Compatibility
The latest Compatibility coverage — news, analysis, and updates from the WindowsNews.AI desk.
Microsoft's Console-Like Xbox UI Is Already Running on Windows Handhelds—Here's How
Microsoft’s upcoming Xbox mode for Windows handhelds—a full-screen, controller-first interface designed to transform devices like the ROG Ally into console-like gaming machines—has already been...
Windows 10’s Name Wasn’t Just Marketing—It Was a Fix for 20-Year-Old Code
In September 2014, Microsoft unveiled Windows 10, skipping Windows 9 entirely. The official message: a fresh start, a new era of Windows. But behind the scenes, the name was also a calculated move to...
The One-Entry Bluetooth Fix Windows Uses to Keep a 2006 Microsoft Mouse Alive
Microsoft has stashed a tiny, surgical compatibility table inside the Windows Bluetooth stack for one very specific purpose: rescuing the name of a mouse released in the XP era. Raymond Chen, a...
Windows 10 Support Ends October 2025: Here’s How to Get Windows 11 Free on Any PC
October 2025 will mark the end of mainstream security updates for Windows 10, thrusting an estimated 240 million PCs worldwide into a precarious limbo. For the first time, a Windows feature upgrade...
Windows 10 End of Support: 60% of Corporate Devices Still Unready as October Deadline Hits
October 14, 2025, marks the definitive end of free security updates, feature patches, and technical support for Windows 10—but with barely months to go, up to 60% of corporate devices and 53% of...
Microsoft Officially Deprecates EdgeHTML Web Components, Signaling Final Shift to Chromium-Based WebView2
Microsoft has formally added a clutch of EdgeHTML-era web integration features to its official Windows deprecated list, drawing a line under the legacy engine that once powered the original Microsoft...
Stardock’s Start11 and WindowBlinds Bring Windows 7’s Look to Windows 11 — But It’s No Perfect Clone
A hands-on experiment by MakeUseOf’s Pankil Shah confirms that a carefully assembled toolkit can drape Windows 11 in the glassy, familiar skin of Windows 7 — and the result is more than a...
KB5065426 Arrives to Fix Windows 11’s NDI Stutter and UAC Prompt Nightmare
Microsoft’s September 2025 Patch Tuesday cumulative update KB5065426 for Windows 11 24H2 finally puts an end to two month-long regressions that have plagued streamers and enterprise admins alike:...
Microsoft’s Windows App Purge Accelerates: IE, Paint 3D, and Mail Are Gone—Here’s How to Adapt
The morning of January 1, 2025, delivered a rude surprise for millions of Windows users: the built-in Mail and Calendar apps, staple lightweight clients for years, had stopped syncing emails....
Microsoft Retires Five Windows Apps in Sweeping Consolidation Push: Your Complete Migration and Data Backup Guide
On July 18, 2025, Microsoft silently flicked a switch that turned off new purchases and rentals in its Movies & TV storefront, leaving longtime users with one less place to buy digital movies and...
ExplorerPatcher Bypasses 24H2 Upgrade Block With Binary Rename, Restores Key Features
A freshly baked pre-release of ExplorerPatcher has pulled off a clever maneuver, allowing enthusiasts to install Windows 11 24H2 on machines that Microsoft’s compatibility checks had previously...
Microsoft Gives Windows 11 Insiders Fluid Dictation and External Webcam AI, Prioritizing Intel Copilot+ PCs
Microsoft’s latest Insider preview builds for Windows 11 are delivering a pair of practical AI upgrades that have been on many users’ wish lists: fluid dictation that cleans up your speech in...