Windows

• Week D arrives, and this time we get updates - a preview of Octoberʼs Patch Tuesday
  • 24H2/25H2 Minor update with new Copilot key remaps, Wi-Fi in WRE, more
  • 26H1 Major update that brings all new 26H2 features—Start, Taskbar, Search —to 26H1. Finally.

Windows Insider Program

• Four new builds last Friday - Biggest change is Cloud Rebuild in WRE (in Experimental) gaining new capabilities.

Software

• 30 years ago, Dave Plummer created Task Manager, and now heʼs vibe-coded a modern version that works on Mac and Linux too.
• Stardock announces a new Windows 11 utility called Snipboard.
• Clipchamp does AI upscaling to 4K now

Hardware

• The Lenovo ThinkPad X9 15p Aura Edition is nearly perfect, with 11 hours of battery life.
• Googlebook revealed!
  • Questions answered - $899 starting price is much lower than expected.
  • This is Androidʼs Copilot+ PC moment - An AI PC? What a concept!

AI/dev

• Microsoft announces a OneDrive + Copilot event in October - Also a separate Copilot event before then.
• Financial Times reveals internal OpenAI prediction of $278 billion in losses over the next five years.
• NYT copyright case discovery reveals what Microsoft and OpenAI really think about stealing content.
• Anthropic merges Cowork into chat, adds Docs and Slides.
• Google Labs CC turned into Gemini Daily Brief, so now itʼs an AI agent for families.
• Google opens up its Home smart home ecosystem to other AI assistants.
• XAML.io is a web-based vibe coding IDE for .NET apps and it looks amazing.

XBOX and Gaming

• A big reorg and a small number of layoffs at XBOX sets off a new round of hand wringing.

Tip and Picks

• Tip of the week: Get Auto SR on Panther Lake-based laptops
• Auto SR was designed to make gaming viable on Windows 11 on Arm/Snapdragon X/X2, but now itʼs available on Intel Core Ultra Series 3-based PCs and it is worth experimenting with.

App Pick of the Week: Affinity

• Possibly the greatest free app in existence, Affinity just got 60 new features and is even better.

Hosts: Leo Laporte and Paul Thurrott

Download or subscribe to Windows Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly

Check out Paul's blog at thurrott.com

The Windows Weekly theme music is courtesy of Carl Franklin.

Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts!
Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit

Sponsors:

• trustedtech.team/twit
• originhq.com/windowsweekly

Microsoft's July 2026 Patch Tuesday just shattered records with hundreds of bug fixes, and AI is the force behind the surge. Are we witnessing the beginning of a safer Windows, or is this flood of vulnerabilities the new normal? Plus, Tony Redmond's epic book has a new name (was Office 365 for IT Pros) and is now a bundle of four books.

Windows

• Patch Tuesday is here!
• Point in Time Restore, quieter Widgets, Windows Update improvements, Screen tint, and more
• The biggest Patch Tuesday in history, by far: a record 570 fixes for security flaws, and a huge 3X increase from the then-record flaws fixed last month. (Some say the number is 622. Math is hard.) And this is on top of 468 Microsoft Edge/Chromium flaws that were fixed by Google this month too. Yikes.
• Microsoft discusses how it's improving Windows security with AI
• Windows Insider Program: Improved Windows Search is next on the docket, heading out to Experimental this week. Question: When do these things hit stable?
• Microsoft releases Snapdragon X2 versions of its Surface for Business Pro and Laptop models

AI

• Apple sues OpenAI for stealing trade secrets
• Surprised there was no talk of "thermonuclear war"
• OpenAI's response is hilarious, and it is already prepping its first hardware device
• OpenAI just announced the rumored super app, which is a combination of ChatGPT, Work, Codex, and an in-app web browser, which replaces the standalone Atlas web browser. Also, GPT-5.6.
• In keeping with recent history, Anthropic announced its in-app web browser for Claude less than 24 hours later
• Reminder that Microsoft acknowledged that it, too, is working on an AI super app at Build
• Apple releases public betas of its OS 27 releases and, shocker, Siri is really good
• Now Spotify has an AI chatbot so I can tell it how much I hate Spotify

Xbox and gaming

• Obsidian is working on a new Fallout game, duh.
• A quiet time after last week's terribleness

Tips and picks

• Tip of the week: Microsoft 365 for IT Pros (2027 edition) is here!
• App pick of the week: MusicBee
• RunAs Radio this week: Finding Security Vulnerabilities using AI with Sami Laiho
• Brown liquor pick of the week: Sanctuary Single Malt Whisky Reserve Edition

Hosts: Leo Laporte, Paul Thurrott, and Richard Campbell

Download or subscribe to Windows Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly

Check out Paul's blog at thurrott.com

The Windows Weekly theme music is courtesy of Carl Franklin.

Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts!
Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit

Sponsors:

• blackhat.com/us-26 and use code TWIT
• helixsleep.com/windows

Microsoft's record-breaking Patch Tuesday unleashed nearly a thousand fixes, but the bonus story is in the chaos that followed as out-of-band updates and AI-driven bug hunts left admins scrambling to keep up.

Windows

• Patch Tuesday was so buggy Microsoft had to release an emergency fix to address all the issues
• New Release Preview builds for 24H2/25H2 - I guess we're moving past the features that are also in the initial 26H2 release - New Copilot key remapping feature, they will get it right eventually
• Five builds across Experimental and Beta channels - All over the map as you'd expect
• Google releases the Gemini app for Windows
• Adobe released Photoshop and Premiere Elements 2027
• AnyType is a top-tier Notion alternative and it's about to get very interesting
• Microsoft previews an October Windows + Surface event that's clearly all about Nvidia - but is this also tied to 26H2 release?
• HP announces a new Ryzen-based portable workstation with an interesting detail about unified memory
• Apple announced iPhone 18 Pros, iPhone Duo, Watch 12 + Ultra 4, AirPods 5, and then released its '27 OS updates - And sure whatever

AI

• AI fear-mongering reaches new heights (or new lows): Is this just PR from Big AI to keep the money rolling?
• Bill Gates says Gates Foundation will donate $1+ billion to solve AI inequality
• Big AI could solve the PR problems by actually doing something positive for mankind. Just a thought
• Copilot Work and Copilot Studio get app building capabilities
• Google will bring MCP to Google Home, in early preview now
• Mozilla and Mistral partner on Firefox Smart Window AI

XBOX and gaming

• Gears of War: E-Day and more is coming to Game Pass in the second half of September
• XBOX is going to the Tokyo Game Show and a nice surprise for Kojima fans
• Valve opens up Steam Frame preorders and it's only $1060!
• Amazon Prime Gaming and Luna are having a pretty g26ood September
• Apple is reportedly making an iPhone game controller for some reason

Tips and picks

• Tip of the week: There's a new MSA bypass for Windows 11 Setup
• App pick of the week: Google Dreambeans
• RunAs Radio this week: Patching in 2026 with Susan Bradley
• Brown liquor pick of the week: Art of the Spirits Honored to Serve

Hosts: Leo Laporte, Paul Thurrott, and Richard Campbell

Download or subscribe to Windows Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly

Check out Paul's blog at thurrott.com

The Windows Weekly theme music is courtesy of Carl Franklin.

Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts!
Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit

Sponsor:

• trustedtech.team/twit