Interestingly, Microsoft doesn't let you set up a copy of Windows 11 without an active internet connection. Unless, of course, you use a workaround to install it without connecting to a network. This also means you compulsorily need a Microsoft account to sign in as part of the process. Apart from privacy concerns, another drawback of setting up Windows 11 using a Microsoft account is that Windows automatically names the User folder with the first five letters of your email ID.

Illustration: The Verge This week, Google announced it’s rolling out ChromeOS M131 to non-beta users, bringing with it a handy “Safety reset” feature that lets Chromebook users reset their laptops without totally wiping them. The update also introduced a new “Flash notifications” accessibility option to help those who might not otherwise easily hear or see them.Like Powerwash in ChromeOS, Safety reset will wipe the slate clean if you’re experiencing computer virus-like behavior such as unusual pop-ups. But where Powerwash is a full factory reset, Safety reset preserves local data and apps, as well as things like bookmarks and saved passwords, according to a help document about the feature.Google also writes that users can call up the Safety reset dialog box directly by pressing CTRL + Shift + Search + R. Otherwise, you can find it in the “Safety and privacy” settings menu or by searching Settings or Launcher for keywords like “Pop-up,” “Spam,” or “Virus.” Image: Google The new flash notifications settings in ChromeOS accessibility settings. As for the new Flash notifications setting, it’s available in accessibility settings under “Audio and captions,” giving an additional visual notification indicator to those who might otherwise miss them because they’re hard of hearing or use screen magnification to read content. Users can pick the flash’s color from several options, and a preview button lets them see what it looks like.

The Windows Forecast is a look at the future of Windows that comments on the latest news for Windows Insiders, as well as other major announcements in the Windows space each and every week. My name is João Carrasqueira, and I've been covering the world of Windows professionally since 2018. If there's something you'd like to see covered, you can reach me at [email protected].

Task Manager is one of the more useful tools for power users on Windows 11. Almost everyone uses it to some extent, particularly when an annoying app freezes and you need to kill it. For that usage, Task Manager does the job perfectly fine.

KVM switches (an abbreviation of keyboard, video, mouse switch) have been around for years in one form or another, allowing you to connect multiple devices to a tidy little box on your desk, and seamlessly move between PCs while your monitor(s), mouse, and keyboard come along with you. It is a time-saving productivity tool for anyone who uses multiple PCs, and can work with everything from Thunderbolt docks to your desktop. KVMs are also cheap, widely available, and can come with a range of features for every price point, including some that support up to 4K 120Hz across multiple monitors and even Thunderbolt connectivity. A KVM is essential to add to your setup if you use multiple machines (or a laptop docking station alongside a desktop machine), and here in no particular order are the reasons why.

Whether your game of choice is Minecraft, Terraria, Palworld, or something totally different, setting up your own gaming server opens the door to a whole world of possibilities. You can host multiplayer sessions with friends, enjoy a seamless gaming experience without relying on third-party servers, and even customize your game settings, mods, and plugins. Whether you’re building a private Minecraft server or reminiscing about classic games, a dedicated server takes your gaming experience to the next level.

Illustration: Alex Castro / The Verge Microsoft’s Phone Link app is warning that Android smartphones using the latest version of Android 15 won’t display certain “sensitive” notifications, according to a post from Mishaal Rahman spotted by Windows Central. The warning is the result of an Android 15 privacy feature that automatically categorizes notifications like those containing 2FA codes as “sensitive” and prevents third-party apps from seeing them. That extra bit of privacy could come in handy if you’ve unwittingly given a malicious app permission to access your notifications. But it could be inconvenient if you frequently rely on seeing 2FA codes appear on your computer via Phone Link. Screenshot: Windows Phone Link warning Mishaal Rahman posted a screenshot of the warning. According to Rahman, Windows should still show sensitive notifications for Android devices where Phone Link came preinstalled and has requested a “Companion Device Role.” That includes Samsung phones running One UI 6.1.1, but not other Android phones like Google Pixel or Nothing Phones, writes Windows Central.Rahman wrote in October that users could get around the notification-hiding feature by turning off “Enhanced Notifications” in Android 15’s notifications settings. However, doing so also turns off things like reply suggestions and could make it easier again for malicious apps to gather details from all of your notifications.

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge YouTube announced a hefty subscription price increase this week that will shoot the monthly cost up by $10 to $82.99 on January 13th for existing members (or now, if you sign up today). Some subscribers are staving off the hike using the time-honored tradition of threatening to cancel, as one Verge reader indicated in a comment on our original story about the price hike.That’s backed up by users in a Reddit thread that 9to5Google spotted, several of whom reported getting the offer to keep paying $72.99 for six more months when they tried to cancel their subscriptions, although some report that didn’t work for them. Some who did get to keep the old price say it happened only when they logged in using a web browser on their computer and pushed through offers to pause their subscription instead. One Verge staffer, Jennifer Tuohy, did get the offer to extend her current price. She canceled by logging into YouTube TV in a browser on her computer and navigating to Settings > Membership > Manage. As of this morning, Reddit users continue to report receiving the extension offer.

We've seen plenty of examples of people turning consoles into handhelds and portable devices, but people usually opt for older consoles like the original Xbox and the PS1. However, what if someone tried to do something similar with a modern-day console? Well, it turns out someone managed it, but it didn't quite turn out as well as you may think.

While they may slowly be on their way out of everyday PC storage, hard disk drives are here to stay for your mass storage needs. While SSDs offer fewer points of failure and eye-watering speeds, HDDs offer an incredible amount of capacity for a relatively low cost, making them ideal for NAS use. If you want to run a high-capacity storage server, drive capacities in the 10s of terabytes can cost hundreds of dollars, especially if you want enterprise-grade stuff.

If the CPU and GPU are the brains of your PC build, your motherboard is the heart and soul. Everything travels across the motherboard in one way or another, making it one of the most crucial components in your rig. Budget boards can offer a suite of features that will be good enough for most, but when does it make sense to spend big?

We're expecting many exciting things to happen in January 2025, when the biggest names in tech come together to promote what they're working on. For example, we have reasonable evidence to suggest that Nvidia's RTX 50 "Blackwell" range will debut during the event. However, we didn't see the potential for a new HDMI standard to appear at CES 2025. If a rumor is to be believed, the idea of seeing new HDMI technology next month is more believable than you'd first think.