25 Best New Windows 11 Features You Should Check Out

After Microsoft first introduced Home windows 11, it launched some main Home windows 11 previews, together with Construct 22000.51 and 22000.100, to Home windows Insiders a great take a look at all the brand new options. And right this moment, Microsoft has lastly launched the primary steady construct of Home windows 11 to all eligible customers. In case you are excited to attempt the next-gen Home windows OS replace, now we have written a tutorial on find out how to improve to Home windows 11 from Home windows 10. We now have been testing Home windows 11 for weeks now and have come throughout among the finest new Home windows 11 options that you need to learn about. From hidden options to the foremost ones, now we have lined all the brand new options of Home windows 11 in nice element right here.

Finest New Home windows 11 Options (Up to date October 202`1)

We now have listed the 25 finest new Home windows 11 options, starting from the redesigned Begin Menu and Motion Heart to Android app help, Auto-HDR, and much more. You’ll be able to increase the desk under and transfer to the related characteristic with only a click on.

Of all the brand new Home windows 11 options, the brand new launcher-style floating Begin Menu is probably the most distinctive a part of Microsoft’s next-gen desktop OS. In contrast to the standard Begin Menu, the brand new Begin — as Microsoft is asking it — sits proper on the heart of the taskbar. It has a flyout design with pinned and really useful apps accompanying one another. To this point in my utilization, the suggestions are fairly good. It shortly presents me entry to paperwork, images, and apps I’ve just lately put in.

Other than that, you’ll be able to hover your mouse over the Search menu, and it’ll give you a couple of steered apps based mostly in your previous searches. General, I feel the new Begin is the perfect factor about Home windows 11. It’s quick, resolves your queries neatly, and presents the perfect outcomes inside seconds.

For customers who’re nervous in regards to the centered and launcher-style Begin Menu, you’ll be able to change again to the outdated Home windows 10 Begin Menu with dwell tiles help.

2. New Motion Heart

My second favourite characteristic of Home windows 11 is the revamped Motion Heart. It follows a design language that now we have seen on cellular OSes, and I fairly like this mobile-first strategy to essential system toggles. Now you can merely click on on the unified “WiFi, quantity and battery” button to open the brand new Motion Heart. It packs all the mandatory controls, together with brightness and quantity sliders. It’s also possible to add extra toggles like earlier than.

What’s extra fascinating is that the Bluetooth connection is now a lot sooner, and also you don’t have to dive into Settings to pair your system. It additionally homes the notifications in a clear design with badge help and presents ample area to answer or clear the muddle. To not point out, the brand new Motion Heart is responsive compared to the laggy mess that was Home windows 10’s Motion Heart. Kudos Microsoft!

3. Common Media Management

Yeah, now you can management all of your media playback from the brand new Motion Heart on Home windows 11. Irrespective of in case you are taking part in a YouTube video, Spotify playlist, a Twitter clip, or an area video, every part reveals up within the Motion Heart. Observe that I attempted taking part in a video with VLC, nevertheless it didn’t present up. Nevertheless, once I performed the identical native video via the native “Movies & TV” app, it labored flawlessly. So yeah, Common Media Management is one other neat characteristic in Home windows 11.

4. Trendy File Explorer

The File Explorer on Home windows has been a significant level of competition amongst Home windows customers. Diehard followers have disapproved of any change to the File Explorer, stating why to vary one thing if it really works completely properly. That mentioned, it certainly wanted a contemporary makeover, and I’m comfortable to report that the new File Explorer is purposeful and has all of the options you want. You now have colourful new icons, a brand new Context menu, and a Command bar up prime, which replaces the prevailing Ribbon menu bar.

In truth, for many who are questioning, Microsoft has stored the Folder Choices as properly. And you may get the outdated Context menu too (simply faucet on “Present extra choices”). What Home windows followers have feared has certainly come true with Home windows 11, however Microsoft has managed to drag it off with all of the options intact.

5. New Microsoft Retailer

The newly-designed Microsoft Retailer is one other nice new characteristic of Home windows 11. It’s constructed from the bottom up and now helps Win32, .NET, UWP, Xamarin, Electron, React Native, Java, and even Progressive Internet Apps. You’ll be able to even discover themes and extensions for Microsoft Edge on the brand new Microsoft Retailer.

Frankly, I’ve by no means been a fan of Microsoft Retailer due to the sluggish and janky expertise previously, however the brand new one actually seems nice. One factor to notice within the present construct is that you just nonetheless can’t view the final up to date date of an app. Furthermore, the brand new Microsoft Retailer may also help Android apps, however help for a similar will arrive at a later stage. You’ll be able to learn extra about it proper under.

6. Android Apps Help in Home windows 11

A significant spotlight of Home windows 11 is that it could possibly now run Android apps powered by the Amazon App Retailer. Nevertheless, Android app help has not been rolled out within the steady Home windows 11 construct. Microsoft has confirmed that the choice to put in Android apps will arrive within the upcoming builds. However wait, there’s extra. The very best half is that you’ll be able to even sideload APKs in your Home windows 11 PC. How cool is that?

As for the implementation, Microsoft has taken the identical strategy as WSL 2 (Home windows Subsystem for Linux). Meaning Android apps will run natively on Home windows 11, and the efficiency will likely be fairly good. To not point out, Android apps will run each on Intel and AMD processors, no matter the Intel Bridge know-how that brings this superb characteristic to life. To study extra about Android app help on Home windows 11, take a look at our explainer on Mission Latte.

7. Redesigned Settings App

After the launch of Home windows 10, Microsoft has, for the primary time, utterly revamped the Settings app. It’s constructed from scratch, following a mobile-driven design that performs properly with each desktops and tablets. The Settings web page has been neatly categorized with menus and sub-menus, together with a static menu pane on the left. You even have breadcrumbs for straightforward navigation and expandable settings choices for improved readability.

You additionally get an influence and battery utilization report (display screen on time in Home windows 11) much like smartphones, some gorgeous themes, and extra. All in all, I actually like the brand new Settings redesign, however in its present kind, it’s a bit sluggish and never as responsive as one would count on. And for many who are questioning, sure, you continue to have Management Panel at your disposal.

8. Sooner Home windows Updates

Sure, you learn that proper. With Home windows 11, you should have a a lot sooner Home windows replace course of, because of the background set up mechanism. Microsoft has promised that Home windows updates will now be 40% smaller, making the method much more environment friendly.

To not point out, if an replace set up is pending whereas restarting your PC, it would present you the estimated time required to finish the replace. This nifty addition will prevent time and trouble. The brand new replace system is likely one of the finest, if not the perfect, options of Home windows 11.

9. Snap Format & Different New Multitasking Options

Snapping was already nice on Home windows 10, however Microsoft has taken it a notch additional with simpler Snap Help. This new characteristic is known as Snap Layouts. Now, while you hover your mouse pointer over a window’s maximize button, you’ll discover varied layouts for the way you need to place the window. It’s also possible to invoke the snap structure choice with the “Win + Z” Home windows keyboard shortcut. When you use a big monitor, this may assist maximize your productiveness.

Equally, the Timeline characteristic has been eliminated in Home windows 11, and also you now have a clear Job View the place you’ll be able to add as many desktops as you need. I just like the fluidity whereas creating a brand new desktop. General, each of those options are high quality additions to Home windows 11 and elevate the multitasking expertise.

10. Home windows 11 Widgets

It’s fascinating to see how a lot Microsoft is indulged in mobile-driven design for its next-gen desktop OS. With Home windows 11, Microsoft has introduced Widgets, the place you could find all types of knowledge with only a click on. It’s much like Google Assistant’s Snapshot characteristic and the “At this time View” in Apple’s iOS 15 or macOS Monterey.

You’ll be able to take a look at the most recent information, your private images pulled from OneDrive, sports activities scores, inventory costs, and far more. The widget part can be customizable, and you’ll personalize it as per your curiosity. For tablets operating Home windows 11, the Widget window fills the entire display screen, making it a one-stop dashboard for all of your private pursuits. As for customers who don’t like this new characteristic, properly, you’ll be able to at all times select to disable the Home windows 11 widgets panel in a couple of clicks.

Home windows 11 has lastly introduced a contemporary context menu sans the sharp corners. It gels properly with the general Home windows 11 aesthetics. However let me let you know one thing, there was no “Refresh” button within the context menu within the preliminary builds. Don’t fear, although. Microsoft listened to person suggestions and introduced again the “Refresh” button in current Home windows Insider preview builds. And properly, the “F5” shortcut nonetheless works in Home windows 11.

When you take my opinion, I actually like the brand new UI, and the brand new Mica impact used for Home windows UI parts is nice. In addition to that, one can find rounded corners in all places, and I hope Microsoft maintains this stage of consistency as we transfer alongside.

12. Groups Chat Integration

After the discharge of Home windows 11 Construct 22000.100, Microsoft lastly introduced Group Chat to the taskbar. It’s going to be among the best new Home windows 11 options. With a click on from the taskbar, you’ll be able to connect with your family and friends via video calls, audio calls, and chat. Consider it as an different to iMessage/ FaceTime obtainable on macOS. Nevertheless, in case you are unaware, now you can use FaceTime on Home windows as properly. Having mentioned that, needless to say audio and video calls aren’t supported but.

13. New Your Telephone App

Since its launch in 2018, Microsoft has constantly improved the Your Telephone app, however after the steady Home windows 11 launch, it appears a brand new redesigned model of Your Telephone has come to Home windows 11 with the steady launch. Just lately, in the course of the Floor occasion, a brand new model of the Your Telephone app was teased, and it’s constructed on the Home windows 11 aesthetics to match the remainder of the UI.

Whereas the prevailing model of Your Telephone app helps launching Android apps out of your telephone, nevertheless it’s solely restricted to flagship Samsung telephones. We hope that the brand new Your Telephone on Home windows 11 brings app mirroring to all Android telephones.

14. New MS Paint, Photographs, MS Workplace, Media Participant

Among the finest issues about Home windows 11 is that Microsoft isn’t just reskinning the OS to the brand new Fluent UI, together with rounded corners and Mica materials, however the firm can be displaying related effort to revamp its first-party apps. Microsoft has overhauled certainly one of its oldest apps, Paint, to the brand new design language, and it seems stunning. The current Home windows 11 Dev construct introduced the brand new Paint app and it syncs with the remainder of the UI parts.

Moreover, the Photographs app has additionally been up to date with rounded corners and new options corresponding to side-by-side comparability, floating toolbar, sensible categorization, and much more. When you’ve got not acquired the brand new UI, comply with our tutorial and discover ways to manually set up the brand new Photographs app on Home windows 11.

Aside from that, Microsoft has already began engaged on all Workplace apps to make them visually in sync with Home windows 11. You’ll be able to be part of the insider channel of Microsoft Workplace to get the redesigned Microsoft Workplace apps. Lastly, we’re additionally listening to rumors that Home windows 11 will deliver a unified Media Participant. It’ll change Groove Music, Films & TV, and Home windows Media Participant.

15. Focus Periods

Focus Periods is likely one of the finest new options of Home windows 11 because it brings one thing new to Microsoft’s desktop OS, much like what now we have seen on smartphones. To be productive on Home windows 11, Microsoft desires customers to make the most of the devoted Focus Periods characteristic within the Alarms and Clock app. You’ll be able to hyperlink your Microsoft To-Do record to handle your duties and combine Spotify to hearken to your favourite music throughout work.

It additionally reminds you to take a break after longs hours of labor, allows you to set timers so that you just stay disciplined to the duty, and brings a useful dashboard to maintain monitor of your progress. What I like probably the most is that there’s a widget as properly for Focus Periods, which you’ll place on the desktop for fast glancing. If you wish to discover ways to use Focus Periods on Home windows 11, undergo our linked information.

16. Voice Typing

Voice Typing is amongst my favourite Home windows 11 options because it makes typing a lot simpler and acts as an ideal accessibility device. You simply have to press the Home windows 11 keyboard shortcut “Win + H“, and you’ll dictate no matter you need to write.

I exploit Google voice typing on my Android system, and it’s pretty correct, however I used to be shocked to seek out that Microsoft has certainly improved its voice recognition algorithm, and it really works splendidly properly. It even helps auto punctuation which is simply superior. So go forward and check out Voice Typing on Home windows 11.

17. Superior Gesture Controls

Gestures have lengthy been a part of Home windows 10, however frankly talking, they weren’t very clean, and the transitions between apps and digital desktops have been terrible. With the brand new Superior Gesture Controls and necessary precision touchpad requirement for Home windows 11 PCs, issues look higher. Now, you’ll be able to customise three-finger and four-finger swipes in response to your choice.

After testing the Home windows 11 Insider Preview construct 22000.51, I can confidently say that the brand new gestures really feel clean whereas transferring between apps, digital desktops, dealing with webpage, and extra. You’ll nearly really feel like you might be interacting with a pill. I like the three-swipe down gesture to reduce all of the open home windows immediately.

18. New Minimal Lock Display

Whereas everyone seems to be pumped in regards to the new design and what’s inside Home windows 11, let me let you know that the brand new lock display screen on Home windows 11 seems gorgeous as properly. It applies an acrylic blur within the background, and the brand new variable Segoe UI font makes issues even higher. When you don’t need all of the hyperlinks and proposals on the lock display screen, you’ll be able to disable them from Settings for a clear lock display screen.

19. New Wallpapers & Sounds

Together with Home windows 11, Microsoft has additionally introduced a collection of lovely wallpapers, sounds, and themes. Wallpapers corresponding to Captured Movement, Movement, Dawn, Glow are among the nicest wallpapers you could find on a desktop OS. Additionally, the startup and notification sound is basically good. You’ll be able to obtain Home windows 11 wallpapers and hearken to Home windows 11 sounds from our linked articles.

Evidently, Home windows 11 has help for each gentle and darkish mode, and this time round, the darkish theme is fairly constant throughout UI parts. We will disregard the few legacy parts in Home windows 11 construct 22000.51 since Microsoft will polish it earlier than the ultimate launch.

20. Snappy Animations

Among the finest options of Home windows 11 is fluid animations throughout the UI. Open the brand new Begin launcher or any app from the taskbar, and you will notice a cool bouncy animation. Now, change between apps or open the Job View, there you’ve a slick animation.

Swipe away the widgets panel or shut the Motion Heart, each UI component responds to the neat animation, they usually appear and feel superb. So far as UI and UX are involved, I feel Home windows 11 has knocked it out of the park, incorporating purposeful parts and exquisite design.

21. Contact Keyboard Enhancements

We all know that Microsoft has eliminated the pill mode from Home windows 11, and for a great purpose. It has now developed a unified interface that works for each desktop and pill kind components. To reinforce the pill expertise, the contact keyboard has acquired some main enhancements in Home windows 11. This consists of help for themes, background picture, the power to customise textual content measurement, typing conduct, and extra. So if in case you have a Home windows pill, Home windows 11 goes to deliver an entire new expertise to your system.

22. Auto HDR and Dynamic Refresh Fee

In the course of the Home windows 11 unveiling, Microsoft introduced help for Auto HDR that might elevate the viewing expertise whereas taking part in video games. Whereas now we have not tried it on our system to this point, it certain seems like an ideal characteristic for the huge gaming group on Home windows.

Other than that, Home windows 11 has introduced Dynamic Refresh Fee on Home windows 11 to supply a clean and fluid expertise whereas interacting with the OS. My monitor helps a refresh price of as much as 75Hz, and I used to be capable of benefit from this characteristic in Home windows 11 construct 22000.51. So yeah, the way forward for clean, excessive refresh-rate Home windows machines is fairly close to, and I’m undoubtedly excited.

23. Clipboard Syncing

With Your Telephone app, Microsoft is making an attempt to bridge the hole between PCs and smartphones. Moreover, it additionally desires to tightly combine among the basic items like common clipboard syncing between a PC and a smartphone. With Home windows 11 and SwiftKey Beta in your Android smartphone, you’ll be able to copy texts in your smartphone and paste them on the pc seamlessly and vice versa.

At the moment, it doesn’t help picture and video sharing via cloud clipboard, however we would get these options sooner or later. If you wish to discover ways to sync clipboard throughout Android telephone and Home windows 11 PC, comply with our linked tutorial.

24. Display Time and Battery Utilization

As Microsoft has utterly overhauled the Settings web page, some new options have additionally made their technique to Home windows 11. Now you can discover out how lengthy the display screen has been turned on after a full cycle of charging the battery. Other than that, it additionally shows a graph of battery utilization so to gauge the battery well being of your laptop computer. To not point out, you can too uncover the record of apps which have consumed the battery juice.

For Home windows laptops customers, it is a nice Home windows 11 characteristic, and you need to undoubtedly test it out. To study extra about find out how to test display screen on time in Home windows 11, head over to the linked article.

25. ARM Emulation

Not many have paid consideration, however Home windows 11 has additionally introduced help for 64-bit emulation on ARM PCs with the ARM64EC layer. It’s an enormous growth, and Microsoft has made an ideal effort after a few years of stagnation. Lastly, it is possible for you to to run Win32 64-bit apps on ARM-based Home windows 11 PCs.

In truth, Microsoft is critical this time and has already launched full-fledged 64-bit Workplace apps for ARM-based computer systems. That’s superb, proper? To wrap this up, I’d say that regardless of the small marketplace for ARM-based Home windows PCs, Microsoft is paying consideration, and that may be a big win for customers. I hope the corporate continues its efforts to construct a greater and cohesive Home windows 11.

Test Out the Finest Home windows 11 Options Accessible At this time

So these are the brand new Home windows 11 options that I found over the previous couple of months. As that is the primary steady launch and Android app help is but to be added, there are some options but to be explored. So keep tuned as we deliver you extra in-depth content material round Home windows 11 over the approaching weeks. Till then, if you wish to discover out what different options Microsoft faraway from Home windows 11, head over to our linked article. Plus, you’ll be able to test in case your PC is appropriate with Home windows 11, together with the record of supported Intel, AMD, and Qualcomm CPUs proper right here. Anyway, that’s all from us. However what about you? Which is your favourite Home windows 11 characteristic? Tell us within the remark part under.