Upload file window highlights wrong folder in sidebar – is this a UI bug?
Windows 11 25H2 latest stable build. Whenever I click the attach/upload button on any website, the file picker window opens and defaults to the Downloads folder—you can see it in the top path. But in the sidebar, it highlights Desktop instead, which is confusing. If I click Downloads in the sidebar and then click Desktop again, it shows the correct items and highlights properly from that point on. But initially, it's always misaligned. Can anyone else replicate this, or is it just me?
Localized Dutch (nl-NL) issues in the latest Windows 11 (Insider) Experimental and Stable builds
Subject: Localized Dutch (nl-NL) issues in the latest Windows 11 (Insider) Experimental and Stable builds Localized Dutch (nl-NL) visible/textual/grammar/translation issues exists in the latest Windows 11 (Insider) Experimental and Stable builds: https://aka.ms/AAxumnr "Verwijderen" in the Dutch Contextmenu isn't correctly aligned https://aka.ms/AAuxxi6 'System Product Name' and 'System manufacturer' aren't translated into Dutch (nl-NL) https://aka.ms/AAuycwb The word "read" in the error message is not translated into Dutch (nl-NL) as "gelezen" https://aka.ms/AA112m6k Background harddisk icons in properties form sometimes has a different color on first initialization https://aka.ms/AA130l2m The height of the Run dialog box in Windows 11 Start Menu should be increased by a few pixels and multiplied when the screen scale is increased https://aka.ms/AA13bbpg DUTCH (NL-NL REGION) CONTROL PANEL MISSING LETTERS (1x) OR DOT (6x) MISSING AT THE END OF ALMOST EVERY TOOLTIP https://aka.ms/AA13bbpv DUTCH (NL-NL REGION) LANGUAGE ISSUES IN NETWORK INFRASTRUCTURE AREA IN WINDOWS EXPLORER https://aka.ms/AA13dmzz Text not correctly aligned in the Drivers userform in Device manager https://aka.ms/AA13eol3 Button in Properties of Network station in Windows Explorer too small Please let the Dutch Engineering team fix these localization visible/textual/grammar/translation Dutch (nl-NL) issues.
changing boot drive
I bought a new computer with a 512 GB SSD and installed the 1 TB SSD from my old computer as a data drive. The C drive now has only 52.9 GB free while the E drive has 806 GB free. How can I make the larger drive the boot drive without loosing all of the data on it. Should I clone C to E and recover all of my data from my external backup and Google Drive.
Why Did Microsoft's Dedicated Product Communities Disappear?
Over the past few months, it looks like Microsoft has quietly removed or collapsed many of the dedicated product communities — including the Copilot Users Group, Tips & Tricks sections, and other structured hubs that used to exist under the old Answers/Community system. If you post a NEW question, you can still find them (see below), but I’ve found no way to reliably locate one and browse. Today, everything funnels into the generic Learn/Answers front door, and normal navigation no longer exposes product‑specific groups. The only way I’ve been able to reach them is accidentally: if a search returns zero results (announcements don't count), the system offers the opportunity to “ask a question,” (with that header), and only then does it reveal a product/community picker for the "posting space." Without that side‑door, the communities appear to be gone. This raises a few questions: Were the dedicated communities intentionally depreciated, or is this an unintended side effect of the Learn/Answers consolidation? Is the conditional “ask a question” picker now the only official way to reach product‑specific groups? If communities still exist, why are they no longer discoverable through normal navigation? Is Microsoft planning a replacement structure, or is everything moving toward a single flat Q&A model? I’m asking because the old product communities were genuinely useful — especially for product-specific workflow tips, user‑to‑user knowledge sharing, and related discussions. If anyone has insight into the reorganization, or knows whether the dedicated communities are coming back, I’d appreciate it. P.S. If anyone has seen a different workflow or found a reliable navigation path, I’d be interested in hearing it.
Windows is very slow after clean install from USB
Hi Folks, I don't know what to do. I reinstalled my system as it started to work slow after two years. For some reason my pc feels like it is a laptop from 2000. It is taking ages to instal something, open internet site or listen to the music while doing something. These are my specs: Processor 13th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-13600K (3.50 GHz) Installed RAM 32.0 GB (31.8 GB usable) NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti System type 64-bit operating system, x64-based processor I have installed all drivers. Reinstalled system 3 times. Tried with updates and without. I have up to date bios. I feel stuck and do not know what to do. System repair also did not help.Windows locked me out with the correct password – worked again after a restart
I turned on my laptop today and was hit with a Windows message saying: “The referenced account is currently locked out and may not be logged on to.” I entered my usual password—which I'm absolutely sure was correct—and got the same message again. I tried Safe Mode, same thing. Then I did a normal restart, entered the exact same password, and it worked just fine. No password reset, no unlock, no changes made. I'm confused. Could this have been caused by a background service, another device trying to authenticate with an old password, or just a temporary glitch? Is there a way to check the logs to see why the account was locked in the first place? First time this has happened on Windows 11. Any insight would be appreciated.Mouse cursor is stuck on a weird oversized default – can't change it
Running Windows 11 25H2. My cursor suddenly turned into this oversized version of the standard pointer, and I can't get it back to normal. All the other cursors—like resize, link select, busy—are fine and change normally. It's just the main pointer that's stuck like this. No error messages, nothing unusual in settings. Anyone know how to fix this? It's driving me crazy.
Revised Full User Vision for Next-Generation Windows 27H2 (OS 12.0.0.0)
Dear Microsoft Windows Product & Engineering Team, As an active Windows Insider and long-time ecosystem follower, I am submitting this revised, fully detailed user vision for the next-generation Windows operating system. This proposal is built in full recognition that the ongoing global shortages of DDR4, DDR5, SSDs, CPUs and graphics cards are reshaping current Windows development priorities. Instead of pushing for higher unnecessary hardware thresholds, this blueprint is designed to deliver a more powerful, human-friendly system that runs smoothly on both legacy existing devices and upcoming new hardware, while respecting the workflow habits of hundreds of millions of long-time Windows users. Below is the complete structured vision covering interface design, interaction logic, app ecosystem, AI capabilities and full upgrade strategies: Redesigned "Start" Menu Clear 4-zone structural innovation: User account anchored at top-left, far-left quick access bar for frequent folders, left app list (with "Most Used" and "Suggested" categories, supporting pinned apps), and the right fixed tile area that can hold up to 4 medium tiles or 8 small tiles horizontally. New rainbow glow effect added, with draggable tile edges for free resizing. Full-screen Start Screen returns, combining the easy-to-navigate traditional Windows 7 app list and information-rich Windows 8.1 live tiles, with tiles supporting both horizontal and vertical arrangement. 6 exclusive tile sizes available: Small (1×1), Medium (2×2), Long (4×1), Wide (4×2), Large (4×4), Tall (4×6), paired with smooth new tile resizing animations. Highly customizable tile styles: Solid color, gradient, light mode, dark mode, transparent (default) and semi-transparent tones. Full migration compatibility: All pinned apps and websites from Windows 7, 8.1, 10 and 11 will be automatically preserved during system upgrades. Taskbar and New Top Status Bar Dual-style taskbar: Users can freely switch between Floating (suspended) and Docked (fixed) layouts. Reorganized zones: Left side for system entries (Cortana, mobile device management, Search), middle section for Start button, Search, Task View, Timeline, Chat and running apps, right side for system tray and notification area. Resizable rectangular search box replaces the current circular design. New top status bar integrated with real-time weather, streamlined system tray, date and time display. Scene-adaptive behavior: When a window is maximized or snapped, the top bar auto-hides, and the bottom taskbar retains only simplified information (weather, time, notifications) to enter full focus mode. Search Menu The search menu supports free height adjustment, maintaining a fully consistent visual style with the redesigned Start Menu. Personalized Lock Screen Date and time alignment offers two selectable options: left-aligned and center-aligned. New photo layering effect: The main subject of the lock screen photo can be displayed in front of the time text. Windows Hello face recognition adds native support for reliable login while wearing a face mask. Widget System All widgets can be pinned directly to the desktop. In full-screen mode, the interface is split into the left widget display area and the right information source area, supporting up to 6 vertical columns of content. New exclusive widgets: Schedule widget, People widget, Microsoft Edge widget, and Cortana Suggestions widget. Full Application Ecosystem Refresh The new Mail, Calendar and People apps are fully redesigned. The new Outlook app adds native support for QQ Mail and NetEase Free Mail. The new Cortana app supports multiple languages, brings back full consumer skills including music control, connected smart home device management and third-party skill extensions, with two visual forms available: "Circle" and "Dough", paired with the exclusive Cortana Suggestions widget. Task View and Window Management The classic Windows 10 Task View experience is fully restored, with the Timeline feature making a return to support cross-device operation history sync. Enhanced drag-and-drop interaction: Users can drag a window to the Task View icon and assign it to multiple virtual desktops; users can also drag files or text directly to background apps on the taskbar, and transfer content across different windows seamlessly. The classic Windows 10 window switching experience is brought back in full. The Snap Assistant restores the classic Windows 10 window snapping experience, and is optimized for multiple horizontal snap layouts on 21:9 and 32:9 ultra-wide monitors. Microsoft Store Innovation The store introduces brand-new Fluent Design applications, multiple classic UWP apps are re-launched, and Metro-style apps make a long-awaited return. All Progressive Web Apps (PWA) in the existing Microsoft Store are migrated to the UWP application system. New exclusive sections are added: the PlayStation app, the Nintendo Switch app and a dedicated Nintendo game zone, paired with the exclusive Microsoft Store widget. Beloved Classic Features Restored We bring back the fan-favorite features from previous Windows versions: Windows 7 Desktop Gadgets (for real-time information display), the full MSN app suite, Tips app, Maps app, Microsoft Edge Legacy, cross-device Timeline, HomeGroup, Desktop Messaging app, Windows Media Center (for home entertainment), the new Groove Music, and all native Windows 8.1 classic apps. Other Detail Optimizations The iconic Windows 11 startup sound is fully retained. System avatars are adjusted from circular shapes to rounded rectangles. The Windows Subsystem for Android makes a return, with native full-screen support for landscape Android apps. Native controller compatibility is added for DualShock 4, DualShock 5, Joy-Con and Joy-Con 2. The Notification Center and Calendar flyout controls are fully separated. Window transparency effects are upgraded, with a brand-new liquid glass effect added. Next-Generation Windows 12 PCs and Tablets The new Windows 12 hardware lineup will deliver doubled memory, larger storage space, longer battery life, stronger performance and enhanced system security and stability. Backup and Data Transfer Windows Backup is expanded to more countries and regions, adding native support for backing up personal files and installed apps directly to external storage devices. One-click data transfer is supported: users can fully move personal files and installed apps from an old PC to a new device, or transfer data to a new hard drive via partition migration. AI Capabilities The system is built with cutting-edge AI features including context-aware AI and Agentic mode, with more practical AI experiences waiting to be explored. Version and Upgrade Strategy Launch build number: 27H2, with the internal OS version reset to 12.0.0.0. Free upgrade coverage: All devices running Windows 11 (including SE), Windows 10 (including S), Windows 8/8.1 (including RT) and Windows 7 can upgrade to Windows 12 / 12e completely for free. Hardware requirements by edition: For Home, Pro and Pro Workstation editions: All previous strict hardware restrictions are removed, with minimum requirements of 4GB RAM, 64GB SSD and DirectX 11 or higher. For Windows 12e (Lite edition): Minimum requirements of 2GB RAM and 32GB storage, to support entry-level legacy devices. For Windows 12 Ultra (Flagship edition): Minimum requirements of 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD, NPU support, TPM 2.0 and DirectX 12 or higher, for high-end productivity devices. Extended Lifecycle Support For Home, Pro and Pro Workstation editions: Official support period is extended from 2 years to 4 years. For Enterprise, Education and IoT Enterprise editions: Official support period is extended from 3 years to 6 years. This full proposal is designed to align perfectly with the current hardware supply reality, ensuring the new system can run smoothly on billions of existing Windows devices while delivering modern, innovative experiences. I hope this user-centric vision can provide valuable reference for your team's next-generation Windows development planning. Thank you for your time and consideration. Sincerely, A Dedicated Windows Insider & User
Win11 Windows Security icon in the system tray disappears after a system update
After installing a Windows update, the Windows Security icon no longer appears in the system tray. Although you can access it through the Start menu, the tray icon does not reappear even after restarting File Explorer or the system. The icon will only reappear after you manually toggle the setting in Taskbar settings.
