Windows 11 is already coming to newer computers or more powerful hardware. If you have an old computer, you will have to patiently wait a few months before an option to update it arrives. In the meantime, you can see if these new features are worth the change.
Before we start, a piece of advice. If it is normally advisable to back up all your files, here it is essential. It is also highly recommended not to be anxious and wait a while for Microsoft to release a 100% stable version to avoid bugs that may affect beta versions. That said, these are some of the new features.
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In Windows 10, you can drag open windows to the side or corner to resize them when working with multiple open applications. Windows 11 builds on this concept. Now, if you press Win + Z when hovering over the maximize or minimize buttons, a series of templates appear with different sizes to choose from. It is much easier to fit windows in this way.
Windows 10 supports the use of virtual desktops, but Windows 11 makes them easier to discover and more convenient to use. They now have a dedicated button on the taskbar (the icon with two rectangles). Just hover over it and select New Desktop.
Related Stories: What are the new Keyboard Shortcuts for Windows 11?
The new start menu is one of the first changes you’ll notice in Windows 11. Now it works as a repository for your visit and open file history, as well as showing you shortcuts to applications. The files you see depend a lot on whether you use Office 365 and how many Windows 11 computers you have running in sync in the cloud. All of this can be configured from the Personalization menu.
The clock app in Windows 11 now no longer just tells the time. It has been updated to the style of the Pomodoro applications and now it allows you to configure concentration sessions from a panel on the left. These sessions are integrated with ToDo and can even be associated with playlists on Spotify.
If you are a fan of the Microsoft alternative to Slack you will like to know that Teams is now more integrated than ever. It is another of the apps that have earned a place in the new taskbar and Microsoft is promoting it as a way to stay in touch with friends and family over Skype. If you have never used it, you can configure it from scratch by simply pressing the button and following the instructions.
Windows 11 brings under its arm a quite radical change in the appearance of icons, windows, and interfaces. Its appearance is more modern and does not look like something out of the 90s. The file explorer makes better use of the available space and the icons, at least to me, seem prettier.
Open Windows settings, select System, and from there go to Power and Battery. You will notice that you now have much more accurate data on how the system is wasting the battery and what it is doing. It is part of a Microsoft effort to make Windows 11 more usable on tablets and 2-in-1 devices. The menu is also easier to navigate and use on touch screens, with larger icons and no need for a keyboard.
Windows 11 arrives with an improved version of its application store. The selection is already better and is better integrated with digital content such as movies. Now it is easier to move around it. Microsoft has already warned that it will continue to improve the content in the coming months, especially in gaming, a section that Microsoft is promoting a lot in Windows 11.
One of the most welcome news in Windows 11 that you may not notice right away is how the system detects new screens. The software now remembers how the windows were arranged on the external monitor. In this way, if you disconnect the laptop and reconnect it, everything will return to the position it was before. It’s a small change, but one that will make life more enjoyable for people who work on a laptop and connect it to a larger monitor.
We already had a preview of this in Windows 10 with the pop-up window that appears next to the notification area. In Windows 11 that window has its icon on the taskbar and there are more widgets to choose from. We can press that button to see news, the weather, appointments on the calendar, tricks to use Windows, and more. There is a button from which you can add new widgets or remove the ones you don’t use.
This feature is not yet available at launch but will be soon. Windows will allow Android applications to run from the Amazon Appstore through an update. At the moment we don’t know exactly how it will work, but it seems that they will work very similar to native Windows applications. Like these, they can be moved to the edges, minimized, or pinned to the taskbar.
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