Perhaps receiving a kick in the pants from Apple with its new dark theme for macOS, Microsoft has added its own take for Windows 10's File Explorer, as part of a recent Insider build.

Nothing kills typos faster than predictive text. Just think of how often you go about your day, texting away, using your smartphone's built-in capabilities to predict the big words you're trying to type before you finish them. If you're good, you can compose a decent thought without ever hitting an actual letter. So, why can't you do this on your PC, too?

Not everyone needs the most powerful and feature-rich computer available. Sometimes, all that's needed is a basic, inexpensive system that fills a very specific need. And it turns out, there are lots of options on the market for under $500. Here are a few of the best deals around.

There are so many Windows apps out there, that picking a list of the very best, most must-install software for your desktop or laptop feels daunting. We've pored over pages of recommendations, countless forum posts, and lots of comments to come up with this year's Lifehacker Pack for Windows, a list of software champions across four categories: productivity, internet/communications, music/photos/video and utilities.

It's been a long, long time since we talked about the Windows app Sizer, recently rewritten to be more compatible with Windows 10 apps. It's almost embarrassing given the usefulness of this little utility. With the press of a few keyboard buttons, you can reconfigure the size of apps on your screen to any dimensions you want, giving you even more control over how your apps appear than Windows 10's default commands.

Windows: When Microsoft debuted its new “Timeline” feature in the Windows 10 April 2018 update, I was a bit bummed to find that this feature — which you can use to see what you were up to on any given day — isn’t very helpful unless you’re using the Edge browser.

With Windows 10, Microsoft has slowly been working towards a more streamlined way of sending updates to users (when it's not forcing them down your throat). To this end, by February 2019, "express" patches will be the dominant update method.

Microsoft's concept of universal apps that run seamlessly across computers, tablets, and phones are a hallmark of the company's newest operating system. The problem is most people don't know which apps they should be using. With the Windows App Store growing all the time, there are plenty of ways to try out the new feature. Here are the best Windows 10 universal apps that are actually worth installing on your desktop.

For some reason, Microsoft made it harder to track down Device Manager in Windows 10. Fortunately, you don't need to hunt through a bunch of menus to find it — Microsoft was nice enough to add other ways to access everyone's favourite (and former) Control Panel item.

Windows: Here's an incredibly useful extension that you'll want to grab from the Windows Store if you have any kind of device - cough Apple cough - that shoots and stores .HEIC images.

If you're using a Windows 10 machine, you might want to consider disabling Cortana — at least on the Lock Screen — if you aren't planning to install the latest Windows updates for whatever reason. (And, generally, do you really need a smart assistant helping you out when your PC is locked?)

I confess, I've never really used Windows 10s Game Bar, because I'm probably the last person who should be broadcasting their gaming habits on an online service. I'm terrible at Fortnite, I min/max in Pillars of Eternity, and I play a lot of Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms -- not exactly the sexiest of titles to stream, unless you like watching me click on all the things.

If you've been trying to install the April Update to Windows 10 and have hit a road block there may be a good reason. Microsoft has stopped the software from installing to computers running Avast Antivirus after some people experienced a blank desktop with no icons. This follows issues with installations on Intel and Toshiba SSDs which Microsoft has issued a patch for.

Hooray. You bought a brand-new Windows laptop and, for whatever reason, the manufacturer was nice enough to let you go through the installation process yourself instead of filling your new system full of crapware for you. Just kidding. It's rare when that happens, and buying a laptop that's full of junk is one -- but certainly not the only -- reason why you might want to reinstall your operating system from scratch.

For many of you, a single pair of speakers or headphones is all you probably need for your desktop or laptop system. For others, rocking out, gaming, and listening to movies is a constant battle with Windows over which connected audio device the operating system should use to blast noise.

I discovered a strange quirk with the Windows 10 install on my notebook — the "Run as administrator" option was missing from the context menu for Windows Installer files, which use the extension ".msi". This isn't great, as many installers require admin privileges to make system-level changes.

If you wanted an exhaustive reference for all the command line tools and utilities available in Windows, "/h" was as good as it got. Well, that was until last month, when Microsoft published a whopping big PDF with information on every single terminal command the operating system has to offer.

Build is Microsoft's annual developer conference. It's a busy couple of weeks for developers with Facebook running their event last week and Google has their event kicking off now as well. Microsoft has announced several new tools and services for developers today. Here's a snapshot of some of the more interesting announcements.

Microsoft and Apple have been locked in a pitched battle since the early 1980s. Back in the early days of the personal computer, there were dozens of options to choose from - everything from the TRS-80 to Amstrad to IBM's OS/2. But, by the early 1990s two operating systems emerged as the most popular - Microsoft Windows and Apple Mac OS. Both have undergone significant transformations, playing catch-up and leapfrog with each other. Here's what I wish Apple would learn from Microsoft.