Windows 11, the newest iteration of Microsoft’s long-running working system, is right here—at the least for these with supported PCs. For those who take the leap, you will discover a slick redesign, with a Chrome OS-like centered taskbar and rounded corners on apps. Below the hood, it is largely the identical OS, however there are some new options it’s best to know how one can use. The following pointers will assist ease the transition from Home windows 10 to Home windows 11.
Realign the Begin Button
The very first thing that may bounce out at you is the placement of the Start button. Lengthy positioned within the lower-left nook of the display screen, it is now centered with the remainder of the icons on the taskbar. However don’t fret, you possibly can change it again. Proper-click the taskbar and open Taskbar Settings. Choose the Taskbar behaviors drop-down and alter Taskbar alignment to Left. This may transfer all of your taskbar icons to the left and put the Begin button again the place it belongs. For extra on personalizing the Home windows 11 taskbar, take a look at our guide.
A Simplified Proper-Click on Menu
The precise-click menu now focuses solely on an important settings. Do you have to want extra settings—print, set a brand new background, or view the complete file location, as an example—choose Present extra choices to open a spill-over menu.
Customise the Quicks Setting Panel
Home windows 11 separates the Fast Settings that seem within the Motion Heart in Home windows 10 from that panel’s notifications. Click on the realm of the taskbar that has Wi-Fi, speaker, and, battery icons to open a settings menu that permits you to management Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, airplane mode, battery saver mode, and extra. So as to add or take away settings buttons right here, click on the pencil-shaped Edit fast settings button. Unpin what you do not need or click on Add to make new options accessible from the Fast Settings menu.
Simpler Desktop Administration
Microsoft replaces the outdated Job View button with a redesigned icon on the taskbar, which makes it simpler to create and manage multiple desktops. Simply hover over the icon to see any open digital desktops or create a brand new desktop. These desktops can then be rearranged as wanted, and apps which are in a single desktop might be dragged into one other.
Collect Your Widgets
Whereas Home windows 10 dabbled in widgets, Home windows 11 goes all in. If you wish to examine the climate, search for sports activities scores, observe inventory costs, watch close by site visitors, handle your Outlook calendar, cross duties off your to-do record, or learn the newest information, a brand new Widgets icon on the taskbar has you coated. You’ll be able to customize the widgets to fit your wants, rearrange them on the web page, and manage your newsfeed preferences by Microsoft Information.
Extra Multitask Layouts
Microsoft has supported the snap and resize characteristic since Home windows 7, nevertheless it will get a lift in Home windows 11 with Snap Layouts. You’ll be able to nonetheless drag and drop home windows into place, however in Home windows 11, you may also hover over the Maximize button on supported apps to see a menu of structure choices—one giant window on the left and two on prime of one another on the correct, or three in a row, for instance. Click on to pick your most well-liked formation after which transfer your apps into place.
Chat With Groups
Microsoft Teams—the corporate’s free messaging, calling, and videoconferencing app—is built into Windows 11. Launch video calls and begin chats from a brand new Chat icon on the taskbar; no must open the Microsoft Groups app. You’ll be able to sync your contacts by the Groups cellular app, but when your contacts do not use Groups, ship invitations through e-mail or textual content. You can too have SMS conversations with contacts even when they do not join Groups, and so they can be part of a video chat from an online hyperlink.
Get Issues Executed With Focus Periods
With messages and video chats popping up all through the work day, it is easy to get distracted because the work piles up. Focus Periods in Home windows 11 encourages you to put aside time for work that requires uninterrupted, deep focus. It is at present accessible within the new Alarms & Clock app, and provides a fast strategy to get at the least half-hour of distraction-free work time. For those who transcend 45 minutes, the app routinely schedules a five-minute break about halfway by your session. Here’s a step-by-step guide on setting it up in your PC.
Streamlined File Explorer Menu
With Home windows 11, Microsoft streamlines the ribbon on the prime of the File Explorer menu. Now solely minimize, copy, share, type, and examine choices are seen; no must wade by a number of tabs and settings you will by no means use. Home windows 11 additionally provides a New button for creating new folders and shortcuts, in addition to paperwork based mostly on the applications you might have put in.
Pair Enter/Output Gadgets
Home windows 11 will get a full-featured Sound menu with the power to pair new enter and output gadgets. Open Settings > System > Sound and click on Add system below the Output part to hyperlink exterior audio system or different gadgets. Or click on Add system below Enter to attach an exterior microphone. You’ll then be given the selection to attach through Bluetooth, wi-fi docks, and extra. Scroll right down to the Superior part and click on All sound gadgets to view a full record of all enter and output gadgets which were linked to your PC.
New Sound Modes
You get additional management over your audio output in Home windows 11, together with mono audio and enhanced audio modes. To go mono, open Settings > System > Sound, then allow Mono audio to mix the left and proper audio channels. For enhanced audio—which incorporates bass increase, digital encompass, room correction, and loudness equalization—click on All sound gadgets below the Superior part of the Sound menu, select a tool to entry the Properties menu, and allow Improve audio.
View the App Checklist
Home windows 11 provides an additional step to view your full record of put in apps. As an alternative of opening the Begin menu and instantly seeing the App Checklist subsequent to your stay tiles, you need to click on the All Apps button within the Pinned part of the Begin menu. You’ll then have the ability to browse the record or seek for a particular app.
Pins Apps to the Begin Menu
Talking of stay tiles, they’re lastly gone in Home windows 11. Of their place is a extra simplistic Begin menu the place you possibly can pin apps for straightforward entry. Open the App Checklist, right-click on an app, and choose Pin to Begin to maneuver it to the Pinned part. You’ll be able to then drag the app into your most well-liked place. To take away apps, right-click and select Unpin from Begin.
Customise the Begin Menu
In Home windows 10, the Settings button seems above the Begin button once you faucet it. Not so in Home windows 11, however you possibly can add it back through Settings > Personalization > Begin > Folders. Right here, you may also add File Explorer, different widespread folders, and Community icons.
Get Higher Suggestions
The brand new Begin menu has a Really useful part for latest recordsdata and incessantly used apps. To customise what seems right here, open Settings > Personalization > Begin so you possibly can inform Home windows to cease displaying just lately put in apps, incessantly used apps, or just lately opened objects within the Begin menu, App Checklist, and elsewhere.
Change Default Apps
In Home windows 10, it’s simple to decide on a default app, however with Home windows 11, the method is extra sophisticated, as you want to specify a default app for each file kind. Open the Settings app and faucet on the Apps part within the left-hand menu. Select Default apps, click on on the app you wish to set because the default for a file kind, and also you’ll see a listing of all file varieties it’s able to dealing with. Click on on the file kind you need, and choose an app from the menu that pops up. For a full rundown of the method, check out our guide.
Select Your Theme
Themes make a return in Home windows 11, however this time they work hand-in-hand with dark mode. Open Settings > Personalization and choose one of many default themes to alter the background picture, sounds, cursor, accent coloration, and coloration theme suddenly. Open Themes to edit present themes, add new themes from the Microsoft Retailer, or create your individual.
Higher Battery Visualization
Home windows 11 does a greater job than its predecessor of serving to you visualize your battery utilization knowledge. Go to Settings > System > Energy & battery, then open the Battery utilization tab. Right here you can find a chart that reveals how a lot energy you might have used over the previous couple of days or hours. An inventory of apps under that present energy utilization by particular person app. For those who discover a program which may be utilizing an excessive amount of energy, you possibly can shut down background utilization and put it to sleep, similar to iPhones and Android devices mean you can do.
Get Used to the New Contact Gestures
For those who’re utilizing a touch-screen PC convertible or pill, just like the beautiful new Surface Pro 8, you need to get used to an entire new set of contact gestures, a lot of which contain utilizing a number of fingers. Swiping in from the left facet not opens process switching mode, however quite the Widgets panel of stories and data. To point out the Job View, you now must swipe up on the display screen (wherever) with 4 fingers. Swiping in from the correct nonetheless fortunately opens notifications. Swiping down from the highest not closes an app, however you possibly can swipe down in an app window with three fingers to attenuate an app and present the desktop. Swiping three fingers up opens all working home windows.
Run Android Apps (in Beta)
For those who’re a Windows Insider, you might have early entry to Android apps within the Microsoft Retailer. It is at present restricted to 50 Amazon Appstore apps, however extra are on their method. Here’s how to download the Home windows Subsystem for Android, set up the Appstore, and mess around with Android apps in your Home windows 11 PC.
Michael Muchmore contributed to this story.