Q. Microsoft hasn’t updated Windows Movie Maker in years. I have it on my Windows 10 PC from when I upgraded the computer from Windows 8, but will there ever be a proper app version for Windows 10?

A. Windows Movie Maker has been around for more than 15 years, but it has not been updated since the version that was included with the Windows Essentials 2012 software suite. The program is still available for download from Microsoft’s site for some versions of Windows, but not for much longer: The company says it will stop supporting the software on January 10.

The same page of release notes for Windows Essentials 2012 also says Movie Maker will soon be available from the Windows Store for Windows 10 users. At the moment, however, the Windows Store has Microsoft’s Movie Moments app for 60-second creations and several similarly named moviemaking apps, but no new edition from Microsoft — yet.

If you do not want to use the outdated version of Windows Movie Maker and do not see any apps in the Windows Store that fit your needs, you can find several open-source video-editing programs and alternative applications for Windows around the web. Free editing programs save money, but they may require more expertise to install and may not include dedicated technical support (aside from web documentation). Some free apps may also be ad-supported.

Commercial video-editing tools for Windows can cost hundreds of dollars, but several consumer-oriented programs cost much less. For example, the standard edition of Pinnacle Studio 20 has a regular price of $60 (with slightly more expensive versions that include more features). Adobe Premiere Elements 15 costs around $100, but it is on sale for $60 until Tuesday. You can also download a free trial version from Adobe’s site first. Magix Movie Edit Pro, normally $120, is on sale for $50 until the end of the month.

Using Twitter’s new mute powers

Q. I thought Twitter already allowed you to mute people who were being obnoxious online, so what exactly have they done that is supposed to make it easier to fight abuse now?

A. Twitter has had a mute function since 2014 that lets you filter out a particular user account from your timeline without blocking or unfollowing that account.

Last week, Twitter went a bit further with the mute function and announced on its company blog that people could now use the tool to filter out specific keywords, phrases, hashtags, emoji characters and even entire conversations from account notifications that come by email, text or app alerts. (The new mute powers work only within notifications, however, and the original tweets will still be visible in your timeline or by searching.)

To mute words or phrases in the Android Twitter app, tap the bell-shaped Notifications icon, and on the Notifications screen, tap All. Select the Notifications Settings icon in the corner. On the next screen, Tap Muted Words and then the plus icon. Enter the hashtags, words and other material you do not wish to see in your notifications and tap Save.

In the iOS Twitter app, tap the Notifications icon at the bottom of the screen and then tap the gear icon in the top-left corner. Select Muted Words on the next screen and tap “+Add muted word or phrase” so you can make your list. When you are finished, tap Save and then Done.

You can also build a muted-words list on your account page at twitter.com. From the menu under your profile photo at the top, select Settings, then Notifications and finally “Mute specific words from your notifications.”

The article “Advanced Muting Options on Twitter,” in the site’s Help Center, explains how to set up your list of words and other content to filter out of your notifications. If you change your mind, you can also unmute the same words by returning to your settings.

_ New York Times