Microsoft released Windows 11’s stable builds to the public following a long developer and beta testing phase. You might have updated to Windows 11 since it is generally available. If you did, it may take some time to get adjusted to Windows 11.
There are many new features in Windows 11 that you might not notice right away. So, we have selected a few tips that will help you better understand Windows 11. Here are some of the best new Windows 11 features that you should try.
You might not like the new Start Menu’s position for some reason, especially if you’re used to the left alignment.
It’s a good move from Microsoft, but you’ve got your reasons to hate. Thankfully, you can restore the Start Menu to its original position. Here’s how you can do it.
- Right-click on the Taskbar and click on Taskbar Settings.
- Click to expand the Taskbar Behavior settings.
- Click the drop-down menu next to Taskbar alignment, and change it to “Left”.
Once selected, your Taskbar will immediately move to the left.
2. Organize/Snap Windows Apps Easily
Snapping windows has always been one of the best features of Windows. In Windows 11, Microsoft improved this feature by introducing Snap Layouts. All you need to do is hover your mouse pointer over the Maximize button, and it’ll show you the different layouts available for snapping. Currently, there are six different layouts available to choose from.
You can also use the Win + Z shortcut to access Snap Layouts. After selecting a layout, you’ll be prompted to select another window(s) to fill the remaining space. Once snapped, you’ll see them as a group in the Taskbar.
Gone are the days when we used to see Live Tiles on Windows 10. Now, Windows 11 has widgets. As soon as you set up Windows 11, you’ll be able to access Widgets from the Taskbar.
With widgets, you can get quick information at a glance, and a variety of options are available. Based on your location, you’ll see the weather, news, sports, photos from OneDrive, and other content. You can still modify it by resizing, removing, or adding widgets as you see fit.
4. Desktop Management Made Easy
You may have noticed a new Task View button on your Taskbar. Microsoft has introduced a new desktop management system to create, arrange, and manage multiple desktops. You can access your desktops by hovering over the icon.
Furthermore, if you have a laptop running Windows 11, you can access this by swiping up with three fingers on the trackpad. You can rename any desktop and rearrange them according to your preferences. Also, if you wish to have a different desktop background for each one, you can do so.
Windows 11’s improved desktop management system helps you organize all of your apps to improve productivity.
5. Chat Using Microsoft Teams
Microsoft decided to integrate their free chatting, video-calling app into Windows 11. You can now start a chat or a video call by clicking the chat icon on the taskbar. You wouldn’t need to install the Microsoft Teams app or open it.
Although there’s a caveat—if your contact isn’t using Teams, then you’ll have to send them an invite to sign up for it. If you have the Microsoft Teams app on your phone linked to the same account, you can sync these chats on your mobile device.
6. Concentrate With Focus Sessions
Microsoft’s Focus Sessions is one of the best features of Windows 11. The feature is similar to the focus apps on smartphones. The sessions help you focus on your work and increase productivity. You can find Focus Sessions in the Alarms and Clock app. It follows the Pomodoro technique to help you take small breaks after long working hours.
You can also set a timer to stick yourself to the task, and you can see your progress on the dashboard. Moreover, you can integrate your Microsoft To-Do to manage your tasks, and the Spotify integration allows you to listen to your favorite tracks during the focus session.
7. Sound Modes
With Windows 11, you have more control over the sound that is coming from your device. You can change your audio to mono audio by combining the right and left audio channels. The Mono audio option can be found under Settings > System > Sound.
You can also choose the Enhanced audio option, which includes various audio enhancements, such as bass boost, equalization, surround sound, and more. Navigate to Settings > System > Sound > select All sound devices under the Advanced tab. Then, open the Properties menu for a device and enable Enhance Audio.
8. Better Battery Stats
You may have a hard time understanding the battery performance of your laptop/tablet on Windows 10 and its predecessors. Thankfully, Windows 11 does a great job of visualizing your battery usage in a better way. To access it, head over to Settings > System > Power & Battery and select the Battery usage tab.
The new battery stats show a battery level chart based on your usage. Furthermore, you’ll see how long your screen has been on and off and how long you’ve been idle. Likewise, you can see the battery usage of all your apps as well. If you think a program is draining too much battery, you can stop its background processes.
Try These Windows 11 Features Right Now
These are some of the impressive features we found when exploring Windows 11. Windows 11 will support Android apps sooner or later, but you can experiment and enjoy these features until then. There are a lot of features that you can find in Windows 11, but these are some of the features we found most interesting.
That said, Windows 11 is still a new operating system, and it’ll take some time to get rid of the bugs and implement this new design language. We can also expect more changes and improvements over time.
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