Cloud Communication
The latest Cloud Communication coverage — news, analysis, and updates from the WindowsNews.AI desk.
OneDrive's New Shortcuts Folder Arrives in July to Clean Up Your File List
Microsoft is giving OneDrive web users a dedicated Shortcuts folder to organize shared folder shortcuts, starting July 2026. The feature reduces My files clutter by letting you choose a tidy home for shortcuts at the point of creation. We detail how it works, who benefits, and what you should do to adopt it without breaking existing paths.
OneDrive Web Gains Full SharePoint View Management—What That Means for Your Workflow
Microsoft has begun rolling out the ability to create, manage, and switch between SharePoint document library views directly from OneDrive on the web. The update, tied to Roadmap ID 566313, reduces the need to navigate to SharePoint sites for common organizational tasks and makes structured team content more accessible to everyday users.
Windows 11's Latest Experimental Build Brings Braille to Setup and Smart Card Control to Cloud PCs
Windows 11 Build 28120.2546 introduces HID braille display support for Narrator, including during initial setup, expanding accessibility for visually impaired users. It also extends smart card removal policies to Azure Virtual Desktop and Windows 365 sessions, strengthening security for enterprises. Voice Access gains Portuguese and Korean, and minor fixes touch gamepad navigation and dark-mode sounds.
Meta Quest’s Horizon+ Now Includes Xbox Game Pass — But There’s a 10-Hour Cloud Limit
Meta Horizon+ subscribers will get a starter edition of Xbox Game Pass starting July 21, 2026, adding over 50 Xbox games to the existing Quest VR library with 10 hours of cloud play per month. An upcoming update will let Quest Touch controllers emulate an Xbox gamepad, eliminating the need for a separate controller. The move deepens the Microsoft–Meta partnership, offering casual headset owners a console-like experience, but existing Game Pass subscribers may find limited value, and headset comfort remains a barrier for long sessions.
Google Will Soon Count Android Backups Against Storage — Here's How Windows Users Can Prepare
Google is notifying Android users that all device backup data, including SMS and call history, will soon count toward their 15GB free Google storage quota. Existing users have 45 days to prepare before automatic backups may pause if storage is full. Windows PC owners can use this window to build independent local copies, refine backup settings, and avoid data loss.
Google’s 45-Day Notice: Android Backups Will Start Eating Into Your Storage – A Windows User’s Guide
Google is notifying Android users that all backup data, including SMS, call history, and app settings, will soon count toward Google Account storage. The change, effective after a 45-day notice, adds an average of 30-40MB, but those near their limit risk paused backups. Windows users can leverage their PCs for local redundancy. We explain the policy, its impact, and how to safeguard your data.
Intel Xeon 6 Unlocks 8,000 MT/s DDR5 Memory: What Windows Admins Need to Know
Intel has confirmed that select Xeon 6 server processors will support standard DDR5 RDIMMs at 8,000 MT/s—a 25 percent speed increase over current 6,400 MT/s modules—with production availability this August or September. The boost promises up to 20% more bandwidth and 3-6% workload gains, but only on systems running one DIMM per channel. For Windows Server professionals, the announcement opens a new performance tier for Hyper-V, SQL Server, and AI inference, but careful capacity planning and vendor-specific qualification are essential.
OneNote for Windows 10 Is Now Read-Only—Here’s How to Move Your Notebooks to OneDrive
Microsoft’s OneNote for Windows 10 is now read-only after its October 2025 retirement, and Windows users must move to the desktop OneNote app with notebooks stored in OneDrive. This article explains what changed, how the shift affects home users, power users, and IT admins, and provides a six-step migration checklist to avoid losing data. It also covers the parallel retirements of Microsoft Lens and email-to-OneNote, and looks ahead at Copilot and mobile scanning improvements.
Microsoft to Retire Azure Service Bus SBMP Protocol—What It Means for Your Windows Workloads
Microsoft will permanently disable the SBMP protocol for Azure Service Bus on September 30, 2026, alongside retiring three older client libraries. While apps still using SBMP will face a hard outage, those already on AMQP with legacy libraries can survive the deadline but lose support. The path forward involves auditing all production workloads to determine their actual transport, switching SBMP clients to AMQP as an immediate fix, and then planning a migration to the modern Azure.Messaging.ServiceBus SDK.
Azure GPv1 ZRS Storage Accounts Must Be Upgraded by October 2026—Or Services Will Break
Microsoft has announced that Azure General Purpose v1 storage accounts using Zone-Redundant Storage (ZRS) must be upgraded to GPv2 before October 13, 2026, or they will face service disruption. Unlike other legacy account types that Microsoft will auto-migrate, ZRS accounts require customer-initiated upgrades, with new creations blocked after September 2026. The article outlines the timeline, risks for admins, developers, and FinOps, and provides a phased action plan to avoid last-minute outages.
Azure Functions 1.x and Legacy Log API Sunset in 2026: Here's Your Migration Roadmap
Microsoft will end support for Azure Functions 1.x and the legacy HTTP Data Collector API on September 14, 2026. Teams must upgrade function apps to version 4.x and migrate custom log pipelines to the Logs Ingestion API with Data Collection Rules, ensuring both runtime and telemetry dependencies are addressed before the hard cutoff.
Microsoft 365 Apps Update Revolution: Semi-Annual Enterprise Channel Converges with Monthly in July 2026 — Here’s Your Playbook
Microsoft is merging its Semi-Annual and Monthly Enterprise update channels for Microsoft 365 Apps in July 2026 with Version 2606. All SAEC devices will begin receiving monthly feature and security updates, impacting reporting, Cloud Update automation, and Copilot eligibility. IT admins must inventory their devices, decide whether to hold some on Version 2508, and update management tools to avoid compliance surprises.
Microsoft Shifts Power Apps Analytics to Fabric with New ‘Link Data' Hub, Retires Azure Synapse Name
Microsoft has rebranded Azure Synapse Link for Dataverse to 'Link data' in the Power Apps maker portal, consolidating all data export paths and making Microsoft Fabric the default analytics destination. The rollout, starting July 20, 2026, introduces a simplified setup wizard and promotes workspace identity for authentication. Existing links remain unchanged, but admins should update internal documentation and enable workspace identity where applicable.