Windows 11: the Start Menu will evolve very quickly

NercesHardware and Gaming SpecialistDecember 04, 2021 at 09:3014

At the heart of many criticisms since the release of Windows 11, the Start Menu gets a makeover and that's just the beginning.

Still reserved for members of the Windows Insider program only, the latest preview version of Windows 11 – build 22509 – is the occasion of several changes of varying importance that Microsoft takes the trouble to detail on its official Windows blog.

The Start menu, towards more customization

First of all, it is the new features concerning the Start menu that are obvious. Without going back to a menu like that of Windows 10, Microsoft still wanted to make things a little more “adjustable”.

In the settings, an option allows you to choose between three display layouts. The intermediate setting is the one we know today: an equal distribution between pinned apps and system recommendations. However, it will be possible to favor one or the other of the two categories.

In addition, Microsoft is taking the opportunity to correct a problem that is annoying to say the least when a secondary screen – or an external screen – was used. While the date and time only appeared on the main screen, they are now displayed on both.

A better Narrator for Edge

Among the many other new features and more or less annoying bug fixes, Microsoft mentions the improvement of the Narrator tool that can be used to make navigation via Microsoft Edge easier, when one is visually impaired for example.

Microsoft specifies that typing in text fields is faster and that more information is communicated to the user. The publisher also explains that navigation becomes, in general, more intuitive, more fluid and more comfortable.

Basically, Windows 11 is now able to remember if the user has enabled Bluetooth/WiFi in airplane mode. The idea being that the next time this mode is selected, said options are kept identical. There is also talk of improving support for virtualized environments in Windows Sandbox, moving advanced sharing options and many other things…

To be completely honest, Windows 11 seems to us to be a good evolution of Windows 10. Beyond the very marketing aspect linked to the surprise effect (Windows 10 was presented as the last of the last, remember) and to the essentially graphical redesign of the interface, the update brings a bit of clarity and modernity that are welcome after six years spent with an OS designed to reconcile Microsoft and its audience. We also like the discreet details that make it more functional, such as the improved snap and anchor groups, or even the refined management of virtual desktops. Finally, we are really convinced by the redesign of the Microsoft Store. By agreeing to return to the exclusivity reserved for UWPs, Microsoft is effectively hitting where it is not expected and finally compels itself to catch up on Apple and Google.

To be completely honest, Windows 11 seems to us to be a good evolution of Windows 10. Beyond the very marketing aspect linked to the surprise effect (Windows 10 was presented as the last of the last, remember) and to the essentially graphical redesign of the interface, the update brings a bit of clarity and modernity that are welcome after six years spent with an OS designed to reconcile Microsoft and its audience. We also like the discreet details that make it more functional, such as the improved snap and anchor groups, or even the refined management of virtual desktops. Finally, we are really convinced by the redesign of the Microsoft Store. By agreeing to return to the exclusivity reserved for UWPs, Microsoft is effectively hitting where it is not expected and finally compels itself to catch up on Apple and Google.

Source: Windows Blog