At last ! A few days ago it was rumored that Microsoft was about to roll out a major windows 11 update integrating a large number of novelties. It is now done.
The preview of build 22557 has just been published in the developer channel for members of the Insider program, and promises a torrent of new features.
Among these, the great return of drag and drop to the taskbar, a very practical function that Microsoft had seen fit to remove on Windows 11 and which had aroused some dissatisfaction among users. With this update, Microsoft has put the package and promises a lot of new features for its operating system. Here is a non-exhaustive summary of the most important.
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Application folders in the Start menu
With this new build of Windows 11, it is now possible to rearrange the pinned items area within the Start menu by creating application folders. As simple as it is on smartphones, just drag an app icon onto another to create a new directory ready for other apps. If for the time being it is not yet possible to rename these folders, Microsoft confirms that it is working on it.
The arrival of a Focus mode and Do not disturb
You can now easily mute the notification whistle. Microsoft introduces a mode Do not disturb to silence them and disable the display of banners. The notifications received during this time are all grouped together in the Notification Center.
The Redmond firm has also planned to let you control the mode Do not disturb by integrating in the parameters the possibility of creating your own rules while including priorities.
Another novelty, the arrival of a mode Focus. Activated from the Notification Center, it allows you to deactivate badges and disruptive elements on application icons in the taskbar and activates the mode Do not disturb.
When used, the mode Focus displays a timer. It also integrates with the function Focus sessions integrated into the Windows 11 Clock application to allow you to start playing a quiet music playlist or access your task list in Microsoft To-Do.
Automatic subtitling, in English for now
This new build of Windows 11 is also an opportunity for Microsoft to inaugurate its automatic subtitling system. All spoken content, whether audio or video, can benefit from captioning generated locally on the machine.
These subtitles can be displayed at the top or bottom of the screen, or within a floating window. The user also has the option of customizing the display by modifying the font, size, etc.
Please note, however, that this subtitling system currently only supports content in English.
New touch gestures
As rumored, this news build Windows 11 introduces new touch gestures. Microsoft has planned five to facilitate navigation in its OS.
It is thus possible to display the Start menu by sliding your finger from the bottom of the screen upwards.
In the Start menu, swiping right or left navigates between pinned apps and all other apps. The same goes for navigating between the section Our recommendations and More.
The quick settings panel is also accessible by swiping up the screen from the clock displayed on the right in the taskbar.
Similarly, the Notification Center can now be displayed by swiping from the right edge of the screen to the left.
The improved window anchoring system
Snap Layout, the Windows 11 window docking system benefits from a new activation mode. It is now possible to drag a window to the top of the screen to display the different possible anchors within a banner. All you have to do is release the window on one of the suggested templates to anchor it before you can select the other windows to use.
New power saving settings
To help reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions, Microsoft explains that it has changed the values used by default for Sleep and Screen Off modes when the PC is idle.
However, these new settings will only be visible to users who have performed a clean installation of Windows 11, with this build specific, or a build superior.
A modernized task manager
The build 22557 of Windows 11 inaugurates a new interface for the task manager. It is now compatible with the dark theme and benefits from a “hamburger” menu allowing you to navigate between the different task manager settings.
Microsoft is also introducing its eco mode tested last year under Windows 10. Renamed here Efficiency Modeit is activated from the contextual menu of the right click on one of the processes and makes it possible to limit access to the resources of the machine for applications that are a little too greedy.
By giving priority to other programs running, the machine regains responsiveness and reduces its energy consumption.
Draw up an exhaustive list of all the new features introduced in the build 22557 of Windows 11 would be very difficult as Microsoft has gone all out. In addition to the return of the drag and drop on the taskbar, we note among the other notable changes and improvements of this update, the addition of the preview of the files contained in a directory within the File Explorer, the improved search for applications from the taskbar search field, the display of storage used on OneDrive in File Explorer, or the possibility of adding a button in the control center to change color profile quickly.
Source: Microsoft