After the surprise announcement of the arrival of Windows 11, we investigated the new features of this OS.
It was a rather unexpected announcement at the beginning of the year: the release of Windows 11 ! While Microsoft presented Windows 10 as "the last" of the series, the arrival of this new version of the operating system was surprising. By following in the footsteps of Windows 10, the latest version marks the beginning of a new era. However,adoption is struggling on the user side: according to a study by AdDuplex, only 16% of computers capable of running it have installed it.
So what's new in the OS ? And what improvements have been made to Windows 10? Here's our top 7 new features in Windows 11.
A new design
A new interface
Design improvements have been made in several areas. The first thing that jumps out at us after installing Windows 11 is that the taskbar with the [Start] menu is centred and no longer aligned to the left. The new menu is similar to Apple's design. But not all users will like it, and Microsoft has anticipated this. Indeed, it is possible in the settings to change the position of the menu to return to the layout of Windows 10. On opening, the menu is also centred and floats above the navigation bar. The taskbar remains fully customisable in Windows 11. By default, however, there is one new feature: the search field no longer appears. To access it, there is a small magnifying glass icon which, in the same way as on Windows 10, opens a window with the top applications and searches locally or on the web.
The [Start]menu now consists of two categories:
- The pinned applications that were already present in the old menu in the right frame. At the moment it is not yet possible to customise the layout of the pinned applications, but this is planned for future updates.
- Then, at the bottom of the menu, in the [our recommendations] tab, you will find the new applications and recent files.
More broadly, the design of the interface is also more modern. Animations have made the experience more fluid. The buttons are more rounded, the colours more modern, all of which contribute to a good user experience on this new OS.
Windows and icons
Design trends are constantly changing. With this new version of the OS, Microsoft is bringing itself up to date. The windows have a new design with more rounded edges.
In addition, it has become easier to manage the layout of windows. Few know this, but on Windows 10 there were the following window display options: cascading, stacked, side-by-side. This feature was hard to find and is much more accessible in Windows 11. Indeed, the functionality appears when hovering over the button at the top right of the window to enlarge and reduce the window. Several display options are possible such as half the screen, quarter, 75% / 25%...
New features in Windows 11
Microsoft store
A brand new interface is available for the Microsoft Store. This graphical redesign gives the platform a real facelift, as well as making navigation easier and faster. Also new is the support for Android applications.
Linux integration
A great novelty that is already delighting developers: Linux is now accessible like any other application. Integrating Linux into Windows is therefore very easy. This news may seem surprising, given that we have experienced the battle between the two OSes. And this advance is not the least: it will avoid Dual Boot and simplify the transition from one environment to the other. And the most incredible thing: the installation of WLS (Windows Subsystem for Linux) is done directly from the Microsoft Store! The only prerequisite is to have more than 400 MB of space.
Notification tab
At the bottom right of your screen is a notifications menu. In Windows 11, this tab is much clearer. Indeed, it is divided into several categories depending on the application concerned, which makes it much more readable. From now on, this same tab will contain the monthly calendar and the concentration function.
By clicking on the volume menu , you can also access several settings such as brightness, Wifi, Bluetooth, aeroplane mode...
Widgets
Windows 11 has a new Widgets system. While this feature dating from Windows Vista had been discontinued since Windows 7, the Widgets feature is back! You will be able to keep at your disposal the information that interests you on a daily basis, such as the weather, the stock market price, sports results, etc.
Chat is now based on Teams
In the new OS, Skype is no longer a default application. This clearly shows Microsoft's ambition to favour Teams over Skype. Indeed, Teams is increasingly used, especially since the pandemic, and now has over 250 million users. The application named Chat is now accessible from the taskbar.
📌 To go further, discover 5 reasons to create a Microsoft-based intranet
Things to remember
📌 Microsoft has released a new version of its operating system: Windows 11 ;
📌 This new OS incorporates a new, much more modern design;
📌 Improvements around navigation are in order.
📌 It is possible to integrate Linux easily
📌 Android apps are also available from the store;Skype disappears in favour of Teams.
