Recommended Free Tools
The Federal Trade Commission’s reported antitrust investigation into Microsoft covers its cloud-computing business and related AI and cybersecurity products. The inquiry was first reported by The Associated Press on December 2, 2024, and Bloomberg reported on February 13, 2026, that the FTC had sought information from companies competing with Microsoft in business software and cloud computing. Neither report establishes that the FTC has filed a complaint, found a violation, or decided on a remedy. The probe’s status after Bloomberg’s report was not confirmed in the public record available by September 30, 2026.
What the FTC investigation is reported to cover
AP reported that the FTC opened a wide-ranging inquiry into Microsoft’s business practices. The account identified Microsoft Azure and related cloud services, AI products and partnerships, cybersecurity offerings, and other connected business lines as areas of interest. AP attributed the information to a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to speak publicly, and said Microsoft declined to comment.
That reporting describes an investigation, not an enforcement decision. It does not show that the FTC had issued a public complaint or concluded that Microsoft violated U.S. antitrust law.
What changed in the latest reported update
Bloomberg reported on February 13, 2026, that the FTC sent civil investigative demands to companies competing with Microsoft in business software and cloud computing. According to Bloomberg’s sources, the requests asked about Microsoft’s licensing and other business practices.
Outdated Drivers Are Slowing You Down
One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchWindows Errors? Fix Them Before They Spread
Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstall#1 Best Overall
- Entry-level NAS Personal Storage：UGREEN NAS DH2300 is your first and best NAS made easy. It is designed for beginners who want a simple, private way to store videos, photos and personal files, which is intuitive for users moving from cloud storage or external drives and move away from scattered date across devices. This entry-level NAS 2-bay perfect for personal entertainment, photo storage, and easy data backup (doesn't support Docker or virtual machines).
- Set Your Devices Free, Expand Your Digital World: This unified storage hub supports massive capacity up to 64TB.*Storage drives not included. Stop Deleting, Start Storing. You can store 22 million 3MB images, or 2 million 30MB songs, or 43K 1.5GB movies or 67 million 1MB documents! UGREEN NAS is a better way to free up storage across all your devices such as phones, computers, tablets and also does automatic backups across devices regardless of the operating system—Window, iOS, Android or macOS.
- The Smarter Long-term Way to Store: Unlike cloud storage with recurring monthly fees, a UGREEN NAS enclosure requires only a one-time purchase for long-term use. For example, you only need to pay $459.98 for a NAS, while for cloud storage, you need to pay $719.88 per year, $2,159.64 for 3 years, $3,599.40 for 5 years. You will save $6,738.82 over 10 years with UGREEN NAS! *NAS cost based on DH2300 + 12TB HDD; cloud cost based on 12TB plan (e.g. $59.99/month).
- Blazing Speed, Minimal Power: Equipped with a high-performance processor, 1GbE port, and 4GB RAM on Board, this NAS handles multiple tasks with ease. File transfers reach up to 125MB/s—a 1GB file takes only 8 seconds. Don't let slow clouds hold you back; they often need over 100 seconds for the same task. The difference is clear.
- Let AI Better Organize Your Memories: UGREEN NAS uses AI to tag faces, locations, texts, and objects—so you can effortlessly find any photo by searching for who or what's in it in seconds. It also automatically finds and deletes similar or duplicate photo, backs up live photos and allows you to share them with your friends or family with just one tap. Everything stays effortlessly organized, powered by intelligent tagging and recognition.
Civil investigative demands are information-gathering tools. They can help investigators test allegations and define a market, but receiving or issuing one does not establish liability. The public sources do not disclose the exact demands sent to Microsoft, the full scope of the inquiry, or whether the FTC later took enforcement action.
Why cloud licensing and AI raise competition questions
Cloud services and licensing
Microsoft sells Azure alongside business software such as Windows, Microsoft 365 and related enterprise services. Questions about licensing can involve how software terms affect customers that use rival clouds, move workloads between providers, or buy competing products. The reported FTC requests indicate that investigators are examining these practices, but no public FTC finding identifies a specific term as unlawful.
AI partnerships and infrastructure
Microsoft’s partnership with OpenAI has also drawn regulatory attention because advanced AI development depends on computing capacity, specialized talent, data and technical access. Those issues matter to competition policy, but the FTC’s public work on AI partnerships is a separate proceeding from the confidentially reported Microsoft antitrust probe.
The separate FTC study of AI partnerships
In January 2024, the FTC used Section 6(b) of the FTC Act to order information from five companies involved in three generative-AI partnerships: Microsoft and OpenAI, Amazon and Anthropic, and Alphabet/Google and Anthropic. The study examined partnership terms and rationale, effects on product releases and governance, competitive effects, and access to AI inputs and resources.
Rank #3
- Beginner-Friendly Home NAS and Private Cloud: Install compatible drives, connect the Zero1 Pro, and follow the mobile app's guided steps to register, sign in, and get started. First-time users and families can store phone photos, videos, and household files in one shared home NAS, then use remote access while away from home. Included Yxk storage, remote access, and supported transfer speeds require no monthly subscription, with no subscription-based storage or speed tiers.
- Intel N100 Performance for Home and Office: Powered by an Intel N100 x86 processor and 8GB DDR4 RAM, the Zero1 Pro handles everyday network attached storage for family backups, home-office file sharing, and personal NAS server projects. The Intel N100 has a rated processor base power of 6 W, making it well suited for an always-on home NAS.
- Up to 144TB 4-Bay NAS Storage with RAID: Four SATA 3.0 bays support up to 4 x 32TB HDDs and RAID 0, 1, or 5. Choose RAID 0 for maximum media-library capacity, RAID 1 for mirrored family files, or RAID 5 to balance usable capacity and single-drive fault tolerance for small-office storage. Two M.2 NVMe slots support up to 2 x 8TB SSDs; 144TB is combined raw capacity before formatting and RAID; drives sold separately.
- Dual 2.5GbE Home Media Server with 4K HDMI: Two 2.5GbE ports support link aggregation with compatible network equipment, helping multiple household members access shared files, videos, and a home media library. Connect the 4K HDMI output to a compatible TV or monitor for a home theater setup; playback quality depends on the media format, software, and network.
- AI Photo Album for Family Memories: The photo tools recognize faces, scenes, and objects to organize vacation photos, children's milestones, and everyday snapshots into smart albums. Search by keyword to locate an image, then review duplicate or similar photos and remove them with one click to reclaim space in your NAS photo library.
The FTC’s January 2025 staff report said the three partnerships represented more than $20 billion in cumulative financial investment. It discussed possible effects on access to computing resources and engineering talent, switching costs for AI developers, and access to sensitive technical and business information. The agency characterized the work as a narrow study rather than a comprehensive economic or legal analysis.
“As companies rapidly deploy generative AI technologies, enforcers and policymakers must stay vigilant to guard against business strategies that undermine open markets, opportunity, and innovation.”
Rank #4
Sale
UGREEN NAS DH4300 Plus 4-Bay for Beginners, Home Users & Remote Workers
- Entry-level NAS Home Storage: The UGREEN NAS DH4300 Plus is an entry-level 4-bay NAS that's ideal for home media and vast private storage you can access from anywhere and also supports Docker but not virtual machines. You can record, store, share happy moment with your families and friends, which is intuitive for users moving from cloud storage, or external drives to create your own private cloud, access files from any device.
- Smart Photo Backup & AI Album: Automatically back up photos and videos from your phone in real time and keep growing family memories organized with AI-powered photo albums. Semantic search, custom learning, and recognition of people, objects, pets, and similar photos help you quickly find the moments you want. Duplicate photo removal also helps keep your library organized—ideal for families and users with large photo collections.
- User-Friendly App & Easy Setup: Connect quickly via NFC, set up simply and share files fast on Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, web browsers, and smart TVs. You can access data remotely from any of your mixed devices. What's more, UGREEN NAS enclosure comes with beginner-friendly user manual and video instructions to ensure you can easily take full advantage of its features.
- More Cost-effective Storage Solution: Unlike cloud storage with recurring monthly fees, A UGREEN NAS enclosure requires only a one-time purchase for long-term use. For example, you only need to pay $629.99 for a NAS, while for cloud storage, you need to pay $719.88 per year, $1,439.76 for 2 years, $2,159.64 for 3 years, $7,198.80 for 10 years. You will save $6,568.81 over 10 years with UGREEN NAS! *NAS cost based on DH4300 Plus + 12TB HDD; cloud cost based on 12TB plan (e.g. $59.99/month).
- Your Data, You Control：No third-party clouds, no hidden access, UGREEN NAS provides a more secure and private data storage solution. It stores data locally on your private hard drives and does automatic backups. Thus, you can keep full control over it. The advanced encryption is TRUSTe certified in the United States and is awarded the first (and only) ETSI EN 303 645 certification mark for NAS products by TÜV SÜD Group.
— FTC Chair Lina M. Khan, announcing the separate AI-partnership staff report in January 2025
The $20 billion figure covers all three partnerships in that Section 6(b) study. It does not measure Microsoft’s reported antitrust probe, Microsoft’s investment alone, alleged consumer harm, or a possible penalty.
Best Value
- Your Personal Streaming Server - Build your own Netflix-style media library and stream 4K movies, shows and photos to any device without monthly fees
- Create Your Own Cloud - Store your entire photo, video and music collection; access from anywhere with fast 282 MB/s transfer speeds
- Creator-Grade Backup Solution - Protect your irreplaceable content with automated backups to cloud services, external drives and remote NAS
- Multi-Layered Data Protection - Combine RAID redundancy, automated backups and snapshot technology to prevent data loss from any cause
- Smart Home Surveillance - Support up to 30 IP cameras with AI detection, instant alerts and secure remote monitoring
How the U.S. inquiry differs from overseas cases
| Proceeding | Authority and jurisdiction | Conduct described publicly | Procedural position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reported Microsoft probe | U.S. Federal Trade Commission | Cloud, business-software licensing, AI and cybersecurity-related practices, according to AP and Bloomberg reporting | Investigation reported by news organizations; no public finding or remedy established |
| AI-partnership study | U.S. FTC, Section 6(b) | Terms and competitive effects of Microsoft–OpenAI, Amazon–Anthropic and Google–Anthropic partnerships | Staff report issued in January 2025; separate from the Microsoft probe |
| Microsoft cloud case | Japan Fair Trade Commission | Alleged restrictions on using Microsoft services with competing clouds and terms that could make combinations more expensive than Azure | Investigation opened March 4, 2026; JFTC said it had not concluded that Japan’s Antimonopoly Act was violated |
| Microsoft ecosystem case | UK Competition and Markets Authority | Microsoft’s business-software ecosystem | Strategic-market-status investigation opened May 14, 2026; the agency listed evidence gathering and analysis for July–September 2026 and called the timetable indicative |
These cases use different laws, powers and definitions of competitive harm. An allegation or procedural step by one regulator cannot be treated as a finding by another.
What is still unknown
- Whether the FTC’s reported inquiry remained active after February 13, 2026.
- Whether the agency narrowed or expanded its scope.
- Whether Microsoft received additional demands or negotiated with investigators.
- Whether the FTC will issue a complaint, close the matter, or seek a settlement.
- Which customers, competitors or markets the agency believes were harmed, if any.
- What remedy, if any, would be considered.
No public source identified here supplies a market-share figure, quantified consumer loss, penalty estimate or remedy for this investigation. Those figures should not be inferred from the FTC’s separate AI-partnership study or from unrelated Microsoft litigation.
How to read future headlines
- Investigation opened: regulators are examining facts; this is not a liability finding.
- Civil investigative demand: the FTC is compelling information from a recipient; it is an investigative step.
- Complaint filed: the agency has formally alleged violations, but allegations still require resolution.
- Settlement or order: the agency and company have agreed to, or been subject to, specific obligations.
- Case closed: the agency has ended the matter without necessarily resolving every policy question raised by the reporting.
Bottom line for readers
The strongest supported description is that the FTC is investigating Microsoft’s cloud and connected business practices, with Bloomberg later reporting information requests to competitors about licensing and related conduct. As of September 30, 2026, the public record summarized here does not establish whether the inquiry produced a complaint or remains active. The separate FTC AI-partnership study, Japan’s Microsoft cloud investigation and the UK CMA’s ecosystem case should be tracked as distinct proceedings.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
