iCloud integration.

Or, more specifically, iCloud Photos integration.

This basically means that those of you who are entrenched in the Apple ecosystem can now manage photos that you have stored on iCloud right from within the Photos app. This functionality was added to the application with version 2022.31100.9001.0.

It comes a little less than a month after Microsoft began rolling out the first Moment update for its operating system, which was promised during last month’s Surface showcase event.

While we still wait for the screen recorder and Apple Music app to arrive for the OS, the software titan has brought this iCloud integration to all Windows 11 users.

The company describes this new addition as:

“We know that many Windows customers have photo and video collections on their iPhones that they would like to be able to view on their PC. This iCloud Photos integration will make it easier for those with an iPhone to have direct access to all their cherished memories in one organized place and is another step in our continued efforts to make experiences on Windows 11 seamless.”

Sweet!

Those of you who own an iPhone and are using iCloud Photos to store pictures and videos now have the ability to sync your digital libraries with your Windows PCs.

The Photos app in Windows 11 has received a dedicated section where you can browse and manage the images stored in the cloud. This is not too dissimilar to how the application lets you view photos from OneDrive.

Getting in on this requires downloading the latest Photos app and iCloud for Windows from the Microsoft Store. Be sure to install all available updates, then sign in with your Apple ID. Launch the Photos app and click iCloud Photos on the left pane.

Microsoft says that the updated Photos app should become available to all users by the end of the month as the rollout commences.

This very handy note-taking application was a victim of the mess that Windows users had to wade through during the heydays of modern UWP apps. Even now, Redmond offers two different apps with very similar names.

One is OneNote for Windows, also going by as simply OneNote.

And the other is available as OneNote for Windows 10.

Microsoft has been on record saying it plans to consolidate these two apps into a single solution, but progress on this has been understandably slow. Once the unification is complete, OneNote for Windows will remain the go-to solution that receives new features.

OneNote for Windows 10, on the other hand, will only be in support mode until October 2025 and will not receive new functionalities.

In the meantime, other developments are happening in the space.

Microsoft has just announced that OneNote for Windows is now available in the Microsoft Store, and it is obviously the recommended one.

The only problem is that OneNote for Windows shares the space with the old OneNote for Windows 10. Both apps have the same name and very similar icons in the storefront, making it very confusing for users to find out which one they need.

But the good thing here, at least, is that OneNote for Windows 10 does not appear in search results and is only accessible via a direct download link. That, or if you already have it installed, it updates through the Microsoft Store.

Oh well.

You can check out the new arrival on the Microsoft Store at the link above.

Windows 11 itself is big on this.

And now, thanks to a new update for the Sysinternals toolset, Process Explorer is too.

If this is the first time you have heard about this tool, then fret not. Most Windows users have not. It is part of the advanced system utilities that Microsoft offers on the Windows platform for administrators and developers to manage, troubleshoot, and diagnose computers running the OS and the apps.

As the name suggests, Process Explorer is a program that displays detailed information about each process running on your machine. It can be used to see which program is working with a specific file, folder, or dynamic link library (DLL).

Microsoft actually bills this as a must-have tool for gaining insights into how Windows applications work, tracking down DLL problems, handling leaks, and all that fun stuff.

Which is why this latest update gives it this sleek new look:

It's here: Dark Mode Process Explorer! https://t.co/2OrWvLlyIJ pic.twitter.com/qhU8C3IiIy

— Mark Russinovich (@markrussinovich) October 26, 2022

The latest version for Sysinternals brings Process Explorer v17.0 and Handle v5.0 into the mix.

And the changelog for this newest iteration of Process Explorer describes the new features and additions as:

“This update to Process Explorer, an advanced process, DLL and handle viewing utility, adds dark theme support, multipane view in the main window with a new threads pane, startup performance optimization and more.”

This should be great for those who stare at their screens all day, work through the night, or are proud owners of devices with OLED displays.

As for Handle, which is a tool for displaying information about open handles for any running process, this newest version adds support for CSV output with a new switch:

“This update to Handle, a tool that displays information about open handles for any process in the system, adds CSV output with a new -v switch and has an option to print the granted access mask with -g.”

You can download Process Explorer and Handle directly from Microsoft. The company also has some good documentation available for the Sysinternals utilities here.

In other words, keep it in tip-top shape and boost performance as needed.

There is no shortage of such apps and utilities in the world of Windows, with CCleaner perhaps the most popular one among the sea of software that promises (and some deliver) to keep your computer fast and more secure.

Whether Microsoft intends to compete with such programs as it did with third-party antivirus software remains to be seen. But at the very least, the upcoming PC Manager should help with management.

And this is exactly what the folks over at The Verge think.

Many of the features that this new app brings are already part of the Windows experience, but Redmond’s building a dedicated application means that they will all be under one convenient roof for Windows 11 and Windows 10 users.

Microsoft claims this app can clean up system debris, release occupied resources, and make your Windows as fast as possible. It can also manage large files and free up your computer storage space.

At the same time, it can quickly detect computer abnormalities, solve system risks with one click, detect viruses, and clean up garbage.

In fact, a public beta of this new utility has appeared on the company’s website in China.

As the screenshots show, PC Manager could be a way to clean up temporary files and manage startup apps on your device while monitoring resource usage. Of course, Microsoft also offers recommendations, such as switching to Edge and Bing.

Because why not?

No indication when, or if at all, this new PC Manager app will officially launch for the general public. But this much seems certain that when it does, it will not be bundled with Windows 11 version 22H2, seeing as you can only download it manually.

Yes, a new Microsoft 365 app is being readied to replace the current Office application.

Days after announcing this new piece of software, the software titan has prepared a short video that provides us with a first look at this upcoming application and all the features and options it is expected to bring.

The video, which is rather quick and covers some of the app’s key features, has been posted on the official Microsoft 365 YouTube channel.

At just 55 seconds, there is not much time to discuss the app in detail, but it suffices for an initial peek at the upcoming app.

Give it a watch:

We get a look at the app’s new icon and look, and the clip does a good job of showing how this app will serve as a new hub for all your documents, presentations, and files across all your applications. It will even include third-party content.

Quick access to all your recent files is also available right within.

You can also easily search for and find files shared by specific people, and all your company apps are conveniently located.

A feed is available to help you prepare for your upcoming meetings and see updates from the people you follow. Powered by Microsoft Graph, personalized recommendations are also available.

So, a pretty neat package overall.

Interestingly, the Office app on Google Play Store has now been renamed to Office (Microsoft 365), though it does not offer the new functionalities that are highlighted in the video above.

This rebranding is all part of the new drive from the company to put the Microsoft 365 branding left, right, and center. Redmond has said that Office.com, the Office app for Windows, and the Office mobile app will all become the Microsoft 365 app in the coming months.

Things have been moving quickly, with additions like listing processes that prevent a file from being deleted, an OCR tool, and even a Screen Ruler.

Two new features are now in development, one of which at least is sure to please regular users of the app.

Future updates to the program will finally add settings backup capabilities and the ability to edit the hosts files on your system.

The Settings backup feature, as the name suggests, lets you export all your customizations to a dedicated file, which can then be used to restore settings from another. Microsoft is also adding additional options here, like automatic backups and restorations.

You will find this new backup option in the General tab alongside the option to specify where PowerToys should store its backups.

That’s a settings addition, but PowerToys is also getting a new toy for editing hosts file. This is a very welcome addition, as current versions of Windows have no built-in tools for working with hosts, and a dedicated utility for this should come in real handy.

As you can imagine, the hosts editor in PowerToys allows you to work with the file and make your edits without the need to use good old Notepad.

The tool will allow you to add new entries, reposition, disable, filter, and ping existing addresses. You will also be able to add comments to each entry for extra convenience and to keep track of things.

No information yet on when these two new PowerToys features will become available in the program, but they should not take too long to arrive.

Windows 365 is a web service that offers virtualized Windows desktops within a browser.

That is, until now.

This new application has been launched on the Microsoft Store, in preview form for the time being, and  it is designed for Windows 11 users to access their cloud PCs conveniently from their devices. Not just access them, but easily manage all aspects.

Announcing this arrival, a Tech Community post provides a lowdown:

“With Windows 365 app, you can access your Windows 365 Cloud PC from the taskbar or the Start menu, enjoying a full Windows 11 experience while moving between your local and Cloud PCs. Supported by all Windows 11 devices, the app delivers high-performing and reliable experiences optimized for Microsoft Teams and your other Microsoft 365 apps.”

Granular details are available in this other post that goes into elaborate detail on how this app works, what it offers, and how to get access to it to manage and run your Windows 365 PC in the cloud.

It explains how engineers over at Microsoft worked for a year to provide a seamless end-user experience that feels immersive with Windows and allows IT administrators to reduce friction in enabling employees to run their Cloud PCs.

You get the ability to use a virtual computer in window or full-screen mode, and there are actions to restart, reset, restore, and rename them. Troubleshooting is also built-in.

There is support for Azure Active Directory multifactor authentication and Microsoft Authenticator for secure access to the Cloud PCs, along with a direct single sign-on experience. Integration with Teams and other Microsoft 365 apps is also available.

What is not on offer is support for Windows 10, as this app only runs on Windows 11. All variants of the latest operating system, except Windows 11 IoT that is.

Microsoft hopes that the availability of these valuable features will entice Windows 365 customers to prefer using this app rather than using the Remote Desktop client to access their Cloud PCs.

The official Windows 365 app is available directly from the official site.

Or you can instantly download it from the Microsoft Store below to take the preview for a spin.

Download: Windows 365

After a leaked version of this new app was released earlier this year, the software titan kicked off a preview for select Office Insiders. That apparently went smoothly enough that the company has decided to make it available for all program participants.

The company announced the news in a blog post that also went into a deep dive of what’s new.

And there is a ton of new additions to go with the functionalities that were announced back in May when the app first went live.

Microsoft makes it clear right off the bat that the new Outlook app is designed to provide a modern yet familiar interface that is consistent across platforms. This is evident not only in the user interface of the experience but also its feature set.

This latest release fully supports personal Microsoft accounts via Outlook.com, Hotmail, and Windows Live email IDs.

Then, you have a new feature called “Quick Steps,” which Microsoft claims offers personalized recommendations for keeping your inbox clean and organized. It shows you personalized triage actions in this regard.

Another neat UI enhancement is the ability to resize column widths dynamically on the Outlook calendar.

Simplified Ribbon options are also in to make navigation menus appear more sleek and easier to use.

Finally, we have a handy option that lets you see tips about new features as they become available. These tips will also be offered in the calendar board view to assist you in planning your day better and outlining your schedule in one place.

Moving forward, Microsoft plans to support multiple email accounts, third-party providers, visual and personalization options, offline usage, searching folders, as well as support for web addons and native ICS file types.

In other words, all the good stuff is in development and coming soon.

You can enable the new Outlook experience by clicking on the “Try the New Outlook” toggle at the top-right corner of the Outlook app. You can also use this toggle to revert back to the classic experience.

The system requirements and availability details are listed in the post.

Think of this as a File Locksmith tool.

One that is aimed at helping you figure out why you cannot delete a specific file or folder.

This one will be available for both Windows 11 and Windows 10 users. It will work by adding a new context menu entry that shows what processes hold a file or directory, preventing it from being deleted or renamed.

The entry is currently titled “What’s using this file?” but its name may change in the final release.

And this is it in action:

nice little #powertoy work in progress, file locksmith. https://t.co/UMyDI3YasS pic.twitter.com/XaBqSwVzwl

— Clint Rutkas (@ClintRutkas) September 28, 2022

This rough mockup above reveals what File Locksmith might look like and how it will display the processes, show their IDs, the blocked files and directories, and a button to end the listed processes and do the deed.

The concept is on par with what PowerToys currently offers, though it merits a mention that Microsoft will most likely reposition the arrow-down button that reveals more details to prevent users from accidentally killing the task.

And you know, instead of getting more information about it, that is to say.

PowerToys File Locksmith is a work in progress. Although the tool itself is up and running, it will take some time before it becomes available for everyone. The company prefers thoroughly testing and refining features like these before launching them.

You can keep tabs on the development progress of this tool on GitHub.

This handy suite of utilities has been picking up new tools left and right, including a Screen Ruler and even some powerful OCR capabilities.

Although it seems that Microsoft spent a bit of time fixing it soon after launch.

But now it appears that the company is ready to roll out some new features and options for this highly used utility in the operating system.

Alongside rolling out Windows 11 build 25211 to the Dev channel, the company has baked in a nifty improvement in the Snipping Tool that is well worth highlighting. In fact, the Redmond giant has done so in the announcement post itself right towards the end.

This new build comes with a new iteration of the Snipping Tool, version 11.2209.2.0, to be specific. The big deal about this new release is that it allows the application to automatically save any screenshot you take.

Before this new addition, each time you took a screenshot, you would have to click the good old floppy disk icon in the app and then select the path and name of the file you wanted to save.

As you can imagine, this interrupted the workflow of people that take a lot of screenshots. And to make their lives easier, Microsoft is now allowing the Snipping Tool to automatically save content. Now, these screenshots will be quietly collected in the Pictures > Screenshots directory.

Interestingly, this is now the app’s default behavior, though you can change the settings to revert to manually saving screenshots if you so desire.

Do note that since this is a Dev channel feature, there is no guarantee that this autosave capability will make it to the general release version of Windows 11. Or, even to the legacy app in Windows 10.

But while it’s a good bet that this feature will make the cut in the new OS, it seems unlikely that Microsoft will add these capabilities in the older version.