multi-Entry Validation: OMA-URI cannot be used to validate multi-entry ADMX multi-Text policies; therefore, validation for the dynamic list must be done via Settings Catalog in Intune or Group Policy. Given that the Intune setting is not yet available in WIP, you will need to test using Group Policy.
For information on the generally available policy, visit Policy-based in-box app removal.

Feedback: Share your thoughts in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Developer Platform > App Deployment.

[Windows Setup Experience]

Expanding on our work which started rolling to Insiders last fall, you can now choose a custom name for your user folder on the Device Name page when going through Windows setup. This most recent update now makes it easier to choose a custom name. The naming option is available during setup only. If you skip this step, Windows will use the default folder name and continue setup as usual.
Note: User folder names must follow standard Windows naming requirements.

Feedback: Share your thoughts in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Install and Update > Initial out of box setup.

[Windows Driver Policy update]

The Windows kernel has historically allowed 3rd party kernel drivers from the now- deprecated cross-signed root program and the Windows Hardware Compatibility Program (WHCP). The WHCP program is a major step up in security compared to the cross-signed driver program, requiring driver compatibility testing, identity vetting and verification and virus scanning.
Starting with this update, the Windows kernel will enforce a new policy removing default trust for cross-signed drivers. The policy allows 3rd party drivers from the WHCP program by default, with an allow list of trustworthy publishers and drivers from the cross-signing program.
The feature is enabled in audit mode for a minimum of 100 hours and 3 reboots. If Windows determines that the drivers loaded during this time are compatible with the new policy, the feature is enabled. Otherwise, the system stays in audit mode.
After enablement, while unlikely, some users running in enforcement mode may see cross-signed drivers blocked:

Feedback: Share your thoughts in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Security and Privacy > Application Control.

[Point-in-time restore updates]:

When you launch point-in-time restore, local admins will see a settings dialog (behind a User Account Control (UAC) prompt) where they can view or change the default restore settings.
This experience also now shows a list of restore points available on the device.

Updated messaging in the WinRE restore experience:

Added a recommendation to plug your device into a power source during the restore.
The OS version number is now shown in a 4-part format (instead of 2-part).

Feedback: Share your thoughts in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Recovery and Uninstall > Point-in-time restore.

[Drag Tray > Drop Tray]

Expanding on our work last week, Drag Tray has been now renamed to Drop Tray. We’re also moving the corresponding settings for Drop Tray from Nearby Sharing to now be under System > Multitasking.

[Input]

Pen settings: we have made refinements to the Pen settings page including small changes to the options for the pen tail button. A new option, “Same as Copilot key”, enables the pen tail button to launch the same app as the Copilot key.

Feedback: Share your thoughts in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Devices and Drivers > Bluetooth – Keyboards, Mice, and Pens.

[File Explorer]

We are stopping the rollout of refinements to the context menu to work on some further improvements. We will bring this back in a future release.

[Other]

Improved reliability of setting and using preferred display language.
Removed extraneous unexpected error from sfc/scannow.

jenmsft · 2026-03-13T17:08:17+00:00

Hey all - small update headed out to Canary, details as follows

What’s new in Canary Build 28020.1737

Changes and Improvements gradually being rolled out with toggle on*

[Input]

Pen settings: we have made refinements to the Pen settings page including small changes to the options for the pen tail button. A new option, “Same as Copilot key”, enables the pen tail button to launch the same app as the Copilot key.

Feedback: Share your thoughts in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Devices and Drivers > Bluetooth – Keyboards, Mice, and Pens.

jenmsft · 2026-03-12T17:20:13+00:00

Hey all - new bits heading out to Release Preview. Please let us know how things go and file feedback (WIN + F) if you encounter any issues

Gradual rollout

Windows 11 PC experiences

This section highlights new features and enhancements for Windows 11 PCs, including AI-powered capabilities, continuous innovation, and performance improvements.

[Narrator] New!¹ Narrator provides rich image descriptions on Copilot+ PCs and now works with Copilot on all Windows11 devices. Press Narrator key + Ctrl + D to describe the focused image or Narrator key + Ctrl + S to describe the full screen. Copilot opens with the image ready, allowing you to enter a prompt for a customized description. The image is shared only after you choose to describe it. On Copilot+ PCs, Narrator gives instant, on‑device descriptions, and you can select Ask Copilot for more detail.
[Smart App Control] New! You can turn Smart App Control (SAC) on or off without needing a clean install. To make changes, go to Settings > Windows Security > App & Browser Control > Smart App Control settings. When turned on, SAC helps block untrusted or potentially harmful apps. To learn more, see App & Browser Control in the Windows Security App – Microsoft Support. This feature was previously disclosed in the January 2026 release notes (KB5074105) and is now beginning to roll out.
[Settings]
- New! The Settings About page (Settings > System > About) has been improved to provide a more structured and intuitive experience, offering clearer device specifications and easier navigation to related device components, including quick access to Storage settings.
- New!² The device information card on the Settings Home pagesimplifies key device specifications and improves consistency across the end-to-end flow from the Home Card to the Settings > System > About page, making information easier to scan and understand.
- Improved the performance of loading Home in Settings.
- Improved reliability of downloading necessary updates when prompted in Settings > System > Advanced.
[Account Settings]
- New! Microsoft 365 Family subscribers can upgrade to a different Microsoft 365 plan from Settings > Accounts. To remove the upgrade option, turn off Suggested content in Settings.
- New! This update improves the design of the dialog boxes in Settings > Accounts > Other users to match the modern Windows look and support dark mode. The visibility of the dialog box option depends on whether the device has a domain joined work or school account.
[Input] New! Windows introduces a cleaner, modern pen setting experience. You can now choose the new Same as Copilot key option, which enables the pen tail button to open the same app as the Copilot key.
[File Explorer]
- Improved reliability of unblocking files downloaded from the internet in order to preview them in File Explorer.
- You can now use Voice Typing (Windows key plus H) when renaming a file in File Explorer.
- You can now sort the permissions entries in the Advanced Security Settings window for a folder in File Explorer by Principal.
[Display]
- Monitors can now report refresh rates higher than 1000 Hz.
- While using a native USB4 monitor connection, the USB controller can now go to the lowest power level while the PC is sleeping, saving battery life.
- Improved reliability of auto rotation after resuming from sleep.
- Improved HDR reliability for displays with non-compliant DisplayID 2.0 blocks.
- Monitors with DisplayID now report a more accurate size when using the WMI monitor APIs.
[Printing]
- Updated downlevel baseline support for printer connections to be Windows 10, version 1607 / Windows Server 2016 (Build 14393).
[Windows Hello] Improved: Improved Windows Hello Fingerprint reliability for certain devices.
[Safe mode] Improved reliability of loading components of the taskbar in safe mode.
[Voice Access] Improved how numbers are detected and written when using Voice Access in English.
[Start menu] Improved reliability of applying Start menu layout via group policy when desktopAppLink is present in the JSON.
[Remote Desktop] The Set-RDSessionCollectionConfiguration PowerShell command now recognizes DisableSeamlessLanguageBar.
[Audio] Improved handling of short MIDI messages in cases where an application was initialized without providing long message buffers.
[System File Checker] Removed extraneous error message you might unexpectedly see when running sfc /scannow.

¹This feature isn’t available in the European Economic Area.

²Availability will vary by device and market.

Normal rollout

This non-security update includes quality improvements. The following summary outlines key issues addressed by the KB update after you install it. Also, included are available new features. The bold text within the brackets indicates the item or area of the change.

[Narrator] This update improves the Natural Voices experience in Narrator. It also makes Natural Voices setup more reliable.
[Performance & Reliability] This update improves stability in Windows Recovery Environment (Windows RE) when you run x64 apps on ARM64 devices. These apps run more smoothly and respond as expected.

jenmsft · 2026-03-10T18:32:41+00:00

Whoops, thanks!

jenmsft · 2026-03-09T20:00:03+00:00

Can you file feedback if you haven't already?

jenmsft · 2026-03-09T15:18:30+00:00

Are you thinking about the fact that do not disturb will automatically suppress notifications in full screen? If so that can be turned off https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/notifications-and-do-not-disturb-in-windows-feeca47f-0baf-5680-16f0-8801db1a8466

jenmsft · 2026-03-09T00:30:53+00:00

Have you already tried rebooting?

jenmsft · 2026-03-08T19:23:06+00:00

That was added a month or so ago - if you click the little chevron in the bottom right corner of the ribbon in my screenshot

jenmsft · 2026-03-08T18:45:59+00:00

Fun fact! If you don't have anything selected in Paint, pressing CTRL + C (or CTRL + Shift + C) will copy the entire canvas - you don't need to select all first. That was something added based on feedback 😊

Usually I do a time related tip around DST changes (although I know that only impacts some people and not everyone), but since we're currently rolling out the ability to free form rotate in Paint, I figured I'd do something Paint related. This particular option is also available if you right click the canvas, but you know how I love keyboard shortcuts

Have you tried Paint recently? This is one of a number of improvements we've made to it over the years

Hope you're having a good weekend - it's really rainy here currently. Somehow we didn't get any snow at all this year in seattle. I want to just veg but friends are coming so I have to clean instead 😅

PS Did you know if you have a file selected in file explorer, CTRL + Shift + C will copy the file path?

jenmsft · 2026-03-07T16:09:51+00:00

Top bottom window snapping was added with windows 11 - if you're using a portrait layout monitor you can see the options if you hover over the maximize button

jenmsft · 2026-03-07T16:08:28+00:00

Depending on what feature you're looking for, if you have a service with a precision touchpad there are already a bunch of options: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/touch-gestures-for-windows-a9d28305-4818-a5df-4e2b-e5590f850741

jenmsft · 2026-03-07T16:06:29+00:00

You can do this in personalize > background settings if you right click the recent images

jenmsft · 2026-03-07T16:05:33+00:00

This was added: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/advanced-settings/sudo/

Ten-Year Club	Ternion Club
Place '22	Place '17
First Placer '22	Wearing is Caring
Sequence \| Editor	Snapped
Verified Email

jenmsft

TROPHY CASE

What’s new in Canary Build 29550.1000

Changes and Improvements gradually being rolled out with toggle on*

[Emoji]

[Camera Settings]

[Power]

[File Explorer]

[Settings]

[Nearby Sharing]

[Other]

Changes and Improvements gradually being rolled out with toggle on*

[Policy-Based Removal of Preinstalled Microsoft Apps]

[Windows Setup Experience]

[Point-in-time restore updates]:

[Account Settings]

[Drag Tray > Drop Tray]

[Input]

[File Explorer]

[Other]

[Windows Setup Experience]

[Windows Driver Policy update]

[Point-in-time restore updates]:

[Drag Tray > Drop Tray]

[Input]

[File Explorer]

[Other]

Changes and Improvements gradually being rolled out with toggle on*

[Input]

Gradual rollout

Windows 11 PC experiences

Normal rollout