Windows File Explorer is a decent out-of-the-box file manager. It has tabs, tightly integrates with Windows, and even offers a network storage option. However, it's slow, and if you are anything like me, who moves around multiple files and folders all day, you know what I mean.

Fortunately, for Windows, there are plenty of third-party file manager apps that fill in the gaps Microsoft has avoided for years. One of the latest to join this race is File Pilot, an extremely fast, lightweight, and good-looking app that fixes all my little annoyances with File Explorer. It's in beta and free for now, but it certainly won't stay that way for long.

File Pilot is a third-party file manager done right
Fast, familiar, and without the bloat
What works in favor of File Pilot is how the app looks. The interface is clean and modern, but still familiar enough that anyone coming from File Explorer won't need to relearn navigation. Animations are smooth, switching between view modes doesn't interrupt what you're doing, and you can fine-tune the icon size instantly by clicking the % button in the bottom-right corner and dragging the slider, or by holding Ctrl and scrolling.

But where File Pilot really separates itself is speed. Right-click a file, and the context menu pops up instantly, with no lag between click and menu, as you get in Windows 11. Open a folder with thousands of files and File Pilot loads it without the stutter.

Speaking of the context menu, Windows 11 buried half the useful right-click options behind an extra Show more options click, a change most people never asked for. You can reverse the old right-click context menu in Windows 11 with a registry tweak, but File Pilot doesn't need any of the workarounds as it shows the full classic menu by default. What makes it better than just "restored," though, is the built-in search. You can right-click any file, start typing the action you want (like "delete" or "rename"), and hit enter to run it immediately. For actions you use constantly, you can pin them so they stay fixed at the top of the menu.

Multitasking with panes and tabs
Browser-style tabs with a split-view twist
File Pilot treats multitasking the way a browser treats tabs, but takes it further by letting you split those tabs across multiple panes. You can open as many tabs as you want in one window, and File Pilot remembers and restores them automatically between sessions, so your usual folders are already open when you relaunch it.

What's more, File Pilot supports panes split both vertically and horizontally, with each pane holding its own independent tab set. You're not limited to a simple two-pane view. I can set up a layout with a source folder, a staging folder, and a backup destination all visible at once, then drag files between them without ever juggling separate windows. On a wide or ultrawide monitor, you can add as many panes as the screen allows, and that arrangement stays put until you deliberately change it.

Rounding out the multitasking toolkit is Inspector, an enhanced preview pane you toggle with the spacebar. It lets you peek into text, images, and even nested folders in a split view, so you can check a file's contents without opening a separate app or losing your place.

More quality-of-life features
GoTo, search, and a command panel
Beyond core file management, File Pilot bundles a handful of tools that speed up everyday navigation. GoTo lets you jump straight to a folder by typing its name instead of the full path, while the Search bar can flatten entire folder hierarchies or drives and filter results by file extension. It also supports batch renaming, locking the current view settings via the address bar, and bookmarking frequently used folders for one-click access.

Power users get two more shortcuts worth knowing. A command panel (Ctrl+Shift+P) lets you search every available action and reassign keyboard shortcuts on the fly. And an Options panel (Ctrl+,) gives you control over font, spacing, animations, color scheme, and panel opacity, including switching between light and dark mode, which has to be turned on manually.

It's still in beta
Some rough edges and a pricing question
File Pilot's downsides mostly come from it still being in public beta. It can't access network storage over a LAN, and there's no easy way to set it as your default file manager, so you end up switching between it and File Explorer. It also lacks proper Unicode support, which breaks some common keyboard shortcuts, and Inspector can't preview PDFs. There's no third-party extension support yet either, though these gaps may close before the full release.

Pricing is the other sticking point. Once out of beta, a perpetual individual license will run $50 (discounted to $40 during beta) for one year of updates, or $250 ($200 during beta) for lifetime updates. That puts it on the pricier end compared to alternatives like Directory Opus, OneCommander, Files, and Total Commander. The tradeoff is that File Pilot is lighter and easier to pick up than those more advanced, steeper-learning-curve alternatives. Whether that premium is worth it depends on how much time you spend in your file manager every day.

The speed alone makes it worth trying
I've tried dozens of file managers and often came back to File Explorer because most alternatives either look too different, feel too heavy, or require too much setup just to get comfortable. File Pilot is the first one that felt right from the very first launch. It keeps what works about File Explorer, fixes what doesn't, and doesn't ask me to learn a new workflow just to manage files. The app is free for now, with an optional license purchase to support the developer, but that might change when it's out of beta and goes into public release.
File Pilot is Open Source | File Pilot is free during beta. | Is purchasing a license a requirement for beta access?
No, the public beta is open to everyone, and we encourage broad participation. If you find the program useful and wish to support its development, preordering a license is a meaningful way to contribute. File Pilot Website
Via TechSupport@riso

Microsoft has released emergency out-of-band Windows updates to fix Remote Desktop Services failures caused by this month's security updates, along with Hyper-V and USB audio problems on some Windows versions.

The September 2026 security updates caused Remote Desktop Services (RDS) to become unstable on affected systems, leading to RDP connection and sign-in failures and, in some cases, unresponsive servers.

Microsoft previously acknowledged the issue after Windows administrators reported widespread RDS problems following the September updates.

Affected systems could also experience problems with related components and tools, including Microsoft Management Console (MMC), RDS Licensing Diagnoser, File Explorer, and the Windows Update page, which could stop responding.

Microsoft has now released multiple out-of-band updates on September 14 to fix the bug, including:

Windows 10 21H2 and 22H2: KB5129236
Windows 11 24H2 and 25H2: KB5129195
Windows 11 26H1: KB5129194
Windows Server 2019: KB5129238
Windows Server 2022: KB5129237
Windows Server 2025: KB5129235
The Windows Server updates address RDS failures introduced by September's KB5122871 update on Windows Server 2025 and KB5122882 on Windows Server 2022.

The company had previously provided Group Policy mitigations for affected Windows and Windows Server systems while it worked on a permanent fix.

Administrators also reported that uninstalling the September security updates restored Remote Desktop functionality, but it also removed the security fixes included with those updates.

The Windows 11 26H1 update, KB5129194, is available through Windows Update, Windows Update for Business, the Microsoft Update Catalog, and Windows Server Update Services (WSUS).

For Windows Server 2019, Windows Server 2022 and Windows Server 2025, the out-of-band updates are available through the Microsoft Update Catalog.

Microsoft also released KB5129195 for Windows 11 24H2 and 25H2 and KB5129236 for Windows 10 21H2 and 22H2 to address the RDS failures affecting those systems.

Hyper-V and multichannel audio fixes
The out-of-band Windows 11 updates also resolve a Hyper-V issue affecting applications that use Host Compute Service (HCS)-managed virtual machines.

Microsoft says some applications experienced problems when sharing Windows host folders with Linux virtual machines using Plan9, causing shared folders to either not appear inside the guest environment or become inaccessible.

The updates also fix an audio issue affecting some USB Audio Class 1.0 devices when used with multichannel audio, including 8-channel and 3D audio modes.

Microsoft says affected devices continued to work as expected in standard stereo mode but could fail when switching to these multichannel configurations.

However, the emergency updates do not resolve all of the USB audio problems introduced by the September updates.

"After installing the September 8, 2026, Windows security update, some USB Audio Class 1.0 devices might fail to start or produce audio," Microsoft says in the release notes.

"Affected devices might experience one or more of the following symptoms: The device displays an error in Device Manager: "This device cannot start (Code 10)." No audio output. Volume controls are unresponsive or remain at zero. Sound settings are unresponsive or unavailable. This issue is limited to USB Audio Class 1.0 devices."

The company says it is working on a fix for the remaining audio problems.
Via bleepingcomputer site/ Microsoft Servicing updates

After an infuriating week, I found the key to using the voice assistant with fewer issues.

Here’s How to Opt Out

Since Apple Intelligence is all about Siri AI now, here's what you need to know to de-AI your iPhone.


Matteo Della Torre/NurPhoto/Getty Images

The newest iPhone software, iOS 27, is rolling out this week. With it comes a new dose of Apple Intelligence, including Siri AI. But as CNET spotted this week, if you upgrade to iOS 27, you will lose your ability to disable Apple Intelligence with one main setting toggle.

The “Apple Intelligence & Siri” setting becomes just “Siri” with iOS 27. But there are still some ways to disable Apple’s AI if you don’t want to use the tools or have them eat up your storage space.

If your device is not running the newest software, turning off Apple Intelligence all at once only takes a few taps in Settings and doesn’t affect any core iPhone functionality. Here’s how to do it on iPhone, iPad and Mac.

How to turn off Apple Intelligence with iOS 27

You can still disable some of Apple’s AI features if your iPhone is running iOS 27. It just won’t be as easy as tapping the main toggle.

To disable Siri AI, go to Settings > Siri and toggle off the control. Beware, though, that this will disable your voice assistant entirely, as well as disable conversations in the new dedicated Siri app and block you from using Apple’s Visual Intelligence. Additionally, your HomePod speakers will not be able to recognize your voice or help with personal content if they’re on the same iCloud account as your iPhone.

How to disable some of the individual Apple AI features.

Why turn off Apple Intelligence in the first place?

Since the first Apple Intelligence features rolled out in iOS 18.1, some people have opted out of the new technology. Tools such as Image Playground, Genmoji and message summaries can use up to 7GB of your device’s internal storage — a sizable chunk, especially if you tend to run against the upper limit of its free space.

Even if storage is not an issue, you just may not be interested in Apple’s set of AI features. A recent CNET survey finds that just 19% of US smartphone owners are choosing to upgrade their devices to take advantage of new AI features. And a recent ZDNET/Aberdeen survey reveals that the majority of US adults say they will not use most AI features, and just 8% would consider paying extra for them. Some AI features are more welcome than others, with 58% of respondents saying using AI for photo editing would be valuable.

Or, honestly, you may not want to deal with features that are creating inaccurate summaries or that can be replicated without Apple Intelligence.


The trainer killed someone? | Nelson Aguilar/CNET

(Earlier iOS 18 updates re-enabled Apple Intelligence automatically even if you had turned it off, but as of iOS 18.4, the setting is honored.)

Is Apple Intelligence really ready to be on by default?

I’m not an AI crank — I appreciate features such as notification summaries and the Clean Up tool in the Photos app. And yet, Apple Intelligence is also a work in progress, an evolving set of features that Apple is heavily hyping while gradually developing. I wouldn’t hold it against you if you wanted to not be distracted or feel like you’re doing Apple’s testing for them (that’s what the developer and public betas should be for).

Remember that Apple Intelligence works only on the new iPhone 18 lineup, the iPhone Duo, iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone Air, iPhone 17E, iPhone 16, iPhone 16E, iPhone 16 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro or M-series Macs and iPads, plus the newest iPad mini.

How to see the amount of storage Apple Intelligence is using

If you’re concerned about the storage requirements of Apple Intelligence, you can find out how much the system is using by going to Settings > General > iPhone (or iPad) Storage > iOS (or iPadOS).


See how much space Apple Intelligence is using in Settings. This is what it looks like running iOS 26,
but the settings flow is the same. | Screenshots by Jeff Carlson/CNET

Note that even after turning off Apple Intelligence, the storage still shows up in the iOS Storage list. However, I was able to confirm that if the phone’s storage fills up and the system needs that now-inactive space, iOS reclaims what it needs.

How to turn off individual Apple Intelligence features

Maybe you’re finding some Apple Intelligence features helpful while others are annoying (or just highly amusing). You can turn off specific features in the settings for apps to which they apply.

For example, to disable text summaries in Messages notifications, go to Settings > Apps > Messages and switch off the Summarize Messages option.


Turn off Messages summaries while still using other Apple Intelligence features. | Screenshot by Jeff Carlson/CNET

Some features are not as app-specific. Writing Tools, which use Apple Intelligence to proof or rewrite text, appear as an option when you select text, regardless of the app. To turn that off, you need to disable Apple Intelligence system-wide.

Also note that nearly every app includes an “Apple Intelligence & Siri” option in Settings, with a Learn from this App option (turned on by default). That applies just to whether Apple Intelligence and Siri can monitor how you use it to make suggestions; it doesn’t affect any particular Apple Intelligence features.

How to turn off Apple Intelligence features in Screen Time settings

Another option for restricting what Apple Intelligence can do is buried in the Screen Time settings. Screen Time is designed to control which apps and features can run on another device, such as the iPhone used by a child in your household. But it’s also helpful for tracking how much time you’re spending on the device and, in this case, turning off some components of Apple Intelligence.

1. Open the Settings app and go to Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions.

2. Turn on the Content & Privacy Restrictions option if it’s not already enabled. If this is the first time you’re flipping this switch, don’t worry — everything is allowed by default.

3. Tap Intelligence & Siri.

4. Tap on the following three features and decide whether to allow or don’t allow their use: Image Creation (such as Image Playground and Genmoji), Writing Tools and the ChatGPT Extension (which uses ChatGPT to process requests that are beyond the built-in Apple Intelligence capabilities).


Turn off selected Apple Intelligence features in the Screen Time settings. This is what the settings
look like with iOS 26. It may look different if you are using iOS 27.
The settings flow is the same. | Screenshots by Jeff Carlson/CNET

If you haven’t upgraded to iOS 27 yet, make a good backup first.

How to turn off Apple Intelligence entirely (iPhone, iPad and Mac) if you aren’t on iOS 27

If you aren’t on iOS 27, you can turn off Apple Intelligence with one tap. (You can see what software your iPhone is running by going to Settings > General > About and seeing what iOS version you’re running.)

If you’re on iOS 26 or earlier, here’s how to disable Apple Intelligence. Open Settings (iPhone or iPad) or System Settings (Mac) and choose Apple Intelligence & Siri. Then turn off the Apple Intelligence option. Confirm your choice in the dialog that appears by tapping Turn Off Apple Intelligence.


Turn off Apple Intelligence entirely with one switch if you are running iOS 26 or an earlier software
version. | Screenshots by Jeff Carlson/CNET

Here’s what you lose:

   • Writing tools

   • Notification summaries

   • Visual Intelligence

   • Genmoji

   • Image Playground — the app remains, but you can’t create images.

   • ChatGPT support for Siri

   • Image Wand in the Notes app

Curiously, the Clean Up tool in Photos sticks around even when Apple Intelligence is turned off, perhaps because the first time you use it the app downloads resources for it and holds onto them.

source

When you're looking for authoritative answers, the last thing you need is a bunch of low-quality garbage in your search results. Here's how to fix that.


Google is displayed on a computer screen on April 13, 2006 | Scott Barbour/Getty Images

I spend a big part of each working day struggling with search engines. A lot of my questions are technology-related: How does this feature work? What does that error code mean? Which apps are compatible with the new hardware platform or OS version I’m testing right now?

There’s usually an authoritative answer to each of those questions, documented by the engineers and designers who wrote the code or built the device I’m working with. But good luck finding those answers, as modern search engines now insist on flooding the results page with AI-based summaries, ads, and links to enthusiast videos, third-party vendor content, and low-quality AI slop. (These days, any search for anything related to Windows turns up a depressing amount of useless, SEO-optimized sludge.)

How custom search shortcuts changed the way I work

This became an ongoing headache as I researched my latest book, “Windows 11 Inside Out, Second Edition.” (See the end of this post for more details about that project.) After yet another frustrating search session, I finally worked out a solution. Instead of handing my search terms to Google and waiting to be disappointed, I created custom shortcuts that restrict the search scope to the authoritative sites I’m looking for, plus a handful of reliable third-party sources.

For the book, my two primary sources were Microsoft Support and Microsoft Learn. The latter (which used to be called Microsoft Docs) is Redmond’s official repository of technical documentation for everything the company makes. It contains a staggering amount of information, categorized by product, and it can be difficult to navigate. As I’ve learned over many years of working with Microsoft products, some of the most interesting technical details about Windows features can pop up in unexpected places — buried in documentation that was written for server administrators, hardware makers, or app developers, for example.

I also know that there’s a wealth of reliable information on some third-party sites that aren’t part of Microsoft.com, including GitHub, Super User, the Stack Exchange network, and even a handful of well-managed Subreddits.

So I built two shortcuts — one that searches only official Microsoft sites, and a second that searches an expanded list of curated sites.

My solution worked exceptionally well, as this example shows. I wanted to read Microsoft’s privacy policy for its Copilot chatbot. Here’s what I got from a basic Google search.


Screenshot by Ed Bott/ZDNET

Nearly the entire page is taken up by “sponsored results” — ads, that is, including one from Microsoft. The rest of the page is given over to the start of an AI summary. Scrolling down didn’t help. That just gave me “People also ask” and “Find related products and services” plus, for some reason, a random link about Copilot privacy policies for students at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. (Go Vols!)

Here’s what my custom search shortcut returned for the same query.



That’s much more useful. And it looks surprisingly like the Google search results we all remember from pre-AI days. A clean list of links, uncluttered by ads and machine-generated junk.

After building those shortcuts, I realized that this technique works for any field of specialized knowledge. Assemble your own curated list of trusted sites and build a shortcut that restricts results to just those sources. Do that for your specialty and you can say goodbye to low-quality content, ads, and AI summaries.

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Apple fixed 122 security vulnerabilities in iOS 27. Some of the most serious ones could give attackers root access and hijack network traffic.



Apple just released iOS 27 to the public. And while the focus of the majority of users is directed towards new features and UI refinements, the latest major iOS update brings something arguably more important. Namely, Apple has shipped more than 100, or 122 to be precise, fixes for various vulnerabilities across iPhones and iPads.

Apple shared details about the fixes in its latest security advisory, covering everything from the kernel and WebKit to Safari, Siri, storage, authentication, and privacy-related components. Some of the vulnerabilities are relatively minor, but others could have had much more serious consequences.

One of the more important fixes addresses CVE-2026-43689 in the kernel. According to Apple, a malicious app could exploit the flaw to get root privileges, which would essentially give it the highest level of access on the system. Apple says it fixed the permissions issue by adding "additional restrictions."

There’s also CVE-2026-84523 in APFS, Apple's file system. That vulnerability could allow an app to unexpectedly terminate the system or write kernel memory. Apple addressed the out-of-bounds write issue with "improved bounds checking."

Another notable fix is CVE-2026-65329 in Telephony. Apple says an attacker in a privileged network position could potentially bypass IPSec authentication and intercept network traffic, which could allow threat actors to access users’ browsing data. Apple’s fix for this issue was "improved state management."

The update also fixes a wide range of other problems, including WebKit vulnerabilities, privacy issues that could expose sensitive user data, and flaws that could let apps identify other installed apps or bypass certain restrictions. There’s even a Shortcuts bug that could allow a malicious shortcut to send messages without confirmation from the user.

If you take a look at the advisory, you'll notice that Apple mostly gives brief explanation on what was done with certain vulnerability, without going too much details. So we couldn't give you more details beyond what was said by Apple.

We’ve already reported that Apple is increasingly relying on AI to hunt for vulnerabilities, and the iOS 27 batch is no exception. Most notably, Apple credited help from both OpenAI and Anthropic in the advisory. One vulnerability was discovered by Calif.io in collaboration with Claude and Anthropic Research, and a few were discovered by Codex Security.

If you want to check out every vulnerability that the company addressed in iOS 27, visit Apple’s official security advisory.

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