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Before Windows 10’s retirement on October 14, 2025, Microsoft has once again relaxed its rules. This time it concerns Microsoft 365 apps, which were to supposed continue working only after upgrading to Windows 11. Now they will continue to receive security updates.
Windows is extending security updates for Microsoft 365 apps on Windows 10. (Image source: Pexels / Nothing Ahead)
The end of support for Windows 10 is fast approaching. And while it’s clear that an update to Windows 11 is inevitable in certain cases, Microsoft continues to surprise with minor adjustments to the operating system’s end of support. This time, the company has added a paragraph about Microsoft 365 to its support page.
Microsoft 365 apps will continue to be supported with security updates until October 2028
Until recently, Microsoft’s support page stated that Microsoft 365 apps would no longer be supported from October 14, 2025, and that you would have to install Windows 11 to continue using them. Microsoft has now changed this text slightly and included an addendum below it that partially relaxes this restriction:
Support for Windows 10 will end on October 14, 2025. After that date, if you’re running Microsoft 365 Apps on a Windows 10 device, the applications will continue to function as before. However, we strongly recommend upgrading to Windows 11 to avoid performance and reliability issues over time.
In the interest of maintaining your security while you upgrade to Windows 11, we will continue providing security updates for Microsoft 365 on Windows 10 for a total of three years after Windows 10 end of support, ending on October 10, 2028.
Companies should not become complacent here, as an upgrade to Windows 11 or installing another operating system is advised due to the potential sensitivity of company data. For private users who do not use their Windows 10 PC for security-sensitive reasons such as online banking, but to play games or perform simple office tasks, this could well mean a little breathing space before the switch.
If you really don’t want to upgrade to Windows 11, you can take a look atLinux alternatives such as Mint. This offers a similar look to MacOS or Windows and is secure thanks to regular updates. Alternatively, switching toChromeOS Flexcan also be an alternative, although this operating system only works online and is similar to the Chrome browser with all its extension options.
Enhanced Meeting Protection will block you from taking unwarranted screenshots
It’ll turn the screen black if you dare to attempt to take a capture of the screen
Most platforms are supported, but some may have to join audio-only
Microsofthas alluded to an upcoming feature for Teams designed to prevent users from taking unwarranted screenshots during calls in a bid to protect sensitive company information.
A new addition to Redmond’s roadmap adds Enhanced Meeting Protection to Teams, which Microsoft says will prevent screen capture. Added last week, it’s on track to roll out from July 2025.
The feature will become available across desktop client versions on Windows and Mac, as well as iOS and Android apps, making it virtually impossible for users to take snippets of potentially sensitive information.
Microsoft Teams will let you block screenshots soon
“To address the issue of unauthorized screen captures during meetings, the Prevent Screen Capture feature ensures that if a user attempts to take a screen capture, the meeting window will turn black, thereby protecting sensitive information,” Microsoft explained.
Although most common platforms are supported, users joining a Teams call with Enhanced Meeting Protection enabled will be restricted to audio-only to prevent content exposure.
Because the roadmap entry only shares basic details about the upcoming feature, it’s unclear whether it will be enabled by default or toggled on via admin controls.
In the hope that enhanced protections will give companies access to more secure video conferencing, the company will also be rolling out its new Migration Tool for Teams in July.
“Customers will now be able to move content seamlessly from public and private channels in a third-party solution to Teams standard channels,” the roadmap entry reads.
Enhanced Meeting Protection is currently in the ‘in development’ stage – the first of three, preceding ‘launched’ and ‘rolling out’. Microsoft doesn’t share details about how far along the development journey it is, and whether it’s on track for the intended July release.
However, while the feature might be welcomed by many, it still leaves a considerable gap and, in many cases, does nothing to protect sensitive data on screens at all – there’s no system in place to prevent users from taking photos of their screens with theirsmartphones, and such a tool would be almost impossible to implement.
Instead, the company removed base Surface models from Microsoft.com
Microsoft hasn’t secretly raised Surface prices, as earlier reports claimed. Instead, it has removed the base models of the Surface Pro 13-inch and Surface Laptop 13.8-inch from Microsoft.com, according to a statement by Nancie Gaskill, GM of the Surface group. “Customers can purchase base models of Pro and Laptop at the starting price of $999 at other key retailers,” she added.
Currently, you can still find those models atAmazonandBest Buy, where they’re discounted to $800. That’s the same price as the smaller (and slower) Surface Pro 12-inch, so potential buyers have to think hard about balancing portability versus power. It’s also unclear if those base models are still being produced by Microsoft, the company could be trying to sell through it’s existing stock so future customers canonlyorder the more expensive models.
Earlier this week,XDAfirstnoticeda potential Surface price change at Microsoft.com. The starting prices of the13.8-inch Surface Laptopand13-inch Surface Proappeared to jump from $1,000 to $1,200 — but it turns out those are just higher-specced models.
And despite the confusion around actual Surface pricing, Microsoft has definitely made its accessories more expensive. The 65W Surface power supply shot up from $90 to $120 this week, and the 127W variant went from $125 to $175. (Perhaps consider themany cheaper options from Anker and other companiesin our fast charging guide.)
Microsoft also increasedXbox prices last week increases. The Xbox Series X is now $80 more expensive, while an Xbox Series X costs an extra $100.
Updated 5/8/2025 6:00PM:Added Microsoft’s statement about not increasing Surface pricing.
Alongside the rollout of cheaper Surfaces, Microsoft also increased prices on previous-gen laptops by around 20%.
Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch
Microsoft announced twonew Surface laptopson Tuesday, and it appears the company used the announcement to increase prices on some of the previous models by around 20%.
Spotted byXDA, Microsoft has yet to officially announce the price changes, but they’re active on the company’s online store. For example, the13-inch Surface Prolaunched at $999.99 but now costs $1,199.99 if you try and buy one in its cheapest configuration.
Surface Pro price on May 5 (Credit: Wayback Machine/Microsoft)
Surface Pro price on May 7 (Credit: Microsoft)
Other retailers, like Amazon and Best Buy, have yet to reflect the price increases, so if you’re looking to buy one of these products, it may be cheaper on a third-party site. Price hikes spotted so far include:
Surface Laptop, 13.8-inch— now $1,199.99, up from $999.99
Surface Pro, 13-inch— now $1,199.99, up from $999.99
Surface 65W Power Supply— now $119.99, up from $89.99
Surface 127W Power Supply— now $174.99, up from $124.99
TheSurface Laptop Studio 2also got more expensive in recent weeks, moving from a base of $1,999.99 to $2,379.99, XDA notes. There’s currently a deal on the product that keeps it at the $1,999.99 mark, but Microsoft says it’s a time-sensitive discount rather than the base price. Meanwhile, the 15-inchSurface Laptopremains at $1,299.99.
The reasoning for the price change is unclear, but the company alsosignificantly increased the prices of its Xbox products last week, citing “market conditions and the rising cost of development.” That saw the price of an Xbox Series X rise $100 and an Xbox Series S increase by $80, alongside various accessories. The brand also warned customers to expect its first-party games to rise to $80 at some point later this year.The brand’s two new Surface products are a 12-inch version of the Pro that starts at $799.99 and a 13-inch Surface Laptop that starts at $899.99. Both are more affordable than recent Surface products, giving customers a new entry-level option.
They can’t steal your password if you don’t have one.
(Image credit: Microsoft)
Microsoftnow uses passkeys by default for all new accounts, helping its users stay secure by ensuring that their passwords can’t be stolen by not having one.Microsoftwill ask you for an email address when creating an account for the first time. It will then send a verification code to confirm your identity, and once done, it will become your default credential for your new account.
After you’ve created your Microsoft account and signed in, the company will ask you to add a passkey. Once you have done so, you can use Windows Hello or your device’s biometricsecurityfeatures to access your account.
Passkeys have been around for almost a decade, with Windows 10 getting support for passwordless sign-in in July 2015. However, it took some time for the standard to gain traction, withGoogle, Apple, and Microsoft rolling it out to their respective operating systems in 2022.
Furthermore, personal Microsoft accounts only received this feature in 2024. Still, this is a welcome development, as it will make accessing your Microsoft account easier and more secure. After all, this is one less password you need to remember among the hundreds, if not thousands, of passwords you keep for your numerous accounts.
The company has updated the user experience for its login pages by detecting the best authentication method from the start instead of offering all the possible options.
“For example, if you have a password and “one-time code” set up on your account, we’ll prompt you to sign in with your one-time code instead of your password. After you’re signed in, you’ll be prompted to enroll a passkey. Then the next time you sign in, you’ll be prompted to sign in with your passkey,” said Microsoft Identity & Network Access President Joy Chik and Microsoft Security Corporate VP Vasu Jakkal. “This simplified experience gets you signed in faster and, in our experiments, has reduced password use by over 20%. As more people enroll passkeys, the number of password authentications will continue to decline until we can eventually remove password support altogether.”
Passwordless accounts will make it harder for bad actors to illicitly access accounts, as they can no longer steal credentials through phishing, keylogging, SIM swapping, and more. And even if you lose your passkey device, you’re still protected, as anyone who wants to access your data must use your biometrics to open it. Someone determined and with unlimited resources might still be able to circumvent passkey protection, but for the average person, this should be more than enough to increase their data security.
After 23 years of connecting people around the world,Skype, the popular video-calling service, isshutting down. Microsoft, the parent company, confirmed that the official sunset date for the service is Monday, May 5, 2025.
Skype users can either migrate all their contacts and chat data to Microsoft Teams, or they can choose to download their Skype data and transition to another video-calling service.
To assist users in the switch, we’ve created a guide on how to migrate to Teams or download Skype data. Additionally, we’ve curated a list of alternative video-calling apps that can replace Skype.
How to move from Skype to Microsoft Teams
Skype users can sign in toTeamsfor free using their Skype credentials. Once logged in, all their chats and contacts will automatically transfer to the app.
Teams offers features similar to Skype, including one-on-one and group calls, messaging, and file sharing. While Skype was primarily designed for smaller groups (up to 20 participants) and casual use, Teams is more business-focused, accommodating up to 10,000 participants in a single video call. It also comes with advanced security features and various integrations, such as Evernote, OneDrive, Office 365, Salesforce, SharePoint, Trello, and more.
Teams is available onAndroid,iOS,Mac, PC, and the web.
For users who aren’t interested in making the transition to Microsoft Teams, we still recommend exporting account data. This ensures that valuable information — such as messages, files, and contact details — is backed up and can be accessed in the future.
Open Skype and log in.
Click on the three horizontal dots under the account name in the top left corner.
Go toSettings>Account & Profile>Your Account.
After being redirected to Skype’s web portal, choose from eitherExport contacts (.csv),Export Caller ID numbers (.csv), orExport files and chat history.
The “Export files and chat history” option lets users downloadConversationsandFiles.
ClickSubmit RequestandContinue.
When the export process is complete, clickDownload.
An obvious benefit of usingGoogle Meetis that it’s available for free with a Google account. Since a lot of people are already using Google and have existing accounts, transitioning to this platform would be fairly easy.
Google Meet allows users to hold meetings with up to 100 participants, record meetings, share screens, and more. A drawback with the free plan is that if a meeting has more than three participants, there’s a 60-minute time limit.
Large companies may want to purchase a Google Workspace plan for features like having up to 25 co-hosts, dividing participants into smaller breakout rooms during meetings, creating polls, setting up a Q&A session, livestreaming to YouTube, and more. Workspace — which has plans for $7/month, $14/month, $22/month, and up — also offers AI-powered tools through itsGemini assistant, which helps Meet users take notes and create custom background images.
Zoomis another popular web-conferencing tool. It offers several helpful features, including the ability to host up to 100 participants and chat in both private and public groups, and has tools such as notes, a whiteboard, and screen-sharing capabilities. Users can also record meetings and access transcripts.
However, one downside is the 40-minute time limit per meeting for users on the free plan. To avoid having meetings cut off, users will need to purchase a subscription, which ranges from $13/month to $18/month. Paid subscribers have access to Zoom’sAI Companion, which includes the ability to summarize meetings and ask questions about transcribed meetings.
Webex
Image Credits:Webex
Webex, the Cisco-owned video conferencing tool, offers a similar plan to its competitors. For instance, it has features such as screen sharing, the ability to record sessions, a whiteboard capability, and more.
The free plan includes up to 100 attendees per meeting, as well as an unfortunate 40-minute time limit. Webex also offers plans from $12/month, $22/month, and up, depending on team size. The paid tiers come with an AI assistant, live polling, Q&A, and the ability to add up to 1,000 attendees.
Discord
Discordwas initially designed as a chat platform for gamers, but it can also serve as an alternative to Skype for personal use or for smaller teams. However, it’s not recommended for larger businesses, as it limits calls to 25 participants.
On the positive side, Discord offers unlimited meeting lengths and features such as screen sharing, the ability to record meetings, and breakout rooms. The platform has a free plan in addition to two paid options priced at $5/month and $10/month, making it one of the more affordable choices available, depending on users’ needs.
Slack
Image Credits:Slack
WhileSlackmay not be ideal for formally scheduled meetings with large groups, it can be effective for spontaneous meetings within team chats. The Huddle feature in Slack enables users to easily transition from a chat thread to an informal audio or video call with colleagues. On the free plan, Huddles can accommodate only two people, whereas paid plans (priced at $7/month or $12/month) allow for up to 50.
Signal
Signal, the encrypted messaging app, has providedgroup video-calling featuressince2020and can accommodate up to 50 participants in a single call.
Although it’s not a direct competitor to Skype, it allows users to share links for calls, enabling them to simply send the link to others rather than creating a group, much like Google Meet, Zoom, and Microsoft Teams do. Notably, Signal is free to use.
Other similar apps for mobile users looking to video call with smaller groups includeWhatsApp,Facebook Messenger, andApple FaceTime.
A new round of Windows Insider builds has dropped.
Are you the type of person who swears like a sailor or someone who prefers to maintain a professional level of discourse at all times? Windows will have you covered, regardless.
Microsoft is releasing new Insider builds as of Friday in multiple channels. The key feature, as it appears in Windows 11’s Beta Insider build (26120.3941) is an updated profanity filter for voice typing.
You can turn on voice typing using theWIN+Hshortcut and begin dictating. It recognizes your voice about as well as a smartphone but without the need for an AI-powered NPU.
Dictation, however, can be formal such as using my voice to type an article like this or more casual like orally recapping a meeting. In certain cases, you might be tempted to drop in a swear word here and there. With the new update, you can simply opt to either “bleep” out the cussing via asterisks or else leave the profanity in in its entirety. Either way, it’s up to you.
Today marks the day thatMicrosoft releases features like Recall, Click-to-Do, and othersinto the wild. To build upon that, Windows is releasing an additional feature: launching Click to Do with a Bluetooth pen. Click to Do essentially allows you to right-click and open up a menu of the most frequently used features attached to a file or app. The pen option is a bone that seems to be tossed to tablet users, as you’ll still have to select which function you want to access. The idea seems to be that if you’re already inking, you can click your pen and then tap your preferred task quickly without breaking the flow.
Microsoft is also adding a small feature that can wall off your Photos from Windows’ Search function, if you’re on a work or school account and don’t want Windows to “see” your personal photos.
Turning files to slides in PowerPoint just got easier
(Image credit: Shutterstock)
Microsoft Copilotis gearing up for afew big changes, and one of them is giving PowerPoint an upgrade with a new way to create slides — all from a file or document.
In ablog post, Microsoft revealed it’s giving Copilot an update in PowerPoint to create slides based on a file or prompt. This means a fully designed slide can automatically be generated by using a document, whether it be from Word or other formats.
Copilot in PowerPoint can turn a file into a slide with content based on a prompt given, too. As an example, you can note, “add a slide about key takeaways from [document attached]” to make an individual slide based on your reference.
It’s been a pain to convert any type of file into a PowerPoint presentation, but Microsoft Copilot has been making iteasier to add images and more. While there was a way to create slides via the Copilot chatbot, now it can directly be used on the canvas.
For now, the feature is available to Microsoft 365 Insiders, with it rolling out to more users soon, and PowerPoint for Windows users with a Copilot license.
There are a few known issues, including Copilot not being able to support “specific slide formatting like font, colors, background, and images,” but further updates are sure to come down the line.
In a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation, there should now be a Copilot icon above a slide.Click thisto see a dropdown menu, and you canselect “Add a slide.”
However, there is also a “New Slide with Copilot” option in the Home tab that can be selected, too.
From here, you can attach a file or document byselecting“Reference a file.”Copilot will then refer to this file to create the slide, and you can also write a prompt for Copilot to base the new slide around.
Click the “send” arrowfor Copilot to generate a slide draft, where you can edit text and make changes as you see fit.
There you have it. Microsoft offers a few tips when using it, such as making sure to direct Copilot to a specific section or topic within the file, especially if it’s large, and keeping prompts precise and snappy — like 1-2 key points.
We’ve heard aboutMicrosoft 365’s price hikes due to Copilot, and we’re now seeing these AI tools in action in PowerPoint. It’s worth noting that this feature isn’t currently available in the web version of PowerPoint, however, you can still find outhow to use Microsoft Copilot AIvia the chatbot.
AI brands continue to promise more uniform and human-like experiences for their products, and Microsoft is no different. The brand is working to make the features of its AI assistant more cohesive with the everyday world. This includes a more authentic Spanish language voice for its Copilot product. The company rolled out its Copilot Voice feature last October, which it will soon update with native Spanish speaking-voices to cater to the Latino community in the U.S. and globally.
Enter Elm and Alder, Copilot’s native Spanish voices. The AI can detect when Spanish is being spoken and respond seamlessly in fluent Spanish with a native accent. Similarly, it expresses a native accent while speaking English in the Spanish setting. I spoke with a Microsoft product expert to explore the process behind developing the new voices and the intent behind providing this unique language and cultural representation within Microsoft’s AI suite.
“In the U.S. market, you have all of these varied and diverse backgrounds and people that are your audience. In our research, we want to be representative with our communities,” says Microsoft AI Product Designer, Laura Parra Rangel. “We noticed that there was a bit of a gap for the Hispanic community in the U.S. There’s a huge Latinx community in the U.S. We have a huge community that can benefit from this.”
Copilot Voice has already received some positive reviews in its English version, withPCMag’sMichael Muchmore describing an early experience with the AI voice feature as “almost like talking with a friend.” He noted that it will still respond even amid normal speech patterns, such as stumbling with speech or interrupting the AI. Copilot will continue to fulfill its query.
Such a feature would surely be beneficial when implemented into additional languages in a native fashion. Particularly, for a demographic that is collectively the second-largest ethnic group in the U.S. According to Census.gov,over 65 million peopleidentified their ethnicity as Hispanic or Latino in 2023.
“For me, the voice experiences are amazing. Now that we have Spanish options, it’s just a game changer for me– an actual decent Spanish option to have these experiences. Something that can change and switch between English and Spanish, just like I do in my regular life,” Parra Rangel says.
“I’m talking about something in English and then something came to my mind in Spanish, and I’m constantly switching between one and the other, and I’m sure this is true for many, many people across the world,” she added.
In conjunction with the coming Copilot native Spanish language rollout, Microsoft released a report surveying 504 U.S. Latina moms ages 25 to 40 on how they use AI in their everyday lives. The campaign, called“Abuela Approved AI”found that 56% of Latina moms consider AI as a part of their close family support team; 60% of moms include AI in their daily tasks, including entertainment, personal growth, work or business, and language translation; 70% of moms note that they use AI for 24/7 access to support over advice from others, while 51% indicate they consider AI to be a source they can access for non-judgmental support. Finally, 87% of Latina moms referenced AI for cultural enrichment and preservation, including hobbies, family recipes, and native language, with AI being a bridge for learning old concepts and new ones.
Some practical examples Latina mothers gave for how Copilot Voice has benefitted them in their daily lives include using the mobile app to scan available ingredients in their homes to create a recipe that aligns with their culture. They also detailed using prompts in Spanish to create unique, first-person, native language, bedtime stories to promote bilingualism and multiculturalism in their children.
“I speak Spanish fluently, it’s my first language. English is my second language, but I totally see people being first generation in the U.S. being like– I want to speak Spanish. I want to preserve my culture. And having Copilot helps them preserve their culture,” she says.
“It’s great to have a true Hispanic voice in the market that I can speak to and that sounds [familiar]. With an Argentinian accent or with a Dominican Republic accent, that’s amazing,” she added.
Copilot Voice first launched using OpenAI’sGPT-4oAI model. Other services such asMicrosoft’s Think Deeperalso includeCopilot Voiceand use more powerful models, such asGPT o1. Notably, a feature like Think Deeper is primarily web-based; however, users can access other Copilot Voice setups viaMicrosoft Windowsand macOS desktops, and iOS andAndroidmobile interfaces.
Parra Rangel noted that working with theMicrosoft AIteam changed her perspective on how voice features could be presented. Having previously associated voice strictly with mobile, observing the development of Copilot Voice allowed her to see how a voice feature can also be compatible with a desktop experience.
“Of course, you always have the option to use voice in desktop. As a product designer, I used to see that as only mobile, but now with this, it’s a game-changer. How we experiment with voice on all platforms, whether it’s computer or mobile. This is just the tip of the iceberg,” she says.
I asked Microsoft whether there would be any model updates for the Copilot native Spanish feature and await an answer. I also asked the company whether it has plans to release native versions of other languages to Copilot Voice, and it said it will follow up with an answer.
While tech brands are promoting the highlights of new features, the product manager acknowledged users’ potential concerns about trusting AI, including privacy, security, and other notable errors or glitches. She noted that some people might resist using Copilot due to the stigma of using AI decreasing intelligence, or feeling like AI might take away their ability to think or create originally. Parra Rangel said users can think of Copilot as someone to bounce ideas with or to ask a quick question, not to generate content fully.
“Something that Copilot has is that it is aimed for all age groups. It’s unlike a more niche social media that’s aimed for maybe Gen Z, or only Millennials. I feel that Copilot is super inclusive in that sense. No matter your age, you can always benefit from Copilot,” she says.
Giving an example of a personal way she uses Copilot, Parra Rangel noted she takes advantage of the seamless language settings to create an in-app language learning tool that she can use on the go. There is a speech rate setting that allows users to adjust how fast or slow the voice speaks. She said she will slow the voice for better understanding and use Copilot Voice as her personal coach in language training. Currently, Copilot supports 40 languages, and 14 are considered very well supported.
Parra Rangel considers that the introduction of native Spanish voices has the potential to promote language learning for Copilot users regardless of whether they are Hispanic.
“You can still benefit from having these truly, Spanish-speaking voices for learning new things, a new language, or if you want to improve your Spanish, or if you live in a diverse area where people speak Spanish or other languages. That’s a very nice way to get to learn your neighbor’s culture and language,” she says.
She added that the only way to dispel any hearsay about Copilot and its features is to give it a try.
Snipping Tool feature now in testing will sort you out in a jiffy
Windows 11 is powering up the Snipping Tool in testing right now
A new feature allows you to copy all the text from an image straight away
There’s no need to take a screenshot first, as was previously the case, so this is a neat time-saver
Microsoftis making it even easier forWindows 11users to be able to extract text from images (or any content) on the screen.
Windows 11 already has this OCR-powered (Optical Character Recognition) ability, as you may be aware, but at the moment, it’s necessary totake a screenshot first with the Snipping Toolbefore you can extract text from that image.
With a new update for the Snipping Tool that’s just been released (which was leaked previously), you don’t need to grab a screenshot to perform text extraction any longer – although bear in mind this is still in testing at this point (so may still be wonky).
AsNeowin reports, with previewversion 11.2503.27.0of the Snipping Tool, you can simply hit theWindows + Shift + Skeys together, and this will pop up the capture bar for the tool.
However, instead of having to create a snip (screenshot), the ‘text extractor’ option will be right there in the bar, so you can just click that, with no need to save a screen grab first.
Essentially, this is directly integrating the ability to extract text from images (or any screen content) into Windows 11, with no additional steps needed, mirroring the functionality present in Microsoft’sPowerToys suite of tools(for advanced Windows users) – and it’s definitely going to be appreciated by folks who use this capability.
It’s obviously less of a hassle than having to clear the hurdle of actually grabbing a screenshot, if all you’re interested in doing is copying all the text that’s currently visible on your monitor.
I sayallthe text, but that’s only what happens if you use the ‘Copy all text’ option provided. If you just want a specific portion of text, you can manually select and extract only those words (it’s also possible to remove line breaks if you want).
Microsoft is slowly expanding Windows 11’s OCR powers, and you may recall that late last year, thePhotos app got Optical Character Recognition built into pull text from images directly within the application.
Image Credits:Google
