Windows and Android: Now best friends!

Plus: A sneaky Windows update  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ Thanks for reading this special early preview edition of Windows Intelligence, brought to you in partnership with [Thurrott.com](=). This design is merely a placeholder for what's to come. Stay tuned! ​ Welcome to the first issue of Windows Intelligence! I'm so happy to be here in your inbox. I'm excited to create the best, most useful Windows newsletter out there. Every week, I'll be delivering the Windows news you need to know, top-tier PC tips, thoughtful analysis from the team at Thurrott.com, and fun Windows minutiae directly to your inbox. Allow me to introduce myself! My name is Chris Hoffman, and I'm a veteran tech journalist who's been using Windows for 30 years. Prior to this, I was Editor-in-Chief of How-To Geek. There's a good chance you've read my tips, troubleshooting guides, and editorials about Windows in the past. Paul emailed you about [the future of Thurrott.com](=) earlier this week. In brief: It's all good news! Paul now owns Thurrott.com outright. From a reader perspective, the one big change is that you will be getting this Windows Intelligence newsletter rather than the previous Thurrott.com newsletter. Windows Intelligence is a new newsletter from The Intelligence. JR Raphael laid the groundwork for Windows Intelligence with his awesome Android Intelligence newsletter. If you use Android, you should definitely [check out Android Intelligence](). (Also: JR is much funnier than me! I think you'll really enjoy reading him.) I'm thrilled to be bringing you Windows Intelligence in partnership with our friends at Thurrott. We're launching in an early preview form right now, and I want your input. What do you like? What suggestions do you have? What do you want to see in this newsletter? I want to hear your feedback! [Make your voice heard here](). You will help shape the future of this newsletter. Chris Today's read: ⌚ 3 Things to Know: 3 minutes ⌚ 3 Things to Try: 4 minutes ⌚ Top Thurrott Thoughts: 1 minute ⌚ Just for Funsies: 20 seconds [] ❱❱ 3 Things to Know This Week 1. Your Windows 11 PC is joining the AI revolution ➜ THE SHORT VERSION: Windows 11 is getting a "Windows Copilot" sidebar that brings the AI experience of Bing Chat to your desktop. You'll be able to control your PC and perform actions in desktop apps with it. 🔎 KNOW MORE: Microsoft rolled out the Windows Copilot experience to everyone in the Windows 11 Insider Preview Dev channel this week. I expect Windows Copilot will arrive for all Windows 11 users as part of Windows 11's 23H2 update this fall. ("23H2" means it will launch in the second half of 2023.) - Windows Copilot will be an optional sidebar you can use with a text interface, like Bing Chat or ChatGPT. You can also drag and drop files and pictures from your desktop as well as change your PC's settings. - You'll be able to install plug-ins to extend its features, too. These plug-ins will be available in an "AI Hub" in the Microsoft Store, and they'll be compatible with ChatGPT plug-ins. - Microsoft is also working on adding deep AI integration to Microsoft Office applications like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook. Yes, Microsoft Office will be able to write documents for you soon. (How well it will work is another question!) 📌 READ MORE: Paul Thurrott went [hands-on with Windows Copilot](=) recently, and his experience is worth a read — while [Microsoft's splashy announcement]( shows off Copilot in all its promised glory. --------------------------------------------------------------- 2. Outlook and Thunderbird are ready to battle ➜ THE SHORT VERSION: Microsoft is polishing its new Outlook email app, and Mozilla Thunderbird just went through a big transformation. 🔎 KNOW MORE: Starting in 2024, new Windows 11 PCs will come with the brand-new Outlook app instead of the current Mail and Calendar applications. This shiny new app is preinstalled in the latest Windows 11 Insider Dev Channel builds. - You can get the new Outlook today by opening the Mail app on Windows 11. Look for the "Try the New Outlook" switch at the top-right corner of the email inbox, and turn it on. - The new Outlook app is based on Outlook.com, but it also works with other email services (including Gmail) and has the critical features like offline email. It may one day replace the classic Microsoft Outlook desktop app, but Microsoft hasn't announced plans for that yet. - Also, Mozilla Thunderbird just got a big "Supernova" update with a slick new redesign and spiffy new icon last week. Firefox's email-focused sibling is worth another look. Thunderbird fell behind, but it's catching back up! 📌 READ MORE: Microsoft has previously [explained its plans for the new Outlook app](). Or, for something different, [check out the Mozilla Thunderbird redesign](=). --------------------------------------------------------------- 3. You shouldn't downgrade that Windows 11 PC ➜ THE SHORT VERSION: A new report suggests modern PCs that come with Windows 11 should stick with Windows 11 for maximum performance. 🔎 KNOW MORE: PCs with modern Intel CPUs released in the last few years work best on Windows 11. If you downgrade a Windows 11 PC to Windows 10, you might just downgrade its performance, too. - Intel and Microsoft have worked closely, ensuring Windows 11 takes full advantage of new Intel CPU features. Windows 11 and modern PCs are made for each other. - Windows 10 is still great. (Honestly, it's better than ever. I love that it's not getting massive updates anymore.) There's no rush to upgrade your existing PCs. - But, when you do get a new PC that comes with Windows 11, I recommend sticking with Windows 11. Windows 11 has improved a lot since its initial release! 📌 READ MORE: Neowin has a [report of an Intel CPU performance problem that's worse on Windows 10](. AnandTech's [detailed look at Windows 11's Thread Director](=), originally written in 2021, is still incredibly informative and explains it all. ​ [] ❱❱ 3 Things to Try This Week 1. Send files between Windows PCs and Android gadgets Google's Nearby Share for Windows app is now stable. Install it on your PC to quickly transfer photos, videos, files, folders, links and more between a PC and a nearby Android device. It works on both Windows 10 and Windows 11. ⌚ Setting up everything will take you 2 minutes. After that, you can send things back and forth in just a few seconds. ➜ Download [Google's Nearby Share for Windows]( to get started. After installing the app, I recommend signing into it with the same Google account you use on your Android device. (This will let your devices find each other more easily, but you don't have to sign in if you don't want.) You'll need Nearby Share activated on your Android phone, too. On a Pixel phone, for example, head to Connected Devices > Connection preferences > Nearby Share and toggle on "Use Nearby Share." (On a Samsung Galaxy phone or any other manufacturer-customized Android device, search your system settings for the word nearby to find the equivalent option.) Now, drag and drop files or folders onto the Nearby Share window to send them to your Android device. You can use Android's share sheet (tap the Share button in your favorite app, tap "More," and tap "Nearby") to send things to your PC. Just be sure the Windows Nearby Share application is set to "Receive from your devices." If it's set to "Device is hidden" in the main window, you won't see it as a Share target on your Android device. 📌 The Verge has [a sleek, screenshot-filled guide]( that will walk you through the process of using this new Google app. 🤖 Want more Android goodness? Subscribe to [the awesome Android Intelligence newsletter]() written by the one-and-only JR Raphael. I think you're going to love it. (He really is funnier than I am!) --------------------------------------------------------------- 2. Check out these sneaky new features on Windows 11 Microsoft expanded the "Moment 3" update for Windows 11 to everyone as part of July's Patch Tuesday update last week. Moment 3 has some useful new features that are easy to miss. ⌚ Each feature should take you 20 seconds to play with. ➜ File Explorer has new "access key" shortcuts. To try them out, click one of more files or folders in File Explorer and press the "Menu" button on your keyboard. (It's often a bit to the right of your spacebar and looks a bit like a context menu. You may have to use your laptop's Fn key to activate it, depending on your keyboard.) You'll see letters superimposed over every option in the context menu. Press a letter to activate that option. This gives you two-press keyboard-shortcut access to a lot of features in File Explorer. ➜ Windows 11's taskbar clock can now show seconds. To see seconds in your taskbar clock, right-click the taskbar and select "Taskbar Settings," expand the "Taskbar Behaviors" section, and then activate "Show seconds in taskbar clock (uses more power)." You'll see seconds in your taskbar clock, but the taskbar will have to update every second, so you may see more power draw on a laptop. This option isn't for everyone, but if you do something where precision timing matters, it's awesome. 🔟 Do you use Windows 10? I've got you — you can [get seconds on the taskbar with a registry hack](. ➜ Print Screen now opens the Snipping Tool. Microsoft just changed what happens when you press the Print Screen key on Windows 11. If you haven't used it yet, the Snipping Tool is pretty cool and should be helpful for a lot of people. Now, when you press Print Screen, you'll see a little bar at the top of the screen so you can select different types of screenshots: rectangular, freeform, window, and full-screen. Press the key, select the type of screenshot you want, and when you're done, a notification will pop up. You can click the notification to access a convenient screenshot editor. Don't like this behavior? If you'd rather Windows just saved an image to your clipboard when you press Print Screen, you can change this behavior back. Head to Settings > Accessibility > Keyboard, look under "On-screen keyboard, access keys, and Print screen" and toggle off "Use the Print screen key to open Snipping Tool." 🔟 Want something similar on Windows 10? You can head to Settings > Ease of Access > Keyboard and activate "Use the PrtScn button to open screen snipping" under "Print Screen shortcut." (Don't see either of these options? Be sure to head to Settings > Windows Update. Check for and install any available updates.) 📌 Want more? Check out [Thurrott's guide on what to expect from Moment 3]() for a look at all the most interesting features. --------------------------------------------------------------- 3. Peek at your files with PowerToys PowerToys recently got a new feature for "peeking" at archives, in addition to other types of files. ⌚ Peeking will take you 5 seconds if you have PowerToys installed (or 25 seconds if you need to install PowerToys first). ➜ First, install PowerToys. You can [get it from the Microsoft Store](), or [download it from GitHub](). It works on both Windows 10 and Windows 11. Once PowerToys is installed, you can highlight any folder or file in File Explorer and press Ctrl+Space to peek at it, opening it in a lightweight preview. This works for images, PDF files, and now archive files like ZIP files. (That's the recent update!) I'm a huge fan of Microsoft PowerToys, which packs all sorts of useful utilities that Windows users have been asking for into one free download (it's even open source!) It's full of other useful goodies and is extremely customizable. ​ [] ❱❱ Top Thurrott Thoughts Some standout links and expert analysis from our friends at Thurrott, who have been covering Windows since 1994: - ​[ASUS Agrees to Support Existing NUCs, Continue Product Line](=) - Intel bailed on its beloved line of mini PCs last week, so it's great to see ASUS stepping in. - ​[Let’s Talk About Windows Updating. Again. (Premium)]() - Paul's insight into what's going on with Windows updates has always been essential reading for me. I just learned Microsoft quietly issued a document clarifying its Windows Update strategy last week. Fascinating! - ​[Microsoft Defeats FTC Again, Can Acquire Activision Blizzard](=) - It looks like the acquisition is happening. That's big news. - ​[Microsoft Announces Microsoft 365 Copilot Pricing and Bing Chat Enterprise](=) - Microsoft is charging businesses a lot for this. - ​[Welcome (Back) to the Age of Windows/Web Browser Integration (Premium)](=) - The new Microsoft Edge strategy sure looks a lot like the old Internet Explorer strategy. - ​[HP Dragonfly G4 Review]( - Paul called it "the nearly perfect ultralight laptop." - ​[Microsoft and Sony Agree to Call of Duty Deal]( - Sony sees the writing on the wall. ​ [] ❱❱ And Just for Funsies... Do you remember when Microsoft first unveiled Windows 11? They had these crazy "3D" emoji that didn't look like anything else out there — and some of them were even animated! Well, Windows 11 arrived, and those cool "Fluent" emoji were nowhere to be seen. Years went by. Now, those long-promised 3D emoji just recently [resurfaced in a Windows 11 Insider preview build](=). That means Windows users should get this crazy emoji upgrade at some point soon-ish, depending on how much testing time the feature needs. (Of course, features can be removed from Insider builds of Windows, and they don't always make it out the door.) Back in 2022, [Microsoft added these 3D emoji to Microsoft Teams](=) — and even [open-sourced them](=)! Bring on the Clippy upgrade. 📎 📌 You can check out these crazy looking emoji on this [Microsoft announcement from 2021](, complete with a video of the animated emoji, to whet your appetite. ​ Thanks for Reading! I appreciate you reading this. It really is readers like you that make this all possible! From the bottom of my heart: Thank you for your support. This is just the beginning. There are so many awesome things ahead of us! I hope you stick around for the journey we're going to take together. Until next week! Thanks for reading Windows Intelligence and being a part of our early preview phase! We'd love to hear what you think so far. ​[Submit your feedback here]() — or just reply to this email. We'll read every single comment, and your thoughts will absolutely help shape and guide what this newsletter becomes. You received this email because your address was signed up for the Windows Intelligence early preview. If you didn't mean to sign up or no longer wish to be subscribed, you can [unsubscribe or update your preferences here](=).