Productivity Tools
The latest Productivity Tools coverage — news, analysis, and updates from the WindowsNews.AI desk.
Microsoft PowerToys: The Essential Free Toolkit Every Windows 10/11 Power User Should Install
Microsoft’s PowerToys utility suite just got a lot more interesting—and it’s not just for developers anymore. The open-source collection of tiny, modular utilities has evolved from a niche...
Copilot Pages Hands-On: Microsoft’s AI Notebook Edges Out Google, but Privacy Concerns Persist
Microsoft’s Copilot Pages has entered the AI note-taking arena, and after extensive hands-on testing, it’s clear that Google’s NotebookLM finally has a serious rival. But while Copilot Pages...
Windows 11 Snipping Tool Can Now Record Just One App Window, But There's a Catch
Microsoft is giving Windows 11 Insiders a reason to retire their screen-cropping reflex: Snipping Tool version 11.2507.14.0 now records a specific application window, not just a manual rectangle. The...
The =COPILOT() Function: Microsoft Makes AI a First-Class Citizen in Excel Formulas
Microsoft has just made its boldest move yet to embed generative AI into everyday productivity, introducing a new =COPILOT() function that allows Excel users to call Copilot directly from any cell....
Microsoft embeds Copilot into Excel's grid with new COPILOT function: quotas, governance, and practical tips
Microsoft has quietly rolled out a game-changing addition to Excel: a first-class function named COPILOT that lets users call generative AI from within spreadsheet cells. The function, which debuted...
Microsoft Sneaks Copilot Promotions into Windows 11 Start Menu, Fueling Ad Backlash
Microsoft has begun testing AI-powered Copilot promotions directly inside the Windows 11 Start menu’s Recommended area, the latest in a series of moves that increasingly treat core OS surfaces as...
Microsoft Experiments with Hover Quick-Actions and AI Tools in File Explorer, but Stability Bugs Persist
Microsoft is testing a suite of productivity-focused upgrades for File Explorer that promise to cut clicks and surface AI tools directly where users browse files. Lean on a file in the Home view and...
PowerToys 0.93 Delivers Up to 70% Faster Extensions and a Redesigned Settings Dashboard
PowerToys 0.93 arrives with a tangible performance overhaul for Command Palette, leveraging Ahead-of-Time (AOT) compilation to slash startup memory by 15%, load times by 40%, and extension loading by...
Discounted Keys, AI Subs, and Driver Updaters: One Power User's Blueprint for a Safer, Faster Windows 11 PC
A Windows power user has laid out a meticulously curated software stack that promises to eliminate daily PC friction, but the real story isn’t just about the apps—it’s the tangled web of...
GitHub CEO Defends Microsoft's AI Performance Review Memo as 'Totally Fair Game' Days Before Announcing Resignation
Thomas Dohmke, the chief executive of GitHub, has forcefully defended a controversial internal Microsoft memo that urged managers to factor AI tool usage into employee performance evaluations,...
PowerToys' New ClipPing Tool Ends Clipboard Guesswork with Visual Overlays
A proposed PowerToys module called ClipPing wants to kill one of computing's most persistent micro-stressors: the brief flash of doubt after hitting Ctrl+C. Did the copy actually register? For...
Copilot Vision Escapes Edge: Now Sees Any Window on Windows 11 for Free
Copilot Vision can finally see beyond the browser. Microsoft’s screen-aware AI assistant, once shackled to Edge, now peers into any open window on Windows 11—and it’s completely free. The...