Best Windows apps this week
Six-hundred-forty in a series. Welcome to this week's overview of the best apps, games and extensions released for Windows 10 and 11 on the Microsoft Store and elsewhere in the past seven days.
Microsoft has fixed a Windows update bug that caused some printers to print random text and data. The issue, affecting USB dual-mode printers, began in January 2025. A proper fix arrived in March via preview updates KB5053643 and KB5053657.
If a Windows update made your printer act strangely, Microsoft has a fix for you
Recent updates for Windows 10 and Windows 11 had the peculiar side effect of causing printers to spew out random printouts. The culprits were the updates released back in January, although it took Microsoft a while to concede that there was a problem.
Having acknowledged the issue, Microsoft has finally produced a fix some two months after the problems emerged.
Huge Microsoft Photos update adds amazing new web search with OCR-extracted text feature and makes AI options easier to access
Microsoft Photos is something of an unsung hero of the Windows app family. It is an astonishingly useful and powerful tool that Microsoft keeps quietly updating on an irregular basis. The latest update has just landed, and it’s a biggie.
We’ve already seen the addition of OCR capabilities to Microsoft Photos so in-image text can be easily copied; this has now been extended to include the option to search the web with text that has been extracted. But this is far from being the only change in the latest update.
Transform Windows 10/11 into the OS you've always wanted with Seelen UI
Windows 10 and Windows 11 are functional but a bit unexciting, with limited customization options. If you’ve ever wished you could make Windows look and work better, the good news is that Seelen UI has you covered.
This free tool reimagines what a Windows desktop can be, giving users the power to break free from Microsoft’s frustrating limitations -- and it’s just been updated to offer even more features and improvements.
Forget Windows 11 -- ReactOS, the Microsoft-free Windows operating system, just got a massive update! Download it now
Just as you can get versions of Android that are free from Google, including LineageOS and /e/OS, so there are also alternative Windows operating systems not developed by Microsoft.
One of the most best examples of this is ReactOS, an open-source project that aims to provide a free and compatible replacement for Windows, removing all the things you don’t want in Microsoft’s OS, such as spying/telemetry, adverts, and so on.
Windows 25 solves Windows 11's biggest problem -- download it now
For most people, the first thing that jumps out about Windows 11 is the centered taskbar and Start menu. It’s one of the most obvious changes Microsoft made to the new OS to differentiate it from Windows 10.
A change like that can be difficult to adjust to at first -- if you’ve been using Windows for years you’ll be used to everything being on the left. Windows 25 puts everything back where it belongs, and you can install it now.
Best Windows apps this week
Six-hundred-thirty-nine in a series. Welcome to this week's overview of the best apps, games and extensions released for Windows 10 and Windows 11 on the Microsoft Store and elsewhere in the past seven days.
The latest cumulative updates for Windows may have uninstalled the Copilot application accidentally. Microsoft is working on a solution. Affected users are asked to reinstall the Copilot app from the Microsoft Store.
Microsoft brings Copilot back from the dead after accidentally nuking it
Copilot remains a divisive addition to Windows, so there was a mixture of jubilation and despair when Microsoft released updates for Windows 10 and Windows 11 that had the unintended side effect of deleting the AI-powered digital assistant.
At the time, Microsoft acknowledged the accidental deletion and unpinning of the app and suggested Copilot fans manually download and reinstall the app while it worked on a proper fix. Now the company says it has things sorted out -- to the delight or chagrin of those affected.
This big Oreon 10 update might be the push you need to finally leave Microsoft Windows behind
If you’re thinking of leaving Windows 10 or 11 but aren’t quite sure if you’re ready to jump ship permanently, the good news is you can try some excellent alternative operating systems without commitment, using tools like VMware Player. One of our top recommendations is the stunning Oreon 10.
We declared it had "arrived to replace Microsoft Windows" when it launched last December, but since then the OS has received a number of improvements, and a new build has just been released that makes Oreon 10 an even more compelling alternative.
Best Windows apps this week
Six-hundred-thirty-eight in a series. Welcome to this week's overview of the best apps, games and extensions released for Windows 10 and Windows 11 on the Microsoft Store and elsewhere in the past seven days.
Microsoft announced the end of the Remote Desktop app for Windows this week. The app, which is available as a Microsoft Store download, is being replaced by the Windows App for Windows. The change appears a bit hurried, as some features are not supported by the new app yet, but there are workarounds.
Microsoft admits that a recent Windows update may have made your printer act erratically
If your printer has been spontaneously printing at random, you’re not alone – and you can almost certainly blame a wonky Windows update from Microsoft.
The company has acknowledged a strange print issue affecting some users of Windows 10 and Windows 11 who installed recent updates for the operating systems. The peculiar behavior affects USB connected dual-mode printers that support both USB Print and IPP Over USB protocols and Microsoft has been forced to resort to a Known Issue Rollback (KIR).
'It just works': AcreetionOS is the easy-to-use alternative to Windows 10/11 -- switch to it now
The developers behind AcreetionOS have a few questions for you. “Have you been wanting to switch away from Windows? Are you looking for something that just works?” If the answer to both of those is yes, their brand new operating system might be just what you’re after.
We’ve been using the Arch Linux based AcreetionOS for a few days now, and while the user interface could use a bit of polish (it’s still very new, so that’s understandable), it’s a solid OS that’s easy to use and, yes, it really does just work.
Best Windows apps this week
Six-hundred-thirty-seven in a series. Welcome to this week's overview of the best apps, games and extensions released for Windows 10 and Windows 11 on the Microsoft Store and elsewhere in the past seven days.
Microsoft released a new version of its Copilot app on Windows to the Microsoft Store for Insiders. This one, finally, is a native application and no longer a progressive web app. May take some time before it lands on stable though.
Windows 20 is the upgrade Windows 11 should have been -- download it now
With Windows 11, Microsoft tried to make the new OS look different from Windows 10, mainly by centering the taskbar and Start menu. This wasn’t the most popular change for a lot of people.
As we’ve covered before, there are a good number of third-party tools that you can use to put the Start menu and taskbar back to how they were, as well as tweak other areas of the newest operating system, including improving icons and updating File Explorer.
Best Windows apps this week
Six-hundred-thirty-six in a series. Welcome to this week's overview of the best apps, games and extensions released for Windows 10 and Windows 11 on the Microsoft Store and elsewhere in the past seven days.
One option for Windows 10 users who do not want to pay Microsoft for extended support is to switch to Linux once Microsoft's operating system runs out of support. Linux veteran Brian suggests to try a dual boot or VM instead at the beginning, to test the waters.
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