Microsoft’s Windows 11 26H2 update is a 173‑byte enablement package that activates features already present in the 24H2 and 25H2 releases. PCs on 23H2 must download a full 6.5‑GB feature update because that branch lacks the 26H2 code. The tiny package functions as a “master switch,” turning on new features in under five minutes. Microsoft’s white paper explains the shared core OS and the separate source‑code branches that dictate update sizes.

Microsoft released experimental TableView, Chart, and InkCanvas controls for WinUI 3 in Windows App SDK 2.5.4, addressing long‑standing gaps that forced developers to use third‑party libraries. The new TableView supports sorting, filtering, grouping, and editing of large datasets, while Chart offers line, area, and bar series with live data updates. InkCanvas adds pen inking capabilities. Microsoft acknowledges these are not production‑ready yet but signals a shift toward encouraging native WinUI development over web frameworks.

Dan Greenawalt, founder and long‑time director of Turn 10 Games, has retired after 27 years with Microsoft. His departure follows the merger of Turn 10 with Playground Games, part of Xbox’s broader restructuring that included 3,200 layoffs and four studio closures. An internal memo from Playground’s head, Trevor Williams, praised Greenawalt’s role in launching Project Gotham Racing, founding Turn 10, and creating the Forza franchise. The merger will see the combined teams collaborate on future Forza and Fable titles. [...]

Windows 11’s new taskbar Search now displays Android apps from a paired phone, allowing users to launch them directly from the PC. A Surface Laptop 7th Edition paired with a Samsung Galaxy A26 showed the Bluesky app as a “Mobile App” result; selecting it opened the app on the phone and mirrored it to the PC via Phone Link. Microsoft confirmed that Search can also call, text, and toggle Do Not Disturb on a connected phone, though [...]

Xbox Game Pass is offering a Halloween‑themed Free Play Days promotion from October 28 to November 2, 2026. During the window, Dead by Daylight will be free for all Xbox users, while WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers, Darkwood, Spirittea, and Everspace 2 are available at no cost to Game Pass Ultimate, Premium and Essential subscribers. The lineup blends horror and indie titles, with WUCHANG delivering a Souls‑like pirate adventure and Dead by Daylight providing its long‑running asymmetrical multiplayer slasher experience, now featuring [...]

Sean Endicott is a News Writer for Windows Central, focusing on Windows 11, Surface devices, Microsoft 365, AI, and related apps. Since joining the site in 2017, he has authored more than a thousand articles covering breaking news, analysis, feature pieces, and opinion across Microsoft’s software and hardware ecosystem. His reporting includes Windows updates, Surface launches, shifts in Microsoft 365, and the company’s expanding AI and services strategy. Endicott also produces the weekly “Windows Wrap” column, which curates the most [...]

Sean Endicott writes for Windows Central, covering Windows 11, Surface devices, Microsoft 365, AI and apps. Since joining in 2017, he has authored a thousand pieces that include breaking news, analysis, features and opinion across Microsoft’s software and hardware. His reporting spans Windows updates, new Surface launches, shifts in Microsoft 365 services and the company’s expanding AI initiatives. Endicott also produces the weekly “Windows Wrap” column, curating the most stories of the week and placing them in broader PC ecosystem. [...]