Latest Software News
SEE SOFTWARE STORIES BY CATEGORY
Feature
What's new in Linux Mint 21.3 'Virginia'
From Wayland preparations to new Cinnamon Spices, here's what's new in Linux Mint 21.3.News
RIP Microsoft WordPad, a PC mainstay since Windows 95
Microsoft plans to kill off WordPad in a future Windows release, eliminating a rich text editor it has provided since Windows 95.News
Google tests Chrome for Windows on Arm, prepping for a big 2024
Google begins testing Chrome for Windows on Arm, prepping for a final release about the time PCs with Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon Arm chips will debut.News
Apple opens the door for Xbox, Nvidia game streaming on iPhones
A reversal of official Apple policy means that Xbox Game Pass and GeForce Now apps should be coming to iPhones very soon.
News
Careful! This Facebook phishing scam wants your login info
Watch out for posts that hint at the death of someone you might know—they’re likely attempts to steal your Facebook account.
News
Time to update your password: 26 billion personal records just leaked
The massive compilation of user credentials and personal information is being called the “mother of all breaches.”News
Google Chrome adds smart AI-powered features, with more to come
The Google Chrome browser is adding AI-powered tab organization as well as image generation for themes, and writing is just over the horizon.News
PlayStation boss says games are coming to 'PC, mobile, and cloud'
Sony CEO Kenichiro Yoshida said that the company's PlayStation games will become "ubiquitous," appearing on pretty much every platform (except other consoles).News
'Pokemon with guns' Palworld sold an insane 5 million copies this weekend
The indie survival crafting-monster hunting fusion game is a surprise smash, despite launching on the Xbox Game Pass for free.
Feature
What is antivirus software? Getting started with PC security
What does antivirus software do, and how does it work? Here's what you need to know about essential tools for keeping you safe online and beyond.News
Microsoft Copilot adds a premium subscription, Copilot Pro
Microsoft Copilot Pro allows consumers who want the best of what Copilot has to offer, including business features and custom copilots, to pay $20 per month.News
Framework Laptop hacked, customer names and emails stolen
The maker of upgradeable, modular laptops has fallen prey to a social engineering attack.Opinion
Why doesn't Windows have a decent PDF editor?
Mac users are spoiled by the built-in PDF editor Preview, which has been around for 20 years. Why is there nothing like it on Windows?News
Change your LastPass password before you get locked out
LastPass’s new 12-character account password requirement is now going into effect. If you don’t meet it, you’ll get shut out.News
Audacity's cool audio AI tools are now free for you to try
Audacity has released the plugins for its audio editor which allow AI music generation, noise filtering, and transcription. They're among the first AI tools to run locally on AI PCs.News
Indie horror developer tells players to pirate their game
The makers of 'Slay the Princess' encourage you to steal the game instead of watching it on YouTube, and buy it later if you want.News
Don't miss Epic's free PC game today or you'll regret it
Epic's free PC game is one heck of a banger, but it's only available until 11 AM EST tomorrow.Feature
The best PC games of 2023 (that don’t need a graphics card)
This year had an absolute boatload of great new games and you don't need a super-powerful PC to play all of them.Deal
PCWorld deal: Get Windows 11 and PC transfer software for just $60
PCWorld (yes, us!) is offering a Windows 11 key, Laplink PCmover and O&O SafeErase 18 together, a $200 value.Feature
Canva or Canva Pro? These are the differences
The popular graphic design tool Canva is available as a free version. However, premium features are only available for a fee. Is the Pro version worth it?News
Comcast Xfinity hack steals personal data of 36 million customers
While corporate data breaches have almost become commonplace, Comcast is in hot water for letting a critical security flaw go unpatched for weeks.Updated
The best graphics cards 2024: GPUs for every budget
These are the best graphics cards that PC gamers can buy today from Nvidia GeForce, AMD Radeon, and Intel Arc.News
Opera GX browser adds a 'boss button' for instantly hiding your games…or other stuff
The latest release of Opera's gaming browser can instantly open a specific site and pull it to the foreground with F12.News
Intel's Unison app gains helpful new PC-to-phone sharing powers
Intel is launching a new update to its Unison app alongside the Core Ultra processor, allowing the cross-platform collaboration and sharing app even more flexibility for things like using your tablet as a secondary display.News
Google's Gemini AI takes aim at OpenAI and Microsoft's GPT-4
Google claims its AI beats GPT-4 in most tests, while Microsoft says GPT-4 is better, with the right prompts.News
Avira is fixing a bug that locks up Windows PCs
Avira, known for its free antivirus programs, is rolling out a fix for a major bug that locked up PCs entirely.Feature
Google Bard has one enormous advantage over other AI chatbots
Google's Bard AI chatbot is able to tap into Google's archived content from Google Maps, Flights, Docs, and more. But it's YouTube where it's starting to really shine.News
FTC sounds alarm over dangerous QR codes used by scammers
The ubiquitous URL shortcuts are the latest tool for stealing personal info.Feature
4 ways Canva is better than Photoshop
Photoshop is probably the best-known and best image editing program on the market. But we'll tell you why Canva is still better.News
Survey says most PC gamers wait for titles to go on sale
A new survey says that only about a third of PC gamers will buy a game at full price.News
Google Drive missing files error has been fixed
Hundreds of Windows and Mac users say they're missing files going back months, but Google has issued a fix in the latest version
News
Worried your inactive Google Account might get deleted? Log in now
Personal accounts unused for two years (or more) are now heading to the chopping block. You can easily save them from the reaper, though.News
Evernote drastically cuts back on its free plan
Note-taking app Evernote has placed steep limits on its free plan, pushing users to paid plans instead.News
Update Chrome right now or your computer will explode (again)
For the sixth time this year, Chrome needs an emergency update to keep users safe.News
Didn't enjoy Starfield? Bethesda says you're wrong
Bethesda's customer support team has taken to arguing with gamers in the Steam reviews for its mega RPG Starfield
Feature
How much antivirus protection is right for you? Here’s how to tell
You don't have to pay for antivirus software to be adequately protected online, but that largely depends on your habits and how much energy you have to devote to PC security.Deal
This is the best Microsoft Office deal on Cyber Monday
Grab a one-year subscription to Microsoft 365 Personal, plus ESET antivirus, for just $35 on Cyber Monday.Deal
Get the Surfshark VPN deal that won me over for less than $2 per month
Surfshark VPN is offering two great deals for Cyber Monday, allowing you to install VPNs on all of your PCs and phones for 80 percent off for a two-year subscription.Deal
One of the best VPNs is 83% off for Cyber Monday
Private Internet Access is one of our favorite VPNs and it's currently on sale for next to nothing with this Cyber Monday super deal.Deal
Adobe's Creative Cloud is a whopping 50% off in this Cyber Monday deal
Adobe’s all-in-one plan for Photoshop, Premiere, Lightroom, and other popular software usually costs a pretty penny, but not with this whopping Cyber Monday sale.Deal
Our favorite antivirus, Norton 360 Deluxe, is just $20 for Black Friday
Among the best Black Friday deals is a sizable discount on our top pick for antivirus software—and other top-notch security suites, too.News
GeForce Now gets Xbox and Game Pass account sync
Nvidia and Microsoft join forces to give you even more ways to stream PC games.Updated
Microsoft 365's Copilot AI moves out of beta and into… everywhere
Microsoft is migrating its Copilot AI into the majority of its Office apps with Microsoft 365 Copilot and new features such as meeting planning, summaries, analysis, connectors — and more.News
Microsoft Teams adds AI backgrounds as it moves to the metaverse
Microsoft used its Microsoft Ignite conference to debut several new features within Teams, including its Mesh metaverse and AI backgrounds.Updated
Brave browser's free Leo AI dodges questions about the 2020 election
Brave is rolling out Leo, an AI chatbot integrated with the Brave Web browser. But the free version initially refused to acknowledge Joe Biden won the election, a tactic U.S. politics has seen before.Updated
'Zero Punctuation' game review series ends after 16 years
Ben 'Yahztee' Croshaw and The Escapist's video team are returning as an employee-owned company called Second Wind.News
Fix Windows 11's Start menu and search with Stardock's Start11 v2
Stardock Software has released Start 11 V2, which adds three new Start app launchers as well as a cool way to pin apps to the taskbar.News
Intuit's popular Mint budgeting tool is shutting down
Owner Intuit will shift Mint users over to its other subsidiary, Credit Karma, before finally axing the 17-year-old service on January 1st.
Feature
I changed these 11 Facebook settings, and you should too
Facebook settings tricks to reduce annoyances and preserve some privacy.News