It's that time of the year again - Microsoft have provided some details on the new features that are coming to Windows 11 in the next big update to the operating system, currently scheduled to be released to the general public at some point in the last few months of the year. So, what changes can we expect to see?
Drag and Drop to the Taskbar
This is Windows 10 feature that disappeared for a bit, but is now being reintroduced. You will be able to drag any apps or files to the taskbar to quickly create a permanent icon to launch it from there.
Task Manager Design Refresh
The Windows task manager has various panels that show what resources your device is currently using. It has looked the same for many years. It's now getting some changes to bring the look more in line with the rest of the settings pages. The tabs currently along the top will become vertical tabs along the left hand side like other configuration pages in Windows to make it more touch-friendly.
Renewable energy efficiencies
An interesting one this. The OS will start using local energy information to try and schedule updates in the background at a time when renewable energy generation is at its highest. This probably isn't likely to change much on it own, but it is likely an indication of the direction things are likely to go more generally in the next few years as our myriad devices start incorporating these sorts of features.
Other changes
- The ability to pin more apps to the Start menu
- Optimisations to the taskbar to make it more tablet-friendly
- Changes to the way open windows snap to sections of the screen
On a related note, you're likely to already have the spring update, although it was so low key that you may not have even noticed it. This included new versions of Notepad and Media player, as well as the ability to share various apps to Teams directly from the Taskbar.