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If you are looking for a free internet speed test app for Windows 11/10, this list is for you. Here, we are going to mention multiple free Microsoft Store apps that let you measure your internet speed on your Windows 11/10 PC.

Earlier, we shared a list of free online Internet Speed Test Online Services. This list is specifically for Microsoft Store apps. You can simply get and install any of these apps from Microsoft Store and then run an internet speed test on your computer. All these apps determine and display get speed and upload speed, while some also display jitter and ping stats. You can also view your network details as well as browse your speed test history. Each of these apps has a different set of features. You can check out the details below and then get the one you like.

Here are the best free internet speed test apps for Windows 11/10 available in the Microsoft Store:

1. Network Speed Test
2. Speedtest by Ookla
3. Net Speed Meter
4. Data Usage
5. Speed Test – Free Internet Speed Test Tools

Let us discuss the main features of these apps now!

1] Network Speed Test

Network Speed Test is a free internet speed test app for Windows 11/10. Using this app by Microsoft Research, you can easily measure your get and upload speed. Plus, it also lets you measure network delay time. It lets you run multiple internet speed tests and see the history of each test in a dedicated section. In addition to that, you can also view details on your internet connection including access points (BSSID), authentication, encryption, etc.

This internet speed test app also tells you what you will be able to do based on your connection’s speed. For example, whether or not you can stream high-quality videos, email, voice calls, stream music, etc. You can see a gauge chart on its interface to determine that.

To run an internet speed test, launch the app and click on the Start button to initiate a speed test. In a few seconds, you will be able to view the results on its screen.

Read: How to display Internet speed on the Taskbar.

2] Speedtest by Ookla

Another good free internet speed test app for Windows 11/10 is Speedtest by Ookla. It is a handy app that lets you measure your connections’ speed including statistics like get speed, upload speed, and ping speed. You can install this app from Microsoft Store and then launch this app. Then, click on the GO button to start the test. It will then display different connection speed stats on the screen.

It also lets you browse through the internet speed test history and check out the previous statistics. Furthermore, you can also save the history to a CSV file. Plus, you can even share the internet speed test results via email, link, or some other installed app.

If you liked it, you can get it from Microsoft Store.

See: How to check your Internet Connection Speed using Google Chrome.

3] Net Speed Meter

Net Speed Meter is a free Windows 11/10 app to test internet speed. It shows you real-time get and upload speeds. Plus, you can also run an internet speed test by right-clicking on the app icon from the system tray. And then, select the Test Speed option and click on the Run button to start the internet speed test. You can also enter test upload file size and then start the test to measure upload speed.

This app is like a widget that stays on the top of your desktop and applications and shows you the real-time get and upload speeds. You can also access several handy features from its right-click context menu including Data Usages Stat (shows total data usage), Network Properties (view network details), Stopwatch, Speed Refresh Time, Adapter Settings, Take Screenshot, Change UI position (change widget position on the desktop), etc.

All in all, it is another nice internet speed test app for Windows 11/10 that you can try. You can get it from here.

Read: Measure Local Area Network speed with LAN Speed Test tool.

4] Data Usage

Data Usage is a dedicated free app to measure data usage of an internet connection as well as internet speed. On its home screen, you can view different dedicated sections to determine different statistics. Simply scroll through the right-side and you will see a Speed Test section. From here, click on the GO button and it will start measuring your internet speed. When the test is done, you will be able to view stats including ping, jitter, get speed, and upload speed. You can copy the link of test results or directly share it on Twitter or Facebook.

Besides internet speed, you can also view network usage chart, network billing details, network usage report, network pie chart, and current connection details.

To use this handy app, you can get it here.

See: How to check Network Adapter Speed on Windows.

5] Speed Test – Free Internet Speed Test Tools

As the name suggests, Speed Test – Free Internet Speed Test Tools is a set of tools to measure different statistics about your internet including internet speed. You can install it from Microsoft Store and then start using it by pressing the GO button present on its GUI. It will then display internet speed including jitter, delay, get speed, and upload speed. You can perform internet speed tests multiple times. To reset speed test results, simply tap on the Reset Speed Test option.

Apart from the internet speed test, it also provides features to find out your external IP address and IP location. You can get this Windows 11/10 app from here.

See: Best free Browser speed & performance online test tools.

Which is the best app for Internet speed test?

In my opinion, Network Speed Test is one of the best internet speed test apps for Windows 11/10. It is an app from Microsoft Research and provides accurate results. Plus, it even lets you know what you are capable of doing with your current internet connection. Besides this app, Speedtest by Ookla is also an accurate and good internet speed test app for Windows 11/10. You can even export the internet speed test results in this app. Plus, there is a web version of this app which is quite popular for testing your internet speed. You can also try it to quickly determine your internet speed.

Read: Check if your Internet connection is capable of streaming 4K content.

What is the best free Wi-Fi speed test app?

There are so many apps to test your Wi-Fi speed on Windows 11/10 PC. You can use the Network Speed Test, Speedtest by Ookla, Net Speed Meter, etc. However, it is suggested to use multiple apps to get an average of your internet speed. No matter whether you have Wi-Fi, mobile hotspot, Ethernet, or anything else, the rule applies to all of them.

Hope this list helps you find a good internet speed test app for Windows 11/10.

Now read: Free HTML5 Bandwidth testing sites that don’t need Flash.

Microsoft Corp. is reportedly integrating a built-in recovery system that will allow users to reinstall the Windows 11 operating system through Windows Update without losing their existing files.

The new feature was first spotted by Windows Latest today, and will be made available through a new setting called “Fix problems using Windows Update.”

According to that report, the new setting can be found by heading to Settings > System > Recovery on Windows 11. It’s currently only available to members of the Windows Canary Channel, who get to test new features before they become more widely available.

Microsoft first mentioned the upcoming feature around six months ago in a blog post, but its implementation in public Windows 11 test versions suggests it’s almost ready for prime time.

The feature could be particularly useful for users that want to reinstall, update, or repair the OS without losing files, documents, pictures, videos or apps. “This operation reinstalls the OS that you have and will not remove any files, settings, or apps,” the company said in the original blog post. “Devices may need to complete in progress updates prior to this process taking effect.”

Previously, the best way to reinstall or recover Windows 11 without losing any files was to use the “In-Place Upgrade” option within Microsoft’s Media Creation Tool. While both this and the newer option allow users to do the same thing, the In-Place Upgrade is known to be quite a lengthy process. With the new feature, the process of recovering Windows will be rapidly accelerated.

Windows Latest says the new features could be integrated within the Windows 11 Moment 5 Update that’s expected to roll out in February 2024. That will be a cumulative update that’s typically rolled out through the Windows Update feature, as previous “Moment” updates were.

It’s also expected to be the last minor update for Windows 11 ahead of a much bigger one that’s slated to take place in 2025. Other new capabilities to come in the minor update include new quality-of-life features such as better support for digital pens, and the ability to make certain apps uninstallable, such as Microsoft Edge and Cortana.

Image: Windows Latest

Windows Vista

Directions on Microsoft, a Kirkland, Wash.-based company that tracks the developer's moves, put the Vista challenge at the top of its annual list.

Although demos of the still-in-the-works operating system boast cool graphics effects and consumer features, it's enterprises that Microsoft must persuade. "Windows is Microsoft's biggest business unit, and Vista is it's biggest challenge," said Rob Helm, director of research at Directions. "Frankly, I think it's going to be very difficult for Microsoft to make its case to corporations."

January and February of 2006 will be the months to watch, said Helm, since that's when Microsoft will lock down the feature set for Vista. "Then they can try to tell corporations why they need it."

He's not optimistic because of the years-long trend of shrinking deferred revenues received from long-term licensing programs, such as Software Assurance, which gives customers the right to all upgrades during a two- or three-year span. Lower revenues there means that fewer companies are buying into Software Assurance, perhaps because they're balking at upgrading operating systems.

"The Windows Client division has to tell corporate customers why they want Windows Vista, and why they shouldn't wait until they buy new hardware," said Helm.

Among the remaining challenges in Directions' Top 10 list, Helm singled out the newest refresh of an online strategy as least likely to show major results in 2006, and the Redmond, Wash.-based giant's new game console, the Xbox 360, as most likely to meet its challenge during the year.

"Microsoft's in a bit of disarray," said Helm when talking about the company's online strategy. "They're trying to focus on Google, and come up with things to take away from Google. I don't think we'll see any huge concrete results here in 2006." On the Xbox 360 front, however, the picture is rosier. "They got it out when they said they would, so I'm the most optimistic about this. But in part, it's there to protect the platform, so in the end, it will be more about beating Sony than laying any groundwork for profitability."

One additional challenge, which Directions described as taking a lead in application security and reliability, was highlighted by Helm.

"This is the one people were most passionate about," he said in characterizing the sometimes contentious discussions at the research firm about where to rank the problems that Microsoft faces in 2006.

Microsoft has rarely has the discipline to enforce development guidelines to ensure secure and reliable Windows applications, even with its own software, Helm said. "Microsoft always talks about what an effective ecosystem the Windows platform has, but that platform still needs leadership to make sure application security and reliability are important.

"It's dawning on Microsoft that it will have to get tougher with developers because they're looking at how Apple does things. Apple has always been more proscriptive when it comes to developers.

"It's not going to be easy, but Microsoft does have some leverage," said Helm. "And it's timely because of Vista. It's a good opportunity to change the developer culture.

"If they miss this one, the next opportunity won't come for two or three years."

Directions' "Microsoft's Top 10 Challenges for 2006" can be read in full on the research firm's Web site.

Release Candidate

In a blog post earlier this week, Microsoft developer Yochay Kiriaty said Microsoft will let attendees of next month's TechEd 2009 conference test their applications for compatibility with Windows 7 free of charge.

At TechEd, to be held from May 11 to 15 in Los Angeles, Microsoft will set up a Windows 7 'Bring Your Own Apps' lab that includes a secure Windows 7 test platform for developers to test and debug their applications, Kiriaty said in the blog post.

"Just bring your applications and we will load them on the test platform, and our dedicated consultants will help you investigate any application compatibility issues and offer architectural guidance," Kiriaty said.

It's another example of how Microsoft has painstakingly sought to avoid the application compatibility issues that plagued Windows Vista and led to what Microsoft still feels is an unfair negative bias in the market against Vista.

Microsoft has avoided specific statements on Windows 7 and said only that it plans to launch Windows 7 in late 2009 or early 2010. In Microsoft's third-quarter earnings call, company officials refined that somewhat and said plans are to launch Windows 7 in Microsoft's 2010 fiscal year, which runs from July 1 to June 30, 2010.

However, the Windows 7 Release Candidate looks to be just about ready. Microsoft earlier this month indicated on its partner portal that the Windows 7 RC will be publicly released on May 5, and in March posted information on TechNet that suggested a May release. On both occasions the information was quickly removed and replaced with the Windows 7 beta page.

On Thursday, the Microsoft blog Neowin reported that Microsoft has finished work on Windows 7 build 7100 and will offer it as the official Windows 7 Release Candidate. On Friday, Neowin reported that Windows 7 build 7100 had begun circulating on Torrent sites.

Many Microsoft watchers believe the company will hold off on unveiling the Windows 7 Release Candidate until May 15, the final day of TechEd, so as to generate the maximum amount of anticipation from its tester community.

Microsoft recently announced an upgraded version of its developer tools, version 17.8.0, introducing significant improvements to Microsoft.CodeCoverage tools. Notably, the update includes the introduction of the dotnet-coverage tool. Additional enhancements comprise new report formats, an auto-merge tool, performance upgrades, and improved documentation.

A notable addition to the set of tools is dotnet-coverage, which carries various roles, including collecting code coverage for console and web applications, merging coverage reports, instrumenting binaries, and calculating code coverage for individual tests. This new tool significantly contributes to a more complete and efficient code coverage analysis of Microsoft.CodeCoverage.

One notable improvement is the expanded platform compatibility of the tools, achieved through the incorporation of static instrumentation. Regarding that, Microsoft's code coverage tools initially relied on dynamic instrumentation for the Windows platform.

Later versions introduced static code coverage collection, pre-instrumenting libraries on disk for universal .NET platform support. Dynamic instrumentation remains the default, but on non-Windows systems, static is activated, avoiding redundant dynamic instrumentation. Developers control the method through configuration flags.

Furthermore, the code coverage report formats have experienced a comprehensive overhaul to integrate with auxiliary tools such as ReportGenerator. While the default .coverage format remains unchanged, several new formats have been introduced, including Binary (Default) in .coverage format for Visual Studio Enterprise, Cobertura in .cobertura.xml format compatible with Visual Studio Enterprise and text editors, and XML in .xml format for use with Visual Studio Enterprise and other text editors.

A new feature introduced in this update is Auto-Merge for solutions. Executing the command dotnet test --collect 'Code Coverage' at the solution level now automatically consolidates code coverage data from all associated test projects. This process simplifies the management of code coverage across complex solutions.

Addressing a performance concern before the 16.5 release, there has been a notable improvement in the efficiency of code coverage report collection. Previously, this process substantially restrained test execution speed.

With the identified issue rectified, developers can now benefit from an impressive 80% increase in performance, making the code coverage analysis more efficient and less intrusive. The readers can take a look at benchmark results which are available at the official announcement post.

To get started with the most exact features and optimise build processes, developers need to incorporate the latest stable packages into test projects.

<PackageReference Include="Microsoft.NET.Test.Sdk" Version="17.8.0" />
<PackageReference Include="Microsoft.CodeCoverage" Version="17.8.0" />

With the note that solutions without C++ code, developers can enhance speed and reliability by deactivating native code coverage using the specified flags in the runsettings configuration.

<EnableStaticNativeInstrumentation>False</EnableStaticNativeInstrumentation>
<EnableDynamicNativeInstrumentation>False</EnableDynamicNativeInstrumentation>

Lastly, the latest documentation improvements can be found in the updated GitHub repository. The repository provides users with a comprehensive information resource and samples for an improved documentation experience.

Microsoft quietly dropped new Copilot apps over the holiday for both iPhone and Android.

Copilot puts the Bing chat interface into a standalone app, offering a free version of OpenAI’s GPT-4 normally only available with a paid ChatGPT subscription.

There are a number of hidden features within the AI app that you essentially have to ask for including music creation, storytelling and integration with the image generator DALL-E 3.

DALL-E 3 was launched last year by OpenAI and unlike other image generation models, where you craft a prompt and hope for the best, this lets you chat through the idea with Copilot first.

I tried it out, and here's how it went.

To test it out I decided to set myself a theme — a cat in a box. This is something I’ve used a few times in testing AI image generators as you can build on it and add additional elements. Here is how to make Copilot create an image.

1. get and sign in to the Copilot app

(Image: © Microsoft Copilot)

The first step is to get the app from the Play or App Store. Once it is on your device you’ll need to sign in to a Windows account to get access to the image creation capabilities of the chatbot. You can converse with Copilot without signing in, but then you don’t get GPT-4 or DALL-E support.

2. Sign in to access the full features

(Image: © Microsoft Copilot)

To sign in click the circular person icon in the top left corner of the screen. This will open a settings menu where you can sign in to your Microsoft account.

3. Enable GPT-4 for more creative responses

(Image: © Microsoft Copilot)

You can generate images without enabling GPT-4 but since it's currently free to use and leads to more creative output, with a better understanding of your prompt, it's worth enabling. To do so just toggle the GPT-4 switch.

4. Start making the cats

(Image: © Microsoft Copilot)

To start generating an image you just type in the text box what you want to see. You may also see a microphone icon, in which case you just tell it what you want.

I asked Copilot — which still thinks it is called Bing Chat — to create an image of a cartoon cat in a box playing with yarn.

5. Pick the first image of our cat in a box

(Image: © Microsoft Copilot)

It will generate four images, each a slightly different take on the main image. To view any image just click on the picture and it will make it bigger.

6. Turn the cartoon into a logo

(Image: © Microsoft Copilot)

One of the features of DALL-E 3, the image generator powering Copilot, is the ability to place legible text on an image. I asked it to turn the image into a logo for a company called “Cat in a Box”. It gave me an hourglass image while it took its time generating my request.

7. A fun logo for a yarn company comes back from Copilot

(Image: © Microsoft Copilot)

It gave me four options. Three of them had legible Cat in the Box text but only one actually looked good enough to be usable. To get the image click the picture, then just click the three dots next to the share button.

8. Saving images from Copilot

(Image: © Microsoft Copilot)

While technically saving it as simple as tapping the three dots, there are a couple of additional steps to actually get it in your photo library or files. After touching the dots it will open the get menu.

Click the get button, which will open it in a view on its own. Simply long-press and tap “Save to Photos” on iOS. On Android long-press and tap “Download image”.

9. Ask for additional edits

(Image: © Microsoft Copilot)

Now we have a cat concept I decided to make a photorealistic version and have the AI put it on the moon. Doing this is as simple as asking the chatbot. It responds to natural language text and can refine ideas based on feedback.

10. Sky's the limit

(Image: © Microsoft Copilot)

As we had a cat that traveled to space I decided it should be celebrated. This was another chance to test DALL-E’s text generation capabilities. I asked Copilot to create a box of cereal called AstroCat Bix with the face of our space cat on the box. It did a great job.

11. Making marketing materials

(Image: © Microsoft Copilot)

In a final test of its text capabilities I asked Copilot to make a magazine advertisement and a billboard for AstroCat Bix. While the cat and branding weren’t completely consistent, it did a great job from a simple prompt.

To achieve something similar be as descriptive as you can with the chatbot. Ensure your prompts explain what you want and place words you want it to include in double-quotes.

There you have it! Now that Microsoft's Copilot AI app is now available on iOS and Android for free, you can have the power of a modern AI in your pocket at all times.

More from Tom's Guide

Antivirus software is a necessary tool in today’s online world. Attacks are only becoming more sophisticated, especially with the continued rise of AI. Even the most tech-savvy and cautious among us can drop their guard at wrong time or get tricked into exposing themselves to a malware, spyware, or ransomware vulnerability. Antivirus protection is an essential backup against such threats. 

We’re not suggesting that PC security software is fool-proof, but it does a great job of protecting your computer against harmful malware and ransomware. Most systems come with security software baked into the OS, but this is often the bare minimum you need. Choosing to purchase more robust antivirus software will provide you with features such as an advanced firewall, sandbox environments for suspicious programs, and multi-device protection, among other things.

How do you choose a good antivirus? We’ve tested a multitude of offerings, including all the big names, so you don’t have to! When testing antivirus software, we look for products that strike a balance between excellent protection, a worthwhile selection of features, and minimal performance impact on your PC. For more information, you can read about how we test antivirus software below our picks. 

Updated 12/21/23: Just in time for the new year, we’ve got three new reviews. Even after our completely fresh looks at Norton 360 Deluxe and AVG Internet Security, they’ve kept their spots among our top picks. We also examined McAfee+ Ultimate, and while it packs in an intense number of features, its lack of polish sadly holds it back.

Best antivirus of 2023 reviewed and ranked

What to look for in an antivirus suite

There are three basic requirements that an antivirus suite should meet:

• High-detection rate for malware and other threats
• Low impact on system resources
• An easy-to-use interface

That’s not all to consider, however. These days, many security suites come with extras such as a backup service for your most essential files, Android and iOS apps for mobile security, a more advanced firewall, family protection (read: child restriction) features, and the right to use the program on multiple PCs. Access to a VPN and a password manager have become more common, too. Whether you need those extras depends on your personal situation.

How we test

First, we take a look at the interface to determine how easy or complicated it is. Does the interface make it easy to get at essential tools like PC scans and password managers, for example, or is everything buried under multiple clicks? Are there elements that look like they should be clickable but aren’t? Are alerts interactive or purely informational, and do they make sense in context?

We also examine the features on offer. Every good antivirus suite should have the basics like scanning and real-time protection, but many vendors offer elements that go beyond basic security like password managers or firewalls. We try to discern whether any of these extra features are particularly useful, or just frills that look nice but don’t serve a practical purpose.

To test the suite’s demand on system resources, we run three benchmarks. The first is PCMark 10’s Extended test, which simulates a variety of workloads including editing spreadsheets, browsing the web, running video chat, and light gaming. 

PCWorld

We run the benchmark before the security suite is installed. Then we install the software, have it run a full scan on our Windows 10 test machine, and start a second run of the benchmark at the same time. Then we compare the overall scores to see if the decline between the two benchmark runs is significant.

We repeat the same process using UL Procyon, which simulates document editing in Microsoft Office apps—e.g., Word, Excel, PowerPoint. Then, as the harshest stress test, we use Handbrake to transcode a video before and after installing the antivirus software. On many home PCs, this encoding task utilizes 100 percent of the CPU. We then compare transcoding times to see if there’s any significant decline.

Our test machine is an Acer Aspire 3 15 with an AMD Ryzen 5 7520U, 8GB RAM, and a 512GB SSD. Each security suite is tested on a clean install of Windows 10 Home.

As for the antivirus suite’s detection capabilities, we’ll rely on the opinions of security researchers dedicated to this task. We take into consideration reports from outlets such as A-V Comparatives, A-V Test, and SE Labs. 

We’ll also take pricing into account and what you get for it. 

Whenever possible we’ll review security suites using a free trial to get a sense of what consumers see when they first try out a new product.