Microsoft offers a one‑time purchase of Office 2024 Professional Plus for Windows at $49.97, down from the $249.99 MSRP, until October 4. The bundle includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, and Access, each priced under $9 for permanent use. The license is device‑bound via a unique key, eliminating subscription fees and linking to the PC rather than a Microsoft account. The offer targets users upgrading PCs or needing a new license, with instant download and activation after purchase. [...]

Newer keyboards include a Copilot key that launches Microsoft’s AI chatbot by default. Users who prefer other functions can reassign the key via Windows Settings under “Bluetooth & devices > Keyboard” and select “Search” or “Custom.” For more flexibility, Microsoft PowerToys’ Keyboard Manager allows mapping the Copilot key to any application. Users install PowerToys, enable the Keyboard Manager, add a new remapping, press the Copilot key (Shift + Windows + F23), choose “Open App,” and browse to the desired executable. The [...]

The story director for Gears of War: E‑Day, Juan Vaca, was laid off during Microsoft’s recent Xbox restructuring, just two weeks before the game’s October 6 release. Vaca, who joined Coalition in 2022 and spent over four years on the title, announced his dismissal on LinkedIn and offered his services to other studios. The layoffs, part of a broader 268‑developer cut, also affected several other Xbox studios, including Rare, Playground, and Halo. The impact on E‑Day’s narrative [...]

Microsoft confirmed that the September 2026 Windows 11 update (KB5124008) introduced a bug that disables File History backups for most users. The feature, which automatically backs up libraries to external or network drives, now fails to recognize connected drives and shows incorrect timestamps. Microsoft acknowledged the issue on September 22, noting false “reconnect your drive” alerts and potential crashes of FileHistory.exe. The problem affects nearly all installations of the 25H2 and 24H2 builds.

Microsoft announced the Integrated Security Operations Center (ISOC) within Microsoft Defender, a unified platform that merges SIEM, threat protection, and agentic security into a single cyber stack. ISOC provides shared signals, context, and actuators, enabling AI agents and human analysts to operate as one system. The new framework eliminates the need for separate tools, allowing continuous detection, prediction, and real‑time response to evolving threats. It builds on the 2026 end‑to‑end stack and Project Perception to deliver faster, [...]

Microsoft announced a new Surface Mouse, its first standalone Surface accessory in a decade, at the Snapdragon Summit. The black model features a soft‑touch finish, near‑silent clickers, a built‑in vibration motor for haptic feedback on Windows actions, and an extra programmable action button. Priced at $79.99, it launches on October 13 and follows the 2025 Surface Arc Mouse and 2018 Surface Precision Mouse. The haptics make it the second mouse with such a feature after Logitech’s MX [...]

Sean Endicott, a seasoned News Writer at Windows Central, specializes in Windows 11, Surface hardware, Microsoft 365, AI, and the broader Windows ecosystem. With over a thousand articles since 2017, he covers breaking news, analysis, and feature stories, and hosts the weekly Windows Wrap column that curates key industry developments. Endicott holds a First Class Broadcast Journalism degree from Nottingham Trent University and brings experience from live production and media. Outside tech, he coaches youth American football [...]