With Windows 11, Microsoft is introducing modern touches to the PC experience.
Most notably, a new design is intended to help users get to what they are looking for faster. However, the changes go beyond the surface. Microsoft is changing the rules of its app store to bring more variety and even bring Android apps to PC, while adding improvements that promise to boost gaming. New touchscreen controls and a better way to configure on-screen windows could make it easier to sit in front of your computer for extended periods of time.
Mostly on line. Windows is at the heart of Microsoft, as companies use it for employee devices and consumers use it for entertainment. The current version, Windows 10, is the leading PC operating system in the world, and the company doesn’t want to lose that lead in the face of competition from the likes of Apple and Google.
On Monday, less than a week after revealing Windows 11, Microsoft released the first preview build of the software to participants in the Windows Insider Program, giving everyone their first chance Try out new features.
If you want to check it out for yourself, go to the Settings app in Windows 10 and opt in under the Windows Insider Program section. Please note: This software is still new and has not been tested extensively, and has some issues, which means you may have to find a workaround.
If you want to keep Windows errors to a minimum, you probably shouldn’t upgrade yet.
Microsoft plans to start rolling out the upgrade more widely later this year and into next year.
Here are the seven major Windows 11 revisions currently available:
1. Start button. Perhaps the biggest change is the move of the Start button from the left corner of the taskbar to the center, along with icons for open applications and icons that have been pinned to the taskbar. The change will take some time to get used to. You instinctively want to move the mouse left, and after you do that and click near the edge of the screen, nothing will happen. But for those with wide computer screens, the new location may be more accessible. If you have to move the Start button back to the left, you can find this option at Settings > Personalization > Taskbar.
2. Start menu. No more things you’ve pinned to the Start menu in Windows 10. Instead, what you see is a group of apps under the heading called Pinned. Some will automatically appear there and you can remove them from Start. To avoid the hassle of recreating the set of programs you’ve saved on the Start menu in Windows 10, take a screenshot before upgrading to Windows 11. The Start menu also prominently displays a Recommended section of programs. recently accessed programs and files.
3. Keyboard. Windows 11 packs a more fully featured on-screen keyboard that includes access to emojis, GIFs, clipboard, word suggestions, handwriting recognition, and the opportunity to design a custom theme . Some features from Windows 10’s virtual keyboard, including the ability to display the numeric keypad, are missing.
4. Install. Microsoft has reorganized the Settings app, adding widgets like widgets to show paired devices, a prominent link to rename your PC, and a way to see which subfolders you’re in. search. Also, the options bar on the left doesn’t change when you move from section to section like before, making it easier to navigate. There are also six desktop wallpapers to choose from. The menu options have been moved around, with some sections having new names. And a new option helps the operating system to remember the position of previous windows when you reconnect the external display.
5. Dynamic refresh rate. A new option in Windows 11 can help extend battery life if you’re using a laptop. Many laptops have a refresh rate — the number of times per second the screen displays a new image — of 60 Hz. Dell, HP, and other PC makers are increasingly releasing laptops with higher refresh rates, such as 120 Hz, which can be useful for gaming and other activities, such as drawing. But running at higher speeds can quickly consume power. If you have a supported device, you can enable a new dynamic refresh rate setting that can disable the setting for less important situations, such as reading emails.
6. Consistent touch gestures. Microsoft is taking the touch gestures that people can use on the trackpad in Windows 10 and bringing them to the screen. This experience will make using a touch screen PC like using a tablet such as Apple iPad, and it will more clearly distinguish Windows computers from Apple’s Mac computers, which do not have a touch screen built-in. Swiping up with three fingers brings up the apps and screens in Task View. Swiping down brings up the desktop. Swiping left or right will take you to the most recently used app window. And four-finger swiping left or right lets you switch between desktops.
7. Create Window Sets. Windows 11 makes it easy to arrange two or more application windows that you want to use at the same time. This is based on the ability to snap windows to the left or right side of the screen in Windows 10, as well as customizations for Android that appear in Surface Duo, Microsoft’s dual-screen smartphone. Hover over the maximize button in an app and you’ll see options to arrange two, three, or even four windows. You click on which part of the screen you want that current window to use, and then you select other parts of the screen for other windows. After you’ve arranged your windows the way you want, you can go to the taskbar and get quick access to your window set. If you have other apps open, you can return to the set by hovering over the icons of the apps included in the suite. You can also quickly close the set by hovering and pressing the X button.
Some key Windows 10 features are missing from this first preview build: Android apps and integration with Teams on the taskbar. They will come later.
CLOCK: Microsoft’s Mehdi at the launch of Windows 11, new features and designs
