For the first time since the launch of Windows 11 last year, Microsoft has released a sizable update for its desktop OS. While there aren’t any major new features that could change the way you use the operating system, the upgrade still brings helpful changes. In the update announcement, chief product officer Panos Panay called Windows 11 “the most used and most loved version of Windows ever.”
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Accessibility is a big theme in this new update. Microsoft has highlighted that fact that Windows 11 now makes live captions more prominent and add more “natural” sounding automated text-to-speech narrators. A new Focus mode works like a do-not-disturb feature on your smartphone, blocking all onscreen notifications for a set amount of time.
Some tweaks have been made to the user interface and layouts. Windows 11 now has improved window snapping, which lets you snap individual browser tabs to different parts of the screen. There are some new updates to Photos as well. Some are focused on creating more pleasant visual arrangements, and others find new ways to display old photos of memorable events, even if sometimes you may not want the reminder.
Security features have also been expanded for users that tend to be connected all of the time. Microsoft says it will soon be adding identity-theft alerts to Windows Defender (if you subscribe to the Microsoft 365 office suite). Microsoft Defender SmartScreen tells you if you’re putting login info into a website that is known to be malicious or has suffered a data breach.
The Redmond-based company has also shared its credentials in becoming more environmentally friendly. It says that it can now schedule power-hungry system updates at a certain time of day in specific locations so they’ll put less strain on electrical systems. Sleep and screen-off settings have also been tweaked to use a little less power.
