New tools

Only gluttons for punishment enjoyed wading through Microsoft’s old index of security updates, which arrive on the second Tuesday of every month (known as Patch Tuesday). In early April Microsoft replaced this clunky system with a new website that lets you search for much more precise information about what’s in each update. It should make it easier to understand the security fixes Microsoft makes to your PC.

Visit the site above and you’ll see all the fixes in the updates released on 11 April and 9 May. You can sort this list by clicking a product under the Product heading (such as Microsoft Edge, Internet Explorer 11 or Adobe Flash Player). To see the severity rating of the fixes – Critical, Important or Moderate – tick that box at the top of the table. For details about the fix, click the number in the More Info column (see screenshot).

One of the most useful options is right at the bottom. Click the dropdown menu next to ‘Show’ to see up to 100 fixes on one page – instead of the default 20.