Marcus Ash

@_ventocry Some improvements with 2-character searches too...

@marcusash Can I finally search for the recycle bin?

Search is one of those places in Windows where small amounts of friction add up quickly. Opening an app. Finding a file. Changing a setting. Getting the right result should feel clear and focused. Excited to see these Search updates go live. The Windows Search Box is getting calmer, easier to scan, giving you more control over web and Store suggestions, and also improving how results appear across apps, settings, files, and more. Read more here: blogs.windows.com/windows-inside…

@al3xis5_ @Sam75614812 The improvements we are making to performance and relevance for file searching are coming next to File Explorer. Starting with dramatic speed improvements when searching across This PC.

@Sam75614812 @marcusash search in windows explorer never had web searches iirc

@Taoufik_Miri @marchr @koholdsworth per our conversations on the security app and materials 👀

@iambipinpaul @awakecoding @Pete_Brown @mixen @koholdsworth 👀

@awakecoding @Pete_Brown @mixen @marcusash Please communicate this to RDP team @Pete_Brown

I'm just wondering, MSFT is promoting to remove passwords while their own first-party products (RDP) do not support passwordless authentication. @mixen @Pete_Brown @marcusash

Happy Friday. Throwback to when the team built a plane. For shared audio in Windows, the feature is straightforward to describe: split audio across two pairs of Bluetooth headphones or hearing aids. But the moment is much more human than just technical. Tight spaces. Shared screens. Background noise. Two people trying to watch together without making it complicated. I’ve seen it plenty with my twins. A lot of design and research is about getting closer to those real moments: observing, simulating, prototyping, and understanding the context around the experience. For this one, the team built a mock airplane cabin for user testing research, then turned it into a film set to help customers feel the experience with the right details. A fun look behind the scenes:

An important part of our process is spending time with a wide range of makers building things that are deeply personal and unique to their needs. Two weeks ago, our studio spent time with Nancy, Ari, and Ben from NARBE House, and their story continues to stay top of mind. As they looked for ways to help Ben do more independently, Ari and Nancy began creating tools that let him play games, browse the internet, watch his favorite shows, communicate, and stay connected. What began as something deeply personal has grown into open-source tools for one- and two-button users. And they did it without a traditional developer background, using tools like Copilot and GitHub Copilot. Makers come in many forms. This was such a meaningful reminder that technology is at its best when it expands what people can access, create, and experience. I’m incredibly grateful to help build tools at Microsoft that support more people in doing just that. Thank you, NARBE House. Link to learn more: narbefoundation.org

@thebookisclosed @cadenzza_ On our list of rejuvenation surfaces...

@cadenzza_ @marcusash Just to clarify, it's not only about design but also wording. The phrase "Search charm" is used which is very much a Windows 8 UI piece that stopped existing a long time ago 😅

@marcusash Someone missed this dialog for rejuvenation :) (25H2, build 26200.8655)

June was a big month for Surface and the team. We released the new Surface Pro and Surface Laptop, and at //Build announced Surface Laptop Ultra and Surface RTX Spark Dev Box. Together, they show how Surface continues to build devices around how people work, create, and move. What I keep coming back to is the care and craft behind them: the research that helps us understand those workflows, the design choices you feel across hardware and software, and the engineering work that makes the whole product feel considered. Proud of the team and the attention they put into every detail. The team made a short film to show a little of the work behind all of it:

Hello from London. Great day so far! Excited to be here and connect with you all in a couple hours for the final stop of this season’s Windows Insider meetup tour. See you soon!

@immasiddx An adaptive mouse that has been designed with and for people with disabilities and has a range of customization options. Absurd the type of sh*t people post here.

Microsoft is selling THIS mouse for $70 😭

Great seeing all the recent Terminal releases getting flighted, especially Intelligent Terminal. I’ve been loving this capability. I set up a lot of devices, and getting a new machine back to my ideal workflow state always takes time. One way I’ve been using Intelligent Terminal is to get bootstrapped fast. Excited to see the latest update. More on it from the Terminal team here: devblogs.microsoft.com/commandline/in…

We're making Windows widgets less distracting. We've disabled open on hover by default, turned off taskbar badging by default, open widgets rather than newsfeed on first launch, weather as the only default widget on lockscreen, limiting taskbar alerts.

@afit @marchr @marchr good thing for us to talk about with Aidan and team in London

@marchr I’d love to do so much more with widgets

Built for this world so you can create the next. Now available in Jade, with Dune on the Pro Flex Keyboard. All-day battery. Built-in AI. Performance that moves with you. Learn More: msft.it/6016vY3zE

Doing some digital spring cleaning today and came across a movie my daughter made at the end of her 5th grade year. She entered it in a class competition and won. A bee whose flower gets blown up by another bee. Revenge arc. Made in Canva. Quirky, unexpected, a little dramatic. That's her lol. She just finished 7th grade 🥹. The days are long. The years are short. Our kids are watching us and building something completely their own at the same time. Slow down and see it before it's gone.

Find it here 👉🏽 a.co/d/0fKpUv6S

@DDame 's book hit #1 in Disability Biographies. Don't mask the imperfections. Embrace them. Dave has lived that in every room he shows up in. He gives feedback when it's uncomfortable. He steps up when he's not sure he's ready. He takes agency instead of waiting to feel prepared. Not as a strategy. Because that's who he is. Watching him lead, build product, and represent human-centered design at Microsoft taught me something. The things that challenge your identity are not obstacles. They are the instincts that make you a better designer, a better leader, a better person. For me, that's a big biracial family and everything that comes with it. For years, I treated that as something to navigate. Dave helped me see it as a unique gift in how I see the world. I've spent two years working alongside him. He's challenged me, taught me, and pushed me. What I didn't plan on: calling him a friend and a brother from another mother. Our mothers are both Canadian so it fits 🍁 His gift is seeing what's unique in everyone he encounters and helping you pull it out of yourself. Dave has that effect on people. He's made me a better leader. Better husband, father, brother, friend too. This book is how Dave puts that into everyone's hands. Go get it. #LeadingWithImperfectFeet #Leadership #DisabilityInclusion #InclusiveLeadership