Skip to main content

Microsoft is adding a controversial app to Windows 11

Microsoft Surface Laptop 2 sitting on a table.
Jacob Roach / Digital Trends

A new Windows 11 build is rolling out in Microsoft’s Beta channel, and it includes an app that’s been caught up in some controversy. Build 22635.3646 includes the PC Manager app for devices in China by default. This app is already available through the Microsoft Store, but the update suggests the app might be part of Windows 11 more broadly soon.

PC Manager falls in the category of “system optimizers” along the lines of the  Razer Cortex Game Booster. It cleans out temporary files, frees memory that’s not being used, and digs deep into your hard drive to clean out unused files. According to Microsoft, it can even “reduce ads and app pop-up interruptions.” An system optimizer from Microsoft sounds great as an official release in Windows 11.

Recommended Videos

The problem is that PC Manager has already been caught up in some controversy. Neowin discovered that the app includes affiliate links, including tracking, to Chinese utilities that add functionality to Microsoft Word and Powerpoint. Another user on Reddit found that the app would revert your default start page in the Edge browser to Bing — something Microsoft has attempted to sway users into doing dozens of times before.

PC Manager suggesting to use Bing as default search engine.
Judy Sanhz / Digital Trends

This type of sneaky intrusion is expected out of free software you pick up any random place online, but this is an official Microsoft app available though the Microsoft Store. It’s seen a string of problems, too. About a week ago, the app received a number of one-star reviews after a Windows Update automatically uninstalled PC Manager and rendered it inaccessible through the Microsoft Store. On the PC Manager subreddit, another user posted three days ago that the app showed a pop-up once per session, at least, that asked them to start PC Manager after they uninstalled the app. So much for reducing “app pop-up interruptions.”

At this time, PC Manager is only a default app in China, and only for this new Windows 11 build in the Beta channel. However, Microsoft tests builds there for a wider release. It’s a clear sign that Microsoft intends to include PC Manager as a default app in Windows 11, at least in China, and perhaps even globally in the future.

The new PC Manager app on a Windows 11 desktop
ALumia_Italia

That’s not inherently a bad thing. There are dozens of these system optimization apps that do more harm than good to your PC, so an official take from Microsoft could keep unsuspecting users safe from these dubious downloads. If it’s just another way for Microsoft to get users onto Edge and Bing, as well as redirect them to affiliate services, then it’s not worth whatever performance bump it can offer.

Jacob Roach
Lead Reporter, PC Hardware
Jacob Roach is the lead reporter for PC hardware at Digital Trends. In addition to covering the latest PC components, from…
Windows 11 can now use AI to respond to your text messages
The Phone Link app being used on a phone and laptop screen.

Microsoft has started rolling out a helpful Suggested Replies feature in the Phone Link app that gives users AI-powered text suggestions for quick replies to their messages, the software giant stated in a Support blog post.

The new feature uses Microsoft's Cloud AI models to create short replies to specific messages, resulting in faster response times. It is rolling out in Phone Link version 1.24082.137.0 for Windows 11 24H2 and 23H2. You don't need to be in the Windows Insider Program to try out the feature, but you won't see the Suggest Replies feature on all messages. You'll only see the suggestions when the Phone Link's AI can understand the message.

Read more
It’s official — Microsoft WordPad is dead after 29 years
A screenshot of Microsoft WordPad running on Windows 11.

The Windows 11 2024 Update, otherwise known as version 24H2, started rolling out yesterday, but if you've already updated, you might notice something is missing. WordPad's deprecation has become a reality, as it has been completely removed from the new version of Windows 11.

This might not be a big deal to most users -- the lack of people using the app is part of the reason it was deprecated, after all. If you don't know, WordPad has been around since Windows 95, and in terms of features and functionality, it offers more than Notepad, but less than Microsoft Word.

Read more
The Nvidia app just added a feature I’ve wanted for years
A screenshot of the Nvidia app.

Nvidia just released a big update for its Nvidia app. If you're unfamiliar, Nvidia has been slowly integrating features and settings from GeForce Experience, the Nvidia Control Panel, and other apps like FrameView and ICAT into a single application, aptly named the Nvidia app, making it easier to manage your graphics card. And the latest update includes a feature that I've been wanting for years -- driver rollback.

It's a good idea to keep your GPU drivers up to date. New drivers come with performance improvements, as well as specific optimizations for new game releases. Still, driver releases aren't perfect. You can almost guarantee that some drivers on some configurations will run into strange bugs or performance issues. Here's just one example from a Steam user who saw crashes in Ghost of Tsushima after a driver update, and another who saw crashes in Farming Simulator 22. These issues are almost never widespread, but they're bound to happen to some gamers. Driver rollback gets around the problem.

Read more